These words didn’t make Wang Muguang feel the least bit sad. Instead, he sneered and said, “Speak louder.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
What kind of bizarre kink was this? This wasn’t like him.
He cleared his throat, prepared his words, and said again, “You are very pretentious!”
Wang Muguang posed elegantly a few times with his arms in front of him. “Oh, I also think I’ve become more stylish and aesthetic lately, and a lot stronger too.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
For some reason, he could actually understand Wang Muguang’s train of thought for a moment.
This young master loved himself more than anyone in the world and also believed that everyone else loved him too. In his eyes, no one in this world could possibly dislike him. Even if someone did, he would automatically ignore their existence and pretend they didn’t exist at all.
So when Bai Shuijin called him a fake dead to his face, Wang Muguang didn’t even think of it as an insult.
How could anyone insult someone as handsome as Wang Muguang, whose looks could blow out tires? Impossible.
But what was even scarier was that he actually managed to sync up with Wang Muguang’s way of thinking.
Bai Shuijin clutched his head in pain.
His brain was polluted!
So scary! So scary!
Wang Muguang turned around, tightened his arms and lifted them slightly, “Little Shortie, what do you think? Can you see the muscles tightening on my back?”
Bai Shuijin silently floated away. “All I saw was your suit about to explode.”
A little higher and it would’ve ripped.
Sure enough, the more expensive something was, the easier it broke.
Wang Muguang: “Hey, don’t go.”
He walked side by side with Bai Shuijin. “Come on, let’s check out the buffet area.”
Bai Shuijin looked confused. “Why? You’re not even eating.”
Wang Muguang had been dieting and working out for the past few months to prepare for his filming overseas. He had already cut out a lot of food.
“You eat, I’ll watch. I’ll quench my thirst by thinking of plums.”
Bai Shuijin looked at Wang Muguang like he was a human trafficker and refused to go with him. “I’m not hungry.”
Wang Muguang: “I specially added Alaskan king crab to the menu.”
‘??’
‘Good Little Uncle, turns out you’re a crab dealer.’
Bai Shuijin licked his lips and said, “I’ve never had it. Let’s go try it.”
The two of them went to the buffet area together. They had been busy all afternoon at the Rose Pavilion and hadn’t had dinner yet, it was perfect timing to eat.
Lu Ming was in a bad mood after being glared away by Wang Muguang. After all, the Lu family was a reputable family too, and he had been the center of attention since he was a child. Who would dare to glare at him?
Being given the cold shoulder made him furious. He had a rather bad temper to begin with, and at the age of eighteen, he was full of youthful energy and could not stand any anger.
But there was nothing he could do. Even though he had always been adored, Wang Muguang was the sun that completely overshadowed him. Compared to him, this young master had been praised more than he ever was.
The Wang family background was stronger than the Lu family’s. Lu Ming took a gulp of champagne, put the glass on a waiter’s tray, and slumped on the sofa, depressed.
He was not in the mood to look for He Xiaoxiao anymore. Even if he found her, he would definitely quarrel with her given his current mood. He Xiaoxiao had a bad temper too, so it was better to wait until he calmed down. Otherwise, it would just hurt their relationship.
He was already depressed, and just then, his phone buzzed with a new message. He took a look and saw it was from his father, Lu Zhengfeng.
There were several voice messages. Lu Ming frowned impatiently, avoided the crowd and stepped out to the terrace.
He tapped on the first message.
Lu Zhengfeng: [How is it? Have you built a good relationship with Miss Wang yet?]
[I heard Wang Huanxiu and Wang Muguang are attending tonight too. Don’t forget to say hello. Wang Muguang isn’t much older than you, just four or five years maybe. You should have a lot to talk about. Don’t forget to chat more with him.]
Wang Huanxiu was cold-blooded and scheming. He didn’t even take Old Master Wang seriously, but he had a soft spot, which were his younger siblings.
This wasn’t something most people could see. Only those who had interacted with Wang Huanxiu knew.
