When Su Mo left, his overwhelming aura made the onlookers too intimidated to look him in the eye or stand too close, automatically clearing a path for him.
No matter how pitifully Ye Qingwen cried, he paid no attention, walking away as if nothing had happened.
Not long after returning home, Ye Zhongwen’s call came through. The moment the call connected, Su Mo heard Ye Qingwen’s heart-wrenching sobs on the other end.
Between tears, she begged her father not to be angry—all she wanted was an apology from Su Mo. After all, they were family, and she didn’t want to ruin the harmony.
Su Mo let out a cold laugh, curious to hear what Ye Zhongwen would say.
“Qingyi, why did you just come back and already start bullying your sister and brother?” Ye Zhongwen sounded furious but was clearly restraining himself from exploding.
Su Mo had initially wanted to curse them out—Ye Qingwen and her brother were shameless, playing the victim after instigating the conflict. But since the caller was Ye Zhongwen, Ye Qingyi’s father, he forced himself to stay calm.
“You’ve misunderstood. They were the ones who—”
“Enough, Qingyi. In my eyes, you’ve always been an obedient, good child. When did you learn to lie?” Ye Zhongwen’s voice turned stern. “Come back right now and apologize to your sister and brother. If you do, I’ll pretend this never happened.”
Perhaps it was out of sympathy for Ye Qingyi, or perhaps it was disgust at Ye Zhongwen’s blatant favoritism as a father, but Su Mo suddenly felt an inexplicable rage boiling inside him.
“So what you want is a meek, obedient Ye Qingyi who lets you walk all over her?” Su Mo sneered. “Well, too bad—that’s not who she is anymore.”
With that, he hung up without hesitation.
It was hard to imagine what kind of life Ye Qingyi had been living.
Though she had always struck him as a strong-willed, independent girl, when it came to her family, she didn’t seem capable of being resolute.
Su Mo figured he wouldn’t have handled it much better in her shoes—after all, they were family.
He opened the messaging app and typed out a long paragraph, ready to send it to Ye Qingyi. But then he hesitated, copied the text, and deleted it.
A while later, he felt he should say something after all, so he pasted it back—only to delete it again. Write, delete, rewrite, delete… In the end, he sent nothing.
Then, a message from Ye Qingyi popped up:
“What are you even typing? Still not done?”
Huh?
Had she been waiting for his message this whole time?
…Probably just a coincidence.
“Nothing, just practicing my typing speed.”
Ye Qingyi: “…How boring.”
Their usual banter resumed. Su Mo didn’t mention hitting Ye Qingwen and her brother, only bringing up his meeting with Wang Er.
Ye Qingyi: “Did he give you any trouble?”
Su Mo: “Why would he?”
Ye Qingyi: “Because I’m young and dependent on my sister. People might look down on me.”
Su Mo: “You’re overthinking it. They were incredibly polite—not only agreed to the deal but even gave me a gift.”
Ye Qingyi: “What gift? 【Curious】”
Su Mo placed the candy in his palm, snapped a photo, and sent it.
Ye Qingyi: “…”
Su Mo: “It’s really good, no joke!”
……
After the chat, he suddenly felt restless and ended up spending the entire day in the training room.
As night fell and the city bathed in neon lights, Su Mo quietly slipped out of the villa alone.
When he reappeared, he was holding a blade, its surface tightly wrapped in layers of black cloth.
Following the agreed-upon arrangement, he arrived at the trading spot just as Wang Er showed up—accompanied by a masked young man whose face was hidden in shadow.
Su Mo hadn’t expected Wang Er to find a buyer so quickly. It gave him a new appreciation for the man’s connections and efficiency.
After some introductions, the masked youth impatiently urged, “Where’s the merchandise? If the quality’s good, money isn’t an issue.”
Su Mo handed him the blade. The young man eagerly unwrapped the cloth and examined the weapon inside.
“This is a fine blade,” he nodded in approval.
Su Mo braced himself for a “but” followed by a lowball offer—but instead, the buyer cut straight to the point:
“How about a million?”
Holy crap, this guy’s loaded!
Su Mo had originally planned to sell it for 500,000…
Keeping his composure, he raised two fingers.
“Deal!” The masked youth agreed instantly, handing him a card. “This has exactly two million on it.”
Damn. Undersold it.
Su Mo “calmly” took the card. The transaction was complete, and the masked buyer left without another word.
Expressing his gratitude to Wang Er, Su Mo promised him a cut as commission.
Wang Er naturally refused, saying, “We’re all on the same side—no need for formalities.” But Su Mo wasn’t foolish enough to take that at face value and insisted on compensating him fairly.
“In that case, thank you, Second Miss.” Wang Er seemed pleased, though his expression was slightly odd, as if something weighed on his mind.
“Uncle Wang, you seem troubled. Why not share it? Maybe I can help,” Su Mo remarked, picking up on the subtle shift in his demeanor.
Since he’d been asked directly, Wang Er didn’t beat around the bush. “We all work under Miss Qingyu’s leadership, but she’s been away for so long that the Qingyu Society’s internal affairs have grown… complicated.”
The Qingyu Society was the name Ye Qingyu had given her organization, primarily involved in various business ventures—though whether that was its only purpose, Su Mo didn’t know.
“What are you suggesting?” Su Mo eyed him warily.
Wang Er’s expression hardened with resolve. “Since you’re Miss Qingyu’s sister, and the Qingyu Society is in turmoil, you’re the most logical person to step in. No one would question your authority.”
Su Mo was startled. Was Wang Er really suggesting that he take charge and resolve the internal conflicts?
That was something only the organization’s leader should handle—what right did he have?
As the temporary “Ye Qingyi,” Su Mo was technically the Second Miss of the Qingyu Society, with Ye Qingyu’s official endorsement. On the surface, it made sense. But he knew his limits.
Why had Wang Er singled him out?
Just because he’d sold a blade and shared some profits? Or had Wang Er somehow discerned his “peerless wisdom and courage” from this one deal?
Ridiculous.
Seeing his skepticism, Wang Er pressed on. “Miss Qingyi, you’re an A-grade cultivation prodigy. With your strength, suppressing the troublemakers would be effortless.”
He even knows about that?
Su Mo’s eyes narrowed. Was this a setup?
Remembering the disdain in Wang Er’s eyes during their first meeting, Su Mo grew increasingly convinced this was a trap. He firmly declined, citing lack of capability.
Wang Er didn’t push further, leaving as if the conversation had never happened.