The moment the call ended, the atmosphere in the living room became suffocating.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Even the fried chicken on the table seemed to have lost its fragrance.
Lu Mu and Li Qing were staring at Lu Xie.
Lin Mo and Lu Shu was also staring at Lu Xie.
But the meanings behind those gazes were completely different.
Lu Mu’s gaze was filled with anger.
Li Qing’s gaze was filled with disappointment.
Lin Mo’s gaze contained hurt, confusion, restraint, and an almost ridiculous amount of affection.
As for Lu Shu…
His gaze clearly carried the words:
“I knew it.
Those brain-damaged novels never lie.”
The pressure almost made Lu Xie unable to breathe.
After nearly ten seconds of silence, Lu Mu finally spoke.
“Miss Lu Xie.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The five sisters knew Lu Mu so well that whenever he called his daughter by her full name, trouble was coming.
“CEO of Skysea Corporation.”
Specially big trouble when he also brings titels.
Lu Xie’s scalp immediately became numb.
“Would you like to explain why another man is calling you ‘my love’ and inviting you to a candlelight dinner at XXX hotel?”
Li Qing crossed her arms.
Her expression was cold.
“Please explain it to us too.”
Lin Mo lowered his head.
He didn’t say a word.
However, the pain in his eyes could be seen by everyone.
Lu Xie hurriedly opened her mouth.
“Father, Mother, it’s not—”
Ring!
The ringtone suddenly interrupted her.
Everyone froze.
All eyes moved toward the phone.
Lu Xie’s expression stiffened.
The screen lit up.
Caller ID:
Assistant Ji Boda
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Lu Shu stopped chewing.
Then—
Lu Shu’s thoughts: Holy shit.
Another Ji Boda.
What kind of world is this?
Are Ji Bodas bought wholesale?
Buy one get one free?
Was there a discount event somewhere?
Li Qing’s eyelid twitched.
Lu Mu’s face darkened.
Lu Xie wanted to cry.
This time Li Qing didn’t even give her daughter a chance to speak.
“Answer.”
The single word carried unquestionable authority.
Lu Xie obediently answered.
The call was immediately put on speaker.
A man’s voice sounded.
“Miss, good news.”
Everyone unconsciously relaxed a little.
It sounded work-related stuff.
The voice sounded like a deal has been made.
Maybe it was really work.
Maybe they misunderstood.
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
Then the voice continued.
“Mr.
Tian has accepted our proposal.”
Lu Mu nodded slightly.
Reasonable.
Normal.
Business discussion.
Nothing strange.
“Tonight we can finalize the contract at XXX Hotel.”
Still normal.
Still reasonable.
Then—
“However, Mr.
Tian has a peculiar hobby.”
The room became quiet again.
“He likes slapping people.”
Everyone frowned.
“I hope you bring that live-in husband tonight.”
Boom.
The room froze.
“I believe if Mr.
Tian slaps Lin Mo a few times, we can get a few more percentage points from the deal.”
The temperature in the room instantly dropped.
Lin Mo lowered his head.
Lu Mu’s fingers tightened around his teacup.
Li Qing’s face became colder and colder.
Even Lu Shu forgot to eat.
The assistant’s voice continued.
“As long as Lin Mo endures it for a while, the contract should be secured.”
Silence.
Nobody knew what to say.
Because what they had just heard sounded too absurd.
Meanwhile Lu Xie finally reacted.
“No.”
Her answer came almost immediately.
Everyone looked at her.
Lu Xie’s expression was ugly.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Lin Mo is my husband.”
“How can I let him do that?”
“If Mr.
Tian refuses to sign because of this, then forget it.”
“It’s only fifty million anyway.”
For the first time that day, Lu Mu’s expression softened slightly.
Li Qing also relaxed a little.
At least her daughter still possessed basic human morality.
Unfortunately—
The assistant didn’t seem to think so.
“Miss.”
His tone became anxious.
“You can’t think like that.”
“The company is worth billions, yes.”
“The Lu Family controls hundreds of billions, yes.”
“But fifty million is still money.”
“Money doesn’t fall from the sky.”
“Besides, this is the biggest client I’ve secured in two years.”
“If we lose this contract, my performance evaluation will suffer.”
Lu Mu’s eyebrow twitched.
Li Qing’s eyebrow twitched.
The assistant continued.
“And honestly, hasn’t Lin Mo already done similar things before?”
The room instantly became silent.
“What?”
