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Su Baili patted his hand as if to comfort him, then turned her head with a sharp gaze towards Jin Qiong. “Was he giving you trouble? He even dared to use Grandfather’s name to force you to smoke?”
Jin Qiong, though confused about the situation, instinctively tried to explain himself. “I wasn’t… I didn’t…”
Before he could finish, he met a pair of narrow eyes—cold and emotionless, as if staring at a dead man. A chill ran down his spine.
Realizing that speaking would only make things worse, he hung his head in silence.
Meanwhile, Tang Manni, who was still kneeling on the floor, also sensed that something was off. Wasn’t this person someone that Mr. Jin brought along?
Yet, the way Mr. Qi treated her with such intimacy, not even minding her offense—who exactly was she?
Su Baili, in her flustered concern, wasn’t thinking straight. At that moment, she actually believed Jin Qiong had dared to use Grandfather’s name to bully Qi Shenzhi.
What was she even thinking?
With Qi Shenzhi’s vast influence and power, even if ten Grandfathers combined their efforts, no one would dare trouble him…
And yet, here she was, treating Qi Shenzhi like a poor little victim being bullied.
Her protective instincts kicked in.
She glared at Jin Qiong fiercely. “You think you can bully my brother with such pathetic connections? You must be tired of living! My brother might be easygoing, but I’m not. Just wait and see.”
Jin Qiong’s face turned even paler. He had no idea who this woman was, but the way Mr. Qi called her so affectionately, she was obviously not someone he could afford to offend.
He hurriedly tried to explain, but Qi Shenzhi interrupted him. “Li Li is right. Such pathetic connections…”
Though he didn’t finish his sentence, everyone present understood what he meant.
They were all smart people. It was clear that whatever Jin Qiong had come here to ask for was no longer possible. His so-called connections, combined with benefits that hardly tempted Mr. Qi, made him completely unqualified to negotiate.
Jin Qiong opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again—unsure of what to say.
Su Baili turned away from him, no longer interested. She reached out and patted Qi Shenzhi’s head. “Poor little thing, even though Grandfather isn’t in the country, I’ll call him tonight and complain properly. Otherwise, any random stray cat or dog will think they can come here and throw their weight around. That won’t do.”
Qin Zihe: “…”
Aside from this fool Jin Qiong, was there anyone else in the world who would dare cause trouble for Qi Shenzhi?
In fact, wasn’t Jin Qiong himself here, groveling and begging Qi Shenzhi for help?
He just chose the wrong approach.
Su Baili was truly something else. How could she say such things with a straight face?
In her eyes, how had Qi Shenzhi turned into some helpless, bullied little creature?
Just how thick were her rose-tinted glasses?
Even a stranger, upon seeing Qi Shenzhi’s presence, wouldn’t dare provoke him…
And you, Qi Shenzhi—why are you playing along? Weren’t you just glaring daggers at Jin Qiong a moment ago?
Don’t be such a double standard!
Qi “Poor Little Thing” Shenzhi, with a slight smile, nodded. “Alright. Li Li always looks out for her brother.”
Indeed, the books were right—strategic vulnerability could strengthen a couple’s bond.
Li Li even took the initiative to pat his head.
Of course, it had nothing to do with last week, when she patted Wang Linfeng’s head, and someone got jealous after hearing about it.
“Of course! Just wait and see!” Su Baili proudly patted her chest.
Su Baili puffed out her chest and declared, “No one can bully my brother under my watch—no one!”
Qin Zihe: “…”
Tired. He was too exhausted to even complain anymore.
But just as this matter was resolved, Qi Shenzhi’s gaze darkened, and he lifted a finger. “Li Li has always been a good girl, so she’ll tell the truth, won’t she?”
Su Baili: “…”
Crap. Why hadn’t she wiped off the evidence?
She followed Qi Shenzhi’s gaze to the traces of milk on his finger. Realizing there was no escaping this, she decided to own up to it. “Yes! I ate an ice cream just now! But it’s your fault for being so slow! I was starving, waiting for you to eat together. What’s wrong with having a little snack first?”
Her words sounded a bit unreasonable. Qi Shenzhi hadn’t even known she was coming—otherwise, how would he have had the patience to deal with Jin Qiong?
Qi Shenzhi sighed. “Li Li, don’t try to change the subject.”
Su Baili: “…”
Ah, such familiar words—this was karma coming back at full speed.
Like a wilted cabbage, she instantly deflated.
Feeling guilty, she mumbled, “Fine, I won’t eat any next week, okay? Just think of this as an advance on my next week’s share.”
“Alright, remember what you said,” Qi Shenzhi relented, clearly in a good mood. “It’s not that I won’t let you eat—it’s just that the weather’s been hot lately, and you’ve been eating too much. You’ll end up with a stomachache again.”
Su Baili let out a breath of relief. Quickly grabbing a tissue, she wiped the evidence off Qi Shenzhi’s fingers at lightning speed.
Qin Zihe, unable to hold back his laughter, teased, “Baili, why does Shenzhi even control your ice cream intake? It’s like you didn’t find a boyfriend—you found a dad.”
Two sharp glares shot his way.
Su Baili clenched her fist menacingly. “I like it this way. Not your problem.”
“Hey, hey, hey, that’s unfair! I was standing up for you!” Qin Zihe protested.
“No need, thanks. I like having my brother take care of me,” Su Baili replied sweetly, flashing a fawning smile at Qi Shenzhi, as if saying, See? I’m being good.
Qi Shenzhi, eyes warm, pinched her cheek. “Good girl.”
“Hehehehe~” Su Baili giggled foolishly.
Qin Zihe: “…”
Damn. He had asked for it.
These two were absolutely insufferable.
Qi Shenzhi had no interest in staying in this setting any longer. Half-embracing Su Baili, he helped her up. “Let’s go eat before Li Li’s little tummy gets hungry again.”
But Su Baili didn’t move. Instead, she turned to look at Tang Manni, who was still kneeling on the floor, desperately trying to shrink her presence.
“You shouldn’t covet things that don’t belong to you,” Su Baili said coldly. “You’ll only end up hurting yourself.”