Chapter 711: Do You Need My Help
When Li Qianxue entered the room, there were already a few people sitting inside. Speaking of which, they had all worked with the Li Corporation before.
Sitting at the head of the table was her former in-law, Chou Yanbo’s father, Chou Tonghe. Beside them were also familiar faces — the Zeng family, the Song family, the Wu family, and the Chang family.
After nodding to the few of them and greeting them one by one, Li Qianxue sat down near the head of the table.
Today was considered a private banquet. No matter what, Chou Tonghe was once her in-law. Although the two of them were no longer in-laws, they didn’t want to become enemies even if the marriage was called off. There was still a connection.
“Qianxue.” Chou Tonghe had a good relations.h.i.+p with Li Qianxue. In the past, they used to call each other in-laws. Now, it wasn’t inappropriate to call each other by their names.
As he called Li Qianxue to sit down, he personally poured her a cup of tea. Li Qianxue had been socializing a lot in the past six months, but she knew the rules. She usually didn’t drink outside.
“Brother Chou, if you have something to say, just say it. You don’t have to be so polite.”
Even if she didn’t give Chou Tonghe face, she had to give face to Old Master Chou.
“Then I’ll be straightforward.”
What Chou Tonghe was going to say today had something to do with Huo Jinyao.
Earlier, Mrs. Luo, Mrs. Song, and Su Peizhen had accidentally hurt Xiang Caiping. At that time, no one knew that Xiang Caiping was Su Qingsang’s biological mother.
Huo Jinyao didn’t target the Su family, but the Luo family and the Song family instead.
There was no need to mention the Luo family. Luoxing Market had been acquired by Tianyu Group, and it was miserable now. The Song family’s Kesong Electronics had been dealt a heavy blow by Huo Jinyao, and they couldn’t even lift their heads.
“Look, it’s been so long since this incident. Brother Luo has recently found some new connections, but your son-in-law is too powerful. They don’t dare to give him the deal, Qianxue. No matter what, they are still family friends. Let’s not be too ruthless, don’t you think?”
Qiu Tonghe didn’t want to get involved in these matters, but the Luo family and the Song family had come to him together. Now, only the Qiu family had some face in front of the Li family. He couldn’t refuse.
Li Qianxue knew about these matters. When she saw the Luo family and the Song family, she guessed their intentions.
“I can’t make the decision on this matter.”
“Qianxue, what you’re saying is inappropriate. You’re President Huo’s mother-in-law. He has to listen to what you say, right?”
“Putting aside the fact that Huo Jinyao isn’t in Lin City right now, even if he was, he might not listen to what I say. To take a step back, shouldn’t you be looking for Huo Jinyao now?”
“See, you said it yourself. President Huo isn’t in Lin City. Even if we wanted to look for him, we wouldn’t have any connections. Besides, isn’t President Huo standing up for your daughter? But Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Song did this because they wanted to stand up for your other daughter.”
Li Qianxue’s expression didn’t look too good. Of course she knew. Su Peizhen was the one who started this. But so what?
If Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Song hadn’t caused such a ruckus, Su Qingsang wouldn’t have felt guilty towards Xiang Caiping. In the end, she almost didn’t acknowledge her as her mother and acknowledge Xiang Caiping as her mother instead.
Thinking of this, Li Qianxue felt uncomfortable, so she naturally didn’t want to get involved in this matter.
“Qianxue, it’s all in the past. Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Song also know their mistakes. Moreover, this matter has nothing to do with Old Luo and Old song. Why don’t you ask your son-in-law to be merciful and let them off the hook?”
President Luo and President Song, who were called by name, were now smiling obsequiously.
Li Qianxue felt bored. She couldn’t eat at a scene like this. She looked at the two of them.
“Alright. I’ll tell Huo Jinyao to stop targeting you guys in the future. However, if you guys do anything to offend Huo Jinyao in the future, it’s none of my business.”
“Definitely, definitely.”
“How can that be? There will never be a next time.”
The two of them promised together. This matter was finally resolved. Qiu Tonghe wanted someone to serve the dishes, but Li Qianxue couldn’t eat anymore.
She got up and left the hotel.
She didn’t think about going home. Li Qianxue sat in the car. The driver in front, Xiao Zhao, asked where she was going twice. In the end, she told him the name of a bar.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t allowed to go home for a drink, but if Old Master Li saw her like this, it would not be good.
