Mr. Devil, You'd Better Let Me Go

In the bar of Dark Night, two women pushed through the wantonly dancing crowd. They shoved the couples grinding against each other as they narrowed their eyes at every corner of the room.

"Have you found her, Bella?" the woman shouted.

"No. You, Zoe?"

Zoe Mu shook her head. The worry on her face was self-evident. As she searched through the crowd once more, her eyes flashed in indescribable anger.

"Follow me." Without another word, Zoe Mu dragged Bella back into the crowd once more.

The music echoed throughout the club, and as they neared the center of the dance floor, the sound became even louder.

"Where are we going?" Bella followed behind her.

"We might as well go straight to the person in charge of this place." Zoe Mu's face was ice cold, and it was void of any emotion.

"But..." "But what? Don't you even know where we are, Bella?

If we couldn't find her here, then she must be..." Zoe Mu trailed off, clenching her fists.

Bella knew exactly what she wanted to say. In the city where they lived in, these bars were known for their loud music and lustful entertainment, especially the Dark Night. It was a lake filled with vices. At that thought, Bella almost failed to hold back her tears. "Where is Daisy?" she murmured to herself.

There was no time to dilly-dally. Zoe Mu quickened her pace as Bella followed her closely.

In one of the VIP rooms in the Dark Night, the atmosphere was somewhat quiet. It was a contrast to the bustling music and rubbing bodies outside. There were only two men sitting on the sofa as they shared an extremely expensive bottle of wine.

"What are you going to do, Larry?"

Larry Mo swirled the glass in his fingertips. The bright red liquid reflected the luminous light, showing its colored beauty. Even then, it still couldn't match up to the man holding the glass. His face was enough to captivate the entire room. What was more, there was something in his eyes that added a mysterious effect to his posture. He was the kind of man that everyone would admire from afar, but no one would dare approach.

"The three years has come to an end. I want them to pay the price that they'll never forget." His fingertips slid against the glass, and a hint of malicious light flashed in his eyes.

Sitting beside him, Nathan Han didn't bother to say anything more. Besides, whatever he said, he knew nothing would be able to stop Larry Mo.

The door suddenly opened and several women came bustling in. "Mr. Mo, Mr. Han, these girls are our best. I've specially sent them to you for your enjoyment," a woman said softly, clapping her hands. "Hurry up and go serve them!" As soon as the older woman had finished, they quickly crowded over the two men and wiggled their enchanting bodies for both of them to enjoy. They twisted their hips to the beat as they waved their hands up in the air. Only one woman was still standing there.

Daisy Lin had never been to this place before. When she heard the familiar name, she begged her sister to let her come here. Although she had already made up her mind, she was still a little scared of what was to come.

Larry Mo gazed at her who was just standing there. She was pretty, but for a man who had seen all kinds of beautiful women, she was plain and average. However, she dressed far differently from other women. Sneering at the sight, he thought, 'She's probably the newcomer.'

"Come here," he ordered.

"Me?" Daisy Lin pointed at herself in a panic.

Larry Mo patted the empty seat beside him. Nathan Han was amused by this scene. It seemed that there was a good show awaiting them tonight.

Staring at the extremely handsome man, Daisy Lin's hands shook. She slowly walked towards him.

The mockery in Larry Mo's face was evident. Such a woman didn't deserve to dress so conservatively. "Take that off." His voice echoed across the room as soon as Daisy Lin sat down.

She immediately shrank back from his gaze. Her fingers trembled as she tugged the fabric of her clothes. This was the first time she had done this, and she wasn't comfortable being stared at by the man.

"Don't you even know what you're doing here?" Larry Mo stared at her. "Do you need my help?"

His glare made her stiffen. After calming herself down at the thought of earning more money, Daisy Lin bit her lip and pulled herself together.

Larry Mo simply watched her.

"I'm looking for Daisy. Where is she?" Zoe Mu went straight to the manager.

