Chapter 13:
[Last time, you mentioned dealing with Zheng Xin. How did it go?]
It was 2 AM. Qi SiJia sent the text, not expecting a reply from Ye QianQian.
Ignoring the pounding on her door, she opened her drawer, put in earplugs, and tried to go back to sleep.
Three minutes later, her phone vibrated.
Ye QianQian: [Why are you asking?]
[It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep?]
[Did she bother you?]
To be precise, it wasn’t Zheng Xin causing trouble, but two hooligans from the building, drunk and pounding on Qi SiJia’s door.
The police were on their way. The surveillance footage showed the two men slumped against her door, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
The thin walls of the building carried the noise.
Everyone knew what was happening.
The tenants were trying to mediate in the group chat.
[What’s the point of harassing the landlord? Blame the developers. They issued the notice six months ago, promising to start demolition in the spring, but they’re moving it up. It’s not the landlord’s decision. We ordinary people can’t do anything about it.]
[Don’t forget how kind Grandma Qi was to everyone. Prices have been rising every year, but she kept the rent the same for five years. Even if we’re struggling because of the demolition, we shouldn’t cause trouble for the landlord.]
Auntie Gui: [Awei, Xiaobing, listen to me. Stop it. Don’t get yourselves into legal trouble.]
Awei: [Old woman, shut up. If we succeed tonight, you’ll all benefit.]
Xiaobing: [I hate these old geezers, doing nothing, reaping the benefits, and then acting all high and mighty.]
Gui XiaoLian: [Succeed? Please, use your brains. Do you think the landlord is the developer’s daughter? She’s working as a cleaner at Jinbiao Mingting. Who do you think she can complain to?]
Awei: […]
Xiaobing: […]
Uncle Mo: [Awei, Xiaobing, if you consider me your uncle, stop this now.]
[@Landlord, Miss Qi, I apologize. It’s my fault for not stopping them. For Grandma Qi’s sake, please give them a chance to make amends… If you need anything in the future, this old man will be at your service…]
…
Several other tenants tried to persuade the two men to stop.
But the drunk hooligans ignored them, pounding even harder.
Uncle Mo, after his attempts at mediation failed, went upstairs to drag them down.
But the young men, enraged, punched him to the ground.
Just then, the police arrived.
After giving her statement and providing the surveillance footage, Qi SiJia watched as the two men were escorted downstairs. She handed Uncle Mo her first aid kit, then stopped the police officer.
“Will they be charged?” Qi SiJia asked after a moment of hesitation.
The officer turned back, surprised: “If you press charges…”
“I won’t press charges.” Qi SiJia nodded politely to the officer, told Uncle Mo to leave the first aid kit outside her door after using it, and closed the door, slipping on her slippers.
Outside, Uncle Mo’s eyes were filled with gratitude.
The two hooligans, sobering up, wiped their tears as they were taken away.
Dealing with the incident had taken half an hour.
Her phone, lying on the bedside table, rang incessantly.
Qi SiJia removed her earplugs and mask, and checked her phone. Ye QianQian had called countless times.
She quickly answered.
“If you didn’t answer, I was going to call the police.”
“What happened?” Ye QianQian asked, exasperated, “Did Zheng Xin harass you?”
“No,” Qi SiJia thought for a moment, then added, “She wouldn’t dare.”
“Then why the late-night distress call?”
Ye QianQian had been at a club in Xishan City. She’d abandoned her new “friends” and almost raced back to Ning Cheng, only to find Qi SiJia was fine.
“Kid, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
Qi SiJia, her eyes narrowed, apologized slowly, not bothering to correct Ye QianQian’s familiar address this time.
She didn’t mention the incident at her door,
simply telling Ye QianQian about the early demolition notice.
Ye QianQian, suppressing her anger, asked, “You suspect Zheng Xin is involved?”
Qi SiJia: “My father is involved.”
Silence on the other end.
After a long pause, Ye QianQian said softly, “JiaJia, you should come back.”
Qi SiJia hadn’t been involved in their social circle for years, rarely showing her face.
But even so, news about the circle still reached her through others.
Because of her surname, her status as Qi Jun’s only daughter, neither Qi Jun nor his associates would let her remain completely detached.
If not for the incident five years ago, with Qi Jun’s ambition, Qi SiJia wouldn’t have been allowed to stay quiet for so long.
