Yao Zhinan wanted Mu Jiujiu to ask the Chu family for investment funds.
Given Chu Yanxiu’s status, appearance, and education, this marriage engagement should never have fallen to the Mu family in the first place.
The reason it was the Mu family was twofold: first, Yao Zhinan did have some skill, having long since curried favor with Qiao Yu. Second, of course, was the fact that Chu Yanxiu had become a vegetable.
The Chu family didn’t have just one son—in fact, the second and third young masters were the favored ones. After Chu Yanxiu fell into a coma, the eldest young master, who had never held much influence to begin with, had no value left to offer.
Anyone with any standing in the imperial capital wouldn’t sell off their own daughter for a one-time transactional benefit.
But Yao Zhinan wanted both to latch onto the Chu family connection and to avoid throwing her own daughter into the fire—so naturally, she thought of Mu Jiujiu.
After all, Mu Jiujiu was Mu Yaoshan’s biological daughter, and she was pretty enough to present respectably. Given Chu Yanxiu’s current condition, Qiao Yu, being his stepmother, wouldn’t be too picky anyway.
In fact, marrying a simpleton to Chu Yanxiu suited her even better—someone easy to control was the right kind of person to be her spy.
The two families hit it off immediately. The day Mu Jiujiu married into the family, the Chu family handed the Mu Group a two-hundred-million contract.
But Chu Kuo was also a shrewd calculator. Under that two-hundred-million contract, the Mu Group could only earn ten million. The real profit in this deal for the Mu Group was the prestige of partnering with the Shengshi Group.
As long as they could build that reputation, orders would flow to the Mu Group endlessly in the future.
However, Yao Zhinan was too impatient to wait. She personally accompanied clients over drinks to secure deals, and within just a few days, she’d pulled in several major orders. Only after signing the contracts did she realize that with the Mu family’s current capabilities, they couldn’t possibly deliver on time.
Cornered like a desperate dog, Yao Zhinan turned her schemes back on Mu Jiujiu. She told Mu Jiujiu to ask the Chu family for investment funds.
Three hundred million, just like that.
After hanging up the phone, Mu Jiujiu looked at Chu Yanxiu, treading on thin ice as she explained in a small voice: “Husband, Jiujiu never thought about coveting the Chu family’s money…”
“Mm, eat.” Chu Yanxiu parted his thin lips and said slowly, “You don’t need to ask anyone else for this. Once I’ve fully recovered, I’ll grant you that three-hundred-million investment.”
Hearing this, Mu Jiujiu asked anxiously: “Husband, are you still in pain anywhere? Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”
Chu Yanxiu said calmly: “Don’t worry, I won’t make you wait too long.”
Mu Jiujiu quickly shook her head and explained: “Jiujiu isn’t worried about the investment—Jiujiu is afraid husband is uncomfortable…”
Chu Yanxiu’s hand holding the chopsticks paused in mid-air for a second, his voice deeper than usual: “I’m recovering well. Don’t worry.”
Mu Jiujiu finally broke into a smile, her lips pressed together, and hurriedly ladled him a bowl of pork rib soup: “Husband, this is nutritious. Husband should eat more.”
At any rate, that day, Mu Jiujiu finally got in touch with her grandmother.
Though she still slept on the sofa at night, after she fell asleep, a faint sweet smile rippled across her serene face.
After she was sound asleep, Chu Yanxiu sat on the sofa waiting for Jiang Yun, and couldn’t help but stare at her, entranced.
Chu Yanxiu—always cold, detached, sinister, and proud—couldn’t resist crouching down to carefully tuck the blanket around the sleeping little woman.
When Jiang Yun arrived, he keenly noticed the change in Mu Jiujiu.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he sidled up to Chu Yanxiu and asked mysteriously: “This little fool’s smiling so sweetly even in her dreams—Brother Xiu, don’t tell me you’ve been kissing her, hugging her, and lifting her up high?”
Chu Yanxiu: “…”
Jiang Yun stroked his chin, putting on the air of a detective, and muttered to himself: “That’s not right, she’s still lying on the sofa…”
Jiang Yun suddenly crouched down and exclaimed: “Oh my god, Brother—the little fool isn’t giving up on gnawing on you and switching to gnawing on pig trotters instead, is she? Want me to check her phone and see if she’s been surfing the web looking for some other guy?”
Chu Yanxiu said expressionlessly: “I acquired a mine in Africa, and it happens to need a manager.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yun quickly covered his mouth and sat obediently to the side, not daring to run his mouth anymore.
However, in the second before Jiang Yun left, Chu Yanxiu still issued an order: “Find out which hospital Mu Jiujiu’s grandmother is in and what treatment she’s receiving.”
Jiang Yun wore a “I know you’ve fallen for her” expression and playfully saluted Chu Yanxiu: “At your command.”
