“Alright, alright, how has your mom been lately? I’ll take Tingting to see our cousin sometime.” Fang Lanyi said with a beaming smile.
“My mom is either at home playing mahjong or out shopping and getting beauty treatments. Auntie, you should find time to visit her more often.” Shuai Chang said as he pulled Qi Sheng closer to him. “Little Sheng, this is Auntie and Uncle.”
Qi Sheng nodded politely, “Auntie, Uncle.”
Fang Lanyi remarked in surprise, “Ming Shen, this is?”
Shuai Chang tightened his arm around Qi Sheng a bit more. “Little Sheng is my beloved. We just held our wedding in Bali not long ago.”
“What a perfect match! Why are we standing outside chatting? Come in, please!” Fang Lanyi complimented them and ushered them into the house.
Wu Tingting felt a bit disappointed that she hadn’t had a chance to speak. “I can’t believe my cousin got married.”
Meng Tian felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him, leaving him stunned. He was certain he hadn’t misjudged; Qi Sheng had shot him a sarcastic smile. What was his purpose for being there? To investigate him and bring Lu Mingshen along for backup?
Meng Tian knew the Wu family would never take Lu Mingshen’s side for his sake. A chill ran down his spine as his mind tangled into chaos. The plans he previously devised to make things difficult for Qi Sheng echoed mockingly in his head.
“Meng Tian, come on, why are you just standing there at the door?” Wu Tingting tugged on Meng Tian, puzzled.
Meng Tian swallowed hard, his face pale, and forced a smile. “I’m fine. Let’s go in.”
He couldn’t panic now; what if this was just a coincidence? Maybe in Lu Mingshen’s eyes, Qi Sheng meant nothing, and he wouldn’t be willing to stand up for him.
Wu Tingting led Meng Tian inside, where Shuai Chang and the others were already seated on the sofa. Fang Lanyi waved to Wu Tingting, “Tingting, come here. This is your cousin and cousin-in-law.”
Earlier, Wu Zongxi and Fang Lanyi were blocking the view, so Wu Tingting was focused on Lu Mingshen. Now, seeing her cousin-in-law’s true face, it felt somewhat familiar, and she asked, “Hello, cousin, cousin-in-law. Haven’t we met somewhere before?”
Meng Tian trembled slightly, almost cursing out loud. Was Wu Tingting digging a pit for him?
Sure enough, Qi Sheng’s gaze turned as cold as the night, and he said lightly, “You don’t have to bring it up—I was going to mention it anyway. We indeed met yesterday, not just you, but your fiancé as well.”
Feeling the scrutiny of Wu Zongxi and Fang Lanyi, Meng Tian froze in place.
His mind raced. Yesterday, Qi Sheng had indeed broken his ancestral emerald bracelet (although he had deliberately let go of it). He had only asked for five million in compensation, but for Qi Sheng, with a real estate mogul as a husband, this amount was nothing.
“Ah, I remember now! Cousin-in-law was the appraiser at the jewelry shop yesterday!” Wu Tingting exclaimed, covering her mouth in disbelief.
“Tingting, what happened yesterday? Hurry and tell us!” Fang Lanyi, noticing Meng Tian’s strange expression, connected the dots with Lu Mingshen, who was an impossibly distant relative suddenly visiting. It was clear that Meng Tian had offended Qi Sheng, and Lu Mingshen was here to back him up.
Wu Tingting also sensed something was off, her face pale as she recounted the events from the jewelry store while sneaking glances at how close Lu Mingshen and Qi Sheng were. She blamed Meng Tian for being so aggressive.
“This matter is quite simple to resolve,” Shuai Chang spoke leisurely. “I, Lu Mingshen, never bully others. As long as Meng Tian provides the appraisal certificate for the broken emerald, we will compensate him the full amount.”
Qi Sheng added, “The broken emerald is still at the jewelry shop. If you worry about them making a mistake, you can go to another place.”
Meng Tian stumbled back a step, stammering, “N-No, it’s fine.”
How could he afford to break the ancestral emerald bracelet? In fact, when his mother gave it to him, she had given him two sets: one fake and one real. She had told him to take the real one for appraisal and to give the fake one to Wu Tingting as a betrothal gift, while keeping the real one for himself.
When he went to the jewelry store, he had both bracelets with him and intended to scare Qi Sheng by deliberately using the fake one, thinking even if he didn’t have to compensate, Qi Sheng would still be anxious for a while. Who would have thought that Qi Sheng would find such a strong backup so quickly, personally bringing someone to the Wu family to support him?
Now he was in a tough spot; whether he spoke the truth or not, his character would be severely tarnished. It was over; all because of jealousy towards Qi Sheng, he had unwittingly trapped himself. Indeed, karma comes around.
Those who understood could see something was amiss on Meng Tian’s face. Wu Tingting was a bundle of mixed emotions, while Fang Lanyi was contemplating how to separate the two children—Tingting seemed very fond of Meng Tian.
The following matters didn’t require further elaboration from him; the Wu family would investigate themselves. Shuai Chang chatted with Wu Zongxi about some business matters, then stood up to leave with Qi Sheng, despite Wu Zongxi and Fang Lanyi’s repeated attempts to keep them.
Shuai Chang embraced Qi Sheng as they walked out of the Wu family’s gate. The warm sunlight poured down, dispelling the chill in Qi Sheng’s gaze.
“How was it? Isn’t my husband incredibly handsome?” Shuai Chang couldn’t help but show off.
Once in the car, Qi Sheng didn’t say a word but directly leaned over to fasten his seatbelt. As he stood up, his hair brushed against Shuai Chang’s nose, leaving a faint, lingering fragrance.
“Absolutely stunning.” Qi Sheng started the car.
The spirit group chimed in, “Ding! Qi Sheng’s heart flutter index: three stars!”
Shuai Chang’s heart raced, and he took a deep breath to suppress his reaction. Unfortunately, the car was filled with Qi Sheng’s scent… Xiao Shuai Shuai stood up!
Shuai Chang awkwardly crossed his legs. Qi Sheng had just boosted his feelings by one star; he couldn’t let his third leg misbehave and cause a drop, as that would be just too tragic.
Fortunately, Qi Sheng was focused on driving and didn’t notice Shuai Chang’s peculiar behavior.
7. Luxury Cars and Work
Meng Tian couldn’t bear the pressure and revealed the truth, ending things with Wu Tingting, resolving the grievances between him and Qi Sheng.
Although this incident caused some embarrassment for the Wu family, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise—they avoided letting Wu Tingting marry a scumbag while also connecting with a real estate mogul.
After a two-week break, Shuai Chang returned to the hospital for a check-up. His concussion had healed.
The holiday was coming to an end.
Qi Sheng took the subway to work every day, despite having five luxury cars in the garage. Shuai Chang suggested Qi Sheng drive one to work, but Qi Sheng declined, saying he didn’t want to attract attention. He planned to divorce Lu Mingshen in a year, and those who knew didn’t need to spread the news further.