After Marking a Paranoid CEO [Transmigration] - Chapter 44

Xia Youxi turned, her eyes lighting up involuntarily as a sweet dimple appeared on her cheek. She never imagined the ever-busy CEO Mu would attend the celebration banquet, let alone address her as “Miss Xia.” Was this some kind of “Hello, stranger” game?

Xia Youxi leaned forward slightly, responding politely, “Hello, you are…?”

“Mu Huayue of the Ba Feng Group. Wen An must have mentioned me,” Mu Huayue said, lowering her head slightly as she offered Xia Youxi a glass of champagne. “Congratulations on securing the Center Position, Yousey.”

Xia Youxi raised her champagne glass, clinking it gently against Mu Huayue’s at a slightly lower level. “Thank you, CEO Mu,” she said with a smile. “I never properly thanked you for helping me out at the film set last time. This one’s on me.”

Mu Huayue gazed at her calmly, then reached out to stop Xia Youxi’s wrist. “It was nothing. I heard you haven’t signed with an agency yet. Would you be interested in discussing a potential deal?”

“Yes—” Xia Youxi began to reply, but another hand suddenly grabbed her arm. Yan He had unexpectedly returned.

Tilting her head back, Mu Huayue frowned and warned Xia Youxi, “She already has a company.”

“Really?” Mu Huayue lowered her gaze to Xia Youxi, a faint smile playing on her lips. The look sent a shiver down Little Xia’s spine. She clutched a champagne glass with both hands, unable to shake it off.

Forced to smile bitterly, she stammered, “I…”

Two gazes fell upon her like thorns in her back. She pressed her lips together, feigning reluctance, and finally admitted, “Not yet.”

The hand gripping her arm tightened. Xia Youxi heard a faint “Damn it” and looked pleadingly at Mu Huayue.

The ruthless CEO Mu ignored her plea and instead increased her grip. It didn’t hurt, but Xia Youxi immediately began acting, as if pricked by a needle, letting out a sharp “Uh!”

The three women surrounding her turned to look. Sibe spoke first, “Sis! What’s wrong?” The other two women stared at Xia Youxi. Despite her height, Sibe was somewhat timid. She scratched her head and advised, “Hey, why don’t you two let go for now? She looks pretty tired.”

Yan He, seeing that Mu Huayue refused to let go, naturally wouldn’t release her grip either.

Xia Youxi had no choice but to act again, lowering her brows, her eyes filled with a pitiful expression, her voice trembling slightly. “My arm is injured.”

Mu Huayue snatched the champagne from her hand and handed it to Wen An. Yan He frowned, reluctantly releasing her grip. Sibe, being more direct, leaned in for a closer look, only to be shoved away by Yan He. “A and O shouldn’t be so close. Don’t you understand? It’s bad luck.”

Sibe retorted, “Why are you picking on me again? I haven’t even said anything to you! You’ve already withdrawn from the competition—what are you doing at the celebration banquet?”

Yan He sneered. “Can’t I come?”

Sibe shot back, “Yan He, you’re such a hypocrite.”

“What did you say?!” Yan He’s face flushed with anger, and the two women erupted into a heated argument.

Xia Youxi tried to mediate, but after only a few words, she felt a light touch on her arm. She looked up to meet Mu Huayue’s cold gaze. Nodding, she followed her forward as the commotion behind them gradually faded. Yan Su rushed over to try and calm the women down.

Seeing this, Xia Youxi felt relieved. She silently followed Mu Huayue, thinking they would soon be back in the human world. Instead, they unexpectedly ran into their number one romantic rival, Huang Ruo.

Huang Ruo stood nearby, champagne in hand, her excitement barely concealed. She hurried over, and Xia Youxi instinctively took a few quick steps, positioning herself protectively in front of Mu Huayue.

CEO Mu glanced down at her, a hint of amusement in her eyes. She watched quietly as a familiar-looking Beta raised her hand, champagne sloshing in her glass, and greeted her: “Mu… Sister Mu.”

Xia Youxi immediately turned around, a gesture noticed by the perceptive CEO Mu. Despite the awkward address, Mu Huayue smiled warmly and asked, “Are you…?”

Before she could finish, Huang Ruo interjected, “Yes, Sister Mu, I’m Huang Ruo, the girl you used to sponsor.”

Mu Huayue remembered now. Ten years ago, she had sponsored a child’s music education. Recognizing the girl as one of the debut candidates, she said with genuine pleasure, “Well done. Congratulations on realizing your dream.”

“Thank you, Sister!” Huang Ruo exclaimed, bowing deeply. Half of the champagne in her hand spilled, and Xia Youxi quickly moved to shield CEO Mu.

Huang Ruo blushed, embarrassed. “I couldn’t help it, Instructor Xia. I’m just so excited.”

Excited? Xia Youxi thought bitterly. Shouldn’t I be the one who’s excited?

No, she wasn’t excited—she was terrified.

How had Huang Ruo gone from calling Mu Huayue “Sister Mu” to just “Sister”?

Was she following Xia Youxi’s old path?

Forcing herself to remain calm, Xia Youxi managed a strained smile and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

She glanced at Mu Huayue, her eyes pleading.

Mu Huayue saw through her. Without acknowledging Xia Youxi, she casually instructed Wen An, “Take Miss Xia to get cleaned up.”

With her rival still by her sister’s side, Xia Youxi didn’t want to leave. “I…” She began, but before she could finish, the usually aloof and dignified Mu Huayue reached out and patted Huang Ruo’s shoulder, speaking to her in a soft, gentle voice.

As the two walked further away, Xia Youxi felt an urge to chase after them. But Wen An stopped her. “Miss Xia, you still need to return the hairpin to Instructor Yin.”

Xia Youxi: ……

Fine.