People around them wanted to stop the woman, but they were quickly quieted down by the manager. He nodded automatically. "I'll check it for you, Miss Zoe."

"Hurry up," she snapped, annoying the people around her.

Bella smiled at the others, trying to smoothen the waters. "Thank you," she added. She tugged on Zoe's sleeve, indicating her to be more polite. One look at Bella's face, she sighed and tried her best to reel in her anxiety.

"Go straight and turn left. You'll see a VIP room at the top floor, but..." Before the manager could even finish his words, Zoe had already dragged Bella away. The manager stared at their retreating figures helplessly.

"Why are you being so polite to her, sir?" a man asked indignantly.

"Do you know who she is?"

The man shook his head.

"She is the daughter of the Mu Group," the manager said.

The Mu Group was one of the most well-known families in the city. After the union with the Gu Family, they rose to an even higher level. The Mu Group and the Mo Group were the two pillars holding the economic sustainability of the city. They were the people that shouldn't be provoked.

Knowing this, the manager was a little worried. His boss had urged him not to get involved with the grudge between the Mu Group and the Mo Group. It was rumored that the two were at odds. He could only hope that his bar wouldn't be dragged into their spat.

"Well? Don't you understand what I just said?" The woman in front of Larry still continued to sit there, as if she had been frozen into place.

"Do you want me to help you?" Without even giving Daisy a chance to respond, Larry grabbed the collar of her clothes. She yelped in surprise. Just as the fabric was about to tear, the door was slammed open.

Everyone's eyes were fixated at the door. Daisy stared at the two people in disbelief.

The first thing Zoe saw was that Larry was holding onto Daisy's clothes so wantonly. The anger coursing through her system was ignited. She stomped towards him.

"Well? Are you new here too?" Larry asked sarcastically.

Zoe's eyes flashed in anger. Without saying a word, she picked up a glass of red wine and poured it all on Larry's head. Nathan Han's jaw dropped at the sight. However, upon looking at who the woman was, he could only stare at the scene in amusement.

"Do you know what you have done?" Larry demanded. Zoe was stunned at first, but she slowly allowed herself to smile. "Yes, I do," she stated. "It's well-deserved waste.

Let's go." Zoe pulled Daisy out of the sofa with all her strength. The woman was about to say something else, but she knew that it wasn't the right time to refuse her.

Bella nodded apologetically at the two men before she quickly caught up with the other two.

"Mr. Mo, are you okay?" After watching their retreating figures, the other women gathered around Larry to wipe off the stains from his clothes.

"Fuck off!" he said coldly.

"You may leave now," Nathan ordered. He handed a towel to Larry before watching the other women got out of the room.

"You should know who she is." Although Zoe didn't show up on any magazines and the Mu Family had made sure to keep her from the outside world, Zoe was still familiar to the upper class circle, given her attendance in banquets and cocktails.

"This is interesting." Larry allowed himself to smile as he stared at the door in front of him.

There was something about his smile that made everyone wish they had an early death.

"Let go of me, Zoe," Daisy snapped as she got dragged out of the club.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Zoe finally loosened her hold on the woman.

"Are you that desperate for money?" Daisy gritted her teeth. She rubbed her aching wrists. "Yes! I'm that desperate for money. Just because you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth, it doesn't mean you get to boss me around!"

"What the hell are you talking about? What? Just because we're rich, we have absolutely no idea what's going on with you, right? So we could just watch you whore yourself around? Is that right?" Zoe yelled.

Daisy didn't say anything in response.

"Shut up, Zoe," Bella interrupted.

"Me? Or her?" Zoe pointed at Daisy.

"We've been trying so hard to take care of your self-esteem. When we heard what had happened to you, we rushed here regardless of the consequences. Tell me, is that because we know nothing? Is that because we don't care?"

"I didn't ask you to come here."

