18 – He won’t let her out of his sight for a second
Zhou Ruixue was caught off guard and quickly arranged for someone to send Zhou Ruili to the hospital.
No one had expected that things would escalate to this point today!
After the commotion, the originally grand and lively birthday banquet had completely turned into gossip for everyone in the capital to discuss over tea.
The esteemed Third Master of the Ji Family, Ji Mingpeng, was successful in his career, had a beautiful wife, and they were deeply in love.
Yet now, it turned out he had long had an illegitimate child outside.
When his mistress caused a scene, he ignored his wife, who was bleeding heavily, and instead went to the side of his mistress and illegitimate child.
These actions, which could almost be described as utterly heartless, instantly made him the object of everyone’s contempt.
As triumphant as Ji Mingpeng had been at the beginning, he was now equally disgraced.
With the banquet in such chaos and the main characters gone to the hospital, everyone dispersed in a hurry.
The once lively banquet hall returned to tranquility.
Tangtang, who had watched the drama unfold from Ji Hanyuan’s embrace, finally realized something.
“Brother A Yuan, was Ji Mingpeng the mastermind behind sending those men in black to assassinate us at Moonlight Manor that day?”
Ji Hanyuan curled his lips into a smile and ruffled the sweet Tangtang’s head. “How are you so clever?”
Her little head was filled with nothing but wisdom.
Tangtang blinked her eyes, suddenly understanding.
So, this was what Brother meant by watching a show.
This show was truly excellent.
Seeing all those who had wronged Brother A Yuan face retribution made her happy!
She even wished she could step on them a few more times, just to vent Brother’s anger properly!
Moreover, a scoundrel like Ji Mingpeng, who not only attempted to harm her Brother A Yuan but also betrayed his wife, deserved to be exposed! Let everyone know how despicable he was!
“However…” Ji Hanyuan suddenly said mysteriously, “Ji Mingpeng is only the mastermind on the surface.”
“Huh?” Tangtang blinked her crescent-shaped eyes in surprise. “Could there be someone else behind him?”
“Silly girl, don’t think about it.” Ji Hanyuan ruffled Tangtang’s head again. “Your adorable little head isn’t meant for thinking about such rotten people.”
Suddenly, Ji Hanyuan leaned closer to Tangtang, his cool fingertip gently touching her soft lips. His deep eyes fixed on her as he spoke in a low, husky voice, “Think more about me.”
Instantly, Tangtang felt the tips of her ears turn red.
Brother…
Even though he was right beside her, he still told her to think about him…
How… how domineering of him?
And he had touched her lips… cool and tingling… as if a small electric current had passed through…
Reflexively, Tangtang thought of that unfinished first kiss from that day, and her cheeks flushed with warmth.
“I… I need to use the restroom…”
Tangtang slipped out of Ji Hanyuan’s embrace as nimbly as a little loach, then scampered away like a little rabbit.
Watching the adorable figure of his little soft candy fleeing, Ji Hanyuan couldn’t help but chuckle helplessly.
He had intended to follow her to the restroom and keep an eye on his little soft candy.
After all, whenever she was outside Moonlight Manor, even a second out of his sight made him feel uneasy and insecure.
If, in a place where he wasn’t present, his Tangtang suddenly regained her memory, remembered something, and decided to leave him or even abandon him…
What would he do…
However, Zhao Gang suddenly approached and urgently reported something to Ji Hanyuan.
Instantly, Ji Hanyuan’s expression turned grave.
Tangtang skipped along by herself to find the restroom and entered a stall.
Her mind was completely filled with thoughts of her first kiss with Brother A Yuan, so she didn’t notice at all that two women had followed her.
Seeing Tang Jiaojiao enter the restroom, Tang Yingying bit her lip, her eyes filled with jealousy and hatred.
“Mom! How did Tang Jiaojiao get into Third Master Ji’s birthday banquet? How does she have the right to be here?!”
Even they had only managed to attend because she had latched onto Jiang Muze.
After all, their Tang family was nothing more than a low-tier family, and in recent years, they had been on a steady decline.
Her father, Tang Yaohui, might have unexpectedly struck it rich years ago, but he clearly lacked the ability to elevate their family into high society. Not only that, but their business had shown no signs of improvement, their investments kept failing, and their family fortune was dwindling.
So, she and her mother had no choice but to plan for themselves.
After all, having grown accustomed to the life of socialites and noble ladies, they couldn’t bear the thought of becoming the kind of “country bumpkins” they used to look down on.
At this moment, Zhao Xuefen shook her head, her expression grave. “Who would’ve thought we’d be so unlucky? We got into a car accident on the way and arrived half an hour late. And now, as soon as we get here, the banquet has already ended. We have no idea what happened.”
A perfect opportunity to mingle with the upper-class elite had been ruined by an unexpected car accident.
Although it was just a rear-end collision, the other party had been relentless, demanding compensation and causing them to be a full half-hour late.
The more Tang Yingying thought about it, the angrier she felt.
Now, seeing Tang Jiaojiao in the empty banquet hall, looking obviously overjoyed, how could she not be furious?
What if that bitch had taken advantage of their absence at the banquet today to latch onto the Ji Family?!
“Let’s go drag her out right now!” Tang Yingying charged toward the restroom in a rage.
But Zhao Xuefen grabbed her arm.
“Don’t rush, Ying Ying.”
A shrewd glint flashed in Zhao Xuefen’s eyes as she sneered, then leaned in to whisper a few words into Tang Yingying’s ear.
Tang Yingying instantly understood and curled her lips into a smile.
Her eyes were filled with determination.
The next second, she skillfully switched her expression, instantly reverting to the gentle and kind socialite she usually portrayed.
Hearing movement inside, she stepped in and ran into Tangtang, feigning surprise.
“Jiaojiao, what are you doing here? What a coincidence!”
The moment she saw Tang Yingying, Tangtang instantly felt uncomfortable all over.
She ignored her and washed her hands, preparing to leave.
However, Zhao Xuefen blocked the doorway.
She smiled warmly, looking at Tangtang with an extremely affectionate expression, her tone gentle and kind.
“Jiaojiao, what happened that day was a misunderstanding. Your sister Ying Ying and I have been wanting to find a chance to explain it to you. But your phone has been switched off, and we couldn’t find you anywhere.”
“Running into you here today is clearly fate giving us a chance to make up. Jiaojiao, could you spare us a few minutes to hear our explanation?”
Her tone was gentle and well-meaning, perfectly playing the role of a caring mother.
If not for the instinctive aversion she felt inside, given Zhao Xuefen and Tang Yingying’s gentle and kind demeanor, coupled with her amnesia and lack of memories, she might have been fooled in an instant.
But she had only lost her memory, not her intelligence!
Who was good to her and who wasn’t—Tangtang knew perfectly well.
The next second, Tangtang firmly shook her head and said with utmost indifference, “Sorry, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“Jiaojiao!”
However, Zhao Xuefen stubbornly blocked the doorway, preventing Tangtang from leaving.