Chapter 35 Taking an Inch and Wanting a Mile: "My wife is talking to you, you old dog." ...

Wen Qi didn't dodge; in fact, he leaned forward slightly to match her movements. The warm yellow light outlined his jawline, and the stray hairs falling across his forehead were slightly messy, adding to his listless and weary appearance.

The barely noticeable bloodshot eyes and pale lips made her appear more vulnerable than usual, which easily softened people's hearts.

Beneath my palm, his skin was slightly cool. The fever had indeed subsided, but there was a possibility it would recur during the night. Moreover, the underfloor heating in his room was not working properly, so the possibility of it recurring was very high. Given all this, why were we in such a hurry to leave?

Zhu Qingzhi withdrew her hand, her gaze falling on the iPad in his hand, and her voice softened: "Is there anything else to take care of?"

"It's all been taken care of."

She knew it! Wen Qi chose to leave because he was afraid she would feel uncomfortable, so no matter what his reason was, she could not let him leave.

Zhu Qingzhi paused for a moment, then seemingly naturally took the iPad from his hand, pulled his sleeve, and turned to walk inside: "Where are you in such a hurry to go? Aren't you going to sleep?"

She led Wen Qi to the bedside, casually lifted the blanket, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Why? It's not like we've never slept in the same bed before."

She remained calm, speaking casually, as if she were truly used to it. After that, she ignored him, walked to the other side of the bed, crossed her arms, and lay down—a fluid and effortless movement.

She only relaxed when she felt a slight sinking sensation behind her. She didn't move, but her ears turned red.

Night had fallen, and only a dim nightlight remained in the room. The warm and comfortable temperature, accompanied by the faint scent of roses, and the steady breathing of Qi beside her, made Zhu Qingzhi's thoughts gradually sink.

Lu Yao called at that moment. Although her phone was on silent, the glaring light woke her up.

......

Zhu Qingzhi hung up the first time with a cold expression.

Zhu Qingzhi didn't answer the second or third one.

As the fourth call was about to automatically disconnect, her throbbing temples finally calmed down, and she reluctantly pressed the answer button.

"You've got some nerve, haven't you?" Lu Yao was clearly furious. You could hear the rapid tapping of a pen on the table through the receiver, and even the slight scraping sound of a loosened tie.

Zhu Qingzhi rolled her eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly and in an unfriendly tone, "You blocked me first."

"What are you doing? Why didn't you call me when I told you to?"

She was about to turn on her microphone when she suddenly realized that Wen Qi was still beside her. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, covered the receiver with one hand, and slowly sat up while secretly glancing at Wen Qi. Seeing that he hadn't been woken up, she quietly moved to the balcony.

Lu Yao, unable to wait any longer, urged her on. She retorted coldly, "Get to the point. I want to sleep."

"You only call me 'brother' politely when you need something, but when you don't, you wish I were dead. Is that how you are, Zhu Qingzhi?"

As Lu Yao finished speaking, his voice rose noticeably at the end, indicating he was extremely angry. Zhu Qingzhi could even imagine him looking like he was fuming.

"You were the one who didn't answer the phone first, yet you insist on blaming me." She was also unhappy, her tone somewhat impatient. "What exactly do you want to say! If you don't tell me, I'm really going to sleep!"

"I haven't left work yet because I've been dealing with your issues. How dare you tell me you're going to sleep?" Lu Yao tossed the mouse aside, pressed his temples, and closed his eyes.

He's sitting here cleaning up her mess, and she actually dares to tell him she wants to sleep with him? She's really thick-skinned; her husband has such a huge scandal, and she doesn't care at all.

Lu Yao's unconscious tapping on the table suddenly stopped, and most of the irritation that had been building up between his brows dissipated. It seemed that Zhu Qingzhi didn't care about Wen Qi.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door. Lian Shang stood in the doorway, his eyes weary; he hadn't slept for almost 24 hours, but his voice remained calm: "President Lu, the car is downstairs."

Lu Yao then opened his eyes, slowly got up, held the phone in one hand, and precisely grabbed the coat from the hanger with the other, draped it over his arm, and stepped outside.

The sound of wind was faint on the other end of the line, with occasional impatient sighs. He deliberately remained silent for a moment, and only spoke in a deep voice just before judging that her patience was about to run out: "Don't do it again."

He could sense that Zhu Qingzhi paused for a moment, probably confused by his sudden loss of anger and that inexplicable "satisfaction," but he didn't give her time to think it over. "Go to sleep."

Sure enough, the next second, she was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, reluctantly squeezing out four words through gritted teeth: "Thank you, brother." Her tone was one of resentment and forced obedience.

Lu Yao's mood visibly brightened, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips as he walked briskly toward the elevator.

I was about to say something unpleasant to her when a short, startled cry suddenly came through the receiver! This was followed by a series of chaotic and jarring scraping noises, as if the phone had been hastily picked up and then dropped.

He frowned, instinctively moving his phone further away. The last thing he heard was a dull thud; the phone must have slipped and fallen onto the carpet.

Immediately, a faint but unmistakable male voice rang out, carrying a deliberately gentle tone: "I'm sorry."

It's Wen Qi. This kid is really taking advantage of his illness to push his luck?

Lu Yao paused slightly, his previous relaxation vanishing instantly, his eyes turning cold. He gripped the phone, not hanging up.

Then came another rustling noise.

"I'm hanging up."

"What's wrong?"

After the male and female voices sounded simultaneously, a busy signal immediately followed.

Lu Yao kept his eyes down, looking at his phone, and only switched to Weibo when the elevator reached the first floor. The official Lu's Weibo account was grayed out, displaying "Password changed, please log in again."

