Chapter 148: Did Li Mingye and Mu Peipei Sleep Together?

Every time she heard her father and mother discussing work-related matters, Zhang Xiluo could sense how exhausted they both were, and how many things they were keeping from her.

The Zhang Group's largest supplier, Boss Su, had suddenly cut off the supply, preferring to pay the penalty for breach of contract rather than continue their cooperation.

Mu Peipei had posted moments on WeChat of herself having dinner with Boss Su, deliberately having the news published to congratulate them in advance on a pleasant cooperation.

"This old Su, to think he is also someone who sells out for money. We've cooperated for over a decade, and he doesn't care about our relationship at all," Zhang's father said with great indignation. "We are all business people; who doesn't know the pros and cons? Does he really think he can cozy up to the Li and Mu families?"

"They came prepared this time. Instead of getting angry here, you should think about what to do. As for the immediate order, we can buy materials at a higher price, but what about the future ones?" Zhang's mother sighed. She was more composed than Zhang's father and possessed a much broader vision.

Holding a plate of fruit, Zhang Xiluo stood at the doorway. Hearing their conversation, her heart suddenly leaped into her throat. If this problem was not resolved, the Zhang Group would likely face astronomical compensation penalties.

Business contracts involved breach-of-intent penalties that were several times, or even dozens of times, the profit. Since their family's profit margins were very high, the resulting penalties would be even higher.

"Dad, Mom, have some fruit." Zhang Xiluo took a deep breath, smiled, and knocked on the study door.

Zhang's father and mother exchanged glances, and the expressions on their faces softened somewhat. "Luoluo, come in."

"I bought these cherries fresh, try them." Zhang Xiluo picked one up and popped it into her mother's mouth. "My studio is all decorated now, and I've scheduled a few interviews for tomorrow. Make sure to wake me up tomorrow morning."

"So sweet." Zhang's mother smiled, looking at her with pampering affection. "Alright, get some rest early."

"You guys go to sleep early too."

Zhang Xiluo walked out of the study, the smile on her face instantly freezing. She stood by the doorway for a short while before returning to her own room.

She picked up her phone, punched in the string of numbers deeply engraved in her heart, but hesitated for a long time without pressing call.

In her previous life, in order to force Li Mingye to separate from Zhou Yao, Zhang Xiluo had persuaded her parents to fight against him and block the Li Group's cooperation. This had simply given Li Mingye the opportunity to turn around and use the future of the Zhang Group to threaten her into a divorce. When she refused, he had directly driven the Zhang family into a dead end.

Reborn once, was she destined to experience this all over again?

Zhang Xiluo's palms were icy cold, and terror welled up from the bottom of her heart. She didn't sleep well the whole night, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, repeatedly seeing visions of her uncle's suicide, the bankruptcy of the Zhang family, and the deaths of both her parents...

Just as dawn broke, she got up, went out, and drove directly to the villa.

Zhang Xiluo gripped the steering wheel with both hands, tightening her fingers until she left deep indentations on the leather. After struggling with herself for over ten minutes, she opened the car door and stepped out.

The front door code of the villa hadn't been changed, and she easily unlocked it.

"Madam? No, Miss Zhang, why are you here?" The domestic helper was extremely surprised to see her.

"Is Li Mingye here?" Zhang Xiluo asked.

The helper's eyes flickered as she shook her head. "Mr. Li is not here."

Li Mingye's most frequently driven car was parked right in the courtyard, yet he wasn't here?

"I'll go in and look." Zhang Xiluo took out her phone and dialed Li Mingye's number. The ringing sound echoed from upstairs. She glanced at the helper. "Auntie, I'll take responsibility for this. You go on with your work."

Looking at Zhang Xiluo, the helper didn't dare to stop her any further and could only let her go upstairs.

Following the sound of the ringtone, Zhang Xiluo rushed all the way to the door of her guest room, adjusted her emotions, and pushed the door open.

"Li—"

Her voice stopped abruptly. All the color drained from her face, her eyes misted with moisture, and her heartbeat slowly ground to a halt. Mu Peipei was lying naked on the bed, face down, with her clothes discarded haphazardly on the floor... Even a fool would know what had happened here last night!

Li Mingye's phone was pinned underneath Mu Peipei.

"So noisy, early in the morning." Woken up by the noise, Mu Peipei grabbed the phone beneath her and hurled it away, then went right back to sleep.

Li Mingye's stamina was extraordinary. After a night of intense exertion, Mu Peipei would probably have to sleep until the afternoon to recover.

It seemed she wouldn't be able to talk to Li Mingye today.

She turned to leave, but her path was blocked by Li Mingye's tall figure. Li Mingye lowered his gaze to look at her, a hint of chilliness between his brows.

"What are you here for?" His tone was identical to the interrogation she had given him that day.

Zhang Xiluo was more than a head shorter than Li Mingye. Standing this close, she couldn't see his face.

Taking a slight step back, she looked up at him and said with a somewhat formal demeanor, "I wanted to find Mr. Li about something. It's rather abrupt, and I hope Mr. Li doesn't mind."

Li Mingye twitched the corner of his mouth casually, looked at her, and bantered, "Coming to my home to talk business, just how do you plan to talk?"

Thinking of the scene in the room behind her, Zhang Xiluo's expression grew even more unsightly. True to her temper, she would normally curse him as a bastard and walk away on the spot.

However, she couldn't afford to be willful now. To prevent the tragedy of her past life from repeating itself, she had to remain calm and restrain herself. As long as Li Mingye relented, there would be a turning point regarding the raw material supply.

There were only three ways to discuss matters: a formal talk in an office, a drinking session over a banquet table, or in bed... Zhang Xiluo's ears suddenly grew hot.

"How does Mr. Li want to talk?"

"I don't want to talk." With a cold reply, Li Mingye walked past her, picked up his phone, and turned to leave.

Zhang Xiluo froze for a moment before chasing after him. "If you don't want to talk, then you're going to listen to me."

Li Mingye suddenly stopped, and Zhang Xiluo crashed straight into his back, almost losing her balance. Fortunately, Li Mingye caught her by the arm.

The moment of contact brought the image of Mu Peipei lying on the bed flashing back into her mind. She violently shook off his arm, as if she had touched something filthy.

Li Mingye's expression darkened. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked at her with an even colder gaze. Unable to care about any of that now, Zhang Xiluo cut straight to the point. "Mr. Li, was it you who instigated my family company's raw material supplier to break the contract and defect to the Changpei Group?"

Zhang Xiluo was not a person of the business world, nor did she understand all those intricate plots; she only wanted to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Hearing this, Li Mingye's eyes turned complex and resentful, staring deeply at her. Both time and space seemed to freeze, making her feel as though the blood in her body had solidified.

After a long while, he finally spoke. "Zhang Xiluo, are you saying that I deliberately targeted the Zhang Group?"

"Isn't that the case?" she retorted directly, making Li Mingye's expression even uglier.

"In your heart, not only am I loathsome, but I'm also a despicable and shameless scumbag to the core. Zhang Xiluo, with that mindset, why even bother asking me!" Provoked into fury, Li Mingye's blazing eyes looked as though they wanted to devour her alive.

"..." Zhang Xiluo almost snapped back. The reality right now was precisely this; it wasn't as if she were imagining it...