“Weiwei, are you alright? Maybe we should just go.” Bai Luo said, trying to pull Yu Youwei inside.
The attitude of those around them was clear—even the elites and socialites here gave Mu Wanzhou a wide berth.
They couldn’t afford to offend her. Neither could he.
He still needed Yu Youwei’s company to make him a star. He couldn’t let her collapse here.
“Miss Yu still looks rather unwilling to accept it, hmm?” Mu Wanzhou lowered her gaze to glance at the Cartier watch on her wrist. The hands pointed to 8:10 PM. “But I have another engagement, so I won’t waste time arguing with you.”
She turned to leave, then paused after a couple of steps and smiled back, “Wishing Miss Yu and your white moonlight an early happily-ever-after. I’ll be waiting for your wedding banquet.”
With that, she stepped into Yunjin Pavilion’s inner hall, high heels clicking confidently. The crowd automatically cleared a path for her.
…
Jiang Yan arrived at the table he had reserved in advance.
It was a prime spot by the window.
Turning his head slightly, he could see the bright, bustling night view of Tianhai City. Such a spot wasn’t easy to reserve.
“Sorry, I got caught up watching the drama at the entrance. I’m a few minutes late.”
A soft, charming voice came from behind.
Jiang Yan turned and was mildly surprised.
It was her?
The woman before him wore a luxurious, diamond-studded strapless evening gown. The figure-hugging fabric highlighted her alluring curves. Her long, wavy black hair flowed down her back, and expensive jewelry adorned her fair collarbone, adding to her elegance and allure.
He hadn’t expected her at all.
But as someone who had run a company for two years, Jiang Yan had learned how to stay composed in all kinds of situations.
Suppressing his surprise, he stood up like a gentleman and guided her to her seat.
Mu Wanzhou held up the hem of her gown with one hand and rested the other lightly on Jiang Yan’s arm, brushing it slightly through his suit sleeve before gracefully sitting down.
Feeling Jiang Yan tense for a moment, Mu Wanzhou’s lips curled in amusement as she smiled at him, “Thank you, junior. After all these years, you’re still so considerate.”
Even after two years in business, Jiang Yan still found it hard to resist the teasing of such a stunning woman.
Especially when that woman was Mu Wanzhou—the most dazzling female CEO in Tianhai City, and one of the three campus goddesses of Tianhai University.
“You’re too kind, CEO Mu. Were you watching the scene at the entrance earlier? I heard some commotion.”
“Just someone making a fuss,” she replied casually, then added, “Oh, and I ran into someone you know.”
“Who?” Jiang Yan asked, following her lead.
“Yu Youwei.”
She deliberately enunciated those two words slowly, just to watch his reaction.
But Jiang Yan remained expressionless, only letting out a calm, “Oh.”
“What happened? You’re much calmer than I expected. Wasn’t she your girlfriend?”
She recalled how, four years ago, he had begged her for that woman’s sake. That scene still lingered in her mind—pity it wasn’t for her.
“Nothing much. We broke up.” Jiang Yan replied with the same flat tone he might use to discuss what he had for lunch.
Mu Wanzhou’s lips curled in satisfaction.
“Oh? Broke up already? When did that happen? I had no idea.”
“Yesterday. Nothing newsworthy. CEO Mu is busy—you wouldn’t care about trivial things like this.”
“Heh, this isn’t so trivial,” she said meaningfully.
Hearing that, Jiang Yan frowned slightly and decided to shift the conversation back on track.
“I didn’t expect the person leading the investment to be you, CEO Mu. That was a surprise.”
Mu Wanzhou leaned her cheek on her hand, gazing straight at Jiang Yan. “What? Are you saying I’m not welcome?”
Jiang Yan fell silent.
If he had a choice, he really didn’t want to get involved with Mu Wanzhou.
She was a powerful, resourceful, and unpredictable woman.
Back in university, she’d insisted he marry her just because he once helped her.
Yes, four years ago, Jiang Yan had saved someone.
To be exact, he just happened to help while passing by.
It was during junior year, when he was busy with his thesis and planning his startup. One morning, he forgot to bring Yu Youwei breakfast.
She had a chronic stomach problem. Jiang Yan had studied medical books and cooked healthy porridge for her every morning. After more than half a year, she was finally getting better.
But that day, without her breakfast, her stomach acted up again.
She scolded him fiercely, accusing him of not caring.
He skipped class just to go back and make porridge for her. But when he returned to school, she refused to drink it and told him to get lost.
Feeling disheartened, he walked home—his first time skipping class.
On the way, it began to pour, and he saw a girl collapse by the roadside.
That girl was Mu Wanzhou.
If he had known her identity back then, he wouldn’t have helped.
The Mu family’s power was overwhelming. Their group was worth over 100 billion yuan and had deep roots not only in Tianhai City but across Longguo and even overseas.
He had learned firsthand how crazy the Mu family’s eldest daughter could be.
At the time, he rejected her.
Then the Yu family began facing pressure from the Mu Group on all fronts.
The Yu family was a second-tier company in Tianhai City and couldn’t withstand such targeted suppression.
Back then, she had just taken over the Mu Group and hadn’t yet secured her power.
Under pressure from elders and shareholders, she finally stopped.
“So, little junior, you’re single now?”
He didn’t expect her to still remember that sentence.
He had to answer carefully now. If Mu Wanzhou held a grudge again, his fledgling two-year-old company couldn’t survive a full-on attack from the Mu family.
“CEO Mu, those were just immature words from our student days. I hope you won’t take them seriously.”
“Hmm~ don’t worry, junior. Four years ago, I was too impulsive. I won’t force you again. I’m here this time for a proper business discussion.”
Four years ago, she had been too proud and headstrong, reckless with consequences.
The price? Jiang Yan avoided her for four years.
But she wasn’t the same person anymore.
You can’t force something sweet.
She had to approach slowly this time. She couldn’t let him run away again.
“I didn’t mean to doubt you, CEO Mu. Just had some questions,” Jiang Yan said. “Compared to the Mu Group, Douhuo is just a tiny startup. Why would you want to invest in us?”
Indeed, with the Mu Group’s market cap in the hundreds of billions, their projects usually started at billions.
Coming to invest in his small company, worth just a few billion yuan, felt like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken—overkill.
And she had come in person.
It was hard to believe she was just here to talk about “serious cooperation.”
Even though his company really needed the funds to take the next leap.
“Well…” Mu Wanzhou’s eyes glinted with a sharp, business-like gleam.
“Because of potential, of course.”
“To be honest, we noticed Douhuo when it first launched. The second year, we even released a similar app. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform well.”
“In the short video market, only your company is showing real promise. You have a very strong algorithmic system—that’s your trump card, isn’t it?”
“So junior, I don’t care about your current valuation. I’m investing in the explosive growth I see coming.”
Hearing her say this, Jiang Yan felt a bit more reassured.
She wasn’t wrong—Douhuo was indeed the most promising app in the space.
He knew that with this funding, his company could expand tenfold within a year. The growth would be like a rocket.
Looking at the sharp and savvy woman in front of him, Jiang Yan had to admit—
She might be a little crazy, but her vision was precise.
“CEO Mu, you’re impressive. I understand now.”
…