CH 20

“Withdraw from the polar plan? Why?”

Mu Qingyan knew that the base plan was a project jointly led by the Mu Group, with the participation of the Planet Corporation, the Wu-Zhong Group, and two other research institutes. The project was conducted in the extreme south of the Earth, exploring geology and biology and investigating extraterrestrial worlds.

To the best of Mu Qingyan’s knowledge, there was nothing wrong with the polar plan.

Ji Liyun said, “Although the Ji Group did not participate in this polar plan, we have received some confidential information.”

“What is it?” Mu Qingyan asked.

Ji Liyun did not answer directly but instead sold a hint with a smile, “I just made a reservation for dinner at Eve tonight. Why don’t we eat together and talk slowly?”

“Sure,” Mu Qingyan did not refuse and got into Ji Liyun’s Rolls-Royce.

He knew that since Ji Liyun had opened his mouth, he must have anticipated that Mu Qingyan would agree to dinner in order to get the information.

After all, Ji Liyun was a smart person.

After interacting with his “little brother” who he hadn’t seen for many years a few times, he knew that Mu Qingyan was no longer the same person from his memories and had transformed into someone who only socialized with a purpose and made calculated moves.

Ji Liyun drove the car himself and played rock music that Mu Qingyan liked, even the car perfume was the orange blossom scent that Mu Qingyan liked. This made Mu Qingyan very curious whether Ji Liyun had similar tastes as him or was it just something he bought based on Mu Qingyan’s preferences.

Ji Liyun dismissed the driver and asked the handsome young man sitting in the passenger seat who seemed lost in thought, “What are you thinking about?”

“Work-related matters.”

“Okay,” Ji Liyun could tell that Mu Qingyan was just giving a perfunctory answer, but still said, “If it’s because you’re in charge of the real estate project for the first time, don’t worry too much. You can ask me about anything, big or small.”

Mu Qingyan responded with a “Hmm.”

Eve Restaurant was located on a mountain in the suburbs of S City, in a serene European-style garden. It takes at least an hour and a half to drive from the city center, and even the salad is pricey, let alone the steak which costs at least two thousand.

Despite this, the restaurant’s popularity remained undiminished and even increased year by year.

As far as Mu Qingyan knew, reservations for Eve’s dinner were already booked three months in advance, and even if you paid extra to book a VIP box, it would still take at least a month to secure a reservation.

Mu Qingyan wondered how the powerful President Ji was able to book and dine on the same day.

When the Rolls-Royce with license plate number 66888 arrived at the entrance of Eve Restaurant, the parking attendant immediately came over and respectfully opened the door, “Mr. Ji, Mr. Mu, good evening.”

Ji Liyun handed the car key to the parking attendant and led Mu Qingyan into the restaurant.

This restaurant has three floors in total, and the entire building and decor are in the Baroque style. Oil paintings are hanging on the walls, and crimson roses are inserted in vases.

Luxurious and perfect in detail, it’s no wonder that everyone who has been here says that this restaurant is the pinnacle of Western dining.

As luck would have it, they saw Xing Hao and Xie Ming in the waiting area of the restaurant as they were passing by.

Xie Ming’s eyes were slightly red, looking pitiful, while Xing Hao’s anger had not subsided, as he was arguing with the restaurant server.

“I made a reservation back in June. Why was it canceled today?” Xing Hao shouted.

The server patiently explained, “I’m sorry, Mr. Xing. When you made the reservation, you requested a tomahawk steak. Now you’ve changed it to a Wellington steak at the last minute, so you’ll have to make a new reservation.”

“Why? When I made the reservation, it was just the two of us coming to eat, and nothing has changed. I just asked the chef to change the dish!” Xing Hao felt incredulous.

The server continued to smile professionally and explained, “It’s clearly stated in our reservation policy that the menu cannot be changed. Otherwise, you’ll need to make a new reservation.”

Upon hearing Xing Hao say that he made a reservation back in June to come to this restaurant with Xie Ming, Mu Qingyan scoffed and gave the two of them a very disdainful glance.

Back then, the original owner hadn’t even divorced him yet!

Xing Hao was about to continue shouting when Xie Ming gently tugged on his sleeve. He turned his gaze and saw Mu Qingyan and Ji Liyun.

“When I made my reservation, I didn’t see their names on the guest list for today. Why are they able to eat here?” Xing Hao pointed at Mu Qingyan and Ji Liyun and angrily shouted at the server, “Did they steal our reservation? And now you’re using the excuse that the menu can’t be changed to dodge my question?”

“That’s not the case, Mr. Xing…”

The server’s words were interrupted by Xing Hao, “Call your restaurant manager here! I’m going to expose you guys!”

Mu Qingyan rolled his eyes, “What a lunatic.”

As he was about to continue walking in with Ji Liyun, Xing Hao grabbed his wrist, “You two, don’t leave!”

“What’s wrong with you?” Mu Qingyan wanted to pull his hand away, but Xing Hao’s five fingers were like pliers, tightly gripping her wrist.

Ji Liyun frowned and coldly ordered Xing Hao, “Let go.”

Xing Hao is like an infuriated lunatic, biting whoever he sees: “Why? You want to steal from me? You always have to win every time?”

