"Qi Shaoxiong? Why is it you..."
Qi Shaoxiong stepped forward with a cold sneer. "Who did you think it was? Your eldest brother, Qi Huan? You harmed him so badly, yet you still have the audacity to hope he would come to your rescue?"
"But I have to give it to him, my men said Qi Huan did indeed send people to pick you up. Unfortunately, they were one step behind me."
"It seems that even though you wanted his life, he still cares about you, his biological younger brother."
"Where is this?" Qi Yue asked, his voice as weak as a thread as he scanned his surroundings.
The room was damp. Rats and cockroaches scurried across the floor, and water dripped incessantly from the ceiling.
"This is Africa," Qi Shaoxiong said.
Qi Yue froze. "Why did you bring me here?"
Qi Shaoxiong replied, "To use a useless waste like you to deal with Qi Huan, of course. I'll use the same tactics you and Qi Yu used against him back then."
"Since he still cares about his brother's life, he will definitely come to save you."
"I couldn't handle him back home, but in Africa, I am the boss. I am the king here. As long as he dares to set foot in Africa for your sake, I am confident I can make sure he dies without a grave and never returns to the country."
Qi Yue said, "You want to deal with Qi Huan in Africa? Aren't you afraid the Old Master will suspect you?"
The industries managed by Qi Shaoxiong and his father were based in Africa. If something happened to Qi Huan there, their family would be the first to be suspected.
Qi Shaoxiong sneered. "Do you think that if Qi Huan really dies, the Old Master would personally destroy another one of his grandsons no matter how angry he is? If it were you or that waste Qi Xiuyuan, the Old Master might take action, but against me? Impossible."
Qi Shaoxiong was highly confident in his position in the Old Master's heart.
If it weren't for Qi Huan, he would certainly be the heir most recognized by the Old Master!
Even Qi Feifan couldn't compare to him!
If it weren't for Qi Huan, he and his father wouldn't be relegated to managing only the African branch of the family business!
"Watch this waste closely, don't let him escape! Next month, leak the news of Qi Yue's kidnapping in Africa to Qi Huan. Tell him that if he doesn't want Qi Yue to die in a foreign land, he must come to Africa personally to save him."
Qi Shaoxiong's subordinate asked cautiously, "Brother Xiong, should we specify that Qi Huan must come alone?"
Qi Shaoxiong sneered, "No need. It doesn't matter how many people he brings."
Because he was the overlord of Africa!
In Africa, Qi Huan was nothing more than an ant for him to crush at will!
"Understood."
***
The next day.
Jiang Youli was eating breakfast when she saw the latest transfer notification in her account. She knew the medicinal herbs she had entrusted to Boss Lin had been auctioned off at a high price again.
Three hundred million.
Not a bad profit!
In her good mood, Jiang Youli received a series of messages from Qi An'an.
They were all screenshots of her chat with Duan Jinghan.
As usual, Duan Jinghan was saying arrogant and brainless things.
Such as:
[Jiang Youli, let me tell you, my dad kicking me out to deliver takeout might look like he wants me to give up on you, but in reality, it's because he values me. He wants me to temper myself at the grassroots level so I can better take over the Duan family business later.]
[Following me now is like making a high-potential investment! My current value is much higher than that cripple Qi Huan!]
[Once I inherit the Duan family, the Duans will definitely surpass the Qis to become the top wealthy family in the capital. At that time, as my woman, you will be the First Lady of the capital's social circle!]
[Isn't the thought of it exciting? Aren't you looking forward to it?]
[You and Qi Huan are only engaged. As long as you haven't registered the marriage or held the wedding, you still have a chance to regret it! The doors of the Duan family are always open to you!]
Qi An'an's replies were very blunt:
[I don't believe you! I heard your eldest sister, Duan Shuheng, is much more capable than you. Unless your dad's brain was eaten by you, there's no way he'd hand the family business over to you. That would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog—a total loss!]
[What are you using to compare your value to Huanhuan's? Is it your skin, which is as thick as a city wall? Or your brain, which is like a recycled waste bin?]
[And First Lady of the capital? I think you'll be the capital's number one laughingstock!]
At the end of the screenshots, Qi An'an messaged:
[Sister-in-law, Duan Jinghan really thinks the person chatting with him is me, so you don't have to worry about him bothering you anymore!]
Jiang Youli replied: [It must be hard for you to deal with him.]
Qi An'an: [It's fine. I actually find chatting with him quite interesting. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I can use him as a trash can to vent my frustrations!]
After finishing her chat with Qi An'an, Jiang Youli headed to the herb garden after breakfast.
To her surprise, Jiang Xing was standing in front of the garden. His hair was damp with mist, suggesting he had been waiting for quite a while.
Seeing her, Jiang Xing immediately spoke up. "Xiaoli, back when I helped you clear this garden, didn't you say I did a good job? If there's anything you need help with here, just let me know..."
Jiang Youli's eyes were filled with nothing but disdain. "Did you really not realize I was mocking you back then?"
"Of course you know. It's just that now, to stay alive, you don't want even a shred of dignity anymore."
"Did the poison in your body make you wish for death last night?"
Jiang Xing must have spent the whole night mentally preparing himself. Even after Jiang Youli said those words, she didn't see much humiliation or resentment on his face. Instead, he gave her a very humble smile.
"The poison you gave me is very painful. I almost couldn't make it through last night and wanted to bash my head against a wall to end it. But then I thought about all the wrong I've done to you. If I died, I would never be able to make it up to you, so I gave up on that idea."
Jiang Youli was disgusted and couldn't help but sneer. "Jiang Xing, you're clearly just afraid to die, yet you have the nerve to claim it's for the sake of making amends."
"I told you, you only have one chance to have a proper conversation with me. If you can convince me to give you the antidote, that's your skill. Right now, it seems you don't want to seize that opportunity."
The poison she gave Jiang Xing wasn't lethal, but it would flare up periodically, causing excruciating pain. Those afflicted would often rather commit suicide to find relief.
Therefore, if Jiang Xing died, it wouldn't be from the poison itself, but from his own choice—like bashing his head against a wall as he mentioned.
In that case, Jiang Youli wouldn't be considered a murderer, and even if Jiang Yangxu and Qin Yulian wanted to settle scores with her, they would have no way to do so.
These words didn't frighten Jiang Xing. He looked at Jiang Youli and said firmly, "After the agony of last night, I've completely seen the light. Xiaoli, whether you believe it or not, I will prove to you that I truly know I was wrong and want to make amends, even if it costs me my life."
Jiang Youli gave a mocking laugh. "You make it sound so grand and noble; I'm almost moved. Jiang Xing, I can neutralize the poison in your body. It just depends on whether you can grasp this final chance."
As she spoke, she walked up to Jiang Xing and held out her hand. "Unlock your phone and give it to me."
Jiang Xing looked confused, but he obediently pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to her.
Taking the phone, Jiang Youli went straight to the call logs, found the number saved as Little He, and dialed it.
The call connected, and Jiang Yonghe’s gentle voice drifted through the line.
"Big Brother? What’s wrong?"
Jiang Youli tilted her head back, shooting a smirk at Jiang Xing. "Jiang Xing, I can neutralize the poison in either you or Jiang Yonghe. The choice is yours: do you want to save yourself, or your sister?"