He glanced at Lian Shang, only to see him calmly put his phone into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and step out of the elevator first.

The winter night was deep and still, and a light snow began to fall. A misty haze hung over the French windows, obscuring the lights of distant high-rises. The small nightlight in the room cast a warm glow, and a faint scent of roses filled the air, enveloping everything in a tranquil and private atmosphere.

Zhu Qingzhi, holding her phone, looked up at Wen Qi with a hint of apology: "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No." Wen Qi shook his head, his voice still hoarse from just waking up. "Is everything resolved?"

She shrugged, her tone certain: "It's definitely resolved. Otherwise, given my brother's temperament, why would he call me on his own initiative?"

She casually opened Weibo and, sure enough, saw the statement posted by Lu's Group's official Weibo account half an hour earlier. The content was concise and powerful, directly clarifying the rumors and clearly stating that lawyer's letters had been sent to the relevant marketing accounts to pursue legal action.

The statement left no room for doubt, effectively silencing all speculation. Its concise and clear wording, characteristic of Lu Yao's style, clearly indicates that he wrote it himself.

Okay, she admitted that her attitude had indeed been a little bit rude just now. Zhu Qingzhi unconsciously curved the corners of her lips into a slight smile, a subtle change that was hidden in the dappled light of the night.

Wen Qi could see clearly, and his mind, which had been somewhat muddled due to the fever, was now as clear as usual: "This matter was caused by me, and it has led to a lot of unnecessary trouble. I'm sorry."

Zhu Qingzhi hadn't expected Wen Qi to still be blaming himself. Was it because of what she said at the Lu family's? She had just said it casually; she didn't really mean to blame him.

She was simply intimidated by Lu Yao, a result of her bloodline suppression. Adding to that, Wen Qi remained completely silent, like a block of wood, which made her uncomfortable.

"That's not what I meant. Well, it's not that I blame you." She stumbled over something inexplicably, swallowing back the words, "I'm just feeling uneasy."

Wen Qi has attracted much attention for two reasons. First, he is a recognized leader in the business world. Whether out of admiration for strength or something else, everyone wants to pry into his privacy.

Secondly, his marital status is a mystery. He was inexplicably married to a mysterious heiress from the Lu family, which makes people want to investigate even more. Moreover, he had never been involved in any scandals before the marriage.

Ultimately, she is the main cause of these controversies.

"Actually, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have caused all these troubles time and time again." She blinked, bit her lower lip lightly, hesitated for a long time before reaching out, making a loose fist, and gently bumping his chest.

This was originally a gesture of gratitude between brothers, but she did it awkwardly, as if she had struggled a thousand times in her heart with every movement. The light and airy force seemed to Wen Qi more like an unintentional flirtation.

Fortunately, the night was deep and the light was dim, and the stray hairs falling between his eyebrows and eyes concealed his inner panic.

*

The next morning, after the snow cleared, sunlight streamed into the restaurant through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The online sentiment completely reversed. Although Lu Yizhao's reputation was somewhat affected, most netizens believed she was innocent and that her popularity actually increased. No one mentioned Zhu Qingzhi's accidental like.

Wen Qi's scandal has passed smoothly.

However, within Beijing's social circles, the aftermath of this incident lingered, and Ji Cen was among the most uneasy.

[Brother Wen, I think that female celebrity's like wasn't accidental; she was definitely jealous! She's probably trying to get your attention!]

When his 10,086th WeChat message was sent to Wen Qi's phone, it was only 7:30 in the morning. At that time, Wen Qi was having breakfast with Zhu Qingzhi.

The moment the screen lit up, she happened to look up and saw Ji Cen's blatant, 100% provocative warning: "Brother Wen, don't blame me for being long-winded, but if this gets out of hand and the Lu family finds out, things will really get complicated!"

Wen Qi remained unmoved, not even frowning, and even pushed the phone towards her, as if leaving the decision to her.

Zhu Qingzhi suddenly remembered her silence when Wen Qi asked her last time if she was willing to let Ji Cen and the others know.

She wasn't unaware that going public with their relationship within their small circle was inevitable, and the chances of it leaking out were almost nonexistent. But in her mind, the fewer people who knew, the better.

So why did I act impulsively yesterday and insist on arguing with him?

Forget it, better to stay away from it.

Zhu Qingzhi prepared to adopt an ostrich-like mentality, looking away and pretending not to see, but the next second, Ji Cen's several-second voice message popped up. Wen Qi swiped her finger, and the other party's urgent voice immediately echoed in the quiet restaurant:

[Brother Wen! Let me tell you, you really shouldn't mess with women in the entertainment industry! I've already looked into it for you! Although this female celebrity seems... well... she is... currently quite clean, and her relationship with Gu Qiao isn't bad, you can't judge a book by its cover!]

[I'll use Xiao Tang as an example. She looks innocent, but she's really not that great! I guarantee it! So Brother Wen, please don't take it seriously!]

...What the heck? Zhu Qingzhi suddenly felt that the breakfast in her hand no longer tasted good.

Until Ji Cen's last voice message came through, his tone becoming increasingly agitated: "You really have to believe me! There are no good people in the entertainment industry! I've been there!"

Zhu Qingzhi finally couldn't take it anymore and pressed the record button: 【Who are you talking about?】

The other end of the phone fell silent instantly, with only the repeated "typing" message on the screen revealing the chaos on the other end.

Zhu Qingzhi glanced at Wen Qi, stuffed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth, and got up to leave the table.

Then came Wen Qi's gentle voice, tinged with a clear smile, from behind: "My wife is talking to you."

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Author's note: Kiyoshi [laughs]: Hmm.

Wen Qi [starry-eyed]: Mm.

Lu Yao [angry]: Oh.