"This house was left to you by your mother. How could I possibly give the key to Zhou Tai?"
Zhou Yuanyuan blinked, then realized, "Wait, you're saying Zhou Tai lived here?"
Li Ziqing nodded, "Not only did he live here, but he also gave this apartment to his girlfriend. He even changed the locks."
"This is outrageous! Zhou Tai, that scoundrel, is becoming more and more unbearable!"
Zhou Yuanyuan gritted her teeth in anger, "No wonder you're so upset! But Ziqing, don't worry, I definitely didn't give him the key. I'm a woman too, and I wouldn't do something like that."
Hearing this, Li Ziqing finally felt at ease.
Honestly, an apartment meant nothing to her.
What mattered to her was whether her aunt had betrayed her.
"However, Ziqing, your boyfriend beat Zhou Tai up so badly this time. He definitely won't let it go. He'll surely complain to Grandpa, and Grandpa dotes on him the most. This is going to be difficult."
Zhou Yuanyuan said with concern, then offered Li Ziqing a suggestion, "Ziqing, why don't you two just leave? You shouldn't go to Grandpa's eightieth birthday celebration..."
Heeding her aunt's advice, Li Ziqing shook her head directly, "No, I will definitely attend Grandpa's birthday banquet, and I will go openly. I want to see how they plan to retaliate. Haven't they bullied me enough over the years?"
"Alas, silly girl, in the end, we're all family. Why the animosity..."
Zhou Yuanyuan shook her head, her eyes full of heartache.
"Never mind, Aunt. Let's not talk about this. At worst, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. Let's talk about something happy."
Li Ziqing proactively changed the subject.
"Mhm!"
Zhou Yuanyuan nodded, then pulled Li Ziqing along, "Ziqing, come here, I have something to ask you."
As she spoke, she smiled apologetically at Chen Xiao, "I'm sorry, Xiao Chen. Please don't mind."
"Not at all, you two talk," Chen Xiao said with a smile, shaking his head.
Zhou Yuanyuan pulled Li Ziqing into the study next door. She clearly intended to speak with her niece privately, away from Chen Xiao.
However, a mere door could not stop Chen Xiao. Even if he didn't want to listen, the whispered conversation between his aunt and niece still reached his ears.
As Chen Xiao had guessed, the topic of their whispered conversation revolved entirely around him.
It was nothing more than basic questions, such as what Chen Xiao did for a living, how many people were in his family, and what his family members did for a living.
Li Ziqing seemed to have prepared her answers beforehand, responding fluently without revealing Chen Xiao's true identity.
Upon hearing that Chen Xiao was a doctor, Zhou Yuanyuan not only didn't look down on him but was also delighted, "Being a doctor is good. It's a high social status, and you have a wide network of contacts. It's a very promising profession..."
Considering the background of the Zhou family, if their son-in-law were just an ordinary doctor, it would clearly be a mismatch.
However, Zhou Yuanyuan was quite pleased with Chen Xiao. It was evident that she hoped Li Ziqing would live a simple and stable life.
Little did she know that neither Chen Xiao nor Li Ziqing had anything to do with a simple life.
The two women chatted for over twenty minutes, even discussing some sensitive topics. Chen Xiao felt embarrassed even though he wasn't present.
Finally, the two women emerged.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Chen, I was just having a private chat with Ziqing. You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all, I don't mind," Chen Xiao said quickly.
He thought to himself, You've already finished chatting, and now you're asking if I mind? How perfunctory is that?
"Then, Xiao Chen, could you come here for a moment? Aunt wants to have a word with you!" Zhou Yuanyuan said with a smile.
"Of course, no problem."
This time, Chen Xiao walked into the study.
The study was filled with many books, exuding a scholarly atmosphere. Most of them looked like they had been read, not merely bought for show and left unread.
"Xiao Chen, please sit..." Zhou Yuanyuan gestured to a chair, inviting Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao didn't stand on ceremony and sat down, then asked, "Aunt, you must have something to discuss with me, right?"
Zhou Yuanyuan nodded and got straight to the point, "Xiao Chen, take Aunt's advice, you should leave..."
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback, then smiled, "Aunt, didn't we just agree? We're here to attend Grandpa's eightieth birthday banquet, and we won't be leaving."
Unexpectedly, as soon as Chen Xiao finished speaking, Zhou Yuanyuan shook her head directly.
"It's not about you, Xiao Chen. I'm talking about you. I don't think you and Ziqing are suitable..."
Chen Xiao's brow furrowed. What his aunt had said to Li Ziqing just now was not the same.
Then Zhou Yuanyuan quickly explained, "But don't misunderstand me, Xiao Chen. Aunt isn't saying you're not good enough for Ziqing. It's just that after what happened today, our Grandpa will absolutely not let this matter rest. Ziqing is Grandpa's flesh and blood, after all, so her life won't be in danger. But you... that's another matter."
Hearing this, Chen Xiao smiled slightly, "Aunt, you mean Grandpa will kill me? Surely not."
"Xiao Chen, you might not know much about the Zhou family, nor how terrifying this behemoth truly is. And don't expect Ziqing to be able to save you at a critical moment. Even she herself is in a precarious situation. Alas, what can I say to make you believe me?" Zhou Yuanyuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"Aunt, you don't need to say anymore. I believe you." Chen Xiao said calmly.
Zhou Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. After dinner, I'll take Ziqing shopping. You can use that opportunity to go back. As for the future, it depends on fate..."
Chen Xiao smiled, "Aunt, I think you've misunderstood. I only said I believe you, but I never said I would leave."
"Mhm?" Zhou Yuanyuan was stunned by his words, "Xiao Chen, did you truly understand what Aunt was saying? Aunt means that you might die, and the possibility is very high."
Chen Xiao nodded, "Aunt, you don't need to say more. I understand what you mean, and I won't just leave. I was the one who hit him. If I leave, they will only make things more difficult for Ziqing."
Zhou Yuanyuan stared at Chen Xiao blankly, unable to speak for a long time. After a while, she asked incredulously, "Xiao Chen, are you really willing to die for Ziqing?"
Chen Xiao nodded without hesitation, "Of course. If it's necessary, I am willing to die for Li Ziqing..."
"Why would you do this? Ziqing said you two have only known each other for a few months. Do you really have such deep feelings for each other?" Zhou Yuanyuan couldn't believe it.
Chen Xiao smiled and said casually, "Because she has already died for me once."