Shen Qi was starting to find He Yining hard to read at this point.
Why was he being so good to her?
Because the birthmark on her body coincidentally matched the person he was looking for?
Because he simply needed a woman to shield him from the unwanted romantic entanglements coming from outside?
Or because she had always been self-aware, so he didn't need to bother with breaking up?
It wasn't until he held Shen Qi in his arms that He Yining felt a sense of grounding in his heart.
He had never felt this way before.
He Yining gently closed his eyes.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, he knew.
From now on, he was no longer invincible in the world.
Because he now had a weakness.
Shen Qi bit her lip and said, "You know everything?"
"Did you think you could hide it from me?" He Yining loosened his hold on Shen Qi slightly, raised a hand, and flicked her on the top of her head, making her wince in pain.
"That hurts!" Shen Qi glared up at He Yining.
"If you know it hurts, why didn't you fight back? Are the people of the He family's second young mistress someone they can just gossip about?" He Yining said sternly. "If the Shen family dares to pull a tooth from a tiger's mouth, they have to face the consequences. Don't plead for the Shen family!"
Shen Qi opened her mouth.
She had no intention of pleading for the Shen family!
No matter what happened to the Shen family, it had nothing to do with her anymore!
Seeing Shen Qi standing there obediently, He Yining's phoenix eyes softened again. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Hungry? Let's go eat."
Just as He Yining was about to leave, Shen Qi suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Her fingertips pressed tightly against his wrist, and she could almost feel his strong pulse.
He Yining turned back to look at Shen Qi, a flicker of surprise crossing his handsome, devilish face.
He stood there, gazing at her, waiting for her to speak first.
"Why are you so good to me?" Shen Qi couldn't hold it in any longer and finally asked the question.
Just as Shen Qi thought He Yining would dodge the question with a laugh, he raised his other hand, brushed the stray hair from her cheek, gently tapped her nose, and replied with affection, "Because you're my wife..."
Shen Qi looked up at him.
Just... because she was his wife?
To uphold his dignity, not because he liked her?
"Even though this marriage came about by chance, and the person you married and the person I married weren't who either of us imagined, what does it matter? At least we're getting along well now, aren't we?" He Yining looked seriously into Shen Qi's eyes, wanting to see through her, to understand her heart.
In this moment, he didn't mind letting her see his heart too.
Provided she was willing to believe in it.
"You can doubt me, you can test me. But don't hurt yourself." He Yining understood Shen Qi's insecurity. He reached out and pinched her cheek. "Alright, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. For now, let's eat."
With that, He Yining turned and led Shen Qi toward the dining room.
Shen Qi walked behind him, looking up at his strikingly handsome back.
For some reason, she suddenly felt like crying.
For the first time in her life, a man had said to her, "You can doubt me, you can test me, but don't hurt yourself."
Even Zhan Bo had never said that to her...
Even if this man didn't like her, didn't love her.
He was still willing to give her a sense of peace.
Shouldn't she be grateful for that?
When they reached the dining room, the butler had already arranged for the chef to serve the meal in sequence.
Shen Qi snapped back to reality. "You came back so quickly—did you finish everything?"
"You can't make all the money at once." He Yining picked up a prawn and placed it on Shen Qi's plate. "Besides, the delay wasn't my fault. Since the other party wasn't prepared and still wants to sign with me, they can come to H City."
Shen Qi put the prawn in her mouth, and He Yining smiled with satisfaction.
Indeed, dinner was best enjoyed at home.
And most at ease when shared with her.
"What did you do today?" He Yining asked casually. "Why didn't you come back all day? Why didn't you bring your phone?"
Shen Qi lowered her eyes and replied, "Some people got my number from somewhere and kept calling to curse at me. I got frustrated, turned off my phone, and went out to clear my head. But I did do a good deed today. Feng Manlun's car broke down on the way, and coincidentally, he had an intestinal obstruction, so I took him to Kangyu Private Hospital."
He Yining raised an eyebrow, his phoenix eyes darkening slightly. "What did you say? Feng Manlun went to the hospital?"
Shen Qi nodded. "Yeah, you seem surprised?"
"Of course I'm surprised!" He Yining smirked mischievously. "Do you know what day it is today? For Feng Manlun to end up in the hospital, that means Wen Yibo and the others are going to make a killing."
Shen Qi looked at him, confused. "Huh?"
"Remember when I took you to meet Wen Yibo, Fan Sheng, and Fan Li, and they mentioned acquiring the Northwest Mining Company?" He Yining laughed cheerfully. "They said they didn't have enough money to secure it, right?"
