Chapter 41: The White Lotus Versus the Strong Woman

Fu Siyue’s brows furrowed slightly, a cold glint flickering in his eyes. He had noticed the newcomer just moments ago—a close acquaintance of Mu Yinyin, a colleague from her company—Gu Xiaoqi.

President Zhu had also spotted Gu Xiaoqi, a trace of surprise flashing in his gaze. Was she here to discuss a business collaboration with President Fu as well? Since he and Fu Siyue were already in talks and only needed to refine the proposal, he wasn’t too worried about someone stealing Fu Siyue away. On the contrary, the woman before him was a formidable negotiator; President Zhu was eager to learn a thing or two from her sharp tongue.

After a brief pause, President Zhu was the first to greet her. “President Gu.”

Gu Xiaoqi smiled and nodded at him. “Hello, President Zhu.” Holding her wine glass, she walked unhurriedly to sit across from Fu Siyue, her lips curled in a poised smile. “President Fu, would you have a moment to talk?”

Fu Siyue lifted his cold gaze to her face, his expression indifferent. “What do you wish to discuss?”

Seeing that he was willing to listen, Gu Xiaoqi sat down across from him at once. “Naturally, it’s about a collaboration. I have a very exciting project—if it turns a profit, the returns could multiply by a thousandfold or more. I wonder if President Fu might be interested.”

A thousandfold or more—it all depended on the amount invested.

Neither Fu Siyue nor President Zhu voiced this, but Gu Xiaoqi knew exactly what they were thinking. She immediately continued, “This investment project would require roughly ten billion. It’s a bit of a gamble, but the proposal is so lucrative it’s almost explosive. President Fu, if you have time, why don’t we schedule a meeting for a detailed discussion?”

For now, she could only mention the investment and the returns. Ten billion multiplied a thousand times—there was no need to do the math; even after distributing profits among shareholders and subordinates, the remainder would be enough for a lifetime of luxury.

Ten billion—such a huge sum. Naturally, Starry Group couldn’t come up with that much capital on its own; otherwise, she wouldn’t be seeking partners, nor would she be sharing this big catch with others.

Fu Siyue’s expression remained calm as he studied the mysterious smile on Gu Xiaoqi’s lips. His tone was detached. “I’m not interested.”

Gu Xiaoqi was momentarily stunned. She had laid out the potential profit and investment so clearly—surely anyone would be tempted. Yet Fu Siyue declined simply because of the investment amount? No, that couldn’t be it. Was it because of his relationship with Mu Yinyin? Did he know about her identity and thus reject this collaboration? That seemed the only explanation she could think of.

She quickly composed herself and spoke again. “President Fu, I haven’t even described the proposal yet—and you’re not interested? Why not spare some time to discuss it in detail? I assure you, I’m not exaggerating, nor would I ever try to deceive you.”

President Zhu looked at them in surprise. Ten billion, with a thousandfold return—an undeniably tempting offer. But a ten billion investment was enormous, and such high returns implied correspondingly high risk, though Gu Xiaoqi hadn’t said so explicitly. If the project failed, ten billion would simply vanish.

He didn’t know about Fu Siyue’s connection to Mu Yinyin, so he wondered if President Fu was just being cautious, unwilling to gamble.

Fu Siyue’s gaze grew even colder, a heavy impatience darkening his eyes. But before he could speak, he looked up and saw three people already walking toward Mu Yinyin.

His eyes narrowed sharply.

Gu Xiaoqi followed his line of sight, and her expression darkened at once. Those despicable people—before, they’d wanted nothing to do with her Yinyin, but now that they knew her true identity, they were flocking to her side? Shameless! Outrageous!

As she thought this, displeasure flickered in her eyes.

She had no time to waste; regaining her composure, she turned to Fu Siyue and apologized, “Since you’re not interested tonight, President Fu, I’ll call on you another day. I hope you’ll give me another opportunity.”

Money and business were important, but right now, Yinyin mattered more! If those wretches dared try anything, Yinyin might not speak up—but she certainly would!

Without waiting for Fu Siyue’s reply, she hurried off toward Mu Yinyin.

President Zhu stared after her, bewildered. What was going on? She didn’t even try to press her case, and just left President Fu hanging? He glanced at Fu Siyue out of the corner of his eye, expecting to see his face darken—yet Fu Siyue’s gaze remained fixed in Mu Yinyin’s direction.

He followed his gaze as well.

At that moment, He Xia and the others had already reached Mu Yinyin. Standing at the forefront, He Xia wore a gentle smile as she looked at Mu Yinyin, who was seated on the sofa. Her voice was soft: “Yinyin, what a surprise to meet you here. It must be fate.”

Mu Yinyin sat motionless, gazing up at the woman before her with a faint, ambiguous smile. “Fate, indeed.”

Nan Shiqing stood behind He Xia, her eyes brimming with resentment. In the past, Mu Yinyin hadn’t even been worthy of carrying her shoes. Everything Mu Yinyin had, she’d already taken away, even Mu Yinyin’s husband, who now doted on her. She truly believed Mu Yinyin was worthless.

And yet, the person she had looked down on was now the head of a conglomerate as powerful as Starry Group. The Mu family couldn’t compare. Both were on the rankings, but the gap was stark—one the Mu family could only lament.

Bitterness threatened to spill from Nan Shiqing’s eyes. She struggled to suppress her emotions, forcing herself not to show too much.

Taking a deep breath, she finally managed a slow, smiling greeting. “Sister, why didn’t you tell me you’d be here? We could have come together.”

Many were watching Mu Yinyin’s direction. When He Xia and the others approached, more guests subtly drifted closer, eager to overhear.

But when Nan Shiqing called her “sister,” the crowd was taken aback.

What was happening? Was President Nan really Mu Yinyin’s sister by blood? Or was it simply a term of endearment between close friends? No one dared speculate aloud; everyone waited to hear how Mu Yinyin would respond.

But before any could guess, Mu Yinyin had already looked at her coolly. “Why should I tell you?”

Nan Shiqing’s expression changed instantly. Damn that wretch! She never imagined Mu Yinyin would publicly embarrass her so brazenly. Who gave her the nerve?

The crowd: “?!”

Something was off! President Mu’s attitude toward Nan Shiqing seemed strained—was there some feud? Was this a classic case of a scheming white lotus against a powerful woman?