Hearing Xiao Yufan’s words, Qiao Meng’s body stiffened abruptly, halting in her tracks. Although she might not fear Qiao Chuxi, deep down, she harbored genuine fear toward Xiao Yufan…
“You should know that I dislike laying hands on women. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have left so peacefully that time. However, disliking it doesn’t mean I won’t do it!”
His cold voice concealed a deadly intent. Xiao Yufan knew this woman understood exactly what he meant. Back then, he had only dealt with that wealthy man thoroughly but had spared her.
Their conversation left Qiao Chuxi somewhat confused. However, she trusted this man’s judgment. Besides, if she had to resolve things herself, she honestly wouldn’t have known how to handle her cousin.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to apologize. I can just hand you over to the police and see how many years they’ll sentence you for intentional harm. If you end up behind bars, your father will surely be implicated too…”
Before Qiao Meng could speak, Xiao Yufan continued. He accurately gauged this woman’s psychology.
At this moment, no one was more conflicted than Qiao Meng. She absolutely refused to apologize because she hadn’t done anything wrong. Qiao Chuxi had left her with nothing, and she wanted to reclaim everything. However, if she didn’t apologize, Xiao Yufan would certainly follow through on his threat.
She knew about Bai Xiaozhuo’s power—one legendary man who still seemed restrained in front of Xiao Yufan. How could she possibly dare to provoke him?
“Sorry…”
She mumbled reluctantly without even turning around. Right now, she only wished to leave as soon as possible. When had she ever endured such treatment, being surrounded and pointed at by a crowd?
“Are you really incapable of apologizing?”
Qiao Meng clearly showed no sincerity. Xiao Yufan sneered coldly. Truthfully, she should feel fortunate. Fortunately, Qiao Chuxi wasn’t officially his woman yet—if she were, Qiao Meng wouldn’t deserve to die even a hundred times over…
“I acted foolishly and made a mistake. I hope Miss Qiao can forgive me this once, and I promise never to do it again!”
Under Xiao Yufan’s icy gaze, Qiao Meng’s mental defenses gradually crumbled. It was true that she wanted Qiao Chuxi to suffer, but not to the point of sacrificing everything. For the first time, she felt a bone-deep chill…
“If these words come from your heart, I accept your apology. If you wish to return to Qiao Corporation, you may continue working there!”
Only now did Qiao Chuxi slowly respond. Watching Qiao Meng, now thoroughly subdued, she suddenly felt a sense of relief. Was it because of Xiao Yufan’s presence? She wasn’t sure.
But she realized she might have been overly harsh, twisting Qiao Meng’s heart into this state. If she allowed this woman to return to the company, things might improve. After all, her patron was gone, and she posed no threat to the Qiao family anymore.
“Really? You’d let me return to the company?”
Qiao Meng hadn’t expected Qiao Chuxi to be so kind-hearted. All she had wanted was to enhance her presence within the Qiao family. No one could understand the feeling of constantly being overshadowed by another woman.
“I’ll give you six months. If you can manage that company well, I’ll consider giving it back to you…”
Smiling gently, Qiao Chuxi resumed her goddess-like image in the eyes of everyone in Linjiang. A pleasing curve lifted her lips. Her soft-spoken words, however, stirred waves in Qiao Meng’s heart. Wasn’t this exactly the outcome she had desired?
“I hope Miss Qiao can keep your word…”
Though excited, Qiao Meng struggled to control her emotions. She wasn’t stupid—merely overshadowed by Qiao Chuxi’s brilliance. She was fully capable of managing the company even better than before.
“Once spoken, a word cannot be recalled by four galloping horses. You may doubt my words now, but you’ll soon see the results!”
Thus, their feud dissolved. Qiao Chuxi exhaled in relief. Watching Qiao Meng’s retreating figure, her smile deepened. This woman was ultimately too soft-hearted, unlike the rest of the Qiao family, because she valued emotional bonds highly.
“I never imagined Miss Qiao could have such a soft side. I thought you were always like an unyielding block of ice, impervious to any warmth…”
Xiao Yufan’s smile carried a hint of oddity. He hadn’t known this woman as well as he imagined. At least, he rarely saw this other side of her. Yet at this moment, she exuded an intangible charm.
“That’s only when dealing with hooligans and perverts that I become like a block of ice. As for others, I can be very kind…”
Thinking about Xiao Yufan’s past behavior, her temper flared again. Seeing Jiang Rou beside Xiao Yufan, she felt even more displeased. Why did this playboy always have so many outstanding women around him? She wasn’t inferior to them either.
For the first time, Qiao Chuxi admitted to herself that she was truly jealous. If her feelings hadn’t been too obvious regarding Qingluan and Tianxuan before, seeing Jiang Rou now had touched the most tender part of her heart.
Jiang Rou’s beautiful eyes had been fixed on the two of them. Hearing the teasing in Qiao Chuxi’s tone, she seemed to understand something. Brother Fan must be quite fickle indeed. Besides those excellent women, he even had such a charming companion in Linjiang.
However, she felt no resentment. In her view, even being with Xiao Yufan would technically be a third-party intrusion. Whether she was the third, fourth, or fifth woman, didn’t matter much to her.
“Did someone call for a rogue? I don’t think so. I’m also ‘someone,’ right? Can’t you treat me a bit more kindly?”
“No way!”
Qiao Chuxi rejected him decisively, clearly unwilling to be swayed by Xiao Yufan’s charm. Although she didn’t know exactly what her grandfather had said to this guy last time, she was pretty sure of the general idea—her grandfather must have summoned him regarding their relationship.
Qiao Chuxi had always believed there was nothing she couldn’t obtain. However, meeting Xiao Yufan gradually dissolved this belief. She didn’t know why, but the two of them had been going around in circles all along…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage