This caused Zheng Qian's eyes to widen, leaving her frozen in place.
Yes, Qin Mu had complained to her, but he had never asked her to do anything.
It was she herself who had voluntarily offered to avenge him; he had even "tried to stop" her.
But... was this really her own overthinking?
Seeing Zheng Qian rendered speechless by his retort, Qin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at Bai Xi again with those innocent eyes. "Bai Xi, you saw it too. From beginning to end, I never asked her to do this for me. This was her own initiative, and I never intended to make things difficult for you. I thought you were bullying her, and as her fiancé, I wanted to protect her. But now it seems she provoked you first, so I've decided not to interfere. You can handle it."
With that, he tried to slip away again.
Bai Xi, however, instantly moved to block his path, remaining silent.
Qin Mu grew somewhat flustered. Those innocent eyes flashed again. "I'm sorry, I really didn't know she was provoking you before."
For women, admitting fault and possessing an innocent gaze had always been powerful weapons.
Facing these two formidable individuals, his priority was self-preservation. Once he was away, he would have plenty of opportunities for revenge.
Oh, no, once he left, Bai Xi would surely not let Zheng Qian off the hook. Then, he would feign severe injuries and pretend he had done his best but still failed to protect Zheng Qian, cultivating an image of a devoted lover. This way, he could incite the Zheng family to seek revenge for their daughter.
Then, he would reap the benefits.
These people before him would surely pay with their lives for "killing" Zheng Qian. Not only would the things Zheng Qian had secretly given him go unused, but the Zheng family might also grant him considerable benefits due to his past efforts to protect Zheng Qian.
He was always adept at such deception, shifting all blame onto others to absolve himself of responsibility.
He was never foolish.
"Can I go now?"
Bai Xi's fingers moved slightly, and a lollipop flew out, embedding itself firmly in the floor in front of Qin Mu, just one centimeter from his foot.
Looking into Qin Mu's innocent eyes, her own were filled with icy coldness. "Mr. Qin, before you leave, please explain what Miss Zheng meant by standing up for you."
Before today, Zheng Qian had no grievances with them, yet she deliberately caused trouble. The reason could only be this man before her, wanting to intentionally belittle Tong Yao in front of him to appear better and to show Tong Yao that she was the one most loved by this man.
Initially, she thought Zheng Qian was the instigator, assuming it was a petty competition between women. But now, it seemed...
The true mastermind was Qin Mu.
Qin Mu, perhaps having listened to twisted words in some dark corner, had meticulously crafted an image of himself as a victim, deliberately inciting hatred and conflict between the two women to satisfy his vanity!
If the former was true, it was Zheng Qian's ignorance and short-sightedness.
But now, it was clearly the latter!
Qin Mu deliberately instigated conflict between women to fulfill his vanity, creating an illusion that many women liked him. Relying on Zheng Qian's love for him, he made her stand up for him. In the end, he unexpectedly encountered a tough opponent, and when his pretense failed, he abandoned Zheng Qian and tried to escape.
Hypocritical, libelous, ungrateful, and utterly devoid of responsibility!
Such a person couldn't even be called a scumbag, as that would insult those who merely broke hearts; he was simply human scum.
Qin Mu looked at the lollipop at his feet. The stick of the lollipop had entirely penetrated the milky white porcelain floor, leaving only a round, "orange" head exposed. Even more terrifyingly, the tiles right before his eyes were gradually cracking along the lollipop's path, eventually splitting into a "spiderweb" pattern.
If this thing had been embedded in his foot instead of the ground, what would his foot look like?
If his earlier feelings towards Bai Xi were anger and resentment, now only fear remained.
He looked at Bai Xi's unfazed gaze, cold sweat involuntarily breaking out on his forehead. He had a feeling that if Bai Xi learned the truth today, learned what he had said to slander Tong Yao and her, he might truly "go to hell"!
This woman had been an unapproachable figure at school before.
Had she now become an unspeakable entity in the dark underworld?
The more he thought about it, the more his fear grew. After a long pause, he pointed at Zheng Qian and loudly declared, "It was her, it was all her jealousy. She deliberately misunderstood me and wanted to make things difficult for Tong Yao. Moreover, when she said it, I had already stopped her. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me!"
Zheng Qian was indeed exceptional. Not only did she have the backing of a prominent family, but she was also capable. Among all the women he had "seduced" so far, she was the best.
It was precisely for this reason that he had gotten engaged to her.
Yesterday, upon learning that Tong Yao was coming here to order a dress, he had added fuel to the fire by mentioning this matter.
Firstly, it was to let her know he was highly sought after, making her treat him better and cherish him more.
Secondly, girls were emotional and kind; by portraying himself as a victim, he could easily gain their sympathy, allowing their maternal instincts to overflow and making them treat him better.
Thirdly, he wanted revenge for Tong Yao reporting him to Bai Xi, causing him to lose face in front of the entire school back then.
He had just not expected it to end this way.
But looking at it now, he could only discard Zheng Qian, this stepping stone, and save himself first.
Sacrificing a rook to save the king was a law of survival, and this was the skill of a true man.
Bai Xi glanced calmly at Zheng Qian.
At this moment, Zheng Qian sat on the ground, stunned, as if soulless. The mess of coffee and tea seemed to mock her foolish actions and worthlessness.
Bai Xi hesitated for a second before saying, "There is indeed competition between women, but this kind of competition should be something where effort yields reward, like in studies, work, and careers. Even a beautiful dress is something tangible. But it should never be about men. A man worth having doesn't need to be fought over, and a man who is fought over is absolutely not worth it!"
A man truly capable of loving someone would not let his beloved be hurt and saddened by a third party.
As for men incapable of loving others, only themselves, they would only consider what they could gain from a relationship. Therefore, to maximize their interests, they would be picky, flirt around, and always compare, seeking someone better.
The chance of meeting the former was very small. But if one encountered the latter, it would be eternal damnation.
When Qin Mu first tried to distance himself, Zheng Qian was bewildered. But now, hearing him shift all responsibility onto her for the second time, and hearing Bai Xi's words, she finally woke up.
She had always believed that in his heart, she was special, the one who brought him sunshine and chased away all his gloom.
Because of this, she wanted to sacrifice for her beloved, wanted to stand up for her beloved, and wanted to toy with and bully another girl. But in the end... the clown was herself!
Thinking back, in their relationship, she was always the one who made sacrifices! Even when they were discussing their engagement not long ago, regarding the betrothal gifts, he had said he was in a career-rising phase, with all his money invested in his developing business, painting a grand picture for her, yet very seriously inquiring about the dowry the Zheng family could provide.
She had thought it was his pride, that the Qin family, with its inferior background to the Zheng family, was indeed in financial difficulty.
But now, thinking about it... she had vaguely sensed something, but because of those innocent eyes of his, because of his constant declarations of love, she had chosen to trust him, chosen to deceive herself.
Ha, she, Zheng Qian, was truly ridiculous, the world's biggest fool.
Zheng Qian's smile carried a hint of madness, the surprise and disappointment in her eyes completely transforming into mockery and...
"Hahaha, Qin Mu, you actually say such things! You're such a coward! You said before that the eldest daughter of the Tong family deliberately played with your feelings and then insulted and bullied you after the breakup. I felt sorry for you and wanted to stand up for you. Now I'm the vicious woman with a jealous heart in your words. Looking at it now, what you told me wasn't true either!"
Twisting facts, creating conflict, maliciously inciting hatred, and then evading responsibility!
Was she blind to have fallen for such a man?