Cao Cao in life
She already knew the answer in her heart, and a hint of a smile appeared in her tearful eyes, unnoticed by her owner.
But one must be sarcastic: "If I were to record and post your words, I'm sure many people would criticize you for being arrogant, conceited, and irresponsible."
The person opposite her spoke with the same arrogance as always, while Chen Sizhe's low and mellow voice drifted into Wen Dai's ears:
“I won’t do anything I’m not sure of. If I can’t do it, I’ll admit I can’t. Overturning your case won’t be too difficult. You have witnesses. Go back in time to find out who and what you were in contact with at that time.”
"From your past statements, I already have a general idea of your strengths. Classifying the death of a water affairs deputy manager and a chemistry teacher as an accident caused by a gas leak is something that anyone with a brain can tell is problematic."
"It's called a lawsuit, but it's really about power and confidence." He paused for a moment, then spoke again with a hint of arrogant smile: "Who else do you think can do it but me?"
His statement was extremely straightforward, and Wen Dai naturally understood that she was in the right in terms of evidence, while the other party might be the one whose deck of cards collapsed at the slightest touch.
"But you don't even know who I'm going to sue, do you?"
"The chemical plant owner who didn't reach a cooperation agreement with your father back then."
She received a quick reply from Chen Sizhe as soon as she asked the question.
He spoke frankly: "Actually, I'm not sure who you're going to sue, but you'd better sue him, because he has the most direct financial ties with your father. Secondly, the person arrested should be the former water management official, since the chemical plant ultimately won the bid. If you want to drag them all out, you have to grab the easiest knot first."
Fate dealt her a blow, and the Möbius strips that had fallen to the ground were silently reconstructed after being deconstructed.
Interlocking links.
Before Wen Dai could find a suitable excuse to visit Li Chengjian, the Li family called first. Li Qingyu's childish voice softened everyone's heart: "Sister~"
After lounging at home for two days straight, Wen Dai, who seemed ready to give up, held up her phone. She lay flat on the bed, face to face with the phone screen showing a call in progress. Her ears were trembling, so she spoke softly: "Hey~ what's up, Qingyu?"
"I miss my sister." The clear child's voice followed Wen Dai's melody and became softer. "It's my birthday tomorrow, and I want to invite my sister to my house to play... but I just want to see my sister today, and I want to play with her today too."
The caller's naive tone made Wen Dai, who felt like she'd been given a pillow just in time to fall asleep and was planning to use the opportunity to ask Li Chengjian for help, feel inexplicably ashamed.
The words were stuck in her throat, and then suddenly Wen Dai thought of something. She sat up straight on the bed, held her phone to her lips, and said, "How about I pick up Qingyu today? I think the bracelet I gave Qingyu before wasn't enough. I'll take Qingyu to the temple to try our luck and see if we can run into a Taoist priest who has elixirs."
"Okay~"
Taking a primary school student to a temple is a case of Wen Dai and Li Qingyu being one who dares to speak and the other who dares to listen; in other words, it's a classic case of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai (a Chinese idiom meaning someone who is willing to take on a difficult task).
However, things took an unexpected turn for Wen Dai. Before she could even go out to look for the Li family, there was a knock on her door.
When Wen Daixin opened the door, feeling a bit strange, the buzz-cut man who was the first to enter her field of vision startled her so much that she almost slammed the door shut.
The reason was simple: Wen Dai was traumatized by Gu Qi's firmness at the dinner table, and she really didn't want to see him.
But a sweet "Sister" coming from below stopped Wen Dai from slamming the door.
She lowered her gaze, and the little girl in front of her was wrapped in a sweet and refreshing candy-colored outfit.
Overwhelmed by maternal love, Wen Dai knelt down to face Li Qingyu. Their eyes met, sparkling as if they were looking at stars, not eyes.
"So cute, and you've become even prettier!"
"Your sister is beautiful too~"
Wen Dai's dimples and prominent canine teeth, as if her lips would never fall, made Gu Qi, who stood at the door as if he were nothing, feel a pang of sadness.
His mind was in turmoil as he gazed down at the woman smiling radiantly, recalling how he had been treated when they were at the dinner table...
After exchanging a few casual words with Li Qingyu, Wen Dai stood up and looked at him. Her sudden change of attitude was so swift, it was as if she had simply handed over the mask she wore when facing Li Qingyu to her; Gu Qi hadn't even noticed when the corners of her mouth had stopped curving upwards.