The demolition issue was Qi Jun’s way of getting her attention.
“When did he contact you?”
In the quiet of the night, Qi SiJia’s voice was cold and sharp, making Ye QianQian’s short hair stand on end.
Ye QianQian, outwardly calm, didn’t hide it, “I knew I couldn’t keep it from you, so I won’t pretend. Where did I slip up, making you so sure I knew?”
Qi SiJia raised her eyes slightly.
“When you mentioned Zheng Xin.”
Ye QianQian paused, remembering she had indeed mentioned Zheng Xin a few days ago when she was Qi SiJia’s driver.
“Based on that, you concluded I agreed to be your father’s messenger? Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?”
Qi SiJia simply smiled, “Ten years ago, when Uncle Ye’s illegitimate daughter showed up, what did you say to me?”
“Just her?” Qi SiJia repeated.
Ye QianQian flicked the ash off her cigarette, chuckling.
“Well played, Qi SiJia. You’re quite eloquent. How can I believe you’ve been struggling to communicate all these years?”
Whether it was true or not, Qi SiJia thought, expressionless, Ye QianQian’s answer confirmed her suspicions.
No further explanation was needed.
The Zheng family’s recent success was due to their connection to the Qi family. Qi SiJia didn’t understand social niceties, but she understood power dynamics.
As mentioned before, Qi SiJia couldn’t simply give up her position as the Qi heiress.
Ye QianQian’s repeated mentions of Zheng Xin, implying Qi SiJia’s position was precarious and urging her to return, were too heavy-handed.
Even Ye QianQian herself knew her argument was weak.
The Zheng family was the Qi family’s enforcer, and the Qi family was the Zheng family’s backbone. Even if Zheng Xin didn’t understand this, her mother, Zheng Huanxiu, and the other Zheng family members certainly did.
They wouldn’t dare offend Qi SiJia over this land.
But the issue had been brought to Qi SiJia’s attention. Qi Jun wasn’t blinded by love or confused about his priorities.
Qi SiJia was socially anxious, not stupid.
Ye QianQian mentioned Zheng Xin, then the demolition project’s lead was changed to the Zheng family. Qi SiJia had texted Qi Jun this morning, but his assistant replied.
All signs pointed to Qi Jun deliberately orchestrating this to make Qi SiJia feel threatened and return to the family business.
Qi Jun had no siblings or close relatives. He was an only child with only one daughter. Even his second marriage was a strategic alliance based on mutual benefit.
Qi Jun, a businessman, knew what was important.
Zheng Xin was clearly insignificant in this power play.
And for someone as arrogant as Ye QianQian to utter such insecure words, Qi Jun must have contacted her.
Ye QianQian, knowing she was in the wrong, apologized profusely.
She knew Qi SiJia wouldn’t make a fuss over this, but they were best friends.
So she honestly recounted her meeting with Qi Jun: “Two weeks ago, at Jingzhai Restaurant, I ran into your father. He’s aged, wrinkles around his eyes, but his gaze is still sharp. I greeted him and mentioned you.”
Qi SiJia kicked off her slippers, pulled back the covers, and took out a bottle of melatonin from her nightstand.
She poured out two pills and placed them in her hand.
Grabbing an empty glass, she swallowed the pills dry.
Her movements were precise, but the bitterness of the pills without water lingered on her tongue.
Qi SiJia frowned, glancing at the phone on speaker.
Ye QianQian, after her rehearsed apology, continued,
“JiaJia, I wasn’t fair to you, agreeing to help your father without telling you. But I don’t regret it.”
“You know how ruthless your father is in business. But he’s getting old. Who will take over Qi Corp after him? Who will manage his empire? Have you considered this?”
In the dead of night, Ye QianQian’s words struck a chord.
A sign of maturity was replacing youthful complaints with silence.
Deprived of familial affection in her youth, now she was being smothered by it, forced to accept a mountain of gold.
Qi SiJia couldn’t argue. It would only seem ungrateful.
“If you truly care about the demolition issue…” Ye QianQian paused, “I think you should go home.”
Qi SiJia took a sip of water, her naturally deep voice eerily calm in the quiet night, “It has nothing to do with me. Let him do what he wants. I don’t care.”
Surprised by her response, Ye QianQian quickly said, “Your father’s 60th birthday is in two months. Will you come back?”
Qi SiJia’s eyes narrowed: “We’ll see.”
Leave a Reply