After all, the three siblings had been separated for many years, and Wang Huanxiu had always been focused on business and rarely contacted his siblings. They only made occasional phone calls. Until this year when both younger siblings moved to live with him, they barely met even twice a year before that.
Everyone assumed Wang Huanxiu was guarded against everyone, even his own siblings. After all, coming from a prestigious family and rising above a crowd of contenders wasn’t easy. There were always gaps when status was involved.
But soon people realized this wasn’t the case.
Before entering the entertainment industry, Wang Muguang studied political law. While he was in school, Wang Huanxiu donated equipment and dorm buildings to his school under the name of charity more than once. After entering the entertainment industry, as long as it involved Wang Muguang, he would invest regardless of whether the project made money or not.
As for Wang Zhenzhu, it was even more extreme. Everything was piled toward this young lady, including jewelry, art collections, paintings…When she gave up design and wanted to study finance, he personally helped scout universities for her.
But neither of them knew any of this.
Wang Huanxiu was a notorious business shark in the industry. Not many could get him to willingly do losing deals, only Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu.
Even though the Lu family’s amusement park project had already been scrapped, as long as either Wang Muguang or Wang Zhenzhu spoke up, the project could be resurrected.
It would take just one simple sentence from either of them.
That was why Lu Zhengming was desperate for his son to build a relationship with those two. In fact, there was another potential option; Bai Shuijin. But his presence in the Wang family seemed low, and no one had confirmed if Wang Huanxiu genuinely liked him. So for now, Lu Zhengfeng hadn’t made plans involving Bai Shuijin.
At the mention of Wang Muguang, the fire in Lu Ming’s chest was reignited and he directly called Lu Zhengfeng.
“I’m not doing it.”
Lu Zhengfeng: “What are you saying? It’s just basic socializing. Isn’t that what you’re best at?”
Usually, Lu Ming loved nothing more than manipulating people.
He had high EQ since childhood and never gave Lu Zhengfeng trouble when it came to networking. So why was he suddenly so resistant to talking to Wang Muguang?
Lu Zhengfeng’s heart skipped a beat. “Don’t tell me you offended Wang Muguang.”
“No,” Lu Ming said with a sour face. “I haven’t even met him before. How would I offend him?”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Lu Zhengfeng breathed a sigh of relief. “Since you haven’t, just go say a few words and chat a bit. The family project is depending on you.”
“Why depend on me? It’s your company, not mine.”
He planned to open an e-sports company in the future and had no interest in the family business.
“You little brat, what are you saying? Without my company, would you be living so carefree as you are now?”
Lu Ming curled his lips indifferently.
“Make sure to have a good chat with Wang Muguang. Oh, by the way, have you seen the yellow diamond your mother kept in that antique box? She’s been looking for it for several days and can’t find it.”
Lu Ming immediately straightened up. “Yellow diamond? What yellow diamond?”
“The one your mother said she’d pass down as a family heirloom to her daughter-in-law.”
Lu Ming swallowed. “I don’t know. Tell her to think carefully where she left it. Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. I’ve spent the whole evening talking to you.”
“Yes, yes, go now and find Miss Wang and Wang Muguang to chat.”
After hanging up, Lu Ming stood on the terrace for a while, a wave of guilt rising in his chest. His mother was still at home looking for that yellow diamond, but he had already placed it on He Xiaoxiao’s tiara.
He thought it looked good on her.
He originally didn’t want to talk to Wang Muguang. He wasn’t someone who cared about flattery. But out of guilt for his parents, Lu Ming stepped off the terrace, looked around, and headed toward the buffet area.
The buffet area was lively as Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang peeling crab legs enthusiastically.
The waiter nearby looked at the two people who insisted on peeling the shells themselves and wiped the sweat off his face nervously with a handkerchief.
Hearing that crab legs were hard to peel and the process was tedious, the two people’s competitive spirit was instantly aroused.
Wang Muguang picked up a peeled crab leg with a fork and looked at Bai Shuijin. “Call me Big Brother, and I’ll give this to you.”
