Volume One, Chapter 26: Something's Wrong! Something's Wrong!

"Only those who don't recognize true worth would think it's just throwing away trash." He paused, then continued, his voice much gentler, like a cool summer breeze. "To me, Yu Mo is a treasure." The conviction in his words was undeniable, leaving no room for doubt.

Everyone present turned to look at Yu Mo. Only now did they realize that her face was truly exceptional, outshining every other woman in the room. And that red gown she wore—no matter who else tried it on, none could carry it with such striking yet elegant poise, radiant but never garish. Clearly, there was a reason the young prince favored her so deeply.

Regret swept through the crowd for their earlier prejudice against Yu Mo. The prince was not someone they could afford to offend.

Fu Yanting felt as though he'd been slapped hard, his face burning with shame. He wanted to say something to salvage his dignity, but before he could, Zhu Peng, who had just taken a phone call, collapsed to the ground, limp and helpless. His phone clattered to the floor, still emitting the furious curses of the caller.

"Zhu Peng, how could you provoke the prince? How could you think you could take on the Mu Corporation? Now all the debts of Zhu Jewelry are being called in at once—the bank won't give us any chance to breathe..."

Zhu Peng, on his knees, scrambled desperately to Yu Mo's feet, crying into his phone, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Please, Your Highness, I was wrong! Spare me, spare Zhu Jewelry..." He kowtowed to the phone repeatedly as he pleaded.

Yu Mo looked down at him coldly. Wasn't he the one begging for Zhu Jewelry to go bankrupt just moments ago?

Mu Shaozhou didn't so much as glance at him. Instead, he spoke softly to Yu Mo, "If anything happens, call me directly."

Yu Mo nodded at the masked face on the screen. "Thank you, Mu Shaozhou."

She ended the call. Whatever the others might have been thinking, she had no desire to linger.

"Wait." Lin Hua hurried over, blocking her path. Her face, exquisitely made up, creased slightly as she tried to appear sincerely concerned. "Yu Mo, could you please ask the prince not to be angry with Yanting? He only said those things because he was upset."

Lin Hua certainly didn’t want to receive news of the Fu family’s bankruptcy before she’d even married into it. Though she resented Fu Yanting for his lack of sense and self-control, right now, Yu Mo was her only hope.

Yu Mo met Lin Hua’s earnest gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips. "You’d better tell the prince yourself. Perhaps he’ll be moved by your pity and grant your request."

"Yu Mo!" Lin Hua was so angry she nearly stamped her foot, but with so many people watching, she restrained herself. She turned to Fu Yanting. "Yanting, you’d better apologize to Yu Mo, or if the prince truly gets angry..."

"Enough, Hua," Fu Yanting cut her off, clearly displeased. When had the woman he liked become so calculating? In a situation like this, any real man would have stood his ground. Otherwise, what kind of man would he be? He glared at Lin Hua, jerked his arm away, and made to leave.

Suddenly, Manager Yao rushed out from behind, panting as he hurried to Lin Hua’s side. "Something’s wrong, something’s terribly wrong..."

Lin Hua had never seen Manager Yao so flustered. She steadied herself and spoke coolly, "Manager Yao, what's so urgent? Take your time."

But Manager Yao was far from calm. Before he could speak, Director Huang had already approached Lin Hua, his demeanor barely restrained from slapping her outright. "Lin Hua, what is wrong with you? How dare you take credit for someone else’s achievement?"

Lin Hua froze, her lips, painted a subtle shade, parted slightly. "Director Huang, what’s happened?"

"What’s happened? See for yourself!" Director Huang threw a document onto the floor, his finger trembling with anger. "Tonight’s celebration is canceled, and your management of the pharmaceutical plant is revoked. You needn’t come to the company again!"

With that, Director Huang instructed Manager Yao to handle the necessary procedures. Lin Hua hurriedly picked up the document. As she flipped through it, her expression grew beyond miserable.

It was an authorization letter, clearly naming Yu Mo as the applicant.

Lin Hua nearly collapsed, swaying as she forced herself to remain standing, her mind a tangled mess. Lin Xing had told her to wait for the result—how had the credit ended up with Yu Mo?

She couldn’t hide her dissatisfaction. "Director Huang, where did this document come from?" Impossible!

She refused to believe it. Yu Mo had already offended Lin Xing—how could she possibly have obtained the authorization? Even if Lin Xing had agreed, the approval couldn’t have come through so quickly; the process would take at least three days. Someone must have forged this document.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. She pointed accusingly at Yu Mo and declared, "It was Yu Mo! She must have forged it. Director Huang, you don’t know—at her first meeting with Lin Xing, she already offended him, so there’s no way she could have received the authorization!"

She spoke with such certainty that Director Huang hesitated. Indeed, Yu Mo slapping Lin Xing was well-known in the boardroom. For her to secure the authorization seemed unlikely. Yet, there was Yu Mo’s name on the document.

While Director Huang faltered, Lin Hua had already confronted Yu Mo, her eyes reddening with unshed tears. "Yu Mo, why would you forge the authorization?"

Yu Mo had already overheard Director Huang’s words. She hadn't even had time to leave before stumbling upon this dramatic turn.

Folding her arms, Yu Mo took the document from Lin Hua and glanced at it, the corners of her lips curling. So this was the grand gift Lin Xing had spoken of.

Though she found Lin Xing himself unlikable, she had to admit he’d handled this matter to her complete satisfaction.

With a mocking shrug and an innocent expression, Yu Mo turned to Director Huang. "If you really think I forged this document, then show me the evidence. If you can prove it, I’ll accept my punishment and go to jail myself."

Her steady tone brought Director Huang back to his senses. He glared at Lin Hua, "Lin Hua, do you really think anyone can just forge such a document?"

Lin Hua began to tremble, pulling out her phone. "I’ll call Lin Xing right now."

"Are you looking for me?" came a clear, magnetic male voice.