Drama at the Celebration Banquet

After dinner, everyone in the family except Mu Huai'an sat in the living room watching TV. In truth, they were waiting to see whether what Yan Wen had said in his thoughts would come true again. The TV was only a pretext.

The system, Xiao Qi, said, Host, the figurine has been moved under Mu Huai'an's bed.

Yan Wen brushed the snack crumbs off his hands. Good. Now I need to find a way to get Mu Xu Ci back to his room.

Yan Wen racked his brains but couldn't think of anything. Mu Xu Xi's eyes darted as an idea struck her. "Second Brother, don't you have things to take care of tomorrow? It's already late. Go back to your room and get some rest."

Mu Xu Ci caught on at once. "Right, right. I have to get up early tomorrow. I'll head back to my room."

Yan Wen cheered inwardly. Third Sister really came through. Yes!

Mu Xu Ci had only been back in his room for a few minutes when a furious roar rang out.

Xie Yunshu and Mu Xu Xi hurried upstairs, while Yan Wen followed leisurely behind them.

"What happened?" Xie Yunshu asked.

Mu Xu Ci pointed at the empty corner of his desk. "My favorite figurine is missing!"

Xie Yunshu looked surprised. "How could it just disappear like that?"

Mu Xu Xi nodded. "Exactly. Nobody went into your room today. Second Brother, did you put it somewhere else? Why don't you look again?"

Mu Xu Ci planted one hand on his hip. "I already looked. It's not here."

Seeing this, Mu Huai'an cautiously spoke up. "I think I saw Xiao Wen coming out of Second Brother's room today."

Yan Wen leaned sideways against the railing. "You think you can turn me into a thief with just a couple of words?"

Mu Huai'an smiled. "I'm only telling the truth. Xiao Wen, if you let everyone take a look in your room, won't that prove your innocence?"

Yan Wen nodded. "Sure. You can search my room, but on one condition: your rooms get searched too."

Mu Huai'an protested, "Why should our rooms be searched?"

Yan Wen frowned slightly. "You're the one who suggested searching rooms. We all live under the same roof, so if we're searching, we search everyone's. If you refuse, that just means you have a guilty conscience."

"What do I have to be afraid of?"

Xie Yunshu nodded. "We'll do as Xiao Wen says. If we're going to search, we'll search everyone's rooms."

Mu Xu Ci and Mu Xu Xi nodded in agreement. Mu Huai'an clenched his fists tightly at his sides.

Yan Wen opened his bedroom door. "Come in."

This was their first time entering Yan Wen's room since it had been prepared for him. His bed was neatly made, a computer and a drinking glass sat on his desk, and two potted plants stood on the windowsill.

A faint lemon fragrance lingered in the room, barely perceptible but soothing.

Yan Wen let everyone search wherever they liked. The others merely went through the motions, checking drawers and looking behind the curtains.

Mu Huai'an, however, went straight to the wardrobe. With his back to everyone, a smile curled his lips. Yan Wen, you're done for.

Yan Wen leaned against the wall with his arms folded, waiting to see what kind of performance Mu Huai'an would put on.

Mu Huai'an opened the wardrobe and rummaged around. His confident expression quickly turned to panic. He searched it over and over, but found nothing except clothes.

Yan Wen asked with a smile, "What's in the wardrobe? You've been looking for quite a while."

Mu Huai'an took two steps back. "N-no. That's impossible. How can it not be here?"

Yan Wen looked at the others. "Nothing here, right?"

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

"Then let's move on to the next room."

Yan Wen grabbed Mu Huai'an by the back of his collar and dragged him along. "Now it's time to search your room."

As the mother and her two children searched, they gradually gathered together.

"Mom, do you think Second Brother's figurine really is under Huai'an's bed?"

"I don't know. If it is, then what Xiao Wen said about Huai'an framing him as a thief was true."

"If that's really what happened, I'll have to teach An a proper lesson."

"Why don't we search first?"

"All right, all right."

"Okay."

Mu Xu Xi searched the bed, then took the opportunity to crouch down and look underneath. She cried out, "Second Brother! Come here!"

Mu Xu Ci walked over and looked under the bed. There, plain as day, was his figurine.

Mu Xu Ci's gaze instantly turned cold. He straightened, strode over to Mu Huai'an, and dragged him to the bed. "Look for yourself. What's this?"

Mu Huai'an trembled as he looked under the bed, then sprang up in horror. "N-no! This isn't real! I don't know how it got under my bed." He pointed at Yan Wen. "It must have been him! He found it and hid it under my bed! He's framing me!"

