"What did you say? Say it again!" Feng Kexin's spirits lifted at Shen Yinyin's words.
This news was absolutely incredible!
Shen Qi was already married?
She was really married? She wasn't lying to her?
Feng Kexin clenched her fists, staring eagerly at Shen Yinyin.
Shen Yinyin looked at Feng Kexin in confusion and repeated herself: "The one who married He Yiqi is Shen Qi, not me!"
Feng Kexin froze for a full three seconds, then burst into loud laughter!
Hahaha! He Yining! You never saw this coming!
The woman you're protecting—she's actually your sister-in-law!
Feng Kexin waved her hand dismissively at Shen Yinyin. "You can go now."
Despite Feng Kexin's arrogant attitude, Shen Yinyin didn't dare ask further and could only turn and leave.
Feng Kexin stood up with a smug smile on her face.
She had been feeling stifled for so many days.
But at this moment, she suddenly felt a surge of vindication!
He Yining was indeed formidable; there was nothing he wouldn't dare to do.
But that definitely didn't include making a move on his sister-in-law!
Once he knew Shen Qi was his sister-in-law, no matter how much he liked her, he wouldn't compete with his older brother!
Feng Kexin slammed the table hard, a sinister grin spreading across her face. "He Yining, let's see what you do now!"
As He Yining entered, he asked, "Where's Xiao Qi?"
The butler respectfully took the items from He Yining's hands and replied, "Miss Shen is in the orchard."
"Orchard?" He Yining raised an eyebrow. "Why did she go there?"
The butler answered with a warm smile, "A servant brought her a plate of grapes earlier. She liked them, so she went to pick some herself."
He Yining chuckled. "Alright, let's go check the orchard."
Shen Qi bent over, carefully snipping ripe grapes with scissors and placing them in a basket.
There were so many grapes—He Yining couldn't possibly finish them all, right?
Would it be okay to take some back for her brother and Uncle Wei?
Shen Qi sneakily glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then zeroed in on another bunch of grapes, ready to strike.
When He Yining arrived, he saw Shen Qi had already cut a large plateful of grapes.
He Yining raised an eyebrow. "Can you eat that many?"
Startled by the sudden voice behind her, Shen Qi was so flustered she dropped the scissors!
She spun around, eyes wide, staring at He Yining. "Why are you back?"
Oh no, she probably wouldn't be able to take these grapes with her now!
He Yining's phoenix eyes landed on the plate of grapes, and a knowing smile tugged at his lips. "Do you know how much these grapes are worth?"
Shen Qi blinked. "No matter how valuable grapes are, they're still just grapes... hehe..."
He Yining raised an eyebrow. "This grape variety isn't available domestically. It's a new breed from the research institute, priced at one hundred thousand US dollars per pound!"
Shen Qi staggered. "What? One hundred thousand US dollars!"
"Hmm, you've cut ten bunches of grapes—that's a total of one million US dollars!" He Yining counted her haul with interest. "As a favor to an acquaintance, I'll let the ones you've already eaten slide!"
Shen Qi's mouth dropped open in shock. "I have to pay for what I ate too?"
"What else?" He Yining looked innocent. "You didn't think you could just freeload here, did you?"
Hearing that, Shen Qi turned to leave.
He Yining was quick, grabbing her wrist. "Where are you going?"
"Home, of course! Otherwise, I'll just rack up more debt!" Shen Qi ignored him and kept walking.
"Pfft..." Xiao Chun and the others couldn't hold it in anymore, bursting into laughter on the spot.
Ever since Shen Qi came to the CEO's side, he'd been getting more and more mischievous.
He Yining couldn't suppress his smile either. "Why don't you ask if there's a discount?"
Shen Qi wasn't buying it. "Even with a discount, it's still debt!"
"Maybe I could give you a negative discount?" He Yining still held on, even making up the term "negative discount" just to tease her.
"What does that mean?" Shen Qi stared at him blankly.
"It means—if you perform to my satisfaction, you can not only eat and stay for free but also reduce your debt," He Yining said, putting on his aloof act.
Unfortunately, Shen Qi wasn't impressed.
"I don't believe you. Who knows what excuse you'll come up with to deduct money next?" Shen Qi remained unmoved. "I'm fine now, so I'll head back first. Call me if you need anything—I'll work hard to pay off my debt."
With that, she turned to leave again.
He Yining yanked her back, stopping her mid-step.
Caught off guard, Shen Qi stumbled into his arms.
He Yining wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her.
With a devilish smirk, he whispered in her ear, "There's work right now. I'm hungry—go wash all the grapes you picked. Do a good job, and I'll knock off one hundred thousand in debt!"
Shen Qi really wanted to say she'd rather die than be humiliated, but thinking about her debt, she wisely backed down.
Not that she'd admit she was curious to see He Yining eat grapes—he was truly a feast for the eyes.
"Five hundred thousand," Shen Qi haggled.
"One hundred fifty thousand," He Yining raised it a little, unbothered.
"Four hundred thousand," Shen Qi gritted her teeth.
"Two hundred thousand, final offer." He Yining mischievously nibbled her ear.
Predictably, Shen Qi shivered all over, her face and neck flushing red.
"Th-three... three... three hundred thousand!" Shen Qi held her ground.
"Two hundred thousand! Take it or leave it!" He Yining suddenly let her go, releasing her without hesitation.
Shen Qi clenched her teeth. "Fine, two hundred thousand it is!"
Xiao Chun and the others were barely holding back their laughter.
How many people ever won a negotiation with the CEO?
Besides, wasn't the debt amount entirely up to him?
Shen Qi picked up the plate of grapes and stormed off to wash them.
He Yining watched her retreating figure with a beaming smile, barely keeping his composure.
Just then, Xiao Chun's phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he immediately reported, "Sir, it's Miss Feng."
He Yining took the call. "Miss Feng, what is it?"
Feng Kexin's voice came through with a confident tone. "He Yining, I want to discuss something with you—about Shen Qi."
"Not interested," He Yining said, about to hang up.
But Feng Kexin continued, "I just found out today that Shen Qi is already married. And you know her husband."
He Yining's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, a sly smile curling at his lips. "Oh? Is that so? What does her marital status have to do with you? Do you think that if Shen Qi isn't by my side, you'll have a chance?"
He Yining dropped his polite demeanor, turning cold and cutting.
Anyone who hurt him would face his thunderous retaliation.
The Feng family was no exception.