"Has our Xi'er softened her heart?" Bai Hongyi probed, trying to understand the implication in her words.
Qiao Xi apologized with deep regret, saying, "That day was my fault. No matter how bad they are, they are still my uncle's wife and daughter."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later." Bai Hongyi dispelled Qiao Xi's thoughts of regret, and then said to her in a relaxed tone, "Please tell your Ah Jin for us."
“Brother…” Qiao Xi was somewhat surprised.
Bai Hongyi noticed a slight change in Qiao Xi's behavior that day. Although he didn't know what she had been through, she was indeed more suitable to be the successor of the Jinghua family than before, but that was far from enough.
Bai Hongyi spoke gently to her, "Xiao Xi'er, today your older brother will teach you a lesson. You can't be soft on your enemies, even if they are your closest people. If they betray or hurt you, you must act decisively and leave no room for maneuver, or you will be doomed."
Bai Hongyi emphasized the last eight words.
Although Qiao Xi in this life clearly knows what she should do, she still feels somewhat hesitant when she hears these words, especially since they come from her usually gentle and humble brother.
Qiao Xi trusted Bai Hongyi unconditionally, and he was saying this for her own good. She replied firmly, "I understand."
"Okay." Bai Hongyi nodded happily and promised Qiao Xi, "I will handle this matter and make sure to give Xi'er a satisfactory explanation."
The implication was that Qiao Xi no longer needed to get involved in this matter; he would handle it himself.
Qiao Xi readily agreed, saying, "Then I'll wait for your good news, brother."
Bai Hongyi replied with a smile, "I'll have someone send you the pen right away."
Qiao Xi said gratefully to him, "Thank you, big brother."
Looking at the phone screen that had returned to the homepage, Bai Hongyi fell into deep thought, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"I hope that our silly Xi'er can become an outstanding successor under Big Brother's guidance as soon as possible." A leisurely voice came from behind Bai Hongyi, and he knew who it was without even looking.
Bai Hongyi knew he had overheard what he said on the phone, but he didn't mind at all. He even asked him with a smile, "Don't you have any thoughts?"
Bai Jinghuan raised an eyebrow at him with a mischievous grin, "Big brother, are you talking about something related to Xi'er, or something related to that mother and daughter?"
“Both,” Bai Hongyi replied.
Bai Jinghuan nodded knowingly and said in a serious tone, "Xi'er's visit this time felt a bit different to me. She was ruthless. You could tell from how she dealt with that mother and daughter in front of Grandpa and Dad. As for the latter... Dad wanted to keep them, and there was nothing I could do about it."
"When have you ever listened to your father?" Bai Hongyi said with a smile, exposing his ignorance.
Bai Jinghuan clicked his tongue sheepishly, then said with a relaxed expression, "That's simple then, let's just say I died far from home, what do you think?"
Bai Hongyi seemed to think this method was good, saying, "It's all up to you."
"Sigh." Bai Jinghuan suddenly sighed deeply, then laughed happily and said, "It feels so good to have endured this for so long."
Bai Hongyi slowly turned around, a shrewd look in his eyes as he advised, "We've lived under the same roof for so many years, don't go too far."
Bai Jinghuan said with some difficulty, "I've endured it for as many years as I've lived here, how can I let them benefit from it?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Hongyi said nothing more, which should be considered an acceptance of his decision.
That evening, Qiao Xi personally cooked a table full of delicious food for Qi Jincheng, partly to thank him for helping her get justice, and partly to 'celebrate' the start of school the next day.
Looking at her own creations on the table, she simply couldn't appreciate them. Judging by their appearance alone, they were a failure; and the taste...
Just as Qiao Xi was about to try it, the person she was waiting for returned. She quickly took off her apron to greet him, "Honey, welcome home."
Just then, Aunt Liu brought the tableware to the table and saw Qi Jincheng. She couldn't help but praise Qiao Xi to him, "Young Master, all the dishes today were made by Madam."
After saying that, she wisely withdrew immediately and called all the other servants out, leaving only the two of them in the dining room.
Qiao Xi hesitated for a moment. She originally wanted to give Qi Jincheng a surprise, but of the three words "a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate," the "appearance" was a complete failure, and the aroma was passable, but it just didn't taste right...
Qi Jincheng looked at the table full of food that Xi'er had personally cooked for him. Although the colors didn't look very appealing, he was still very happy. Without waiting for Qiao Xi to invite him, he took a seat on his own initiative.
Seeing him pick up his chopsticks to eat, Qiao Xi quickly stopped him, "Husband."
"Should I test the poison for you first?" Qiao Xi asked guiltily.
Qi Jincheng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Xi'er poisoned him?"
Qiao Xi quickly explained to him, "That's not what I meant. Don't you think the color makes people doubt its taste?"
Qi Jincheng casually uttered five words: "You can't judge a book by its cover."
“But…” Qiao Xi wanted to persuade him to reconsider, but he had already picked up the food and put it in his mouth.
Qiao Xi held her breath as she watched him put the food in his mouth and chew. Before he could swallow, Qiao Xi quickly asked, "How is it? Is it bad?"
"If it tastes bad, just spit it out." She held the plate of spittoons right to his mouth, waiting for him to spit it out, but to her surprise, he swallowed it without hesitation and said with a relaxed expression, "Not bad."
Qiao Xi blinked a few times in disbelief. Could it really be that the color was just not good-looking, but the taste was actually okay?
She asked, somewhat incredulously, "Really?"
"Yes." Qi Jincheng nodded affirmatively.
Qiao Xi instantly felt relieved and eagerly picked up her chopsticks to take a piece of beef. "I'll try some too."
After taking that bite, Qiao Xi immediately questioned her existence and spat it out, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
What a strange taste! Is it because there's too much salt or too much sugar? This taste is beyond just bad!
After regaining her senses, Qiao Xi looked at Qi Jincheng with great concern, "Jincheng, throw up quickly."
Qi Jincheng had already swallowed it, and then picked up another piece of beef and put it in his mouth. He chewed it a few times with a look of enjoyment before swallowing it again.
Qiao Xi stared at him in astonishment, "It tastes so awful, how could you possibly swallow it?"
Qi Jincheng said with great appreciation, "This was specially made for me by Xi'er."
Qiao Xi was naturally touched to hear him say that, but he was more worried about Qi Jin's health. "You can't eat anymore, it would be bad if you got sick."
"I promise I'll work on my cooking skills and never let you eat such awful food again," Qiao Xi assured him.
Qi Jincheng offered a different perspective, saying, "Taste it carefully; it has a unique flavor."
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