Chapter 168
Having driven away Madam Zhai and given Nie Zhicheng a beating, she could finally have some peace and quiet today.
Qiu Chi didn’t care whether the day’s events would spread. Even if they did and she gained a notorious reputation, it wasn’t a big deal. It would probably mean fewer clueless people would come looking for trouble.
The next day was indeed peaceful for Qiu Chi.
No one from the Zhai or Nie families came to find her.
However, the head of the Yu family, having heard about yesterday’s incident, came to visit. “I was wondering why the Nie family had a change of heart and actually gave you money. It turns out you’re so formidable that you’ve seized control of their lifeline.”
“You’re a busy man. What are you doing here?” Qiu Chi didn’t believe the head of the Yu family was here for a casual chat.
The head of the Yu family smiled. “It’s nothing much. I just feel that it’s not a long-term solution for you to be living in a hotel. Since you have money now, aren’t you planning to find a house?”
Qiu Chi was blunt. “No, I’m not.”
She wouldn’t be staying here for long, so why waste money on a house?
“Since you’re here, let’s continue our business. Do you have any more medicine? I want to buy some.”
The head of the Yu family couldn’t help but frown. “I do, but you already have so much medicine. Why do you still want to buy more? You’re not trying to compete with our Yu family for business, are you?”
He said the last sentence half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Only then did Qiu Chi glance at him. “You’re overthinking it. I have my reasons for buying medicine. You don’t need to concern yourself with my affairs.”
“As long as you’re not competing with my family, it’s fine.”
The head of the Yu family left, and Qiu Chi was once again left in peace.
However, Xuzhou City was now buzzing with excitement.
The news that Qiu Chi had beaten Nie Zhicheng, combined with the previous rumors, spread with incredible speed.
Master Nie looked at Nie Zhicheng, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Madam Nie, on the other hand, looked at Nie Zhicheng’s injuries, her heart aching.
“That Zhai Jiayue, that jinx! She’s gone too far! We did everything she asked, and she still dared to hit Zhicheng. I’m going to settle the score with her right now!”
Nie Yaya chimed in from the side, “Exactly! My brother has nothing to do with her anymore. What business is it of hers that he’s with my new sister-in-law? What right does she have to hit my brother? And she hasn’t even returned all the things she took from our family. We should take more people and get our things back.”
Madam Nie disliked Qiu Chi, but she also disliked Fang Caiyue.
Hearing Nie Yaya mention Fang Caiyue, she couldn’t help but glare at her. “You shut up! I will never agree to Zhicheng marrying her. Fang Caiyue can’t escape responsibility for Zhicheng getting beaten, either. She just stood there and watched my son get hit without helping. What’s the point of marrying a woman like that?”
Nie Yaya pouted and said nothing.
Nie Zhicheng also closed his eyes, not wanting to speak. Normally, he would have continued to tell Madam Nie that he and Fang Caiyue were in true love and that he was determined to marry her.
But thinking about what happened when Qiu Chi hit him, he couldn’t help but feel some resentment toward Fang Caiyue. Besides, his mother was right. He was being beaten right in front of her, so why did she only talk instead of stepping forward to stop it?
Nie Zhicheng’s mind was a mess, and he no longer cared what Madam Nie was saying.
Madam Nie then turned to Master Nie. “Master, it’s been several days. Aren’t you going to get our family’s money back and teach that jinx a good lesson?”
“I want her to pay back double, a hundred times over, for what our Zhicheng suffered at her hands. If you’re still not going to do anything, then I’ll have to find someone to do it myself!”
Master Nie was furious.
He was out there working hard, dealing with the recent gossip and trying to negotiate partnerships, all with the thought of reclaiming his family’s assets and getting revenge on Qiu Chi. Yet, his only son was doing nothing but holding him back.
He felt helpless with his son, but he showed no courtesy to Madam Nie. “What you should be doing now is staying at home quietly and causing me less trouble! Stop thinking about acting on your own and stirring up nonsense. If something really happens, don’t blame me for not considering our past affection.”
“And you, keep a close eye on Zhicheng. He is not to leave the house until his injuries have healed, and he’d better cut off all contact with that Fang Caiyue. If you had watched him properly this time, how could something like this have happened?”
Master Nie was, after all, the head of the family. When he lost his temper, Madam Nie, however reluctant she was in her heart, became obedient on the surface.
After scolding Madam Nie, Master Nie left with a flick of his sleeve. Nie Yaya stood to the side, her eyes darting around.
Nie Yaya wanted Fang Caiyue as her sister-in-law because she also wanted to be a new-era woman, to break into Fang Caiyue’s circle of new-era women and meet some new-era youths.
Although Nie Zhicheng could help with this, she knew her brother’s character all too well.
If it weren’t for Fang Caiyue, her brother wouldn’t even bother with her.
Full of her own little schemes, Nie Yaya went to find Fang Caiyue early the next morning. Her brother was confined to the house, but she wasn’t.
Fang Caiyue looked a little haggard. When Nie Yaya arrived, she was holding a food container, about to head out.
Nie Yaya approached her happily. “Sister-in-law, are you planning to bring my brother some food? But my brother can’t leave the house. I can deliver it to him for you.”
Fang Caiyue forced a smile, her tone gentle. “No, this is a thank-you gift for someone else. Someone went to a lot of trouble to help the other day, so I plan to give him some pastries. If you’re free, Yaya, you can come with me.”
“Okay! Then I should thank him too. I’ll buy some more pastries on the way.”
Fang Caiyue said, “…There’s no need for that. I have enough here. Any more would be a waste.”
As if she couldn’t see Fang Caiyue’s reluctance, Nie Yaya said with innocent naivety, “It won’t be a waste, it won’t be a waste. He helped us, after all, so we should thank him properly. It’s just to try something new. We can throw it away if we can’t finish it. It’s the thought that counts.”
“…Then do as you see fit.”
The person Fang Caiyue wanted to thank was, of course, the meddlesome man from the other day.
She was actually a little afraid of running into Qiu Chi when she went, but then she remembered Qiu Chi saying she wouldn’t hit women. Besides, they had no grievances against each other, so there was no reason for Qiu Chi to hit her. Thus, she mustered her courage and went.
The meddlesome man hadn’t checked out of the hotel yet, so Fang Caiyue’s trip wasn’t in vain.
Upon seeing Fang Caiyue, the man felt a phantom pain in his body, but he endured it to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor.
“Miss, is there something I can help you with?”
Fang Caiyue nodded. “There is something. May I come in to talk?”
The smile on the man’s face froze slightly. He wanted to refuse, but after glancing at Qiu Chi’s room not far away, he eventually stepped back. “Come in and talk.”
Nie Yaya followed beside Fang Caiyue, looking well-behaved and sweet, but in reality, she was discreetly sizing up the man.
And all of this, naturally, did not escape Qiu Chi’s eyes.
Post a Comment