Max Mo's blue eyes narrowed slightly, and he gave a gentle laugh: "This show is getting more and more lively."
After saying this, Max Mo immediately gave an order: "How's the villa next door coming along? Get everything running over there right away. With Cici here, there can't be any danger or mistakes."
"Yes, everything is ready," the assistant replied softly. "Mr. Yin seemed to have anticipated this situation and arranged quite a few bodyguards for Miss Cecilia Grant."
"He arranges his, we arrange ours," Max Mo said calmly. "Wherever I am, I won't let her suffer even a bit."
"Yes." The assistant smiled.
The CEO only comes alive like this when Miss Cecilia Grant is around.
He also understood that the CEO probably wouldn't marry any other woman in this lifetime.
The CEO has poured all his feelings into loving just one person.
"Also, Miss Lisa Li just had contact with Zachary Qu. Should we give her a heads-up?" the assistant reminded Max Mo. "Zachary Qu is very shrewd and deep. Him suddenly reaching out to Miss Li might mean he's got other intentions."
"Zachary Qu?" Max Mo chuckled. "If he's truly smart, he should know that no one I bring along will ever be wronged."
"Understood," the assistant said, catching Max Mo's meaning. "I'll have someone keep following Zachary Qu (Ninth Son)."
Max Mo nodded discreetly, his expression unchanged.
The welcome banquet ended around ten o'clock at night.
Everyone returned to their rooms to rest. As Lisa Li was heading back, someone passed by and slipped a small box into her hand: "This is a little gift from our Ninth Young Master Qu. We hope you'll like it."
Lisa Li instinctively accepted it. When she got back to her room and opened it, she found a very beautiful pendant inside.
Lisa Li immediately put it on, admiring herself in the mirror several times. She was absolutely delighted.
Hearing someone approach the door, Lisa Li quickly took it off, pretending nothing had happened, and went to rest.
In the middle of the night, Samuel Qu appeared in the Second Young Master's room. As soon as he entered, he said, "Old Nine really is cunning. He bypassed all our surveillance and got close to Lisa Li. Even though Lisa Li doesn't mean much to Max Mo, he still values her. With Lisa Li's help, Max Mo might soon take Old Nine's side. Second Brother, things aren't looking good for us!"
The Second Young Master Qu frowned. "I didn't expect Old Nine to be so capable!"
"His only skill is with women," Samuel Qu scoffed. "Rumor has it that Old Nine has enough female confidantes to fill an entire building."
The Second Young Master Qu said, "Don't underestimate Old Nine's skills. He's done a lot for the eldest brother over the years. Tonight, none of us made any connections, but Old Nine succeeded. I bet the eldest brother will rely on that little bastard even more in the future."
Everyone else looked furious. "Are we really going to let Old Nine get in with the Mo Family? It's infuriating! Isn't Max Mo supposed to stay neutral? How could Old Nine pull this off?"
"Lisa Li's father used to be Max Mo's coach and once saved his life. After her parents died, they entrusted Lisa Li to Max Mo, so her words carry weight." The Third Young Master Qu spoke up. "We can't just sit and wait for disaster. We need to root out every hidden threat!"
"Third Brother, do you have any ideas?" Samuel Qu asked.
The Third Young Master Qu snorted, "Since we're all in this mess, we need to contribute! What if we drag Max Mo into the water, and when the time comes, pull all his people in too? Then, under the pretense of protecting the old man and the Mo Family, we go after everyone else..."
The Third Young Master Qu made a slashing gesture and continued, "At that point, we cut the power and the internet, block all signals. Who will know who gets killed? Who will know who's dead?"
The Second Young Master Qu asked, "You want to kill Max Mo here? No way! The Mo Family is too involved, and they've given Max Mo too many chips. We might end up shooting ourselves in the foot."
"No, we just need to get Max Mo on our side," the Third Young Master Qu replied. "It's not just Max Mo and his sister here—Mrs. Charles Yin from the Yin Family is here too! If they want to survive, they have to fight with us. If enough people die, things will get messy. The Mo Family and Yin Family won't be able to avoid being tied to us. After all, in chaos, it's easy to make a few mistakes."
Everyone fell silent, clearly hesitating.
This whole mess had gotten way out of hand, with too many people involved.
If it were just a family feud, it would be easier to handle.
But once the Yin Family and Mo Family get involved, things get much bigger.
Don't think that just because Malaysia is far from China, the Yin Family and Mo Family will quietly accept this loss.
With Charles Yin's protective nature and the Mo Family's ruthless style, they could easily destroy everyone without making a sound.
