Qi Yue had just been angered by Qi Huan and was already in a foul mood. Now, facing Jiang Youli's cold shoulder after his own warm advances, his pent-up emotions ran wild inside him.
"Say that again." His voice was practically squeezed through gritted teeth.
Watching the change in Qi Yue's expression, Jiang Youli didn't hold back at all. Instead, she continued with an utterly arrogant laugh, "Really? There are actually people who want to hear themselves being called useless a second time?"
After this taunt, she stared at Qi Yue's face and repeated, enunciating each word clearly, "Then I'll say it again. You, Qi Yue, are truly useless. So even if I offend you, I'm not the least bit afraid."
Qi Huan was her fiancé, her man. For a petty villain like Qi Yue who had stabbed Qi Huan in the back, she wouldn't give any quarter.
Qi Yue tightened his grip on the lunchbox in his hand, his knuckles almost turning white.
As a young master of the Qi family, how could he tolerate being insulted like this by some wild woman who had just been brought back from the village to play the part of a young lady in the Jiang family!
Moreover, this woman was the fiancée of Qi Huan, the person he most wanted to destroy!
Qi Yue stepped forward, stopping when he was less than half a meter away from Jiang Youli, leaning in slightly.
"Jiang Youli, I've remembered what you just said. Today at the hospital, there are too many people and eyes around. I won't touch you. But at tomorrow's engagement banquet, you'd better be careful. Don't give me, the useless one as you called me, a chance to finish you off! Otherwise, you'll end up worse than Qi Huan is now. It won't be just crippled legs; your fate will be a hundred times more miserable than Qi Huan's."
Jiang Youli immediately blinked and said, "I recorded that, you know."
Hearing this, Qi Yue's previously sinister expression instantly turned pale.
Then, Jiang Youli chuckled, "Just kidding."
Realizing he'd been tricked, Qi Yue's eyes flashed with fury.
After laughing her fill under Qi Yue's almost murderous gaze, Jiang Youli finally straightened up, her face full of contempt. "For someone like you, recording or not doesn't even matter anymore. I doubt Qi Huan would believe you anyway."
"If you want to deal with me, just come at me. I'd welcome it. You talk so tough now, but don't let it be all thunder and no rain. I'd be so disappointed."
With that, Jiang Youli walked past Qi Yue with a swagger.
Qi Yue, left behind, didn't leave immediately. His fingers still clutched the lunchbox in a death grip.
Today's humiliation, he had to avenge it!
This woman, Jiang Youli, must pay a heavy price for her arrogance today!
No matter what!
...
As for deliberately provoking Qi Yue and being threatened with revenge, Jiang Youli had of course done it on purpose.
She loved it when petty villains, unable to stand her, were driven to a corner and sought their own doom, letting them experience the consequence of the stone they themselves lifted dropping on their own feet.
Jiang Youli knocked, turned the doorknob, and walked leisurely into Qi Huan's hospital room, carrying the lunchbox.
"I ran into Qi Yue in the hallway just now~"
She walked to the bedside, put down the lunchbox, and said cheerfully with a smile.
Qi Huan was lying in the hospital bed, reading a document.
Hearing this, he looked up. Seeing Jiang Youli's animated expression, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Running into Qi Yue made you that happy?"
"Happy, yes. I even had a little chat with him." Jiang Youli sat down, smiling with genuine pleasure.
"What could you possibly chat about that makes you so happy?" Qi Huan grew more curious, sensing she was brewing some scheme again.
Jiang Youli took out her acupuncture needle case and spread it open by the bed. "I called him an ingrate, called him useless. He told me to say it again, so I did. Then he got all flustered and said he'd deal with me at tomorrow's engagement banquet."
At this point, she deliberately shivered. "What should I do? I'm so scared, Huan-huan. You have to protect me."
Qi Huan was almost choked by her performance. He was both amused and exasperated, his eyes fond. "I really do want to protect you properly. I'm just afraid you won't give me the chance."
Jiang Youli sighed. "Yeah, who knew these people are all so fragile, can't even get past me."
She glanced at the document Qi Huan had been reading. "What's this?"
"The matter of Qi Yu's kidnapping case has been clarified." Qi Huan placed the information Cheng Jing had just investigated to the side. He lowered his gaze, looking at his own legs, which had nearly been crippled in that kidnapping case, a faint, cold light flickering in his eyes. "It was indeed Qi Yue and Qi Yu's doing. As for Qi Tianxiang, he wasn't directly involved. Perhaps he just found out and agreed to the plan."
Jiang Youli understood. It seemed the siblings Qi Yue and Qi Yu were thoroughly finished.
"Regardless of whether this current Qi Yue is my biological brother or not, conspiring with Qi Yu to orchestrate the kidnapping that nearly crippled me crosses my line. I won't let him off. But how severely to deal with him depends on Cheng Jing's final investigation. If he's not my biological brother, but a swapped illegitimate child of Qi Tianxiang's, besides breaking his legs, he'll never have a good life again."
"But what if he is your biological brother?" Jiang Youli asked.
Qi Huan turned his head to look out the window. "My mother died because of him. She probably wouldn't want me to utterly destroy my own brother. I'll find a remote island, place him there, restrict his freedom, and let him slowly wait for death there for the rest of his life."
A life without freedom was a fitting enough punishment.
"Looks like our engagement banquet tomorrow will be even more eventful." Jiang Youli picked up a silver needle and inserted it into an acupoint near Qi Huan's knee.
...
After leaving the hospital, Qi Yue walked to a nearby trash can and violently smashed the lunchbox in his hand onto the ground.
The lunchbox shattered instantly, its contents and soup splattering everywhere.
Just then, his phone rang.
Qi Yue kicked the broken lunchbox one more time in frustration, then took out his phone to answer.
"Did Qi Huan agree to give the one million?" Qi Tianxiang's anxious voice came through.
Qi Yue reported truthfully, "No. He said your reason for requesting it isn't valid."
The other end immediately cursed, "That bastard Qi Huan! If we don't get the money soon, Xiao Yu won't be able to continue her hospital treatment! It's not as severe as Qi Huan's, she can still walk, but she's a young girl. We can't let her limp for the rest of her life!"
"Dad, I know. I'm as worried as you are..." Qi Yue suggested, "Have Xiao Yu sell all those luxury bags she bought before. With so many bags, it should add up to over a million. There's no use keeping them now."
Qi Tianxiang said helplessly, "That's the only option for now."
After hanging up, Qi Yue's face was so dark it seemed water could drip from it.
He got into his car but didn't start the engine. Instead, he sat in the driver's seat, trying hard to calm the raging fire in his heart.
Only after the fire in his chest had subsided did he pick up his phone and dial Jiang Yonghe's number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. A woman's soft voice came through.
"Brother Qi Yue, what can I do for you?"
"Let's meet and discuss dealing with Jiang Youli at tomorrow's engagement banquet. I know you'll definitely be interested." After saying this, Qi Yue waited quietly for the other party's response.
On the other end of the line, Jiang Yonghe was silent for a moment before replying, "Alright."
