The Price of Influence

Mu Yaochen’s only thought was, ‘Luo Yao only had injuries on his hands. As for the rest, I recall they were merely minor scrapes.’

Driven by this thought, Mu Yaochen immediately abandoned her half-finished work on her desk, grabbed her car keys, and prepared to return to the hospital.

The hospital belonged to her family, so Luo Yao could be discharged whenever he wished. Or rather, it was when Mu Yaochen decided Luo Yao should be discharged. Even if Luo Yao’s injuries had fully healed, if Mu Yaochen didn’t want him to leave, he would remain confined within the hospital’s walls.

Whether Luo Yao cared or not was none of Mu Yaochen’s concern.

****

“How incredibly boring,” Su Mengqi muttered, as she ambled aimlessly down the street with Qingwan trailing behind her.

There was still one class left before school officially ended, but Su Mengqi had simply skipped the final period, leaving early.

It wasn’t her first time, after all. Before Luo Yao transferred, Su Mengqi’s disposition had been notoriously troublesome; skipping classes and talking back to teachers were commonplace occurrences. Yet, ever since Luo Yao’s arrival, her personality had softened considerably, largely due to his influence.

But now…

Luo Yao was gone.

With Luo Yao absent, Su Mengqi, who had been adrift in idleness, resumed her habit of truancy. Without him, there was no need to feign being a good student. Besides, leaving school early offered her a chance to clear her head.

However, she was no longer the solitary figure she once was; her personal bodyguard, Qingwan, now followed diligently behind her.

And what if, by some chance, she caught a glimpse of Luo Yao on the streets?

If she hadn’t skipped class and left early that day, she wouldn’t have encountered Luo Yao, who was accompanied by Frost.

She had bought Luo Yao, hadn’t she?

Since he was bought, since he was bought…

The thought of Mu Yaochen’s smug expression made Su Mengqi instinctively clench the hem of her school uniform skirt.

“Miss, where are we headed?” Qingwan inquired, a hint of confusion in her voice as she trailed behind Su Mengqi. She found Su Mengqi’s behavior somewhat perplexing.

Lately, Qingwan had grown quite accustomed to Su Mengqi’s company. After all, familiarity breeds comfort, and Qingwan’s ‘true colors’ were gradually beginning to show.

‘Since we’ve left early, why not just go home and lie down with the air conditioning on?’

In truth, Qingwan was inherently quite lazy. She had been compelled to become Su Mengqi’s bodyguard solely due to family obligations.

However, despite her laziness, she was far from foolish. She understood precisely why Su Mengqi persisted in wandering the streets aimlessly.

For Su Mengqi to encounter the boy she’d seen last time on the street was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, yet since Su Mengqi wished it, Qingwan, as her bodyguard, had no choice but to follow.

‘It’s clearly scorching hot right now; wouldn’t it be better to be at home, enjoying the air conditioning?’

“Let’s just walk,” Su Mengqi replied, “and clear my head.” Su Mengqi knew her actions were, in essence, pointless, yet she still yearned for a distraction.

Though Qingwan harbored some reluctance, since Su Mengqi had spoken, she had no choice but to follow closely behind, ensuring her protection.

“Qingwan, can you find Mu Yaochen’s contact information?” As the two approached the vicinity of Longda Mall, Su Mengqi paused at a traffic light, which had just turned red. Her gaze, somewhat vacant, fixed on the distant Bluebird Tower, a colossal structure that seemed to pierce the clouds.

This striking edifice, like a vast net, seemed to ensnare the very sky above Fanhai City. Within Su Mengqi’s somewhat listless eyes, a flicker of determination ignited.

“Hmm. That will take some time,” Qingwan replied, offering a rather ambiguous answer to Su Mengqi’s request.

‘Seriously, I’m not omnipotent. You can’t just ‘find’ someone like that’s contact details. I’m just a bodyguard, not some kind of special agent.’

At that moment, Qingwan couldn’t help but inwardly grumble about Su Mengqi.

Qingwan simply couldn’t fathom why Su Mengqi was so infatuated with that handsome boy. Given the choice, she would much rather be lounging in bed watching television than chasing after boys.

‘A true lazybones, wouldn’t you agree?’

“Please, I need it now,” Su Mengqi urged, sensing a hint of perfunctoriness in Qingwan’s response.

After all, they had spent a considerable amount of time together.

Regarding Mu Yaochen, Su Mengqi absolutely had to see her. There were certain matters she needed to discuss with Mu Yaochen face-to-face.

Now, Su Mengqi no longer cared whether she and Mu Yaochen were acquainted. Her sole desire was to reclaim Luo Yao from Mu Yaochen’s grasp.

‘Perhaps love truly could transform a person into a humble worm.’

At that moment, the traffic light transitioned from red to green. Pedestrians and vehicles moved in an orderly procession, weaving across the road.

****

“Tingting,” Luo’s Father said, adjusting Luo Tingting’s clothes at the doorstep of their new home, “when you go to school there, you must listen carefully in class and strive for a bright future.”

Meanwhile, at the Luo residence—or rather, the *new* Luo residence—Luo’s Father stood at the entrance, meticulously straightening Luo Tingting’s clothes.

Due to Mu Yaochen’s intervention some time ago, both he and his wife had received significant promotions in their respective jobs. Not only had their salaries substantially increased, but they now also possessed a substantial savings account and a house nestled in the city center. Its location was superb, offering a clear view of the distant Bluebird Tower from the balcony.

Although Luo’s Father understood the price of these gains, he felt a certain helplessness. Consequently, he could only place all his hopes upon Luo Tingting, while silently praying that Luo Yao was faring better now.

Today marked their first day in their new home. Concurrently, thanks to Mu Yaochen, Luo Tingting had been enrolled in a private high school under the Bluebird Group.

Compared to her previous school, this institution boasted infinitely superior educational resources and infrastructure. As such, it was renowned throughout Fanhai City as an ‘aristocratic school.’

Apart from the scions of the Mu family, the student body predominantly comprised individuals from powerful and influential backgrounds, or exceptionally brilliant prodigies. After all, for the sake of the school’s future, it frequently recruited students with outstanding academic achievements.

“Mmm-hmm,” Luo Tingting murmured, her eyes holding a somewhat vacant stare. Ever since the woman named Mu Yaochen had visited their home that day, everything in her life seemed to have irrevocably changed.

Her mother and father, and even she herself, seemed different.

“Tingting, you must seize this opportunity,” Luo’s Mother said, slowly emerging from the living room. Luo Tingting was to transfer schools that afternoon, and on her first day, her mother intended to personally accompany her to complete the enrollment procedures.

“Yes, alright,” Luo Tingting replied, nodding like a puppet. She then stood still, allowing her father to meticulously adjust her school uniform.

Yet, despite the vacantness in her gaze, Luo Tingting’s eyes remained fixed on the distant Bluebird Tower, her mind seemingly lost in profound thought.

‘It appears my family has been completely ensnared by that woman, Mu Yaochen, like an octopus with its tentacles wrapped tightly around what was once a happy home.’