172 Stealing the Pei Familyâs Money
âAre you not?â
âI am.â He whispered into her ear, âAs long as Iâm alive, my feelings for you wonât change.â
âOkay.â Lin Jiao interlocked her fingers with his.
Most promises in the world would turn into bubbles, but she was willing to trust Pei Zhi this once and give him enough time to prove it.
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âJiaojiao.â Lan Ying sat opposite them. âWhere are you planning to spend the New Year this year?â
âOn Dadâs side.â Her choice was different every year, but Lan Ying had always respected her choice.
âWhat about your grandfather?â
âTheyâre about to reconcile.â Lin Jiao briefly explained what happened a while ago. âHeâll go to the countryside to pick up Grandpa next week.â
âThatâs good.â Lan Ying knew that Lin Hongyuan had been tormented by guilt and naturally hoped that they could reconcile.
She did not talk about this topic anymore. She mainly wanted to talk to Pei Zhi and get to know him better.
When they were about to leave, she and Xue Taiyao stuffed a lot of things into his car and asked him to bring them back for his family.
Pei Zhi smiled and accepted the coupleâs kindness.
He drove Lin Jiao back to Red Maple Forest. Just as he changed into slippers, he received a call from Pei Qisheng.
âYao Qianning came to the old residence.â His unexpected words made Pei Zhi stop in his tracks.
âWhatâs she there for?â
Pei Qisheng looked at the car driving away and slowly explained what happened.
Yao Qianning came to visit in the evening.
When she entered the house with a pile of gift boxes, Pei Zhen was playing chess with Chu Kui. âUncle Pei, Iâm here to see you.â
Hearing the voice, Pei Zhen turned around to look at her.
He gestured for Yao Qianning to sit down. âQianning, Iâm already so old. Itâs more suitable to call me Grandpa.â
Yao Qianning did not meet Pei Zhen often.
âHave you had dinner?â She placed the gift boxes on the coffee table and sat on his right.
âYes.â Pei Zhen picked up a piece and continued playing with Chu Kui. âWhy isnât your father here?â
âHe has business to take care of and canât leave at the moment.â
Yao Qianning chatted with him for a long time, from his physical condition to his hobbies and interests. Chu Kui started to have a headache.
He couldnât stand it anymore and changed the topic to Pei Zhi to prevent her from nagging. âOld Pei, is Pei Zhi coming back tonight?â
âNo.â
âDoes he still live in Red Maple Forest?â With Chu Kui taking the lead, Yao Qianning also started asking about Pei Zhi.
âYes.â Pei Zhen answered bluntly, then he said to Chu Kui, âHe should be on a date now.â
âA date?â The smile on Yao Qianningâs face froze for a moment. âIs he in a relationship?â
âHeâs been dating for months.â
âReally? Brother Pei even said before that he wanted to develop a relationship with me. I didnât expect him to be in a relationship.â
Pei Zhen still looked indifferent. âDid he say that? Why didnât I know?â
âHe said so to my father.â
âYour father must be mistaken.â He picked up the teacup and took two sips. âPei Zhi is not someone who likes to make promises.â
Yao Qianningâs expression stiffened.
She didnât have any evidence to prove that Pei Zhi did. She smiled awkwardly and said, âI just didnât expect him to be in a relationship so quickly.â
âHeâs already 30 years old.â
âThirty is still considered young.â She paused for a moment before asking curiously, âDid you introduce his current girlfriend to him?â
âNo.â
âHave you seen her?â
âWe met her grandfather in the countryside.â Chu Kui shook his head and clicked his tongue. âHer grandfather is a farmer and is very rough.â
âHer grandfather was here?â
âThatâs right. He was here to beg.â
âDonât be so mean.â Pei Zhen added, âThat old man looks quite pitiful.â
âIs her family poor?â
âQuite so.â Chu Kui gestured. âThere is a hole this size in his house.â
Yao Qianning showed her disdain on her face.
She pretended to be worried and said, âGrandpa Pei, you have to be careful.â
âWhat for?â
âShe might have designs on the Pei familyâs money.â
âIndeed.â Chu Kui thought about it seriously. âI think we should get them to hold the wedding first.â
Pei Zhen nodded. âAlright.â He placed a piece on the chessboard. âIâll ask that old man tomorrow.â
Yao Qianning was no longer smiling.
She looked at them and asked in confusion, âGrandpa Pei, what do you mean?â
âI want a daughter-in-law to spend time with me.â
âArenât you afraid that she will steal the money?â
âIn any case, Pei Zhi is capable.â Pei Zhen did not care about money at all. âI believe he can earn it again.â
âWho is stealing our money?â Pei Qisheng asked curiously as he entered.
âQianning said that Pei Zhiâs girlfriend wants to steal the Pei familyâs money and asked us to keep an eye on her.â
âI said itâs possible that she will do it.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHow did you come to that conclusion?â
Pei Qishengâs gaze was very oppressive. Yao Qianning stammered for a long time but could not say a word.
Seeing that her face was red, Chu Kui continued, âDid Pei Zhi make a promise to her?â
Pei Qisheng frowned when he found out what happened.
âNo.â He said bluntly, âEven if heâs single, he wonât like someone like you.â
âWhy⦠why?â
âYouâre not his type.â
Yao Qianning tightened her grip on her knee.
She refused to admit that she was inferior to that woman. Even if she was already sobbing, she still wanted to retort, âI donât believe you.â
âIf heâs interested in you, why doesnât he even have your WeChat? Qianning, you donât have to lie to yourself.â
On account that she was his friendâs daughter, Pei Qisheng did not say anything too harsh.
However, his words still hurt Yao Qianning.
âNot having my WeChat doesnât mean anything.â Just as her tears were about to fall, she stood up and said goodbye, âIâll visit you another day.â
Her departure did not affect Pei Zhen from playing chess.
He fiddled with the chess pieces calmly. âQisheng, your friendâs daughter is too scheming.â
Pei Qisheng understood what he meant, so he called Pei Zhi immediately.
He told the story from beginning to end to Pei Zhi before adding, âIn my opinion, she will try her best to see Jiaojiao next.â
âI wonât give her a chance.â
âCan she find Jiaojiaoâs address in Ming Xin Mansion?â
âShe wonât be able to find anything soon.â Pei Zhi hung up and sent Qu Shao a WeChat message.
Seeing that he was standing by the window without moving, Lin Jiao, who was nestled up on the sofa, slowly approached him.
She hugged him from behind. âWhatâs going on?â
âI was dealing with an annoying fly.â Pei Zhi held her slender hand and pulled her into his arms. âWhy arenât you doing your skincare routine?â