Qi Feixue looked at her younger brother with eager anticipation, a hint of pleading in her tone. "Ah Xiong, if you really do become the heir of the Qi family, I hope you'll let me, your own sister, join the company's management and give me a position where I can prove myself."
After being provoked by Jiang Youli earlier that night, she refused to back down. Why couldn't she contribute to the Qi family's development? She believed that if she truly set her mind to it, she could become a woman as formidable and respected as Duan Shuheng!
Qi Shaoxiong hadn't expected his sister to make such a request. After a moment's hesitation, he gave a brief "Mm" in response. "Fine. As long as I successfully become the heir of the Qi family, the entire Qi enterprise will be ours. Naturally, whatever position you want, you can have."
Not a chance.
He would never allow his sister into the core management circle. Who knew whether she, once she tasted the flavor of power, might develop ambitions as dangerous as Qi Yue's?
Qi Feixue didn't notice the shadowed, unreadable expression on her brother's face. She was too immersed in the joy of having secured Qi Shaoxiong's promise.
She was already looking forward to the day her brother would become the Qi heir!
...
"You may tell the kitchen to serve the dishes now." Jiang Youli wheeled Qi Huan and Grandpa Qi into the dining room, and Grandpa Qi gave the order to the butler.
The butler nodded and spoke into the tiny intercom attached to his collar. "Serve the dishes."
Grandpa Qi sat down, handed his walking cane to the butler, and turned his gaze warmly toward Jiang Youli, who was seated beside his grandson. "Come to think of it, Xiao Li, this is the first time you're dining with just me and Qi Huan alone."
"Yes," Jiang Youli nodded. "Previously, it was always at banquets."
Grandpa Qi said, "Our cook here isn't some star-rated chef hired from abroad. He's from our old chef back in Qi Huan's grandmother's hometown. You see, Grandma Qi married far away from home, and I was afraid she wouldn't be used to the cuisine here in the capital, so I went out of my way to hire a chef at a high salary to cook for her. The flavors are legendary back in that region. The old chef has retired by now, though—his son has taken over the kitchen for us, and he's inherited about seventy or eighty percent of his father's skills."
Jiang Youli smiled with anticipation. "Then I'll be sure to give it a proper tasting."
When all the dishes were served, Jiang Youli was stunned. Nearly every plate was loaded with chili peppers—a stark contrast to the usual flavors of the capital.
Qi Huan chuckled and explained, "Grandma was quite the spicy-lover in her youth. Within a hundred miles, no one could bully her."
"Did you all really eat food this spicy along with her back then?" Jiang Youli asked curiously, picking up her chopsticks for a taste of the stir-fried pork with peppers.
The heat hit her mouth—both thrilling and overwhelming. She'd always prided herself on having a decent tolerance for spice, but this left her utterly humbled. Tears welled up in her eyes instantly.
Qi Huan picked up the teapot, poured her a glass of warm water, and pushed it toward her. "I didn't actually eat this way with her for all that long. When I was small, we hadn't moved into the old estate yet. A few years after we moved in, Grandma passed away. Ever since, whenever Grandpa misses her, he specifically orders the kitchen to make all her favorite spicy dishes."
Jiang Youli understood. She picked up the glass and took a sip of water to wash away the heat.
In the wealthy circles of the capital, men keeping mistresses was commonplace. But in the Qi family, all the children of Qi Huan's father's generation were born to Grandpa Qi's original wife—not a single illegitimate child among them.
It was clear, then, how devoted Grandpa Qi was to his original wife.
Seizing the moment, Grandpa Qi spoke up. "Xiao Li, from now on, you'll be my grandson Qi Huan's wife. There are some things I'd like to make clear to you."
Jiang Youli put down her water glass, picked up her chopsticks for a piece of the mouth-watering chicken, and said, "Grandpa Qi, if there's something you want to say, please go right ahead."
So saying, she popped the chili-oil-laden chicken into her mouth.
Compared to Jiang Youli, Grandpa Qi ate with far more composure. "You see, in a top-tier family like ours, when there are many descendants, true harmony is nearly impossible. Even if I don't hand all of my fortune to Qi Huan, the other descendants will still feel the scales tipping against them. Before, I chose Jiang Yonghe as Qi Huan's wife because I thought that, as the so-called 'first talented woman of the capital's circles,' she might be of assistance to Qi Huan in managing the Qi family."
"But you are the one my grandson Qi Huan chose himself. After Qi Huan's accident, the Jiang family tried to salvage the situation by sending you in to marry Qi Huan in Jiang Yonghe's place. I had intended to simply break off the engagement, but when Qi Huan came back, he told me he'd agreed to continue with the marriage alliance. At first, I couldn't understand why—but later, when I saw you at his welcome-back banquet, I understood why he'd come to like you."
"To be honest, even if Qi Huan's legs remained crippled for life, I never planned on replacing him as heir. But having crippled legs would still be a significant obstacle to his authority. So tonight, when you poisoned my granddaughter, the reason I showed no anger is precisely because I know my grandson Qi Huan needs you. I want to make use of you, in order to help my grandson hold the Qi family firmly under his control."
At this, Qi Huan's eyes darkened, and he spoke firmly, "Grandpa, you needn't worry so much. I can handle the Qi family's affairs on my own."
He had never wanted to use Jiang Youli.
He married her simply because, in his heart, he loved her.
Despite being overwhelmed by the spice, Jiang Youli forced herself to remain composed and said with all sincerity, "Grandpa Qi, you're being too serious. I'm treating Huanhuan's leg not for any other purpose, but because I am both his fiancée and a doctor. Even if Qi Huan were just an ordinary patient of mine, as long as I had the ability to treat him, and you could offer me the compensation I asked for, I would still lend my help—that can hardly be called being 'used.'"
She paused briefly, then continued with a bright smile, "Besides, just the thought that this beautiful face of Huanhuan's is going to be mine someday already makes me more than happy to help."
Seeing her face red from the spice and yet still joking around, Qi Huan couldn't help but laugh fondly. He refilled her water and said gently, "If it's too spicy, stop sampling—go for the dishes that aren't spicy instead."
"It's okay. Spicy as it is, it really does taste great!" Jiang Youli shook her head to indicate it was fine, already aiming her chopsticks at another dish.
Qi Huan gave a helpless, tender smile but didn't try to stop her.
Grandpa Qi remarked with a sigh, "You know, this trait of yours is just like Qi Huan's mother. Back then, she fell for my useless son Qi Tianxiang precisely because of his face."
Jiang Youli smiled slightly. "That's only natural. The ancients said, 'food and sex are human nature'—and physical desire comes right after hunger."
Grandpa Qi took a moment to study his grandson and then commented, "Looking at you now, I have to say—your father Qi Tianxiang may owe you many things, but perhaps the only thing he ever did right was pass on such a handsome face to you."
Qi Huan gave a faint smile tinged with a trace of bitterness. "Indeed."