Lu Mu’s voice became dangerously calm.
The assistant clearly didn’t realize who was listening.
“Drinking with clients until vomiting blood.”
“Being insulted by clients.”
“Donating blood.”
“Helping settle disputes.”
“Being pushed around.”
“Being bitten.”
“Kneeling for hours.”
“Being humiliated.”
“Hasn’t he already done all of that?”
“This time it’s only getting slapped a few times.”
“It won’t kill him.”
The living room became deathly silent.
Lu Mu slowly looked toward Lin Mo.
Li Qing slowly looked toward Lin Mo.
Even Lu Shu looked toward Lin Mo.
Only now did everyone realize that the assistant’s tone suggested these things weren’t unusual.
Meaning—
They had happened before.
Multiple times.
Lin Mo remained silent.
As if he had long become accustomed to it.
That silence made the atmosphere even heavier.
The Lu family now know the root of Lin Mo’s torturous injuries, low blood quantity, stomach cancer, kidney cancer, luang cancer and damaged and fractured bones of whole body.
Then the assistant delivered the final blow.
“Also, Miss President.”
His voice suddenly softened.
A little too much.
“After running around all day handling your work, I feel dizzy.”
“Could you bring me some medicine to my house?”
The voice sounded almost coquettish.
The room fell silent again.
Lu Shu slowly lowered the chicken drumstick in his hand.
For the first time since reincarnating, he felt genuine disgust.
Not even cursed spirits norLi Qing’s cooking was this disgusting.
Just pure disgust.
Before anyone else could react—
Click.
Call ended.
Silence.
Nobody stopped him.
Because nobody wanted to hear another word.
A few seconds later—
Lu Shu’s thoughts: Sister has collected two out of five pokemo- ahm, i mean five types of homewrecker.
White Moonlight Ji Boda.
Assistant Ji Boda.
Amazing.
Truly amazing.
If she collects three more, she can probably summon a house destroying dragon.
Lu Mu ignored that last part.
His attention was elsewhere.
Lu Shu’s thoughts: The first Ji Boda’s voice sounded weak.
His age should be 25-26 years old.
The younger Ji Boda sounds like pure green tea.
Soft voice.
Pretends to be weak.
Good at acting pitiful.
The older one sounds much more dangerous.
Calm.
Manipulative.
Confident.
The type who can lie without changing his tone.
Professional schemer.
He should be 30.
Honestly, Sister’s taste is terrible.
Li Qing unconsciously nodded.
Then she realized she had almost agreed with her son’s thoughts.
That only made her angrier.
Finally, Lu Mu spoke.
This time he wasn’t calm anymore.
“Lu Xie.”
His voice was heavy.
“Explain something to me.”
Lu Xie lowered her head.
“Father…”
“How does a mere assistant possess enough authority to order your husband around?”
No answer.
“How does he know so much about your family’s private affairs?”
No answer.
“How does he know Lin Mo has been forced into these situations before?”
No answer.
Lu Mu’s expression became uglier.
“I handed Skysea Corporation to you because I trusted your abilities.”
“You manage a company worth billions.”
“You operate under a family worth Trillions not hundreds of billions.”
“And yet your assistant’s greatest achievement in two years is a fifty-million-dollar contract?”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became.
“Do you know how much business a competent executive assistant brings?”
“Do you know how much value they create?”
“Do you know how many contracts they handle?”
“Even an assistant of hundreds of million dollar group brings 200-300 million dollars contract dozens of times in a year.”
“Then tell me again -”
“What exactly has this Ji Boda contributed?”
“How did he stay as you’r assistant for past two years while bringing less then 50 million dollars contracts?”
Lu Xie opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because she suddenly realized—
She couldn’t answer.
Li Qing immediately followed.
“Forget the business.”
“I want to know why your assistant feels entitled to use your husband as a bargaining chip.”
“Was this the first time?”
“Or has it happened before?”
“How many times?”
“Ten?”
“Twenty?”
“Fifty?”
Each question struck like a hammer.
Lu Xie’s face gradually became pale.
Her breathing became uneven.
For the first time, she began reviewing the past two years seriously.
And the more she thought—
The more uncomfortable she felt.
She found that the indeed tortured Lin Mo.
Though she didn’t do it directly but indirectly.
Then—Ring.
The ringtone sounded again.
Everyone slowly turned toward the phone.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
They simply stared at the screen.
And Lu Xie’s face instantly lost all color.