novelAre You Saying That It Was Brother Chengzhi Who Bankrupted The Song Family?
| ← Ch.229 | Ch.231 → |
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"First day of Chinese New Year Special Edition"
Tonight was the eve of the Chinese New Year. Song Yu checked the time and decided to begin cooking the dumplings so that they could eat them by midnight. Qi Youxuan was not capable of staying up late and went to sleep. Before he fell asleep he deliberately reminded Qi Chenglin to wake him up later.
Song Yu was pouring water into a pot and was about to place the dumplings inside when she sensed a tiny figure scurry into the kitchen. Then, she felt a gentle tug at the end of her dress. She looked down and saw Qi Youxuan rubbing his eyes, he had clearly just awoken from his sleep.
"Auntie, don't forget to pick the three dumplings with money inside!" This little boy was still worried, he had intentionally set an alarm to wake himself so he could inspect Song Yu's cooking before Qi Chenglin was to wake him up later.
"..." Song Yu felt that with his dedication and thirst for money, he would be able to bring the Qi Family's business to new heights."I had just poured the water and was about to help you pick those dumplings. Since you're here, you can see with your own eyes that I'm picking the dumplings so you can stop worrying."
Qi Youxuan immediately said, "Auntie, let me help you."
"These are the ones with money wrapped inside." Song Yu pointed at some of the dumplings."You pick the dumplings with the red dots and I'll find the remaining three."
Qi Youxuan used his chubby little hand and picked the dumplings up with utmost care. He was afraid that he would break the dumplings' thin layer of skin.
The dumplings that had coins stored inside them were distinguishable if you looked closely. Song Yu observed for quite some time before picking a few of them up and weighing them in her hand. Finally, she was able to find all three dumplings. She took out a small pot for cooking milk and placed the eight dumplings inside. She added two pieces of dumplings stuffed with rice cakes and chestnut. After that, she cooked his dumplings in the small pot whilst the others were cooked together in a big pot.
After cooking the dumplings, Qi Youxuan held his plate of dumplings and walked toward the dining hall. Guan Liya and Xia Wenna helped Song Yu serve all the remaining dumplings.
Qi Youxuan was holding his kiddy plate which had a Mickey Mouse design with two big ears attached. The ears served as a sort of ramekin with one of the ears being used for vinegar and garlic sauce, and the other used for sesame oil, soy sauce and chopped onion sauce.
His left hand was holding a ladle while his right hand was holding a pair of chopsticks. He acted oblivious as he took a bite of a dumpling and shouted in surprise as he scooped out a ten-cent coin. He dipped the dumpling into some sauce before putting the rest of it into his mouth. His little cheeks bulged up as he chewed the dumplings.
The next three dumplings that he ate also contained coins which led him to shout excitedly each time he bit into a coin.
Grandmother Qi could not stand it anymore, she said, "I think you should join Xiao Han's company. You should play in a drama since your acting skills are so great."
Finally, Qi Youxuan ate all eight dumplings with coins inside and the two pieces of dumplings stuffed with rice cakes and chestnuts. Then, he rubbed his plump tummy and burped."I'm going to become rich tomorrow, goodnight everybody."
Everyone sat quietly as he exited the dining hall.
If tomorrow were the day you receive red packets, surely you would become rich? Everyone spent the night in the old manor.
The next day, Qi Youxuan had woken up early though he would usually sleep-in. He wore brand-new clothes and dressed up well.
Although he was still a boy, the hooded red fleece coat made him look incredibly handsome and full of life. He looked adorable in it, especially with his fair skin and cute outfit.
Even Little Qi Youjin was dressed in red baby pajamas and was enveloped in a small red blanket.
Qi Youxuan hastily finished his breakfast and placed his resting pillow upright on the sofa. Then he pulled Grandfather and Grandmother Qi's hands, "Great Grandpa, Great Grandma, please come and have a seat."
"This little boy!" Grandmother Qi could not help but smile, she sat down beside Grandfather Qi.
