Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"I don"t understand what you"re talking about." Mu Sisi"s relaxed and cheery expression disappeared, leaving only iciness in its place.

"You used my name to trick Qi Chengzhi into coming here, then without any shame at all, you stripped yourself naked in front of him. I thought we"re done with this. As stubborn as you are, there has to be some kind of limit, at least. I didn"t expect you to actually find someone to take those secret pictures of you. Did you think that it"ll break apart their relations.h.i.+p?" Mu Huaisheng narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Mu Sisi"s reactions.

In truth, he had his suspicions, but could not be definitively sure of them. His statements were simply a ruse to take a swipe at her and see her reaction.

The change was so tiny and it happened in less than a second, but Mu Huaisheng was still able to spot it, thus confirming his initial guess.

"I have no idea how good their relations.h.i.+p is or whether they"ll break up." Mu Huaisheng continued frigidly, "But if I"m able to guess that you did all this, Qi Chengzhi would come to the same conclusion as well. Do you really think that Qi Chengzhi will come running to you if you used this kind of tactic to break them up? He knows perfectly well that you"re the culprit. Do you think he"ll forgive you that easily? You"re lucky if he just hates you!"

"You"re just guessing. How can you be so sure that I did it?!" Mu Sisi felt choked as she was reluctant to admit her mistake.

"Heh." Mu Huaisheng chuckled coldly. "The evidence isn"t important. If Qi Chengzhi said that you did it, what chance do you think you"ll have? I don"t mind if you"re the only one who offended him, but don"t go so far as to make me lose my friend."

"After all is said and done, you"re just afraid that Big Brother Chengzhi will turn his back on you! You"re friends with him just for his status, for the benefits he can give you. You don"t even care about your own sister"s feelings! You"ve no right to scold me, Mu Huaisheng!" Mu Sisi shrieked.

Mu Huaisheng stood up lazily and took large strides to the door. An audible sound was produced when he locked it.

"You"d better sit down here and behave yourself today. You"re not allowed to go anywhere!" Mu Huaisheng was irked that he could not send her back to America just yet. "You"ve already done the most despicable thing ever. Don"t you go and disgust others again!"

"HMPH!" Mu Sisi huffed loudly but made no attempt to rebel. She turned around and went back to her room, slamming the door behind her.

In the afternoon, Qi Chengzhi waited for Song Yu down at Chengs.h.i.+"s lobby. The instant she got up the car, Qi Chengzhi immediately held her hand. Noticing that Song Yu did not try to wrestle free of him, his tense muscles immediately relaxed, and his thumb caressed the back of her hand.

Having started the car, he looked at Song Yu and began asking in his deep, rich voice. "You saw the news this morning?"

Song Yu was not one to play dumb by asking what news. She simply said, "I suppose that woman is Mu Sisi."

After a while, she heard his m.u.f.fled reply. "Mm."

Song Yu took a deep breath and said, "Your mother and grandmother came to see me this morning."

Those words prompted Qi Chengzhi to look at her a second time.

Song Yu continued her words immediately. "They"re scared that I"d get into a misunderstanding, but after that, your mom said that although I trusted you fully and knew that you wouldn"t do something wrong to me, I still had to let you know that I was angry. She didn"t want my trust to be taken for granted, and for you to stop caring anymore."

Qi Chengzhi held her hand with much more pressure than before, and his rich voice said solemnly, "It"s my fault. I wasn"t on my guard. I have to be more cautious."

Song Yu was holding her breath the entire time. After hearing him say that, she held his hand tightly and uttered out in a gentle m.u.f.fled voice. "I was really angry to see that picture. She was naked when she hugged you and her body was all over you. I was so angry at that time I nearly lost it. If I was there, I would rip her hair off. No, you know what, when I saw that picture this morning, I wanted to go and hit her. I can"t ever forget the things I saw in that picture."

To think that a man as pure as him—who gave her his first kiss and his first time—had been hugged by a naked woman! He may be fully clothed when the act happened, but Song Yu"s anger was nonetheless at its peak.

She knew that Qi Chengzhi could not sever his friends.h.i.+p with Mu Huaisheng just because of Mu Sisi. Song Yu was thoroughly infuriated, but she also felt helpless in that situation.

She thought that she had let go of the matter, but she did not expect all those feelings of grief to come back again when she sat beside him. They were far more intense than in the morning.

Song Yu was thoroughly enraged at him for not guarding himself properly, which in turn, allowed Mu Sisi to exploit.

With her lips tightly pursed, her eyes began to heat up and feel sore. She did her best to prevent Qi Chengzhi from seeing it because she believed it was unreasonable for her to react that way. Afraid to say a word, she turned her face toward the window in fear of accidentally revealing her current state of mind.

Sometime later, the car pulled to the side of the road. Qi Chengzhi grasped her by the waist and carried her over to his st.u.r.dy lap.

