Chapter 23: The Real and the Fake Heiress 23

"I am Mu Jinnian."

As the bell rang, Mu Jinnian followed the teacher into the classroom. His arrival caused an immediate uproar, with everyone turning their gazes toward Huai Ying in the back row. Huai Ying, however, seemed entirely oblivious, continuing to eat as if lost in her own world. She wondered how much longer she would be able to enjoy these treats. What if she were to destroy this world one day? She wasn’t sure if she would ever get to taste such things again.

Mu Jinnian’s eyes locked precisely onto the person he had been longing to see, and he offered a faint smile. After his self-introduction, he sat directly beside Huai Ying. Seeing this, the rest of the class immediately understood the situation, their faces lighting up with the thrill of witnessing a budding romance. In the final, stressful year of high school, such juicy gossip served as a welcome distraction.

Just then, as Huai Ying popped the last piece of chocolate into her mouth and made a slight movement, a piece of candy was extended toward her from beside her. She paused, only then noticing Mu Jinnian. When had this person arrived? She frowned but said nothing, simply taking the candy.

*Does she not want me here?* The thought flickered through Mu Jinnian’s mind for a fleeting second, but he quickly dismissed it. He didn't have the time to dwell on such things. Throughout the entire morning, Huai Ying’s mouth never stopped moving. He watched with his own eyes as she polished off two large bags of snacks, including cakes, bread, and other desserts. Even then, she still looked as if she hadn't had enough.

As soon as lunch break arrived, she stood up and headed toward the cafeteria. Mu Jinnian followed behind, his gaze involuntarily falling upon Huai Ying’s perfectly flat stomach. *Is this some kind of alternate dimension?* he wondered. *Where does all that food go? Doesn’t she feel bloated?*

His stare was so intense that it was impossible to ignore. Huai Ying stopped and looked back at him. "Do you want to touch my stomach?"

It wasn't strange for her to think that, given the way he had been eyeing her abdomen since the morning. Mu Jinnian shook his head frantically. "No. I was just curious—don't you feel uncomfortable after eating so much?"

"No," Huai Ying replied, then picked up her pace.

As usual, she had only been seated for a short while before Bai Jinwei approached. When Bai Jinwei saw Mu Jinnian, her expression was clearly displeased. She regretted not thinking to transfer classes herself; she hadn't expected this man to beat her to it. It was truly annoying.

This time was slightly different, however. Gu Mingxu had also followed, taking a seat beside Bai Jinwei. He was unusually silent.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Bai Jinwei couldn't help but ask. Gu Mingxu had been downcast all morning. He showed no interest in anything and only responded half-heartedly when she initiated the conversation. This was highly abnormal for him. Given his personality, he would usually be clinging to her and acting spoiled.

A deep sense of unease took root in Bai Jinwei’s heart. *Could the distance I kept recently have caused him to think otherwise?* The thought made her heart turn cold, and she gripped her chopsticks tightly.

"No," Gu Mingxu finally responded. He began to pile food onto Bai Jinwei’s plate, his mouth never stopping. "These are all your favorites. Try them; you’ve lost weight recently." He turned his head and, acting like a spoiled child, opened his mouth. "Feed me that, will you?"

"No," Bai Jinwei said, feeling a bit awkward, and pushed him away.

"Please, please, feed me." Gu Mingxu squirmed and leaned his face toward her. Bai Jinwei felt a wave of disdain, but she still complied, feeding him a piece of food. Deep down, she breathed a sigh of relief: *He's still the same dog after all.*

Gu Mingxu was satisfied, and his inner anxiety dissipated. Last night’s dream must have been a nightmare; he shouldn't let it affect him so much.

Huai Ying watched this scene with suspicion, especially when she turned to look at Mu Jinnian. The emotions in his eyes were too obvious to ignore. *Does he want to be like Gu Mingxu?* A look of disgust flashed across Huai Ying’s eyes. She found herself increasingly unable to understand these people. With that thought, she casually picked up some food and fed it to Mu Jinnian.

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed his eyes as he opened his mouth to accept it. To him, that bite of food tasted sweeter than honey.

Gu Mingxu’s gaze drifted toward Huai Ying, his expression shifting from vigilance to composure. *It must be my imagination!* he thought. *Huai Ying couldn't possibly harm Bai Jinwei, just as he would always follow her.*

In a corner, someone snapped a photo of the scene and sent it out. They made a phone call, lowering their voice. "Young Master Mu, you asked me to keep an eye on them. I’ve sent the photos; please check them."

On the other end of the line, Mu Yuanzhou looked at the photos of Huai Ying, Mu Jinnian, and Bai Jinwei looking so intimate, and his teeth ground together in hatred. He knew it—that day, it was definitely their doing. It was his own fault for targeting the wrong person. Now, all three of them were his enemies, and he wouldn't let a single one of them go. Mu Yuanzhou gripped his phone so hard he could barely suppress the rage surging in his chest, and he threw it against the wall.

"You’re all clever, aren't you? Daring to play me like this? I will never let you get away with it."

"Just you wait and see."

Gu Mingxu had stopped attending school. His photos were everywhere, and going to class would only increase his humiliation. His family planned to send him abroad to study in a while. Though they called it "studying abroad," it was essentially exile. By the time he returned, he would be cast to the outer circles of the family, with no chance of ever touching the core power again.

This was something he could never accept. Everything in the Mu family should have been his—how could a mere illegitimate child take his place? He had to regain everything that belonged to him.

For several days, the students in Huai Ying’s class complained that they couldn't handle any more "dog food." Every day in class, whenever they turned around, they could see the two of them together. The look in Mu Jinnian’s eyes was so sickly sweet it was as if honey were dripping from them.

Until this afternoon, when for some reason, only Mu Jinnian remained in the back row with a gloomy expression on his face. Huai Ying was nowhere to be found.

Everyone had question marks floating over their heads. *What happened? Did they have a fight?* Given how submissive Mu Jinnian was to Huai Ying, could they even argue? It was just too strange! The students suppressed their curiosity.

At that moment, Huai Ying was sitting in a cafe outside the school, head down, all her focus on her cake. The man sitting opposite her, however, could no longer sit still.

"Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

The middle-aged man had been observing her ever since they sat down. He had hoped she would take the initiative to ask, but Huai Ying hadn't shown any reaction. He had no choice but to take the lead.

Huai Ying replied coldly, "You were the one who sought me out. If you have something to say, just say it."

He had sent her a message claiming he could help her get what she wanted, which was why she had come. But after sitting there for ages without a word, she had no idea what he was waiting for.

"Do you hate Miss Bai?" The man’s sudden question left Huai Ying feeling baffled. She looked up at him, frowning in dissatisfaction.

The man felt a sense of helplessness and explained, "I can help you get what you want. Whether it’s the status of the eldest daughter of the Bai family, the affection of the Bai couple, or the marriage engagement with the Gu family—I can help you obtain all of it."

He took out a business card and placed it in front of Huai Ying.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Gong Yan."

"Are you willing to work with me?"