The Cocktail Party

Su Yanran looked at the invitation in her hand and finally got out of the car with her assistant. No matter how reluctant she was, after weighing the pros and cons, she decided to come.

She couldn’t afford to offend the Luo Family. Coming here, she feared the Luo sisters; not coming, she feared their retaliation.

After a night and a day of contemplation, she chose to hand over the evidence to the relevant authorities.

Was it for Mo Xuan? Or for something else? Only she knew the answer.

But what she didn’t know was that during her hesitation, Mo Xuan had already been further captivated by those bewitching sisters…

The Luo Corporation’s banquet was usually held at one of their luxury hotels in the Capital, one of the most opulent in the city. Su Yanran, accompanied by her assistant, took off her light blue down jacket, revealing a pure white gown underneath.

“You can go now, just wait nearby,” Su Yanran said to her assistant. “I might call you earlier, so be ready to pick me up.”

Su Yanran’s assistant, a woman two years her senior, was puzzled. Why leave early? It was the Luo Corporation’s banquet. Normally, one would want to stay longer to seize the opportunity.

Even if they couldn’t connect with the Luo Family, those invited by the Luo Corporation might elevate the Su Family’s status.

Su Yanran noticed her assistant’s confusion and smiled bitterly. “Just go. Wait for my call.”

What others saw as a precious opportunity felt like a death sentence to her.

She knew what she had done back then. She was certain no one else knew, which was why she wanted Mo Xuan back.

She thought it was love, but Grandma Su had been right—it was just her unwillingness to let go, though she refused to admit it.

She had liked Mo Xuan since the first time she saw him as a child. She was the one who ended up with him, but she was also the one who abandoned and hurt him.

She stubbornly believed it was just a momentary lapse of judgment. She didn’t dare face Mo Xuan out of guilt.

More than that, Mo Xuan had been incredibly good to her in the past. She was willful and difficult, but Mo Xuan would just smile and let it slide.

Mo Xuan had treated her differently as his girlfriend. Everyone could see how much he cared for her, so she clung to the hope that he would forgive her as he had before.

She suspected Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi might know something about what happened back then, but she held onto the hope that they only thought she had hidden the truth about Mo Xuan’s amnesia and their existence.

After all, they shouldn’t know about that incident…

“Miss Su, you’ve arrived?”

Sister Hui approached her. Su Yanran hadn’t met her before but recognized her voice. Seeing her, Su Yanran took a cautious step back.

“Don’t be afraid. Since our eldest and second young ladies invited you, they won’t do anything,” Sister Hui said with a smile. “Rest assured. If there’s any cooperation, even if Luo Corporation can’t work with you, I’ll introduce you to other companies that can.”

Su Yanran didn’t respond, her eyes still wary. Sister Hui didn’t mind and continued smiling. “The eldest and second young ladies haven’t arrived yet. I’ll stay with you. After all, you’re a new face here. Having someone to watch over you is always good, isn’t it?”

Su Yanran bit her lip and followed Sister Hui inside.

“I’ve already reported Mo Jinpeng…” Su Yanran suddenly said. “You gave me that evidence because you wanted me to do this, right?”

Sister Hui glanced at her and replied calmly, “Yes, that’s exactly what we wanted.”

“So, what do your eldest and second young ladies really want?” Su Yanran’s voice trembled. “I know the chance you gave me back then was impossible. I just wanted an opportunity to make it up to Mo Xuan…”

“Miss Su, forgive me for asking, but how do you plan to make it up to Mr. Mo?” Sister Hui interrupted. “Money? Speaking as an employee, which wealthy heiress in the Capital do you think has more money than our eldest and second young ladies?”

“What you can give, they can give. What you can’t give, they can still give.”

“Love? Miss Su, Mr. Mo treated you well back then. You were the one who abandoned him.”

Su Yanran’s face turned pale, and she lowered her head in silence. Sister Hui looked at her and feigned a sigh. “When our eldest young lady said that, she just wanted to see your sincerity. Even if you and Mr. Mo are no longer possible, you were each other’s first love. She didn’t want things to end too ugly.”