"That's right. I'm just a heartless bitch. You know what? You're right. Why should we be worried about you? If you still want to throw yourself at that man, then be my guess." Zoe stomped out of her way. The sound of her heels tapping against the concrete broke Daisy's heart.

Bella glanced at Zoe's retreating figure before gazing at Daisy. "You know how she is. She may have a sharp tongue, but she has a soft heart. She was supposed to have dinner with her sister-in-law, you know. But when Zoe heard you were going to the Dark Night, she dropped everything and spent the next hours looking for you."

Daisy lowered her head in shame.

"We all know that you didn't come from a rich family, but even then, we still treat you as our equal. Whenever you get into trouble, you've seen how Zoe acts when it comes to you. Please don't misunderstand her. You are our friend," she said sincerely.

"I know, Bella. You can go see Zoe. I won't do that again."

Bella nodded in reply. She knew that Daisy needed some time to calm herself down, so she left her alone before going after Zoe.

Watching the pair's receding figures, Daisy clenched her fists. She knew that what Bella had said was true, but she still couldn't help but feel inferior to the two women, especially when they tried to give her some money. All she ever wanted was to be regarded as their equal, no matter what.

When Zoe was home, Zack Mu was sitting on the sofa. She furrowed her eyebrows, as she tried to look for Kate Gu. "Is my sister-in-law angry?"

"Not at all," Zack Mu smiled softly. "Have you finished your work?"

She shook her head, not bothering to tell him about Daisy.

"Please extend my apologies to Kate." Zoe and Kate Gu didn't get along very well with each other. They were supposed to have dinner together tonight, but Zoe left as soon as Kate Gu had arrived. In all honesty, Zoe actually liked her sister-in-law. Kate Gu was quiet and elegant, and she reminded Zoe of her deceased mother. Maybe it was because of this that Zoe was naturally more distant to her, afraid that the woman would remind her too much of the past.

When she walked past Paul Mu's study, she could see that he wasn't there. She sneered. He never came back home to be with them. What was the point of having such a large mansion if they couldn't even see each other? Daisy thought that Zoe had such a good family background, but she had no idea how much it hurt to be under the spotlight. How could she ever understand the numbness that Zoe felt every time she attended each banquet? How could she ever understand the feeling of loneliness? It seemed, this was the battle that Zoe had to face alone.

Staring at the documents in his hand, the gentleness in Zack Mu's eyes disappeared in an instant.

In the morning, when Zoe arrived at school, Bella caught up with her. "You went too far yesterday," she lectured. "You shouldn't be too harsh on her."

"I know that, but why didn't she tell us in advance? We could've been there to help her."

Bella sighed. Although her friend could be harsh, she had always been soft-hearted.

Upon seeing them, Daisy caught up to them. "I'm sorry for what I did yesterday."

Zoe shrugged. "I'm sorry for what I said too." Although her voice held a notion of indifference, her eyes told another story.

"Okay, now that's over." Bella quickly grabbed their hands and cheered. Zoe and Daisy shared a smile. It was as if every one of their problems had vanished. What they didn't know was that this was only the calm before the storm.

Looking at the smiles on their faces, Larry gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to destroy them.

"What brings you here, Mr. Mo?" The headmaster nodded and bowed to the man in front of him.

"It's simple. The Mo Group is looking to recruit new actors. I wanted to see if the headmaster has any suitable candidate in mind," Larry said casually.

"This school is the best art school in the city. I'm sure that you'll be satisfied with the caliber of our students." The headmaster clasped his hands together. Everyone knew for a fact that Larry was a very influential man in the entertainment circle. Every artist that the Mo Group had managed had become famous overnight.

"But..." The headmaster looked up, afraid that the man would change his mind. "But what?"

"I have a few requirements."

"Mr. Mo, you can have a dozen requests if you please." However, when he heard his request, the headmaster froze.

"She–she has potential!"

the headmaster stuttered out.

"Is there a problem?" Larry raised an eyebrow.