The little boy kneeled on a cushion and kowtowed while facing them."I wish Great Grandpa and Great Grandma a happy new year!"
"Good! Good! Good!" Grandmother Qi took a thick red packet from her pocket, "Here, this is from your Great Grandpa and me."
"Thanks, Great Grandpa, Great Grandma!" Qi Youxuan took the packet and turned to stare at Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu.
Qi Chengzhi pretended to be completely oblivious of his stare. She was hugging and playing with Youjin, paying no attention toward Qi Youxuan at all.
Song Yu softly pulled Qi Chengzhi's arm and dragged him to the sofa.
Qi Youxuan gleefully went to kowtow once again, "I wish for Uncle to look more handsome and youthful as time passes, and for Auntie to become more beautiful and be blessed with two more babies within the next few years."
Song Yu twitched her mouth, "Who taught you to say that?"
"This boy has been watching TVB 1 costume drama every day recently, " explained Qi Chenglin quietly.
"..." Song Yu smiled and took a thick red packet from her pocket."I wish for you; You Xuan, to have a prosperous new year."
Qi Youxuan was delighted upon hearing these words.
Finally, Qi Zhongliang, Qi Zhongliang's wife, Qi Zhongxun and his wife also gave red packets to Qi Youxuan.
Although Little Youjin was not able to kowtow, they did not forget to give him a red packet too.
After a while, the doorbell rang and Song Yu went to open the door. She saw Yan Beicheng, Wei Ziqi, and Wei ZiIlin were standing at the doorway.
Song Yu immediately welcomed them inside. They gave their New Year's wishes to the elders. Wei Ziqi also brought Little Muran and Little Muche along with him.
Grandmother Qi, Xia Wenna and Guan Liya gave the two children their red packets. For the first time, Qi Youxuan did not overeagerly pull Little Muran away to play with him. He waited patiently as the three adults finished giving out red packets before he asked Little Muran to play with him, "Muran, come, I'll take you to eat some sweets."
"..." Wei Ziqi felt that the way Qi Youxuan talked was as if he was trying to abduct a young girl.
Qi Youxun did not forget to remind the others."If there is anyone else visiting us please call me immediately."
After Qi Youxuan left, Qi Chengzhi quietly carried Qi Chengjin and sat down in front of the three visitors, staring at them silently.
He had a charismatic and elegant presence and they felt intimidated by his stare.
Yan Beicheng could not bear the silence anymore, so he took a red packet from his pocket and said, "Here you go, Wei Ziqi's children were receiving red packets too. I'm the only one who came here to give out red packets without receiving any in return. Let me say this, Qi Chengzhi, your son was born at a perfect time! I gave you a red packet when your son was born. Half a month later, you got this year's red packet from me and another half month later, I'll have to give you another one for your son's full moon celebration. Could you be any less hardworking at receiving red packets?"
"My son's future is full of promise, he knew how to choose the right time. I need not worry about him since he was in his mother's womb. You can try giving birth to a child as gifted as mine; if only you could." Qi Chengzhi raised his eyebrow and replied sarcastically.
Just like this, Qi Chengzhi managed to secure the initial sum of money for his son's trust fund on the first day of the Chinese New Year.
...
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Main text:
"He said that?" Song Yu stared at Ruan Danchen with surprise."Chenglin is not that type of person, his personality was more normal in comparison to Chengzhi's."
"You're his sister-in-law, surely he would treat you normally." Ruan Danchen smiled, but her expression turned sour when she mentioned Qi Chenglin."You don't know how he treated other women."
Song Yu glanced at her dubiously but she did not continue talking. She sensed that the matter was not as simple as what Ruan Danchen told her, there must be something that happened between them, but it would futile for her to continue asking given her unwillingness to speak.
...
...
Mu Sisi violently swept the keyboard off her desk, she stood up and dashed out of her office abruptly.
Thump!
