Victor Mo noticed that Serena Li was staring intently at him, her gaze clearly carrying a hint of scrutiny, and he knew that she might have misunderstood something.
But instead of answering her question directly, he posed another one: ” What do you think of Frank Wang ?”
Serena Li, seeing him dodging the question, didn’t know how to face him, so she turned to look out the window and said, “I’m not familiar with him. He was in the first graduating class of Z High School, and I only met him once before the school anniversary.”
That’s the truth; she now deeply regrets agreeing to have that meal with Frank Wang .
Regardless of the content of the second half of the video, if someone with ulterior motives exposes the first half of the video and then speculates on it, it can be interpreted as “a high school female teacher having an ambiguous meal with a municipal leader.” You have to know how powerful the dissemination capabilities of new media are now, and how powerful the smear campaigns are. In less than a day, all the private information of both parties could be thoroughly dug up.
Then she thought about the designer bag Frank Wang later gave her, and she was very glad that she had returned it cleanly and neatly, otherwise she didn’t know what kind of trouble would have ensued.
The Bentley had already reached the intersection in front of Four Seasons Garden. As Victor Mo turned the steering wheel, he said, “For Frank Wang to get to this position, there are countless people who flatter and try to win him over, and just as many people who want to trap him.”
He glanced at Serena Li , paused, and then said, ” Frank Wang is very cautious, but even the most careful person is still a divorced man with physical needs. Nanyuan is supposedly a high-end private restaurant, but frankly, it’s a place where people in his circle go out for fun. This video was taken by a professional paparazzi team hired by someone who wanted to bring him down. That night, the paparazzi thought they had captured some juicy footage and were so excited that they went to SOHO to celebrate. They just didn’t expect to get so drunk that they lost their camera.”
SOHO? Serena Li suddenly remembered that it was Victor Mo ‘s friend’s club. What a coincidence? She glanced at Victor Mo with an inquisitive expression.
Victor Mo looked at her and said, “Serena, I’m showing you this video for no other reason than to hope that you will never have any more contact with Frank Wang . The people who want to bring him down will definitely not only do this once! Don’t worry, I’ll ask my friend for the master tape of the video tomorrow and give it to you. It will never be leaked.”
Serena Li closed her eyes. She had no way of knowing how true Victor Mo’s words were, but she was certain that he hadn’t used the video to blackmail her into a relationship with him.
When she finished watching the video, there was a moment when she was afraid he would do that.
Victor Mo drove directly into the underground parking lot of the community and parked near the safety staircase of Building D.
a night of commotion, Serena Li was exhausted. After unbuckling her seatbelt, she looked up at him and said, “Thank you for taking my student to the hospital today. And thank you for the video.”
Victor Mo looked at her tired face and felt a pang of heartache. He spoke gently, “Go back and get some rest. We’ll have dinner together tomorrow night.”
Serena Li looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and nodded. She had a thousand words in her heart, but what came out of her mouth was still the same sentence: “Thank you.”
Last night I had so much to say to Victor Mo , but now is not the right time to say it. I’m afraid that my entanglement with him will only get deeper and deeper in the future.
Serena Li leaned against the elevator wall; she hadn’t felt so passive in a long time.
Victor Mo was helping her like this.
Victor Mo returned to the seaside villa, it was already 3 a.m. Standing on the balcony of the second-floor bedroom, he lit a cigarette. He leaned on the railing with one hand, his long legs slightly crossed. The moonlight shone down and fell on the man’s exquisite features, making him appear less cold and composed than during the day, and adding a touch of lazy and casual sexiness.
I took out my phone, dialed Jason Qin ‘s number, and it was answered quickly.
“Old Mo, don’t you even look at the time? Can’t people get any rest?” Jason Qin complained as soon as the call connected.
Victor Mo took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled, “I know you’re still awake.”
People who run nightclubs are all night owls. Victor Mo knows him well. Jason Qin, that miser, is probably still in that place doing the math!
“So you have eyes in the sky! Tell me, what’s up now? I’m busy right now.” Jason Qin was indeed laughing as he looked at the ledgers in SOHO’s general manager’s office, just as Victor Mo had guessed correctly .
Victor Mo said calmly, ” I’ll pick up the master tape of Frank Wang’s video tomorrow. If she asks about it later, just say that the paparazzi’s camera was left with you and you accidentally discovered the video.”
“Wow, Mo, you’ve gone to great lengths to pursue this woman, and you’re not even letting her know what you’ve done for her! What’s the meaning of this?” Jason Qin paused, his hand still holding the mouse and scrolling through reports. The video was clearly bought by Victor Mo at a high price. Wouldn’t letting her know make it easier to win her over? He just couldn’t understand it!
“She doesn’t need to know all that. Just do as I say!” Victor Mo said, then hung up the phone.
