Chapter 56: All for the Sake of Profit

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Chapter 56: All for the Sake of Profit

Mu Yanming had originally been prepared to let Xu Bowen drag him away with only token resistance or indifference under the guidance of Lin You, the Great Immortal Cat’s paw, but what might have been a half-hearted struggle instead turned into a brief yet heated confrontation.

Xu Bowen simply could not imagine Mu Yanming reacting so violently. Not only did he show absolutely no regard for his feelings, but he even seemed ready to tear their friendship apart.

Thinking of the important figure from City A who was still waiting at the “Intoxicating Nights” club, Xu Bowen decided not to keep arguing with him. His expression turned cold as he said, “Second Young Master, is it any wonder you’re not as smart as your brother? At least your brother relies on his own abilities. Since you lack the ability, shouldn’t you think about who you ought to rely on?”

Mu Yanming frowned as he watched Xu Bowen suddenly change his attitude, and a sense of unease rose in his heart. “What’s gotten into you? It’s not as if we have to go to that great place today. I’m staying at the library today. We can always get together tomorrow or in a few days. What are you freaking out about?”

Xu Bowen sneered. “What am I freaking out about? Who’s the one really freaking out here? I’m taking you somewhere today, no matter what. If you come with me now, we can keep things friendly. Don’t wait until we fall out completely and neither of us can save face.”

Hearing this, even the somewhat naive Second Young Master Mu realized that Xu Bowen had come with bad intentions. Yet for a moment, he couldn’t understand it. How had a friend he had always been able to hang out and kill time with suddenly become a completely different person today? He even mentally went over his own words and actions from earlier, only to find, much to his frustration, that his own behavior had been perfectly normal, while Xu Bowen was the one acting completely bizarrely.

Even so, Mu Yanming still found it difficult to believe that he had made a friend who was “honeyed words conceal a dagger.” After all, Xu Bowen was a prominent figure in City B. He might not have been on the same level as the Mu Family, but surely he wouldn’t go so far as to do anything truly outrageous, right? Of course, after this matter was settled, the Second Young Master Mu had already decided to blacklist Xu Bowen. He had no desire to experience the misery of being forcibly dragged away in the middle of doing something ever again.

For now, however, Mu Yanming still intended to resolve the situation peacefully. That said, even if it came down to force, they certainly wouldn’t lose.

“Enough, Third Xu. Just go back today. I’m definitely not going with you. And unless there’s something important, don’t come looking for me in the future. I don’t think the two of us are cut from the same cloth.” In other words, their personalities were too different for them to keep having fun together.

Xu Bowen was thoroughly infuriated by Mu Yanming’s words.

Although he had spent two years currying favor with Mu Yanming in hopes of latching onto the powerful Mu Family, and his efforts seemed to have paid off quite well, he had harbored resentment the entire time. In terms of ability and aptitude, Mu Yanming was vastly inferior to him. Yet he had to bow and scrape to flatter such a person simply because he had the towering Mu Family standing behind him. If that towering tree ever fell, Mu Yanming wouldn’t even be worthy of tying his shoelaces.

So, even though Xu Bowen had been currying favor with Mu Yanming, the moment he received word from another powerful figure in City A, he decided to turn against him without hesitation. That person had already promised that as long as Xu Bowen could lure Mu Yanming to the “Intoxicating Nights” club and get him involved in something that could give them leverage over him, or create some kind of scandal, he would receive that person’s support. With that support, he would be able to surpass his older brothers and successfully obtain all of the Xu Family’s businesses.

Compared to someone he had to flatter just to obtain a little benefit from, the latter arrangement obviously offered far more tangible gains. Besides, that person wielded tremendous influence. This time, almost all of Mu Yanming’s fair-weather friends in City B were involved in the scheme. To varying degrees, they had all received promises and benefits from that person.

As for their friendship with Mu Yanming? Ha! What did that count for? Among rich second-generation heirs, there had never been such a thing as true, wholehearted friendship. And what about the retaliation from the eldest son of the Mu Family once he found out? So what? He couldn’t possibly offend the entire upper class of City B. Well, even if he could, he would still have to consider the leverage they held over him, wouldn’t he?

And finally, what would happen to Mu Yanming after this? What could happen? Reports about sex scandals and drug abuse among the children of wealthy families surfaced practically every month. What was so unusual about that? So, one way or another, Mu Yanming had to go today. He had no choice.

Just as Mu Yanming, along with Mu Five, Mu Nine, and Mu Ten, eyed Xu Bowen warily, ready in case he suddenly tried something, Xu Bowen suddenly said to Mu Yanming, “Second Young Master, do you remember June 18th last year at Seaview Park?”

Lin You and the three Mu Family men couldn’t understand why Mu Yanming’s face suddenly went from flushed to pale and finally settled into an ashen, livid expression after hearing Xu Bowen’s words.

Only then did Mu Yanming fully realize that the man in front of him intended to tear their friendship apart. More importantly, he finally understood with painful clarity that he had completely misjudged this so-called friend. At that moment, Mu Yanming was overcome by a level of anger and humiliation he had never felt before. After all, he had confidently declared earlier that he would never misjudge someone.

