The two stayed in the room for over an hour.
Those downstairs were in agony. They had no idea what the two were discussing, and thinking of Fu Jingshu's attitude, they didn't dare to disturb them.
After all, he had no obligation to save anyone.
Pei Lie glanced at his visibly anxious mother and reassured her, "Mother, don't worry. I believe Miss Shen will agree to help."
The Queen's face was full of bitterness. "Actually..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone present knew that if the other party refused, they couldn't force Miss Shen Qingqing to agree.
But soon, the two came down.
Shen Qingqing wore a faint smile, making it impossible to tell whether she would agree or not. Fu Jingshu's face, however, was icy, capable of freezing someone from three meters away.
Shen Qingqing pulled him to sit on the sofa. "I agree."
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
The Queen grasped her hand, tears in her eyes. "Miss Shen, I will be eternally grateful for your willingness to go today, no matter the outcome."
Shen Qingqing patted her hand. "I'm not doing this solely for you."
She was more interested in capturing Pei Xi, for he was a constant threat as long as he remained at large.
Thus, everyone reached an agreement. They waited for Pei Xi to call again and received an address. However, this time, Pei Xi, as before, timed his call perfectly, making it impossible to track his location.
"The meeting time is set for six in the afternoon. Come alone. Do not call the police, nor have anyone follow you. You know my methods; I'll be monitoring you."
These were Pei Xi's exact words over the phone.
Shen Qingqing ultimately went alone.
Fu Jingshu and King both objected, even offering to follow discreetly to ensure her safety, but Shen Qingqing refused.
"Don't worry, I can handle this myself."
The two men exchanged a look; they were truly helpless.
She was too stubborn. Once she made up her mind, no amount of objection could sway her.
Shen Qingqing got into the car by herself. The car contained a box filled to the brim with cash. She drove to the meeting point, Rong Sheng Park.
After getting out of the car, she carried the box and walked into the park. The park was exceptionally quiet at that moment.
Only a few elderly people occasionally passed by, seemingly on their walks. They merely glanced at Shen Qingqing.
Everything appeared normal.
Shen Qingqing walked around with the box, finding nothing.
She returned to her car, perplexed, when her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.
"If you don't take my words to heart, you will regret it."
The caller hung up without giving Shen Qingqing a chance to respond.
Unsure of what had happened but realizing something was amiss, Shen Qingqing quickly got back into her car and returned to the palace. As soon as she entered, she saw the Queen eagerly approaching her.
"How was it?"
Shen Qingqing remained silent, her gaze sharply scanning the surroundings. Fu Jingshu, King, Pei Lie, and Pei Xi were all present, but Pei Xing was not.
"Where is Pei Xing?"
Everyone shook their heads. "We don't know."
Shen Qingqing gritted her teeth. "Did he follow me?"
Everyone present was startled by her question.
The Queen, observing Shen Qingqing's expression, suddenly realized something was wrong and became anxious. "What happened? Did something go wrong with Pei Ji?"
Shen Qingqing directly took out her phone and played the call recording.
Upon hearing the recording, everyone was stunned.
The Queen's face turned deathly pale. "Pei Xing must have followed her and discovered something. This is terrible. Pei Ji is in danger..."
Pei Lie exclaimed in disbelief, "How is that possible? How could Pei Xing..."
Before he could finish, someone entered.
It was Pei Xing.
He looked somewhat evasive upon seeing Shen Qingqing. However, as everyone's gaze converged on him, he knew there was nowhere to hide.
"Did Pei Xi discover something?"
"What's wrong with you? Pei Xing, you really are..." The Queen understood everything upon hearing his words. She was so enraged she became incoherent, unsure of what to say.
At this point, Pei Xing realized the gravity of the situation.
"I'm sorry. I was just worried about Pei Ji... I didn't want us to be toyed with by Pei Xi. He's treating us like monkeys, and I wanted to find his location and then..."
The Queen stumbled back a step, sinking onto the sofa, murmuring blankly, "It's all over now..."
"Mother, don't worry. We will find a way," Pei Lie said, stepping forward to comfort her, but he couldn't help but cast a reproachful glance at Pei Xing.
If it weren't for his impulsive actions, Pei Ji wouldn't be in such a perilous situation.
Pei Xing bowed his head, filled with guilt.
Shen Qingqing intervened to ease the tension. "It's done now. Blaming won't help. We just have to wait for Pei Xi's call."
"But I'm worried. Pei Xi is ruthless. He'll surely vent his anger on Pei Ji!"
The Queen clasped her hands tightly, trembling uncontrollably.
From the moment the incident began, everyone had been on the defensive, waiting for Pei Xi to provide information and issue demands. The King could no longer tolerate it. He slammed a cup down in frustration, his face contorted.
"Do we have to listen to him?"
"What else can we do? Do you want Pei Ji to die?" Shen Qingqing retorted calmly.
The King's face turned green. "I don't want him to die. In fact, I think Pei Xing did well. We can't always be this passive. We need to find an opportunity, and at least Pei Xing was willing to try."
Shen Qingqing couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She turned and sat beside Fu Jingshu, averting her head and making it abundantly clear that she didn't want to speak to him.
The King was also angry and turned to Pei Xing. "You didn't do anything wrong."
The Queen, her eyes red, looked up and questioned, "What do you mean? Do you want Pei Ji to die?"
"That's not what I meant..."
"Then you shouldn't say such things!" The Queen was beautiful, and even in her tears, her eyes were swollen and red, making her appear even more pitiable. "If you still consider Pei Ji your son, you should be more cautious! This is all your fault, you brought this disaster upon us!"
The King was rendered speechless and utterly ashamed.
Indeed, Pei Xi was someone he had brought upon himself. If only he hadn't summoned Pei Xi to the palace in the first place...
Just then, a guard entered, carrying a package.
"The patrolmen saw this outside just now. We don't know when it was placed in the grass not far from the entrance."
Shen Qingqing was about to reach out when Fu Jingshu stopped her. He glanced at the guard.
The guard voluntarily opened the package, revealing a small, exquisite box, about the size of a palm. The guard shook it, and a faint sound came from within.
Shen Qingqing's nose twitched slightly, a dark glint in her eyes.
She smelled blood.
The guard opened the box, and everyone crowded around to look. As it slowly opened, revealing a bloody finger lying inside, the Queen suddenly let out a scream.
Next to the ring lay a thumb ring.
Pei Lie quickly pulled the Queen into his arms, shielding her from the sight of the box, and roared, "Investigate immediately! Who approached this area recently? Arrest everyone, regardless of their potential involvement!"
The guard was startled but unfazed. He immediately complied.
The box was placed on the coffee table, the finger resting within.