“This time, you reported Mo Jinpeng, and the eldest young lady is quite satisfied. The invitation and evidence were given to you to make a choice. If you had done nothing, I would’ve had to escort you out.”

Su Yanran couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know I’m not lying?”

“Heh, Miss Su, if you were lying, I wouldn’t have brought you in,” Sister Hui sneered. “You’re employed by the Su Family. You know the Luo Family’s methods, don’t you?”

“You submitted the evidence two hours ago and went home to change into your gown.”

Seeing Su Yanran’s face lose its color, Sister Hui smirked. “Miss Su, if you want to know everything you did today, I can tell you.”

Su Yanran now felt she shouldn’t have come. But her parents knew about the Luo Corporation’s invitation and kept urging her to attend. They didn’t know about Mo Xuan, Luo Shiya, or Luo Muqi.

Now, she realized it was right not to say anything—Luo Shiya’s people had been watching her all along!

Sister Hui didn’t say more. The banquet had begun, and Luo Tian, accompanied by his wife Liu Yiyi, was chatting with a few middle-aged men.

Liu Yiyi was Luo Tian’s college classmate and the heiress of the Liu Family from Sichuan. The Liu Family dominated manufacturing and the catering industry in the region, almost to the point of monopoly.

Liu Yiyi was not only beautiful but also gentle in demeanor—at least that’s how she appeared to outsiders…

Su Yanran felt out of place. Sister Hui asked if she wanted introductions, but her mind was in turmoil, and she didn’t know what to say.

“Yanran, what are you doing here?”

Mo Qingqing’s voice startled Su Yanran. She turned to see Mo Qingqing approaching with Ye Ning.

“Qingqing?”

Su Yanran hadn’t expected to run into Mo Qingqing here. She hadn’t been in touch with the Mo Family lately and didn’t know Mo Qingqing had connected with the Ye Family.

Ye Ning, still acting like a domineering CEO, lit up when he saw Su Yanran. Though neither she nor Mo Qingqing were as stunningly beautiful as Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi, they were still rare beauties.

Compared to Mo Qingqing, Su Yanran was younger, and Ye Ning couldn’t help but glance at her a few times. Mo Qingqing noticed but didn’t mind.

“You’re… Assistant Hui from Luo Corporation?” Mo Qingqing looked at Sister Hui with even more surprise. “Yanran, do you know Vice President Luo?”

“I…”

Su Yanran was at a loss for words. Sister Hui simply glanced at Mo Qingqing and Ye Ning and said indifferently, “She’s the second young lady’s senior. The second young lady asked me to bring her here.”

Mo Qingqing was about to ask more, but Luo Muqi had already arrived. She wore a custom-made rose-red gown, a necklace gifted by Mo Xuan around her neck, and a black ring on her right index finger that matched Mo Xuan’s.

As Luo Muqi approached, many turned to look. Ye Ning’s eyes widened, his usual oily CEO demeanor turning somewhat… lecherous.

What was even more surprising were the conspicuous kiss marks on Luo Muqi’s neck.

“Senior, you’re here?” Luo Muqi smiled innocently, even warmly taking Su Yanran’s hand and leading her to a quieter spot. “I’ve been waiting for you. Let’s go over there and chat, shall we?”

Su Yanran stared blankly at Luo Muqi, the red marks on her neck glaringly obvious.

Noticing her gaze, Luo Muqi elegantly and seductively brushed her hair aside and whispered, “Brother was too clingy. I was about to leave, but he wouldn’t let me…”

Su Yanran clenched her fists, while Luo Muqi leaned closer and said softly, “Can’t handle it? We already have a child. Isn’t this normal?”

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Su Yanran bit her lip, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment. "Are you getting back at me for Mo Xuan?"

"Not at all…" Luo Muqi replied with a light laugh. "I'm doing this for me and my sister to settle the score with you…"