Fortunately, Cecilia Gu is the young mistress of the Yin Family, and she has given birth to a son and a daughter for them.
Even if Max Mo is unwilling, there's nothing he can do.
The deeper his love for Cecilia Gu, the greater my chances become.
Even if I'm just a substitute, as long as he faces this face of mine, he can still find a bit of comfort, can't he?
Otherwise, why didn't he have anyone stop me when I went to see him just now?
No one else has ever managed to get close to him—only me.
Clearly, he cares about this face of mine.
As long as he still longs for this face, things will be easy.
Snow Grace rekindled her hope, then went back to the bathroom to carefully remove her makeup and take care of her skin.
This face is her only weapon; she can't afford even the slightest damage.
Meanwhile, at the Qu Family's estate.
The place had been completely tidied up, with no trace of the battle from that day—almost as if nothing had ever happened.
Zachary Qu stood in front of a camellia, admiring it for a long time before giving an order: "Send this flower to Mrs. Charles Yin. She loves camellias—seeing them in full bloom will lift her spirits."
"Yes, Ninth Master." The person behind him carefully carried the camellia and sent it to Cecilia Gu.
At that moment, someone hurried over and stood beside Zachary Qu, reporting what had just happened at the Mo Family.
A look of surprise appeared on Zachary Qu's face: "She really looks like her?"
The subordinate replied, "You'll see at the banquet tomorrow. She doesn't look exactly alike, but at a glance, there's a five or six out of ten resemblance. It's more in the looks than the spirit."
Zachary Qu immediately understood and chuckled, "Miss Yun's aura isn't so easy to imitate. Still, getting this close is impressive. Looks like she's set her sights on Max Mo—interesting, very interesting. Don't interfere; just watch the show."
Even though Max Mo helped Zachary Qu, Zachary Qu wouldn't help Max Mo when it comes to matters of the heart.
To put it bluntly, the two of them are actually invisible love rivals.
Who could blame Zachary Qu? Even in his eyes, Cecilia Gu's shadow lingered.
But this feeling—he couldn't let anyone see through it.
Zachary Qu sighed deeply in his heart.
He, a man who’d spent over a decade charming beauties, never thought he’d one day fall for a woman who wasn’t even a classic beauty.
She might not be breathtakingly gorgeous, but her grace surpassed a thousand dazzling beauties.
Now Zachary Qu finally understood the saying 'a crown lost for a beauty,' and the mood behind 'lighting the beacons to toy with the lords.'
If Cecilia Gu were his woman, he’d give up his life for her without a second thought.
A beauty can bring disaster, indeed.
Zachary Qu sighed again, then told his subordinate, "Go ask Lady Yin if she needs anything else. The Yin Family saved the old master—they’re honored guests of the Qu Family. We mustn’t neglect them."
"Don’t worry, Ninth Young Master, I’ve already sent someone to ask." The subordinate replied, "Lady Yin is truly a remarkable woman—calm under pressure and able to command logistics. It’s hard to believe she’s supposed to be frail and gentle."
Hearing his subordinate praise Cecilia Gu, Zachary Qu couldn’t help but feel smug.
Of course, the woman he fancied had to be exceptional!
"Just look at her family background," Zachary Qu blurted out, "She’s a Yun Family woman. You can’t put a price on a Yun Family lady."
His subordinate seemed to catch on—whenever he praised Lady Yin, the Ninth Young Master would be especially pleased.
So, the subordinate put even more effort into his compliments, making Zachary Qu absolutely delighted.
Still, he knew his limits—he couldn’t reveal too much in front of his subordinate.
Once the subordinate had praised her enough, Zachary Qu waved his hand, "Alright, get to work. Tomorrow’s banquet can’t have any mistakes."
After his subordinate left, Zachary Qu walked away with a big smile.
After all the preparations, the banquet was finally grandly presented to everyone.
There were even more guests this time than at the last banquet.
So, the banquet venue was expanded to include the entire manor courtyard.
Daylight lasted longer now, so four in the afternoon was just right—the sunlight was gentle but still bright.
Many guests arrived early, all dressed to the nines—the men handsome, the women beautiful.
Since this was all under the banner of gratitude, only the younger generation from each family attended. There weren’t many elders around.
So, at this whole banquet, the crowd’s looks were definitely above average.
Cecilia Gu arrived together with Mo Zixuan.
Both of them were in high positions—they no longer needed fancy clothes to show off their status.
Still, to show respect for the event, they both wore understated but luxurious gowns.
As soon as they appeared, people flocked over, eager to greet them—way more enthusiastic than with the host.
Zachary Qu came over with a flourish and joked, "Oh my, I think my heart just melted! How can there be such beautiful ladies in the world? Would you two lovely ladies give me a chance to express my feelings?"