“Third Xu! What do you mean by this?! I had absolutely no idea what was going on that day, June 18th! You were the ones who pulled me into the car, saying we were going out for a meal. Who could have known you’d suddenly take a detour to Seaview Park?!” Mu Yanming’s face darkened with anger. Although he was furious, he knew that he had, to some extent, given them leverage over him in that incident. It was the single thing he had done that he regretted most to this day. He knew perfectly well that he wasn’t as capable as his brother. Although his academic credentials could rival his brother’s after all the polish of his education abroad, when it came to actually running Mu Corporation, his brother was still the one seriously managing things.

Mu Yanming had once been unwilling to accept this. But on one hand, his brother had always looked after and taught him, and on the other, he had seen how hard his brother worked for Mu Corporation. After comparing himself with his brother for a whole year, Mu Yanming eventually accepted the fact with ease: his brother was more capable than he was, and Mu Corporation was better off in his brother’s hands.

Although that might sound like he lacked perseverance, Mu Yanming’s greatest virtue was that he understood his own position clearly, as well as what he should and shouldn’t do. So, although the Mu Family’s second son was a bit of a spoiled heir, lacked ambition, and was relatively easy to hoodwink… he was far less troublesome than the younger generation and heirs of other families who schemed and fought among themselves for the inheritance.

Therefore, Mu Yanming knew that the incident in which he had gotten into the car halfway and followed them to Seaview Park to “bury a body” was a very serious matter. Even though he had gotten into the car halfway through and had been completely unaware of what was happening, if the incident were exposed, it could still deal a blow to the Mu Family. More importantly, he might have to face the “fists of loving discipline” from his grandfather and brother, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

In the end, Mu Yanming chose silence. Even though he occasionally dreamed of that young girl’s mangled body and woke up with a cry, he still chose to keep quiet. In fact, he knew that since everyone involved was the son of a prominent business family in City B, even if someone really exposed the incident, the matter would ultimately be reduced to nothing and swept under the rug. But honestly, every time he thought about it, he felt a heavy weight in his chest.

“Don’t act as if you’re completely innocent!” Xu Bowen sneered at Mu Yanming. “You got into the car in the end, didn’t you? And when you saw what was happening, you didn’t choose to report it to the people in charge. That makes you an accomplice. I won’t say anything else. Anyway, if you don’t want your brother or grandfather to find out about this, then you’re coming with me right now. Otherwise, if this gets out, I think you know what the consequences will be.”

Mu Yanming clenched his fists, trembling with anger. “Xu 3rd, I really never thought you were this kind of person! I can only blame myself for being blind and for not listening to my brother. That’s how I ended up getting mixed up with you!”

Xu Bowen chuckled when he heard this. “How about I tell you some even better news? This time, it’s not just me. Second Liu, Big Zheng, Sun Da, and the others are all waiting for you there! Looks like I’m not the only one who isn’t exactly a good person, huh?”

At this, most of the anger on Mu Yanming’s face gave way to shock and suspicion. “You mean all of you deliberately gathered in one place to wait for me? You just brought up what happened at Seaview Park. Could it be that the incident has been exposed? Is that why you want me to come over and discuss it with you?”

Xu Bowen neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he reined in his earlier menacing, threatening attitude and spoke ambiguously. “In any case, it’s something extremely important. It concerns the future development of all of our families, so we have to discuss it with you in person. You really can’t afford not to come!”

“Think about it, brother. Have I ever been this anxious before, willing to risk falling out with you just to drag you somewhere? If things hadn’t reached such a critical point, I really wouldn’t do this! It would hurt our friendship, after all!” Seeing a slight wavering in Mu Yanming’s expression, Xu Bowen immediately continued, “Second Young Master, so many of us are waiting for you. Just come with me! I guarantee that once you get there, you’ll understand that we had your best interests at heart. It definitely won’t be anything that causes you a loss. All right, Second Young Master?”

By this point, Mu Yanming’s resolve really had wavered. After all, aside from that one incident, he had always gotten along quite well with this group. They had helped him out quite a bit in the past, and although he had repaid them afterward, they should still count as friends, shouldn’t they?

“Second Young Master, don’t hesitate anymore. Time is tight! You have Mu Family bodyguards with you, too. If they all come along, what could you possibly have to worry about?”

It was that final sentence that dispelled the last trace of Mu Yanming’s hesitation. He turned to look at Lin You, who was squatting on the desk beside him. Then he stepped forward and, with slightly trembling hands, picked up the cat and quietly whispered into the Great Immortal Cat’s ear, “It sounds like they have something really important to discuss. How about we go along? Mu Five and the others will be with us anyway! And I promise, once this matter is settled, I’ll go back and seriously think about my principles when it comes to making friends. I’ll also properly reflect on what I did before. All right?”

Lin You, the Great Immortal Cat, thought it over and decided that this was actually a good opportunity to make Mu Yanming realize just how badly he had been behaving. Besides, with Mu Five and the other two accompanying them, plus the scale-wrapped bundle he was carrying, he should be able to handle most situations. So the Great Immortal Cat gave a dignified nod, and only then did Mu Yanming turn around and nod at Xu Bowen.

Xu Bowen’s face instantly lit up with delight.

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