Mu Huaisheng's office door was aggressively slammed open by Mu Sisi, smashing the door-suction device.
"What are you doing!?" Mu Huaisheng threw his pen onto the floor and scolded her in a moment of anger.
"What am I doing? What did you mean by publishing that news?" Mu Sisi walked over to his desk."It was her, Ruan Danchen who did it. How could you make me the scapegoat? Don't tell me you have taken a fancy to Ruan Danchen... that unworthy, despicable, poor woman. What're her qualities anyway, just because she appears gentle and delicate, so it makes you want to defend her, right?"
"What are you talking about!" Mu Huaisheng slammed his desk and stood up.
"If you're not fond of Ruan Danchen, then it must be because of Song Yu! You're good friends with Chengzhi, that's why when Song Yu's friend did something wrong, you ensured Ruan Danchen took responsibility for it. The Mu Family has never been treated like this before. You are involving your personal interest in work, what do you think you're doing?" Mu Sisi who was already behaving erratically began to yell and question him furiously.
Mu Huaisheng pouted and snorted at her scornfully."Are you criticizing me now? Who was the one who kept committing foul acts knowing that I am a good friend of Qi Chengzhi? He avoided dealing with you because of our close relationship, were you not my sister, do you think you would still be standing here unharmed to interrogate me after so many wrongdoings? You are good at condemning others, why don't you first look at yourself?"
"You said I was helping Ruan Danchen take responsibility for the incident. What was I taking responsibility for? What did Ruan Danchen do wrong that she could take responsibility for? Aren't you aware of what you have done?" Mu Sisi, if you have the audacity to frame others, don't be afraid to admit it. You found a factory to replace the materials to frame Ruan Danchen, aren't you ashamed of blaming me? Who was the one acting in her own interest instead of the company's? Do you know how severe our company's and family's reputation would be affected if the things you had done were made public? Are you saying I am trying to find a scapegoat for her? Aren't you aware of what that guy did? He had even accepted your money. Stop acting! Even if he was just a scapegoat, he was taking the blame for you. I was trying to protect your reputation by making him the scapegoat, and you said I was helping Ruan Danchen? Which one of my troubles are not because of you?"
"So what? I wanted to sue Ruan Danchen no matter what. What's your relationship with her? Why did you want to help her? That's her being unlucky in being framed by me. It's not my fault that she doesn't have a powerful background either does she have an influential person to back her up. She deserves to be bullied by me. She only has herself to blame for being this unfortunate, there is no one else to be blamed!" said Mu Sisi, her face disgruntled.
"Mu Sisi, you have received unparalleled education since young, graduating from the most prestigious schools. In spite of that, you behave horribly like this! You brought disgrace to our family. The reason why you bully others is merely that they do not have a powerful background or anyone influential supporting them? In reality, you're jealous of Song Yu and wanted to ruin her image, right? Then go attack her if you think you're as capable as you say! You dare not attack her because Qi Chengzhi was there to back her, so you attacked other innocent people. Did Ruan Danchen offend you before? Mu Sisi, could you be a little more reasonable?" Mu Huaisheng was trying his best to restrain himself, the veins on his forehead were protruding. He wished he could give her a slap across her face.
"How am I unreasonable? You keep helping others, when will it be my turn?" Mu Sisi mumbled sadly, her eyes red and swollen.
"I have visited Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu a few times to apologize on your behalf. Yesterday I went to apologize to Ruan Danchen. I am taking the risk of losing Qi Chengzhi as a friend to protect you and in doing so I had to conceal the truth. How can you say I'm not helping you? That you feel wronged? Who is going to correct the injustice committed upon Ruan Danchen? I couldn't even look at Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu in the eyes when I spoke to Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu yesterday! I knew it was rude of me to ask to protect you, but I forced myself to do it. I found my behavior to be extremely repulsive on that day."
