Chapter 83 Zhu Qingzhi is a pushover. This is my husband, smell...

Zhang Siyue was the most criticized.

[Just focus on filming, why bring up ex-girlfriends?]

[Instead of acting out a tragic love story on set, why not retire from the entertainment industry and focus on your romance?]

Zhu Qingzhi wasn't much better off. One line, "I guess the relationship is real; she broke down because her ex-girlfriend visited her on set," left Zhu Qingzhi's head spinning.

The world is full of wonders, and some people's thought processes really deserve scientific study.

"Miss Zhu, can we leave now?" A playful male voice pulled Zhu Qingzhi back to reality.

The man with a thick beard took a USB drive out of his bag and placed it on the table. "It's all a misunderstanding, just a matter of perspective. We didn't mean to create a romance for you."

"Old Xu, don't play word games with us." Dani didn't respond, her face bearing a smile that was devoid of any real smirk, showing absolutely no respect. "Taking things out of context, omitting the beginning and the end, you can't be this shameless."

"We're all in this for the money. We're all the same in this line of work." Old Xu smiled, pushed the USB drive forward a little more, leaned back, and looked confident of victory.

He made his point clear enough: if Zhu Qingzhi dared to cause trouble, even if he admitted defeat this time, she could forget about getting rid of the proxy bidding business in the future.

It's unclear whether Zhu Qingzhi understood or not; she kept her head down, playing on her phone, as if she had completely relinquished control of the conversation to her agent.

He knew Dani; she used to be a contracted agent for Shangya, and the two had dealt with each other a few years ago. She mostly did things based on profit and career prospects, so the "cooperation" should be a sure thing.

"Old Xu, are you threatening me?" Dani laughed for real this time.

"Don't mention it. Look, I've already handed over the USB drive. Isn't that enough sincerity?" Old Xu's gaze lingered on the USB drive, and he gave a noncommittal smirk. "There's plenty of usable material in here."

Dani visibly choked, her eyebrows practically flying to the sky.

Old Xu felt incredibly cool at that moment, as if he could see money flying right in front of him!

Suddenly, a "pfft" shattered her illusion; Zhu Qingzhi actually laughed.

Old Xu was truly dumbfounded.

What does this mean? Does she look down on him or simply not care? Hey?! This little girl shouldn't be so stubborn; she'll regret it. Does she believe he can ruin her reputation tonight?!

"Really?" Zhu Qingzhi finally stopped grinning foolishly at her phone, took the USB drive, and looked blank. "What's in here? Would you mind if I took a look now?"

Oh, he must have been faking it just now. Who wouldn't care about their future?

Old Xu swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down, but he didn't say anything, only nodding pretentiously.

The USB drive contained his day's haul: videos, photos, audio recordings, and even a few edited, yet-to-be-released short videos.

He went through the money one by one, watching Dani's face grow darker and darker, feeling that the money was already in the bank account.

An hour ago, someone contacted him, saying that Zhu Qingzhi's team wanted to negotiate with him.

He hadn't planned to come; he was just doing a favor for money. A person should be trustworthy; how could he lie to both sides?

But that person said that Chaoxing had previously offered 10 million for a short video to protect Zhu Qingzhi, and he would definitely offer the same amount this time.

And then he arrived. He's a paparazzi agent; he can do whatever he wants.

Old Xu held the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette, poked it in his palm, and was about to light it.

Zhu Qingzhi spoke again, her big, watery eyes looking equally bewildered: "You got the video and photos, fine, but where did you get the recording? Do you have people in the crew?"

"No, that's not true. There's a stone pillar over there where you're filming, right next to the work shed. I've also arranged for people to be there." Old Xu clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that he was prepared, and happily took out his lighter.

But just as the flames started to rise, Zhu Qingzhi spoke again: "Oh, you're really amazing!"

"Hehe, that's for sure." He lit a cigarette, took a satisfying drag, and exhaled the pungent smoke.

After the smoke cleared, he laughed and said, "Now let's talk about the price? I also want 10 million."

