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The room buzzed with tension as soon as the voice echoed.
Li Meihua gets angry and doesn't even bother looking at the lady.
"Tsk. What kind of people are you bringing now, Lin Yue? Another one of your useless, street-smart friends?"
"Huh?!" Mo Yuwei was stunned.
She was a what now?
"Who the hell are you?" Li Meihua snapped, rising to her feet. "Who are you to talk here, bitch? Huh?This is a private family matter. Mind your own damn business!"
"Crazy woman," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Lin Yue, who the hell is this? Your bitchy friend got something to say? Tell her to shut up before I make her."
Lin Yue and Mo Yuwei exchanged a look.
Was this woman nuts?
Mentally ill?
Lin Yue didn't respond.
Meanwhile, Lin Rui had been staring at Mo Yuwei with wide eyes.
Something about her looked familiar.
His jaw slowly slackened.
Wait.
Was it...?
His breath caught in his throat. He looked at her again— the cold yet beautiful eyes, the commanding presence...
Even in a simple dress, her aura was enough to make one shut up.
No mistake.
It was Mo Yuwei.
He gasped, his lips parting slightly.
"Mom…" he said, reaching out and tapping Li Meihua on the shoulder.
She was too busy ranting to pay attention.
"She's not saying anything, huh? Hey, Lin Yue, tell your little friend to shut her big mouth and mind her own business before I really slap some sense into both of you—"
"MOM," Lin Rui said louder, now yanking at her sleeve.
Li Meihua turned to him, irritated. "What is it?! Can't you see I'm—"
He leaned in and whispered, "It's… It's Mo Yuwei. CEO Mo Yuwei."
Li Meihua blinked.
"What?"
He nodded vigorously, his lips trembling.
Li Meihua went still.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Slowly, almost robotically, she looked carefully at the woman.
Mo Yuwei met her gaze head-on.
Li Meihua almost swallowed her tongue.
Her throat went dry. "Oh… oh my goodness, I-I didn't realize… I mean, I didn't recognize you, CEO Mo!" She laughed nervously, her expression twisting into a grotesque attempt at charm. "So sorry! I was just... joking! Haha..."
Mo Yuwei's face didn't move. She just raised one eyebrow, slightly.
Li Meihua turned toward Lin Yue, who was now smirking.
She looked like a cat who had just cornered a fat, arrogant mouse.
Li Meihua's face darkened immediately.
Her expression turned sour. "You little rat," she hissed. "Why didn't you tell me it was CEO Mo?! Are you trying to embarrass me? Do you enjoy humiliating your mother?!"
Before Lin Yue could respond, Li Meihua raised her hand, rage dancing in her eyes.
But before the slap could even be attempted, Mo Yuwei spoke, her voice like an arctic wind, "Try."
Li Meihua froze mid-swing. Her arm trembled in the air before she slowly, reluctantly let it drop, her eyes still burning with fury.
Her eyes flicked between Mo Yuwei and Lin Yue.
Lin Chengbi, who had been trying to disappear into the seat, suddenly reached for Li Meihua's arm and pulled her down beside him.
"Sit, sit," he said in a low voice. "Enough. Let's do what brought us here."
Li Meihua obeyed.
But the moment she sat, she plastered on a sugary smile like nothing had happened.
"If she's Lin Yue's friend, then of course she's family," she said sweetly. "Yuwei, right? What a lovely name. You should call me Aunty."
Mo Yuwei blinked, then slowly tilted her head at her like she was inspecting a particularly bold insect.
"We were actually discussing a perfect opportunity! I was just thinking of making our Xingyan your brand ambassador. She's a growing star, very beautiful and talented."
Mo Yuwei looked at her like she had grown a second head.
Before she could answer, Lin Yue spoke up, her voice sharp and cold. "You're not getting anything. Our relationship ended a long time ago. Li Meihua, don't pretend otherwise. There's no 'aunty', no 'mom'."
Li Meihua's fake smile cracked.
"What did you say, you little bitch?!" she snapped, rising slightly from her seat. "Now that you have money, you think you're better than us? Think you don't have to help your family?"
Lin Yue met her gaze evenly.
Li Meihua fumed. "Help your sister, at least! What's wrong with that?"
She turned to Mo Yuwei, putting on her sweetest smile.
Or so she thought.
"Look, Yuwei… you must know the value of influencers. My daughter, Xingyan, is very popular. So talented, so beautiful. Huge online following! She'd be a perfect brand ambassador for your company."
Even Lin Rui piped up starry-eyed. "Yeah! My sister's very famous. She's even a couple with Zhang Zeyan now. Super famous! You should see the comments!"
Lin Yue burst out laughing.
It wasn't a small chuckle.
It was a full-on laugh, loud and genuine.
Li Meihua scowled. "What the hell are you laughing at, bitch?!"
Still chuckling, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
Her fingers moved swiftly over the screen.
She opened a folder in her gallery.
She turned the screen around and handed it to Li Meihua.
"Here. Since you're such fans of her and so proud of your star daughter," she said.
Li Meihua snatched the phone with a scoff.
Lin Chengbi leaned over.
Lin Rui, curious, came closer.
As their eyes scanned the images, all three of their expressions turned ghostly pale and ugly.
They stared.
And stared.
Eyes wide.
Mouths open.
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