"No problem, absolutely no problem." The headmaster broke out in cold sweat under Larry's gaze.

"I'll wait and see." The bait had been thrown. Now, all Larry needed to do was to sit back and wait.

When Randal Shen came to pick up Zoe, she couldn't help but gaze at his formal clothes. "What's wrong?" He would never wear such formal attire unless they needed to attend something.

"Uncle Paul and Zack wants to see me."

"Why?" Zoe frowned.

"I guess we'll know when we get there."

"I'll head back now." Zoe scratched the back of her neck as she glanced at Bella and Daisy. Randall Shen smiled gracefully at them.

There was a hint of attachment in Daisy's eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

"I hope everything goes well with them," Bella mused. Although they didn't love each other, Randall Shen was a decent man. Bella could only wish the best for the couple.

The car that was supposed to pick Bella up had also arrived. "I'll be leaving now too."

Daisy nodded. As she watched the cars leave, she walked towards the dormitory building alone. Just as she was halfway through, her phone rang. When she saw the familiar number popping up into her screen, she could feel her heart clenched.

"What do you want?" she answered bitterly.

"Is that the way you talk to your father?" a drunken man slurred.

"Are you even my father?" Daisy snorted.

"Look, just raise the money for me. I'm being chased by these men again."

"Money! Is that all you know? I'm not your ATM! If you want some money, then you can go get it yourself!" After ruthlessly hanging up the phone, Daisy leaned against the wall as she hugged herself. Why was she born in such an unlucky family? Why did she have a father who cared about nothing but alcohol? Why was she so poor? Couldn't she have a gentle man she could rely on? At the thought, tears ran down her cheeks.

It was rare for Zoe to see both her father and her brother at home.

"What's going on?" Back then, they had never interfered with her relationship with Randal. Why would they want to see him today? Plus, they were dressed so formally at home. Zoe stared at her father as if she was looking at a stranger.

"Have a seat," Paul said gently. He didn't really bother to retort at Zoe for her attitude. He had been used to it.

"You've already been dating for a period of time, right? I think it's about time that you settled down."

The couple froze.

Zoe was the first one to react. Her shoulders trembled violently as she bit back a bitter laugh. "No wonder you decided to show up. It's not because you cared about me, but it's because you wanted me to settle down. That way, I wouldn't be troubling you, is that right?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe then you can enjoy your time with your lovers, but don't even think that I'll let you get away with it! I still remember how my mother died." Despair etched itself across her face.

"Zoe!" Zack snapped, stopping her. "Randal's here."

"Oh, please! There's no point in hiding such a thing from him. Besides, the old man has the guts to do it, but he doesn't have the nerve to let anyone know? Shameless!" Zoe cried out, pointing at her so-called father.

"Enough! Don't say another word." The seriousness in Zack's tone made her face fall completely.

"So, I'm guessing you agree with him? That you think I'm just trouble in this household? Well, so be it!" Not giving them another chance to convince her otherwise, Zoe stalked out of the house.

Randal wanted to chase after her, but Zack had already requested that someone else would follow his sister. Seeing this, the man leaned back against the couch.

"I'm sorry, Randal," Paul apologized. Although he had been used to his daughter's hatred, her words still stung.

"It doesn't matter. I know that Zoe could be a little bit overbearing, but why did this come up?" Randal actually liked Zoe, but he could tell that something was off about the sudden engagement. His instinct told the right story.

Zack turned to look at Randal. He was several years younger than him, but he was also two years older than Zoe. "I think you already know what has happened. Although the Mu Group has an influential position in this city, things have changed. Now, we're suffering from cash flow problems."

Randal understood what was going on. After all, the Shen Group and the Mu Group had some partnerships together. He knew that the Mu Group's development over the years had been stunted, but it still held an important position in the business circle. "What's going on?"

"Our funds are being roped in banks both locally and internationally," Zack said honestly.

"Who did it?" Randal asked in disbelief. If their capital was being roped in, then it meant that the Mu Group had been set up.

