Chapter 112: Mu Changjia Wants to Pursue Her

The next morning, Zhang Xiluo was urged out of bed by Xu Xinyi. They had scheduled a meeting at a cafe for ten o'clock, and Xu Xinyi wanted Zhang Xiluo to accompany her to a salon beforehand.

Still half-asleep, Zhang Xiluo mumbled her agreement. She lazily dragged herself out of bed and splashed cold water on her face to wake up. After a quick tidy-up, she decided to head out without any makeup.

Just as she was ready, Xu Xinyi arrived. Before leaving, Zhang Xiluo checked on her parents, but since they were still asleep, she didn't disturb them.

"Luo Luo, hurry, get in the car." Xu Xinyi, usually composed, seemed uncharacteristically restless—a clear sign of how much she loathed this blind date.

"Have you had breakfast?" Xu Xinyi glanced at her.

Zhang Xiluo shook her head, and Xu Xinyi handed her a packed breakfast. "Eat in the car. I'm in a hurry."

"Xinyi, you'd better tell me what's going on," Zhang Xiluo said, frowning slightly as she opened the meal and began to eat.

"Sigh, my mother said the other party is very satisfied, which is why they insisted on this meeting. You know I'm doing well with Li Linhao. I don't rely on my family for a living; I want to live my own life." Zhang Xiluo wasn't surprised by this at all.

Xu Xinyi had always been different from their circle. She loved medicine and wanted to forge her own path, unlike Zhang Xiluo and Jiang Xueting, who had no dreams and simply drifted at home. Zhang Xiluo admired Xu Xinyi's courage—that persistence and pursuit of her own life was something she had never possessed. Or rather, the only thing she had ever been persistent about was Li Mingye.

"I understand. What are you planning to do?" Zhang Xiluo asked, fully supporting her. "What can I do to help?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Zhang Xiluo didn't press further. She followed Xu Xinyi to a salon, where she was given a strikingly sexy makeover. The makeup wasn't gaudy, but it was a massive departure from her usual style, and Zhang Xiluo found it jarring.

"How is it?" Xu Xinyi asked, tossing her hair as she walked over.

"It's not bad."

"Let's go. It’s almost time."

Zhang Xiluo accompanied Xu Xinyi to the Dingfeng Hotel. Xu Xinyi scanned the room and said, "Let's go, over there."

"It's him?"

Zhang Xiluo frowned slightly. Xu Xinyi’s date was Mu Changjia. This meant the Xu family was trying to get a slice of the pie from the Li family.

"Yeah. Now you know why I'm so repulsed," Xu Xinyi whispered. She sat down across from Mu Changjia, with Zhang Xiluo beside her.

"Hello, I'm Xu Xinyi. This is my friend."

"Hello, Miss Xu. I'm Mu Changjia." Mu Changjia’s gaze swept over Zhang Xiluo, and he nodded with a smile. "Miss Zhang, we meet again."

Xu Xinyi turned to look at Zhang Xiluo. "We met once before. We aren't close," Zhang Xiluo explained.

"Mr. Mu, I'll be brief. I have a boyfriend. I have no intention of pursuing anything with you, and I hope you can make that clear to both of our families. As you can see, this is how I look after work—I'm far from your ideal type."

"Most importantly, she has no desire to be your business partner," Zhang Xiluo added, unafraid to offend Mu Changjia on her friend's behalf. "Your sister has already set her sights on the Li family; you should be looking for a woman from the Li family as well."

The smile on Mu Changjia's face slowly faded. He looked between the two women. "You two are very close."

"Yes," Zhang Xiluo didn't deny it. "Closer than you think."

Just then, Xu Xinyi received a call and excused herself to step outside.

"Mr. Mu should consider whether the Xu family is the right choice. Xinyi never interferes in her family's business. I don't want you to drag her into this. You're a smart man; you can weigh the pros and cons," Zhang Xiluo said, seizing the opportunity.

"Miss Zhang is quite insightful," Mu Changjia smiled, sounding almost mocking.

If you haven't eaten pork, haven't you at least seen a pig run? The only reason she had managed to marry Li Mingye was due to the leverage of business interests, though unlike Xu Xinyi, she had been deeply in love with him. She refused to let Xu Xinyi become a sacrifice for a business marriage, especially when she didn't love Mu Changjia.

"If that's the case, Miss Zhang, why did you choose to marry your ex-husband?" Mu Changjia asked, watching her reaction closely. Everyone in Longcheng knew she had been a desperate, fawning woman who would have done anything to marry Li Mingye. He was trying to embarrass her.

Zhang Xiluo gave a cold laugh. Feeling no shame, she replied bluntly, "Everyone knows that Zhang Xiluo loved Li Mingye to the point of madness."

"What a pity that the person Miss Zhang loves isn't me," Mu Changjia said with a look of feigned regret. "But it's not too late. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to win you over so that you'll fall for me too."

He had to be joking! She was a thirty-year-old divorcee—did he really think he could spend a lifetime winning her over? Then it struck her: Mu Changjia was setting his sights on the Zhang family. He wanted to make the former in-laws fight over interests so he could reap the benefits himself.

As Zhang Xiluo was about to retort, Li Mingye and Mu Peipei walked in. Upon seeing Zhang Xiluo, his expression turned icy. He shot her a fleeting glance and moved to the side.

"Why are you here? My brother is on a blind date with you today?!" Mu Peipei’s disdain was written all over her face. She grabbed Mu Changjia’s arm. "Brother, stay away from her. She’s awful. And she is..." Mu Peipei paused, glancing back at Li Mingye. "Anyway, I won't agree to her being my sister-in-law."

Mu Changjia didn't offer an explanation, merely watching Zhang Xiluo with a smile. Zhang Xiluo didn't bother defending herself either; they were irrelevant people, and it wasn't worth the energy.

"Aren't you with Mr. Li? Go on over," Mu Changjia reminded Mu Peipei. "Don't keep Mr. Li waiting."

Mu Peipei glared at Zhang Xiluo before turning to join Li Mingye.

"Miss Zhang doesn't seem to have much of a reaction to seeing her ex-husband," Mu Changjia teased softly. Zhang Xiluo felt he spoke far too much and had no desire to continue the conversation.

Fortunately, Xu Xinyi returned. Zhang Xiluo stood up immediately, grabbed their bags, and headed for the door. "Mr. Mu, I hope you seriously consider my suggestion."

"I also hope Miss Zhang seriously considers my words. I was quite sincere."

Zhang Xiluo cursed him as a lunatic in her mind and hurried out.

"Luo Luo, why are we leaving? I haven't even started my performance yet—I need him to give up on me!"

"He's a lunatic. You don't need to pay him any mind," Zhang Xiluo said, feeling a surge of irritation. She didn't tell her friend what Mu Changjia had said. If she had known it would cause trouble for the Xu family later, she would have been crystal clear with Xu Xinyi and made sure she stayed on guard.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now, she had a bigger one.

Li Mingye had followed them out. He trailed them in his car until they reached a wide stretch of road, where he slammed on his brakes, forcing their vehicle to a halt.

Zhang Xiluo was startled. Li Mingye stepped out and rapped sharply on her window. "Get out."

She was speechless. Another lunatic!