She asked bluntly, "Why are you here too?"
Gu Qi's heart ached even more, and he twitched the corners of his mouth, which had remained motionless.
“My great-aunt, who is Qingyu’s grandmother, thought that my statement that I thought we weren’t a good match was just an excuse, and she’s still trying to play matchmaker. I told her that you have someone you like, but she doesn’t believe me. I don’t know if you and that person are together or not… But anyway, just treat me as a normal friend.”
"Oh." As long as she wasn't bothered by her again, Wen Dai accepted the fact that there was one more person traveling with her. After all, it was quite tiring for her to take Li Qingyu on the subway and bus.
Gu Qi, whom Wen Dai silently defined as a driver, was completely unaware of.
Taiqing Palace is located in a relatively remote area of Lizhou, but unlike Zhong'an Temple, it does not require advance reservations—otherwise, she would not be able to enter, nor would she be able to bring Li Qingyu and the others in.
There were few parking spaces at the entrance of Taiqing Palace, which is rarely visited. There was only one left, behind a Bentley that looked somewhat familiar.
After getting off the bus, Wen Dai took Li Qingyu's hand and walked not far in front of Gu Qi, unaware that her current situation looked like a family of three traveling together in the eyes of others.
Scattered two or three pedestrians occasionally passed by. Wen Dai led Li Qingyu into the palace. The vitality of spring made the palace full of greenery, but unfortunately there was no pink.
However, although it doesn't have the pink of flowers, it has an unexpected pink color.
Finding the Taoist priest was purely a matter of luck, as she hadn't added his contact information or made an appointment; obtaining the elixir depended entirely on fate. So Wen Dai led Li Qingyu on a leisurely stroll through the temple, looking around and breathing in the fresh air, when she inadvertently caught sight of a man and a woman in a pavilion.
The woman was dressed elegantly, wearing a fitted knitted long dress with high heels. When she sat on the chair, her legs were together and her hands were folded and placed on her thighs. The other man's posture was blatantly aloof.
The woman sitting on the chair was on the inside of the pavilion, while the man had his hands in his pockets, almost ready to step out of the pavilion, as he was only one step away from the steps leading down.
I don't recognize the woman, but the man... he looks strangely familiar?
Li Qingyu, who was being led by the hand, shook Wen Dai's hand and looked up at her, saying, "Sister, let's go to the pavilion too."
Wen Dai readily agreed, "Okay, sure." She went to see what the man looked like, but even from this distance, his face was still a bit blurry.
Gu Qi, who had been silently following behind the two, went from being a driver to an attendant.
As the distance shortened, Wen Dai stood on a short path in front of the pavilion, staring in astonishment at the man peering at her from the pavilion entrance—whoa, Chen Sizhe!
But why does his gaze look so cold, like he's catching someone cheating?
Ignoring her slight discomfort, Wen Dai led Li Qingyu forward, secretly wondering whether she should greet him.
Wen Dai glanced at the woman sitting in the pavilion and really wanted to label her as a dignified young lady. When she was resting, she probably couldn't even sit for long; she would lie down or lean back whenever she could. But this woman sat upright, her posture elegant.
She's clearly a daughter raised in a wealthy family.
So... is Chen Sizhe on a date?
I can't quite describe how I feel. It reminded me of my past experience eating lemons, when I was misled by an online claim that "eating lemons with the peel on makes them fragrant." At first, the intense sourness overwhelmed me, but then I gradually became immune to it and began to savor the slightly bitter yet refreshing taste.
Lost in thought, Wen Dai tripped on a step while climbing the stairs. In the instant she lunged forward, her wandering thoughts returned, but it would have been better if they hadn't returned at all.
As the steps grew larger before her, Wen Dai instinctively released Li Qingyu's hand, and at the same time, she exclaimed "Damn it!" from the bottom of her heart. Just when she thought she might be disfigured, the man at the entrance of the pavilion reached out and pulled her over.
What envelops the body and invades the nasal cavity is a light, refreshing fragrance, not like the top and base notes of perfume, but just a comfortable and subtle scent.
The chest that nestled against her was warm, but too hard. Wen Dai's arm was held in Chen Sizhe's hand, and a hand embraced her waist; her legs, which were about to kneel down, did not touch the steps because of his support.
It's still the feeling of eating a lemon, but it's no longer the feeling while eating the lemon, but something that happens after swallowing it—a tingling sensation on the tongue, and that tingling sensation travels to the heart.