Su Qingsang followed Huo Jinyao to Rong City. Su Yuxin had entered university and was already at school. There was only her and Old Master Li at home.
It was fine during the day, since Li Qianxue could focus all her energy on work.
At night, however, she could not. Once she returned home, she could not help but recall some things from the past.
A caring daughter, an obedient son. Although Su Chenghui did not love her, he would come home every day. At that time, even though the family was not very happy, at least, it would not be as lonely as it was now.
When they entered the bar, Xiao Zhao could not hide the worry in her eyes. Li Qianxue just wanted to have a few drinks. At her age, what could she do?
“Wait for me. Come in and pick me up later.”
If it weren’t for Xiao Zhao, she wouldn’t dare to enter the bar alone to drink.
Beautiful women always attracted people’s attention, even though she didn’t look young.
Li Qianxue’s age made her seem more s.e.xy.
She ordered a gla.s.s of b.l.o.o.d.y Mary and sat at the edge of the bar to drink. Li Qianxue came from a big family and had been carefully nurtured by Old Master Li since she was young. Her temperament was really out of place with the people around her.
But it was this out of place that attracted the attention of many people. Before she finished a gla.s.s of wine, someone had already come over to chat her up.
“Miss, can we have a drink together?”
“No.” Li Qianxue did not even turn her head, nor was she interested to know who the person was.
“Don’t be so petty. How boring is it to drink alone? It would be more interesting if two people drank together.”
As the man spoke, he reached out his hand to Li Qianxue. Before Li Qianxue could knock off the other party’s hand, a hand was faster than hers.
Su Chenghui gently twisted the other person’s hand. He stood there, but his usually refined face now had a hint of sternness.
“You –”
“Get lost.” Su Chenghui’s voice was very cold. The man pulled back his hand and took a step back. He wanted to leave like this, but he felt embarra.s.sed, so he could only throw a harsh sentence before leaving.
“Just you wait.”
Su Chenghui ignored the harsh words of the man and turned to look at Li Qianxue. She had already finished the wine in her gla.s.s and ordered a second gla.s.s.
When she was holding the wine gla.s.s, he stopped her.
“Qianxue, stop drinking.”
“Who are you?” Li Qianxue looked at Su Chenghui and raised her eyebrows slightly. The last time they met was when she went to Rong Ccity to see Su Qingsang. It had been more than a month now.
After she returned to Lin City, since they were both in the business world, they would see each other no matter what.
However, Li Qianxue had the ability to make herself ignore Su Chenghui. She had met him a few times after she came back, and every time, she completely ignored Su Chenghui.
Su Chenghui knew how much she hated him. He felt helpless, but he couldn’t let her drink here forever.
“Qianxue, be obedient. If you want to drink, go back and drink.”
Li Qianxue’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t bad. A gla.s.s of wine was nothing to her. She looked at Su Chenghui’s hand on her wrist, raised her hand, and easily waved it away.
“Obedient? Who are you? Do I have to listen to you?”
This was the second time she had said this. There was a flash of bitterness in Su Chenghui’s eyes. “Qianxue, I don’t think Dad would want you to be like this, right?”
He didn’t know what had happened to make Li Qianxue come out to drink, but he believed that Old Master Li would definitely not agree.
“Who are you calling Dad? Su Chenghui, that’s not your Dad anymore.”
She was a little annoyed. The person she didn’t want to see the most was Su Chenghui.
If it weren’t for his selfishness, the Li family wouldn’t have so much trouble in the future. With this thought, she couldn’t stay any longer. She withdrew her hand and stood up. Su Chenghui followed behind her. “Qianxue, I’ll send you back.”
“No need.” Li Qianxue stopped. “Who said I’m going back? I’m just going to the bathroom.”
“Qianxue…”
Su Chenghui didn’t believe that Li Qianxue was someone who would be angry with others, but her actions in front of him really made him feel that she was angry with him.
“Su Chenghui, are you done?” Li Qianxue looked at the “worry” on his face. She didn’t feel touched, but felt that he was hypocritical. “Why? Are you worried about me now?”
“Yes.” Su Chenghui nodded. “It’s not safe for a woman to drink outside.”
