Chapter 197: Chapter 195 Graceful Lady, A Fine Match for a Gentleman
Si Yuhuan hadn’t flown into a rage, which proved Jiang Qimeng wasn’t seriously harmed. It seemed there was a problem with her drug; it wasn’t capable of turning someone into an idiot.
Jian Xi knew the evidence she held—of her kidnapping and the forced injection—was now useless.
Knowing Jiang Qimeng’s white lotus tendencies, she’d likely try to turn the tables and accuse me.
"If I’m not mistaken, Jiang Qimeng will tell you I secretly harmed her. She might even claim this was all my scheme, that I’m insanely trying to kill her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she even injured herself and blamed it all on me to gain your sympathy."
Si Yuhuan finished bandaging her arm. Looking at the gauze, his emotions were complicated.
"You’re silent. Looks like I hit the mark, didn’t I?"
Jian Xi sneered. "It seems she hasn’t managed to confuse you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here bandaging my arm; you’d be choking me, demanding my life for her injuries. After all, you’ve done that sort of thing more than once or twice."
Si Yuhuan was rendered speechless. He realized he might have made many mistakes in the past.
"Within half a month, I’ll have her leave the country. From now on, she’ll be out of your sight."
Jian Xi was somewhat moved. She could hardly believe these words came from Si Yuhuan. What she had longed for in her past life was unexpectedly coming true now. But it was all too late.
"It doesn’t matter. If she dares to treat me this way, she should have anticipated the consequences. Si Yuhuan, you still might not understand: between us, it’s a life-or-death struggle." She lifted her gaze, her eyes flickering with a bloodthirsty, cold light.
Unlike her usual gentle demeanor, Jian Xi now resembled a hunting cheetah, exuding an aura of cold, lethal intent.
A cold smile touched her red lips. "I will not let Jiang Qimeng off. Of course, she won’t spare me either. And you... you’re the root cause of all this."
A pang struck Si Yuhuan’s heart.
"Director Si, please leave. I hope you won’t come to this place again. I truly despise your presence."
Si Yuhuan walked out, his back ramrod straight. Jian Xi closed the door and leaned against it. She started laughing, then suddenly burst into tears. Fear, dread, hatred, sorrow—a torrent of emotions overwhelmed her. She cried for a while, then wiped her tears. Nothing is scarier than death. Having experienced it once, she feared nothing!
「A few days later」
Jiang Qimeng tossed and turned in her hospital bed. She hadn’t heard any news of Si Yuhuan defending her, and a sense of unease gnawed at her.
He... Had he discovered something?
Suddenly, her phone rang. Recognizing the familiar number, she quickly answered.
The person on the other end immediately launched into a tirade. "You acted on your own without my orders! Jiang Qimeng, are you brain-dead?"
Jiang Qimeng whimpered, trying to explain, but the person cut her off with another warning. "Jian Xi is useful to me. I’ve told you many times: if you dare touch a single hair on her head, I’ll kill you first."
Jiang Qimeng roared in fury, "Who are you really working with, her or me? Over the years, I’ve done so much for you! I even drove away the chief chip R&D engineer from Haohan Group so you could benefit. Now you want to discard me now that I’m no longer useful? Aren’t your methods a bit too shameless? Don’t forget, I still control Si Junyan’s shares!"
She ground her teeth in anger. Why was Jian Xi so damned lucky? Always favored by the heavens, escaping every fatal trap I set for her!
"Hmph! Without my manipulation, those shares of yours would be worthless. Don’t forget, Si Yuhuan has completely lost faith in you. What makes you think you’re in any position to negotiate terms with me now?"
The caller issued a final order: "Pack your things and get out of that hospital immediately! If you dare cause her any more trouble, even by pretending, you’ll die a miserable death."
Jiang Qimeng’s heart lurched. Staring at the disconnected call, she flew into a rage and smashed her phone to pieces.
"Damn it! That damned bitch! I swear I’ll kill you!"
But she didn’t dare disregard the mysterious person’s warning. That person held too much leverage over her; any single piece of information they had would be enough for Si Junyan and Si Yuhuan to flay her alive.
Jiang Qimeng practically fled the hospital with her tail between her legs.
When Si Junyan went to visit her, he found a nurse tidying up the empty bed, looking puzzled himself. "The patient was discharged early this morning," the nurse informed him. "Didn’t you know?"
He called Jiang Qimeng. "Qimeng, why did you leave without telling me?"
Jiang Qimeng clenched her jaw, then deliberately softened her tone, feigning vulnerability. "I didn’t want to trouble you, Junyan. You’re not well yourself. Please, take good care of yourself. We don’t know how Jian Xi will target us next. I figured it’s best if I stay out of crowded places, just in case she’s in a bad mood and decides to... actually kill me. To be honest, Junyan, I’m terrified of dying."
Hearing Jiang Qimeng’s words, Si Junyan was consumed by guilt. He wasn’t strong enough to protect the woman he loved. He’d known for a long time he shouldn’t rely on his older brother, Si Yuhuan. At this moment, he finally felt truly awakened.
「Monday arrived in the blink of an eye.」
Jian Xi, still not fully recovered and struggling with morning sickness, felt quite lethargic. Her planned afternoon nap was interrupted by a phone call.
Fu Shengyuan was back and wanted to invite her to dinner. Considering his recent trouble was because of me... Jian Xi reluctantly agreed.
「That evening」
She changed into comfortable casual clothes, put on glasses and a hat, and headed out. Fu Shengyuan was waiting for her downstairs.
Her well-proportioned figure, with its alluring curves, was evident even in sportswear. Her long, slender legs were perfectly straight. She could captivate any man. Combined with her noble temperament and powerful aura, she was the kind of woman who would stand out dazzlingly in any crowd.
He gallantly opened the passenger door of his car for her.
Jian Xi glanced at his new car and teased, "Just like a CEO, swapping a limited-edition Bugatti Veyron so casually."
Fu Shengyuan rubbed his nose. "It wasn’t that I wanted to change cars. Director Si took a dislike to me and had someone wreck mine."
COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—
Jian Xi couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. That did sound like something Si Yuhuan would do, given his usual domineering behavior.
Remembering Si Yuhuan’s vow not to spare any man who got close to her, Jian Xi offered a piece of friendly advice. "Let’s consider tonight’s dinner a farewell meal. I hope we don’t see each other again. You know, I seem to bring bad luck; anyone who gets involved with me tends to meet a bad end."
On second thought, maybe I should thank Si Yuhuan for scaring off the men I don’t like.
To her surprise, Fu Shengyuan just smiled nonchalantly. "It’s only a car. If it’s gone, I can buy a new one. The Fu Family might not be as wealthy as the Si Family, but losing eighty or a hundred cars is no big deal to us. As long as Director Si doesn’t try to take my life, I have every right to pursue the woman I admire."
His smile was radiant, clearly unfazed by Si Yuhuan’s threats. "Besides, it’s said that a gentleman is naturally drawn to a fair lady. And Miss Jian, you captivated me at first sight. I’m afraid I can’t stay away; I can only draw nearer."
Jian Xi was speechless. This man... His sweet nothings roll off the tongue so easily. How incredibly cheesy!