Chapter 20 (Part 1) The Eve
The moon was bright, the stars were few, a gentle breeze blew, and a faint fragrance filled the air. Si Qiang leaned against the balcony, gazing up at the sky, his thoughts drifting away. He unconsciously closed his eyes, enjoying the tranquility of the night. Sicily under the night sky was so peaceful and serene; who would have thought that this illusion of peace would soon be shattered? But before that, the first place to change would probably be somewhere on the other side—and that was where his heart truly yearned, where that man was, his true home. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. It's said that men think about sex on average every 12 seconds, but gay men shorten that time to 7 seconds. He probably thinks about that man every 7 seconds—including sex, of course. He's really quite ill.
His phone beeped. He glanced down; it was the real-time weather forecast he'd subscribed to. Thunderstorms? He stared blankly at the small lightning bolt icon: Tomorrow, the rain would stop. Of course, this "thunderstorm" couldn't be from Sicily; it came from the other side of the river. So… he was truly hopeless. He'd told himself to be patient when he came here, not to think about that man until he could truly face him. But after that, he realized it was unrealistic. Everything he, Si Qiang, had done so far was for that man, or rather, just to get that man. Even knowing it was selfish, he'd done it without hesitation. His thoughts, his soul, everything about him—that man had been his only faith since he was fifteen. How could he not think about him?
"Ring ring..." The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. He frowned. Was it that guy again? After thinking for a moment, he finally straightened up and slowly walked over to open the door.
As expected, standing at the door was the Sicilian godfather, beaming with joy, a man completely oblivious to the fact that he was "unwelcome by his master." Seeing Si Qiang finally appear, he happily stretched out his arms to embrace her, lowering his head to kiss her pink lips—Si Qiang turned her head slightly, and his kiss landed on her smooth cheek.
"Why are you here so late instead of sleeping?" Si Qiang pushed him away and spoke calmly.
Antonio just stared at him without saying a word.
Si Qiang looked directly at the other man, her eyes showing no sign of backing down. Making a deal with this man was tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin, and she was already prepared for that.
After staring at him for a few seconds, Antonio finally sighed and slumped his shoulders: "I just wanted to ask why you haven't answered my calls these past two days?"
"Sorry, I left my phone with Luis, so I'm using another one for the next couple of days." Si Qiang turned to the black phone on the coffee table in the living room, shrugged, and offered a half-hearted apology.
“Luis?” Antonio unconsciously raised an eyebrow. Although it wasn't the first time he'd heard the name, hearing it from Si Qiang still made him pause for a moment before reacting. Calling the Count of Tulip by his first name wasn't something just anyone could do. And the Count of Tulip, who had never been interested in women, recently had a very charming rumored lover—the beauty before him—or rather, “Miss Peggy.” In fact, not long ago, when he first saw this seemingly perfect couple (ignoring gender) at a party at his own home, he knew he was in for a surprise.
Since Si Qiang would appear here in this state, he was certain that something serious had happened between her and Xu Qi. He quickly sent someone to investigate, and sure enough, they received news of a sudden and dramatic change in the situation in America. After tossing and turning all night, he finally made up his mind and took the initiative to go to her door. In any case, he needed to find a way to lower her guard. He didn't mention a word about the tricks Si Qiang had played in the marriage, but instead humbled himself and sincerely apologized for his previous foolish behavior—he shouldn't have been so blinded by greed as to resort to such despicable means as drugging her, and now he hoped to do something for her to gain her forgiveness.
To his surprise, Si Qiang showed no reaction to the drugging incident, but instead offered him a deal. The deal sounded simple: he would bring down Xu Qi, and Si Qiang, under the alias "Peggy," would help him completely control the entire Francisco family—in other words, remove his father from power. His father's health had been poor recently, and he had been pressuring him to remarry, while he was fed up with being controlled—so this was a deal he couldn't refuse.
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