He said this and suddenly remembered that Shen Qingqing was not from country H.
Without the other party making any mistakes, he had no right to do anything to her, not even confinement. If he found an excuse to lock her up…
That wouldn't work either. She was his savior now, and no matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn't do it.
Besides, the Queen would probably not agree.
Over there, the Queen was already scolding him, "Stop talking. This is a critical moment, and you're still causing trouble. It's all your fault for bringing this trouble back!"
If he hadn't acknowledged some son, Pei Ji wouldn't have been implicated.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
The King was silenced.
Pei Lie asked hoarsely, "What do we do now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the phone rang again. This time, Shen Qingqing answered. She took the initiative, "I need to confirm that Pei Ji is alive first. Don't try to bargain with me. You know I can give up at any time. If you push me too far, I'll leave right now."
If she left, the old man would never be able to produce that book.
This was why Pei Xi had insisted on keeping Shen Qingqing. If he could threaten the old man by capturing someone, he would have done so long ago.
Pei Xi on the other end of the line was silent for a long time.
Shen Qingqing did not rush, waiting patiently. Both sides were quiet, and the atmosphere was very tense.
After a while, Pei Xi let out a laugh, "You are really difficult to deal with."
The meaning of this statement was that he had compromised.
The Queen breathed a sigh of relief and looked gratefully at Shen Qingqing. Only Shen Qingqing could handle this lunatic.
Shen Qingqing sat on the sofa, appearing very relaxed, and spoke casually, "Now, it depends on whether you let me know he's alive, otherwise I won't negotiate with you."
Her casual threat made the King and Queen's hearts tighten.
They were afraid that Pei Xi would get angry and refuse to negotiate, but it was taboo for anyone to interrupt during negotiations, so they dared not make a sound, only watching her nervously.
Shen Qingqing pretended not to see.
Pei Xi's attitude on the other end of the phone was unexpectedly good, "Okay."
Then he hung up the phone.
As soon as Shen Qingqing put down her phone, the King immediately questioned, "How could you speak with that kind of attitude? If you angered him, do you know that Pei Ji might be in danger?"
Shen Qingqing glanced at him and ignored him.
The King felt provoked. "What is your attitude? I'm telling you, if Pei Ji is in any danger because of your carelessness, I won't let you off."
"Then do it yourself."
Shen Qingqing only used one sentence to shut the King down.
Of course, the King wanted to do it himself, but it was impossible. Pei Ji wouldn't talk to him at all, and he didn't have Shen Qingqing's confidence.
His face turned red, and he was so angry he couldn't speak.
Not long after, Pei Lie's phone rang. It was a video sent from an unknown number. He opened it and was instantly furious.
"Pei Xi!"
Shen Qingqing took the phone and, seeing the content on the screen, immediately understood why he was so angry.
In the screen was Pei Ji, with a dirty wall in the background. A black blanket was spread on the ground, and Pei Ji was lying on it, his face pale.
He didn't look well. The rise and fall of his chest were very faint.
The Queen immediately became anxious, snatched the phone, and tears flowed. "Pei Ji, why is his face so pale? He must be injured, he must have bled. Pei Xi definitely won't treat him. My Pei Ji… will he…?"
She dared not say the last word.
At this moment, her complexion was not much better than Pei Ji's on the screen.
Pei Lie comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Nothing will happen. We will only give Pei Xi what he wants if Pei Ji is well. Even for that reason, he won't let third brother get into trouble."
But as a mother, she couldn't bear to see her son in that state.
The Queen stared at the phone intently, as if scrutinizing every detail. Although she was crying, she insisted on continuing to watch.
Pei Lie couldn't bear to watch and took the phone away. "Mother, stop watching."
The Queen buried her face in Pei Lie's arms, sobbing.
Pei Lie felt a pang of pain in his heart. He was also worried, but since his mother was like this, he had to calm down. He turned to look at Shen Qingqing.
"I'll send people to find Pei Xi," Pei Xing, who had been silent, said impatiently. "We must catch him!"
He turned to leave, but the Queen immediately stopped him. "Wait!"
Pei Xing stopped and looked back at her, his eyes also filled with anger. "Mother, I want to catch Pei Xi. He dares to threaten us and even kidnapped third brother. I absolutely cannot tolerate him."
The Queen beckoned him over. When Pei Xing came closer, she said softly, "I know you care about your brother, but now is not the time to be impulsive."
She had just cried, and her voice was slightly hoarse.
Pei Xing gritted his teeth. "Then are we just going to let him threaten us? So many people, yet none of them can control him alone?"
At these words, everyone fell silent.
Although they were reluctant to admit it, the truth was that they really couldn't control Pei Xi.
They had been toyed with from the beginning. Later, they had finally managed to send him to the dungeon, but he had escaped. Before they could catch him, Pei Ji had been kidnapped.
Pei Lie's heart suddenly felt a chill. "Don't be impulsive."
Pei Xing sneered, "I think you're scared out of your wits. Eldest brother, you weren't like this before. If you let Pei Xi continue to be arrogant, our royal family's reputation will be completely ruined."
Pei Lie helped his mother sit on the sofa and said in a deep voice, "Then what do you want to do? Go find him openly now?"
"That will only alert Pei Xi, and the one who gets hurt will be Pei Ji!"
Pei Xing gritted his teeth. "Then what should we do? Pei Ji looks injured. If we let this go on, even if Pei Xi doesn't kill Pei Ji, he won't survive!"
Everyone fell silent.
Only the Queen's faint sobs could be heard.
This usually strong woman finally showed her vulnerability when it came to her children.
Shen Qingqing said indifferently, "You don't need to worry too much. This isn't without a solution. Right now, isn't Pei Xi giving us an opportunity?"
If she went, she could treat Pei Ji.
Everyone looked at her. Pei Lie and the Queen's eyes sparkled with hope.
The King also looked at her with surprise, as if he hadn't expected her to say something like that, given her attitude earlier that she seemed unwilling…
Fu Jingshu suddenly spoke, "No."
He cast a cold glance at everyone and pulled Shen Qingqing back to the room, leaving everyone's gaze behind. As soon as the door closed, he blocked it entirely, his expression chillingly cold.
Shen Qingqing walked up and hugged his waist. "I know you're worried about me, but…"
"No need to say more."
He didn't listen at all, holding her tightly in his arms, not giving her a chance to speak.
Suddenly, the person in his arms began to tremble.
He frowned. Was she crying?
For those people?
Fu Jingshu found it unbelievable. He dug out the little face in his arms, searching for her eyes, but at the next second, he saw her clear and bright eyes, completely free of tears, filled with a smile.
Shen Qingqing laughed, trembling all over, her eyes curved.
"What are you laughing at?" he asked, confused.
Shen Qingqing giggled, "I'm laughing at you. You obviously care about me, but you act so overbearing, it's really unlikable."
"I'm unlikable?"
Shen Qingqing's lips twitched. "Hey, that's not the point."
Fu Jingshu looked at her with deep eyes and decisively pressed the face he loved and hated into his chest, lest she couldn't resist and bite him.
"In any case, you are not allowed to go."
"I want to go save someone," her voice was slightly muffled.