Bai Shuijin immediately shot back, “Water pump truck, your brain has become rotten from reading too many trashy novels.”
“Hey!” Wang Muguang looked heartbroken. “How can you say that about me? What’s wrong with calling me Big Brother? I’m still two years older.”
Bai Shuijin turned and looked at him with a deadpan expression.
Wang Muguang felt a bit guilty under the stare. “Wha…what’s wrong?”
Bai Shuijin: “Let’s talk with your elder brother about it.”
“…” Wang Muguang solemnly offered the crab leg to Bai Shuijin’s mouth. “Big Brother, here, eat.”
Bai Shuijin was busy swallowing crab while Wang Muguang hammered away with a small hammer on the side.
Lu Ming came over, but it was Bai Shuijin who noticed him first.
“Hello.” Although he disliked the person, basic manners were still necessary.
Unexpectedly, Lu Ming completely ignored him and walked directly to Wang Muguang to strike up a conversation.
“Brother Muguang, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us? I felt like you had a problem with me just now.”
Wang Muguang: “You’re overthinking it.”
Lu Ming smiled.
“It’s not that you ‘felt like’. I do.”
Lu Ming’s smile froze. “I’d like to know why.”
Wang Muguang placed the freshly peeled crab leg into Bai Shuijin’s plate without saying a word.
Just for ignoring Bai Shuijin earlier, Lu Ming had already earned himself extra penalty points.
Bai Shuijin was his career benefactor, after all.
Watching Wang Muguang standing up for him, Bai Shuijin’s eyes showed a hint of gratitude: Thank you, Water Pump Truck.
Lu Ming didn’t expect Wang Muguang to act like this. Bai Shuijin had always been a laughing stock in the circle. He was lucky enough to marry Wang Huanxiu and had climbed up a tall tree, but people criticized him for being fake and pretentious. So Lu Ming had assumed Bai Shuijin had no real status in the Wang family.
He’d just seen Bai Shuijin following Wang Zhenzhu around earlier and thought he was just a tagalong in the family. Who would’ve guessed he held such hidden ranks and even got Wang Muguang to peel crab for him?
Lu Ming looked at the tray full of crab tools and was dumbfounded. All these just to open crab?
Lu Ming forced a smile. “My eyesight has been bad lately, and I’m a little nearsighted. This must be Mr. Bai? Nice to meet you.”
Wang Muguang didn’t let the two shake hands. “What do you want?”
“Oh, nothing important, I just wanted to chat with Brother Muguang.”
There was nothing much to chat about between them.
Lu Ming was good at finding topics. He knew Wang Muguang didn’t like him right now, but if he brought up things the other party liked, he could still keep the conversation going. Relationships are built through talking. He will casually drop in some compliments, and the favorability will naturally go up.
“Brother Muguang, aren’t you curious about how Zhenzhu is doing at school?”
Now that he mentioned it, Wang Muguang really was a bit curious. “Is Zhenzhu doing well at school?”
Wang Zhenzhu was boarding at an international school and only came home during holidays. But since he was always busy with work, the siblings mostly communicated via video calls and it was impossible to be with her all the time.
“She’s doing great. Zhenzhu is the class monitor, and lots of classmates like her.” Lu Ming smiled. “Me too.”
“Ahem ahem ahem…”
Bai Shuijin choked on his food, which scared Wang Muguang next to him. “Fuck, are you okay? How do you even choke eating crab?”
Bai Shuijin coughed hard and reached out toward the waiter next to him, but Wang Muguang intervened, “Don’t move! I’ll perform the Heimlich maneuver!”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
‘Was Wang Muguang trying to send him to the afterlife immediately…’
He yanked away the so-called Qianli Car, took a cup of tea from the waiter, and after drinking it down, felt refreshed. His throat didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.
Lu Ming saw Bai Shuijin downing the tea and stepped forward in concern. “Are you alright?”
