Chapter Thirty: Luo An Ge's Mischief

Suddenly, I understood Luo Ange. Mu Ying had saved his life, which is why he said he could tolerate others messing with him, but would never allow anyone to harm Mu Ying.

Kirin patted my head. “Don’t be afraid. He’s angry right now. Once Mu Ying recovers, we’ll go and confess our mistakes.”

For several days, Xia Qi and I were anxious, waiting for the axe to fall, but nothing happened—no court summons, no consequences. Xia Qi was secretly pleased, but I remained uneasy, convinced that Luo Ange was not someone who repaid grievances with kindness.

But with the school anniversary fast approaching, I had little time to worry. Aside from classes, rehearsals took up all my free hours. My father called many times urging me to come home for dinner, but I always turned him down, saying I had to rehearse.

Last year, the three of us performed a medley of the theme songs from “Dream of the Red Chamber,” earning thunderous applause; the year before, we boldly innovated—Xia Qi and Li Wanqiu sang the school anthem in French, while I wrote the lyrics in oracle bone script beside them, again winning the crowd. This year, pressed for time, we decided—on Kirin’s suggestion—to take a risk and perform a roller skating routine.

Yet rehearsals were fraught. Li Wanqiu kept bumping into obstacles, and finally, frustrated, she kicked off her skates and announced her withdrawal.

Her boyfriend Wen Yuan soothed her patiently, while Xia Qi and I continued practicing under Kirin’s guidance. In truth, he became friends with us because we all loved roller skating; he had even won a freestyle skating championship abroad.

After comforting his girlfriend, Wen Yuan hurried over and said he wanted to treat us to dinner tonight.

Xia Qi, ever perceptive, immediately saw through him. “Wen Yuan, did you and Wanqiu have a fight?”

Wen Yuan’s expression flickered. “No, everything’s fine. We even slept together last night.”

Xia Qi nodded knowingly. “So, it’s marital discord. Are you... suffering from ED?” She winked at me as she spoke. Wen Yuan exploded with indignation; no man would admit to such a thing—it was a direct insult.

Suddenly, I thought of Luo Ange. I wondered how Mu Ying was doing—would she have scars on her face? Was her mood any better?

Two days before the anniversary, a financial news report announced that Rong Luo Zheng was under investigation for illegal asset transfers and had been stripped of his vice president position by the Mu Corporation board. After the incident at the café, he and Yi Huayang were detained on charges of intentional injury, and it was my father who used his connections to bail them out. I hadn’t expected them to land back in trouble so quickly.

The news anchor swiftly moved on, but I was still caught up in the previous story. It couldn’t be that simple. Luo Zheng and Mu Ying had been arguing about divorce for ages—why hadn’t his position been revoked before, but only now, after Mu Ying’s accident?

I didn’t understand business intrigue, but I was certain Luo Ange was behind the scenes. He wanted revenge for Mu Ying and had started by targeting the main culprit. Next, it would be me or someone close to me.

A wave of unease swept over me. I grabbed the remote and switched channels aimlessly, only to see Luo Ange again.

Paparazzi had photographed him returning to a hotel with a mysterious woman. She nestled in his arms, the two of them looking very much like a couple in love.

Someone identified the woman as the lead actress in a film Luo Ange had invested in. The movie was being shot in America, and the young master had personally visited the set, treating everyone to lunch, seemingly confirming the romance.

The entertainment host announced a segment reviewing all the real and rumored girlfriends in Luo Ange’s life. I stared at the screen—it was like an emperor’s harem, beauties by the hundreds, each fair-skinned, voluptuous, and long-legged, as if produced on an assembly line for Korean pop stars.

Seeing Luo Ange smiling and relaxed, I guessed Mu Ying was out of danger. I prayed for more beautiful women to distract him. Even if he intended to settle accounts with me, let it wait until after the anniversary.

While helping set up the auditorium, my mind wandered. Xia Qi had to call me several times before I responded.

She pointed to the podium. “The name tags are wrong.”

I looked and hurriedly arranged them in order according to the list, then stared at the two nameless tags in the center, lost in thought.