Ye Shipu never expected that Lu Qi would overhear his phone call with Huang Dezhong. He sobered up quickly, loosening his tie forcefully and gasping for air like a dying fish.
"How did you know? Did that bastard betray me!"
Halfway through his words, Ye Shipu realized his slip of the tongue. He quickly covered his mouth and tried to change his tune and defend himself.
"Lu Qi, listen to me... Ugh... Things aren't as you think. He bought this vase from me. I had no idea he was going to use it to set you up..."
"It has nothing to do with me!"
Ye Shipu wiped the filth from his mouth, hoping that Lu Qi would believe him.
Lu Qi rolled his eyes. He didn't believe a single word Ye Shipu said.
"I won't believe you no matter what you say. Just wait for the court summons!"
After saying that, Lu Qi turned around and left with Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai.
After all this commotion, it was completely dark.
Lu Qi showed a grateful smile to Lu Chuanbai and Xu Qingqing. His tense body relaxed a bit. "I really owe you this time."
"Without you, the truth wouldn't have come out so soon. I'll treat you to dinner after I'm done with this."
"It's getting late. You should go back and rest."
Seeing Lu Qi happy, Xu Qingqing finally agreed with relief.
"Then we'll leave first. Call us if you need anything. Chuanbai and I will come right away."
"Okay, thank you." Lu Qi nodded in agreement.
The next day, Xu Qingqing woke up naturally. She got out of bed and pulled open the curtains, only to see a familiar figure standing outside.
"Someone's here."
Xu Qingqing quickly climbed back onto the bed and nudged Lu Chuanbai, who was still sleeping.
"Chuanbai, wake up. There's a guest."
"Who is it?" Lu Chuanbai sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Xu Qingqing went back to the window and took a closer look. She realized it was Qin Hongying.
"It's Auntie. I'll go open the door." Xu Qingqing immediately grabbed a coat from the bed and put it on as she went to open the door for Qin Hongying.
As soon as the door opened, the biting cold wind blew in.
Xu Qingqing shivered from the cold. Rubbing her hands, she looked at Qin Hongying, who looked exhausted.
"Auntie, why didn't you knock when you came? It's so cold outside."
"Just now a servant came and said you were still sleeping. I was afraid of waking you up, so I waited outside for a while."
Qin Hongying's attitude had changed a lot compared to the last time she met Xu Qingqing. She had a kind smile on her face.
"Come in quickly. It's too cold outside."
Xu Qingqing quickly stepped aside to let her in.
"Okay." Qin Hongying walked into the living room.
Xu Qingqing invited her to sit down and said considerately, "Auntie, you came here specially to see Lu Qi, right? After breakfast, Chuanbai and I will take you there."
"Thank you." Qin Hongying sat on the sofa and finally felt a bit warmer.
Seeing that Qin Hongying's hands were red from the cold, Xu Qingqing poured her a cup of hot water and placed it in front of her.
"Um... Has the problem with Lu Qi's shop been resolved?"
Qin Hongying held the hot tea in her hands, looking a bit nervous.
The antique shop was Lu Qi's hard - earned business. If something really went wrong, Lu Qi would surely be very sad.
Seeing the worry on Qin Hongying's face, Xu Qingqing knew that she really cared about Lu Qi. She felt happy for Lu Qi and said with a faint smile,
"Don't worry. The people who plotted against him have been exposed."
"Lu Qi is going to sue them. The law is fair."
Hearing this, Qin Hongying let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."
Qin Hongying held the water cup to warm her hands. Looking at Xu Qingqing's smiling face and realizing that she didn't hold a grudge, she felt a bit ashamed.
When Xu Qingqing went on vacation to Penglang Island, she hadn't been nice to her.
But now Xu Qingqing was being so polite and considerate to her.
"Xu Qingqing, thank you." Qin Hongying thanked her sincerely.
"Thanks to you, Lu Qi's problem was resolved so quickly."
"It's nothing."
Xu Qingqing waved her hand modestly. "What I did was just a small favor. There's a big favor I need your help with."
Hearing that Lu Qi still needed her help, Qin Hongying's face immediately lit up. She excitedly put down the teacup in her hand.
"What's the solution?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Xu Qingqing gave a mysterious smile and kept her in suspense.
After breakfast, Lu Chuanbai drove Qin Hongying to Lu Qi's shop.
As soon as the three of them got out of the car, they heard the sound of an argument coming from inside the shop.
"Don't even think about stuffing people into my shop. I won't allow useless people to enter!"
Lu Qi looked at Wang Yong, who was forcing him again, with determination in his eyes.
But Wang Yong thought he had caught Lu Qi's weakness and started to threaten him.
"Don't forget, you caused a loss of 10 million in turnover! You need an assistant. Otherwise, I'll withdraw my investment!"
"You..." Lu Qi never expected that Wang Yong would threaten him by withdrawing his investment. He was so angry that his lips trembled.
Seeing that Lu Qi was speechless, Wang Yong thought he was about to compromise. He said proudly,
"If you apologize to me now and are willing to let my son join as the deputy store manager, I won't make things too difficult for you."
"Don't even dream about it!" Lu Qi growled through gritted teeth.
He would never allow an outsider to interfere with his hard - earned business!
This was his shop, the one he had painstakingly managed. No one could take it away from him!
"Withdraw your investment then. I don't need you as an investor." Lu Qi said firmly.
Hearing this, Wang Yong was stunned. He stared at Lu Qi with wide eyes and issued his final ultimatum. "Are you sure?"
Wang Yong had a rather odd appearance. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a decent - looking face.
But because his eyes were always full of calculation, his whole appearance took on a somewhat sinister look, making him seem rather fierce.
"Yes!"
Lu Qi nodded without hesitation.
"Fine."
Wang Yong never expected that Lu Qi would embarrass him in front of so many shareholders. He was so angry that he tried to incite the other shareholders.
"You've all heard! I helped him when he was in desperate need. But now I can't even give him a single piece of advice!"
"It's so disheartening! I'm withdrawing my shares. If you stay, you'll end up being kicked out like me!"
Perhaps Lu Qi's firm refusal had scared the other shareholders who also had ill intentions.
They all nodded in agreement, staring at Lu Qi with unfriendly looks in their eyes.
What they wanted was the obedient and well - behaved Lu Qi from the past, not the current Lu Qi who seemed to have grown wings!
"I was introduced by Boss Wang to invest. Since Boss Wang is withdrawing his investment, I won't stay either."
These shareholders tried to gang up to pressure Lu Qi.
"I'm not as interested in antiques as I used to be over the years. I'm also leaving."
Every time a shareholder said they were leaving, they would look at Lu Qi with probing eyes, hoping to see panic in his eyes.
But they were all disappointed. Lu Qi still stood upright with a sneering and disdainful look on his face. He even stubbornly said,
"Okay, I'll return your investment with interest."
Lu Qi decided to use his own savings to cover the cost first.
Outside the antique shop, Qin Hongying heard her son being so humble. Her eyes turned red. She silently took out her sunglasses and put them on to cover her eyes.
With the sunglasses on, Qin Hongying looked even more imposing, showing her charm as a strong - willed woman.
Bang!