Yu Ni looked up and met a pair of deep, cold black eyes.
She showed no panic at all, as if she had long expected him to follow her. “I’m here for the bidding conference.”
“Oh? Which family’s daughter are you?”
Yu Ni rose on her tiptoes and leaned close to his ear. “Is the Crown Prince conducting a census?”
Mu Qianjue raised an eyebrow slightly. “I’m in charge of the bidding conference. It’s necessary for me to know the information of every bidder.”
Mu Nan was his man.
Any information he wanted would be delivered to him immediately.
Except this woman’s background, which remained untraceable to this day.
Since she had thrown herself right in front of him, he didn’t mind taking some time to investigate personally.
“The Jiang family.”
Mu Qianjue immediately called Mu Nan and ordered him to look into it.
Yu Ni gently pushed him away. “I’ve been out too long. My family will worry if they can’t find me. Excuse me.”
The man before her was the Crown Prince of the Beijing Circle.
His power was boundless.
Rumor had it that he acted with ruthless cruelty, and anyone who provoked him came to a bad end.
Yet he had already piqued Yu Ni’s interest.
Not just his face, or his model-like figure—what interested her more was his power.
If she could cooperate with this man—
The Yu family would be nothing more than meat on a chopping block.
But Yu Ni also knew very well that a man like this was extremely suspicious and cautious. To get close to him, she would have to put in careful effort and not rush things.
“Do you know how many people are attending tonight?”
Mu Qianjue didn’t let her go. He tilted up her chin, his tone dangerous.
Yu Ni had done her research before coming.
Investors from all over the world would gather here—no fewer than a hundred companies, at the very least.
To stand out among them and win the bid, without an exceptional design proposal, she wouldn’t even catch this Crown Prince’s eye.
She knew something else, too.
His real purpose wasn’t simply to have her answer how many attendees there were.
Yu Ni put on an innocent look. “I don’t know.”
Mu Qianjue gave a soft scoff. “You broke into my room last night—for the bid?”
Last night really had been an accident.
And her presence here tonight was arranged by the Yu family.
But she did indeed have an agenda now, so she was frank. “If I say yes, will the Crown Prince give me the project?”
Seeing how readily she admitted it, Mu Qianjue pinched her chin. “No.”
“Then what does the Crown Prince want?” Yu Ni’s hand came to rest on his chest.
Unlike last night, when he was completely bare, tonight the man wore a black shirt with the top three buttons undone, his powerful presence overwhelming.
Yu Ni wasn’t afraid at all. Her fingertip traced lightly across it, almost teasing.
Mu Qianjue’s pupils darkened sharply.
This woman looked demure, but her skills at seduction were considerable—every touch struck straight into the depths of his heart.
He remembered how passionate and proactive she had been last night, her exquisite figure an all-around temptation, her raven hair spilling loose as her hairpin fell, like Daji emerging into the world.
Her delicate little hands roaming freely over his body—the scenes bombarded his mind.
In the end, reason prevailed. He seized her hand with a dangerous warning: “The price of provoking me is more than you can bear.”
Yu Ni was once again shocked by the man’s willpower.
A man unmoved by a woman—
Either he was on guard,
or something was wrong with him in that department.
Clearly, Mu Qianjue was the former.
When she seduced him, it wasn’t that he felt nothing—he had simply been restraining himself.
“Boring.”
Seeing that enough was enough, Yu Ni pushed him away and turned to leave.
Just then, Mu Qianjue’s phone rang.
He swiped to answer, and Mu Nan’s voice came through. “Crown Prince, the Jiang family of Yungang went bankrupt and was delisted over a decade ago, and the Jiang family isn’t among tonight’s bidders either. Could you be mistaken?”
Damn it!
That woman had actually played him!
Mu Qianjue stared at Yu Ni’s retreating figure, his eyes filled with unfathomable depth.
On one hand, she seduced him.
On the other, she refused to honestly reveal her identity.
Playing hard to get?
