Qi Shen led Fang Zhi to his original seat and sat down. He picked up a glass from the coffee table and handed it to her. "Didn't you just say you weren't feeling well?" He kissed the girl's smooth forehead. "The water is warm. Drink some first, and we'll go back in a little while."
Fang Zhi took the cup, said "okay" softly, and sipped the water in the cup.
When she put down her empty cup, Qi Shen tacitly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her, and the atmosphere between the two became inexplicably harmonious.
Fu Shaosi, who was watching the other man act all high and mighty and trying to be a nice guy, grew increasingly annoyed. He pretended to cough twice and said, "Shen, you're the only one with a companion today. It wouldn't be appropriate if you didn't introduce them, would it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Zhi clenched his hand, which was placed to the side, and his brows furrowed with embarrassment. How should he introduce them? Should he explain that they were originally siblings, but now they had become lovers?
Noticing her nervousness, Qi Shen lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "What are you worried about, Zhizhi? Are you afraid they'll look at you strangely if they find out about our relationship?"
"Don't worry, no, we're not blood-related siblings, and besides, they already know that your brother likes you."
"I knew about it many years earlier than Zhizhi."
Qi Shen had always known that the young girl had a moral knot in her heart that she couldn't untie, so he would untie it little by little.
After hearing his words, Fang Zhi seemed to feel a little relieved, but also a little heavy-hearted. She couldn't quite describe how she felt.
Like a tangled mess of hemp rope, impossible to cut or untangle.
After waiting for a while, Fu Shaosi jokingly said, "What are you whispering about? Hurry up and introduce someone!"
"Excuse me." Qi Shen put his arm around the girl's slender waist and spoke slowly, "Now that you're no longer single, let me formally introduce you. This is my girlfriend."
The man said he was sorry, but his refined and gentle face showed not a trace of apology. Instead, it gave the impression of mocking others for being single.
Unbeknownst to Qi Shen, he glanced around and then his gaze fell on the little man beside him. "Fang Zhi."
After the man finished his introduction, a moment of silence fell over the room.
Cheng Shiyan, Fu Shaosi, and Bai Chuan remained silent, but their opinions reached an unprecedented consensus: shamelessness.
They didn't know the details of how he got his hands on her, but judging from the girl's timid behavior in front of him, they could probably guess that his methods weren't exactly honorable.
With several people staring at them, Fang Zhi felt unprecedented pressure. She silently shrank back, trying to use Qi Shen to block the other three gazes.
Should I congratulate you?
Although he had no interest in romance and was focused on his military service, he was still quite annoyed by being so blatantly mocked.
Bai Chuan stared straight at Qi Shen, his sarcastic question amplified by the man's deep, cold, and emotionless voice.
A shy person would have kept quiet by now, but Qi Shen was different. He raised an eyebrow and smiled gently, saying sincerely, "Thank you."
Bai Chuan gave a cold laugh and said nothing more.
"..." Fu Shaosi looked at the ceiling, then at Qi Shen, and after a long while, he finally blurted out, "I admit that you are the best at disgusting people."
"You're too kind." Qi Shen turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Fu Shaosi, lingering for a moment longer, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "I've heard some news..."
He was being kept in suspense again. Fu Shaosi opened his mouth to retort, but then he suddenly remembered something, his body stiffened, and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his face turning ashen.
No way!
How could he have known?
The air suddenly fell silent. Even someone as oblivious as Fang Zhi could sense the tension in the private room. She glanced at Fu Shaosi, who was on the verge of fainting, and felt a pang of pity.
"Brother." She gently tugged at Qi Shen's sleeve. "I'm thirsty and want to drink some water."
Qi Shen turned to look at her, his gaze softening.
He picked up the thermos, refilled the cup with water, and placed it next to the girl. "It's a bit hot, wait a while before drinking."
"Okay, I understand."
Cheng Shiyan, who had been watching from the sidelines without speaking for a long time, had a fleeting dark look in his eyes. He didn't react much to Qi Shen's words, as he had been engaged since childhood.
Whether he likes her or not, they still have to live together, and besides, his young fiancée's appearance suits his taste.
More interesting to him than any of these things was what Shao Si had that A Shen had incriminating evidence against him.
After their witty and sarcastic conversation, the group clinked glasses and talked about work. In the latter half of the meeting, Fu Shaosi was unusually quiet, only occasionally clinking glasses with Qi Shen, seemingly preoccupied.
The four of them quickly finished several bottles of strong liquor, and the drinking session came to an end.
......
Fang Zhi and Qi Shen returned to Nangong around eleven o'clock. The man was genuinely happy today and had drunk quite a bit; he was even a little unsteady on his feet. After arriving home, she went inside first to have someone help him upstairs.
Seeing the maid escort him back to his bedroom, he realized that he hadn't followed her in, but was instead preparing to return to his own bedroom.
"Miss Zhizhi."
"Wang Ma," Fang Zhi asked, seeing her standing still, "why aren't you going down to rest?"
Wang Ma hesitated before saying, "Young Master asked me yesterday to sort out the cash and bank cards in your drawer and put them in his room."
Fang Zhi was taken aback. "Anything else?"
Wang Ma: "That's all."
It was because of her chat history with Siyi that he was wary of her and wanted to take away her support. But she clearly stayed in Haicheng. Fang Zhi suddenly felt a surge of anger, unsure whether it was directed at Qi Shen himself or at his actions.
It burned just right, neither too intensely nor too faintly.
After sending Wang Ma downstairs, the stubbornness within her suddenly sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. In a moment of impulsiveness, Fang Zhi rushed straight into the man's bedroom.
A table lamp was on in the bedroom.
She walked to the bedside. On the large bed, the man lay sprawled, his suit jacket tossed aside, his white shirt crumpled, his eyes closed, his brows furrowed.
His appearance of extreme discomfort and unconsciousness emboldened Fang Zhi, giving rise to a surge of malicious intent.
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