Chapter 2123 - Wen Yuan (17)
Chapter 2123: Wen Yuan (17)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Shang Qingmo instinctively retreated and pressed her shoulder against the advertisement screen.
Shock flashed across his dark eyes. He reached out to pull her away, but Shang Qiqi leaned over and kissed him.
Shang Qingmo’s heart skipped a beat and she lowered her eyes in shock. The girl’s fair face was exceptionally delicate. At this moment, her eyes were closed and her long eyelashes were trembling.
She was nervous and afraid. The moment she touched his lips, her heart ached.
She did love him.
She wanted more of this touch.
Unfortunately, he could never be hers.
Her kiss was disorderly. She wanted to escape, but she kissed him even harder.
In the end, she slowly lifted her eyelids, her misty eyes glistening with tears.
“Uncle, I like you… but this time, it’s enough. Let’s take it that I’ve had you before. When we meet again, you’ll only be my uncle and I’ll only be your niece. That will never change.”
After saying that, she pushed him away forcefully. As if afraid that he would lose his temper at her, she ran towards the security check.
When Shang Qingmo came back to her senses, there seemed to be some warmth and softness on her lips.
After the shock, she rejected the longing in his heart and frowned. She turned to look at the girl who had already run to the security checkpoint.
She had just passed the security check. She picked up her bag and ran away without looking back.
That figure and her actions, especially her determined gaze and words, made his heart tighten.
The emotions that had been pent up in his chest surged again.
Disgusted by this lingering feeling, he turned around and walked out of the airport lobby with a cold face.
When he went out, the driver was standing outside the car and chatting with another driver. When he saw him coming out, he quickly cut off the conversation and went forward to open the door for Shang Qingmo.
When she went around to the driver’s seat, she bade the man farewell.
“I don’t have to pick Young Master up recently. It should be much easier. Let’s have a drink when we have time.”
The man said and punched the driver’s shoulder. “Let’s talk on the phone.”
“Okay!”
The driver agreed readily and got in happily.
“Sir, are we going straight to the company?”
It was still early to go to the office. She could go home or enjoy breakfast slowly.
However, Shang Qingmo only responded with a faint “Mm”.
The driver wasn’t surprised.
Shang Qingmo’s face darkened. Her mind was filled with Shang Qiqi’s words and gaze before she left, as well as the sudden kiss…
He pinched the space between his eyebrows, feeling increasingly frustrated.
“Master, are you worried that it’s not safe for Miss to go out alone?”
The driver hesitated for a long time before speaking. Everyone in the Shang family knew that Master doted on his niece. In fact, anyone in Ping Cheng City who mentioned the Shang family would definitely know about their beloved niece.
However, Qiqi was smart and lively. She was very likable.
Shang Qingmo didn’t respond. His eyes were closed and his slender fingers were pressed between his eyebrows. His ring finger accidentally brushed the corner of his lips and he seemed to feel the warm and sweet touch again.
The driver didn’t know what had happened between the two of them. He only thought that his master was worried about Miss Qiqi and continued,
“Actually, Master, you don’t have to worry too much. Didn’t we arrange for bodyguards? If you’re really worried, call the young master of the Han family. I heard from his chauffeur that the young master seems to be going to Western Europe…”
Shang Qingmo’s fingers froze and she looked up at the rearview mirror. Her voice was cold and sinister.
“What did you say?”
This voice was scary to begin with. When the driver heard the voice, he subconsciously looked up at the rearview mirror and was frightened by the sharp gaze.
“I told you not to worry too much…”
Shang Qingmo cut him off. “Which Young Master Han?”
“It’s… Young Master Han Jichi. If I remember correctly, his relationship with Miss Qiqi…”
In a flash, too many thoughts flashed across Shang Qingmo’s eyes. What followed was the overwhelming anger in her chest.
How dare she lie to him?
She didn’t go out alone.
Instead, she had an appointment with Han Jizhi…
They actually went overseas without telling him?!
“Go back!”
The driver’s hand trembled. “What?”
“Back to the airport!”
These three words were practically shouted.
The driver was speechless.
The car continued for a long time. Shang Qingmo took a deep breath. Her cold voice sounded much calmer than before, but it was even more terrifying.
“Can’t you hear me when I ask you to return to the airport?”
“But sir, this is a high-rise…”
Veins appeared on Shang Qingmo’s forehead.
She took out her phone and called Shang Qiqi.
However, a cold female voice reminded her that her phone was switched off.
At this point, Shang Qiqi’s attitude over the past few days, her actions at the airport today, and even the big and heavy suitcase, as well as her attitude towards Grandpa in the morning, and his father’s gaze and actions, he suddenly felt that everything was unusual…
But why? It was just a few days overseas. Even if she went with Han Jichi, she would have to come back eventually. Why did she have such an attitude?
The familiar feeling of disgust in his chest suddenly surged.
The unknown emotion that he had never wanted to admit and felt was impossible to appear on him had always been… uneasiness.
Panic caused by unease.
After the car finally got off the highway, Shang Qingmo called Han Jichi.
In the end, Shang Qiqi’s voice was the same.
Shang Qingmo’s expression was like a storm.
He made another call and said, “Help me delay the latest flight to the Netherlands for half an hour…”
“Sir.” Even though the driver was nervous, he still said, “Miss Qiqi’s plane has probably taken off.”
Shang Qingmo looked down at the time on her phone. It was already more than ten minutes past the flight time.
Thinking about it carefully, Shang Qiqi seemed to have calculated the time accurately and passed the security check smoothly…
He called the two bodyguards he had arranged, but their phones were still switched off.
It seemed that she had really left.
After a long while, he suddenly let out a low laugh. “Shang Qiqi, you’re really bold.”
His sinister tone made the driver shiver again.
“To the company.”
The driver replied, “Yes.”
“Come back and I’ll teach you a lesson.”
He muttered under his breath as if he was speaking to himself.
He pressed his swollen temples, but his hand holding the phone was trembling slightly.
He would give her seven days of freedom.
Let her spend seven days overseas with Han Jiji…
Old Master Shang had been waiting at home for Shang Qingmo to discover something. He was even prepared for her to question him.
But after waiting for the entire morning, no one came.
He was so smart, how could he not have noticed anything?
Moreover, the driver had already told him about what happened today. From the driver’s fearful tone, he could imagine his son’s anger.
He even wanted to use his connections to delay the international flight…
Did Shang Qingmo know what she was thinking?
In the next few days, Shang Qingmo pretended that nothing had happened.
However, he would return to the main house every day. After dinner, he would stay the night. However, he did not mention to Old Master that Shang Qiqi had gone overseas with Han Jiji.
Since he didn’t mention it, Old Master Shang didn’t either.
This time, Qiqi’s feelings weren’t the only thing that had faded.
He felt that the calm and collected son in front of him needed more time!
“Why do you keep coming home these few days? Don’t let Miss Song worry about the engagement ceremony. At this time, women are very sensitive, especially when they don’t feel safe. You should spend more time with her…”
Shang Qingmo lifted her eyelids and stared deeply at the old man before retracting her gaze.
“After confirming her style, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll naturally accompany her when I have to. Don’t worry about us.”
Old Master Shang’s face darkened. “Shang Qingmo, no one forced you to get married back then. Now, I don’t care what you’re thinking. You have to promise me that nothing will go wrong at this engagement ceremony!”
“What are you worried about? Why do you think something will happen at the engagement ceremony?”
Shang Qingmo leaned back on the sofa and placed a hand on the armrest. His gaze landed on the old man’s face again.
His eyes were calm, but they were deep and focused.
The old man narrowed his eyes. “Before you ask me these questions, you have to ask yourself why!”
Shang Qingmo uncrossed her legs and stood up.
“This engagement ceremony will naturally not be a business trip and will definitely be grand. Isn’t Qiqi having fun? After having enough fun outside, she can continue to have fun at the engagement ceremony! In order to let her have fun, I think it’s necessary to expand the scale of this engagement ceremony.”
Old Master took a sip of tea with a calm expression.
“Your engagement is for your future wife, not Qiqi.”
“Isn’t it better to have the best of both worlds?”
With a bang, the good purple sand cup fell to Shang Qingmo’s feet.
“What do you mean by the best of both worlds?! What nonsense are you saying?! What does your engagement have to do with Qiqi?! Do you think she will care about attending your engagement?”
The last sentence made Shang Qingmo clench her fists. “So?”
The old man held his breath before he reacted.
She was trying to get information out of him.
He had gone through so much trouble…
He closed his eyes forcefully as fatigue overwhelmed him.
“Get lost, I’m tired. I don’t want to talk to you now.”
Shang Qingmo lowered her gaze and stood rooted to the ground for a long time before turning to leave.
*
When they arrived at the Netherlands, Shang Qiqi and Han Jichi did not stay in the hotel arranged by Shang Qingmo.