Qi Chengzhi was worried that he would squeeze her too much, so he s.h.i.+fted the car seat backward. His delicate and elegant fingers cupped her cheek and lifted it up slightly. The sight of her reddened eyes crushed his heart and hurt him dearly.

"I was wrong. I"m sorry. I didn"t get away quick enough. I should take the blame because I let her touch me. I"m sorry. I don"t know how I can make you forget that picture. I"m really, really sorry. I promise it won"t happen again, not with Mu Sisi or any other person. You"re the only one who"s allowed to touch me. No one else," he comforted her softly, and his voice was very gentle. He seemed worried that if he spoke any louder, he could break her at a time when she was at her weakest.

His usual rich voice became feeble and anxious. It was unlike him at all to be fl.u.s.tered, and none of his characteristic composure was present at that moment.

The softer he was, the sorer her eyes became. She hugged him tight, closed her eyes, then pressed her eyelids on his shoulder. "I found a strand of hair on your suit last night. It was her hair."

Qi Chengzhi clenched his jaw and embraced her firmly.

He lowered his head and brushed his trembling lips against the corner of her eyes as well as her cheek. His fear and anxiety were palpable. "How about you slap me? Just slap me as much as you want.

Still pressed against him with her eyes shut, Song Yu shook her head and grasped him tighter, mumbling softly, "I can"t do it."

He lifted her face ever so slightly and lowered his face, kissing her wet eyes. "I"m sorry."

"Don"t ever let any woman touch you ever again," she sniffled and implored quietly.

Waves of pain stabbed him in the heart when he saw how aggrieved she was. He hated himself for putting her through so much pain.

"Okay," he promised solemnly. He cupped her face and ran his thumb over her cheek. "Remember the slap. There"s no expiry date to it. If you regret it in the future, you can slap me at any time. Be it ten years, twenty years, thirty years, or more."

Song did not answer him, but instead turned her head to the side and used it as a pillow. She called him softly, "Qi Chengzhi."

"Mm?" He lowered his head, with his lips touching gently on the tip of her nose.

Song Yu was blus.h.i.+ng when she requested, "Kiss me."

An upward-curving arc appeared in the corner of Qi Chengzhi"s mouth. His thumb began stroking her cheek gently as he moved forward and kissed her on the lips.

His thin lips caressed hers softly. He then proceeded to part her lips slowly, letting his tongue roam around her inner lips, circling inside softly. He soon ventured deeper, tasting her tongue and intensifying his kiss.

When their lips parted, hers were slightly swollen and beautifully red.

A few more loving pecks later, he said softly, "Time to get down."

While Song Yu was still confused as to why they were getting off at that place, he had already placed her back onto her seat.

He got down first, then walked to the other side to open the door for the still-puzzled Song Yu.

She then realized that it was somewhere near Qilin, about fifty meters away after a turn on the bend up ahead.

"Aren"t we supposed to go eat?" she asked, perplexed.

"Let"s settle something first before we get lunch," Qi Chengzhi remarked. He held Song Yu"s hand and walked forward.

Once they made the turn, Song Yu"s eyes opened wide. She saw a mult.i.tude of people at Qilin, and it was insanely crowded. She wondered what they were doing there.

"What"s going on at Qilin?" The surprised Song Yu asked.

"Nothing. Those are just reporters," Qi Chengzhi explained. "I have things to tell them."

Before Song Yu could question him further, he had dragged her toward the horde of reporters.

Qilin"s security guards, who had been cordoning the crowd, began shouting, "Everyone! The director and his wife are here! Please give way!"

They did their utmost best to maintain order and push aside the crowd to establish a pa.s.sageway.

Qi Chengzhi placed his hand around Song Yu and protected her to prevent her from being squashed.

Upon seeing them, the reporters unleashed their cameras and began photographing them. The camera flashes blinded Song Yu, but she did not wish to lower her head in a manner reminiscent of someone ashamed. She held her head high and puffed out her chest, but her eyes remained closed. She placed all of her trust in Qi Chengzhi to lead the way.

After a while, she heard Qi Chengzhi whisper to her, "Open your eyes. We need to go up the stairs now."

Song Yu blushed after realizing that he noticed it.

She opened her eyes and looked up to see Grandfather Qi, who never made a public appearance ever since his retirement. At his side was Qi Zhongliang, and beside the two of them respectively were Grandmother Qi as well as Xia Wenna.

Beside Qi Zhongliang and Xia Wenna was Qi Zhongxun and his wife, along with Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengyue.

Qi Chengji was also standing at Xia Wenna"s side. Applying for leave from the army was practically impossible, yet there he was.

Song Yu had no words to describe the shock and grat.i.tude she felt at that moment. Her tears were long gone, but they came back once again. Her vision was blurry because of her teary eyes, but she could make out that everyone in the Qi family was present save for Qi Youxuan.

Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengyue gave her an encouraging smile. Song Yu"s lips trembled, and it took her a moment to greet them, albeit still somewhat choked. "Grandfather, Grandmother, Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, all of you…"

The old man stood straight and faced the reporters with a fierce glare. When he saw Song Yu, he did not smile, but his expression had clearly turned softer.

Xia Wenna smiled compa.s.sionately at Song Yu. Qi Chengzhi then led Song Yu by the waist and whispered, "Go on up. We"ll stand beside my parents."

He led her and they both a.s.sumed their positions beside Xia Wenna.

"Let me do the introduction," Qi Chengzhi began speaking in his deep voice. The group of reporters fell silent immediately. "This is my wife, Song Yu."

He kneaded Song Yu"s waist and swept his icy gaze across all the reporters. "She"s my so-called unidentified wife, according to the news report this morning."

He pursed his lips tauntingly and said, "Our marriage isn"t a secret. We"ve already registered our marriage, but like most married couples nowadays, we registered before having a wedding. Our wedding will be held next month, and if you were patient, you would know that by then. My wife deserves to have a grand wedding. There"s no need to keep it hidden.

"The person who auth.o.r.ed that news report this morning is well aware of the situation." Qi Chengzhi sneered coldly. "That female in the picture is my good friend"s younger sister, and I treat her only as such. She impersonated my friend to arrange a meeting at the hotel, saying that there were some things to discuss. My friend came to B City to expand his family"s business. Because this is his first time here, he doesn"t have a proper office yet, so a request to meet him at his hotel isn"t going to make me suspicious of anything. But when I went to meet him, his sister was the only person there. She stripped naked for me without any warning, and when I left, she stopped me. I threw her off, and then I warned her. It"s that simple.

"In light of this morning"s news report, I don"t think she took my warnings very seriously, so I won"t hesitate to stand here and reveal everything to the public. Regarding this fake news, I can"t say that I have no blame. I neglected to take precautions and allowed that female to seize her opportunity. It made my wife very angry."

Song Yu did not expect him to add in that detail at the end. She blushed because his words painted her as a bad-tempered, henpecking woman.

Even the reporters had odd looks on their face.

"In addition, this kind of behavior has caused all sorts of problems for me, my wife, and my family. I won"t reveal her name out of respect for my friend, but I"ll use this as an opportunity to warn her again. I hope she"ll conduct herself with dignity, or I"ll no longer respect the friends.h.i.+p or forgive her."

"Today, the entire family is standing here," the old man opened his mouth and spoke slowly. The reporters, who were all at the bottom of the stairs, kept quiet and listened. Everyone was staring at the old man because it had been nearly two years since he last made a public appearance. "Our objective is simple. We"re supporting our granddaughter-in-law. My grandson will never do something unworthy of her. Our family"s eldest grandson belongs to Song Yu and Song Yu alone. The rest can go to h.e.l.l!"

The old lady spoke too. "I"m very happy with Song Yu as a granddaughter-in-law. I don"t care how many filthy women are lurking out there, but don"t you dare try to break up my grandson and my granddaughter-in-law. We stand before all of you today not because they"re fighting. Everything"s fine between them because my granddaughter-in-law trusts my grandson completely and knows that he won"t do that kind of thing. We"re not here to refute anything. We know what"s going on, and there"s no reason for us to explain ourselves to the public. Moreover, we don"t give a hoot about what others think. We stand here today to tell that woman to stop playing her dirty tricks! Mess with us, and we"ll definitely get you back!"

"The entire family has acknowledged my daughter-in-law since a long time ago. Her position won"t be jeopardized by those dirty tricks, and neither will their relations.h.i.+p break because of that. If I may offer a bit of advice, you"d better stop wasting your time," Qi Zhongliang sternly admonished.

Xia Wenna voiced out as well, "When the news came out this morning, Grandma and I were worried that Song Yu will get into a misunderstanding with Chengzhi. We went straight to the office to look for her, but before we even said anything, she told us she trusted Chengzhi. She even knew that it was all the other woman"s plan. We"re lucky to have a daughter-in-law like her, and the entire family is lucky that she"ll become our next generation"s matriarch. The disgusting actions of that other woman are clear evidence that she isn"t fit to be walking in the street."

Qi Zhongxun 1 looked across the crowd of reporters and said, "I won"t say much, but if anyone dares to oppress my niece-in-law, I"ll be the sixth person who opposes that."

Flanking Qi Zhongxun was Guan Liya, who continued awkwardly, "What my husband meant was, before him are our grandparents, our elder brother and his wife, and Qi Chengzhi. He can oppose it, but his opinion only comes in sixth place. Of course, I"ll be the seventh person. Song Yu is my niece-in-law, and we won"t be discriminating against her. She"s our family."