Chapter 162 - Greenhouse

Unlike most families, Elder Mo had handed all of his power to Mo Yi. Elder Mo spent his days fishing, drinking tea, playing chess with his friends. His life was enviably carefree. No matter how much they envied Elder Mo's carefree lifestyle, the seniors from the other powerful families couldn't bring themselves to relinquish their power. Power was addicting.

The summer sun was warm. The gathering was held inside a greenhouse. The flowers were in full bloom and the fragrance filled up the venue. The air conditioners kept the place cool for both the plants and the guests.

Since this was a perfect chance for socializing, every powerful family's children and grandchildren were there to socialize. The socialites were out in full force because there were many golden bachelors in attendance.

The elderly sounded very calm as they chatted among themselves but their eyes kept darting towards the juniors both intentionally and unintentionally. It was like they were comparing the quality of meat at the supermarket. After all, there was a very high chance their future son or daughter in law would be at this party. In other words, the heir of their family would be chosen among these juniors.

The art of marriage was a very complex subject especially among the rich and famous. The history of each family, the background of the children, the dark secrets and so on, it was no different from maneuvering a mine field. That was even before taking into account the nature of the marriage, was it going to be purely business, political or in the rarest occasion, based on love?

Mo Li sat to the side and watched the young masters and young misses from the various families mingling with each other. Even though they were all quite young, they knew why they were there and what they had to do.

On the surface, everyone was amiable. However, Mo Li could tell that everyone had their own agenda. The smart ones showed off their results skillfully; while those with less than stellar results crowded around the elders. They were quiet, obedient and ready to please the elderly.

An old madam with painted brow turned to Old Madam Mo and asked in a whisper, "Where's Li Li? Everyone is here, so why can't I see her? I hear she has made her debut as an actor recently. You should get her out here to perform for us."

Old Madam Mo turned to Old Madam Xu and she said proudly, "She is probably occupied playing 3d chess with the master of the house."

"This is such a wonderful party, why are they playing chess? Besides, we both know that girl is not smart enough for even normal chess, much less 3d chess! You sure like to kid with me. We're already old friends, you might be able to fool others with that lie but not me."

Old Madam Mo frowned and was about to counter when Old Madam Xu's grandson came over hugging their newborn son. Old Madam Xu exclaimed proudly, "Grandma Mo, meet our Zheng Er! Isn't he handsome? He's only one years old but his eyes are already so big. The fortune-teller said our Zheng Er is going to have a bright future ahead of him." Then Old Madam Xu paused before adding in a pointed tone, "Grandma Mo, it's good to have the presence of a baby in the house, don't you agree?"

Old Madam Mo smiled. This Old Madam Xu's grandson was about the same age as Mo Yun. He was already married and had a son, whereas Mo Yun didn't even have a girlfriend yet. The intention to mock was clear. Old Madam Mo smiled gracefully and said, "Well, the fortune-teller will always say good things, won't they? In any case, the air conditioner unit here is quite strong. The baby should not be out here lest he gets a cold."

"It's fine, the fortune-teller said that Zheng Er is blessed and has extraordinary talent. A little air-conditioning won't hurt." The boy's father countered as he shared a look with Old Madam Xu.

This performance sure is lacking. It's like they can't hear the garbage coming out from their mouths. Old Madam Mo has to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Is this the same fortune-teller who said you would inherit the family business? But I remember it was your younger brother who took over the business instead. That's why we shouldn't be so superstitious."

The faces of Old Madam Xu and her oldest son froze immediately. They didn't expect Old Madam Mo would be so uncouth to bring up something like that!

Old Madam Xu huffed and told his son, "Go and bring the child to rest then!" Then she glared at Old Madam Mo. This woman has been against me since we were young, even now, she is still trying to put me down.

"Well, where is Mo Li? We're all still waiting for her performance!" Old Madam Xu urged with annoyance in her voice.