Chapter 77

Half an hour later.

In a private lounge in Beijing.

Cheng Zhuo was led by a waiter to the innermost private room.

Walking down this corridor, Cheng Zhuo's pace was unhurried.

But he was far from as calm inside as he appeared on the surface.

From the day he started working at Yueji Flower House, he had already mentally prepared himself.

That omnipotent man would eventually find out that something was off about him, and track him down here.

He had imagined what he would say if he met Qi Mo face to face.

But now that the moment had arrived.

Nervousness still welled up in his heart one wave after another.

The words he had planned out earlier completely slipped his mind.

The waiter pulled open the door of the private room and ushered Cheng Zhuo in.

Qi Mo sat sideways on the sofa next to the floor-to-ceiling window, one long leg crossed over the other.

Most of his face was sunk in shadow, his expression unclear.

Cheng Zhuo took a shallow breath, gritted his teeth and sat down on the sofa opposite Qi Mo.

He forced a casual smile and greeted,

"Mr. Qi, nice to meet you. I'm the shop manager of Yueji Flower House, Cheng Zhuo."

Qi Mo looked up, a hint of chill in his deep, dark eyes.

His gaze slowly swept over Cheng Zhuo's face.

Every second that his gaze lingered felt like he was scrutinizing him.

Cheng Zhuo felt nervous under his substantial gaze.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something to break the tension, he heard Qi Mo's cool, low voice softly say,

"Nice to meet you, Cheng Zhuo, or should I call you, second young master of Fangcheng Group."

As the last syllable fell, Qi Mo's compelling gaze looked straight at him.

Cheng Zhuo's breath hitched abruptly, as if his heart was being choked.

The smile was still on his face, but he couldn't hide the tension within.

The hand hidden under the table clenched slightly.

Too frightening.

This man's gaze seemed to see through everything.

Cheng Zhuo was no coward.

On the contrary, having grown up under his elder brother's overbearing education, he was bolder than most people his age.

At this moment, Cheng Zhuo felt the same powerful sense of oppression from Qi Mo as he did from his brother. As if not saying anything would make him seem weaker.

Cheng Zhuo clenched his fists a little tighter to calm his nerves, put on a frank expression, and met Qi Mo's gaze steadily.

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Mr. Qi." He paused, then circumvented the issue and said, "But don't get me wrong, Mr. Qi. I'm not working two jobs. Fangcheng Group is run by my brother and has nothing to do with me."

Having said that, Cheng Zhuo blinked his clear, bright eyes innocently.

His demeanor was very similar to Sheng Mumu's.

The hostility in Qi Mo's cold, stern brows and eyes receded slightly as he reassessed Cheng Zhuo.

When he spoke again, his voice was gentler than before:

"Thank you for helping my wife at the flower shop that time."

Qi Mo kept his professional and personal lives separate, as well as gratitude and grudges.

These words expressed gratitude as a husband to someone who had helped his wife.

But his next sentence marked a change in attitude.

His brow quirked slightly as his aura suddenly became icy.

And as a man, he questioned:

"What are your intentions for getting close to her?"

Xiyu Yingting.

Feng Yaoqin, who had other plans in mind, glanced at her wristwatch.

Seeing this, Zhang the butler immediately asked,

"Madam, are you staying here tonight, or...?"

Feng Yaoqin waved her hand. "I won't stay. When Qi Mo comes back, I'll come over for dinner."

Her words implied that she would be staying in the city for a while after this trip, and would have plenty of opportunities to discipline her daughter-in-law.

Zhang spoke respectfully, "I'll send madam and Miss Qiao over."

"No need for you to send us." Feng Yaoqin's tone grew sharper, and she looked meaningfully at Sheng Mumu.

Sheng Mumu immediately understood. She leapt up from the sofa,

"Mom, I'll take you."

Feng Yaoqin's brows knitted slightly.

"... "

She was quick to respond, having said nothing for half a day.

Sheng Mumu saw Feng Yaoqin's expression. She pretended not to notice.

And sighed to herself in her mind.

She finally understood today why so many said the mother-in-law daughter-in-law relationship was the hardest to maintain.

Being too enthusiastic doesn't work, being too cold doesn't work either.

Lukewarm is even worse, as that would be seen as perfunctory.

Compared to reading a boss's face at work, reading a mother-in-law's face and acting accordingly was a hundred times more difficult.

She had just smoothed things over with her pretend husband and cheap son, and now this hard-to-handle mother-in-law popped up.

Ahhhhh, save me.

She took a deep breath and adjusted her mindset.

Just keep thinking of the ￥500,000 every month.

Sheng Mumu, you can do this. Quickly get into the role of a "virtuous daughter-in-law"!

Sheng Mumu sent Feng Yaoqin to the entrance of a slightly smaller villa about eight buildings away from theirs.

Looking up, it was a little smaller than the one they lived in.

But it would be more than enough for just Feng Yaoqin and Qiao Li.

Sheng Mumu smiled amiably as she bid Feng Yaoqin farewell, and considerately said,

"Mom, come over to eat at our place when you have time."

Feng Yaoqin suddenly said, "Don't rush back, come inside. I'll teach you a few of Qi Mo's favorite dishes. Learn to make them and cook for them."

"Ah?" Sheng Mumu almost reflexively wanted to decline, "Learn to cook this late at night..." How presumptuous of you.

Seeing her reaction, Qiao Li at the side couldn't help but stifle a laugh again.

Amid the drone of cicadas, Feng Yaoqin didn't quite catch what Sheng Mumu said. "What did you say?"

Sheng Mumu enthusiastically looped her arm around her mother-in-law's, "It's so late, and you want to teach me to cook. How tiring for you. You just got back from overseas and haven't adjusted to the time difference here yet, right?"

Feng Yaoqin was very pleased with this show of concern. The corners of her lips curved up in a barely discernible smile.

"My previous stop was Korea. No need to adjust for time difference."

Sheng Mumu: ".................."

The smile had just hung on Feng Yaoqin's lips for a few seconds before it was abruptly withdrawn.

Something's not right...

Strange.

How did she end up smiling at her daughter-in-law without realizing it?

This wouldn't do. She hadn't even started establishing her authority yet, and was already giving in.

Feng Yaoqin knitted her brows and glanced at Sheng Mumu's hand looped around hers. She twisted her body uncomfortably and said,

"Don't hold on to me. It's so hot out, just walk by yourself."

Sheng Mumu quickly retracted her hand. "Of course, mom. Just watch your step for any loose pebbles on the ground. It's dark in the yard at night, be careful not to trip."

Feng Yaoqin did not expect such acquiescent words from her daughter-in-law. She immediately felt a little smug, but still remembered to maintain her mother-in-law status. She gave a little cough and sternly lectured,

"Back to cooking. Don't just readily agree. Pay close attention later and learn properly."

Sheng Mumu dragged her feet as she followed behind.

Her face was brimming with enthusiasm.

But she was beyond hopeless inside.

Her voice was full of motivation.

"Mm-hmm, I'll definitely learn carefully. What's that saying again-" She thought for a moment. "That's right, watch and learn from the best. I'm waiting for you to show me your skills."

Feng Yaoqin stopped in her tracks and glanced at this somewhat odd daughter-in-law, muttering under her breath,

"Is that how the saying goes..."

Qiao Li burst into laughter and suddenly chimed in, "Auntie, that's right, you can use it that way."

Sheng Mumu smiled and nodded at her mother-in-law.

The picture of obedience.

Under the moonlight.

Mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, niece.

The scene was getting stranger and stranger.