LOGIN"I don't mind staying like this forever you know?" Xianyao said after few minutes of not getting a reply from Xiuying.
Xiuying can only grit her teeth not looking at the rogue. They have been in this position for almost half an hour and it looks like the man doesn't have any plans of stepping away from her in fact he is enjoying her current predicament.
Light knocks were heard from the other side of her office's door. "Young Miss are you there? Madam is already waiting in the private room with Young Master for your lunch." She heard Xiao Hua's voice, she almost forgot about the lunch date she promised her mother to taste the new dishes in Ying Yue's menu.
"Hmm they are already waiting Ying'er." Xianyao whispered in her ear sends shivers and she can't help but blush more.
"Yes they are, so release me now... please!" She almost shouted but lowered her voice for Xiao Hua's still outside waiting.
"You just have to say it then I'll let you go..."
"Young miss?" Xiao Hua thought that Xiuying might have fallen asleep thus tried to open the door. Both Xiuying and Xianyao can hear the door opened and Xiao Hua's voice calling out again but this time the maidservant's footsteps coming near her office's lounge where she reads books the only thing that separate her office and lounge is the bookshelves filled with books.
"Yao gege..." Xianyao heard Xiuying's voice saying the nickname he asked her to call him, though the lady said it in a whisper he can hear the irriration lingered when she said it. But that didn't reduced the happiness he felt hearing it from her.
"Good girl..." he intentionally brushed his lips to her left cheek before disappearing in front of her.
Once the rogue disappeared Xiuying immediately sigh in relief but she can't help but placed her hand on her left cheek still feeling the sensation of his almost kiss.
"Oh you are awake young miss, madam have called you." The clueless Xiao Hua looks at Xiuying who is listlessly touching her left cheek. She can see her face is slightly red even her ears and neck.
Xiao Hua opens her mouth to ask if her young miss is feeling unwell or have a fever but Xiuying beat her to it by nodding and started walking towards the door.
Xiuying was able to calm down herself before she arrives in the private room where Xi Hui and Qi Ming is but during their dinner Xi Hui can feel that there's something going on her daughter's mind.
When they arrived home, Xi Hui can no longer wait for her daughter to consult her whatever Xiuying was thinking so she drag the lady to the garden.
"Ying'er what's bothering you?" Xi Hui asked calmly while looking at her daughter.
"Eh?" Xiuying immediately face her mother when she heard Xi Hui's question.
"I asked what's bothering you that you can't even eat properly during our lunch."
"Hmm mother it's nothing..." But Xiuying remembers what happened earlier and can't help but blush.
"Did Jun Wang visit you in Ying Yue today?"
Xiuying blushes more causing for Xi Hui to laugh at her daughter. "Oh Ying'er, don't think about it too much alright? Just let everything happen otherwise you will just have problem sleeping."
"Mother... now now stop overthinking things you always do that. Xiao Hua, Xue'er stop hiding if you two can't stop giggling there. Ying'er go rest this afternoon, I'll have my servants let you know when dinner is ready."
Xiuying just nodded before going to her courtyard, she ignored her two maidservants who keeps on shipping her with Xianyao.
Meanwhile in Qi Fu, vases and cups were smashed to pieces by Fang Fei upon hearing that Qi Chang have brought home a lady making as an equal wife. The new second madam is currently four months pregnant and is only five years older than Qi Fan. After she was locked up in her courtyard her husband haven't visited her for months, she tried to talk to Qi Bao (Patriach Qi) unfortunately she was only ignored and sent back to her courtyard.
It is also noticeable that Qi Bao now favors the second branch as Qi Bai's own and family businesses managed by him are improving thus slowly transferring some of the stores managed by Qi Chang to the second son. Through Qi Chen and Xiuying's manipulation all stores managed by Qi Chang started to have problems like few of his trusted employees were caught selling drugs or stealing from the customers. Some of their high prized products were reported to be fake or causing illness to their customers.
Qi Chang and Patriach Qi knows that these are caused by Qi Chen, they have tried to investigate and find evidences so they can report Qi Chen to the authorities but all their efforts resulted to nothing. The same thing happened to the stores managed by Long Guanting but the effects aren't that severe like with Qi's businesses as the man have connections as the eldest grandson of Left Prime Minister Long. Though these problems causes for Guanting to have no time to approach Xiuying nor visit Qi Fan in her courtyard who is currently pregnant.