Mu Huaisheng raised his index finger and pointed it at Mu Sisi's nose."You almost robbed her of her bright future yet you still refuse to admit your wrongdoing? How could you shamelessly say she deserved that? If someone treated you like this, wouldn't you feel wronged? If you would feel that way, why can't you put yourself in her shoes? How could you so brazenly feel that you have the power to destroy someone's future, just because you have some stupid money? A young lady almost went to jail because of your false accusation, don't you feel guilty? She never offended or provoked you in any way, isn't she just a friend of Song Yu? Song Yu has so many friends, are you going to attack the others one by one? Even if you were able to frame all of Song Yu's friends and family, Qi Chengzhi would only hate you more and would never fall for you."
"Shut up, I know that, you don't have to say that!" Mu Sisi shrieked.
"No, you have no idea!" Mu Huaisheng left his desk."When Qi Chengzhi was abroad, the Qi Family had arranged for an engagement ceremony to take place between Song Yu and his brother. Qi Chengzhi loved Song Yu for so many years, because of that, he attempted to persuade his family to break them up but to no avail. Therefore, he founded his own company and caused the Song Family to go bankrupt so that the engagement between Song Yu and Qi Chengji would be ended. Why do you think Qi Chengzhi named his company Feather? The company that you always wanted to join was named after Song Yu. He couldn't get her off his mind even when he was starting up a company abroad. You never stood a chance since the beginning. The reason Qi Chengzhi did not fall for you that time wasn't because of your young age, even though you were an adult, he wouldn't have wanted you even if you hopped into his bed."
Mu Sisi was shocked, she retreated for two steps and looked at Mu Huaisheng astoundedly."What did you say? It was Brother Chengzhi who bankrupted Song Yu's family?"
Mu Huaisheng's face froze. In his anger, he had accidentally disclosed a secret. He unwittingly revealed the secret whilst he was so overwhelmed with rage.
He clenched his teeth and kept quiet. Mu Sisi narrowed her eyes and took a step forward."Brother Chengzhi caused Song Family to go bankrupt to end the engagement between Song Yu and Qi Chengji, and now she's married to him. Does Song Yu know about this?"
Mu Huaisheng heaved a sigh heavily."It shouldn't be of your concern whether or not she knew about it, don't look for trouble!"
Mu Sisi curled one side of her mouth upwards and snorted."If Song Yu was aware of this and married him, then she was indeed shameless, how could she not think of avenging her family? If this is what happened, then I was right, she wasn't someone who can be easily dealt with. If she was unaware of it, would she still be together with Brother Chengzhi after she discovers the truth?"
"I am warning you, don't mess around!" Mu Huaisheng said sternly.
"Don't worry, you were speaking with no solid evidence, neither do I, even if I tell Song Yu about it, she would never believe it. If she asked me to show her the evidence, then I wouldn't be able to. This would not only make her distrust me, but she would also think that I am lying to her and trying to drive a wedge between her and Brother Chengzhi. I would be losing ground." Mu Sisi pouted. She kept this information in her mind.
Mu Huaisheng suspiciously narrowed his eyes and stared at her, however, Mu Sisi sneered at him coolly, "Why? Are you scared? Don't forget that you voluntarily mentioned it, the only person to blame is yourself."
Mu Sisi did not stay any longer, she turned around and left.
When she was back in her office, she sat down calmly and turned her chair to face the window. She rested the back of her head against the chair and gazed at the sky. Her lips curled into a smile. There must be a way to find the evidence now that she had found out about the incident.
Mu Sisi rested her elbows on the armrest of her chair and gently spun her chair left and right.
...
...
Cheng Dongge walked into Qi Chengzhi's office and closed the door, he looked sullen.
"Young Master Cheng, I have discovered that Jian Yi had previously bought a Renault from a car seller who was a smuggler. The boss of the car-smuggling organization is Wang Qingyi, his nickname was Brother Yi. He has a network of contacts and was prudent in his work. He was usually out of the limelight, hence they managed to evade quite a few investigations. Jian Yi knew one of Wang Qingyi's assistant and bought a car from him. I had investigated it. After he bought the car, he met with the assistant but no transaction record could be found. I suspect that Jian Yi's Hummer was either bought or rented from him. That organization has a garage that was open to the public and has all the required legal documents, " said Cheng Dongge.
