Qin Ni's Secret

Compared to the harmonious atmosphere at Mo Xuan's place, the Mo household was now shrouded in dense clouds.

Mo Tingting had holed up at home, her work completely stalled, all endorsements halted, and the variety shows that had invited her had replaced her with others. Fortunately, she wasn't currently filming any TV dramas, and even the scripts that had been set for her had been given to someone else.

In the entertainment industry, being exposed for being the "third wheel" in a relationship almost always meant the end of one's career. The Xue family was eager to use her as a scapegoat, and Mo Tingting's company, as well as the Mo family, had spent money to suppress the online public opinion, but as soon as they managed to quell it, the Xue family would stir it up again.

In a sense, Mo Tingting had indeed become famous, and it was indeed Xue Ming who had made her famous.

Mo Changshan hadn't scolded her, not because he had suddenly changed his nature, but because the entire Mo family was in chaos. He, along with Mo Qingqing, and even Mo Jinpeng, who had been confined at home, had been called back to the company to deal with the situation. Qin Ni, on the other hand, was also in a tough spot since she had once invited this third daughter of hers to endorse her brand, and naturally, she wasn't faring any better.

Only Mo Yingying was at home accompanying her. Given the current situation, Mo Yingying had no heart to scold her either.

"Second Sister, what am I supposed to do now?"

Mo Tingting's hair was disheveled, her eyes swollen, and the continuous blows had left her without food for two days, and she had barely drank any water. Her once rosy lips were now pale, dried, and cracked.

"You should eat first..."

Seeing Mo Tingting in such a state, Mo Yingying couldn't help but feel heartache. They were twins, with Mo Yingying only a few minutes older than Mo Tingting. But being the elder sister, no matter how angry she was, she still felt sorrow in her heart.

"Tingting, maybe you should go hide for a while. Given Dad's temper, when he comes back, he'll probably kill you if he sees you like this." Mo Yingying sighed and pushed a bowl of congee toward her. "The liquidated damages will be taken care of by the family, so don't worry. I have an apartment in the northern part of the city that I bought without telling the family. You can stay there for a while."

"But... the liquidated damages are in the tens of millions..."

Mo Tingting's voice was filled with uncertainty: "Do you think Dad might... give up on me like he did with Mo Xuan?"

"No way, you're different from Mo Xuan!" Mo Yingying couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Since we were little, Mom and Dad have always doted on us. Mo Jinpeng had what we had, and whatever was given to him was given to us. How could you be treated like Mo Xuan?"

Mo Tingting didn't respond. Under pressure, people often overthink, and the various injustices Mo Xuan had faced at home now slowly surfaced in Mo Tingting's mind.

"Actually, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time." Mo Yingying, seeing her lost in thought, hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Tingting, you're almost thirty, and in the entertainment industry, a female artist's prime is so short. After all these years of struggling, you're still not really making it..."

"I know, Second Sister..."

Mo Tingting lowered her head. Yes, she was almost thirty, and the only roles she could land now were in idol dramas.

She had released an album, but it barely broke even. She had only acted in one movie, and even then, she was just a supporting character. If it weren't for her family backing, in the fast-paced entertainment industry, she would have long since been forgotten.

Beauty? In the entertainment industry, looks are indeed important, but there are plenty of people more beautiful than her. Without any standout works, no matter how beautiful she was, she was just a vase.

Mo Tingting once again thought of Mo Xuan. For some reason, whenever she was in trouble, she always thought of that brother who had left home.

Somehow, she had a premonition that she might soon be abandoned by the family just like Mo Xuan, or perhaps... even worse than him.

At Qin's Jewelry Company, Qin Ni sat in her chair, feeling irritated.

"Mom, are you alright?"

The office was only occupied by her and Jiang Sifeng. Hearing his call, Qin Ni didn't immediately respond. She looked at his frail, pale face and suddenly felt repulsed.

She had been thinking about Mo Xuan a lot lately, even wondering if she had gone mad, treating this sickly illegitimate son as a treasure.

Jiang Sifeng was the illegitimate son of her first love, the same person Mo Xuan had seen in the photo. That person was named Jiang Feng, and he and Qin Ni had been childhood sweethearts.

Shen Qingyun had once said something very true: Qin Ni didn't love anyone; she only loved herself. Jiang Feng came from an artistic family, and while their background was indeed good, it paled in comparison to the Mo family.

So, she had decisively abandoned Jiang Feng and married Mo Changshan. Unexpectedly, after giving birth to Mo Jinpeng, Qin Ni, during a business trip abroad, had run into Jiang Feng in a foreign land.

Jiang Feng had never married and tearfully told her that he had been waiting for her all along.

The beauty of youth, along with a sense of guilt, had driven Qin Ni to rekindle her relationship with Jiang Feng, and she had even become pregnant. During that time, Qin Ni had become somewhat indulged in this transgressive thrill, extending her five-month trip to the point where she gave birth.

As for why Mo Changshan hadn't suspected anything, it was because he was eager for Qin Ni to be away, given that he wasn't exactly clean himself.

Jiang Sifeng had been born with a weak constitution, and Qin Ni felt immense guilt towards him. Even after she later gave birth to Mo Xuan, she mostly hired a wet nurse to take care of him, while she spent more time with Jiang Feng. During that period, she had used work as an excuse to set up a property outside, where she had Jiang Feng live, hiring a nanny to take care of them, and she would visit them from time to time.

But in the end, she had given Jiang Feng a sum of money and sent him abroad. She had never truly loved Jiang Feng; in her heart, Mo Changshan was more important, as he could bring her tangible benefits.

Jiang Feng was nothing more than a tool for her to vent her emotions.

As she slowly regained her composure, Qin Ni glanced at Jiang Sifeng once more. Over the years, she had treated this illegitimate son of hers almost as much as Mo Jinpeng, even going so far as to appoint him as her assistant, a privilege she hadn't extended to Mo Xuan.

But with all the recent events piling up, her two most cherished sons were now one a fool and the other a sickly invalid.

Meanwhile, the son who had left home, Mo Xuan, was not only physically strong and strikingly handsome but also academically accomplished at a young age.

This had made her reconsider some things, and the first person to be dealt with was this illegitimate son in front of her.

"Sifeng, hand over your shares." Qin Ni suddenly said. "I've thought about it, and with your health, I can't trust you with the company. I'll have Yingying take over your shares. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."

Jiang Sifeng's already pale face turned even whiter upon hearing Qin Ni's words.

But he didn't dare defy Qin Ni. After all, he had taken advantage of Qin Ni's favor and his shares to do a lot of things behind her back. He was terrified that if Qin Ni found out, based on his understanding of his mother, she might even send him to prison herself.

Since he had come to work by Qin Ni's side, he had increasingly felt that his mother had grown distant towards him, slowly realizing his mother's cold-heartedness.

In the past, he had been smug, thinking that Qin Ni didn't care about Mo Xuan but treated him differently.

But he had never considered that, as sons, if Qin Ni could abandon Mo Xuan, why couldn't she abandon him?

"Alright, Mom, don't worry." Jiang Sifeng didn't hesitate. "Besides, everything I have is from you. If you want to take it back, I have no complaints."

Being articulate and showing weakness were Jiang Sifeng's greatest strengths, which was why Qin Ni had always treated him favorably.

But that was in the past. Now, for Qin Ni, he was just a nuisance, especially since he had underestimated the capabilities and intelligence of a company president.

Qin Ni gave a cold smile: "Sifeng, since you know that everything you have is from me, why did you still do things behind my back?"

Wasn't the gold adulteration incident your doing?