It was Mu Jiujiu’s ninth day married into the Chu family.
Qiao Yu was hungover and only woke up at noon.
After waking, she went upstairs to check Mu Jiujiu’s foot injury. Seeing that the swelling had subsided, she pulled Mu Jiujiu along to go downstairs and have lunch together.
Mu Jiujiu wore a worried frown, complaining that her foot was letting her down, and cast a reluctant, lingering look at Chu Yanxiu lying in bed before following Qiao Yu downstairs with a displeased expression.
Downstairs, at the dining table.
Qiao Yu enthusiastically served Mu Jiujiu food.
Then, setting down her chopsticks, she revealed her true purpose.
“Jiujiu, dear.” Qiao Yu smiled, putting on the air of a loving mother: “I heard from Guo Xi that you’ve been chatting with Yan Xiu quite a bit lately?”
In reality, Guo Xi had only overheard it twice, and that was exactly what she reported to Qiao Yu.
In the past, Qiao Yu hadn’t paid it any mind. After all, in her eyes, Mu Jiujiu was just a simpleton, and she had instructed her more than once—if Chu Yanxiu ever showed any sign of waking up or any movement at all, she was to report it to her immediately.
She didn’t believe Mu Jiujiu would dare disobey her.
But yesterday, a flaw had been found in the contract Chu Xiaoyuan had signed, and as a result, the board collectively demanded that the shareholder rights attached to his ten percent stake be frozen.
Rumors had also begun swirling through the company. Previously, employees had only whispered behind everyone’s backs that the second young master was no match for the first, but now they openly mocked the brothers’ disparity, comparing them to a dragon and a pig.
At this critical juncture, the more Qiao Yu looked at Chu Yanxiu, the more he grated on her nerves.
Even as a vegetable, he was an eyesore!
Mu Jiujiu nodded in reply: “Mm, my husband lies alone in bed every day—he must be so lonely. Jiujiu wants to chat with him. Maybe if he hears her voice, he’ll wake up soon.”
Mu Jiujiu wasn’t lying. Before, when she’d believed Chu Yanxiu was still unconscious, she had talked and chatted with him.
Hearing this, Qiao Yu rose from her dining chair, took Mu Jiujiu’s hand, and led her over to sit on the sofa.
Like a loving mother, she patted the back of Mu Jiujiu’s hand and let out a long sigh: “For Yan Xiu to have married such a good wife as Jiujiu under these circumstances—it must be a blessing cultivated in his past life.”
Mu Jiujiu’s cheeks flushed at the praise. “My husband is so handsome and so good. Jiujiu marrying him is also a great blessing.”
Qiao Yu couldn’t help but narrow her eyes: What kind of fool would call marrying a vegetable a blessing?
She leaned her head forward, her probing gaze scrutinizing the expression on Mu Jiujiu’s face: “Could it be that Yan Xiu’s body has recovered somewhat? Did Jiujiu see Yan Xiu move?”
Mu Jiujiu met Qiao Yu’s coercive, pressuring gaze and couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
Qiao Yu had been so good to her—having the cook prepare delicious meals every day and instructing the housekeeper, Aunt Guo, to take good care of her. Yet now, she was lying to deceive her.
After all, this wasn’t like facing Guo Xi through a closed door. Mu Jiujiu’s acting skills weren’t up to that level.
In a panic, she abruptly lowered her eyes, dodging Qiao Yu’s interrogating stare.
Her breathing quickened, and as her mind hesitated, her gaze landed on Qiao Yu’s exquisitely manicured nails. The costly diamond chips adorning them stabbed her vision with a flash of darkness.
Chu Yanxiu’s warning echoed in Mu Jiujiu’s ears once more, like a tolling alarm bell.
The fingers gripping her pants slowly relaxed: “No.”
Receiving such an answer, Qiao Yu couldn’t help but narrow her eyes again.
Mu Jiujiu adjusted her breathing, then spoke shyly and coyly: “But Jiujiu will always stay by my husband’s side, because… before I married into the family, I had already seen my husband’s photo. From that moment on, Jiujiu… liked him very, very much.”
A maiden’s heart is always poetry, especially for a simpleton whose heart was just beginning to stir.
Qiao Yu believed her.
A faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips, though her words were full of praise: “Jiujiu is truly a devoted and good girl. If Yan Xiu wakes up, you must tell Mother immediately. We’ll get a doctor for Yan Xiu as soon as possible, so we can seize the best chance for treatment.”
“Mm.” A bright, innocent smile rippled across Mu Jiujiu’s lips. “Jiujiu remembers.”
Her husband was already awake. Once they caught the bad guys, she would definitely tell Mother-in-law right away. And then, Mother-in-law would be so happy!