The two returned to the table with their plates. As Ning Yue slowly dropped the seafood into the boiling spicy hotpot, Li Mingrui said, "I didn't expect you to like spicy food too. It seems our tastes are perfectly aligned."
Ning Yue glanced over. One of the bodyguards was sitting at the table to their left, and the other sat behind Li Mingrui. They had only taken a small amount of food and maintained high vigilance. She simply called over two waiters and had them bring more food to their tables.
"Why did your dad suddenly assign you two bodyguards?"
Li Mingrui already treated her as one of his own, so he didn't hide anything. "A few days ago, that person came to my school to find me, but I refused to see her. Later, my dad looked into it and found out she had prepared quite a few men..."
Ning Yue frowned. "Is she trying to kidnap him by force? Otherwise, as his biological mother, she could see him whenever she wants. There's no need for this. And what's the point of kidnapping him? For money?"
"Is she crazy? You're her biological son, after all," she said. Anyone who would scheme against their own flesh and blood for selfish gain didn't deserve to be a mother!
"Perhaps in her heart, only the child she had with the man she loves truly counts as hers," Li Mingrui said. "That's probably why she doesn't care whether I live or die."
"Then you should go out less from now on," Ning Yue advised, "or at least bring more men with you when you do."
Li Mingrui almost wanted to wail. How did this conversation end up with him being grounded?
Ning Yue furrowed her brows. "Tell Mr. Li to investigate that man."
A man who could team up with Li Mingrui's mother to scheme against Mr. Li couldn't possibly be clean. Throwing him straight into prison would save them a lot of trouble.
Li Mingrui instantly felt reassured. He picked up a piece of lobster meat, dipped it in mustard, and placed it into Ning Yue's bowl in a fawning manner. "I'll tell my dad as soon as I get back. He'll definitely get right on it if I tell him it was your idea."
He wouldn't feel the slightest bit of pity if that bastard and that woman were destroyed. That woman had colluded with her lover to harm his dad, and his dad had only made numerous concessions to secure custody of him. If there was a chance for them to reap what they sowed, he would be more than happy to watch.
After lunch, Ning Yue wanted to send the boy home, but the little guy stubbornly refused. He insisted on accompanying her shopping. When two young men ran over to ask for Ning Yue's WeChat, they were fiercely glared away by Li Mingrui, who acted like a protective guard dog. It left her completely speechless.
The little guy even wanted to walk her home, but Ning Yue firmly rejected the offer, as she still had something to do that evening.
As the saying went, if you swung your pickaxe hard enough, no wall was too thick to tear down—meaning no relationship was immune to a determined homewrecker.
Gong Yuze thought he had found the love of his life when he fell for Yan Qingqing, but no, no, no. It was just that he hadn't encountered enough manipulative sweethearts.
Yan Qingqing was a textbook hypocrite playing the innocent victim. Unfortunately, Young Master Gong couldn't see through her act. Instead, he felt that Yan Qingqing, who came from a humble background, possessed a unique charm that the wealthy heiresses around him lacked. Resilient, humble, kind, and delicate—every beautiful adjective seemed perfectly embodied by her.
The very thought made Ning Yue want to gag on the spot.
In her opinion, Gong Yuze was simply too inexperienced. If he had dated a few more women, he would have been equally nauseated by Yan Qingqing.
In the original host's previous life, Yan Qingqing had already begun targeting her by this point. She framed the original host for tearing her evening gown, enviously seduced her fiancé, and even drugged her bird's nest soup. If Yan Qingqing hadn't dragged the original host's name through the mud time and time again, she wouldn't have ended up marrying a divorced, abusive man. Yan Qingqing had ruined the original host's reputation so thoroughly that no decent family would ever accept her.
In this life, after taking over the body, Ning Yue had simply left the Yan family. This prevented Yan Qingqing from executing her schemes and allowed Ning Yue to successfully accumulate a substantial amount of initial capital to calmly lay out her plans.
At the mall, she bought a black wig, large sunglasses that could cover half her face, and a new set of cosmetics.
She applied her makeup in the restroom. Wearing the long, straight black wig, sporting fiery red lips, donning the oversized sunglasses, and dressed in a black formal suit, she looked over a decade older. Forget acquaintances; even her own mother wouldn't be able to recognize her in this getup.
Carrying her newly bought Birkin bag worth over two hundred thousand yuan, Ning Yue rented a luxury custom van exclusively used by entertainment stars. Her red lips parted slightly. "Let's go."
The driver immediately started the car, heading toward Beijing's most famous Emperor's Grand Club.
Emperor was the largest and most luxurious club in Beijing. Every guest who frequented the place was incredibly wealthy, as the membership fee for a standard VIP card ran into the seven figures—starting at one million yuan.
At the same time, the quality of the regular waitstaff here was exceptionally high. Pick one at random, and they might very well be a university student. The waitresses, in particular, were all stunning, standing at least 168 centimeters tall, with slender waists, rounded hips, and long legs.
Moreover, anyone aiming to enter the entertainment industry, or those already in it with a bit of networking savvy, considered this their prime choice for socializing. Gaining entry to this club meant access to endless opportunities.
After getting out of the van, Ning Yue instructed the driver to wait for her. She then entered the club, applied for a VIP card, and dropped one million yuan to gain admission.
To protect the guests' privacy, the VIP cards did not require real-name registration. If you wanted to use your actual name, you could; if not, you could call yourself Joe Schmoe, and no one would bat an eye.
With her card in hand, Ning Yue headed straight for the club's dance hall.
Finding a seat near the edge, she ordered a Margarita. Her slender, pale fingers gently swirled the glass. The oversized sunglasses were now resting atop her head as her gaze constantly swept across the venue. About half an hour later, she finally spotted her target.
The girl had likely been dragged here by her classmates. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail. While her friends were all dressed in evening gowns, she was the only one wearing a long down jacket over her clothes. Whenever she smiled, a distinct dimple appeared on her cheek. However, her resistance toward the men in front of her was glaringly obvious.
About fifteen minutes later, a girl with voluminous, wavy hair pulled her aside. Coincidentally, the spot they stood in was only one table away from Ning Yue.
"Wen Xiaorong, are you stupid? Your boyfriend has already dumped you, so what are you still clinging to?
"Young Master Cheng is generous. The gifts he gives start in the six figures. Honestly, it's a blessing that he's taken a liking to you. If he had set his sights on me, believe me, I'd strip naked and deliver myself to his door right this second."
Wen Xiaorong's face was full of resistance. "Young Master Cheng may be generous, but he's a notorious playboy."
The female classmate who was trying to persuade her grew impatient. "Do you still want to act in movies and become a star or not? The Cheng Family holds shares in Xingyao Entertainment. If you serve him well, do you really think you'll ever have to worry about not getting roles?"
Wen Xiaorong remained silent. It wasn't that she didn't want to take a shortcut, but she had to weigh whether the person was worth it. She couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't get what she truly wanted by following this Young Master Cheng. Although she had a boyfriend, they had never done anything crossing the line—the most they did was hold hands and share a kiss...
"I... I look for a boyfriend with marriage in mind," she stammered. "A man like Young Master Cheng and I are simply incompatible."