"Come on, Second Brother, Mom and Dad are old so I won't say anything, but how come you're so easy to fool too?" Third Brother Mu's teasing voice came from the other end of the phone, "You just handed over more than 200,000 yuan directly? That's so not like you!"
Second Brother Mu was annoyed by his schadenfreude: "Cut the crap, just tell me if you're going to lend me the money or not!"
"Ouch, you know me well, right? My wife holds all the purse strings. I never have more than 50 yuan in my pocket every day, where on earth am I supposed to get that kind of money to lend you?" Third Brother Mu drawled dramatically, then continued, "Besides, I told you all not to push things too far before. Now you get spooked by a little scare and actually start raising money like a good little lamb. Second Brother, I'm not kidding you, you're just..."
"You don't know a damn thing!" Second Brother Mu snapped, but he also started to doubt himself. Could it be that Mu Yue really just found an actor to put on a show? That gun and the ID might just be props from a film crew, made to look extra realistic?
"Tch! Hiring someone to act wouldn't cost much. Though that lawyer she brought might be real. Now that Xiao Yue knows about the insurance money, I bet she just came up with this trick to save herself the hassle. Oh right, isn't the college entrance exam just two or three months away?"
The more Second Brother Mu listened, the more regretful he felt. That's right! All they ever saw was Mu Yue and the bodyguard she brought with her. They never met any of her actual family members at all. How could they have been so stupid to believe her, and hand over that huge sum of money straight to that girl?
Thinking about how he almost wet his pants back then, he huffed so hard his nostrils flared: "I'm going to find her right now!"
Third Brother Mu quickly stopped him: "Look at you, getting all riled up again! You really need to fix that temper of yours. Can't you just sit down and talk this over properly? After all, she's Big Brother's daughter. What's more, our family doesn't have a leg to stand on in this matter, and neither do Mom and Dad. If she really did hire a lawyer, we'd still have to pay the money back, and she'd get her share of the house too. And besides, do you even know where she's staying?"
Mu Jun cut in hurriedly: "I know, I know! She's at the Dianyun Hotel, living in the presidential suite. The richest kid in my class told me about it, that suite costs tens of thousands a night! She's been staying there since last week!" He had been playing on his phone on the couch the whole time, and his dad's phone was on full volume with the speaker on, so he heard every word of the call.
"What? A hotel? A presidential suite? Tens of thousands a night?" The two brothers on both ends of the call were stunned.
Third Brother Mu sat up straight all of a sudden, and asked his nephew seriously: "Jun, are you telling the truth?"
"Cross my heart! Lots of people have seen that fancy car picking her up every day, that's the exclusive service for Dianyun's VIP guests." He flipped through the photos he had saved on his phone to show his dad, then sent a copy to Third Brother Mu.
"Damn it..." Third Brother Mu quickly changed his tune, "Here's the plan, Second Brother. Our Yaoyao's birthday is next Monday. Invite her over for dinner at our place this Sunday. I'll let my shrew of a wife help you size up the situation. Gather up part of the money first, just in case she's telling the truth, at least we'll have something to offer her as a gesture."
"Got it!" After hanging up the phone, Second Brother Mu paced back and forth across the living room, then grabbed Mu Jun by the arm. He was going to go check out that hotel himself right now.
Mu Yue didn't head straight back to the hotel after leaving the residential compound. Instead, she took a taxi to the bustling place she remembered from the original owner's memories to wander around. It was the holidays, after all, and aside from taking care of business, she wanted to have some fun too.
The two pedestrian streets here were packed with all kinds of food, drinks and entertainment. Apart from regular shops, there were tons of street vendors selling snacks, drinks, clothes, jewelry, toys, and even pet supplies, all at super affordable prices. It was a Sunday, so the streets were crowded with people.
Mu Yue had no particular plan, she bought whatever caught her eye, but soon she started feeling a little bored. Then she thought of Lin Xiaoxiao, so she gave her a call and asked if she wanted to go shopping with her, saying she'd treat her to dinner.
Lin Xiaoxiao was about to say yes immediately when she heard the shopping part, but as soon as she heard the dinner offer, she quickly replied: "No need, Yueyue, that's too expensive! And I haven't even treated you to a meal yet."
Back when they had that 5888 yuan per person buffet at the hotel, Lin Xiaoxiao was just shocked that Mu Yue had suddenly become rich, she didn't think too much of it. But now that she knew how hard her dad worked and how little he earned, she realized that one such meal for two would cost her dad's entire monthly salary. Even if that sum of money was nothing more than pocket change to Mu Yue now, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't in good conscience let her keep treating her to fancy meals for free. Friends were supposed to take turns looking out for each other.
Mu Yue said again: "I'm on XX Pedestrian Street right now. There's a hot pot restaurant here with the most delicious, fragrant broth, you can smell it from blocks away. I haven't had anything heavy and flavorful since I recovered from my illness, and eating hot pot alone is so boring."
Lin Xiaoxiao didn't refuse this time, and agreed right away. She had walked this street so many times before, the prices here were totally normal. A hot pot meal for two would never cost more than 500 yuan, which was something she could easily afford.
Mu Yue didn't wait long. She was picking out a few velvet flowers at a handmade stall when Lin Xiaoxiao arrived. Before Lin Xiaoxiao could even say a word, Mu Yue's phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID, and was a little surprised to see it was the original owner's third aunt.
