"Young master, this, this—" What could he say? He couldn't possibly reveal the mistress and young lady of the house. If he did, would he have any chance of survival?
He won't be able to get past the Madam's hurdle. Will he still be able to stay and work in the household?
But even without saying anything, just looking at the young master's current state, he would definitely be torn to pieces.
Why did he take on such a difficult job?
"Speak!" Duan Qi's eyes were bloodshot.
The servant was so frightened by this sight that he trembled.
"Yes, yes, I'll tell you, I'll tell you. It was Miss who instructed me to do this. Miss said that as long as I got the job done, I would get my share of the rewards. I was just following Miss's orders." Originally, this matter was handled through Miss. He didn't implicate Madam, only mentioned Miss. This matter should be fine, right?
The lady should be able to act according to the situation and get rid of him; that way, he won't be kicked out of the mansion.
Duan Qi's eyes darkened. Beautiful?
Did Meili do this?
Duan Meili, who had been sold by the servant, was sitting in the room, eating pastries and drinking tea, enjoying herself immensely.
In her mind, Qiao Zhiyi's matter was a done deal, and she never thought that any unexpected situation would occur. She was happily thinking about how her mother would reward her for doing such a great thing when the door was suddenly kicked open from the outside.
It was Duan Qi himself who came in.
Duan Meili paused, stunned, as she lifted the teacup.
"Brother, brother?" Huh? Why is her brother suddenly here at this time? Shouldn't he be catching his wife cheating on him?
"Duan Meili, what kind of good deeds have you done?"
As soon as Duan Qi finished speaking, the servants who had been scrambling to their feet in a panic followed him.
Upon seeing the servant crawl in, Duan Meili paused, her expression changed, and she finally realized that something was wrong.
What happened?
The servant was wiping away snot and tears, wailing and crying.
"Miss, I'm so sorry! I had no choice. If I hadn't told him, the young master would have chopped me up and thrown me out to feed the dogs."
Duan Meili was stunned for a few moments before she immediately realized what was happening and began to deny everything.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard? What did I ask you to do? Bro, don't listen to his lies. Qiao Zhiyi's matter has nothing to do with me."
Duan Qi laughed angrily, "Did he mention Qiao Zhiyi just now? Did he mention Zhiyi at all? If it has nothing to do with you, how do you know it's about Zhiyi?"
Duan Meili's face stiffened as she realized she had unwittingly blurted out something in an attempt to clear herself of suspicion.
"Brother, brother, that's not how it is. Let me explain. This young man and Qiao Zhiyi are in love. He came to me and asked me to help them get together. I refused. I... that's what I meant."
Duan Qi's voice and expression were harsh and stern.
"Alright, stop explaining here. Meili, I'm warning you, if you dare to do anything to hurt Zhiyi again, I won't let you get away with it."
Duan Meili was dumbfounded. Huh? How did it become her fault?
She was just following her mother's orders!
It was Mother who sent her to come and do this work. If there's any trouble, she should go to Mother. Why should she take the blame for nothing? She won't take the blame!
Since she had been exposed and her true colors revealed, she calmed down and stared at Duan Qi with a cold laugh.
"Brother, do you think I'm the one stopping you and Qiao Zhiyi from getting together? Who in our family would want you to be with her? Go ask our father and mother what they think."
Not to mention our parents, even our grandparents can't get past this hurdle. Although they seem to treat Qiao Zhiyi and her mother very well on the surface, as if they remember a great favor, they put on a show for you and act as if they are very grateful in front of the people in the mansion.
It's really just for the sake of saving face. He wants to appear honest and kind, and doesn't want to be criticized behind his back or be cursed.
That's why they say one thing to your face and another behind your back, turning a blind eye to our parents' troubles.
"Ha, it's the truth. They're all hoping you'll marry the Cui family girl, aren't they? Don't you know perfectly well who it's more beneficial for you, for the family, and for everyone else?"
Duan Meili directly tore off this layer of paper. If it weren't for her grandparents' tacit approval and instruction, how could her parents have dared to do such a thing?
This person wants both fame and prestige; they want to have it all.
In the end, they shifted all the blame onto her, making it her fault. Why should she be held responsible?
Although she was quite annoyed by the presence of this mother and daughter, who wanted to rise in status and become a phoenix by relying on her brother's wealth and status, it wasn't entirely her idea.
She was at most an accomplice, not the mastermind.
Duan Qi clenched his fists. Meili was right. With such a big incident, were all the servants in the manor blind?
Pretending to be deaf and dumb, remaining silent, while secretly devising a whole set of schemes.
The obstacle between him and Zhiyi wasn't just his mother, but the entire household.
The future of the entire household rests on his shoulders; only when he prospers will the entire household share in his glory.
This is the principle that we all prosper together, and we all suffer together.
Duan Qi's eyes were unfathomable as he gave Duan Meili a light warning, "In short, don't try anything with Zhiyi again. You can dislike her, you can dislike her, I won't force you, but don't have any more wicked thoughts about her."
Duan Qi's face was as cold as ice. After giving the warning, he turned and left.
Ever since Duan Qi left, Qiao Zhiyi has been in a daze.
When Yang returned, the matter was already over, and she had no idea what had happened. Anle was following behind her.
Because she had arranged a time with Qiao Zhiyi, she was suddenly summoned by Madam Yang, who said she wasn't planning to return. She had to come and ask her cousin Zhiyi in person to find out the truth.
This matter concerns her embroidery.
"Cousin Zhiyi?" Anle blinked as she looked at Qiao Zhiyi, who was sitting on the bed wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly into space. The weather wasn't cold yet, wasn't she hot wrapped in a blanket?
Anle called out, but Qiao Zhiyi didn't respond. Anle then waved his hand in front of Qiao Zhiyi.
"Zhiyi, what are you doing? Why are you spacing out again? Lewa, come here!" Yang called out as she entered the room. Only then did she notice the broken teacup at her feet. She bent down, frowned, and muttered to herself.
"How come a teacup is broken? This place isn't ours. You should be more careful in everything you do, so as not to damage anything here or people will start talking about you."
Qiao Zhiyi looked up in a daze, her eyes filled with sadness, and said to An Le expressionlessly, "Little cousin, let's leave here now."
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