"Hehe, you caught me." Qiqi blinked her eyes slyly, looking completely at ease and confident.
Zhou Zhibi snorted coldly, flinging her sunglasses to the ground, where they shattered into pieces—there was no need to keep up the princess act in front of Gu Qiqi, as her disguise had been torn apart by Qiqi countless times before.
When Qiqi took off her glasses, revealing her full face, Mrs. Zhou's expression shifted to one of shock—her delicately painted almond eyes widened as if she'd seen a ghost.
Only then did Gu Qiqi have a chance to take in the woman before her, the Miss Bai admired by Bureau Chief Qian, also known as CEO Xia's cousin, Zhou Zhibi's mother, and the widowed daughter-in-law of the Zhou family—Mrs. Zhou.
Mrs. Zhou was well-preserved, looking no older than her early forties. She had an oval face, fair skin, a well-proportioned figure, and understated yet elegant makeup. Her hair was styled in delicate curls, she wore an expensive suit, and was adorned with glittering jewelry—the epitome of a wealthy matriarch from a prestigious family.
Indeed, she was a woman of fading charm who still retained her grace.
But did a prominent family like the Zhou clan really need their daughter-in-law to be out and about in public like this? While gender equality meant women could hold up half the sky, and powerful families had no shortage of strong female figures, could the Zhou family tolerate their matriarch being entangled with a lecherous old creep like Bureau Chief Qian?
Would a proud man like Zhou Yi allow such a situation?
Would a refined lady like Mrs. Zhou put up with harassment from a pervert?
And since when did the Zhou family venture into real estate?
Qiqi found it all unbelievable, and the shock still lingering on Mrs. Zhou's face only puzzled her more—Ma'am, do you have yin-yang eyes, or do I really look that much like a ghost?
"Gu Qiqi, what are you doing here? Why were you secretly filming my uncle?" Zhou Zhibi stepped forward, her face dark with anger, her pout so exaggerated it could hang an oil bottle.
"I... I wasn't secretly filming. I was just passing by, grabbing some soy sauce, okay?"
Seeing the other woman approach, Qiqi quickly pretended to be casual, nudging the bag with the jade pendant farther away with her toe—she didn't want the Moon's Guidance to erupt again.
Fortunately, the jade seemed to heed the girl's silent plea, or perhaps the earlier outburst had drained its energy. By now, its dazzling white light had completely faded, and the silver lines on its surface had vanished entirely—like a monk who had achieved perfect enlightenment, it lay quietly in the bag, having fulfilled its mission.
At this moment, Gu Qiqi and Zhou Zhibi were quite close, and Qiqi noticed the jade pendant swaying on the other's chest. It was a perfectly round piece, slightly larger than an ancient copper coin, with a moon-white hue, crystal clear, and a texture similar to the Moon's Guidance before it had transformed. However, the Moon's Guidance was emerald green and crescent-shaped, while this pendant was moon-white and perfectly round—what Rong Yi had called a full-moon shape.
Perhaps Qiqi's eyes were playing tricks on her, but in that instant when Zhou Zhibi drew near, she seemed to catch a fleeting flash of gold from the swaying pendant. The light was faint and vanished in a blink, so that by the time Qiqi widened her eyes to get a better look, the glow had already disappeared.
Her expression shifted slightly, and her suspicions grew stronger—Zhou Zhibi's pendant was undoubtedly the Moon Gem. That golden light must have been the Moon's Radiance. Since it was a Moon Gem, more powerful than the Moon's Guidance, it would naturally emit a more brilliant, more resplendent glow.