The original owner's third aunt was basically the only relative who had ever been kind to her and helped her out. Naturally, Mu Yue never blocked her number. Third Aunt's last name was Jiang, she was a very capable, strong career woman. Third Brother Mu had basically married into her family, and it was her second marriage. She had a son from before, and a daughter with Third Brother Mu. Third Aunt Jiang was a tough person who kept Third Brother Mu on a short leash, and she never liked visiting the Mu family's old house.
The two old fogeys of the Mu family didn't like their third daughter-in-law either. They thought she not only dominated over Third Brother Mu, but also tried to overpower them, even though she had bought them an apartment in the county town.
"What did your third aunt say?" Lin Xiaoxiao came over and looped her arm through Mu Yue's.
"She said Mu Yao's birthday is coming up, and she wants me to come over for dinner next weekend. She also wished me a happy birthday in advance, and said she'd give me my birthday present this weekend." Mu Yue put her phone away. Lately it seemed like everyone was having a birthday, her cousin's, the male lead's, and now the original owner's too.
Lin Xiaoxiao froze, then smacked her forehead: "Oh no, Yueyue, I'm such a bad friend, I completely forgot..."
Mu Yue told her the truth: "If my third aunt hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten too." That was the honest truth, her own real birthday was nothing like the original owner's.
"Come on then! Let's go see if there's anything you like, I'll get it for you as your birthday gift!" Lin Xiaoxiao said grandly, pulling Mu Yue along to keep shopping. Then she suddenly remembered Leng Ming, someone she had completely forgotten about, the one she was supposed to get a present for. She had been planning to buy him sneakers and a basketball before, those things cost three to five thousand yuan each.
Lin Xiaoxiao wanted to slap herself. How could she have ever thought that was a good idea? Three to five thousand yuan could buy a really good refrigerator! The fridge in her dad's rental place was already broken and barely worked. And besides, after the way Leng Ming treated her before, she wouldn't even want to get him something that cost three to five hundred yuan, let alone three to five thousand.
She was still lost in those thoughts when they walked out of the street, and ran straight into Leng Ming and his group of friends.
These two pedestrian streets are quite an interesting spot, right next to a shopping mall that is nothing like your average budget-friendly plaza. This mall is packed full of luxury brands, ranging from mid-luxury all the way to top-tier haute couture, where even a single eraser can sell for two thousand yuan. The people who shop there are either genuinely wealthy, big spenders who spare no expense, or total losers just putting on a show to look cool.
How can you tell those losers apart? It's simple. Anyone who comes strutting out of the mall flaunting their shopping bags from every angle, acting like they're a cut above everyone else and refusing to look at the people browsing the two pedestrian streets with any respect, that's exactly who they are.
And Leng Ming and his crew just came out of that very mall, carrying shopping bags that made it obvious they'd been splurging inside. Now they were holding their bags high, chins tilted up, staring at Mu Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao with open disdain and contempt.
"Wow, Piggy Girl, you're tagging along again?" The first line out of their mouths was that insulting nickname, and the rest of the group burst into mocking laughter right after.
"Your skin's really thick, isn't it? Sticky as a dog's skin plaster, impossible to shake off!"
"Leng Ming, you poor guy, having to put up with this!"
"I'm not tagging along at all! I'm just out shopping with Yue Yue!" Lin Xiaoxiao shot back loudly, but the group obviously didn't buy a word of it.
"Oh? So this is the famous little rich lady, huh? Why is the little rich lady even buying these cheap, tacky things?"
"Yeah, shouldn't you be shopping at Jin Mall over there?"
"Whoa, wait a minute—don't tell me she's been faking being rich this whole time?"
Jin Mall was the luxury shopping center right behind them. Those losers were getting so caught up in their own taunts that they didn't notice more and more passersby stopping to stare at them.
Leng Ming didn't join in the laughter, but he didn't stop his friends either. He just watched coldly as Lin Xiaoxiao got so angry at their taunts that her face flushed bright red. Tch, she ignored me for a whole week, didn't she? But the second the weekend hits, she's right back following around again, he thought to himself.
Mu Yue pulled her arm free from where Lin Xiaoxiao had been holding onto it, then slowly stepped forward a few paces. The group was waiting for Mu Yue to say something to argue back, but before they could react, Mu Yue slapped the two people who had run their mouths the hardest, one hard smack across each of their faces.
"You little—"
"Are you trying to say that every item sold at the stalls and shops on these two streets, anything not bought inside that mall, is all cheap garbage?" Mu Yue let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "That people like us buying 'cheap garbage' don't even deserve to talk to you fancy luxury shoppers? That we don't even deserve to stand in the same area as you without you slandering us for stalking? Some people have a human body but never grew a proper human mouth. Why don't you go get that checked at the hospital? That rotten mouth of yours could make a massive contribution to medical research!"
The two people who'd been slapped still wanted to yell insults back, but they soon realized that without them noticing, a whole crowd of onlookers had surrounded them, all staring at them with furious glares.
Mu Yue scanned the group up and down, her gaze finally landing on Leng Ming standing in the middle of them, and she said with clear disgust, "Birds of a feather really do flock together."
