The dinner party hadn't even ended when Qiao An'an left.
"Come, let's keep drinking. Don't let her spoil our mood!"
"Old Sun, don't take it to heart! There are so many beautiful women here, any one of them is better than her!"
"Exactly! Look at her, she's so skinny, there's nothing to see!"
"Mr. Sun, I'll toast you!"
As she was led out of the private room by Song Youran, laughter and chatter resumed inside.
Song Youran watched Qiao An'an's disheveled state with immense satisfaction.
She had disliked her for a long time but had lacked the opportunity to retaliate. This dinner party wasn't necessarily for Qiao An'an to attend, but she had still brought her, intending to break her spirit.
"Alright, stop looking so glum," Song Youran said, handing her a tissue. "If you had cooperated a little earlier, you wouldn't have been slapped!"
Qiao An'an flung her hand away, her eyes glinting as if poisoned. "You deliberately wanted to see me make a fool of myself, didn't you!"
Song Youran pursed her lips. "I'm just stating the facts. Don't worry, the company has invested a lot of money in this project, and this role is still yours."
Qiao An'an, however, retorted petulantly, "I'm not acting anymore! You can have it if you want it!"
Song Youran looked at her with pity. "Don't make promises you can't keep! If you fall out of favor with Young Master Qi, you might end up begging people on your knees and still get nowhere!"
"You seem to be in good spirits. You can probably hail a taxi back yourself, right?" Song Youran glanced at her disdainfully and headed downstairs with her car keys.
She couldn't be bothered with this person anymore!
Qiao An'an glared fiercely at Song Youran's retreating back, biting her lip in anger.
Song Youran, you've gone too far!
***
Nancheng, the Qi Family
Old Master Qi sat in his wheelchair, violently striking Qi Zhao's back with his cane.
In all his years as the head of the family, this was the first time he had ever lost his temper so severely.
The Fourth Madam, seeing her son being beaten, quickly forced out a few tears and stepped forward to plead, "Master, are you trying to beat him to death? What has Ah Zhao done wrong that you must punish him like this?"
"This unfilial son! He openly defied my orders and undermined me behind my back!"
"Ask him what he's been doing in B City!"
"We finally established a connection with the Lu family, and he actually hired people to pull off that stunt, nearly killing Lu Yanbei's wife!"
The Fourth Madam had initially thought the Old Master was angry because Qi Zhao hadn't completed his assigned task, and she was about to defend him. However, after learning what Qi Zhao had done, she immediately fell silent.
Her son had actually offended the Lu family!
For years, the Qi family had tried to infiltrate B City's elite circles, pouring immense resources into it. Just as they were seeing some progress, he had ruined it all in one fell swoop, returning them to square one.
No, the situation was even worse than returning to square one.
The Lu family held an unparalleled position in B City. If this issue wasn't resolved, the Qi family's years of effort would be in vain!
"Ah Zhao, how... how could you be so foolish! Why on earth would you target Mrs. Lu? Were you tricked by someone?" The Fourth Madam's enduring favor wasn't just due to her striking looks; her mind was also sharp.
This was especially true when it came to vying for attention and protecting her son.
Qi Zhao knelt on the ground, filled with anxiety. Prompted by his mother, he immediately reacted.
He crawled on his knees to the Old Master and, with a runny nose and tears streaming down his face, said, "Father, your son knows he was wrong... I, I had no idea she was Mrs. Lu. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have done it!"
"Father, please forgive me this once! I will go to the Lu family to apologize and try to smooth things over..."
"Third Brother, you speak so easily."
"Lu family's wedding, and you claim you didn't know it was Mrs. Lu? Who would believe such an excuse!"
"Exactly!"
Knowing Qi Zhao had caused trouble, people from the other branches of the family had returned to witness the spectacle, adding their own sarcastic remarks.
In the art of shifting blame, Qi Zhao had clearly inherited a great deal from his mother, the Fourth Madam. "Father, I truly didn't know! I heard slanderous words from someone and wanted to vent on behalf of a friend, so I borrowed her people... I really didn't know she intended to target Mrs. Lu!"
"A friend? Just an actress, and you're so concerned about her?" Seeing him still stubbornly denying, the Old Master's face turned pale with anger.
"That woman even publicly claimed to be Third Brother's girlfriend!" Qi Rui from the Fifth Branch, the youngest, couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire while enjoying the show.
Qi Zhao turned and glared fiercely at his half-brother, as if warning him.
Qi Rui pouted but ultimately didn't dare to confront him directly.
"Scoundrel!" the Old Master roared, bringing his cane down again. "You're already engaged to Miss Fang's daughter. Behave yourself! If I hear any more bad rumors, I'll strip you of your managerial position immediately!"
"Yes, Father!" Qi Zhao grunted, not daring to argue further.
After all, he was his beloved third son. The Old Master threw a tantrum, but ultimately, the matter was left unresolved.
The people from the other branches, not seeing the expected outcome, were somewhat disappointed.
"Father is too biased!"
"I knew it would be like this! Every time Third Brother makes a mistake, it's all bark and no bite!"
"Isn't this pretty normal? I'm already used to it!"
The other brothers and sisters were both jealous and annoyed.
Of course, some were more rational, already strategizing how to use this incident to trap the Fourth Branch.
"You think Lu Yanbei will let Third Brother off so easily? I heard this Young Master Yan dotes on his wife!"
"She's just a woman! Compared to family interests, she's nothing, right?"
"You're mistaken! This Young Master Yan is different!"
"Tell us, how is he different?"
"For the first twenty-odd years, he remained chaste, with no other women by his side. After marrying Mrs. Lu, he became even more devoted, as if wanting to shower her with every good thing..."
"At the last auction, he spent a fortune on a necklace, supposedly to celebrate his wife's birthday!"
"What does this Mrs. Lu look like to deserve such treatment from him?"
"Her appearance is secondary. I heard she's quite talented and skilled in many areas."
"Hearing you say that, I've suddenly become interested in her! I have some free time recently, why don't we all go to B City for a trip?"
The individuals exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them.
As long as Young Master Lu didn't forgive, Third Brother would be suppressed. In that case, their opportunities would arise.
***
Lu Yanbei looked at the investigation report in his hand, his expression grim, radiating an icy aura that warned everyone away.
Cheng Jue took several deep breaths before gathering the courage to ask, "Mr. Lu, the information has been collected. Should it be sent to the police station?"
Lu Yanbei had initially intended to make them pay dearly, but considering he now had a family, he feared frightening Su He and decided on a compromise. "With witnesses and evidence present, the individuals who carried out the act will be handed over to the public security department. As for Qi Zhao, find a way to set a trap. If I don't strip him of at least one layer of skin, I'll be damned!"
"And what about Qiao An'an?" Cheng Jue asked cautiously.
"Her?" Lu Yanbei's eyes narrowed slightly. "However she harmed Su He, let her suffer all the consequences!"