"I need to think carefully," the Second Young Master Qu said. "We can't make a decision on this lightly."
"Second Brother, we don't have much time! We need to set things up in advance," the Third Young Master Qu said. "Since we've already decided to do this, there's no turning back. Old Seven and Old Eight are with us. If we lose, none of us will get away."
The Second Young Master Qu was still hesitant: "But do we really want to drag the Yin Family and Mo Family into this?"
At this moment, in another room...
Zachary Qu stood before Steven Qu, head bowed, and said, "Big Brother, I approached Lisa Li on purpose as planned, and made sure Old Seven saw it. Knowing Third Brother's personality, he'll definitely act ahead of schedule."
Steven Qu looked pleased, patted Zachary Qu's shoulder, and said, "Old Nine, well done! As long as Second Brother and the others drag those distinguished guests down, things will get really interesting."
Edward Qu glanced at Zachary Qu with disdain. He'd never thought much of this illegitimate son, and if they didn't need him to get things done, he wouldn't bother speaking to him at all.
"Old Seven is such an idiot. If Max Mo dared to bring his sister here, of course he's prepared. Everyone knows how much Charles Yin treasures his wife—there's no way Mrs. Charles Yin would come without protection." Edward Qu's sarcasm was obvious. "Still, it's good that they're making a move and stirring things up. With them opening up the situation, we can use the excuse of protecting the patriarch and the Mo Family to take them out. Borrowing the power of the Yin and Mo families isn't easy. One wrong move, and we'll be wiped out."
"So, Sixth Brother, are you saying we should play the good guys and tip off the Mo Family in advance?" Zachary Qu asked.
"Of course not." Edward Qu grew even more dismissive of Zachary Qu. "If we're going to make trouble, let's go big. The more people, the merrier."
Zachary Qu quickly lowered his eyes, hiding whatever he was thinking.
The others in the room started discussing heatedly, while Zachary Qu fell silent, almost as if he didn't exist.
No one else cared.
After all, they only wanted to use Zachary Qu—they never planned to include him in their circle.
Meanwhile, in many rooms of the Qu Family Estate, the lights stayed on all night.
The estate seemed quiet on the surface, but beneath it, the undercurrents were only growing stronger.
Cecilia Gu and Sophie Mo finished washing up and collapsed onto the bed, ready to rest.
Sophie Mo fiddled with her hair and said to Cecilia Gu, "See? This estate is getting livelier by the minute."
Cecilia Gu lifted the covers and burrowed in, sighing comfortably. "Let them make a fuss. It's got nothing to do with us."
"That's not certain," Sophie Mo replied. "Who knows if those lunatics have any boundaries? If things really get crazy, there's no telling what they'll do."
Cecilia Gu said, "It's fine. Charles's estate is right next door. If things get wild, we'll just go over there and watch the show."
"My brother's estate is ready too." Sophie Mo laughed. "Looks like everyone's thinking the same thing. Let's sleep—only after a good rest will we have the energy to watch the drama."
Cecilia Gu agreed, and soon she and Sophie Mo drifted off to sleep, perfectly comfortable.
Whether others could sleep or not had nothing to do with them.
The next day, quite a few guests came to visit, but Cecilia Gu and Sophie Mo turned them all away.
They came to watch the drama, not to be part of it.
How others played their parts had nothing to do with them.
However, Lisa Li and Zachary Qu seemed to be getting closer. Zachary Qu gave her another gift, and everyone noticed.
Max Mo didn't intervene, almost as if he was allowing it to happen.
The Qu Family grew bolder—besides Zachary Qu, others also started approaching Lisa Li.
So Lisa Li, who used to be invisible, suddenly became the center of attention.
Poor Lisa Li thought she was finally being accepted into high society because of Max Mo, and day by day, her ego grew.
Soon enough, the day of Mr. Qu's 80th Birthday Celebration arrived.
After breakfast, everyone stayed in their rooms to get ready for the birthday celebration.
Sophie Mo picked out a pair of exquisite pearl earrings from a line of jewelry, tried them on, and said, "Do you think the Qu Family patriarch is already being controlled like a puppet?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Cecilia Gu replied with a laugh. "Those four wives are no pushovers."
Sophie Mo laughed as well. "The blessings of a harem aren't so easy to enjoy."
They exchanged a glance and burst out laughing together.
Just as Sophie Mo and Cecilia Gu guessed, the birthday star was being forced to dress in luxurious clothes, ready to appear before the crowd and prove he was still alive.
But whether he'd survive past today—who could say?
Madam Qu, dressed to the nines, stood before the Qu Family patriarch and said slowly, "Dear, today is your big day. Try to look cheerful."