The dinner party hadn't ended when Qiao An'an left.
"Come, let's keep drinking, don't let her spoil the mood!"
"Old Sun, don't take it to heart! There are so many beauties here, any one of them is better than her!"
"Exactly! With her figure, there's not much meat on her, what's there to see!"
"Mr. Sun, I'll toast you!"
As she was led out of the private room by Song Youran, the room was filled with laughter and joy again.
Song Youran looked at Qiao An'an's disheveled state with great satisfaction.
She had disliked her for a long time but had no opportunity to retaliate. This dinner party wasn't supposed to require Qiao An'an's presence, but she still brought her, wanting to break her spirit.
"Alright, stop looking so miserable," Song Youran handed her a tissue. "If you had cooperated earlier, you wouldn't have gotten slapped!"
Qiao An'an flung her hand away, her eyes like they were poisoned. "You deliberately wanted to see me make a fool of myself, didn't you!"
Song Youran pursed her lips. "I'm just telling the truth. Don't worry, the company has invested a lot of money in this project, and this role is still yours."
Qiao An'an said stubbornly, "I'm not acting anymore! Take it if you want it!"
Song Youran looked at her with pity. "Don't speak too boastfully! If you fall out of favor with Young Master Qi, you might not be able to get help even if you beg on your knees later!"
"You seem to be in good spirits. You can probably take a taxi back by yourself, right?" Song Youran glanced at her contemptuously and walked straight downstairs with her car keys.
She couldn't be bothered to deal with this person anymore!
Qiao An'an stared fiercely at her retreating back, so angry she bit her lip.
Song Youran, you've gone too far!
*
Nancheng, Qi Family
Old Master Qi sat in his wheelchair, fiercely striking Qi Zhao's back with his cane.
In all his years as the head of the family, this was the first time he had been so furious.
The Fourth Madam, seeing her son being beaten, quickly squeezed out a few tears and stepped forward to persuade him. "Master, are you trying to beat him to death? What wrong did Ah Zhao do that you have to punish him like this?"
"This unfilial son! He openly defied my orders and sabotaged me behind my back!"
"Ask him what he did in B City!"
"We finally established a connection with the Lu family, and he actually hired people to orchestrate such a scheme, nearly killing Lu Yanbei's wife!"
The Fourth Madam originally thought the Old Master was angry because Qi Zhao hadn't completed his assigned task, and was about to defend him. However, after learning what Qi Zhao had done, she immediately fell silent.
Her son had actually offended the Lu family!
For many years, the Qi family had wanted to infiltrate B City's circles, having spent an enormous amount of manpower and financial resources. Just when they were finally seeing some progress, he had ruined everything, bringing them back to square one.
No, the situation was worse than being back to square one.
The Lu family held an extremely influential position in B City. If this problem wasn't resolved, all the Qi family's efforts over the years would be in vain!
"Ah Zhao, you... how could you be so foolish! Why would you target Madam Lu for no reason? Were you deceived by someone?" The Fourth Madam's enduring favor was not only due to her outstanding looks, but also her quick mind.
Especially when it came to vying for favor and protecting her son.
Qi Zhao knelt on the ground, uneasy. Receiving his mother's reminder, he immediately reacted.
He crawled to the Old Master on his knees and, with a snotty and tearful plea, said, "Father, your son knows he was wrong... I, I had no idea she was Madam Lu. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have done it!"
"Father, please forgive me this once! I will go to the Lu family to apologize and try to smooth things over..."
"Third Brother speaks very casually."
"At the Lu family's wedding, you wouldn't know it was Madam Lu? Who would believe such an excuse!"
"Exactly!"
Knowing Qi Zhao had caused trouble, people from other branches of the family returned to watch the spectacle, adding a few sarcastic remarks.
In terms of shifting blame, Qi Zhao had truly learned from his mother, the Fourth Madam. "Father, I really didn't know! I was misled by someone's slander, wanting to help a friend vent their anger, so I borrowed her people... I really didn't know she intended to target Madam Lu!"
"A friend? Just an actress, and you're so concerned about her?" The Old Master's face turned pale with anger as he saw him still being stubborn.
"That woman even claimed to be Third Brother's girlfriend!" Qi Rui from the Fifth Branch, the youngest, added fuel to the fire while watching the commotion.
Qi Zhao turned around and glared fiercely at his half-brother, as if warning him.
Qi Rui pouted, but ultimately didn't dare to confront him directly.
"You scoundrel!" The Old Master roared and struck him down with another cane. "You're already engaged to the Fang family's girl, so restrain yourself! If I hear any more bad rumors, I'll strip you of your manager position immediately!"
"Yes, Father!" Qi Zhao grunted, daring not to argue further.
After all, he was his beloved third son. The Old Master vented his anger, and eventually, the matter was dropped.
The people from other branches, not seeing the expected outcome, were somewhat disappointed.
"Father is too biased!"
"I knew it would be like this! Every time Third Brother makes a mistake, it's all thunder and little rain!"
"Isn't this normal? I'm already used to it!"
The other siblings were both envious and annoyed.
Of course, some were more rational and were already strategizing on how to use this incident to dig a pit for the Fourth Branch.
"What do you think? Will Lu Yanbei let Third Brother off so easily? I heard that Young Master Yan dotes on his wife!"
"Just a woman! Compared to family interests, she's nothing, right?"
"You're wrong! This Young Master Yan is different!"
"Tell me, how is he different?"
"For the first twenty-odd years of his life, he was always chaste, with no other women around him. After marrying Madam Lu, he became even more devoted, as if wanting to shower her with all the good things..."
"At the last auction, he spent a fortune on a necklace, supposedly to celebrate his wife's birthday!"
"What does this Madam Lu look like, to be worthy of such treatment?"
"Her appearance is secondary. I heard she's quite talented and skilled in many areas."
"Hearing you say that, I've suddenly become interested in her! I happen to have some free time lately, why don't we all go to B City for a trip?"
The few exchanged glances, understanding each other implicitly.
As long as Young Master Lu didn't forgive, Third Brother would be suppressed. In that case, their opportunities would arise.
*
Lu Yanbei looked at the investigation report in his hand, his face grim, emanating an aura of icy aloofness that kept people at bay.
Cheng Jue took a few deep breaths before mustering the courage to ask, "Mr. Lu, the information has been gathered. Should we send it to the police?"
Lu Yanbei had not intended to let them off so easily, but considering he now had a family, he feared frightening Su He, so he compromised. "With witnesses and evidence, the perpetrators will be handed over to the public security department for disposal. As for Qi Zhao, find a way to set a trap. If I don't strip him bare, I won't be Lu!"
"And Qiao An'an?" Cheng Jue asked cautiously.
"Her?" Lu Yanbei's eyes narrowed slightly. "However she harmed Su He, she will suffer all the same consequences!"