"Mo Group!" Zack spat.

Hearing this, Randal frowned. Although he had never met the Mo Group's CEO, he knew that the Mo Group was also a family enterprise like the Mu Group. The Mo Group had expanded more and more ever since Larry Mo took over. The man was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Even then, there seemed to be no involvement or competition within the two groups, so why would he do such a thing? "Is it..."

Zack nodded. He still remembered the frivolous look on the man's face when he caught sight on him. Larry promised that he would give the Mu Group's money back if he could get Zoe. The determined smile on the man's face stunned Zack.

Larry had taken over the Mo Group for just three years. He was an admirable and ambitious man. Some might say he was a good match for Zoe. Zack thought that they had no conflict with the Mo Group, but Larry told him there were many stories happening between their families, flashing a cold sneer. Zack couldn't figure out what his family had done to offend him, but there was something in Larry's eyes that demanded vengeance. He was sure that he wanted Zoe not because he liked her but because he wanted to take advantage of his sister. Zack couldn't just hand off her sister like a pig for slaughter, but no matter what he did, it seemed that he just underestimated Larry at the end of the day.

"I'll talk to her," Randal said.

"There's still a wound in Zoe's heart regarding our mother, but I trust that you'll take care of her," Zack explained. Paul simply listened quietly. He didn't behave like the head of the family in front of Zack because he owed the two too much.

Originally, Zoe wanted to call Bella or Daisy, but considering her situation, she didn't want to burden them with her troubles.

"I want somewhere I could drink," she ordered her driver. Surprisingly, he stopped by the doors of the Dark Night. What a coincidence!

The same manager she had spoken to last night came up to greet her, "Miss Mu, what brings you here?"

"I want to drink," she snapped.

"You came here alone, Miss Mu?"

"Is there any problem?" She cocked up an eyebrow, and the manager shrank under her gaze.

"Of course not. Take Miss Mu to the private room." Zoe followed the waiters in front of her.

Once she was out of sight, the manager quickly called up Zack to tell him of his sister's location.

Zack simply nodded. He also had the same resentment against his father after what had happened three years ago, but unlike his sister, he just wasn't vocal about it.

"I heard that the Mu Group is going to unite with the Shen Group by marriage," Nathan said.

"Do they really think it's that easy to get rid of me?" Larry snorted. There was no way he was going to release his stronghold around the Mu Group. He would let them starve little by little until they had no other choice but to give up. Thinking of that, he allowed a smile to carve the corners of his lips.

Zoe didn't know how she got back. When she woke up, she found that she was already in her room. She frowned and winced from the headache. Just as she was about to head to the kitchen, Kate blocked her way. She had a bowl of soup in her hands.

"Kate."

She gazed at Zoe coldly before placing the bowl of soup in her room. "You're already an adult. Don't let your brother worry about you like this in the future."

"I'm sorry," Zoe apologized, lowering her head.

"Just drink the soup. Your brother and father are simply doing what's best for you. There are just some things that you can't judge based on what you know."

Hearing that, Zoe was stunned and didn't say anything. She was obedient in front of Kate.

"Did you say anything to her?" Just as Kate walked downstairs, Zack met up with her.

"What else can I say?" She sighed. "If you just told her the truth, then she might be able to understand more."

"If we tell her that the company is being threatened by Larry Mo, what do you think she is going to do?" Zack countered, sighing.

"When Zoe was ten years old, she witnessed our mother's death. Although she's cold and indifferent, she's still traumatized by what had happened." There was guilt laced in his voice. Zack hated that he couldn't help her.

"I know, but you shouldn't spoil her too much." Kate placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's an adult. She should know about these things."

Zack was afraid that his sister would bear all the losses in the end, so he let Randal take care of her. In his opinion, the younger man would be able to protect Zoe. Unfortunately, Zack had been too simple-minded, and he had to pay the price in the end.