“The Yu father and son have been waiting in the lounge this whole time. What do you plan to do next?” Mu Nan’s voice came through again.
Mu Qianjue walked out of the restroom, his gaze frighteningly dark. “Hold off for now. I want to see what kind of design proposal the Yu family can produce when the bidding begins.”
…
Yu Ni had just returned to the venue when the Yu father and son came down from the second-floor lounge.
Their faces were dreadfully dark—it seemed the negotiations hadn’t gone well.
Yu Ni had no interest in concerning herself with that.
She was hungry, so she went to the buffet table and ate a little. Just as she was about to go sit in the lounge for a while, Yu Jingxi came looking for her.
“The bidding is about to begin. Come with me and wait.”
The bidding conference was held in a hall of over a thousand square meters. When Yu Ni entered with the Yu father and son, all the bidders were already seated.
The moment Yu Ni appeared, she drew considerable attention.
Someone asked Yu Shengnian, “President Yu, is this your daughter? She’s truly beautiful.”
Yu Ni smiled faintly at everyone.
Her refined, graceful temperament made her appear all the more demure.
Pei Zhizhou, seated not far away, heard this and came over. “So she’s Miss Yu—Jingxi’s younger sister. No wonder Jingxi was in such a hurry earlier; he was being protective of his sister.”
Having failed to get Yu Ni’s contact information earlier, Pei Zhizhou felt a twinge of regret.
He never expected this demure young lady to be Yu Jingxi’s sister.
In that case, wouldn’t he have a chance now?
“My daughter is in poor health and rarely attends occasions like this. If there’s anywhere she falls short, I hope everyone will be forgiving.” Yu Shengnian appeared polite on the surface, but a cold, sinister glint flickered beneath his glasses.
Yu Ni was beautiful, and beautiful women easily attracted unwanted attention.
He didn’t want her socializing, and had always restricted her from going out.
If it hadn’t been absolutely necessary tonight, he would never have brought her here.
Pei Zhizhou was courteous and refined. “May I ask if Miss Yu is married?”
How could Yu Shengnian fail to see the man’s intentions? His tone turned stiff. “Ni Ni is still young. She has no plans to marry at the moment.”
“No problem—I can wait.” Pei Zhizhou proactively handed over his business card. “Miss Yu, my phone number is on here. It’s the same for WeChat.”
Yu Shengnian’s face turned inch by inch livid.
With so many people present, he couldn’t lose his temper in public, so he could only let Yu Ni accept it for now.
“My sister is innocent. She’s not suited for you, President Pei.” Yu Jingxi snatched the card and returned it to Pei Zhizhou. “There are so many socialites and ladies here tonight, President Pei. Look around a bit more—you’re bound to find someone more suitable than my sister.”
Pei Zhizhou was about to say more when a clear, bright voice came from behind. “The Crown Prince has arrived!”
The atmosphere fell silent in an instant.
Yu Jingxi had no choice but to return to his seat.
The doors behind them were pushed open, and a dozen bodyguards swarmed in, followed by Mu Qianjue, who walked in surrounded by his escorts.
He moved with sweeping strides, an air of cold authority following him wherever he went.
Everyone looked at him with reverence and flattery.
For this man was extraordinarily exalted—the sovereign of the night. With a single word, he could decide the fate of the hundred-plus companies present.
The man passed by Yu Ni without letting his gaze linger for even half a second.
Even after he took his seat at the head of the table, everyone remained awestruck by his commanding presence.
Yu Ni sat quietly, her eyes fixed on Mu Qianjue the whole time.
Though he hadn’t said a single word, the cold, proud, and otherworldly air he exuded still carried the feel of a sovereign ruling over all.
That gaze of his was on her as well.
There was scrutiny in it, a careful assessment.
But mostly, it was flat indifference.
Yu Ni smiled at him.
Yet the man never looked at her again. No one knew what he said to Mu Nan, but Mu Nan quickly made a phone call.