As expected of you, full of clever ideas

Li Yun didn’t bother explaining herself to anyone. She knew all too well that often, explanations only serve to cover up and end up making things worse.

So she kept waiting for Xu Mu. But now that he was right in front of her, she found herself at a loss for words.

Xu Mu noticed the worry on Li Yun’s face and asked curiously, “Auntie, what’s wrong?”

“I…”

Li Yun hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak up. “Xiao Mu, come with me.”

Xu Mu followed Li Yun outside the main hall.

“Lately, there have been rumors going around that I… am your lover.”

Li Yun glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before finally revealing the matter. “I can tell by the way they look at me—it’s different now.”

Xu Mu frowned slightly. Rumors like these were common enough.

In any company, when a woman suddenly gets promoted, such gossip is inevitable.

Especially if she’s attractive, people will assume she must have slept her way to the top.

That’s just human nature—if others gain benefits while you don’t, it must be because they cheated.

“Do you want me to find out who’s spreading these rumors?”

Xu Mu was clearly annoyed. He hated being accused of something baseless.

If she really were his lover, then fine—he could accept that.

But the truth was, he and Li Yun had nothing to do with each other.

“No need. These things only get worse the more you try to explain.”

Li Yun shook her head gently.

At her age, she wasn’t afraid of rumors.

What she feared was her daughter, Zhao Yingying, finding out.

If Yingying started thinking along those lines, how could she ever face her again?

“It’s okay, Auntie. Being called my lover isn’t so bad. It means no one at work will dare to mess with you.”

Seeing Li Yun’s anxious expression, Xu Mu smiled reassuringly. “When I say ‘lover,’ it’s in quotation marks, of course.”

Only then did Li Yun breathe a sigh of relief.

If Xu Mu was serious about that, she didn’t even know how to respond.

Reject it? She owed him too much.

Agree? Her conscience wouldn’t let her.

“Get back to work.”

Xu Mu waved his hand. “As long as you work hard, the gossip will die down.”

[Affection +10]

“You’re right. If I’m just a pretty face, then that’s settled. But if I work harder than anyone else, no one will have anything to say.”

Li Yun smiled and headed back toward the company’s lobby.

Xu Mu returned to his car, reclined the seat, and rested for a while.

About an hour later, his phone vibrated.

He glanced at it and saw it was a call from Meng Wanyue, so he answered.

“President Xu, I’m outside the company.”

Meng Wanyue’s voice came through.

“Okay, I’m on my way.”

Xu Mu planned to take Meng Wanyue’s car instead—his own was too conspicuous and not convenient for moving around.

He got out of his car and quickly walked toward the company entrance, spotting a Wuling Hongguang parked by the roadside.

He got in, sitting in the passenger seat.

Meng Wanyue had just seen Xu Mu when black text appeared above her head.

[Affection +10]

“Well, Wanyue, what’s going on today? You seem to be in a good mood.”

Xu Mu looked at Meng Wanyue with interest.

Today, she wore a black tracksuit, a faint smile playing on her handsome face.

“President Xu, I can now fully perform the Phantom Sword technique.”

Meng Wanyue glanced at Xu Mu, her eyes full of gratitude. “If nothing goes wrong, it should be thanks to the marrow-washing pill.”

Xu Mu smiled and said, “That helped, but the most important thing is your own ability.”

[Affection +5]

Meng Wanyue smiled softly, well aware that it was indeed the marrow-washing pill that made the difference.

“President Xu, where are we headed?”

“To the Feng Family Manor. Let’s circle around the perimeter first.”

Xu Mu’s purpose this time was simple: to plant pinhole cameras around the Feng estate.

He knew the routine—Dai Xiao and Chen Cai most often conducted their business in Feng Kang’s study.

…

On the way, Xu Mu briefly explained the plan to Meng Wanyue.

She nodded silently, then drove to the Feng Family Manor.

They both lived in the suburbs; Meng Wanyue circled the manor once in the car.

“President Xu, their security is really tight. Sneaking in unnoticed will be extremely difficult.”

Meng Wanyue parked the car by the roadside at a distance and spoke in a low voice.

While circling, Xu Mu used his perception to scan the interior.

Sure enough, there were numerous guards patrolling.

The security here was at least two to three times that of the Xu family estate.

If they wanted to secretly record footage, it had to be without anyone noticing. Forcing their way in would definitely raise alarms.

Leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed to rest, Xu Mu realized they would have to ask Feng Jian for help.

But speaking of Feng Jian, his thoughts drifted to Feng Yue.

He wondered if this woman might have a solution.

So, Xu Mu made a call.

“Young Master Xu, don’t tell me you’re coming to bother me again—I’m a little scared,” Feng Yue’s voice came through, tinged with mock grievance.

“I’ve already started dealing with the Feng family. Now I need to install pinhole cameras in Feng Kang’s study,” Xu Mu said into the phone. “But their guards are too many. Do you have any ideas?”

“The Feng family? Is Feng Kang home?”

Feng Yue’s tone became serious.

“No, they’re not.”

Xu Mu was sure.

Earlier, when they circled to the back of the manor, his perception had covered the entire large villa inside.

If he couldn’t see inside, it meant no one was home.

“To be honest, I do have a way. Remember those ‘honey trap’ videos you gave me before?”

Feng Yue laughed on the other end.

“Honey trap videos?”

Xu Mu was momentarily stunned, then looked at Meng Wanyue and recalled.

That time in Yang City, he had come with Ye Tong, Ye Yu, and Meng Wanyue.

One night at the hotel, they encountered a new type of honey trap.

Xu Mu had confiscated their phones, and Meng Wanyue had organized and summarized the videos on the phones overnight.

Later, Xu Mu handed the videos over to Feng Yue.

“That’s right. You wouldn’t believe it, but one of the people in the videos is from the Feng family—the security captain, Sun Wei.”

Feng Yue chuckled on the other end. “I’ve been keeping that lead all along. Didn’t expect it would come in handy now.”

“That setup before, the one with the honey trap—nothing actually happened, right? Can it really threaten him?”

Xu Mu frowned slightly.

“You don’t know the full story. Sun Wei’s wife is the daughter of the Feng family’s housekeeper,” Feng Yue explained. “In the video, Sun Wei was very proactive. The housekeeper must have realized he stood to gain something good.”

Hearing this, Xu Mu couldn’t help but smile. “Not bad. So, what’s your plan?”

“Threaten him. Have him set a fire in the front yard to burn through the estate’s power lines. The guards will rush out to put out the fire, and with the electricity cut, the security cameras will be disabled.”

Feng Yue’s voice came over. “Xu Shao, what do you think of this idea?”

“Good! Very good! As expected, you always have the cleverest ideas.”

Xu Mu praised her with a smile.

As they spoke, he suddenly noticed Meng Wanyue sitting nearby, her mood seeming a bit off.

Could she be jealous?