The two of them bought new SIM cards and checked in at another hotel.
The two bodyguards arranged by Shang Qingmo were replaced by the two bodyguards arranged by the Old Master.
The two of them went to the hotel to catch up on their sleep. When they woke up, they contacted the travel agency that Shang Qingmo had arranged for them.
She had discussed it with Han Jichi before, so he chose the same travel agency.
The reason why she did this was because she didn’t want Shang Qingmo to notice anything amiss so soon. If he reported to the travel agency that he didn’t see her, she wasn’t sure if Shang Qingmo would attack her directly.
Even though she knew that Grandpa had pressured him at work.
But she had to comfort him.
In fact, Shang Qingmo had indeed contacted a travel agency in the country. When he heard that Shang Qiqi was participating obediently, he was indeed convinced.
He was waiting, gambling.
If Shang Qiqi returned as promised, he would definitely not let her off easily.
The uneasiness in his heart had been suppressed by him. On the surface, he was calmly handling the work that had suddenly appeared and preparing for his engagement with Song Yunshu.
Everything continued in an orderly manner.
On the 13th, he arrived at the airport early in the morning.
He sat in the living room of the villa in the city for the entire night without sleeping.
At dawn, he took his coat and drove straight to the airport.
In fact, the round-trip flight that he had booked for Shang Qiqi was at five in the afternoon.
He sat in the car, his bloodshot eyes staring at the watch on his wrist.
He waited in the underground parking lot for an entire day. When the clock struck four, he opened the car door and got out. He stood at the arrival gate and stared in the direction of the exit.
He stood tall and straight, motionless. His entire body exuded a terrifying coldness.
Wave after wave of people left the exit. When it was time for the plane to land, Shang Qingmo’s face darkened.
After ten, twenty, thirty…
Shang Qingmo’s hands had already clenched into fists.
He didn’t give up and waited. Forty minutes, fifty minutes, sixty minutes.
He waited from five to nine in the morning.
He had waited for all the flights back from overseas today, but that disobedient little niece was nowhere to be seen.
For the past seven days, he didn’t think or ask. He only bet that Shang Qiqi was only traveling with Han Jiji behind his back.
As long as she came back, he would teach her a lesson.
All the doubts that made him uneasy were deliberately thrown aside.
He thought that the fact that she had lied to him was enough to teach her a lesson.
He wouldn’t lie to her again, nor did she have the guts to lie to him again and again.
But from the looks of it, she was getting bolder and bolder.
The old man’s phone rang. Shang Qingmo picked it up and the old man said bluntly,
“Come back. Qiqi won’t be back.”
“What do you mean by that?” Shang Qingmo turned around coldly and strode towards the entrance of the airport.
“It’s the Han family, right?” His voice was deep and piercing.
Old Master’s angry voice sounded. “What do you want?!”
“It was Han Jichi who coaxed Qiqi away, right? I’ll get the Han family to hand her over. Also, regarding your intention to matchmake Qiqi and Han Jichi, I advise you not to think about it. I won’t agree to Qiqi marrying him!”
Old Master took a deep breath and panted heavily. “Shang Qingmo…”
Shang Qingmo hung up.
She drove straight to the Han residence.
The old man stared at the phone in shock.
Was his son crazy?
“Master…” The butler was also trembling in fear.
Shang Yekun handed the phone to him with trembling hands. He stood up and instructed with a dark expression, “Prepare the car and go to the Han family!”
“Yes.”
Shang Qingmo’s car was stopped by Shang Ye Kun’s car.
Since the car couldn’t enter, Shang Qingmo opened the door and got out.
Shang Yekun stood there with a dark expression, like an old pine tree, steadily blocking the way.
The moment he saw Shang Qingmo, he trembled in anger.
“You really dare to come?!”
“Dad, move aside.”
Shang Yekun’s chest heaved in anger. “You… Shang Qingmo, what are you thinking? Do you know that you have a fiancée?!”
“Is there any conflict between Qiqi and my fiancée?”
Shang Qingmo spoke calmly. Under the dim street lamp, the frost on his face could be seen clearly.
“You… are really crazy. Do you want to find Qiqi? Let me tell you, you can’t get anyone from the Han family. Don’t lie to yourself! You know very well that I’ve already changed the bodyguard you arranged. Qiqi isn’t in Western Europe now!”
In fact, she did leave Western Europe on a plane today. However, she didn’t return home. Instead, she went to another place.”