“Who said I’m alone? Xiao Zhao is outside.” Li Qianxue’s face was a little red because of the alcohol.
She wasn’t drunk. She knew it. She stood up straight and looked at Su Chenghui with a flash of mockery.
“Also, you really don’t have to worry about me. The fact that I’m your ex-wife aside, we’re divorced, so it doesn’t matter to you anymore. To me, the person who hurted me the most in this world was you. If you’re really worried about me, then don’t appear in front of me. Otherwise, every time I see you, I’ll feel uncomfortable.”
Su Chenghui’s expression wasn’t good, and his eyes flashed with pain again.
“Qianxue…”
“Stop. Don’t call me that. I feel disgusted.”
Li Qianxue wasn’t in the mood to continue drinking, and she didn’t intend to stay any longer.
“Su Chenghui, I’ll have to trouble you to put away that d.a.m.ned hypocrisy, guilt, and pain expression on your face, because the one who should be in pain should be me, not you.”
Su Chenghui was stabbed again by her words. For a moment, his body even couldn’t help but sway.
“Qianxue, sorry –”
“Stop.” Li Qianxue really didn’t want to hear that sentence. “Don’t say that word, it’s too degrading. Su Chenghui, what you did made me want to stab you with a thousand knives, but I still can’t get rid of my anger. Please don’t say that word in front of me. Really, when I hear it, I feel even more disgusted.”
“Qianxue, do we have to do this?”
No matter what, they had a child and a marriage of many years. Could it be that in her heart, there was really not a single bit of longing and something worth remembering?
“No.” Li Qianxue shook her head. “If you don’t appear in front of me, then there’s no need to be like this.”
Su Chenghui stood still. From the divorce until now, he actually knew what kind of personality Li Qianxue had.
He also knew that it was difficult for him to ask for her forgiveness, but every time he endured her words and att.i.tude, it still made him feel pain.
In the past, he was the one who made her feel pain. Now, it was the other way around. She was the one who made him feel pain. However, he would rather be mocked by her words than not see her.
Li Qianxue ignored him. She couldn’t stay where Su Chenghui was. She couldn’t stay there for even a minute.
Outside the bar, Xiao Zhao was still waiting. Li Qianxue was about to get into the car when Su Chenghui came over again.
“Qianxue?”
Li Qianxue looked at him holding her hand. “If you don’t let go, I’ll chop off your hand.”
Su Chenghui withdrew his hand because of her att.i.tude. “Qianxue, I came to see you today because of something.”
“What else can I have to do with you?” Li Qianxue blinked her eyes. She was really curious. She thought that she had nothing to say to Su Chenghui.
“I saw Mayor Li last time. I think you should be more cautious about the latest project of the Li Corporation. I heard that there was a change in the plan.”
Li Qianxue froze. She knew about the project. It was one of the plans that she carried out independently after the Li Corporation was stabilized in her hands.
Was there a change in the plan? She hadn’t heard about it yet, but looking at Su Chenghui, she didn’t like his current att.i.tude. She suddenly approached Su Chenghui. “Are you trying to sell me something?”
“Qianxue, do you have to think of everything I do with an ulterior motive, and make me seem so despicable?”
“Do you need me to think about how despicable you are?”Li Qianxue sneered. “Don’t you know how despicable you are?”
Su Chenghui’s expression didn’t look good. Li Qianxue took a step back, and she retreated to the side of the car door. “Su Chenghui, you don’t get up early without benefits. Everything you do has a purpose. Don’t think that I will accept your favor just because you sold me a good one. Don’t forget. Huo Jinyao is my son-in-law. Mayor Li has a good relations.h.i.+p with him. If anything happens, Mayor Li will definitely inform me instead of only you.”
“Qianxue, I really didn’t mean anything else. I just wanted to remind you.”
“I thank you.” Li Qianxue nodded, but in fact, she didn’t appreciate it at all. “The Li Corporation has nothing to do with you now. I have nothing to do with you, so I don’t need your reminder. I won’t thank you either.”
She opened the car door and before getting into the car, she glanced at Su Chenghui again. “Based on what you have done, no matter what you do, I will never forgive you, so you can give up. “I will never forgive you in this lifetime. Please don’t appear in front of me next time. That way, I can thank you for leaving me alone.”