Seeing this, Gu Qi, who had also reached the steps, felt that the question that had been stuck in his mouth had no chance to be uttered. He turned his gaze in astonishment to the woman sitting in the pavilion, and his feelings became even more complicated.
What exactly is going on between Wen Dai and this man? What is their relationship? Are they still playing a game of flirtation, or is Wen Dai still in love with him unrequitedly? And who is the woman in the pavilion? Do they know each other?
First of all, Wen Dai is clearly not the type to have her cake and eat it too, and she would never be interested in a man who already has a girlfriend; she still trusts her great-aunt's ability to judge character, so the problem must lie with this man.
Chen Sizhe, who bravely stepped in to embrace Wen Dai, was completely unaware that in Gu Qi's eyes, he had already been categorized as a scumbag.
Xu Jing, sitting in the pavilion, was far from calm. Her beautiful eyes widened slightly as she stared at Chen Sizhe's back with disbelief.
Isn't this guy a germaphobe? He wouldn't even let her sit in the passenger seat, forcing her to the back. And when we got to the temple, instead of going straight to the Taoist priest to ask for her beauty pills, he inexplicably led her around the temple in circles.
She walked until her heels were sore, but this person didn't even bother to carry her or help her up. Instead, he said, "There's a pavilion ahead where you can rest. Just hang in there a little longer."
It's strange now; he knows to lend a helping hand to any strange woman he encounters before she falls.
Xu Jing was so angry that her teeth ached; she was starting to wonder if Chen Sizhe hated her.
But on the surface, she still had to maintain a composed demeanor. So Xu Jing, who had the air of an elegant young lady, tried her best to control her facial muscles, which seemed to be spasming slightly.
Chen Sizhe's voice wasn't loud, but only Wen Dai, who was leaning against him in a daze, heard it clearly: "You really can't even act properly. If you want to throw yourself at me, you can just say so, instead of deliberately putting on such a cliché act—or rather, are you trying to give me a big bow?"
The playful undertone made Wen Dai want to throw him into the lake beside her.
She thrashed around in Chen Sizhe's arms a couple of times, using him as a support to steady herself, and then took Li Qingyu's hand again.
She silently led the people inside, and when she passed him, she said a dry "thank you" in a rather insincere tone.
Walking behind, Gu Qi became even more certain of his guess.
It seems this man is a womanizer; Wen Dai has probably already had a falling out with him.
Suddenly feeling that he might have another chance, Gu Qi seized the opportunity to perform. He walked over and sat down next to Wen Dai, asking in a low voice with concern, "Are you alright? Are you okay?"
Sensing something amiss in Gu Qi's communication style, Wen Dai glanced at him, then shifted her position closer to Li Qingyu, saying distantly, "It's alright, I didn't fall, thank you for your concern."
Currently, in Gu Qi's eyes, Chen Sizhe and Xu Jing are either a couple who may have confirmed their relationship, or they are in a state of ambiguity; while in Xu Jing's eyes... she glanced at Chen Sizhe, who was staring straight at Wen Dai, and her inner surprise grew heavier.
Mrs. Chen treated her quite well, so should she tell Mrs. Chen that her son might have some strange fetish? He actually keeps staring at other wives and other people's children's mothers! I never thought that such a handsome and well-off man would have such a fetish. No wonder he's almost thirty and has never been in a relationship.
Even if the woman in this family of three clearly has no feelings for the man, she shouldn't have any improper thoughts, since he is a married woman.
Was Cao Cao alive today?
Xu Jing couldn't help but feel a chill.
Gu Qi and Wen Dai, each with their own agendas, reached a consensus on their actions—not to greet Chen Sizhe.
But Li Qingyu, sitting in the chair, was different. A considerable amount of time had passed, and she was barely conscious when they met, but perhaps subconsciously she remembered the person who had helped her. She stared at Chen Sizhe for a while, then innocently asked, "Uncle, have I seen you before? Have you seen me?"
Even a heartless man softened when faced with such an adorable little girl. Chen Sizhe nodded, deliberately ignoring Wen Dai's intense gaze, and said slowly, "Your grandfather is Li Chengjian, right? When you got into trouble, it was me and the man next to you who helped resolve it. We are business partners."
Questions arose in the minds of the two people—Xu Jing and Gu Qi, who were hampered by the information gap.
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