Shang Qingmo’s cold gaze was fixed on Shang Yekun’s face. He even took two steps closer to Shang Yekun. Even the Old Master felt pressured by his cold aura.
“Where did you go?”
Old Master snorted coldly and said, “I wanted to tell you after the incident, but now, I really can’t think of a reason to tell you.”
“Dad, I’m Qiqi’s uncle.”
“I hope you’ll always remember that you’re Qiqi’s uncle!” Shang Yekun roared angrily. “I won’t tell you where Qiqi is! She won’t come back either! Don’t look for her either! Don’t disturb her life anymore! You have no right to participate in her life, much less assert it!”
Shang Qingmo’s face twitched violently. “She won’t come back?” He paused for a few seconds before chuckling. “She doesn’t even want you to hide from me? Can’t I disturb whoever she wants to live with? Is it Han Ji?”
“Anyway, it’s not with you!”
The Old Master’s unhesitating words silenced the crowd.
The atmosphere was indescribably strange.
Father Han had been standing behind Old Master Han. When he heard Shang Yekun’s words, shock flashed across his eyes.
The father and son had confronted each other the moment they got out of the car. He didn’t even have the chance to speak.
At first, when Old Master Shang came looking for him, he was surprised that he didn’t want him to reveal that Han Jichi had gone overseas to study.
They knew that Ji Chi was going with Qiqi.
They all said that this was a good thing and there was no need to hide it from Shang Qingmo.
However, the old man’s face was rather serious, so he agreed.
Unexpectedly, Shang Qingmo rushed over.
She came to his house aggressively to ask for her.
There were thousands of doubts in his heart. It was only after hearing Old Master’s words that he came to a realization.
Shang Qingmo actually treated her niece…
If news of this were to spread…
Besides, wasn’t he getting engaged?
Shang Qingmo knew that Old Master was right. He thought so too.
He had never thought about Qiqi’s future. He had never even thought about his relationship with Qiqi other than this uncle-nephew relationship.
She only knew that she should live with him and live wherever he looked.
Others could not accept their relationship other than uncle and nephew.
Qiqi couldn’t bear the criticism and criticism either.
He only thought that Qiqi should live with him for the rest of her life.
However, the old man’s words had shattered his confidence and unwavering determination. He had denied it…
Then what was left for him and Qiqi?
At this moment, he suddenly realized that living together was the only meaning of their relationship.
Then what was the point of maintaining his relationship with Qiqi?
Why did he have to break this balance?
At this moment, Old Master Shang realized that he had lost his composure.
In the end, the dark matter at home was exposed.
He tried his best to calm the anger in his chest. After a long while, he said slowly,
“Qiqi is doing well outside. You don’t have to worry about that. Live your own life! You should know that Qiqi is fulfilling your wish by making this choice! It’s best if you don’t see her for the next few years. When the time is up, she’ll naturally come back.
She was thinking of a way to let go of her feelings. You’d better straighten your mind as soon as possible. From the moment you announced your engagement, the only daughter-in-law of the Shang family is Song Yunshu.
Old Master Shang’s voice was trembling and stern.
“I’ve given you a chance, especially you! If you don’t want Qiqi to be hurt, then stay away from her! You’re my son. I can’t do anything to you, but I can!”
“Since you can’t figure it out, she will bear the consequences!”
Shang Qingmo held her breath. Her heart felt like it was being gripped by someone, and the air in her chest was being sucked dry.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. When he spoke again, he seemed much calmer.
“You don’t have to threaten me like that.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can see if I’m really threatening you!”
There was no change in Shang Yekun’s expression or gaze.
Shang Qingmo pursed her lips and looked at Father Han behind Old Master Shang.
Father Han stood there awkwardly. When he met Shang Qingmo’s gaze, he smiled awkwardly.
In the end, Shang Qingmo retracted her gaze and got into the car without a word.
Until the car turned around and drove away.
Old Master Shang heaved a sigh of relief and his tensed body relaxed. He staggered a few steps and was supported by Father Han.
Old Master Shang didn’t expect that confronting his son one day would consume so much of his energy.
He steadied himself and waved at Father Han before saying helplessly, “I’m sorry.”
*
Shang Qingmo drove the car for a long distance before she slammed on the brakes again.
On the deserted mountain road, the sound of brakes echoed through the night sky.
He recalled Shang Qiqi’s actions when she left.
He had clearly sensed it, but he had been lying to himself.
She wasn’t bidding him farewell for the seven-day journey.
It was to leave him completely.
Shang Qiqi, if you have the guts, don’t let me see you again…