With those words spoken, Tong Yao’s eyes widened as she looked at Zheng Qian, her face full of disbelief.
She had rejected Qin Mu? And insulted him? Bullied him?
What kind of nonsense was this? Was her memory faulty, or was Qin Mu’s?
Bai Xi’s expression was calm, as the situation unfolded much as she had anticipated.
However, upon seeing Bai Xi’s cool gaze, Qin Mu involuntarily shivered. His entire demeanor shifted. His handsome, innocent face was filled with guilt, but this guilt only lasted for a few seconds before it transformed into coldness and ferocity: “Zheng Qian, you’re slandering me!”
Saying this, he lunged forward and fiercely gripped Zheng Qian’s wrist.
His grip was so strong that Zheng Qian cried out in pain, her face pale and covered in a cold sweat.
“Zheng Qian, I warn you, you’d better not speak nonsense. You know in your heart who was the one who acted on their own volition in this matter, don't you?”
He couldn't afford to offend Bai Xi and Han Mo.
Now, Zheng Qian was the only one he could deal with.
Though he lacked significant martial prowess, it was more than enough for a man to handle a delicate woman. Especially since Zheng Qian had a vulnerability—her hands!
Zheng Qian was Hua Man’s personal disciple. She had mentioned before that the reason she gained Hua Man’s favor and was chosen as a personal disciple, besides her talent in color coordination, was because of her special hands.
Her bones were very soft, allowing her to perform exquisite needlework. This made her outstanding in embroidery, even enabling her to create intricate and unique lace with needle and thread, adorned with jewels.
Zheng Qian had once told her that Miss Zheng was her birthright, but she preferred the title of Hua Man’s personal disciple. This was because being Miss Zheng was something she was born with, while being Teacher Hua Man’s disciple was something she had embroidered into existence with her own hands.
For this reason, she spent a long time each day maintaining and protecting these hands. They were not to be touched or injured.
Therefore, by gripping her hand so tightly, he was holding her hostage.
If she dared to utter another word, he would cripple her hand right then and there.
If Zheng Qian couldn’t settle this matter for him today, then looking at Bai Xi’s expression, she certainly wouldn’t let him off easily.
He wanted to tell Zheng Qian now that if she insisted on speaking, there would only be one outcome: mutual destruction!
Zheng Qian, her face pale from his grip, understood Qin Mu’s intentions perfectly.
Her heart was filled with regret, regret for telling Qin Mu everything about herself. She had revealed her assets and her vulnerabilities. More importantly, she regretted falling for the wrong person. No, she now felt she wasn’t in love with a person at all, but a beast.
However, her hands… they were truly on the verge of being ruined.
In an instant, large tears streamed down Zheng Qian’s face, yet she bit back any words.
She was in pain, and she cherished her hands, but… she was truly too disappointed. Even if she were to die at the hands of Bai Xi and Tong Yao today, even if her hands were truly crippled forever, it would still be her own choice.
This was all her own doing.
Seeing Zheng Qian cry but remain silent, Qin Mu grew anxious, a hint of impatience appearing in his eyes: “Speak! Say that this was all driven by your jealousy, that you did it all out of unrequited affection!”
This woman, normally so foolish, was even more foolish today with all this drama. Had she not understood his meaning? Did he have to be so explicit?
Tong Yao immediately understood: “Qin Mu, let her go.”
Even if she were foolish, she now understood the situation.
Zheng Qian’s trouble with her was instigated by Qin Mu, and now he was threatening Zheng Qian, making her take all the blame. He also wanted an excuse to back down, so they wouldn’t make things difficult for him.
How shameless!
Qin Mu blinked at Tong Yao’s words.
Right, how could he have forgotten?
Although Bai Xi was formidable, Tong Yao was still that innocent and adorable woman. Most importantly, she loved him! Seeing him holding Zheng Qian’s hand, she had spoken out to stop him.
Perhaps, he could find a way out through her.
Moreover, the Tong family had been developing reasonably well in the past two years. Since there was no longer any possibility with Zheng Qian, rekindling his past relationship with Tong Yao wasn’t out of the question. Most importantly, judging by Bai Xi’s imposing presence, she likely had some backing.
Bai Xi and Tong Yao had such a good relationship. In front of Tong Yao, not only would she not harm him, but she might even be useful to him in the future. As far as he knew, there were quite a few lucrative ventures being conducted in the shadows.
Qin Mu immediately released Zheng Qian’s hand and walked two steps towards Tong Yao, feigning an exaggerated performance as he looked at her: “Yao Yao, you’re still the kind one. I was blind to be infatuated by Zheng Qian. Truthfully, my heart has always loved you. I just felt indebted to you and dared not speak. It was precisely for this reason that Zheng Qian grew jealous. If you’re willing, we could…”
He approached Tong Yao step by step, but the events of today had taken too much of a toll, making his expression less naturally “acted” than before. His hypocritical face now looked hideous. His innocent eyes now appeared terrifying.
Seeing his terrifying approach, Tong Yao, frightened, immediately hid behind Bai Xi: “Xi’er, he, he, he… he not only insulted my taste but also my intelligence!”
Upon hearing Tong Yao’s words, Bai Xi couldn’t help but curl her lips upwards.
Alright, although Tong Yao’s mind was filled with finding men and dating, she wasn’t entirely lovestruck.
She could at least distinguish between what constituted a man, what was a scumbag, and what… wasn’t even human.
Qin Mu’s expression soured upon hearing Tong Yao’s words, but he still tried to maintain his facade: “Yao Yao…”
Bai Xi directly raised her hand and threw an orange from the table, saying indifferently, “Stop being disgusting. You’re not worthy of calling me that.”
The words Qin Mu was about to say were all blocked in his throat, unable to be uttered. His mouth was filled with a stinging sensation, a faint taste of blood, and he struggled to breathe.
To survive, he could only desperately try to dig the orange out of his mouth. The redness of his face instantly eased slightly.
With bloodshot eyes, he glared at Bai Xi and the others: “You, how could you treat me like this?”
He couldn’t understand why these women were so easily deceived before. With just a few casual words, they were willing to give him everything, both their bodies and their assets.
But gathered here today, why had they suddenly become uncontrollable?
Tong Yao, hiding behind Bai Xi, seemed to gain courage from her, and directly jumped out, delivering a fierce slap across Qin Mu’s face: “Qin Mu, you are truly despicable! You used me to steal the Tong family’s business back then, constantly belittled me, and then dumped me. Now, you’re slandering me in front of another girl!”
In Qin Mu’s eyes, Bai Xi was a bully, a cold and powerful queen. As for Tong Yao, she was merely a little princess protected under the queen’s wing, naive and innocent, even a bit timid. Most importantly, she was obedient to him and saw him as her life.
He had never expected Tong Yao to suddenly jump out and slap him. At this very moment, he stood frozen in shock.
Because of this, he was completely caught off guard when the next slap landed directly on him.