In the end, Xu Mu decided not to intervene—he already had proof: the recording.
As long as he had that recording, it would show Chen Bei was innocent.
With that in mind, Xu Mu continued using his Perception to monitor what was happening inside.
Zhou Wen had already begun. She sat beside Chen Bei, deliberately placing his hand over her shoulder.
Then she guided his other hand inside her collar.
Feng Yue had her phone out, taking pictures.
Her shooting angles were excellent; you couldn't tell he was unconscious at all. With Zhou Wen's expressions cooperating, the photos looked like Chen Bei was squinting, leaning in to breathe in her scent, and getting handsy.
Next, Zhou Wen switched to another pose.
Qian Gang watched quietly, then said in a low voice, "This is how you got me the first time too, isn't it?"
"No. Chen Bei is being forced. You, on the other hand, were eager," Feng Yue replied, glancing at Qian Gang. "That's why Xiao Zhang shot video."
"Heh. Nice spin. Would she have approached me without your orders?" Qian Gang sneered.
"At the end of the day, you took the initiative. I had people approach Chen Bei and a few other founding members too, and they all resisted the temptation—only you didn't."
Feng Yue kept snapping photos, face expressionless.
Qian Gang clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "What's your relationship with that Lin Yang? He told me you're his woman."
"I'm his mother!"
Feng Yue's alluring face turned chillingly dark. "He knows one of my secrets. He's not simple—he has hacking skills and has tapped into my home cameras before."
Hearing that, Qian Gang could guess how Lin Yang had learned his own secrets too—probably from hacking his cameras as well.
"This time I've thrown my reputation out the window for you. I targeted Chen Bei for your sake. If it were for that Lin Yang, I'd never stoop to something this shameless."
Qian Gang looked at Feng Yue, exhaled, and asked, "What do I have to do to have you?"
"Nothing you do will work."
Feng Yue shot him a sidelong look. "But I can promise you this: once I get the slimming drug, launch it, and become a famous entrepreneur in Jiangbei, I'll spend a few nights with you."
Qian Gang lowered his head and downed another drink. "And what about reporting back to Lin Yang?"
"We'll just tweak a few ratios. It's all smoke and mirrors anyway. His methods aren't as good as mine—he'll have to swallow it. What, is he going to lay a hand on me?"
A cold light flashed in Feng Yue's eyes.
Lin Yang's intel was off.
He thought Feng Yue actually wanted to return to the Feng family?
Nonsense.
When the Xu family fell from the top five, she had gone back to the Fengs with high hopes—only to be mocked by a crowd. Even her father refused to see her.
From that moment, she gave up on the Fengs entirely.
Her own dream was to become a renowned entrepreneur in Jiangbei—and then grind the Feng family beneath her heel, making them regret everything.
In the past, that dream was just that—a dream.
She had no background, and she was already past thirty. Pulling this off might never happen in her lifetime.
Until she heard about the slimming drug—one with no side effects.
She saw how terrifying the market could be.
Not just in Dragon Nation; obesity rates were rising worldwide and would only keep growing.
On this drug alone, she might amass immeasurable wealth.
—
Sitting on the steps, listening to their conversation, Xu Mu grew more and more surprised.
He'd assumed Feng Yue and Lin Yang were in it together—turns out they weren't aligned at all.
Feng Yue's goal was to seize the drug for herself.
This woman was truly frightening.
A woman who knows how to weaponize herself is a monster.
Xu Mu kept waiting. After more than an hour, Chen Bei finally stirred and opened his eyes.
"Qian Gang! You bastard!"
Freshly awake and still weak, he tried to strike Qian Gang, but couldn't even lift his arm.
Qian Gang pulled out his phone and flipped through photos right in front of Chen Bei's face.
Seeing the woman in the pictures—her righteous anger, her show of unwillingness—Chen Bei knew he was in trouble.
Even so, he knew Xu Shou well. He might be ruined personally, but he'd done it for the Xu Group. His own future—and his son's prospects—would be taken care of.
"Old Chen, I'm just trying to protect myself. I swear—give me the proportioning and the process, and I'll delete them right now. If these photos ever leak, may I die a miserable death!"
Qian Gang raised three fingers in oath.
"Only I and Mr. Wang know these details. If anything leaks, the Chairman will trace it right back," Chen Bei said.
"Says who? Don't any of Wang Weilang's researchers know? They could leak it too."
Sensing Chen Bei wavering, Qian Gang pressed on. "Please, Old Chen—help me just this once. I really have no choice. I'm begging you."
"Delete the photos," Chen Bei said.
"Alright. I'll do it now."
Qian Gang wiped every picture from his phone.
He wasn't worried about Chen Bei going back on his word—Feng Yue had copies on her phone anyway.
Chen Bei pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a good five or six minutes before finally sending the files to Qian Gang.
Qian Gang opened them right away. Seeing the dense data, he finally exhaled in relief.
Feng Yue lifted her chin to look as well, and her face lit up with wild joy.
Her grand vision had taken its first step.
Feng family, just you wait.
—
Feng Yue, Qian Gang, and the others left.
Swaying a little, Chen Bei also left the private room—he was still dizzy.
Not long after he'd gone, the young waiter slipped in and retrieved the listening device.
Chen Bei was in no condition to drive. He opened his car door and sat in the passenger seat, taking out his phone to call a driver.
Just then, the door opened and Xu Mu slid in.
"You—"
Chen Bei relaxed when he realized it was Xu Mu. "Young Master Xu, I was just about to call a driver. How did you show up out of nowhere?"
"Old Chen, don't worry about what happened tonight."
As Xu Mu spoke, he took out his phone and played the recording he had already saved.
Chen Bei was shaken. How…? They'd arrived first—so how did Xu Mu have their conversation on tape?
"Even if they try to blackmail you with the photos, we've got evidence," Xu Mu said with a smile.
"That puts my mind at ease," Chen Bei nodded.
"Get a driver and go home. You've done enough today. Just report everything to my dad as it happened."
With that, Xu Mu opened the door and got out.
Watching him leave, Chen Bei sighed inwardly. Maybe he'd really misjudged the kid.
—
With this handled, Xu Mu hurried home—no reason to keep Ye Tong waiting.
But as he reached the villa community, he noticed someone lurking suspiciously outside his villa.
Xu Mu immediately activated his Perception. At this distance, he could sense the person's face even with their back turned.