CEO's Ugly Flash-Marriage Wife Hides So Many Identities
Chapter 322: Ulterior Motives

Chapter 322: Chapter 322: Ulterior Motives

Mrs. Song’s heart sank abruptly. "Mr. Pei, what do you mean by this?"

Song Muyu immediately looked at Qiao Rui, her face full of worry.

Qiao Rui merely furrowed her delicate brows slightly, glanced at her once, but showed no urgency.

Then, Qiao Rui’s gaze shifted to Pei Liyan.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Qiao Rui’s face remained expressionless.

Pei Liyan smiled faintly.

Qiao Rui inwardly cursed—he did it on purpose.

Testing, he still hasn’t given up probing her intentions.

Pei Liyan ignored Qiao Rui’s icy gaze and finally said to Mrs. Song: "Auntie, every matter has its benefits and drawbacks. The more urgent one feels, the less one should rush to make decisions."

Mrs. Song indeed understood that arranging a marriage for Song Muyu had been a bit rash.

But she also had no other viable solution.

"Marriage alliances can stabilize the positions of both families, but they may also transfer the opposition from one family to both," Pei Liyan continued.

Mrs. Song froze immediately. "Are you suggesting that the troubles aimed at us this time might have been instigated by an adversary of the Shen Family?"

Pei Liyan offered a cryptic smile, choosing silence.

Qiao Rui also furrowed her brows slightly—what exactly was this guy up to?

Hadn’t he been suspicious of her just moments ago?

And now he’s saying this? Clearly on purpose.

She absolutely didn’t believe Pei Liyan genuinely thought that way. This man’s mindset was endlessly unpredictable, impossible to figure out.

Mrs. Song pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Pei, I’ve learned a lot from this conversation."

"Auntie, you flatter me; I didn’t say anything significant," Pei Liyan responded with a smile.

Mrs. Song shook her head earnestly and expressed gratitude: "Your insights are worth more than a decade of reading."

Pei Liyan smiled again.

Qiao Rui inwardly cursed—he obviously said something, yet managed to give the impression of saying nothing at all. That’s the brilliance of this scheming man.

Song Muyu was equally puzzled.

She exchanged glances with Qiao Rui before looking back at Pei Liyan, silently asking what he was up to.

Qiao Rui offered no verbal response, only a slight smile.

Song Muyu was still processing everything.

Mrs. Song, meanwhile, had regained her composure. She looked at Song Muyu and said, "Muyu, I was a bit anxious today. Take good care of yourself; I’m heading back now."

She gave Pei Liyan and Qiao Rui a faint smile before leaving.

"Auntie, let me see you out," Pei Liyan offered, following her out the door.

Once they had left, Song Muyu immediately lowered her voice and asked, "Why did you come? That’s too risky—what if he catches on?"

"Shh!" Qiao Rui gestured for silence.

Song Muyu froze, a look of suspicion flashing in her eyes as she instinctively glanced toward the door.

Qiao Rui shook her head and raised her voice slightly: "Miss Song, focus on your recovery and don’t overthink. Your health is your own—nothing else matters."

Song Muyu immediately caught on and raised her voice as well: "Thank you for the advice, Mrs. Pei. I will."

After this brief exchange, Qiao Rui stood by silently.

Song Muyu stared at her anxiously, but as soon as their eyes met, she lowered her head, feeling a little guilty.

Regarding her pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage, she hadn’t disclosed anything to Qiao Rui. Now, keeping it under wraps was impossible.

Qiao Rui also stared at her, clearly understanding her thoughts.

She chose not to say a word—anything more would make things unbearable for Muyu.

Right now, Muyu was already pushing herself to her limits.

Although the two were in the room together, neither spoke further.

Outside, Pei Liyan only symbolically escorted Mrs. Song, exchanging a few polite conversations before returning.

His intent was simple—he wanted to give Song Muyu and Qiao Rui room and time to converse.

But it seemed no such conversation had taken place.

After standing at the door for a while, he realized he wasn’t going to overhear anything interesting.

