Serena Li left the VIP room and walked directly out of the FFGfree club building.
After getting into the taxi, she couldn’t help but reach up and touch the corner of her mouth.
He had just kissed her like that, and it seemed like his masculine scent still lingered on her lips.
Her heart was beating too fast, which frightened her.
A while later, I realized I had forgotten to take my hat, and I also didn’t get the video that Sophia Su wanted.
She decided to just forget about the hat. As for the video… after thinking about it, she sent Victor Mo ‘s phone number to Sophia Su , telling her to contact him directly.
If Victor Mo’s previous ambiguous actions towards her weren’t enough to make her feel disgusted, today’s forceful kiss left her not only shocked but also feeling strongly like she was being teased.
From the beginning, she was unwilling to have too much contact with him, especially after that time at Luyuan. She knew he was a dangerous man and could see the kind of interest a man has in a woman in his eyes. That’s why she lied and said she had a boyfriend when he took her home in the rain. But she didn’t expect that after she agreed to go to a banquet with Alex Qi , he would reappear like a ghost.
Last time she chatted with Lynn Yan , Lynn Yan reminded her that this kind of man loves to conquer; the more unattainable something is, the more he longs for it, and the more it fuels his desire to conquer. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, believing that as long as she remained calm and kept her distance, she wouldn’t fall into his trap. She never expected that after he called her over today, she would be taken advantage of.
Serena Li certainly didn’t think he was pursuing her; she understood pursuit to be based on understanding her as a person and respect. She didn’t think Victor Mo was interested in understanding her inner self; he was only interested in her outward appearance.
Her thinking wasn’t without merit. Last night at the SOHO club, the woman in the black dress with a deep V-neck who threw herself into his arms might very well be his ex-girlfriend with whom he had a complicated relationship. He had just finished flirting with another woman, and then came looking for her the next day—she couldn’t believe he was sincere.
A big boss like him can have any woman he wants. He’s probably tired of roses and wanted a change, and that’s when she happened to appear.
As a math teacher, she felt she would be in a complete mess when faced with such an illogical situation.
She returned home in a state of emotional turmoil. Victor Mo called her twice on the way, but she hung up both times.
Later, he sent me a WeChat message asking, “Have you gotten home yet?”
Serena Li was looking at the chat interface, still wondering whether she should block him, when she received a call from her father.
“Serena, have you had dinner yet?”
“Not yet, I’ll make it in a bit. Dad, what about you?”
“Dad is eating now. I can arrange a time here to go back and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with you this year.”
“Really, Dad? That’s great!”
“Your birthday is coming soon, and Dad wants to get you a car. Take a look and see which model you like, and I’ll go buy it when I get back.”
“Dad, I usually walk to work, and sometimes taking a taxi is also quite convenient, so I don’t need to buy a car!”
“It’s different! Honey, having a car will make it much more convenient for you to get around! It’s a deal, Dad will tell you the itinerary after he buys the plane tickets!”
“Okay! Dad, I love you the most! I’ll make you a delicious soup when you come back!”
“Haha, great! Let’s go eat!”
“Okay, goodbye, Dad!”
“Goodbye, my darling!”
…
Hearing her father’s loving voice calmed Serena Li down considerably during this chaotic time.
After drinking a glass of water, I turned off my phone and went into the kitchen to cook.
***
On Monday, in the conference room of Huanyu Investment, the heads of various departments were all sitting upright.
The marketing department was introducing the latest financing plan for the Youerxue online education platform project that the company was about to invest in, but despite their eloquent presentation, they did not seem to receive the approval of the man sitting at the top, his black executive chair facing away from the group of managers below.
In the past, Mr. Mo was never this silent during meetings. Of course, although he didn’t talk much, he was never as obviously out of sorts as he is today.
The marketing manager was speaking enthusiastically, but he couldn’t get the boss’s approval, and he was clearly at a loss for words.
There was an awkward silence in the meeting room for a few minutes. So many department heads were confused about what had happened. It was an unprecedented situation. President Mo was just sitting there without saying a word. What should they do next?
“Mr. Mo.” Finally, it was his assistant, Andrew Xu , who bowed slightly and reminded him.
Victor Mo’s large black executive chair faced away from the managers and executives. When his assistant spoke, his hands were still casually resting on the armrests of the chair, his slender fingers tapping the armrests absently, as if deep in thought.
Seeing his expression, the assistant knew he was deep in thought and didn’t dare to disturb him further. He gestured to the people below to remain silent for the time being.
Victor Mo was indeed thinking.
What floated through my mind, however, was—
“Excuse me for being blunt, but your behavior is really excessive.”
The man frowned slightly. Was this going too far?
He was unable to control his emotions at the time.
“Mr. Mo…”
The silence lasted quite a while, and the people below didn’t know what President Mo was thinking. They were afraid that they would be suddenly called out and criticized.
Victor Mo is known to be a workaholic, so why is he silent now?
