The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 944 - 943: Weilan and Ya Qiao Join Forces?

Chapter 944: Chapter 943: Weilan and Ya Qiao Join Forces?

Seated on the sofa and leisurely reading a book, Xiao Qimo’s face instantly darkened.

A moment ago, he’d been mocking Yu Ren’s low net worth, but now, he’d been turned on his head by him.

Sh*t!

He’d just shot himself in the foot!

Lu Mian put her phone away and sent out a text message.

Mo Si, holding a plate of fruit, curiously approached. "Miss Lu, how much money does MM Ji Restaurant make in a month?"

While typing a complex piece of code, Lu Mian paused for a moment to recall.

"The Wucheng branch’s net profit averages a bit over 20 million per month. The Jinjing branch, since its trial operation till now, nets 8 to 10 million a day. Handsome Yu, my partner, and I split the earnings forty/sixty—he takes sixty, I take forty."

Listening to Lu Mian, Mo Si’s little head quickly calculated, the math clattering in her brain until she started getting a headache.

"So, Boss Yu’s net income is over four million a day?" Mo Si, who had just been mocking Yu Ren earlier, was now so shocked that she couldn’t even get a word in edgewise.

She knew MM Ji was profitable, but not *this* profitable!

Just look at that net profit!

Lu Yutian offering a one-million-annual salary to poach someone?

You’d have to be a fool to go!

Mo Si gazed obsessively at Lu Mian’s calm side profile, inwardly thinking: The hope that Mo Nie has for Miss Lu’s net worth to surpass Mo Ye’s... honestly looks pretty realistic!

But if memory served her right, the last time she attended an auction, Miss Lu’s net worth was already quite high—at least at the premium member level. In other words, there’s no way she’s just earning from one restaurant!

"Miss Lu, do you have other ways of making money? Could you, like, take me along and show me the ropes?" Mo Si eagerly knelt, offering her metaphorical knee in submission.

With her now-favored position, surely Miss Lu would help her take off!

Lu Mian glanced coolly down at Mo Si. "I do have other means. However..."

She smiled faintly, soft yet with an edge of frost. "Considering that you just mocked Yu Ren, I won’t teach you."

Nearby, Mo Ye, who was texting on his phone, froze mid-typing.

It felt like he’d just been indirectly called out...

The refined man pushed his glasses up silently, looking away with a slight shift of his head.

Mo Si: ...

So, the friends around Miss Lu are basically untouchable, uncompromisable boundaries, huh?!

*Cue dramatic cry.*

"Miss Lu, I was wrong! I promise from now on..." Mo Si was just about to cling to Lu Mian’s leg, tearfully vowing that she’d never mock Yu Ren again, never show any disrespect to their group.

But before she could finish, she was stopped cold by a trademark deadly glare from Mo Ye.

The warning in his eyes was crystal clear.

If she uttered another syllable, her fifty-thousand-a-month salary would be out the window.

Reluctantly, Mo Si dusted off her knees and stood, her slightly bent posture reflecting the inner turmoil of her conflicted thoughts.

——

Over at the Watson Group, another unexpected issue had cropped up.

Looking at the latest emergency message from headquarters, Saino was at a loss for words.

"What’s happening now? Why are there issues again with Ya Qiao and the Azure Group? What did we even do wrong?!"

His face was the picture of innocence, still clueless as to what mistake they’d made.

Walking back and forth, Saino finally decided with resolute determination and said to his assistant, "We *must* expedite our collaboration with MM Ji. We absolutely need to win over Mr. Ya Qiao!"

The assistant nodded in quick succession. "Yes, yes, yes. I’ll immediately investigate what Miss Lu likes and put extra effort into currying her favor. That can’t go wrong!"

Saino nodded firmly. "Get on it right now!"

——

At Huo Corporation.

Occasionally, Xiao Qimo would stop by to check on things.

Today, while at the company, he passed by Mo Nie’s office and witnessed a rather bizarre scene.

"August 23rd... August 23rd..." Mo Nie sat muttering incessantly to his phone screen, chanting as though reciting some strange incantation.

