CHAPTER 252: CHAPTER 237 EASY TO DEAL WITH?

Gu Qili sipped water calmly and Mu Shuoqian also drank from where she had just sipped, then turned his gaze towards the stunned crowd.

There had been no shortage of rumors about Mu Shuoqian within the Qi Family; since taking over, no scandals about him had ever been reported in major newspapers or magazines. The only news items were how his business achievements had skyrocketed like a rocket this year, and how he had won some entrepreneur award in Aus City yet again this year... Nearly all his news was overwhelmingly positive.

Rumor had it that Mu Shuoqian greatly disliked women, and that even his top executives were all male; not because he disdained women, but supposedly it was due to a condition.

Yet these rumors seemed rather fragile in front of this girl; the formidable CEO was actually seen playing shuttlecock at the door, even sharing the same bottle of water with her.

"Elder Qi, is there something you need?" Mu Shuoqian tightened the cap of the water bottle and feigned ignorance.

Qi Yexin suppressed his displeasure and smilingly said, "Shuoqian, this must be Miss Gu, right?"

Seeing the situation in front of her, Gu Qili guessed the intention of the Qi Family’s visit, but since Qi Yexin was an elder, she didn’t want to seem disrespectful, so she smiled at him: "Uncle Qi, hello."

"Oh, what a charming and lovely girl, I like this child very much," chuckled Qi Yexin, then suddenly turned his head and shouted angrily at Luan Yi who was hiding behind: "Yi, what are you spacing out for, why haven’t you apologized to Miss Gu yet?"

Everyone had noticed Gu Qili’s bandaged hand, knowing it was Luan Yi’s handiwork. Luan’s mother sneered internally but remained calm outwardly, while Qi Meihui was indifferent, having no energy to bother with Gu Qili or the Qi Family’s affairs.

Luan Yi was pushed forward from behind by Qi Chuan, stumbling slightly and almost fell in front of Gu Qili.

Gu Qili frowned slightly, her eyes barely concealing disgust. Even without definite proof, the grand presence of the Qi Family was enough to indicate that the snakebite incident was done by Luan Yi.

How much hatred must one hold to commit such malicious acts? Despite her beautiful appearance, her heart is so venomous. Gu Qili suspected she had read too many novels with schemes and conspiracies which twisted her personality.

Luan Yi looked up at Gu Qili, whose expression was calm, neither joyful nor angry. Yet it was precisely this expression that made her unreadable.

Asking her to apologize to Gu Qili was something she really couldn’t bring herself to do. She could humble herself before anyone, but not her. It felt even worse than being humiliated in public.

From behind came a cough from Qi Yexin as a reminder, and Luan Yi, thinking of the confession letter and the darkness and horror of prison, swallowed nervously and clenched her fists tightly.

It seemed to take a tremendous effort for her to open her mouth, but prior to any sound coming out, Gu Qili suddenly said: "Miss Luan, if I remember correctly, I had warned you not to wait until you had to beg me in person before regretting. What did you say at that time? It seems you mentioned something about daydreaming, that one should keep their word, didn’t you?"

Luan Yi’s apology, gathered with great difficulty, got stuck in her throat. She clenched her palms so tightly that it hurt like needle pricks.

Indeed, she had said those words because she had never imagined that one day she would apologize to Gu Qili.

"Miss Gu, Yi is young and naive. If she has offended you in any way, Miss Gu, as an adult, please don’t stoop to her level," Since it was inappropriate for Qi Yexin to say such pleading words, Qi Chuan said them in his stead.

Gu Qili heard this and laughed: "Young and naive? I happen to be two years younger than her, and coincidentally, I am also naive, so, I will not accept her apology."

"You...." Qi Chuan was left speechless for a moment, his face turning red with frustration.

Luan’s mother could not bear it any longer and said sharply, "What do you think you are? Yi is already apologizing to you, and you still refuse to accept it. Do you really think you’re some kind of living deity, that everyone has to beg for your forgiveness? Who spoiled you rotten?"

"I did. What about it?" Mu Shuoqian suddenly spoke up with a stern face, his icy gaze sweeping towards Luan’s mother. Under his sharp gaze, Luan’s mother suddenly felt a chill on her back, opened her mouth but then shut it.

Under Mu Shuoqian’s imposing aura, even Qi Meihui would have to tread carefully, let alone Luan’s mother. She seemed like a landmine that had been stepped on, instantly silenced.