Zhu Qingzhi moved her chair back and suddenly asked, "How much did she give you?"

"100W." Old Xu blurted out almost immediately.

Who is she?

"She..." Old Xu finally realized what was happening, and stopped smoking, holding the cigarette between his fingers. "One thing at a time, I still have a reputation to maintain."

"Oh, okay." She unplugged the USB drive from the computer and continued playing on her phone. "Then go ask her for it."

Old Xu felt like he'd been tricked. He suddenly pushed his chair up and stood up, shouting "You!" with his index finger almost pointing at Zhu Qingzhi's forehead.

Just then, the door was kicked open, and a blast of cold wind swept in.

He shivered and hunched his neck, but before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his left wrist, followed by the burning cigarette butt being shoved hard into his palm.

"Ah!!!" The scream was stuck in his throat, and he convulsed in pain.

The air was instantly filled with the stench of burnt flesh, mixed with the pungent smell of tobacco.

The door was wide open, and the wind from the corridor howled in, instantly sweeping away all the nauseating smells.

Old Xu was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat. He turned around with a ferocious expression and faced a row of men in suits, each of whom had a terrifyingly cold face.

The leader was wearing a black overcoat, the quality of which was obviously expensive. His face even looked somewhat familiar; he seemed to have seen him on a financial news headline.

The next moment, the man released his grip on his wrist, and a bodyguard immediately handed him a sterilized handkerchief, which he lowered his eyes to wipe his fingertips.

This action, this meaning, does he mean he's some kind of evil spirit?

But Old Xu was the type to treat people differently based on their status, so he dared not speak out against him, and a fawning smile was already plastered on his face: "Sir, who are you?"

The man completely ignored him, his gaze passing over him, his eyes filled with concern and lingering fear, which made Old Xu feel a little uneasy.

Who's the sugar daddy behind Zhu Qingzhi? Was this little girl just calling for backup?

He swallowed hard, blood still seeping from the hole in his palm, and the cold wind made him feel chilly.

At this moment, Zhu Qingzhi came around from behind, naturally took the man's arm, and said in a coquettish voice, "Let me introduce you. This is my husband, Wen Qi."

Old Xu: "...?"

Husband? She's married?! But wait...

Wen Qi, president of the Wen Group, and the marriage between the Wen and Lu families, so Zhu Qingzhi is...

The Lu family's daughter?!

Good heavens! Oh earth! Now not only is the money gone, he's probably going to die too.

He was practically paralyzed with fear, but dared not collapse. He stammered with a laugh, "Mr. Wen, Ms. Zhu, this is just a misunderstanding. I can explain. Besides, I can clarify things online right now! I'll definitely settle this for you!"

"You post the news, and then you have to clarify it?" Zhu Qingzhi gave him a disdainful look. "Do you think netizens are idiots?"

Old Xu hurriedly defended himself: "But those things I posted online were fake to begin with!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, since you were the one who posted it," Zhu Qingzhi yawned lazily, practically hanging on Wen Qi. "But... it's not like there's absolutely no way to back it up, right, honey?"

Her voice was lively and charming, and her fingers were hidden in the crook of his arm, pinching it lightly, which meant that he should cooperate.

Wen Qi, confirming that she was safe and sound, finally relaxed, and his sharp aura gradually subsided. After receiving her signal, his voice softened, carrying a faint smile, but his words were not pleasant to hear.

"The police will be here soon. If you confess properly, you might be able to get leniency."

This couple is truly a perfect match. How can someone with a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius say such cold words?

Old Xu was on the verge of tears, but still made a last-ditch effort: "We can talk things over, I really didn't mean anything by it. I promise, I'll make sure my colleagues don't mess with you anymore, okay?!"

"No need, no need, Mr. Xu needs to talk to the police officer properly~" Zhu Qingzhi sighed and shook her head regretfully, "I really can't help you~"

*

The news that Xu Dong had been taken away by the police quickly spread across the internet.