"I had found someone to investigate the records of the garage since I discovered who the boss of the organization is. They had indeed received a Hummer for repair, but we couldn't find out when was it sent, or it could be that they deliberately never kept any record of it. A long-time had passed since the Hummer was repaired, thus there should be no traces of evidence to be found on the car body. Although they had sampled and recorded the paint on your Range Rover when it was sent for repair, the Hummer's paint was original and should be the same as all others produced from the factory, so there was no use trying to find a match."
In other words, Qi Chengzhi could not receive compensation for the accident.
Qi Chengzhi's expression remained unchanged, he had foreseen this outcome.
Jian Yi was not a fool. He was shrewd and he was bold enough to do that because he was confident that he would not leave any evidence behind. Otherwise, he would not have attempted the scheme as he always made sure he was able to look after himself.
Qi Chengzhi snorted, he was spinning a pen with his long bony fingers."Jian Yi made good use of his time in Qilin by getting to know plenty of people from different backgrounds."
Cheng Dongge kept quiet and waited for Qi Chengzhi's instructions.
"Just let it be, don't tell Chengyue about this. Song Yu will find out if you tell Chengyue, then she'll get angry again, " said Qi Chengzhi.
Cheng Dongge nodded and left.
Qi Chengzhi was craving a cigarette at that moment, he stood up and walked over to the French window. He kept his hands in his pockets and he looked bothered.
After staring at the cars and pedestrians on the street below for quite some time, Qi Chengzhi turned around and walked back to his desk. He picked up his cell phone with his long fingers and made a call."Yang Chu, I have some leads regarding the car-smuggling gang you're investigating."
At night after work had ended, Qi Chengyue did not go to see Cheng Dongge on the top floor. She felt uneasy at the thought of Qi Chengzhi's sardonic expression, so she decided to send a message to Cheng Dongge asking him to inform Qi Chengzhi that she would wait for him at the company's entrance. There was no need for them to be secretive anymore since the whole company knew about their relationship.
She didn't expect to see Huang Ziyue who was also waiting at the entrance. She was wearing a white blouse coupled with a light yellow pleated chiffon dress that covered her legs all the way down to her ankles. She wore light makeup and pink lipstick which made her lips look soft.
As for Qi Chengyue, she was wearing a silverish grey checkered long-sleeved blouse with a white inner-shirt and a short pink skirt. Her thin and slender legs were visible and they were as slim as a model's legs. She wore a pair of 3-inch high-heels and the orange lipstick she was using made her look exceedingly attractive and lively.
They possessed completely contrasting styles. Qi Chengyue dressed more vivaciously whereas Huang Ziyue had a more muted fashion sense.
Apparently, Qilin's staff knew of Huang Ziyue's high status, so they stood aside when they saw Qi Chengyue ran into Huang Ziyue.
Qi Chengyue glared at them and felt that they were being nosy. There was no good way to chase them away, so she did not care about them as she walked towards Huang Ziyue.
From her expression just now, Huang Ziyue had evidently wanted to avoid her but now could only bite the bullet and face her.
"Miss Huang, why are you here?" Qi Chengyue stood in front of Huang Ziyue and scornfully sneered at her. She did not attempt to hide her distaste towards her at all.
"Miss Qi." Huang Ziyue was also cold towards her, she did not smile at all but still behaved timid and polite, this made others feel like Qi Chengyue was using her position to bully her."I am looking for Dongge."
Qi Chengyue raised her eyebrows and pouted."You are getting back together with Cheng Dongge?"
Huang Ziyue was stunned for a moment, then she stroked the hair along her ear and looked down sheepishly."It is hard to explain whether we are getting back together or not. Our relationship is complicated now, after all it lasted for three years and it was very hard to let go of it."