Bai Shuijin raised his head from the cup. “Good tea.”
Lu Ming: “…”
Was that directed at him or the tea?
.
After they’d eaten and drunk their fill, Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang returned to the second-floor lounge.
Wang Zhenzhu’s birthday banquet was scheduled to start at 8 PM. There were about ten minutes left before the event kicked off, so they planned to rest inside.
Wang Zhenzhu had already changed into the long dress she’d carefully chosen for her birthday, a bright and elegant evening gown with matching accessories, and she planned to switch into the Grecian-style short dress for the dance party segment later.
Bai Shuijin opened the door, already prepared to compliment Wang Zhenzhu. It was her birthday, and she should be happy every single moment.
However, as soon as the door opened, they heard crying inside.
Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang were shocked. They saw Wang Zhenzhu, who was dressed in her long gown, leaning over the sofa, crying her heart out. Her slender shoulders trembled nonstop.
“Wuuu….”
The two looked at each other, and neither knew what had happened. The room was empty except as Wang Zhenzhu had made everyone leave before crying. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this, after all, she was the star of tonight’s birthday banquet.
Bai Shuijin quickly walked over to her. Wang Zhenzhu had cried so much that her eye makeup was all smeared. “Zhenzhu, what’s wrong?”
Wang Zhenzhu shook her head, unwilling to speak, her sobs suppressed.
Wang Muguang brought tissues over. “Here, wipe it off, wipe it off.”
Wang Zhenzhu ignored him.
Bai Shuijin patted her shoulder and said, “Just tell us. It will feel better if you let it out.”
Wang Zhenzhu looked like a mermaid stranded on a rock, unable to return to the sea. She lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at Bai Shuijin. “I… I just saw a classmate from school… her tiara… her tiara is the same as mine. It clashed.”
No wonder the tiara she had adored was now nowhere to be seen on her head. When she’d first brought it home, she couldn’t put it down.
Wang Muguang: “It’s fine, so what if it clashed? The worst that could happen is that you just don’t wear it. You still look good without it, Zhenzhu.”
Wang Zhenzhu cried even harder. “Second Brother, you don’t understand anything!!”
The gem on He Xiaoxiao’s crown is a family heirloom of Lu Ming’s family. Just now, she had seen He Xiaoxiao wearing it while greeting someone. When she saw the identical tiaras, one of He Xiaoxiao’s friends told her that the yellow diamond on He Xiaoxiao’s crown was from Lu Ming’s mother, a gift for her daughter-in-law.
Wang Zhenzhu’s expression collapsed on the spot. She thought Lu Ming and He Xiaoxiao weren’t together yet, and that she still had a chance. Who knew the two were already in a relationship?
The classmate Wang Zhenzhu ran into was likely the female protagonist of this Mary Sue novel.
Bai Shuijin comforted her, “Even if she has a yellow diamond, you still have a beautiful ruby.”
“It’s not the same. That yellow diamond is from Lu Ming’s mother. It’s Lu Ming’s yellow diamond, given to He Xiaoxiao.”
Bai Shuijin frowned. “You really want the yellow diamond that badly?”
Wang Zhenzhu nodded tearfully. “I do!”
“Alright, give me your□□, I’ll recharge one for you.”
“…”
While comforting Wang Zhenzhu, Bai Shuijin also felt regretful. He hadn’t read the Mary Sue novel in detail, he just knew the general plot: the male and female protagonist studied together and got into college, with the female protagonist eventually slapping the face of the second female protagonist. But he didn’t know exactly how that happened. If he had memorized the plot better, maybe a lot could’ve been avoided and Zhenzhu wouldn’t have to be this heartbroken.
He remembered that the second female protagonist started truly resenting the female protagonist after this birthday banquet.
Wang Zhenzhu looked up and saw the sorrow in Bai Shuijin’s eyes. Her tears fell onto the back of her hand. She pursed her lips and said, “It’s fine. I’m not sad anymore. I just won’t wear the tiara. I still have my beautiful dress.”
