Chapter 28 Tea Talk

Qi Chenyan had no intention of returning to the Qi family.

"Since I said all of today's time belongs to you, I won't go back on my word. If you've eaten your fill, shall we go home and rest?"

Yu Li really wanted to say, "Dude, why did you keep your promise at such an inappropriate time?"

She didn't mean for Qi Chenyan to go back to the Qi family to keep the old man company; she meant for him to go and save his best friend.

So Yu Li waved her hand repeatedly without thinking, "You don't need to stay with me. It's more important to stay with the old folks. You should go now."

If she doesn't go soon, her dearest best friend will be eaten alive by the Qi family!

But Qi Chenyan's smile faded. "You really want me to go back?"

Yu Li, who was completely clueless about relationships, didn't understand the change in the other person's expression at all, and instead nodded stupidly.

"Yes, anyway, you can come back after you finish eating with the old man."

She finally realized what was happening and added, "I'll be waiting for you to come home."

Qi Chenyan's expression was deep and unfathomable as he stared at Yu Li for a long while, making Yu Li involuntarily reach out and touch her face.

"What's wrong? Is there something dirty on my face?"

Qi Chenyan hummed in response, raised his hand, and pinched a small piece of soft flesh on her cheek with two fingers, giving it a gentle pinch.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Never mind, I'll just go and come right back."

However, before going to the Qi family, Qi Chenyan first sent Yu Li back to the lakeside villa.

"Don't wait for me to come back, you should get some rest."

As Yu Li was about to get out of the car, Qi Chenyan still said something.

Yu Li had already taken one step out when she suddenly turned around.

She walked around the seat, opened her arms, and hugged Qi Chenyan.

A faint, refreshing jasmine fragrance emanating from her instantly enveloped him, causing even the usually composed Qi Chenyan to freeze in surprise.

Qi Chenyan's heart, which was hailed by foreign media as having the strongest heart, was now beating erratically and much faster because of this hug.

"Thank you for saving me today and standing up for me. Besides my grandma and best friend, you are the third kindest person to me."

The hug didn't last long. After thanking him, Yu Li let go of his hand, waved to Qi Chenyan, and happily went back to the villa.

Qi Chenyan watched his wife's retreating figure for a while before letting out a soft laugh.

His fingertips gently caressed her skin, as if the lingering fragrance of jasmine, unique to his young wife, still remained.

After a while, Qi Chenyan restarted the car.

*

The old Qi family residence.

Li Rujun felt very sorry for Qi Jianyue and put some food into her bowl.

"Eat more. Look how much weight you've lost. You used to have a good appetite, why are you eating so little today?"

Qi Jianyue gave a sweet smile, and then delivered an Oscar-worthy instantaneous change of expression.

Before she could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face.

This startled Li Rujun, who felt both distressed and worried as she wiped away her tears.

"What's wrong with Yue'er? Why is she crying while eating? Did something happen?"

Qi Jianyue said weakly and pitifully, "It's nothing, Mom. I'm just under a lot of work pressure lately, and I was misunderstood by someone during the day, so I couldn't control my emotions. I'm sorry to have worried you."

As expected, Li Rujun followed up on her question by asking, "What happened at your station? Did they give you a hard time? You're just too strong-willed."

“When you first joined Blue Sky TV, I suggested that your older brother put in a good word with the higher-ups at the station so they could take better care of you, but you refused and insisted on making your own way.”

Qi Jianyue wanted Li Rujun's pity. Before she joined the station, she concealed her identity so that she could prove herself in the future and make the Qi family think that she was capable and competent.

Before Qi Jianyue could follow Li Rujun's words and reveal her true purpose, a sneer suddenly rang out from the side.

"In the workplace, everyone climbs the ladder through their own hard work and ability. Only those who lack ability try to use connections, but is that fair to everyone else?"

Qi Xi's words silenced the dinner table for several seconds.

A glint of malice flashed in Qi Jianyue's eyes, but she feigned weakness and said, "Sister, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant..."

Qi Xi grew up surrounded by people like Yu Li who were outspoken and said whatever came to mind.

People like Qi Jianyue would calculate their thoughts before speaking, then put on a polite and tactful demeanor, feigning pitifulness and sympathy.

Qi Xi originally didn't want to speak, after all, although she had Qi family blood in her veins, she was really out of place in this family.

Moreover, as her biological daughter, she was placed in the farthest position, so even to speak, she had to crane her neck.

This is completely different from Qi Jianyue, who, despite being an adopted daughter, sits beside her parents and enjoys the treatment of being the center of attention.

But she didn't care about that. If Qi Jianyue hadn't been twisting the truth here, trying to use her pitiful act to get the Qi family involved in Lantian TV's affairs, Qi Xi wouldn't have asked for it.

But her best friend was at Blue Sky, and she knew that her best friend had a very important interview today, with Qi Chenyan as the interviewee.

It seems that Qi Jianyue is not as good as her best friend, so she deliberately complains here, most likely because she wants to steal her best friend's spot!

That scheming woman, she absolutely will not let this guy's evil scheme succeed!

"If that's not what you meant, why are you crying here? If you have the ability, why are you afraid of pressure? Who doesn't experience pressure in the workplace?"

"But you're crying your eyes out. Isn't it just because you're down on your luck at work, that you want to use the Qi family's power to back you up and steal projects that others have worked so hard to get?"

Qi Jianyue's expression froze as Qi Xi bluntly exposed her pretense, and she almost lost her composure.

But she was good at pretending; she turned around and leaned into Li Rujun's arms.

"Mom, I don't know why my sister is always hostile towards me and misunderstands me like this..."

While comforting the person, Li Rujun frowned and said to Qi Xi, "Xi'er, how could you side with outsiders and talk about your sister like that?"

"I don't have a sister, and she's not related to me by blood at all, so what kind of sister is she?"

One sentence silenced the dinner table for another two seconds.

Qi Kunshan slammed down his chopsticks and said with a stern face, "Qi Xi, what nonsense are you spouting? Didn't I tell you before that Yue'er is your older sister?"

“Since our Qi family has kept her by our side, she is a member of the Qi family. If you say such things again, don’t blame me, as your father, for punishing you.”

Although Qi Xi knew that this family had never welcomed her, she was still chilled by such cold-blooded words.

"You've never fulfilled your responsibilities as a father for even a single day, so what right do you have to lecture me?"