So he pushed the door open and entered.

Both women inside immediately looked up at him.

Pei Liyan announced, "Miss Song, Fang Mo is waiting outside. He’d like to personally apologize to you."

"Forget it," Song Muyu said coldly. "Mr. Pei, there’s no need for your crocodile tears."

Pei Liyan’s brows furrowed slightly, a chilling trace of emotion flickered across his handsome face.

Song Muyu noticed this and didn’t hold back. "Why did you apprehend Qi Yun? What has she ever done to you?"

"Miss Song, if you redirected this level of attitude toward Song Xun, your life could be vastly different," Pei Liyan said nonchalantly.

His words hit Song Muyu straight in the heart, leaving her feeling as if stabbed. The pain nearly suffocated her.

Her attitude toward Song Xun was tied to the debt she owed the Song Family.

Being adopted by them, she had always felt grateful for their care and upbringing.

"Are you here to check on the patient or to lecture people?" Qiao Rui stepped in upon seeing how pale Song Muyu’s face had become. "Why bother coming here to stir things up? You’re unbelievable."

Pei Liyan gave her a meaningful glance, saying, "You and Miss Song certainly hit it off."

"I hit it off with your whole damn family," Qiao Rui retorted bluntly.

Pei Liyan: "..."

Song Muyu couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

She hadn’t expected anyone to effectively counter Pei Liyan’s sharp tongue.

Qiao Rui truly had skill.

"Still able to laugh? Seems the healing process is going well," Pei Liyan remarked toward Song Muyu. "Let Fang Mo in, then!"

With that, he opened the door.

Fang Mo and Si Ran stood at the doorway holding gifts.

Fang Mo’s face was swollen and bruised, to the point of being barely recognizable. At least once upon a time, he had the charm of a handsome young man.

Now, his face was puffed up like a pig’s head.

Seeing Fang Mo’s state, Song Muyu was momentarily dumbfounded, her gaze filled with shock. "Is... is this Assistant Fang?"

"Yes, it’s me," Fang Mo replied with deep embarrassment. "I’m sorry, Miss Song. You were hurt because of me—that’s my fault."

Song Muyu stared at him in bewilderment, then glanced at Pei Liyan and Qiao Rui before her eyes finally settled on Fang Mo.

"This matter has nothing to do with you," she said straightforwardly. "But regarding the apprehension of Qi Yun, I won’t let it slide."

"Then what does Miss Song intend to do?" Pei Liyan retorted.

Song Muyu was enraged by his arrogant attitude. "This score will be settled sooner or later."

"Fine, I’ll be waiting," Pei Liyan said calmly, without resistance. "But before that, I hope Miss Song focuses on recovering."

"Miss Song, this matter was my fault," Fang Mo chimed in quickly when sensing the tense atmosphere between her and the president.

"Assistant Fang, you were just following orders," Song Muyu responded. "I understand your difficulties."

"I don’t have any difficulties," Fang Mo quickly replied.

"Assistant Fang, no need to cover up for President Pei," Song Muyu said bluntly. "By the way, who injured your face?"

Fang Mo froze for a moment and shook his head, repeating, "No one, no one."

"Was it President Pei?" Song Muyu suddenly realized, fixing her gaze on Pei Liyan. "Such cruelty to your subordinates?"

Pei Liyan neither confirmed nor denied.

"No, it wasn’t... it definitely wasn’t the president," Fang Mo shook his head fervently.

Song Muyu surveyed them all, finally settling her gaze on Qiao Rui.

Qiao Rui remained silent.

Pei Liyan explained, "Fang Mo was beaten by Song Xun."

"What?" Song Muyu froze in disbelief that Song Xun would resort to violence.

Pei Liyan nodded seriously.

Song Muyu turned to Qiao Rui.

Qiao Rui nodded slightly as well.

A trace of surprise flashed through Song Muyu’s eyes before she spoke with sudden realization: "President Pei, letting Fang Mo come to apologize, your intent wasn’t solely about the apology, was it?"