The President Made Me Trend

Lu Xuan specifically invited Mo Qinghuan to a quiet corner. His handsome face remained calm and gentle despite hearing about Mo Qinghuan’s intention to breach the contract. With a warm smile, he asked, “Since we’re all family here, can I call you Qinghuan? I feel calling you ‘sister-in-law’ might make you uncomfortable.”

“Sure,” Mo Qinghuan nodded, agreeing. If given a choice, she preferred not to publicize her connection with Lu Xuan, as it might easily reach Lu Yucheng’s ears.

After nodding in agreement, Mo Qinghuan glanced at Lu Xuan’s face and apologized, “I’m sorry, big brother, but I can’t participate in this movie.”

“Is it because of my relationship with Yucheng?” Lu Xuan asked with a smile.

“Partly,” Mo Qinghuan replied candidly. “Plus, due to my personal friendship with Liang Yi, even though we both know there’s nothing untoward, there’s no guarantee others won’t speculate. I don’t want Yucheng to get jealous, so I hope you understand.”

“Of course, Qinghuan, you prioritize family and Yucheng, and as his brother, I should be happy for him. After all, finding such a gentle and virtuous woman is a blessing for our Lu family.” Lu Xuan praised Mo Qinghuan, but then his expression turned serious as he continued, “However, family is family, and business is business. Qinghuan, I’m a businessman, and my company’s employees depend on me. If you don’t participate, it’s a breach of contract, and the triple penalty-do you really think it’s worth it?”

Lu Xuan’s change in demeanor surprised Mo Qinghuan. She suddenly recalled Lu Yucheng’s previous warning about avoiding contact with Lu Xuan. She had complied, yet this movie inadvertently brought them together again.

“I’ll think it over before making a decision,” Mo Qinghuan said honestly. After announcing her retirement and compensating the company, she found herself financially strained. The triple penalty was something she couldn’t afford.

Seeing Mo Qinghuan’s dilemma, Lu Xuan returned to his previous smile, gently patting her shoulder in reassurance. “Of course, you’re already married to Yucheng. If you face difficulties, he can help you. But I’ve heard the Lu family company is facing an unprecedented crisis lately. If I’m not mistaken, Yucheng must be working late often, with little time to rest, right?”

“Big brother, I just want to ask you one thing.” Even though Lu Yucheng didn’t explicitly mention it, Mo Qinghuan sensed the company’s troubles. Observing Lu Xuan deliberately revealing this information, Mo Qinghuan began to realize he was not simple.

“Qinghuan, feel free to ask anything. I’ll definitely answer you,” Lu Xuan said, a fleeting sly smile appearing on his face. Though brief, Mo Qinghuan’s keen perception caught it, and she seemed to have an answer in her mind, yet she still wanted to hear Lu Xuan’s response.

With a detached tone, she asked, “Is it thanks to you that I was exempted from auditions and directly chosen as the lead actress? And was it you who instructed the director not to inform my agent, Huo-Jie, about Liang Yi being the male lead and your role as the investor, right?”

Mo Qinghuan managed to connect a series of events to Lu Xuan in such a short time, which was enough to surprise him. With a slight smile, Lu Xuan gave an ambiguous answer:

“Qinghuan, you’re an incredibly smart woman. I’ve heard of your reputation long ago. If I were to say it’s not as you think, would you believe me? Or would you still trust your own judgment?”

“I only believe what my eyes see.” Although Lu Xuan didn’t directly answer, for Mo Qinghuan, it was the best form of acknowledgment.

There was no longer any need to stay at the party. Mo Qinghuan excused herself, saying, “I’m feeling a bit under the weather, Brother. I’ll be heading out. Enjoy the rest of the party.”

“Alright, then. You take care, Qinghuan. I look forward to seeing you at the kick-off ceremony.” Lu Xuan responded with a smile, but as Mo Qinghuan turned to leave, the gentle smile on his face transformed into something sharp, as if it could pierce through her.

Meanwhile, Huo-Jie was in a state of panic, like a headless chicken, unable to sit still. She had made a mistake, but the penalty for breaching the contract was supposed to be only one-fold, not three-fold. She couldn’t fathom how it had changed.

Liang Yi finally found the flustered Huo-Jie amidst the crowd and handed her a glass of champagne, asking, “Huo-Jie, is Qinghuan really going to breach the contract?”

“Knowing Qinghuan’s character, she would definitely do something like this.” Seeing Liang Yi, Huo-Jie’s eyes began to well up.

“Could it be that Qinghuan-Jie just doesn’t want to work with me?” In this drama, Mo Qinghuan and Liang Yi were supposed to play a couple. Liang Yi had been particularly looking forward to it, as in real life he couldn’t be with Mo Qinghuan, but in the drama, he could at least play her boyfriend, which was satisfying enough for him.

“Liang Yi, how could Qinghuan do this just because she’s working with you?” Huo-Jie quickly explained, seeing Liang Yi’s misunderstanding, “To be honest, the relationship between Mr. Lu and Mr. Lu isn’t good. Qinghuan is avoiding suspicion, which is why she doesn’t want to be in this drama. It’s my fault, I was too careless, it’s all my fault.”

Huo-Jie was filled with self-reproach.

“What’s done is done, blaming yourself won’t change anything.” A strong voice came from nearby, making Huo-Jie’s heart skip a beat. She looked in the direction of the voice and, sure enough, Mo Qinghuan was slowly approaching them through the crowd.

Seeing that she had finished talking with Lu Xuan, although unsure of the outcome, Huo-Jie still stood up with a guilty expression and hurriedly approached Mo Qinghuan, asking, “Qinghuan, how did it go? What did Mr. Lu say? If they continue to be unreasonable, we should take legal action.”

This was the only solution Huo-Jie could think of at the moment.

“If they’re bold enough to present the contract, it means they’re confident. We’re at fault here, it’s useless.” Mo Qinghuan rationally analyzed the situation to Huo-Jie.

Upon hearing this, Huo-Jie’s face fell instantly, “So what do we do now? Do we really have to pay the penalty? Even though you can afford it, it’s just too frustrating.”

The thought of it made Huo-Jie angry, and she couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

The problem was they couldn’t find evidence that someone had tampered with the contract. If Huo-Jie had known the director of this drama was so despicable, she would never have let Mo Qinghuan sign on.

It was a trap, a huge trap!

Suddenly, Huo-Jie thought of Lu Yucheng. She looked at Mo Qinghuan and quietly suggested, “Why don’t you tell Mr. Lu about this? He loves you so much and is your husband; he won’t stand by and do nothing. With Mr. Lu’s skills, asking him for help is definitely the right move.”

Huo-Jie clung to this idea like a lifeline. Given the situation, only Lu Yucheng stepping in could possibly resolve it smoothly.