Mrs. Zhou asked, "Qiqi, can you tell Auntie why you took those photos secretly?"
Qiqi nodded. "Because... he is Zhibi's uncle."
Mrs. Zhou: "Why take photos of Zhibi's uncle?"
Qiqi: "Because... I want to make a deal with you."
Mrs. Zhou raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What kind of deal?"
Qiqi sighed and said, "Mrs. Zhou, you must know what your daughter did at the Lu family garden not long ago, right?"
A sharp glint flashed in Mrs. Zhou's eyes. "Are you talking about the prank Zhibi played on you?"
Qiqi straightened her back and firmly corrected her slip of the tongue. "That wasn't a prank—it was attempted murder."
"This..."
Sure enough, Mrs. Zhou's confidence wavered—having a weakness in someone else's hands left her no choice.
Qiqi pressed her advantage. "Mrs. Zhou, your family has never given me a reasonable explanation for this. I've been waiting and waiting, and I've run out of patience. So, I had no choice but to investigate on my own..."
Mrs. Zhou's tone softened a bit. "I'm sure Zhibi's brother explained to you that those men in black were acting on someone else's orders and had nothing to do with our Zhibi... We're also working hard to find the real culprit behind this. Don't worry, we'll get back to you as soon as possible."
Qiqi nodded. "I trusted you at first. I only came here today to check on your progress... but I ended up taking some photos I shouldn't have. Oh, my apologies."
Mrs. Zhou's face stiffened. "Qiqi, what exactly do you want?"
Qiqi made her demand. "If you agree to one condition, I'll stop investigating the men in black and keep today's events confidential."
"What condition?"
"I want... Zhou Zhibi's jade pendant."
Qiqi stated her request—though it felt very much like extortion. The sensation made her a bit ashamed, and her face flushed red.
But for Brother Lu to recover sooner, and to return in time to save Rong Yi, she couldn't afford to care about that anymore.
Sure enough, Mrs. Zhou was taken aback by the request. "The jade pendant? You mean the one Zhibi wore today? That won't do. It's a family heirloom of the Zhou family. Though it's not valuable, it holds great significance for us."
Seeing Qiqi's face turn bright red, she thought Qiqi was angry and quickly explained, "Qiqi, Auntie isn't saying your request is wrong, but this jade pendant really isn't worth much. Besides, it's the only thing Zhibi's father left her before he passed away. It means a lot to Zhibi... Qiqi, can you name another condition? How about I give you money? Is a million enough?"
As she spoke, Mrs. Zhou opened her delicate handbag and pulled out a check.
It seemed that as long as Gu Qiqi nodded in agreement, she was ready to sign it at any moment.
A million... that's...
A family heirloom... and her father's legacy...
Hearing Mrs. Zhou's words and seeing the pleading look on her face, even with Gu Qiqi's thick skin, she couldn't bring herself to ask for it anymore.
She had been through something similar herself. The things left by her adoptive parents, even just a needle or thread, she treasured deeply. And that jade pendant was the only thing Zhou's father left for his daughter.