Ji Liyun didn’t waste his breath on him. He just grabbed Xing Hao’s arm tightly, causing him to wince in pain and almost scream, and had to let go of Mu Qingyan’s wrist.

“Are you okay?” Ji Liyun asked Mu Qingyan softly.

Mu Qingyan wiped the wrist that Xing Hao had grabbed with a tissue, saying with disgust, “I’m fine, just dirty.”

Xing Hao had suffered a few losses and already hated Mu Qingyan to the bone. Now, hearing the other party say that he was dirty, he was even more angry and wanted to hit someone.

But he had just witnessed Ji Liyun’s strength and didn’t dare to act rashly.

Xie Ming pulled Xing Hao, feeling wronged and whispered, “Let it go, anyway, Young Master Mu has targeted me like this more than once.”

Hey! A big pot really fell from the sky.

Mu Qingyan laughed, “Big Star Xie, I don’t have time to target you. If you have this acting skills on variety shows, viewers might be willing to vote for your resurrection.”

At this moment, Eve’s manager ran over, first greeting Ji Liyun with a “Mr. Ji, hello,” and then handing Xing Hao a white envelope on the ground. “Mr. Xing, this is the deposit you paid when you made the reservation. It’s now being refunded to you.”

Xing Hao accepted the envelope and asked, “What does this mean?”

The manager politely bowed and said, “According to the reservation rules, the menu you booked cannot be changed. If you need to, you can make a new reservation. But considering your disturbance in the restaurant, we have decided to refund your deposit and no longer accept your reservation in the future, sorry.”

“Okay, even if I caused trouble,” Xing Hao pinched the envelope containing the money and still pointed to Mu Qingyan and Ji Liyun stubbornly, “What about them? Why can they come without making a reservation?”

Seeing him pointing rudely at Ji Liyun, the manager was scared and immediately pulled down his arm. “Ji’s group has acquired this restaurant, so Mr. Ji can come whenever he wants.”

Xing Hao: “…”

The server who had been yelled at by Xing Hao more than ten minutes ago finally had a feeling of relief following the manager. He sneered and muttered under his breath, “If you have the ability, acquire Eve like Mr. Ji did, so you can come whenever you want and eat whatever you like.”

Acquiring an ordinary restaurant may be feasible, but acquiring a Michelin three-star restaurant is no small task, and Xing Hao naturally doesn’t have the ability to do so.

At this point, Xie Ming is no longer pretending to be pitiful by holding Xing Hao’s arm as before. Instead, he feels embarrassed and walks away in a fit of pique.

Xing Hao glared fiercely at the restaurant manager and waiter and said, “I won’t come even if you invite me in the future!” before running out of the restaurant to chase after his sweetheart.

The manager apologized repeatedly, fearing that Ji Liyun would be angry.

But Ji Liyun didn’t say anything, just asked Mu Qingyan, “Did it affect your mood for eating?”

“There’s nothing to be affected. Let’s go,” Mu Qingyan replied.

Seeing that Mu Qingyan really didn’t care, Ji Liyun smiled and said, “Okay.”

After leaving Eve, Xing Hao tried to persuade Xie Ming for a long time before he agreed to get in his car and find another restaurant to eat at.

Along the way, Xie Ming was sulking, regretting how he had fallen for Xing Hao in the first place.

He had thought he was a wealthy third-generation with generous gestures, who had helped pave the way for his in the entertainment industry, and was a rich and powerful backer.

But he never thought he would turn out to be so useless, repeatedly being bitten back by Mu Qingyan. He had even caused his to be targeted by Mu Qingyan, losing face several times.

Now, not only was he eliminated from variety shows, but he couldn’t even get decent roles.

Looking at Mu Qingyan again, he used to be so frivolous and unproductive, only immersed in the glamorous world. He had thought he was a useless vase, but it turned out he was not easy to deal with.

Moreover, Ji Liyun had helped Mu Qingyan several times, both publicly and secretly…

Why did Mu Qingyan get Ji Liyun’s favor and affection? Wasn’t it just because he looked good, had more money, and had a strong background?

Why couldn’t I do it? I have a good-looking face too, and I’m not that much worse than Mu Qingyan! Damn it!

The more Xie Ming thought about it, the more jealous he became, clenching his fists tightly, and his eyes turned red.

Xing Hao, who was driving, glanced over and thought Xie Ming was wronged. He quickly said, “Baby, don’t be sad. I will definitely help you vent your anger!”

Xie Ming rolled his eyes in her heart. Last time, you said you would help me vent my anger, but you ended up becoming a laughing stock.

But he didn’t show it, just tears in his eyes, muttering, “How can you help me vent my anger?”

Xing Hao said, “Our company is working on a plan. If it succeeds, it will not only bankrupt the Mu Group, but also make Mu Qingyan and his father go to jail.”

Xie Ming’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

“Absolutely,” Xing Hao snorted and sneered, “I want Mu Qingyan to taste the feeling of being spurned and stepped on by others. And I want my half-brother to see who is the most qualified to inherit the Planet Company.”

“Brother Hao, I believe you can do it!” Xie Ming said, but he was thinking to himself, “I’ll encourage you since you’re so confident, but if you fail again, don’t blame me for seeking other opportunities.”