Victor Mo won’t tell Serena Li that he actually bought the video at a high price.
The video was indeed filmed by paparazzi hired by someone trying to bring down Frank Wang . However, the paparazzi, thinking they had some juicy scoop, demanded a higher price. When negotiations failed, the paparazzi sought another buyer. There are plenty of people trying to climb the ladder by stepping on Frank Wang , so the paparazzi weren’t worried about finding buyers. Jason Qin learned of his attempt to find a buyer, and coincidentally, Victor Mo had advised him to keep an eye on Frank Wang . Ultimately, Victor Mo bought the video, paying the paparazzi a large sum of hush money.
The reason I told Serena Li about the video was twofold: first, to make her wary of Frank Wang , and second, to increase my chances of getting in touch with her.
Victor Mo thinks Serena Li is very smart and quick to understand things, but she is also naive and sensitive. He is afraid that if she knows that things are more complicated, she will be more resistant to him, which is not what he wants to see.
He turned and went into the bedroom only after the cigarette had burned out.
***
Serena Li didn’t sleep well all night because her mind was full of random thoughts, but she got up early the next morning.
Although Victor Mo said he would give her the master video, she didn’t doubt it, but she was afraid that someone might have left a copy before handing it over to Victor Mo , so she called her cousin, who was a lawyer in G City, as soon as she got up in the morning.
Her cousin is her aunt’s son. After returning from studying abroad, he opened a law firm in G City. As a lawyer, he must have experience in handling these kinds of matters, and he is also her relative. Serena Li planned to consult him for advice as soon as she woke up this morning.
After learning about the situation, her cousin gave her some advice and even offered to accompany her when she wanted to retrieve the video. However, Serena Li declined, as she still believed Victor Mo wouldn’t lie to her, and seeking legal advice was simply a precautionary measure.
***
At 5:30 p.m., Victor Mo was waiting for Serena Li on the street opposite the school gate .
It was the time when students were leaving school, and the gate was crowded with people.
Serena Li walked towards the school gate.
“Teacher Li!”
A refined-looking man wearing glasses strode forward and greeted her.
Serena Li turned her head to greet the Chinese language teacher: “Teacher Huang!”
Teacher Huang smiled and said, “Teacher Li, are you going home? I can give you a ride.”
Before Serena Li could refuse, a student walked over and said to her with a grin , “Teacher Li, I heard from Xiao Su that the person who took Xiao Pang to the hospital last night was your boyfriend, right?”
Serena Li : ……
Upon hearing this, Ms. Huang nervously pushed up her glasses and asked, “Ms. Li, when…did you get a boyfriend?”
Serena Li could explain, she heard someone calling her name again.
“Serena”.
The three of them turned around and saw Victor Mo standing casually across the street, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his car keys, smiling as he asked, “Can we go now?”
The man was tall and handsome, attracting the attention of passersby. Serena Li, fearing she would become increasingly noticeable, waved to the two people behind her, then quickly walked over, opened the car door, and got in.
Serena Li got into the car, she asked him, “Have you been here long?”
Victor Mo started the car, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and said, “For a moment, it seems your student was right.”
“Those two students from last night? What did they say?” Serena Li asked, startled.
“They say I have a lot of rivals!” Victor Mo said with a low laugh.
Serena Li : ……
Why are young boys these days so gossipy?
Victor Mo took Serena Li to a private restaurant called “Qinyuanju”.
He had made a reservation well in advance, so he was probably a regular customer. As soon as the greeter saw them, he led them to a private room on the second floor. The room was very large, a suite with a reception room, entertainment room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and even a kitchenette.
After ordering, only the two of them remained in the private room, and Serena Li felt a little awkward.
Victor Mo noticed her nervousness, so he poured her a cup of tea and then took out a memory card for her. “The master tape of the video is here. I’ve also deleted the one on my phone. The video won’t be leaked, so don’t worry.”
Serena Li took it, looked up at him sincerely, and said, “Mr. Mo, thank you.”
Victor Mo raised an eyebrow and said, “Serena, you know very well what I want to hear.”
Serena Li didn’t expect him to be so blunt.
She knew Victor Mo definitely didn’t want to hear her say “thank you,” but what else could she say besides thank you? What he wanted, she couldn’t give him right now, and what she could give, he might not want.
The silence stretched on, and Serena Li silently organized her thoughts.
Seeing her thoughtful expression, Victor Mo smiled gently and said, “Serena, I don’t want you to feel burdened by this. I told you I’d give you time, and we can get to know each other.”
His tone was gentle and his pace was just right. Upon hearing this, Serena Li’s feelings became even more complicated. This man was too good at manipulating people’s hearts.
She had done him a huge favor, and if he refused her now, it would seem like he was being too heartless.
Serena Li took a deep breath, momentarily at a loss for words.