Xiao Qimo knocked on the office door, prompting Mo Nie to slap the pause button before respectfully rising to greet him. "Sir, you’re here."

Xiao Qimo narrowed his eyes slightly. "What were you just doing?"

"Miss Lu told me to do this! She said if I recite ’August 23rd’ a hundred times a day, my wishes would come true."

Xiao Qimo’s mouth twitched. Though it sounded a bit ridiculous, he didn’t comment further.

It’s not that he was lenient with his subordinates—he was just indulging Lu Mian.

With a somewhat nervous laugh, Mo Nie added, "Sir, my wish is for us to successfully acquire Hengzhong Real Estate from Ya Qiao. I’m really curious—will Miss Lu’s method actually work?"

Xiao Qimo’s lips curled in faint amusement as he patted Mo Nie on the shoulder. "Good luck."

He then returned to his own office.

Not long after, his phone rang—it was Mo Lei.

"Sir, I’ve received some very interesting news," Mo Lei began.

From the rhythmic sounds of computer keys on the other end, Xiao Qimo could tell Mo Lei was calculating again.

"What news?"

Mo Lei lowered his voice conspiratorially, "Sir, are you collaborating with Ya Qiao?"

"..." Xiao Qimo let out a cold chuckle. "No. I’m also looking for him."

"That’s odd. I got wind from the Watson side that Ya Qiao seems to be pressuring them as well. It looks like something’s happening with their stocks—overnight, they lost billions in value. But then, some of it was regained, like it was a warning scare. Watson Group’s definitely rattled this time."

Hearing the intel, Xiao Qimo furrowed his brows slightly, his expression grim.

"So, Ya Qiao made a move too..." he muttered under his breath.

Yu Ren had called earlier, telling him Watson still refused to give up, so he’d used Azure Group’s name to withdraw a prospective deal they were negotiating with Watson.

The initial intention had been to use Azure to apply pressure on Watson, forcing them to stop pestering MM Ji. He never expected Ya Qiao to intervene as well.

So, does that mean...Ya Qiao’s relationship with Mianmian...

"Sir? Sir?" came Mo Lei’s voice, snapping him out of his thoughts. The sound of the calculator paused as Mo Lei, suddenly excited, made a bold suggestion. "Sir, why don’t you team up with Ya Qiao and swallow up Watson Group together? With your combined power, it’s guaranteed to work! Once you two split up Watson’s pie, your wealth will skyrocket!"

Xiao Qimo listened to his subordinate’s sincere proposal, but his tone dipped darkly.

"Do you think, after it’s done, Ya Qiao might turn around and bite back, swallowing Azure in the process?"

Mo Lei, a cash-hoarding miser focused solely on profits, clearly hadn’t considered such scenarios.

But what if Ya Qiao was a potential rival for Mianmian’s affection?

Work together with a love rival?

Not a chance!

Confused and bewildered by Mo Ye’s reaction, Mo Lei disconnected the call, muttering to herself—what was going on? Getting too big for his britches? Passing up a lucrative deal?

——

After wrapping up his calls, Xiao Qimo noticed Mo Nie dutifully completing his daily chant quota.

Mo Nie promptly rushed to the doorway of Xiao Qimo’s office and boldly—and cluelessly—posed a question. "Sir, if Miss Lu’s strategy actually works, does that mean she might’ve privately said something to Ya Qiao?"

"...."

He clicked his tongue in irritation. "So, what’s Miss Lu’s connection with Ya Qiao anyway? I mean, how close must they be for Ya Qiao to willingly give up such prime real estate?"

Xiao Qimo’s sharp gaze darkened, and without a word, he picked up a file and flung it sharply in Mo Nie’s direction. "Out."

——

That evening, an unsettled Xiao Qimo returned to Yijing Residence.

Lu Mian was engrossed in debugging Little Sansan’s system.

Without a word, Xiao Qimo yanked Little Sansan’s power plug. The robot shut down completely before it could even let out a whimper.

"Mianmian..." The grown man uncharacteristically hugged her from behind, his voice full of grievance. "I have a question I need to ask you..."