“Thanks for the praises; I’m indifferent to these decorations.”
Ji Ziming’s lips curled, and this tepid smile made Qu Xiujie feel that there was a thousand miles of distance between them.
“Mr. Ji loves to joke.”
While his voice deepened, the sincerity in his eyes touched the man slightly. He seemed to have seen it somewhere before. That was when he first met Pei Ge.
If their surnames were not different, he would think that his wife and this middle-aged man were related, but by the time he turned to look at Qu Xiujie again, he saw shrewdness in his gaze.
This was the look of a businessman who was playing with life.
All the favorable impressions he had dissipated instantly.
“Let me cut things short. Before I came looking for you, I sought your wife first, but she refused to see me, so I could only come to find you.”
Qu Xiujie purposely avoided speaking about going to the Ji family mansion in order not to make this man feel that he was desperate.
“Oh? It seems that you are very interested in my wife.”
Ji Ziming smirked. The cold aura he was exuding made the other shudder. It was even more when his voice grew solemn.
“You’re mistaken. I sought your wife to tell her that Old Lady Qu has lost her patience with her and might strike her soon.”
The latter was telling the truth. His informant had not been replying to his message today; he was probably bought by that old woman. He was unsure if that person had told her everything he knew.
If that were so, regardless if it was him, Pei Ge, or Ji Ziming, they were all in danger. He had seen for himself Old Lady Qu’s tactics. Underneath her beautiful and caring face was a heart laced with poison.
“How did you know?”
The man’s eyes darkened; he was very unwilling to believe this guy for he was after all a Qu, not a Ji nor a Pei, but the intel he had received just a few days ago stated that the latter had severed all ties with the Qu family—his father in particular.
“That’s because I was in the same situation as Pei Ge, but I wasn’t as lucky as your wife who has your support.”
Qu Xiujie simply recounted how, not long after leaving the hotel today, he was nearly knocked down by a car as he was crossing the road. Furthermore, the person driving the car avoided being identified by wearing a headgear which covered his face except for his eyes.
Even the car plate was unknown, and the brand of the car was unidentifiable. A car lover like him could easily figure out that the car had undergone modification to the point of being unrecognizable.
“You’re saying that Old Lady Qu has started to attack you and will probably do so again because you appeared near my office?”
Ji Ziming vaguely got what Qu Xiujie meant. He was cynical of him, but he was still worried about Pei Ge’s safety.
Today, he gave her a break. In order to settle Ji Miao’s matter, she had to go to her office while he went back to the Ji Group. He had not expected that she would be exposed to danger by doing so, though.
Even he did not notice that something was amiss with his woman.
“Mr. Qu, I got it; I’ll go find my wife.”
He nodded and opened the car door as he spoke to his bodyguards. “Drive to your madam’s office now and protect her at all cost. Otherwise, I won’t let any of you continue working for my family, in the capital, or even across China!”
He was frosty and sharp. The ruthlessness in his eyes made his bodyguards be on high alert. It had been a long time since they saw their big boss acting like this. If they could not do a proper work, their CEO might really do as he said.
Furthermore, this was CEO Ji, whom even their leader was afraid of, when he had not yet met his wife.
“Yes, sir!”
They appeared to be full of killing intent and looked as though they were ready to die in war.
“Good, let’s go!” instructed the man, and everyone hopped in the van and forged a path for his Rolls-Royce.
When they arrived at Pei Ge’s office, she was holding a cup of coffee as she opened a contract delivered by her receptionist. Her assistant went out to have a site visit, so she personally came down to collect this package.
She could not help but be frightened when she saw the man bringing a group of men inside the office as though he was out to fight with her.
“What are you guys doing here?”
She frowned, though she still appeared composed.
“Are you alright?” asked Qu Xiujie hurriedly as he went up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Although he was unsure if she was really connected to that person in his memory, he was certain that she was related to him.
Since her looks could not be replicated, he was thinking that she might be his relative.
A relative of his mother, who was kicked out by the family by his father back then.
She looked so familiar—even her actions resembled his mother’s. How could he not think that this woman was his family?
“Let go of her!”
Ji Ziming stormed over. Qu Xiujie’s hands had not rested on Pei Ge’s shoulders for two seconds when they were swatted away by the man. If this middle-aged man was not older than him, he would have kicked him, such that he could not even get up.
The man’s murderous look could not be ignored. The moment Qu Xiujie saw Pei Ge, he understood that she was not only capable but also had someone who should not be ignored.
That was Ji Ziming.
“Mr. Qu, this is my wife. Don’t you think it’s unpleasant to do that to someone’s wife the moment you see her?”
The man’s eyes darkened, and the ferocity in his eyes pierced right through Qu Xiujie’s appearance.