"Oh really?" Qi Chengyue snickered."Do you know what Cheng Dongge is thinking?"
"Sure, we had been together for three years, I know him very well." Huang Ziyue peered into Qilin's building over Qi Chengyue's shoulder and nodded with a smile."
"You were in a relationship with Gao Jingqiu, right? What happened? Did you all break up?" questioned Qi Chengyue as she raised her eyebrows.
Huang Ziyue pursed her lips and replied; visibly irritated, "Miss Qi, we are not close to each other. Actually, I am not obliged to share my personal life and thoughts with you, but never mind, I found out that Dongge is the one I truly love anyway. I cannot live without him. No matter if he is rich or poor, I will only feel happy when I am with him. I realized this and will never leave him again. After dealing with the affair, I'm sure my relationship with Dongge has become stronger. Maybe that was not a bad thing, it was just a test for us."
"How are you so sure that Dongge would still accept you?" Qi Chengyue narrowed her eyes, it has been a long time since she last met a woman so narcissistic.
"Haven't I said? I know him well, besides, Dongge was not seeing anyone after breaking up with me. I know the reason behind it even though he did not tell me, " said Huang Ziyue as she nodded, she lowered her head slightly so that the direction she was looking at could not be seen.
Qi Chengyue was speechless, so she kept quiet. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited there with Huang Ziyue.
Huang Ziyue did not expect Qi Chengyue to stay there with her, so she asked, "Anything else, Miss Qi?"
"I am waiting for someone as well." Qi Chengyue smirked.
Huang Ziyue glanced at her and stopped talking. The two of them looked at the Qilin's building together. After a while, they saw Cheng Dongge leave the building.
The surrounding Qilin's staff stood there and watched from the side, how could they miss such a thrilling spectacle?
Cheng Dongge saw Qi Chengyue standing at the entrance and smiled at her gently. However, Qi Chengyue pouted and responded with a sneer.
Cheng Dongge was startled, then he noticed Huang Ziyue was standing behind her, so that was the reason for her cold response. He pulled a slight frown and loosened his tie while giving Qi Chengyue a derisive smile.
Qi Chengyue was not truly angry with him. She twitched her mouth and turned her head aside, looking away from him.
Cheng Dongge smiled inadvertently and marched forward.
Huang Ziyue and Qi Chengyue were standing together, she smiled gently when she saw Cheng Dongge walking towards them. When she saw Cheng Donnge was nearing, she called out his name softly, "Dongge——"
Cheng Dongge did not look at her, he directly held Qi Chengyue's hand and said with a soft laugh, "Why didn't you look at me just now?"
Qi Chengyue blushed slightly, she looked upward and pouted while squinting at Huang Ziyue."Miss Huang came to reconcile with you. She said she knows you extremely well and both of you had a loving three-year relationship, so it would not be easy to let go of each other completely."
Qi Chengyue smiled, revealing her dimples."Miss Huang, was that what you meant just now?"
Huang Ziyue stared at their hands which were holding one another, she looked up and glared at Cheng Dongge, ignoring Qi Chengyue."Dongge, you..."
Cheng Dongge nodded and sternly said, "We are in a relationship, nothing else, we are leaving now."
After finishing his sentence, Cheng Dongge left with Qi Chengyue holding his hand.
Huang Ziyue turned around and stared at them as they walked away, she saw Cheng Dongge hold Qi Chengyue's hand in front of him and pinched it before he kissed it.
"So many people around!" Qi Chengyue saw the people around were snickering furtively.
Cheng Dongge smiled and released her hand. He embraced her around the waist."Are you feeling jealous?"
"No." Qi Chengyue playfully poked his loin, "You're still very trustworthy."
Cheng Dongge smile and said, "I'll send you back home first. Tomorrow morning I'll send you to work, you don't need to drive anymore."
| ← Ch. 229 | Ch. 231 → |