None of them were very old, the oldest only in their twenties, so they could barely be considered the same age sitting together. The youngest among them was the mixed-race boy who had just spoken. His English name was Al, and his Chinese name was Qi Le. He had just turned fifteen and was considered Qi Yao's cousin.
Soon, the takeaway pizzas that Ji Xinghe ordered arrived. Because there were so many people, he ordered many orders at once, and he also took the time to deliver one to Qi Yao in the lobby.
"Eat it, these things taste better when eaten hot." A dozen people formed a circle, with a tablecloth in the middle that Ji Xinghe had grabbed from somewhere after delivering the pizzas, and a steaming pizza on it.
"Why don't you eat it?" Qi Le was eager to try, but seeing that Ji Xinghe had no intention of taking it, he felt a little embarrassed to be the first to take it.
Ji Xinghe sat cross-legged on the lawn, holding his face in his hands. He sighed and said, "My face has been allergic lately, and the doctor said I can't be exposed to the wind. You guys can eat this. I bought it mainly for you. When I was at home with Qi Yao, I could eat it every day whenever I wanted."
"Okay then." After hearing what Ji Xinghe said, Qi Le stopped being polite.
Seeing him eating happily with one piece in his left hand and another in his right hand, the others were infected by him and took one piece at a time and started to eat slowly.
In fact, among all of them, only the little guy Qi Le is obsessed with pizza and hamburgers. The rest are basically adults. Although they still have no say in the family, they can still decide what to eat and drink every day.
What they didn't say was that, despite their apparent fear of Qi Yao, they were actually happy. They were willing to come to Country C to start anew, because it meant they would completely break with the past and continue their lives in a new way.
Why did Qi Le seem to not care about his father and brother who were taken away? It wasn't because he was cold and indifferent to blood ties, but because of his mother.
Qi Le's mother was his father's second wife. He and his older brother and second brother were half-brothers. After Qi Le was born, his two older brothers felt threatened. In order to fight for the property, they hired someone to hit Qi Le and his mother to death when Qi Le was six years old.
At the moment of life and death, Qi Le's mother protected him with her own life. Later, the truth of the matter was found out by Qi Le's father. Qi Le's father was furious. He did not expect that his two sons would be so bold and presumptuous.
But no matter how angry he was, he didn't do anything in the end. Instead, he helped his two sons clear the clues and covered up the matter completely. Qi Le's father thought that since his wife was dead, the dead could not be resurrected. This was an unchangeable fact. He couldn't force his two sons to die because of his wife's death.
If he lost his wife, he could remarry. As long as he had power and influence, he would never lack women willing to be his wives. In comparison, his son, who was related by blood, was more important.
But what they didn't know was that when they were talking, little Qi Le was hiding behind the door. Later, when Qi Yao asked Qi Nianqi to start the reckoning, it was Qi Le who couldn't wait any longer and ran to his cousin Qi Nianqi to tell him everything that had happened that year, demanding that his cousin immediately deal with the two murderers and one accomplice.
Qi Nianqi actually had all the evidence, sent to him by Qi Yao. He was busy, though, and had to deal with each one one by one. Before Qi Le's father and brother could even get their turn, Qi Le himself had already given him a surprise: shocking! An underage mixed-race teenager, willing to sacrifice his own family for the sake of justice, actually asked his cousin to treat his father and brother this way. Is this a distortion of human nature, or a decline in morality?
Later, when they heard about this from Qi Nianqi, they still felt that Qi Le had done the right thing, secretly hating themselves for not thinking of the opportunity to sacrifice their own family and jump the queue! In vain, those scumbags had a few more days of carefree life outside.
You are so grown up but your brain is not as smart as a kid!
"That's right. Don't you think about why my cousin didn't let me go to the side yard to be the leader of the children, but let me go with you to meet the head of the family? It's because I'm smart." Qi Le was complacent, not caring at all that his past, which sounded very tragic, was brought out as a story to be told while eating.
Ji Xinghe's forehead was full of black lines after hearing this. He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what it was specifically...
"Have you all finished eating? My cousin sent us a message asking us to go to the front to help set up the banquet after we finish eating. The banquet will start in a few hours." Clapping his hands, the oldest person in the group spoke up.
The others responded one after another, and Ji Xinghe also patted his butt and stood up, "I'll go with you."
Qi Le hesitated a little, "That's not good. You are the one brought by the head of the family. If my cousin knew that we asked you to do the work, he would definitely blame us again."
Ji Xinghe waved his hand, his attitude rising to the sky. "It's okay, I'll protect you."
He just loves to join in the fun. After getting to know people over a meal, he doesn't want to be left alone in a group. This is also to live up to Qi Yao's kindness. He now has a clear understanding of the situation. Qi Yao is the most powerful person in the whole old house. Qi Yao is the most powerful, so he is the most powerful. Since he is the most powerful person, shouldn't he be able to do whatever he wants?
From this point of view, Ji Xinghe is actually quite self-conscious. He doesn't consider himself an outsider at all.