Shen Qi nodded. "Yeah, I remember!"
"Today's the auction day. Feng Manlun must be pretty frustrated after his surgery. With him not there and unable to direct things remotely, the three of them should have no problem taking it." He Yining chuckled softly. "Julii Electric is going to take a big hit this time."
Shen Qi's mouth fell open. "So you really invested?"
"Yeah, I put in two billion pounds." He Yining nodded. "I got 40% of the shares, and they split the rest."
Shen Qi let out a sigh of relief. "That is good news."
Just then, Xiao Chun handed over a phone. "Boss, it's Fan Sheng on the line."
He Yining answered immediately. "What's up?"
Whatever was said on the other end made He Yining laugh. "I already know. You probably don't realize this yet, but Xiao Qi accidentally helped you out. She was the one who took Feng Manlun to the hospital. He couldn't direct anything during his surgery."
After hanging up, He Yining said to Shen Qi with a smile, "The three of them want to celebrate properly and specifically asked for you to come. Let's go eat at their place."
Shen Qi was surprised. "I'm going too? But our dinner is already served!"
"Wen Yibo is supposedly opening his treasured bottle of Heidsieck Champagne. I offered him a million dollars last time, and he wouldn't sell it to me! Now he says he's opening it to celebrate." He Yining was beaming. "They heard you were the one who sent Feng Manlun to the hospital and are calling you their lucky star. They insisted I bring you along!"
Shen Qi couldn't help but laugh. "When I saved Feng Manlun, I never imagined I'd get a glass of champagne out of it!"
He Yining promptly took Shen Qi to the doorstep of Fan Sheng and Fan Li's home.
This was her second time there.
But this time, the hosts showed her the utmost warmth and welcome.
As soon as Shen Qi got out of the car, she saw Wen Yibo and the Fan twins standing at the door, beaming at her.
Wen Yibo spread his arms wide, laughing exaggeratedly. "My little lucky charm, come here, let me hug you!"
Before Shen Qi could respond, He Yining kicked out at Wen Yibo.
Wen Yibo dodged nimbly, laughing. "Hey, He Yining! You're putting your woman before your friends!"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li stood there smiling, speaking in unison. "Xiao Qi, welcome."
"Thank you." Shen Qi smiled at the twins. "I heard there's some excellent champagne here, so I came."
Wen Yibo howled in mock outrage. "Hey, that's my wine! Why are you thanking them?"
He Yining's phoenix eyes swept over him. "My Xiao Qi drinking a glass of your wine is your honor!"
Wen Yibo exaggeratedly cried out, "Fan Sheng, Fan Li, did you hear that? 'His Xiao Qi'!"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li nodded in unison, smiling at Shen Qi. "Xiao Qi, please come in!"
In that moment, this small circle officially accepted Shen Qi.
Even though she had acted unintentionally today, she had indeed done them a huge favor.
Acquiring the Northwest Mining Company was a major milestone for He Yining, Wen Yibo, and the Fan twins.
Shen Qi had inadvertently helped them achieve it, and so she was smoothly welcomed into their group.
Meanwhile, at Kangyu Private Hospital, Feng Manlun smashed all the documents on the floor.
He had planned for so long, and success was within reach.
Who could have predicted he'd suddenly get an intestinal obstruction today?
Who could he blame? Shen Qi? Himself?
He could only blame his bad luck!
A fat prize had slipped right through his fingers!
Feng Kexin walked in, saw the mess on the floor, and said lightly, "Brother, forget it. Isn't it just the Northwest Mining Company? Our Feng family's foundation is solid enough; missing one mining company won't matter. But I have some news to tell you first."
"What is it?" Feng Manlun's face quickly shifted from rage to calm.
He controlled his emotions swiftly.
Rage and calm were but a moment apart.
"He Yining has struck against the Shen family, and they've lost a lot of money on this project. It's even affected our Feng family a bit—we're down less than a hundred million." Feng Kexin sat down beside Feng Manlun and took his hand. "Brother, didn't you say He Yining didn't care about Shen Qi? Why would he get involved in this for her?"
"Even if Shen Qi isn't someone He Yining likes, he would still act. Using the Shen family as your pawn was a bad move from the start. You were attacking the He family's face, so it would be strange if He Yining didn't retaliate." Feng Manlun's mind flashed to Shen Qi's frank and straightforward face, and his eyes flickered. "To strike a snake, you hit its head—you aimed wrong. If you want to target Shen Qi with external pressure, He Yining just needs to set things right. There's no challenge in it."