Becoming Another Tool

Mo Xuan could clearly sense that Luo Shiya was in a particularly good mood today. In fact, she didn’t even seem like herself—she felt more like Luo Muqi. Holding his hand and strolling through the mall with him, her demeanor was strikingly different from her usual self. In Mo Xuan’s mind, Luo Shiya had always been more like an older sister figure, but today she seemed completely relaxed.

As they entered a luxury store, Mo Xuan couldn’t help but marvel at how small the world could sometimes feel. Just then, Mo Qingqing and a sharp-looking middle-aged woman, carrying two shopping bags, happened to run into Mo Xuan and Luo Shiya.

“What a coincidence…” Mo Qingqing smiled wearily at Mo Xuan. He had noticed her looking unwell before, but now she seemed even worse.

“Vice President Luo, hello,” the middle-aged woman beside Mo Qingqing greeted Luo Shiya respectfully. Upon seeing outsiders, Luo Shiya’s expression instantly reverted to her usual cool and detached demeanor, even though she was still holding Mo Xuan’s arm.

She gave a slight nod and was about to leave with Mo Xuan when Mo Qingqing reached out to stop him. “Let’s grab a cup of coffee together?” she suggested with a forced smile.

Then she glanced at the middle-aged woman beside her and said, “This is my brother. I need to talk to him. You can go back now.”

Mo Xuan couldn’t shake the feeling that Mo Qingqing seemed somewhat wary of this woman. Luo Shiya leaned in and whispered in his ear, “That’s Ye Grandmother’s assistant. She helps manage the company’s affairs.”

Hearing this, Mo Xuan frowned. It seemed his older sister wasn’t having an easy time.

The assistant glanced at Mo Xuan and replied calmly, “I’ll stay with you.”

Mo Qingqing didn’t seem surprised by this response, as if she had expected it. She turned to Mo Xuan and said, “Surely you’re not going to refuse a cup of coffee with me?”

She was right—Mo Xuan really didn’t want to. But Luo Shiya gave him a subtle nod, signaling him to agree. Though confused, he complied.

The four of them found a window seat at a coffee shop across from the mall. Mo Qingqing rummaged through her bag for a cigarette, only to be stopped by the assistant.

“You’re about to marry the young master. Ye Grandmother has instructed you to quit smoking in preparation for pregnancy,” the assistant said politely but firmly.

Mo Qingqing didn’t seem bothered and simply put the cigarette and lighter back.

“Go wait somewhere else. I want to talk to my brother… and Vice President Luo privately,” Mo Qingqing said, glancing at the assistant. “Surely I still have that much freedom before the wedding?”

The assistant hesitated, but when she met Luo Shiya’s cold and threatening gaze, she didn’t dare argue and silently walked away. She might not care about Mo Qingqing, but she couldn’t afford to disregard Luo Shiya.

“So, is this the life you’ve been scheming for?” Mo Xuan couldn’t help but sneer. “What’s the point of all this?”

Mo Qingqing didn’t answer immediately. She looked out the window and let out a bitter laugh. “I can scheme against others, and others can scheme against me,” she said.

Slowly, she explained to Mo Xuan that it was the Ye Family who had acquired Mo Corporation. The money had ended up in Mo Qingqing’s hands, becoming the reserve funds for her company.

Mo Xuan couldn’t help but marvel at how ruthlessly his older sister had sold out her own family.

Just as she thought she had everything under control and was preparing to launch her new company, Ye Grandmother made her move.

Mo Qingqing was indeed clever, but she had underestimated the old woman’s cunning and foresight. While Mo Qingqing had been investigating the Mo Family, Ye Grandmother had been investigating her—and had started even earlier.

Moreover, Ye Ning’s parents were still alive. Ye Ning had been spoiled by his mother and had developed a host of flaws, but his father wasn’t a fool. Though mediocre, he trusted his mother completely when it came to major decisions.

When the evidence of Mo Qingqing’s illegal asset transfers and other underhanded operations was neatly laid out before her, she could only smile bitterly.

“Ye Grandmother told me it wasn’t that she didn’t trust me, but if our positions were reversed, would I feel safe marrying into a family without any safeguards?” Mo Qingqing explained to Mo Xuan.

She had been cautious. When Luo Shiya sent Chu Nan to negotiate with her, she had started destroying evidence, spending a fortune to silence people.

But she had forgotten one crucial thing: you can pay people to keep quiet, but others can pay them more to talk.

Ye Ning was incompetent, Ye Grandmother was getting old, and Ye Ning’s father was too mediocre to take the Ye Family to greater heights.

From the beginning, Ye Grandmother had misled Mo Qingqing, making her believe that Ye Ning was useless and that she would eventually take over the Ye Family, just as Ye Grandmother had done in the past.

Mo Qingqing was smart, but she was too ambitious and greedy. She was confident she had a backup plan, even if the Ye Family betrayed her.

“You’ve seen it for yourself—Ye Ning has been ruined by his mother,” Mo Qingqing sighed. “If the family business is left to him, it’ll only decline.”

“The Ye Family is still thriving now, but what happens when the business is handed over to Ye Ning? He’s arrogant, mediocre, spoiled, and his character isn’t great. Families of equal status won’t want to marry into the Ye Family, and those of lower status are beneath their consideration.”

She paused and looked at Luo Shiya. “When she brought Ye Ning to your family, she already knew the chances were slim. Even without you and Mo Xuan, the Luo Family would never choose him as a son-in-law.”

“But the Luo Family’s influence is too tempting. That’s why she was willing to swallow her pride and approach your grandmother, even though the odds were almost zero.”

It wasn’t just Ye Grandmother. Many families hoping to marry into the Luo Family harbored similar delusions.

Ye Grandmother admired Mo Qingqing, but she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. After all, Ye Ning’s father was her son, and Ye Ning was her grandson.

“She told me to transfer my company and assets to the Ye Family, with Ye Ning’s father holding them temporarily. If I agreed, she would arrange my marriage to Ye Ning immediately. Once I had children, everything would be returned to me.”

Luo Shiya remained indifferent, but Mo Xuan found the situation almost laughable. He looked at Mo Qingqing and asked, “Don’t tell me you actually agreed to this. Are you sure you’re Mo Qingqing and not your second or third sister?”

“You’ve worked so hard, schemed so much, just to go from being a tool of the Mo Family to a tool of the Ye Family?”

Mo Xuan didn’t believe Mo Qingqing would cave so easily. She had the audacity to do what she did, so she must have had a way out. Even if the Ye Family had uncovered her schemes, would she really give in so quickly?

Seeing how the assistant had restricted her earlier, Mo Xuan even wondered if she had been possessed.

“I had no choice. Ye Grandmother told me that if I didn’t agree, not only would this evidence be made public, but she would also find a way to bankrupt my company and leave me with nothing.”

Mo Qingqing didn’t care about the no-smoking sign in the coffee shop. She lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t expect to run into you today. Besides, I know my limits. I wasn’t planning to…” She glanced at Luo Shiya. “I just haven’t had anyone to talk to lately, so I thought I’d vent a little.”

Mo Xuan looked at her, skeptical of her words.

Ye Grandmother had indeed seized all of Mo Qingqing’s vulnerabilities. Even if the Mo Family were still intact, the Ye Family could easily take them down.

But would his older sister really just sit back and accept her fate? Would she give in so easily?

Honestly, Mo Xuan found it hard to believe.