The group then hurried to the front yard, where they helped carry tables and set up chairs. The Qi family's ancestral home was built to the exact specifications of a wealthy family from ancient times. There were vermilion lacquered gates, high thresholds, eaves covered with glazed tiles, golden nanmu screens, and a warehouse filled with various tables and chairs made of precious wood.
No wonder Qi Nianqi sent a message in advance to ask them to come out and help. Many people came today and many tables and chairs were needed. Those solid wood tables with carvings of dragons and phoenixes were very heavy. Without some tall and strong young men, they could not be lifted at all.
Qi Le was quite cunning. Seeing that it was all physical work, and that he would have to take a shower and change clothes after finishing, which was extremely troublesome, he simply took Ji Xinghe with him and wiped the place with a white towel, and he wiped each one as they were brought out.
There was still more than half an hour before the banquet started as stated on the invitation, and the front yard had already been cleaned up. Those who had been working so hard and sweating profusely took the time to go back to their rooms to take a shower, and then changed into more formal suits. Their hair, which had looked a little messy at first, was also tidied up, and they still looked quite intimidating when they stood there.
After all, he grew up in a big family like the Qi family. Even the youngest one, Qi Le, exudes a kind of nobility that ordinary people cannot cultivate when he is serious.
The three oldest people, Qi Sheng, Qi Kai, and Qi Chen, were assigned to the main entrance to greet guests and guide them to their designated seats. Qi Nianqi and Qi Lin had already agreed on each person's seat based on the invitation.
Seeing that he had nothing to do in the front yard for a while, Ji Xinghe simply went to accompany Qi Yao again. As the head of the family, Qi Yao must wait until the end before appearing.
Zhao Zhen came with their old man this time. Before entering the house, Zhao Zhen heard his old man sighing imperceptibly and saying softly: "Alas, the Qi family is still full of heritage." In the eyes of old people like them, such a house is much more ancient and heavy than the villas and manors that young people like nowadays, and it has a heritage that has been accumulated over time.
Zhao Zhen pretended not to hear the sigh and helped the old man into the house.
Even the Zhao family's experienced grandfather said so, not to mention the shock of the others who arrived after seeing the house. Remember, this is the Magic City, a place where every inch of land is worth a fortune. The value of the Qi family's ancestral home alone is inestimable. It's unknown how the Qi family's grandfather managed to preserve it.
Ji Shi'an and Zhao Wan had already arrived with their children long before the Zhao family came. For a banquet of this scale, they were lucky enough to get an invitation. How could they dare to rely on their status and wait until those important people arrived before arriving late?
Ji Xin felt a little uneasy in her seat. She had usually attended Western-style banquets, where everyone chatted and socialized with glasses raised. But today was different, with everyone sitting quietly in their seats, and there seemed to be a lot of formality.
Ji Shian was also a little dumbfounded. How could he make connections like this? He couldn't just run around everywhere while everyone else sat there, could he? He couldn't afford to lose face.
Soon, after everyone arrived, Qi Nianqi stood up and said with a smile: "Thank you all for coming to the Qi family to drink a glass of wine. This glass is a toast to everyone. Please take good care of me in the future."
Everyone hurriedly raised their glasses.
Ji Jing quietly tugged at Ji Hao's clothes under the table, then asked quietly, "Is the person speaking the head of the Qi family?"
Ji Hao hesitated when he heard the question. He had never seen what the recently rumored Fifth Master Qi looked like, but when he saw the two empty seats at the top next to Qi Nianqi, he hesitated and said, "Probably not."
As they were talking, Qi Yao and Ji Xinghe appeared from behind the screen. Qi Nianqi saw them and hurried over to greet them, "Master."
Seeing this scene, many people present secretly cursed Qi Yao for his arrogance. They had all arrived, but he didn't come out to greet them in person. Even the toasts were made by others!
When Ji Xinghe appeared, others were at most wondering why the legendary new head of the Qi family was accompanied by someone, but the Ji family members sitting at the edge in the distance all had their pupils shrank.
Is it Ji Xinghe? Why is Ji Xinghe with the Qi family's Patriarch? And he even brought him to the banquet!?
"Mom, did I see it wrong? Is that Ji Xinghe?" Ji Xin turned to Zhao Wan in disbelief for confirmation.
Ever since she learned that the Qi family was returning to China to develop their business and that her family had received an invitation, Zhao Wan had been telling her how powerful the Qi family was, how vast their family business was, and how much influence they had in Country M. It could be said that as long as she had the ability to marry into the Qi family, not to mention Ji Hao and Ji Xinghe, even her father Ji Shian would have to look after her and support her.
Not only Zhao Wan said this, but others also said so. After her good friends learned that she could go to the Qi family's banquet, they all looked at her with envy.
After knowing how powerful the Qi family was, how could she accept that Ji Xinghe appeared next to the head of the Qi family?
"This..." Zhao Wan didn't know what to say for a moment. She had no idea how Ji Xinghe got here.
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