“He was partly lying,” Lily said the moment she and Zhuo Jingren boarded the car to make their way to the office. They hadn’t spoken a word since Lily left the apartment. Zhuo Jingren understood Lily’s need to absorb everything she’d heard.
“How do you know that?” Zhou Jingren asked. “His story sounds legit.”
“I can feel that he is still hiding something. He doesn’t trust me enough yet,” she said. Her gaze was on the passing view as she slowly pursed her lips. It is understandable for two strangers to mistrust each other, and in Lily’s opinion, she and her brother are strangers to each other’s lives.
Zhuo Jingren nodded to indicate his acceptance of her viewpoint. After considering her words he asked, “Do you think the threatening part was true?”
“It is,” Lily said. “It all makes sense to me now. It would be reasonable for her to endure instead of trying to contact my grandmother. At that time, she had no access to a decent means of communication. She was alone and someone was monitoring her closely. They had the ability to practically kill Qin Yuanfeng before a call even connected and she could say hello to my grandma.”
“I remember he said that Bec tried to contact your grandmother.”
“But she didn’t. She was unable to do so,” Lily replied swiftly as her gaze became dark. “She was, however, able to contact someone else.”
“Think about it… she was killed almost instantly after we left Qin Mansion. I don’t believe in coincidences. Let me start with He Xinlan and Zhang Yifei partying just across the street from where I was supposed to work. Coincidence? No. Then while I was fighting with my mother, she suddenly mentions going back to Europe and giving me what I deserve. Coincidence? No. Her tone was too sure. She was not lying at that time. That was because she had already contacted someone. Someone assured her that she could come back. Someone close to my grandmother.”
“You mean…” Zhuo Jingren was interrupted when Lily suddenly instructed Daohu to turn around.
“Go to Mr. Rossi’s address,” she instructed Daohu before she turned to face Zhuo Jingren. “Send Bei Tian and your men to this address. Prevent them from letting him leave. I think it’s time that he and I have a good talk.”
Her husband gave a curt nod before immediately making a call to Bei Tian. The latter was still in Sky City with his men as he was in the midst of giving instructions on how to observe and react to Qin Yuanfeng’s activities.He finished the call before asking Lily: “And Qin Mo?”
The mere mention of his name was going to make Lily grind her teeth into a fine dust. Qin Mo.The person who killed her child, the person who made her mother suffer. It would only make sense to assume that he is someone that Zhang Yifei trusts. He must have called her and told her about Lily’s unstoppable force so she decided to come and visit to see for herself. Moreover, Zhang Yifei must be curious about He Xinlan’s disappearance. “Is there a way to make him paralyzed from the waist down?” she asked.
“There is,” he answered without batting an eyelid.
“Then do it,” she said. “According to our research, Zhang Yifei’s father saved the patriarch’s life when they were in the military. Have you investigated this?”
“Hmmm… he was still young when that happened. Basically, Zhang Yifei has been with them since she was a child. Taking her in after her father’s death was a means of expressing gratitude for the fact that her father saved the patriarch’s life in the military.”
“Any family members?” she asked.
“A sister. She is a school teacher in the provinces. Their brother died when they were children,” he answered. Seeing Lily fall silent, he slowly held her hand and gave it a little squeeze. “What are you planning to do?” he asked.
“I have never met anyone as ruthless as that woman,” Lily said. “I’m trying to understand why would she do it. Was it greed? Did she want to have the Qin Family under her thumb?”
“If she is working with the future patriarch, who is Qin Hao, then… greed could be her only motive for doing this.” She added, “Greed is such a powerful motivation.”
“If she had been with the Qins since she was a child, it is also possible that she may have developed feelings for Qin Chuan,” Zhuo Jingren suggested. “They were betrothed after all. Watching Qin Chuan fall in love with someone else must have broken her heart,” Zhuo Jingren added. “Knowing that Qin Chuan and Bec already had a child, she still agreed to marry him. She knew he didn’t love her and yet she still agreed to be bound to him by marriage.”
Lily slowly turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren. “Makes sense,” she smiled. “Too many possibilities for now. I am taking this slowly. I will launch an attack the moment she arrives.I even intend to join her for dinner.”
“What made you so brave all of a sudden?” he asked.
“I was never afraid,” Lily retorted. “They need to fully understand that I am coming for them. I have the Yang Family working under me. You and George can handle the Black Market and suppress them there. I am confident that I can take them head on.”
“This is not your style? Why are you in such a hurry to destroy them?”
“I am not in a hurry. But if Zhang Yifei’s motivation is indeed greed then I will take away what she loves the most: the Qin Family’s money,” Lily explained.
“Well then… Mrs. Zhuo, I am on board. Just tell me what you need from me,” Zhuo Jingren said with a smile that was just civilised enough to hide the brewing savagery in his eyes.
Lily nodded in agreement. She knew he would always be there for her. “Zhang Yifei is coming… The tiger is going to leave the mountain.” Lily narrowed her eyes as her lips curled into a sinister smile. “Wrong move,” she said softly with a sinister grin.
….
Meanwhile, the moment Lily left, Qin Yuanfeng instantly took a bath and started rubbing salt onto his skin. His arms turned red as he continued to rub them as if he was trying to remove something. His shower lasted for hours as he repeated the process again and again.
By the time Qin Yuanfeng finished his shower, it was already dark outside and his door had been repaired. He sat on his bed and stared blankly at his computer array of dual monitors as well as keyboards before letting out a huge sigh. Lily did not believe him, he thought before he lowered his head. He could see it in her eyes. She does not believe him.
He had underestimated Lily’s capability and he regretted it. He should have just told her everything. He regretted thinking that she would believe whatever he told her because of his sad childhood. He had forgotten that she was his sister and not some tool that he could use for revenge.
Qin Yuanfeng clenched his jaw as he felt a familiar anger rising from his chest. His breathing became quicker as he tried his best to suppress himself. He ran to his bedside table and used all the strength he had to inject himself with something that could make him feel calm. He needed to calm himself and avoid having another aggressive outburst. After sensing that his anger had subsided a little, Qin Yuanfeng took a pill and swallowed it with water.
He needed to sleep. Tomorrow, he will visit Lily and talk to her again. Right now, she is the only one who can help him. This time… This time he will tell her everything that she needs to know.
