"Serves him right! He definitely owes an apology!"
Huang Hao turned and barked, "Get over here!"
The man in the suit who had been beaten earlier walked over tremblingly. He had heard of Xu Mu's great reputation—compared to Xu Mu, Huang Hao was nothing but a minor figure.
"I'm sorry, I deserve to die. Ladies, I had too much to drink—it was my fault."
The suited man apologized repeatedly.
[Favorability +20]
Zhao Yingying secretly glanced at Xu Mu. At the critical moment, Brother Mu was still the reliable one.
Everyone around looked at Xu Mu with newfound respect—so this was the real big shot sitting among them.
Han Tao cursed inwardly; he'd missed a good opportunity.
He'd long wanted to quit his counselor job anyway—there was no permanent position. With declining birth rates, there were fewer students each year, yet more and more people applying to become teachers. Schools weren't charities; they didn't need that many teachers, let alone permanent ones.
His salary was low, he couldn't afford a house, and even his girlfriend had left him.
If he had known Zhao Yingying's boyfriend was so powerful, he would've sought a position in the Xu Group—the pay and benefits there were leagues beyond this teaching job.
"Well, it's nothing major. Since he's apologized, let's just drop it," said Xu Mu, waving his hand.
"Thank you, Brother Xu," said Huang Hao, surprised by Xu Mu's mild tone. "I'll make sure to teach him a proper lesson when we're back!"
Then he led his group away in a grand procession.
Xu Mu patted Zhao Yingying's shoulder. "I'll take you home."
"Okay."
She nodded softly.
"Yingying, let me take you!" Han Tao quickly stood up.
Cao Ting followed Zhao Yingying closely.
Zhang Cheng stood frozen, speechless—who could've guessed that Zhao Yingying's boyfriend was Xu Mu?
Even if Xu Mu might just be having fun with her, Zhang Cheng wouldn't dare to interfere.
In the elevator
Han Tao smiled. "Yingying, I could tell your boyfriend was extraordinary the moment I saw him—a true dragon among men. Didn't expect his background to be that astonishing."
Zhao Yingying chuckled awkwardly. He was still her counselor, after all—she couldn't say much.
"Brother Xu," Han Tao added, smiling flatteringly, "rest assured, I'll take good care of Yingying at school."
Xu Mu simply nodded. He'd seen plenty of people like that.
This time, Zhao Yingying was the one driving the electric scooter, with Xu Mu sitting behind her.
On the way, Xu Mu suddenly said, "Sorry, I didn't hide my identity well."
[Favorability +15]
Zhao Yingying's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's fine. At least Zhang Cheng won't bother me anymore. And besides, Brother Mu, you helped me again."
"We're family—it's what I should do," Xu Mu said with a smile.
After dropping her off, he rode back home.
When he arrived, Ye Tong and Ye Yu were watching TV on the sofa.
Seeing him return, Ye Yu called out cheerfully, "Brother-in-law!"
[Favorability +10]
Above Ye Tong's head, the same floating text appeared.
"Went to the zoo with Ye Yu today?" Ye Tong asked with a gentle smile.
"Mm, nothing else to do, so I went for a look," Xu Mu nodded.
"Brother-in-law, I told Sister all about your heroic deeds! Even the tigers were so scared of you they rolled over on their backs!" Ye Yu said excitedly.
Xu Mu chuckled. "Plenty of people roll over when they see me—your sister too."
Ye Tong's face instantly turned scarlet. She spat lightly, "You're awful!"
Then she dashed upstairs in embarrassment.
Ye Yu puffed up her cheeks. "Shameless!"
She too hurried up the stairs, but Xu Mu caught her by the back of the neck.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're trying to lock me out of our room again, aren't you?"
"N-no, I wasn't!" Ye Yu protested weakly—she'd been caught. She had planned to stay in Ye Tong's room and lock the door to keep Xu Mu away from her sister.
"I know you too well."
Xu Mu lifted her up effortlessly.
"Put me down, you pervert of a brother-in-law!" Ye Yu struggled, but the Favorability indicator still popped up above her head.
"I'll let you go right now."
Xu Mu opened her bedroom door, tossed her gently onto the bed, and quickly left, locking his own room behind him.
Ye Tong was already under the blanket.
She suddenly asked, "Honey, when will you join the martial arts marriage tournament?"
"Why do you ask?" Xu Mu looked puzzled.
Ye Tong just wanted to know when he would bring Jiang Huihui home—she really needed the help.
"I-I was just curious."
"I'm not sure—probably in a few days," said Xu Mu. "How about we play a little role-play game tonight?"
"I'm not wearing those weird costumes."
Ye Tong pulled the blanket up to her nose.
"You sure know a lot about that." Xu Mu grinned. "You don't need anything special. Right now, you're the CEO of a company suspected of tax evasion, and I'm the investigator."
"…Alright," she murmured shyly, slipping into character. "Sir, our company absolutely hasn't evaded taxes."
"Haven't you? I have solid evidence here! I'll expose every cent of unpaid tax you've hidden from the state!" Xu Mu said sternly.
Ye Tong: "…"
The next morning
Xu Mu woke up early. Yesterday, both Ye Yu and Zhao Yingying had contributed a ten-draw to him.
Just as he was about to use it, his phone rang.
It was a call from Xu Shou.
Xu Mu answered sleepily. "What's up? I was still sleeping."
"Eat breakfast, then come to the company immediately."
Without another word, Xu Shou hung up.
Xu Mu sighed—when his father called like that, something urgent was up.
He got up, washed, and prepared to head to the company.
After breakfast (Ye Tong had cooked; Ye Yu was still asleep), Xu Mu asked, "She's not eating?"
"She's not going to school these days—let her sleep in," Ye Tong replied with a smile.
Xu Mu nodded, finished eating, and drove to the Xu Group headquarters.
He took the elevator to the chairman's office on the top floor.
Knocking on the door, he entered when he heard Xu Shou's voice.
Xu Ningbing was already there, as usual.
"What's going on?" Xu Mu asked, sitting down.
"I just got word," Xu Shou said, taking a drag from his cigarette, "that after Ye Chen left our company yesterday, he went straight to the Mu Family."
"Unless I'm mistaken, the two sides have formed an alliance."
"The Mu Family, huh…"
Xu Mu wasn't surprised. Mu Qingying, the music teacher, was also part of the Dragon King's harem in the original story.
Since Ye Chen hit a wall with the Xu Family, it made sense for him to turn to the Mu Family.
"That's right," Xu Shou continued. "Mu Yuansheng is ambitious, and with Ye Chen involved, they might move against us. We need to stay alert and prepare early."
"Got it." Xu Mu nodded.
"We currently hold the advantage. The two hidden families in Yang City won't act against us for now—no need to rush."
Xu Shou smiled. "By the way, I heard you're entering the martial arts marriage tournament?"
"What?"
Xu Ningbing looked up in disbelief.