Although she felt awkward, her way of addressing him would make the leader believe her more quickly, so he neither corrected her nor ignored her.
Hearing their conversation, Zhou Pingchang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and even Xiao Jiangyue almost spat out her tea. Turning her head to look at Qi, cough! cough! It was truly a spectacle; the vice-leader, who always had a deathly pale face, was actually blushing…
Qi didn't understand, but Si Qiao secretly laughed to herself. She deliberately said some ambiguous things, actually wanting the two of them to misunderstand their relationship. Unexpectedly, Qi was quite cooperative. But something was definitely amiss. Moreover, she had a sharp eye and immediately saw through his insincerity. Although there was no expression on his face, the contempt in his eyes was clearly visible to her, who was closest to him.
Hmph! If he dislikes her, why bring her here? He just needs to use her for something. She, Si Qiao, never lets anyone take advantage of her for nothing. He doesn't like her getting close, so she'll get close to him anyway. She will never let him use her and then kick her aside.
"There's no need for apologies between us." She gently pressed her slender fingers against his lips and said softly, "I don't blame you at all. Just spend more time with me in the future."
Her soft fingertips immediately sensed him pull back slightly, then stop. She was startled; she had expected him to push her away the moment she touched him, but he let her do something so intimate. A thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately knew something was amiss. If she didn't take advantage of the situation, when would she?
Just as she was about to push her luck, she heard the woman's cold voice as she sat down...
"May I ask where the young lady's residence is located?"
"I..." Si Qiao was stunned for a moment, then slowly lowered her face, looking pitiful and hesitant, but did not answer the question directly, as if she had some unspeakable secret.
Just as Xiao Jiangyue was about to ask again, Shu Yao gracefully approached and bowed to Xiao Jiangyue, saying, "Shu Yao greets Your Majesty."
Si Qiao clearly felt the man beside her freeze. She suddenly realized, oh... so Qi Shen had feelings for this kind-hearted older sister.
Xiao Jiangyue simply gave a faint "hmm".
Shu Yao glanced to the side and saw Si Qiao next to Qi. She smiled kindly at her and asked, "Miss Si Qiao looks much better. I heard from the maid that you are leaving. It would be better not to act rashly. It's not too late to leave after you have recovered."
Si Qiao weakly nestled against Qi, grasped his large hand, and said in a feignedly weak voice, "Thank you, sister. Actually, I'm much better now, and it wouldn't be good for me to stay and cause trouble for Brother Qi. I wanted to leave as soon as I woke up, but..."
Qi hesitated for a moment, then grasped her hand in return, looked straight ahead, and said in a deep voice, "You don't have to leave. Even if your injuries heal, you don't have to go. Just settle down here."
This time, Si Qiao was truly certain that Qi was using her. She was furious but also didn't want him to have an easy time, so she sobbed, "Brother Qi... how can this be?"
Shu Yao was taken aback, wondering why this man, who had tried to throw her out of the car yesterday, was now protecting her. Men really are fickle!
Qi resisted the urge to look at Shu Yao, his gaze falling on the leader's inscrutable face, unsure whether she believed him or not.
"Yes, just settle in comfortably. Qi, you're just sitting here doing nothing anyway. Look... Shu Yao uses this place as a shelter, doesn't she? She lives here just fine." As she spoke, her sharp eyes were fixed on Qi, not missing a single change in his expression. He had a woman who could bring huge benefits to the organization but instead took a fancy to this shameless slut. She wanted to see how long he could tolerate this. Humph!
"This... how can I compare to Sister Shuyao? I heard that she and Brother Qi have been acquaintances for many years. I was being presumptuous."
These words truly came from the heart. On one hand, Shu Yao had saved her life, and on the other hand, she was one of the few people who could express kindness to her. This female demon was indeed worthy of being the leader of the assassin gang; her destructive power was truly immense. She could easily turn the two of them into enemies.
Shu Yao didn't care at all and defused the crisis with a few words. "Sister, you don't need to worry too much... Qi may look cold on the outside, but he is a warm person on the inside. I am only staying temporarily and will leave after a while. Since Qi has asked you to stay properly, you should listen to him."
The implication is that since the head of the household has spoken, there's no need to care what others say!
Qi stood there motionless, seemingly indifferent to everything before him, but Si Qiao could feel the immense pressure of his grip on her hand, almost crushing her bones. However, she showed no pain on her face, only wondering why she had been summoned here today.
Zhou Pingchang remained silent, watching the spectacle unfold. His gaze lingered longest on Si Qiao. Having spent years in the underworld, he could tell at a glance that this woman was adept at manipulating men using her own strengths. To expect her to fawn over a cold, ruthless man like Qi, who offered absolutely no benefit, and to dare to be intimate with him for so long—something even Shu Yao, who had initially met Qi, couldn't do. It seemed this woman wasn't after anything else, but genuinely liked Qi. In that case, there was nothing wrong with Qi being with her.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, Qi..." Xiao Jiangyue glanced at Shu Yao with displeasure, clearly quite dissatisfied with her reaction just now, and said indifferently, "Today I will give you two choices in front of everyone. Do you want Shu Yao or this Miss Si Qiao?" She finally used her most powerful move. If Qi still chose this harlot in front of Shu Yao, it would definitely hurt Shu Yao badly and make her lose face.
But Shu Yao, standing to the side, was completely oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation. She was utterly bewildered. What was going on? She was a recently abandoned woman, a woman who had already given birth to a child—how could she stand there so openly and let people choose her? Moreover, Qi was clearly a better match for the charming and beautiful Si Qiao. However, because it was the leader's word, she couldn't openly object. She could only subtly gesture towards Si Qiao with her lip, indicating that he should choose Si Qiao.
Qi could easily see through her meaning. It seemed that... no matter how many opportunities were presented to her, she would ultimately never be hers...
"Qi, stop hesitating, who do you want?" Xiao Jiangyue urged fiercely.
"I want Qiao'er." Qi said slowly and forcefully, his gaze falling on Qiao'er's surprised and beautiful face.
To everyone's surprise, the next moment, he revealed a rare smile, softening his cold and resolute face. As Si Qiao held her breath in bewilderment, his large hand lifted a strand of long hair from her cheek, and he leaned down to place a tender kiss on her pink cheek. His actions revealed boundless love and tenderness.
Shu Yao unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, and seeing their loving appearance, she revealed a genuine smile.
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