Zhao Xianyao titled Jun Wang by the previous emperor due to his credit in military. Every person in the kingdom fear at the same time admire the young general. He accompanied the Old General Xi as a disciple since ten years old despite being a prince the old general treated him like any soldier he trained which Xianyao admired. The young prince trained and fight along with Qi Ming who later became his best friend. Xianyao is very talented both in fighting and making strategies earning the trust and admiration of his fellow soldiers including the stubborn eccentric old general though he doesn't say it. During the selection for the crown prince, Xianyao supported his brother and step down from the competition. The prince said he doesn't want to be inside a golden cage when old general heard this he recommended the prince to replace him in managing the army of the kingdom while having Qi Ming as his vice general.No one would expect that the man who is always seen to bath with h
After two months of being away from the capital Long Guanting came back in Long Fu and is currently in Qi Fan's courtyard. Qi Fan have been six months pregnant and being taken care of the two wet nurses assigned by Patriach Long.Looking at the woman resting in front of him, he can't help but feel disgusted. Discovering all the schemes done by Qi Fan and her parents to Qi Xiuying behind his back, he is helpless at the retribution he is facing. His supposedly wife whom he now love can be engage to another man that is most probably be Jun Wang, as he heard of the frequent visits of the prince to Ying Yue and in Qi Chen's residence. Now he recalls what his grandfather told him when he went to Ying Yue during the first banquet held for the closest aides if the emperor.The road I chose indeed is one without a way out huh... He can't help but mock himself for being a fool. He loved Qi Fan and is sure of it but discovering that all the instances they have met were all fabric
"Young miss Old Hu came..." Xiao Hua said while looking at Xiuying who busily checking the month's revenue of Ying Yue."Bring him in." Xiuying instructed without removing her attention to the account books."Young miss..." the old man from the slum bowed respectfully."Elder Hu you came is there anything urgent?" Xiuying looks up seeing the man's appearance far from he usually looks like when she visits the slums. He was wearing a decent attire of Ying Yue's employees and with a stern bearing, people who don't know him would assume right away that he have the same position as Manager Ba."One of our people in Fang Fei courtyard found this." He gave the sachet decorated with white lilies. Xiuying sniffed the faint fragrance from it, her expression changed drastically. "Did you know who gave it to Fang Fei?""It was given by Qi Chang's second wife named Lin Hei. I think you noticed that there's a faint smell of opium poppies and salvia which results
Qi Lei accompanied Qi Fan in returning to Long Fu, she still can't believe that her father killed Fang Fei and is now in jail she have lost her support. Although their grandfather is still alive he is in critical condition and there's no guarantee that he will wake up soon. If he does by then Qi Bai have already stabilized his position as the heir since her brother is still too young."Qi Lei... I need your help we can't let uncle take control of Qi Fu... I will lose my support to stabilize my position here in Long Fu!" Qi Fan said while biting her nails as they arrived in her courtyard's receiving area. Qi Lei just stared at his sister before taking steps to leave but he heard another scream from her. "Qi Lei! You ungrateful bastard you shouldn't have been born if father didn't need a heir!"Instead of walking towards Long Fu's gate Qi Lei went to Patriach Long's study and sees the housekeeper guarding it. "May I ask if Patriach Long will have few minutes to spare?"
"Master, Fang Fei was killed by Qi Chang this morning but it was concealed that the first madam died due to illness as for Eleven she is safe and ready for your next task while Qi Bao is currently in critical condition.""Is Qi Bao concious at least?" Xianyao smirked as he listened to the report of One."Yes.""I see, advise Qi Bai to make sure he will be the one to inherit everything in Qi Fu. Have Qi Fu's physician declare that Qi Chang became insane due to what happened. Have the city peacekeeper detain Qi Chang. About Eleven tell her to leave Qi Fu, her role as second wife of Qi Chang's done.""Master, should we tell Mistress about this?" One asked since both of them are causing problem in Qi and Long Fu, his master should at least show off his efforts to the Mistress."She doesn't need to know, she'll be mad at me once she knows I laid my hands on her enemies."I see Master is truly knows Mistress, why am I so dumb about what Mistress w
Xiuying is currently walking near the slum with her maidservants and guards with baskets full of food from Ying Yue. It has been a habit of hers to visit the slum to provide food on weekly basis though she only go personally once a month. While Xue'er and Xiao Hua are handing out the food to the people, Xiuying had Ping, one of father's shadow guards go with her and rest in the same residence of the old couple."Thank you for helping me out these past months." Xiuying elegantly bowed to pay respect and thanks the old couple. "You don't need to thank us at all Young Miss as what we did give us benefits to help the children here finally go to school and physician to check their health." The old man stated, few months ago Xiuying went to them to hire them to sabotage the stores of Qi Chang and Long Guanting. Though they just needed to reveal the dirt in Qi Chang's stores they took time to do it so it wouldn't arouse any suspicion. Despite being an asshole it is not surprising th