Qian Chuan's expression softened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
A smile played on his lips as he leaned back in his chair. "Naturally, it's not as good as Sister Qiao and you getting away unscathed."
Now that things have come to this point, whether he minds or not, we should continue this conversation.
Qiao Jie smiled and recalled, "About four years ago, the dispute between the '9' and '10' in the City of Hearts broke out. Ah, back then, the '9' and '10' in the City of Hearts weren't Susan and Jiulong yet."
The two fought fiercely, even to the point of tearing each other apart and turning on each other. This chaotic battle reached its peak two years ago.
Chuanliu couldn't help but wonder, "Don't the higher-ups care?"
If it were just a matter between "9" and "10", when things went beyond expectations, the higher-ups in the City of Hearts could have easily intervened to stop it. How could it have escalated to the point of being called a "disaster"?
Qiaojie countered, "Has this dispute escalated into a conflict between different suits?"
After a moment's thought, Chuanliu asked, "Are you referring to spades or diamonds?"
Since the Plum Blossom City escaped unscathed, it must be another color.
“Both,” Qiao Jie glanced at the string of coins and continued:
"At the time, the City of Diamonds supported the '9 of Hearts,' while the City of Spades supported the '10 of Hearts,' leading to a full-blown conflict among the three parties that lasted for a long time. Later, both the City of Spades and the City of Diamonds collapsed due to this turmoil."
Chuanliu still couldn't understand why, if it were Spades against Diamonds, with the absolute power of Spades City, Diamonds City would have no chance to fight back.
She murmured, "How...how is this possible?"
Qiaojie patted her hand, feeling the warmth of that soft hand. "You find it amazing too, don't you? If Plum Blossom City hadn't chosen to close its main city to avoid getting involved in the chaos caused by the '9' and '10' debate, it probably would have ended up getting caught up in it. Because... what happened later could practically be called a massacre."
After saying that, the woman withdrew her hand, leaned back slightly, and crossed her arms over her chest.
She showed no regret or lingering fear; she simply looked at the string of coins with interest and said leisurely:
"I think... Brother Qian Liu, who happened to arrive on the island at that time, should know something."
Qian Chuan listened quietly to Qiao Jie's story and didn't think there was anything wrong with what the woman said.
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, as if he were deep in thought, until Qiao Jie steered the conversation towards him. He then stopped tapping, looked up, and said:
"As Sister Qiao said, I had just arrived on the island, so how could I know more about the inside story than you?"
Qiao Jie twirled her hair with her fingers and said lazily to Chuan Liu, "After your Brother Qian Liu came to the island, he not only escaped that 'disaster,' but also quickly expanded his power and gained a foothold in a short period of time."
We long-time residents got to know him around that time; everyone on Paradise Island knew this handsome young man was no ordinary person.
Chuanliu looked at Qianchuan again.
Qiao Jie's words subtly reminded Chuan Liu.
It seems this man has been hiding more than just a little bit from her...
As if sensing the girl's gaze, Qianchuan's eyes drifted over, "It's just good luck."
Qiao Jie laughed out loud, her eyes full of charm, "Brother Qian Liu is too modest. You've only been on the island for a short time and you already have such abundant wealth. Even we old residents can't compare to you."
Qian Chuan merely curled the corners of his lips, without saying anything further.
Perhaps only he himself knows how he quickly established himself after arriving on the island.
Qiao Jie sighed resentfully, "I brought this on myself. I was hoping to use the opportunity of explaining things to little sister Chuanliu to get some information out of Brother Qian Liu."
Although the information is incomplete, Qiaojie has already said a lot to Chuanliu, who has not experienced the "disaster".
"Thank you, Sister Qiao. You're much more reliable than Brother Qian Liu!"
Chuanliu's face showed a friendly expression as he affectionately took Qiaojie's arm and pressed it against the beautiful woman.
Then, Sister Qiao changed the subject back to, "So, our Plum Blossom City doesn't actually have any superb military defense capabilities; it's just that we've always been united internally."
Her gaze swept over Hou Yifan and Li Quanyou, the latter nodding in a friendly manner.
Are we united?
I suppose everyone has their own ulterior motives?
Chuanliu looked at this "loving family," Hou Yifan looked at Qiao Jie, his pale face showing the relief of having his troubles resolved; Li Quanyou looked at Qiao Jie, a man over fifty, yet still unable to hide his admiration for the woman.
Qiao Jie, on the other hand, exuded her unique charm, and it seemed that everyone present was captivated by her every smile and gesture.
Qiao Jie continued, "Since the big shots from Spades and Diamonds are here today, as a senior member of Clubs, I would also like to make our stance clear."
The main city of Plum Blossom is currently temporarily closed. We hope that everyone will follow the rules of the main city when they come here. Plum Blossom cannot withstand any major storms and does not want to be involved in any conflicts.
After all, none of us want to go through what happened two years ago again, right?
With the story Qiao Jie had just told as a backdrop, her words were especially moving.
This statement seems to imply that whoever is the first to disrupt the current balance is the sinner who is trying to start a second "disaster".
Afterwards, Qiaojie led everyone to fill their stomachs and thoughtfully arranged suitable accommodations for the more than one hundred people with Li Quanyou.
It was getting late, so it was inconvenient to go out.
Therefore, Wu Fangming decided to let the brothers stay temporarily and wait for their departure the next day.
Chuanliu, Qianchuan, Wufangming, Zhuiming, Zhang Yi, and Xiong Ajiao walked back to the hotel after having dinner.
After Sister Qiao's skillful arrangements, most of the people's initial dissatisfaction dissipated.
Except for Zhang, who was still pondering his brother's whereabouts, the others no longer had much attachment to the main city of Plum Blossom.
The sky gradually darkened, and the last rays of the setting sun struggled on the horizon, ushering in the approaching night.
Pedestrians hurried past, as they had to get home before the sun completely set.
The six quickened their pace and headed along the main road toward the hotel that Li Quanyou had arranged for them.
Following the directions given by Li Quanyou, they crossed the main street and turned into a narrow alley.
The alley was filled with a damp mist, and the occasional sound of water droplets falling to the ground could be heard.
Suddenly, Wu Fangming stopped and looked back.
"What's wrong?" Chuanliu asked.
“Someone is following us,” Zhui Ming answered for Wu Fangming.
His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed his wariness.
Upon hearing this, the other four also immediately became alert.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
