Kuang Ye’s footsteps paused. Turning back, his face was dark.
“What are you planning to do to her?”

Kuang Zhongbai sneered.
“She’s part of the Mu family. What could I possibly do to her? I’m just giving you a reminder.”

“Before the engagement, she was devoted to Shuyu. What if she chooses him again? Kuang Ye, what do you have to compete with Shuyu?”

The grip Kuang Ye had on the doorknob tightened, his gaze on Kuang Zhongbai turning icy, with a hint of disgust.
“Don’t use Mu Wan as a pawn to provoke me. If you really think my existence embarrasses you, I don’t have to acknowledge you as my father.”

“And don’t talk about competing.”

“Mu Wan isn’t something for Shuyu and me to fight over. She belongs only to herself.”

With that, he turned the doorknob. Without sparing another glance at Kuang Zhongbai’s thunderous expression, he strode out.

—

Mu Wan had been staring in the direction Kuang Ye had left. When she saw him emerge, she immediately walked over, her eyes instinctively checking his hands. Only after confirming he was unhurt did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Noticing his cold expression, she asked worriedly,
“What happened? Did you argue with Uncle Kuang?”

Kuang Ye nodded slightly. Ever since he returned to the Kuang family, everyone had something to say about him, as if they couldn’t wait to carve him into a lifeless block of wood they could polish and display.

He suddenly reached out and quietly took Mu Wan’s hand, his voice dropping low with a hint of pitiful vulnerability.
“He said he’d make sure I can’t compete in professional tournaments anymore.”

“And he said I’m just a good-for-nothing gamer, unworthy of you.”

Mu Wan’s heart ached instantly. She knew the Kuang family didn’t approve of Kuang Ye’s career, but she hadn’t expected their words to be so hurtful.

“Nonsense! Our Wild God is amazing, with countless fans in the gaming industry, charming millions of girls!”

Kuang Ye blinked innocently.
“Really? Did I charm my Jiejie too?”

Mu Wan responded without thinking,
“Of course—”

“???”

She abruptly looked up at Kuang Ye, who was now grinning mischievously, his eyes sparkling with the triumph of a successful prank.

“…”

“Kuang! Ye!” Mu Wan ground out, her teeth clenched.

The gloom in Kuang Ye’s heart vanished instantly. Holding tightly onto Mu Wan’s hand, he strode back toward the crowd with a bright and carefree smile.

“Before the engagement, she was devoted to Shuyu. What if she chooses him again? Kuang Ye, what do you have to compete with Shuyu?”

“No, I won’t give her the chance to choose again.”

—

The birthday banquet soon began.

Yuan Weiwei, dressed in a beautiful gown, descended gracefully from the second floor. In front of everyone, she boldly invited Kuang Shuyu to dance the first dance.

Kuang Shuyu did not refuse.

The two of them glided into the dance floor, their steps elegant and synchronized, looking like a perfect golden couple.

Many people in the room glanced toward Mu Wan, expecting her to show some sign of jealousy, anger, or at least a flicker of discomfort.

But instead—

She was holding a plate of cherries, popping them into her mouth one by one, watching the scene in the dance floor as though she were merely enjoying some light entertainment.

She hadn’t eaten dinner and was feeling hungry.

“She gave up a diamond for a rock,” someone whispered behind her. “For a nobody who didn’t even go to college, she let go of Kuang Shuyu, a Harvard Business School graduate. She must be regretting it now.”

“Remember those rumors about Kuang Shuyu and Li Shuqin? They were all misunderstandings, but Mu Wan overreacted. I bet she’s just using this engagement with Kuang Ye to make Kuang Shuyu jealous. Too bad it backfired.”

“With Kuang Shuyu’s reputation in elite circles, even if he weren’t the Kuang family’s son, he’d still have no shortage of suitors. Mu Wan’s biggest mistake was thinking too highly of herself.”

Mu Wan, recognizing the familiar voices behind her, turned her head abruptly.

It was a few young men who often hung out with Kuang Shuyu.

Her voice turned icy as she shot back,
“Are you worms in my stomach? How do you know so much about what I’m thinking?”

The group hadn’t expected Mu Wan to be standing right in front of them. Their expressions turned awkward as they tried to explain.

“Mu Wan, don’t be mad. We didn’t mean any harm, we were just joking around.”

Mu Wan’s face remained cold.
“If you truly meant no harm, I wouldn’t waste my time talking to you. Apologize immediately.”

Mu Wan had never liked Kuang Shuyu’s friends. They had no sense of boundaries and no filter when they spoke. Once, they even compared her to a kept mistress, which had enraged her to no end. Since then, she’d refused to attend their private gatherings. Although Kuang Shuyu had sworn he’d cut ties with them, the way they still stood up for him now clearly showed that wasn’t the case.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the group looked uncomfortable. Apologizing on the spot would be humiliating.

One of them muttered irritably,
“What are you, a kid? Running to your parents to tattle? Are you still in elementary school, Mu Wan?”

Mu Wan’s eyes narrowed sharply, her tone tinged with biting sarcasm.
“Even elementary school kids know better than to gossip behind someone’s back. Yet here you are, running your mouths. Does that make you worse than elementary schoolers?”

“The one who starts the trouble is the disgraceful one. So, you either apologize to me right here, right now, or bring apology gifts and come to my house to apologize formally. But by then, whether I forgive you or not will be an entirely different matter.”

As one of the most prominent families in S City, the Mu family commanded respect in business, politics, and the military. While they usually kept a low profile, few dared to cross them.

Mu Wan, the beloved princess of the Mu family, had every reason to be bold and assertive. She had the capital to back it up.