Yan Wen raised his leg and kicked Mu Huai'an in the stomach. "You're getting addicted to this, aren't you? Last time, you and that dog Fang Qingyan tried to frame me at the banquet. Now you're trying it again."

Mu Huai'an clutched his stomach and struggled to his feet. "Yan Wen, how dare you hit me!"

Yan Wen cracked his knuckles. "You framed me, so what's wrong with giving you a kick? You keep trying to frame me. Do you think I'm a pushover? Today, we'll see how many punches that face of yours can take."

Yan Wen pinned Mu Huai'an down and beat him. The others had quietly slipped out as soon as Yan Wen started, and Mu Xu Xi had even thoughtfully closed the door.

Yan Wen beat him for half an hour before kicking Mu Huai'an out of his room. As soon as Mu Huai'an went downstairs, Xie Yunshu stopped him and struck his palms twenty times with a ruler.

She alternated between his hands, leaving both palms bruised. Mu Huai'an trembled all over from the pain.

That night, Mu Huai'an sat in his room while the family doctor applied medicine. The wounds on his face hurt so much that he grimaced.

Downstairs, meanwhile, laughter and cheerful voices filled the air, as though everyone had forgotten he even existed.

Three days later, at Ci Li Group's celebration banquet.

The celebration began with a press conference to showcase Ci Li's latest achievements to the various corporate groups, followed by the banquet.

Everyone from the Mu Family took their seats, and the other attendees gradually arrived.

Xiao Qi said, Host, Bai Qianqian will show up when Mu Xu Ci goes onstage to speak.

Yan Wen thought, I can't wait for Second Brother to go up there. Can't he be the first speaker?

Hearing that thought, Mu Xu Ci felt a chill run down his back. Was Yan Wen really not going to save him? Had he come up with a plan yet?

The press conference began. Representatives from Ci Li Group's major partners took turns speaking onstage. Yan Wen listened with a yawn until it was finally Mu Xu Ci's turn.

Yan Wen's drowsiness vanished instantly. Here it comes, here it comes! Time for some juicy drama!

Mu Xu Ci nearly stumbled. After taking the stage, he delivered the final decisions and summary for the group's latest collaboration in his capacity as chairman.

A woman burst in like someone possessed, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The corners of Yan Wen's mouth lifted. The star of the show has arrived.

Dressed in a white dress, Bai Qianqian wept pitifully. "Mu Xu Ci, you bastard!"

The audience immediately began murmuring, speculating about Mu Xu Ci's relationship with this woman who had suddenly appeared.

Bai Qianqian raised a hand to stroke her stomach. "Mu Xu Ci, three months ago, at the hotel... I'm pregnant now. You have to take responsibility!"

An uproar swept through the audience. Some condemned Mu Xu Ci, some doubted Bai Qianqian, and others were simply enjoying the spectacle.

Mu Xu Ci frowned deeply. "I've never had anything to do with you. Don't falsely accuse me."

"Falsely accuse you?" Bai Qianqian looked hurt and disappointed. "Mu Xu Ci, three months ago, you and Gao Zhen got drunk at a bar. I went there and took you both to a hotel, but then you... I'm carrying your child. You have to acknowledge it, or how am I supposed to go on living?"

"Chairman Mu looks so respectable. Who would've thought he was a coward who won't own up to what he's done?"

"She doesn't look like she's lying. Did Chairman Mu really wrong her?"

"Tsk. You'd never guess he was a beast behind that respectable face."

Having enjoyed enough of the drama, Yan Wen stood and walked toward the stage. "Miss, come up here. Let's clear this up together."

Bai Qianqian froze for a moment, then walked onto the stage. She tried to stand beside Mu Xu Ci, but Yan Wen discreetly blocked her. He stood between them, ostensibly to keep them from coming to blows.

Bai Qianqian wiped away her tears. "If my parents find out I'm pregnant out of wedlock, they'll be furious enough to die. Mu Xu Ci, if you're a man, take responsibility!"

Yan Wen said, "Where's your evidence? Don't just make claims."

Bai Qianqian pulled a pregnancy test report from her bag and brought up photos on her phone. "Look, everyone. I have photos and a pregnancy test report."

At the sight of these, quite a few people began to believe that Mu Xu Ci had wronged her and was stubbornly refusing to admit it.

Public opinion gradually turned against Mu Xu Ci. Some companies even declared indignantly that they would terminate their partnerships.

If this continued, it would seriously damage the group's image. Unless Mu Xu Ci could prove his innocence, his reputation would take a substantial hit. If word spread that Ci Li Group's chairman was morally compromised, people with ulterior motives would inevitably exploit the scandal to act against Ci Li.