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Chapter 5 Their Relationship
In the hotel lobby, a handsome but aggressive man was sitting on a couch. It was Yuan Bao, one of Qiao Zhisheng’s bodyguards.
When he saw Qiao Zhisheng dragging Song Xi along, Yuan Bao called out, “Brother Sheng,” and then went out to drive for him.
Qiao Zhisheng shoved Song Xi into the back seat of the Bentley as Yuan Bao got into the front seat to drive. He consciously pressed the central control button to isolate the front from the rear of the car.
Inside the car, Song Xi remained silent. Qiao Zhisheng lit up a cigarette and the rear of the car was soon filled with smoke. Despite hating the smell of cigarettes, Song Xi was expressionless.
Nobody said a word the entire way. The vehicle eventually came to a stop, and Yuan Bao left them alone.
Qiao Zhisheng had been smoking during the entire drive. The confined space was now filled with the heavy smell of cigarettes. In no hurry to get off, he said with sarcasm and ridicule, “Today, I learned the feeling when money falls into the toilet. It’s unfortunate to lose it, but it’s disgusting to pick up.”
There was no light in the car, so their facial expressions were not clear. After several seconds of silence, Song Xi said in a steady voice, “No one asked you to pick it up.”
Qiao Zhisheng sneered as he answered. “Chen Hao was right. You have not gotten rid of your identity as the deputy mayor’s daughter.”
At the mention of this, Song Xi could no longer keep calm. Her hands clenched into fists on her legs secretly, and she gritted her teeth inside her tightened lips.
Qiao Zhisheng looked forward steadily and talked softly as if speaking to himself. “Do you think I wanted to pick it up? Song Xi, this is a reminder to you. You know our relationship very well. It does not mean you can disgust me to my face.”
Song Xi ground her teeth but kept silent.
What could she possibly say? That she did not want to see Chen Hao? That she did not know that he would also be present? Or that she had no choice?
Qiao Zhisheng had made it clear. She knew their relationship very well, so she will say nothing to him. Not a single word
Her silence must have irritated him because he suddenly opened the car door and got off without bothering to shut it. She glanced at the four-storey building一Mount Cuicheng Villa. At 250,000 RMB per square meter, it was so expensive that even the rich in Ye City could not afford it.
Even when she was the child of an official, she never lived in such a good house. Ironically, now that she was down on her luck, she can live in such a place. It was her matrimonial home with Qiao Zhisheng.
Like a soulless puppet, she sat alone in the car. She was deeply heartbroken, recalling what happened three months ago. On the 29th day of the lunar year, she was was going home to celebrate the Spring Festival with Song Yuanqing. She had bought all the goods for the Spring Festival and new clothes as well as a tea set for him. However, when she arrived home, Song Yuanqing was not there. She was startled because they had just spoken on the phone 20 minutes ago.
His mobile phone was on the tea table. Song Xi waited for him for one day and one night. On the 30th day of the lunar year, she was told that someone had reported Song Yuanqing for corruption and abuse of power under a real name. He had been detained by the Procuratorate.
No one knew how Song Xi survived alone after she received such bad news like a bolt from the blue on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Even today, she was in so much pain as if she would die yet she still survived.
Song Yuanqing was under investigation, so she was not allowed to see him. When she called all the uncles and elders she knew, what did those officials who affectionately called her goddaughter do? They turned off their mobile phones. Those who answered the phone by accident pretended to be surprised or were sympathetic but said they had no ability to help.
Song Xi knew that the tea cools down as soon as the person is gone, but Song Yuanqing was not gone yet, was he? Why did these people act like this?
Everyone gives a shove to a falling wall. She once thought that it was the ugliest side of human nature to draw on advantages and avoid disadvantages. She never thought, however, that there would still be something darker. After Song Yuanqing was detained by the Procuratorate, she suffered many “accidents.” If she were not wise and lucky enough, she would have died.
She was in such a desperate situation that she had to live with a friend who was a police officer. Eventually, she finally got a verbal message through Song Yuanqing’s trusted follower. Unexpectedly, he had asked her to marry Qiao Zhisheng.
Song Yuanqing had never spoken to her before about right or wrong, gratitude and grudges in the officialdom, but he made an exception this time. He told Song Xi that he had capitalized on a vulnerability of the Qiaos. In exchange, he had asked Qiao Zhisheng to protect her. He asked her to marry Qiao Zhisheng.
Initially, Song Xi found it totally unacceptable. How could she be assured? How could marriage be used to barter? She was not afraid of those who were trying to get back at Song Yuanqing by dealing with her. She just had to be more cautious.
However, Song Yuanqing had said those people wanted to capture her so they could use her against him. He had offended some people during his deputy mayoralty. A man who loses position and influence would be subjected to many indignities. Too many people wanted him dead. Song Xi was his biggest weakness. If she fell into their hands, Song Yuanqing would have no choice but to die.
Song Xi immediately understood that her safety was directly tied to Song Yuanqing’s life and death. As long as she lives well, he could rest assured. In any case, she needed to find a powerful protector, and without exception, only Qiao Zhisheng could protect her in Ye City.
As Qiao Zhisheng said, she knew their relationship very well.
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