Seeing Zachary Qu slip back into his old playboy ways, Cecilia Gu and Mo Zixuan exchanged helpless glances. Mo Zixuan said, "Seeing you back to your old self, I’m relieved."
Zachary Qu burst out laughing.
Everyone around sensibly stepped aside, giving Zachary Qu and the two ladies space to chat.
"You lost a lot with those reparations, huh?" Mo Zixuan teased Zachary Qu. "I’m surprised you can still laugh."
"If I hadn’t won this territory, I wouldn’t even have the chance to pay reparations," Zachary Qu replied, half-joking. "Besides, the ones I’m paying are two such captivating beauties. Honestly, I think it’s worth it."
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click ‘Next Page’ to keep reading the exciting story!
Cecilia Gu said, "If he’s joking around like this, you know he’s confident about rebuilding his empire."
Zachary Qu grew a bit more serious. Looking at Cecilia Gu, he smiled and said, "I’m still young. I’ve got decades ahead to rebuild the Qu Family. With the old master abroad, he can't look after things here. Sooner or later, the Qu Family will be completely in my hands. I’m sure, with my management, the family will be stronger than ever."
Cecilia Gu and Mo Zixuan looked at Zachary Qu together.
On Zachary Qu’s handsome face, there was finally a trace of true maturity.
"What’s so funny? You all seem to be having a great time," Mo Zixin’s voice came from behind the two.
Cecilia Gu turned around and saw Mo Zixin walking over in a royal blue suit, smiling.
Backlit by the sun, Mo Zixin was tall, long-legged, and strikingly handsome—almost unreal.
Mo Zixuan also turned, giving her brother a smile.
How could such a handsome brother still be single?
But what really caught their eyes was Xue Xue standing next to Mo Zixin.
Xue Xue wore a simple peach-colored dress with mid-length sleeves—nothing flashy at all.
Yet among all the floor-length gowns, she stood out like a delicate peach blossom on a branch—refreshingly beautiful.
Cecilia Gu was a little surprised that Xue Xue would be Mo Zixin’s date, but it was just a mild surprise.
She’d thought Mo Zixin’s date would be Yu Jie.
Mo Zixuan was also a bit stunned, but quickly smiled at Xue Xue, "Miss Xue, your dress is beautiful. It has such a peaceful vibe."
"It really is," Cecilia Gu nodded in agreement.
Zachary Qu’s gaze landed on Xue Xue, then flicked to Cecilia Gu, before quickly looking away.
A fake can’t compare to the real thing—the difference is night and day.
How tragic.
Zachary Qu couldn’t help but gloat.
Xue Xue didn’t seem the least bit insecure about being a stand-in. She gave Mo Zixuan a sweet smile, "Thanks for the compliment."
"We were just saying I’ll find a way to earn back all the money I lost," Zachary Qu said. "President Mo, it’s rare to have a chance to talk face-to-face like this. Shall we find somewhere quiet to chat?"
"Sure," Mo Zixin replied. He had plenty of business in Malaysia, so it was important to maintain good relations with the Qu Family.
If anything came up in the future, it’d be much better to have the Qu Family’s help than to handle it all alone.
The two men immediately turned and left together.
Now, only Cecilia Gu, Mo Zixuan, and Xue Xue were left standing there.
Seeing Cecilia Gu and Mo Zixuan chatting and greeting everyone around, Xue Xue wisely excused herself, giving them space.
Mo Zixuan glanced at Xue Xue and said to Cecilia Gu, "Over the years, who knows how many people have had plastic surgery to look like you, or deliberately showed up in front of my brother. Everyone knows what they’re after. Xue Xue is obviously imitating how you used to look, but she’s actually managed to win my brother’s favor. This girl’s not simple."
Cecilia Gu didn’t really know how to respond, so she just said helplessly, "Everyone has their own fate."
"I don’t think it’s fate," Mo Zixuan said, sipping her cocktail. "Of all the women who look like you, Xue Xue is the smartest. Let’s see if she can win my brother over. If she really has what it takes, I’ll respect her for it."
Cecilia Gu glanced around, not seeing Lisa or Yu Jie, and asked, "Hey, everyone’s almost here—why haven’t Yu Jie and Lisa arrived yet?"
Mo Zixuan looked around and answered casually, "Probably got held up by something."
Lisa was banned from attending, but Yu Jie really was held up.
And the ones holding Yu Jie back were none other than her own family.
Yu Jie decided to finally deal with her family’s trouble today—she couldn’t let them ruin her life.
This time, it was her mother and stepfather who came to see her.
Same old excuse as before: they wanted Yu Jie to hurry up and settle down.
And by ‘settle down,’ of course, they meant Mo Zixin.