“Don’t be so quick to be surprised—that’s not all. I also recorded audio, backed it up to the cloud, and set up a scheduled post.” Li Qianqian waved her phone.
Qi Zechuan narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze landing on her. “You actually have a brain.”
Li Qianqian: “…?”
“But there’s never been anything I couldn’t accomplish. If someone stands in my way, I’ll deal with that person first.” Qi Zechuan’s cold, clear voice carried an extreme displeasure.
Qin Muyang immediately felt a headache coming on. Messing with Gu Shinian was manageable, but touching Li Qianqian now was out of the question.
“Forget it, Brother Zechuan. Why bother dealing with this bastard? Ruining your future for his sake would be a huge loss!”
“I know what I’m doing. He’s not worth it.” Qi Zechuan scoffed with disdain, then turned and walked away.
Watching Qi Zechuan leave, Qin Muyang let out a sigh of relief. But he didn’t follow immediately—instead, he pointed at Li Qianqian, absolutely furious.
“Li Qianqian, you’re dead meat. You shameless, fickle woman! Offending Brother Zechuan over a piece of trash like that—you’ll get what’s coming to you!”
A pair of slender fingertips gripped his finger and yanked it away, flinging it aside.
As if disgusted by the contact, Li Qianqian pulled a wet wipe from her bag and cleaned her hands. She lifted her eyelids to glance at him and said coldly, “Your mouth is filthy. Go wash it out.”
“You—” Qin Muyang’s eyes widened. The delicate sensation on his finger sent a tingle up his spine. All his angry words flew out of his head as he rubbed that finger.
It was as if he was reliving the thrill of seeing those photos. His heart pounded wildly—thump, thump—
All he could see before him was the woman’s stunning red lips, looking like jelly, even more alluring than in the photos.
“Let’s go.” Li Qianqian didn’t look at him again. Instead, she turned and spoke gently to Gu Shinian.
Seeing her walk away, Qin Muyang was furious at being ignored. “What are you so smug about! When I get back, I’m blocking you. See who else you can send those dirty photos to!”
Li Qianqian’s lips twitched. She didn’t turn around to acknowledge him, just raised her hand behind her back and flipped him off.
Qin Muyang stared at that fair, delicate finger, momentarily dazed. It looked so nice to hold—how could someone have not a single flaw on their entire body?
Realizing what he was thinking, he slapped himself across the face. The loud smack didn’t hurt, but it snapped him back to his senses. “Slap!”
“Li Qianqian is stupid and wicked. So what if she’s a bit fair-skinned and pretty? What’s the big deal? You’re the young master of the Qin family—you can have any woman you want.”
Li Qianqian led Gu Shinian out of the street and hailed a cab for him. Regarding his private matters with Qi Zechuan—he didn’t bring it up, and she didn’t ask.
Instead, she reached out and pulled his arm out of his pocket. His large hand was still clenched tight, blood already staining the entire fist red. She gently pried his fingers open.
His palm was a bloody mess, a gruesome sight. Without changing her expression, Li Qianqian retrieved the razor blade from his hand. Seeing that he didn’t resist, she tossed it directly into the nearby trash bin.
She pulled wet wipes from her bag and cleaned the dried blood off his hand as she spoke: “Your hands are beautiful, and you play the piano wonderfully. It would be such a shame if I could never hear it again.”
Gu Shinian’s fingertips curled inward. The prolonged pain had numbed him, but this sudden concern left him at a loss. He remained silent.
Or rather, he didn’t know how to respond.
“No matter how domineering Qi Zechuan is, he can’t cover the sky with one hand. Don’t believe everything he says. If he hurts you, call the police. Don’t listen to his moral blackmail either. Whether you’re wrong or not should be decided by the law—not by him.”
Li Qianqian didn’t mind his silence. She just kept talking, her soft, sweet voice gradually putting his heart at ease.
Gu Shinian’s mind went blank. He simply asked on instinct, “…Can I call your number?”
Li Qianqian smiled warmly. “Of course you can.”
Gu Shinian’s gaze was complicated, her face reflected in his eyes. He lowered his head to avoid her gaze.
A moment later, something occurred to him, and he looked up again. “You called the police earlier—should you call back and tell them everything has been…”
“I never dialed. I was bluffing them.”
“Okay.” Now that his mind was at ease, Gu Shinian’s exhaustion began to show. His legs felt weak, and his vision blurred.
His legs gave out and he started to fall forward. Li Qianqian caught him with quick reflexes.
Gu Shinian’s hands rested on her shoulders, loosely embracing her. Her soft frame made him afraid to hold on too tightly, worried he might crush her.
The person in his arms smelled wonderful—a faint, fresh scent of body wash, incredibly pleasant. Even his throbbing headache eased somewhat, and her gentle voice still sounded by his ear.
“Have you had dinner? Is your blood sugar dropping?”
“I’m fine.” His rationality told Gu Shinian he should let go, but the warmth in his arms made him reluctant.
A black Rolls-Royce slowly pulled up to the side behind them. The window rolled down, and the man in the back seat took in the entire scene. Fu Huaishan tapped the window twice, neither lightly nor heavily.
Gu Shinian was facing him directly. Seeing the newcomer’s dark eyes fixed intently on them, he could guess that they must know each other.
He released his arm from around Li Qianqian’s shoulder and steadied himself.
Li Qianqian also turned around at the sound, and upon seeing her eldest brother, inwardly thought, Damn it. She really was a jinx—she’d just said she’d sent him a message, and now her brother really had happened to pass by this way.
“Get in the car.”
Li Qianqian lowered her voice and patted Gu Shinian on the shoulder. “The car I called for you should be here soon. Send me a message once you’re home.”
“Alright.” Gu Shinian didn’t try to persuade her to stay. His hands still seemed to retain the lingering warmth of the woman’s body, and at his own lapse of composure just now, his fingertips trembled slightly.
“Second Young Madam, please.” Driver Li had already circled around to the back seat and thoughtfully opened the door for her.
“Thank you.” Li Qianqian bent down and got into the car. The interior was silent and oppressive.
As the vehicle drove away, the trees outside the window gradually receded, the scenery shifting endlessly. The traffic lights refracted their glow—harsh and striking.
Li Qianqian quietly turned her head to glance at her eldest brother sitting beside her. He sat as steady as Mount Tai, showing no intention of striking up a conversation.
The heavy silence remained unbroken until they arrived at the Fu family’s old estate.
She didn’t think much of it, simply assuming he’d happened to see her on the way and picked her up along the route.
“Thank you, eldest brother.” Li Qianqian offered her thanks, opened the door, and stepped out to leave.
Her departing figure was decisive, without a moment’s hesitation.
Fu Huaishan’s hand resting on the car door handle clenched tightly, a flicker of complexity darkening his gaze. Compared to her usual deliberate attempts to make conversation, today she was unusually quiet.
“Master Fu, you’re back. There’s something I’m not sure whether I should mention—one of the servants found your shirt in the Second Young Madam’s room…”
Ji Wanyun hurried forward the moment she spotted the familiar vehicle. She followed behind the man, speaking as she walked, a troubled expression on her face.
Fu Huaishan’s footsteps paused slightly. He turned around unhurriedly, his dark eyes unfathomable.
“You entered her room without permission?”