She refused to believe that in just a few moments,

“Alright. Thank you, Miss Wen.”

The two left the banquet hall, exited the house, and walked further and further away. Xia Youxi hesitated. “Where are we going?”

“Please follow me.” The area outside was desolate, with only faint lights visible. Wen An’s expression remained impassive, making Xia Youxi feel like she was being sold off. She nervously followed the other woman, turning left and right through the winding paths.

“Please come in.” Wen An led her into a house and asked her to wait in a bedroom.

The bedroom had a full-length mirror. As Xia Youxi stood before it, she suddenly recalled her earlier thoughts: in her previous world, powerful executives would use flimsy excuses to lure minor artists to their homes, where they would coerce and manipulate them into inappropriate acts.

She felt like she was experiencing something similar right now. The girl in the mirror curled her lips into a smile, as if amused by the thought.

Xia Youxi shook her head, dismissing the idea.

Her Sister Mu was nothing like those hypocritical, sleazy bosses. Her sister exuded a cool, orchid-like fragrance and possessed an elegant demeanor, even if she was a bit suspicious, had a slightly bad temper, and was a tad possessive…

The thought froze Xia Youxi in place. Had her overly suspicious sister misinterpreted Yan He and Sibe’s playful teasing earlier?

The room was eerily silent, with no sound coming from outside the door. Xia Youxi groped her way to the door, only to discover it was locked from the inside.

No way…

Was her sister about to torment her again?

Xia Youxi leaned against the door, blinking as she scanned the room for cameras. Finding none, she switched off the light as a precaution and began searching for any sign of light in the darkness. Her dress was stained with wine, making it inappropriate to sit on the bed, so she had to feel her way along the wall.

As she moved, she suddenly heard the click of the lock turning. A beam of light pierced the darkness, casting a silhouette in the doorway. Before she could make out the figure, a cold scoff echoed through the room. The lights flicked on, blinding her momentarily.

When she opened her eyes again, her sister—the one she both longed for and feared—stood before her.

“Sister,” Xia Youxi called out timidly.

Mu Huayue didn’t respond. She pressed her hand against Xia Youxi’s neck, slowly sliding it down to her collarbone. With a gentle tug, she lifted the platinum pendant from Xia Youxi’s silver necklace.

Xia Youxi remembered Mu Huayue’s earlier threat—that the necklace would deliver an electric shock if removed. She immediately bit her lip, reached up to cup the hand at her throat, and feigned panic, her lips moving soundlessly as she mouthed, “Sister, no, it hurts.”

Mu Huayue glanced at her, studying the fear in her eyes. She chuckled softly, her free hand stroking Xia Youxi’s cheek. A shiver ran through Xia Youxi’s skin, and she trembled slightly, maintaining a posture of obedient stillness, as if afraid to move.

Mu Huayue snorted coldly, flicked the pendant aside, and seized Xia Youxi’s arm, rolling up the sleeve to examine it closely. Xia Youxi looked up, confused. “Sister?”

Mu Huayue frowned. “Where’s the injury?”

Xia Youxi raised her other arm and pointed to her elbow. “Here. I scraped it while practicing dance earlier.”

Mu Huayue gently gripped Xia Youxi’s wrist, lifting her arm to inspect the elbow. The skin was red and marked with several bloody scratches. Frowning, she asked, “Does it still hurt?”

Xia Youxi nodded. “It hurts.”

Mu Huayue glanced up at her. “Didn’t you just say the pain was in your other arm?”

Xia Youxi clutched her elbow, her big, innocent eyes fluttering as she replied softly, “Sister must have misheard. I said my arm was injured.”

“Hmph.” Mu Huayue scoffed, reaching for her phone. Xia Youxi immediately crouched down, begging for mercy. “No, I won’t do it again, Sister!”

The last time she’d been shocked, she’d nearly been electrocuted. She never wanted to experience that agony again, so she surrendered preemptively.

Mu Huayue, however, wasn’t buying it. She bent down, lightly poked Xia Youxi’s head, and teased, “Do you think this will get you out of punishment?”

Xia Youxi lowered her hands from her head to take Mu Huayue’s hand. Tilting her face up, she gazed at her with a pitiful expression and drawled out, “Sister, please?”

Mu Huayue chuckled, but remained firm. “Anything else?”

Xia Youxi guessed and tried to be clever. “I’ll be as virtuous as you, Sister.”

Mu Huayue shot her a sidelong glance, thinking, This little minx is trying to manipulate me into indirectly admitting there’s nothing between me and Huang Ruo. I won’t give her the satisfaction.

“Not enough,” Mu Huayue said, her expression unchanging as she withdrew her hand from Xia Youxi’s grasp. She rose to her feet, towering over Xia Youxi with an invisible aura of authority that pressed down like a mountain, suffocating her.

Xia Youxi had no choice but to ask again, “What does Sister want from me?”

As she spoke, a layer of mist welled up in her eyes. She sobbed softly, lowering her head as she continued in a sorrowful tone, “I’m just Sister’s pet cat, I’ll do whatever my master says.”

Her voice was low and strained, as if she had suffered endless grievances. Mu Huayue felt a pang of discomfort. She leaned down, cupping the silly girl’s face in her hands, and gazed at the tear that was about to fall. Slightly flustered, she raised her hand to wipe it away. “Why are you crying after just a few words? Are you made of water?”

Xia Youxi remained silent, another tear sliding down to land on Mu Huayue’s hand.

Mu Huayue’s beautiful brows furrowed. She clicked her tongue and pulled Xia Youxi to her feet.

The moment had come. Xia Youxi casually tugged at the corner of Mu Huayue’s robe, tilting her head up to gaze at her with tear-filled eyes. Timid yet obedient, she asked, “Is Sister still angry?”