The assistant leaned closer cautiously, “Mr. Mo, what do you think of the financing plan that the marketing department has prepared?”
Whether Victor Mo heard it or not, he didn’t say anything. His assistant , Andrew Xu, could only stand aside and wait. After about five more minutes of silence, the man sitting in the executive chair turned the chair with a slight effort. As all the department heads straightened up and prepared, the man sitting at the top tapped the folder next to him with his slender fingers, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and he finally spoke.
But then he said, “That’s all for today’s meeting. Meeting adjourned.”
The people below touched their noses, somewhat bewildered. What was wrong with the boss today?
But whatever the boss says goes, and the group filed out.
Victor Mo made a phone call, which was answered but not by the other party. After a moment, he picked up the documents on the table and strode out of the conference room.
Back in the office, he lit a cigarette, squinted, leaned against his desk, and puffed out clouds of smoke.
After a while, Andrew Xu knocked on the door and came in.
“Mr. Mo, a woman named Sophia Su , who claims to be a friend of Ms. Serena Li , just called the secretariat and said she needs to speak with you. Because she says she is Ms. Li’s friend, so…” Normally, he wouldn’t report such a trivial matter to Victor Mo , but having worked for Victor Mo for many years, he could tell at a glance what his boss was thinking about Ms. Li, so he handled matters related to Serena Li with special care.
Victor Mo raised an eyebrow, flicked his cigarette ash, and said, “Bring him in.”
“Yes, Mr. Mo.”
A moment later, the internal phone on Victor Mo’s desk rang.
He stubbed out the remaining half of his cigarette and picked up the phone. “Hello.”
Sophia Su from Jianglin Trading . I’m sorry to bother you. I’m very grateful for your help regarding the SOHO club incident last Friday night. I heard from Serena that the SOHO owner has already given you the surveillance video. Would you do me the honor of inviting me to dinner?” As soon as the call connected, Sophia Su blurted out the words she had already prepared in her mind.
“Ms. Su, you’re too kind. I’ll give the video to Serena later .”
“A dinner party is a must. I’ve invited Serena out for dinner. Mr. Mo, how about tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?” Victor Mo glanced at the schedule.
“Whenever you’re free, Mr. Mo, I’m available.” Sophia Su knew from his tone that there was an 80% chance the dinner would go through.
“Let’s do it tomorrow night.”
“Okay, I’ll send the restaurant information to Mr. Mo later. I won’t disturb Mr. Mo’s work any longer.”
…
Sophia Su breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up the phone.
On Saturday night, Serena Li texted her, saying that Victor Mo had obtained the surveillance video, but she didn’t have time to retrieve it, so she gave her Victor Mo ‘s phone number and asked her to contact him.
Sophia Su called Victor Mo several times on Sunday , but no one answered. She figured that big bosses like him wouldn’t answer unfamiliar phone numbers. She considered having Serena Li contact him again, but then thought about her own situation and decided not to keep bothering her friend, especially since Serena Li had already been wronged enough by being mistakenly injured at SOHO that day. So she got the landline number for Victor Mo’s office from a friend , hoping to contact the big boss. To her surprise, she not only got through but was also able to arrange a dinner meeting.
At this point, Sophia Su was unaware of what had happened between Serena Li and Victor Mo the previous Saturday. After having her secretary make a restaurant reservation, she checked the time and, estimating that Serena Li had already finished class, dialed her number.
“Hey, Serena, is the bruise on your forehead any better?”
“Sister Min, it’s alright now.”
Are you free tomorrow night? I’d like to invite you to dinner.
“Sister Min, you’re welcome. I’ve been working overtime lately because of the school anniversary celebration, so I won’t bother.”
“No matter how busy you are, you still need to eat. I’ve booked a private room for 7 pm. It’s not far from your school. Come over after you finish working overtime. I’ve invited Joyce , and…” Before Sophia Su could finish saying “Mr. Mo from Huanyu Investment,” Jack Jiang pushed open the office door.
As soon as Jack Jiang walked in, he started cursing, ” Sophia Su , what the hell is going on? You actually told finance to stop paying the marketing department’s salaries!”
Serena Li heard Jack Jiang cursing on the other end of the phone and was about to say something.
Sophia Su quickly said goodbye to her, “Serena, I’ll send you the address later, that’s all for now,” and then went around the desk to confront Jack Jiang .
***
On Tuesday evening, after Serena Li finished a meeting with several teachers in charge of the school anniversary activities, she took a taxi to the restaurant that Sophia Su had booked.
After arriving at the restaurant and giving her room number to the greeter, someone escorted her to the VIP room.
Standing at the door of the private room, Serena Li was still wondering why Sophia Su wanted to book such a high-end private room for a meal with just a few friends when a male voice sounded from behind her.
“Shall we go in?”
The magnetic male voice sounded somewhat familiar. She turned her head and saw it was Victor Mo again .