"Miss Gu," Qi Yexin finally couldn’t hold back and spoke, "Yi standing here apologizing to you isn’t just on her behalf, but also represents the goodwill of our entire Qi Family. Of course, our apology isn’t merely verbal. We will offer Miss Gu a sum of compensation, the amount of which you can determine. No matter how much, our Qi Family will willingly bear it."

Gu Qili did not speak, leading Qi Yexin to believe she accepted his terms. It appeared she was also merely a money-loving, vain woman after all, likely staying with Mu Shuoqian for his wealth.

Suddenly, Gu Qili picked up a bunch of wildflowers that had been on the small table,

Mu Shuoqian, without a second word, took the vase back to the room, and as Gu Qili reached out to receive it, her fingers suddenly slipped, and she exclaimed as she watched the vase shatter on the floor, blinking twice, her face innocent: "It’s broken."

Others might not have noticed, but Qi Yexin, who had always been well-versed in antiques, saw the seal at the bottom of the vase. It was from the Qing Dynasty, worth at least several million.

Yet, she used it to hold wildflowers, showing no sign of heartache even when it broke, of course, he couldn’t see the bleeding heart of Gu Qili out of distress.

Gu Qili looked apologetically at Qi Yexin: "Uncle Qi, I’m really sorry, I was afraid the flowers would wilt, so I wanted to preserve them, and as you can see, I accidentally broke Shuoqian’s antique."

Mu Shuoqian said, "I’ll get you another one."

Sure enough, he fetched another vase that Qi Yexin noticed was even older, from the Song Dynasty.

Gu Qili took it, slipped again, and the vase was about to crash to the ground and shatter into pieces, but Qi Yexin suddenly caught it. This vase was also worth tens of millions, and he intervened purely out of distress.

But Gu Qili didn’t even blink an eye.

In her eyes, money was merely a symbol and a tool; the compensation they intended to offer didn’t even register for her. Moreover, Mu Shuoqian’s indulgent attitude also greatly surprised the Qi Family, aware that she was deliberately smashing vases and still recklessly choosing the most valuable ones to break.

Qi Yexin was momentarily speechless, only able to cover his mouth and cough dryly twice.

Luan Yi saw Gu Qili acting in front of them, raging inwardly yet unable to burst out.

"Luan Yi, apologize already." Qi Yexin gave her a look, "Miss Gu isn’t unreasonable."

At this moment, Mu Shuoqian placed the wildflowers in a vase of the Song Dynasty, lifting his thin eyelids and sweeping a cool gaze over everyone, his voice husky with dominance: "Elder Qi, do you think I’m easy to deal with, or do you think my woman is easy to handle? Apology? If apologies were useful, what’s the purpose?"

Gu Qili nearly choked on her saliva, that line sounded so familiar; wasn’t it the same thing she once said to him? He learned and applied it so quickly, truly a good student.

Qi Yexin’s expression also darkened. As a highly respected elder, he thought it was already generous to bring his family to apologize to a young lady. He thought Mu Shuoqian would let this go for the sake of his face, but he intensified the confrontation instead, not yielding in the slightest.

Qi Yexin felt his face hang in the balance, his voice growing colder: "Shuoqian, your father and I are old friends, do you think he would approve of your actions against the Qi family?"

"Whether he approves or not, isn’t Elder Qi clear about it?"

An alarmed look flashed across Qi Yexin’s face; indeed, after the Qi family troubles began, the first thing he did was to call Mu Haotian, who is away and implied it would be a long while before his return.

Before Qi Yexin could mention anything, Mu Haotian said, if he needs help, he should first seek out his second son, Mu Shuoqian, then suddenly the phone lost its signal.

When Qi Yexin tried to call again, it was obviously unreachable.

If Mu Haotian was willing to help, he wouldn’t need to appear here, letting a man over fifty apologize and plead with a junior, truly losing all his dignity.

Qi Yexin took a deep breath, trying to appear sincerely, "Shuoqian, we are family, please don’t make this difficult for an old man like me, Luan Yi was indeed wrong this time, but she’s my most beloved granddaughter, I can’t just watch her go to jail, and the Qi family is my life’s work, I can’t watch it decline due to this crisis. Shuoqian, if ever you need the Qi family, I am willing to go through fire and water."

Qi Yexin’s words were resonant, seeming to express determination, but a discerning person would realize that he was hinting for Mu Shuoqian not to push too hard, as everyone needs help out of a dire situation sometimes.

Mu Shuoqian acted as if he didn’t understand, placing the vase on a small wooden table to one side, and looked at Qi Yexin: "Actually, there is a compromise."

The Qi family seemed to see hope, with Luan Yi’s eyes especially bright.

Qi Yexin excitedly said, "What solution, just say it Shuoqian."