After saying this, Li Qianxue got into the car without hesitation.
Xiao Zhao sat in the front seat. When Li Qianxue saw his gaze from the rearview mirror, she glanced at him coldly.
“This is the last time. If there is a next time, you don’t have to work at the Li family anymore.”
Xiao Zhao shrunk his neck. At that moment, he was actually shocked by Li Qianxue’s gaze.
“Madam, Don’t blame me, Sir… no matter what President Su says –”
“If you think Su Chenghui is better, you can help him drive. I don’t mind.”
Xiao Zhao was completely silent now. Li Qianxue didn’t want to bother with him anymore. She closed her eyes to rest.
Thinking of what Su Chenghui said just now, she was inexplicably more annoyed.
Ridiculous, did he really think that she would forgive him? Dream on.
..
Li Qianxue handed the doc.u.ment in her hand to her secretary, Yang Rong, and signaled her to go out first. Then, she looked at Wei Ting, who was sitting opposite her for half a day.
“Wei Ting, your current actions have already disturbed me.”
“How can that be? I see that you’re not even paying attention to me.”
Wei Ting looked at Li Qianxue and spoke in a slightly aggrieved tone.
Li Qianxue resisted the urge to clasp her forehead. She picked up the photo frame on the office desk and faced Wei Ting.
“Did you see that? This is my grandson and granddaughter. I’m already a grandmother. You can stop spending your time on me.”
It was a group photo of her, Old Master Li, Su Qingsang, Su Yuxin, and their two children. The photo was taken last month when Su Qingsang was in her first month of pregnancy. She and Su Qingsang, each holding a child, sat on both sides of Old Master Li. Su Yuxin stood behind them.
Li Qianxue liked this photo very much. This was a real family photo for her. So she came back and had someone print it, then put it on the desk.
“So what?” Wei Ting glanced at the photo and pointed at Li Qianxue. “With you looking like this, even if you say you’re their mother, people will believe you.”
This time, Li Qianxue couldn’t help but clasp her forehead. She looked at Wei Ting. “President Wei, I really have business to deal with. Can you please leave first?”
“But you haven’t promised to have dinner with me tonight.” Wei Ting looked even more aggrieved. “Today is my birthday. Are you that heartless?”
“First, your birthday has nothing to do with me. Second, you said it was your birthday last week. Third, I really have something to do today. I have an business engagement tonight, so I refuse.”
“First of all, I am pursuing you. I want you to be my girlfriend, so my birthday has something to do with you. Second of all, I had a solar calendar last week. Today is the lunar calendar, is that not okay? Third of all, if you want to go to a social event, I can accompany you. After all, it is inconvenient for a woman like you to go to a social event alone.”
“President Wei.” Li Qianxue wasn’t a casual person. The situation in front of her was giving her a headache. “If you insist on not leaving, I can only call the security to chase you away.”
“Qianxue, you don’t have to be so cruel to me, right? I’m just a teenager who admires you.”
Li Qianxue was so angry that she laughed. “Yes, I’m already a grandmother, yet you’re still a teenager. So it’s impossible for us to be together.”
“Don’t do that. In foreign countries, people get together even when there is an age gap of more than 20 years. You’re only older than me by a dozen years. I can accept that.”
“But I can’t.” Li Qianxue was serious. “I can’t accept a relations.h.i.+p with a huge age gap. Even if they are older than me by a day or an hour, I can’t accept it.”
“The rules are dead. People are alive.” Wei Ting was still trying to convince Li Qianxue. Li Qianxue was annoyed. She closed the doc.u.ment in her hand and looked at Wei Ting very seriously. “Last week, I met your mother by chance. Wei Ting, if you stay here any longer, I don’t mind asking your mother to come and take you away.”
“Qianxue.” Wei Ting’s face fell. “You don’t have to be so heartless, do you?”
While he was still trying to pretend to be pitiful, Li Qianxue’s internal line rang.
Li Qianxue didn’t want to pay attention to him. She pressed the answer b.u.t.ton and Yang Rong said, “Su Chenghui is here”.
“I won’t see him.”
They had just met yesterday. Why was he here today? Li Qianxue was inexplicably annoyed.
However, Wei Ting seemed to have seized the opportunity and moved forward. “Do you need my help?”