chapter 8

After dropping Yanyan off at the old family residence, I returned to the villa.

The professional organizers were already at work.

I only took my important documents.

Before leaving, I gave the housekeeper a red envelope.

“I’ve already spoken with Mrs. Ji. You can head over there once you’re finished here.”

“Thank you, Miss Ning.”

The driver took me to the airport.

On the way, I informed him, “After this trip, you don’t need to report to me anymore. Your salary is paid through the company, so you’ll have to talk to Qi Sinian about any future arrangements.”

Having settled everything, I boarded a flight to South City.

At the same time, Qi Sinian took Tan Qingqing to the hospital.

Tan Qingqing was badly shaken, her emotions highly unstable.

If Qi Sinian moved even half a step away, she would scream uncontrollably.

Her face was pale, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Uncle, are you going to leave me all alone again?”

In that instant, Qi Sinian found himself unable to move.

A friend said, “If you’re really that worried, why don’t you just bring her back to the country with you?”

Qi Sinian took a heavy drag of his cigarette.

“Do you remember Li Er?”

“The Li family’s youngest son? Wasn’t he scared to death of you?”

Qi Sinian shook his head.

“He wasn’t afraid of me.”

“Huh?”

“And I wasn’t the one who stabbed through his hand.”

“But…”

But everyone said Qi Sinian was a madman.

That at nineteen, he had the guts to take a knife and pin someone’s hand to a table.

That if pushed too far, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

But who had actually seen what happened that night?

They didn’t know that the one holding the knife that night was Ning Yan.

It was her who had rushed in, grabbed Li Er’s hand, pressed it against the table, and plunged the knife down without a second thought.

The entire process took less than five seconds.

It was so fast that there was a delay before Li Er even started screaming.

Ning Yan was a ruthless woman.

She looked gentle and soft, as if she were incapable of anger.

But she was the type to settle every score.

Qi Sinian had no doubt that if he hadn’t rushed back yesterday, Ning Yan might not have gone as far as taking a life, but she would have at least drawn blood from that woman.

So, how could he dare-how could he possibly dare to let Qingqing return to the country?

“But why? What did Li Er do to make Ning Yan stab his hand?”

The friend’s casual question made Qi Sinian freeze.

In a dimly lit room, everyone was laughing.

He was pinned to the floor by his arms and legs.

Li Er unbuckled his belt, his face full of arrogance and malice.

“Thirsty? I’ll give you something to drink.”

…

Qi Sinian crushed the still-burning cigarette butt into his palm.

He tugged at his collar, feeling stifled, and took a deep breath.

“The reason doesn’t matter. I won’t gamble with Qingqing’s safety.”