Jiang Youli approached the pavilion, only then realizing that the sounds were coming from Qi Feixue.
Qi Feixue was securely bound, her mouth gagged with a filthy, blackened rag.
She struggled incessantly, but could not make a single coherent sound.
Besides Qi Feixue, there was also Qi Yue.
However, Qi Yue was not tied up. He merely knelt trembling before Qi Huan's wheelchair, his forehead red, swollen, and scraped, evidently from kowtowing too many times.
Hearing footsteps, Qi Huan turned his wheelchair to look and smiled warmly, "Little Li'er, you're here."
Carrying her medical box, Jiang Youli walked over and sat down on a stone stool that had been prepared with a soft cushion. With a hint of amusement, she asked, "Qi Shaoxiong has already released Qi Yue back to the country, so why haven't you let Qi Feixue go yet?"
Qi Huan began opening the bento box he had brought and smiled, "I had originally planned to let her go, but Qi Shaoxiong just had to play smart."
Jiang Youli opened her medical box, looking puzzled. "How so?"
Qi Huan replied, "Qi Shaoxiong deliberately handed Qi Yue over to Long Yuan to deal with."
Jiang Youli laughed. "What is Qi Shaoxiong thinking? Does he really believe that if he does that, you'll still let Qi Feixue go?"
Qi Huan said, "Therefore, this is a lesson I'm giving Qi Shaoxiong."
At this, he looked down at Qi Feixue, who was struggling desperately on the ground, and nodded to Cheng Jing beside him.
Cheng Jing stepped forward and yanked the rag out of Qi Feixue's mouth.
With her mouth finally free, Qi Feixue coughed several times before throwing a furious glare at Qi Huan. "Qi Huan, how dare you kidnap me! Believe it or not, my dad and my brother will dig up your mother's grave!"
"She's speaking too loudly and disturbing Little Li'er. Drain some of her energy," Qi Huan softly instructed Cheng Jing.
Cheng Jing hauled Qi Feixue up and slapped her across the face.
Smack.
The slap was heavy, and Qi Feixue's fair cheek visibly reddened.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she cursed, "Cheng Jing, you're nothing but a dog under Qi Huan, how dare you..."
Smack.
Before Qi Feixue could finish her insult, her other fair cheek received another slap.
Cheng Jing calmly rubbed his palm and said, "Why wouldn't I dare hit you? Dogs love to throw their master's weight around, don't you understand that?"
Qi Feixue was speechless.
Qi Feixue finally felt fear. Not daring to hurl any more reckless insults, she gritted her teeth and muttered, "You're a grown man, aren't you ashamed to hit a woman?"
Cheng Jing replied with perfect composure, "I'm not ashamed. You just said I was a dog. Why would a dog feel ashamed of hitting a woman?"
Qi Feixue was speechless again.
Jiang Youli burst into laughter. "Huanhuan, your Assistant Cheng is quite humorous."
Qi Huan smiled but said nothing.
Hearing Jiang Youli mock her, Qi Feixue was infuriated. Ignoring Cheng Jing, she looked at Qi Huan. "Brother Huan, since you already have Qi Yue in your hands, I advise you to let me go right now."
"Neither you nor your brother plan to let me off, so why should I let you go?" Qi Huan gave a faint smile. "Your brother took Qi Yue to Africa just to force me to go there and save him, so he could leave me in Africa forever, didn't he?"
Qi Feixue said, "Brother Huan, you're overthinking it. My brother didn't take Qi Yue away. Qi Yue did something to wrong you and fled to Africa on his own."
"Oh?" Qi Huan turned his head to ask Qi Yue, "Is that so?"
Qi Yue frantically shook his head and said, "Brother, it's not like that. Qi Shaoxiong took me away. I heard him tell his subordinates in Africa with my own ears that they wanted to force you to come save me, and then finish you off."
Qi Feixue immediately said, "Brother Huan, you can't trust Qi Yue's words. He tried to harm you before, and he just wants you and my brother to fight to the death!"
"No, Brother, I'm not lying to you. Everything I said is true. I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, and I'll never dare do it again. From now on, I'll listen to whatever you say and never fantasize about the heir's position again." Qi Yue crawled on his knees to Qi Huan, hugging the legs of the wheelchair as he wept bitterly.
Seeing Qi Yue begging for mercy without any regard for his dignity, Qi Feixue was dumbfounded.
She could never do something so devoid of self-respect!
Qi Huan smiled, "Qi Feixue, did you hear that? This brother of mine says your brother really did want to finish me off in Africa."
Knowing that no matter how she argued, Qi Huan wouldn't believe her, Qi Feixue stopped pretending. "So what? Grandpa set a three-month deadline, meaning everyone relies on their own abilities to fight for the heir's position. Now that my brother hasn't killed you, do you actually think you can kill me?"
She sneered disdainfully, "Qi Huan, no matter how capable you are, you can't just kill someone! If you do, you'll end up in jail too!"
Without waiting for Qi Huan to speak, she continued, "If you killed some random nobody, that would be one thing. You could just pay off their family, or Grandpa might just find a scapegoat to cover it up for you. But if you kill me, my dad and my brother will never let it go!"
"I have my brother and father behind me, but Qi Huan, you have no one backing you. Your mother is dead, and your father and brother both want your life! So even if you really died in Africa, at most Grandpa would feel a bit of regret over losing a promising heir, but no one would avenge you. I'm different. My dad and my brother will pursue this to the very end!"
After saying all this, Qi Feixue didn't believe Qi Huan would actually dare to do anything to her!
At the mention of his deceased mother, Qi Huan's dark eyes grew even gloomier.
"Have you forgotten about me?"
Suddenly, Jiang Youli, who had been enjoying the show, spoke up.
"I am the person backing Huanhuan. If anything at all happens to him, I am the one who will pursue it to the very end and avenge him."
A light sparked in Qi Huan's eyes. He remained silent, merely looking at Jiang Youli's incredibly serious face, his beating heart feeling increasingly full.
Yes, he was not someone with no one to rely on behind him.
He had Little Li'er backing him.
"So, Qi Feixue, you all think that because Huanhuan has no family left, even if he dies, no one will avenge him, and that's why you're so fearless?" Jiang Youli took a porcelain bottle from her medical box, stood up, and walked over to Qi Feixue, looking down at her from above.
Qi Feixue curled her lips. "Jiang Youli, what the hell are you? You're like a clay idol fording a river—you can't even save yourself! You chose to marry a cripple like Brother Huan, someone even Jiang Yonghe looks down on, just because you want him to be your backer! And yet you arrogantly boast about being the person backing Brother Huan and avenging Qi Huan?"
Jiang Youli poured two pills out of the porcelain bottle, then crouched down. With one hand, she pinched Qi Feixue's jaw, forcing her mouth open, and tossed the two pills inside. Immediately after, she let go and struck Qi Feixue on the upper back with her palm, jolting the pills down her throat.
"Cough, cough..."
Qi Feixue felt a bitter taste spread from the tip of her tongue to her throat. Clutching her jaw, she looked up and demanded angrily, "Jiang Youli, what did you just feed me?!"
Jiang Youli stood up straight, offering a leisurely yet wicked smile. "Take a guess."
[Two chapters updating today! A huge thank you to I Want a Bowl of Medium Spicy Luosifen, A Little Grass, and User 26590810 for the Boba Milk Tea x1, as well as to all the other readers for your likes, flowers, and loving support!]
