Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Looking at Wu Xiaojiu, who was practically radiating dominance, Qi Jiao stood weakly off to the side and bit his lower lip before giving a nod.
“After the way he treated my mom, after he burned every bridge with me and demanded all the company shares, it turned out he did it all for some mistress with no name and no status. Just for that alone, he stopped being my father in my heart a long time ago. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. As long as my mom is fine, Xiaojiu, you can vent however you want.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Old Man Qi stared in disbelief. Trembling, he got to his feet and pointed a finger at Qi Jiao’s nose.
“You unfilial wretch! Have you lost your mind? Even if your father was wrong in every possible way, my blood flows in your veins, so you deserve to clean up my mess! And now you want someone to hit me? Aren’t you afraid you won’t be allowed into the ancestral grave after you die?”
“What good is going somewhere my mom can’t go?”
“Your mother is an outsider. That is the graveyard of our old Qi Family, the burial place of those surnamed Qi. If you let her in, how could our ancestors ever rest in peace?”
The more Old Man Qi spoke, the more worked up he became-and the less human his words sounded.
Wu Xiaojiu felt rage surge from his heart and malice rise straight to his courage.
He grabbed the champagne flute on top and, without a second thought, hurled it straight at the old man’s mouth.
Old Man Qi was still droning on with his lecture when an unidentified transparent object filled with amber liquid shot right toward his vital spot.
Before he could even raise a hand to block it, there was a sharp crack. The champagne flute smashed against his teeth and burst apart.
Glass mixed with champagne crashed into his mouth.
The taste of blood exploded across his tongue, mingling with champagne’s cloying sweetness.
Old Master Qi froze in disbelief. He slowly lowered his head and spat out shards of glass along with one front tooth.
When he looked at Wu Xiaojiu again, fire practically blazed in his eyes.
“No matter what, our Qi Family is still an aristocratic household, and we have business dealings with your Wu Family. How dare you!”
Wu Xiaojiu flashed him a grin and pointed at Qi Jiao.
“The shares are still in his hands. Right now, you’re nothing more than an emperor emeritus in name only.”
The atmosphere grew tense again, though after taking that hit, Old Man Qi quieted down considerably.
He stood there staring at the two people facing him down. As angry as he was, he didn’t dare let it out. All he could do was threaten them over and over with Qi Jiao’s mother.
Wu Xiaojiu remained unmoved. First, Qi Jiao’s mother had nothing to do with him. Second, judging by the current situation, this was no different from haggling at a garment factory. The more anxious you acted, the more leverage you handed the other side, and the higher the price you would have to pay.
Qi Jiao was not as calm as he was. After all, this was his own mother. Like an ant on a hot pan, his gaze darted back and forth until he finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Half. My actual controlling stake in the company is fifty percent. I can only give you half. Those shares are worth hundreds of millions. You should be satisfied!”
“I want all of it, and you will give me several hundred million more as compensation for controlling what should have been mine all these years!”
Old Man Qi had made up his mind. He had to take full control of the group so he could fly away and live happily ever after with his mistress.
“You should know your mother is in my hands right now. I’ve got your weakness in my grip. The people taking care of her don’t get along with her either. Maybe even while we’re talking, your mother is being bullied.”
Qi Jiao was so furious he could barely stand it. He closed his eyes, let out a long breath, and nodded, just about to open his mouth and agree.
Then the door to the Imperial Suite was pushed open with a bang.
A girl with twin ponytails, wearing a school uniform and looking extremely pure and innocent, came running in with quick, pattering steps.
The girl was pretty, with an oval face, delicate brows, and fair, clean skin. She looked like a fragile little white flower, the kind that stirred pity at a glance.
The atmosphere in the room was shattered in an instant.
Everyone turned their heads in unison.
“Xiaoyu! My darling, why are you here instead of at school?”
Qi Heng was the first to react. He started to take two steps forward, then forcibly stopped himself and kept shooting the girl meaningful looks, signaling for her to leave quickly.
“Grandpa, are your eyes bothering you? Grandma told you to come home for dinner. I called you, but you didn’t pick up, so I had no choice but to find you through your phone’s location.”
The girl moved with cautious delicacy. At her words, Wu Xiaojiu narrowed his eyes and looked at her face.
Sure enough, she bore a slight resemblance to the Qi Family patriarch, especially in her eyes. Wide open, they looked perfectly pure and innocent, yet they were steeped in calculation.
Qi Jiao froze for a moment before it sank in.
“Grandpa? What did she just call you? Grandpa! I knew you had illegitimate children out there, but I never thought there was more than one. You even have a granddaughter my age!”
Qi Jiao’s voice was thick with fury.
The girl shrank back in fright and hurried into Qi Heng’s arms, trembling.
“Grandpa, didn’t you say my brother was easy to get along with? But… from the looks of it, Brother doesn’t seem to welcome me.”
Her voice was soft and gentle.
It successfully triggered Old Master Qi’s macho instincts. He lifted his foot and kicked over the table and chairs in front of him, sending fruit platters and wine spilling all over the floor.
He pointed at Qi Jiao, his aged face full of anger, the deep lines at the corners of his mouth trembling.
“You’re a grown man. Why are you picking on a young girl? When I brought my illegitimate son in front of you before, didn’t you accept him all the same?
This time, I simply found myself an older woman. She had a grandson and a granddaughter, and I accepted the whole package. I brought your younger brother and sister here so you could take one look at them. What are you getting so worked up about?”
As he spoke, he stroked the top of Xiaoyu’s head, his tone instantly turning gentle.
“Don’t be afraid, Xiaoyu. Your brother just gets muddleheaded sometimes. Once this fit passes, he’ll accept you, your mother, and your grandmother. Grandpa’s heart aches seeing you frightened. Don’t be scared. Grandpa will make your brother apologize to you, all right?”
Wu Xiaojiu stood frozen in place, stunned by the chaos.
Qi Jiao was so furious his nose had started bleeding. Now he held a tissue to it and raised a hand to point at Qi Heng.
“Qi Heng, you may not be human, but I am. I have truly never seen someone who abandons his own wife and children just to go play grandpa for someone else’s family. You said you had my weakness in your hands. This little girl is your precious darling too, right? If I detain her, you won’t just stand by and watch her die, will you?”
At first, Qi Jiao had truly had no way to deal with Qi Heng. He hadn’t expected his enemy to deliver a weakness right to his door.
Wiping the blood beneath his nose clean with a silk handkerchief, Qi Jiao frowned and clapped his hands.
Under Qi Heng’s murderous glare, the doors were removed from both sides. Dozens of professional bodyguards in black suits and black goggles charged in without a word.
“On paper, she’s your niece! Qi Jiao, you beast in human skin, how can you lay a hand on your own niece?”
Qi Heng panicked completely.
Qi Jiao couldn’t care less about any of that.
He pointed, and the bodyguards rushed forward.
No matter how hard Xiaoyu struggled, she was still only an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl.
She was easily dragged over beside Qi Jiao.
Qi Jiao reached out, pressed down on her head, and forced it hard toward the floor.
“Do you still want me to apologize to you? Dad, what now? Do you still want one hundred percent of the shares?”
He had clearly held victory in his hands. Now, he had nothing.
Qi Heng collapsed onto the sofa in defeat, speechless for a long moment.
“Son… let’s talk this over.”