Originally, four or five trending topics in the afternoon were related to Xu Dong. His account on the internet has always been very popular, so naturally a lot of people paid attention to this news about him.

Netizens speculated that either Xu Dong's revelations were too true, which is why he was set up, or they were so completely fabricated that he was arrested.

Immediately, everyone left comments under the news article saying, "Leave a comment here, we'll see what happens next."

With Dani following up at the police station, Zhu Qingzhi and Wen Qi went back to the hotel to rest.

Zhu Qingzhi was criticized online for most of the day, so she wasn't in a good mood. The film crew didn't stop work because of these minor incidents; she filmed until 6 PM before wrapping up, and just now she had a nearly hour-long argument with Xu Dong. Now she's so sleepy her eyelids are drooping.

She was too lazy to even take a shower; as soon as she entered the door, she fell face down onto the sofa in a "1" shape.

"Why did you come here today?" Her face was buried in the sofa, and her voice was muffled. "You didn't even let me know on WeChat! When I saw you just now, I thought I was hallucinating."

Wen Qi took off his coat and pulled her from the sofa into his arms: "It's a statutory holiday, I'm spending time with my wife."

Zhu Qingzhi buried her face in Wen Qi's chest again, her voice sleepy: "Then you're late. I've already taken care of everything."

Wen Qi gently stroked her hair, his fingertips lingering on her slightly red earlobe: "It's not too late. I just happened to see my wife dominating the battlefield."

It was late at night, and only a floor lamp was on in the hotel room. The warm yellow light cast the shadows of the two people on the wall, creating an intimate silhouette.

"Oh. I'm clearly a pushover, everyone wants to take advantage of me!" Zhu Qingzhi raised her head, puffed out her cheeks, and cast small shadows under her eyes with her eyelashes, looking like a wronged little animal.

"Let me pinch it." Wen Qi gently pinched her cheek, a tender smile spreading across his eyes. "It's quite soft."

Zhu Qingzhi: "..."

His ideas are quite abstract.

Wen Qi released her hand, then gently stroked the tip of her nose, his gaze calm and serene: "I can't listen to you about Liu Xiaoning this time."

The touch of Wen Qi's fingertips still lingered on Zhu Qingzhi's cheek. She nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "Are all men romantics?"

She propped herself up against Wen Qi's chest, her voice filled with disbelief and astonishment, "I originally thought Zhang Siyue was quite smart, but I never expected that kid to be so stupid."

"Look at what Liu Xiaoning has done to him! Shen Rou has already explained seven or eight things based on this example, but he still doesn't believe her, and even posts on Weibo to defend her. Now the whole internet is cursing Zhang Siyue for being a love-struck fool!"

"I can't even imagine how devastated Zhang Siyue would be if Liu Xiaoning's true colors were revealed."

She unconsciously clutched Wen Qi's shirt, her face showing undisguised sympathy and helplessness.

Wen Qi looked down at her pale knuckles, then suddenly reached out and covered the back of her hand. The warm touch made Zhu Qingzhi pause slightly.

"It was raining heavily in Beitang Town today. My car broke down on the way down the mountain, and I had to change cars three times before I finally got to the airport."

"But all flights to Nancheng were canceled today. I took a three-hour high-speed train to a neighboring city, used my connections to arrange for someone's private plane to come here."

His narration was bland, but the hand around her waist gradually tightened, and the intense heat of his palm transmitted through the thin fabric, making Zhu Qingzhi's heart race.

Hmm, so what does he mean?

Zhu Qingzhi blinked, momentarily speechless.

At the same time, Wen Qi grabbed her other hand. He suddenly lowered his head and gently bit her lip, lightly, but with a clear sense of punishment.

“And my wife,” his voice was low and dangerous, “has mentioned another man six times since just now.”

-----------------------

Author's Note: Kiyoshi [question mark]: Hmm?

Wen Qi [question mark]: Hmm?

Ahme on! Counter-Strike! Counter-Strike! Here we go! The Ace is going wild!

I made it perfectly!

11:30!