Hear this life

It was already late at this time. The setting sun shone through the glass window and illuminated Mrs. Qiao's profile. Her skin was much more delicate and plump than that of her peers, but there were still many signs of fatigue at the corners of her mouth and eyes. The more tricky the light, the more obvious this sense of fatigue was.

"Mrs. Qiao has been busy with household affairs, right?" Wen Tingli stared at Mrs. Qiao. "That's right. I heard that the second and third houses have been secretly working hard to deal with the first house. Mr. Qiao has long been dissatisfied with your first house."

Mrs. Qiao was used to being tough. At first, she just looked at Wen Tingli coldly. When she heard the last sentence, she sneered and said, "Where did you hear these words?"

Wen Tingli picked up the silver spoon and scooped some water. "Qiao Xingchu told me this himself. He also said that my uncle has caused the Qiao family to lose a lot of money due to failed investments over the years. If he disobeys grandfather even in marriage, the eldest branch will not get a penny in the future. Therefore, Mr. Qiao and Mrs. Qiao should be more afraid than anyone else that this marriage will not be successful."

Mrs. Qiao's eyes twitched: "Are you threatening me?"

Her eyes instantly became as sharp as a knife: "Miss Wen, let's be frank. I heard that your father was hospitalized last night because of a fight, and today you were expelled from school for skipping classes. You may think that this is the most unfortunate thing that can happen to you. Now I might as well tell you clearly that if you dare to stay in Shanghai, there will be endless troubles and humiliation waiting for you in the future!"

Before she finished her words, a silver object suddenly fell in front of her. Mrs. Qiao tilted her head back warily. It turned out to be a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant hanging from the bottom. Inside was a black-and-white photo of Wen Tingli performing on the school stage.

In the photo, Wen Tingli is wearing a misty canopy skirt, and she looks hazy and beautiful like a painting.

Wen Tingli shook the chain in her hand sarcastically: "This necklace was given to me by Qiao Xingchu. It comes from a French jewelry cabinet in Xinxin Department Store. There is only one in Shanghai. In addition to my name Tingli, your son Qiao Xingchu's signature is also engraved on the back of the box. If Bai Liyun saw this necklace on the wedding night, do you think she would understand how much Qiao Xingchu loves me?"

Mrs. Qiao smiled instead of getting angry: "As the daughter of a poor family, she really doesn't do things in a decent way. Do you think you can ruin their marriage with this?"

Despite this, she still glanced out the window calmly. Outside the window, two bodyguards in black coats were standing next to the Qiao family's rickshaw. Seeing this, they nodded at Mrs. Qiao.

Wen Tingli saw this and said with a sneer, "I advise Mrs. Qiao not to rush. I have several gifts like this, each one is unique. You can easily tell that they were given to me by Qiao Xingchu. A few days ago, I was planning to pack them up and return them to your son, but thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Qiao, I never had the time. Before coming here today, I had entrusted them all to two friends. Even if you drive me out of Shanghai, these gifts will still be delivered to Bai Liyun on time on the wedding night."

"So what?" Mrs. Qiao sneered, "Do you think Bai Liyun doesn't know that Xingchu used to date you? We have already told her the whole story these days. How you deliberately approached Xingchu and how you used Baoxin to bridge the gap between you and her brother. Liyun already knows all these things. Now Xingchu has come to his senses, and Baoxin has repeatedly promised that she will be more cautious in making friends in the future. After knowing this, Liyun not only does not blame Xingchu, but she feels very sympathetic for him being deceived by a questionable woman."

"Really?" Wen Tingli sneered. "Since Mr. Qiao and Mrs. Qiao are so confident, why did they come so timely today? Why did they want to snatch the necklace just now? I believe you are well aware that any disturbance at this moment will make Bai Liyun immediately change her mind and not marry Qiao Xingchu."

"The surname is Wen!"

In a rage, Mrs. Qiao put down the coffee cup heavily. Because of the large amplitude of the movement, the dark brown water surface immediately shook into circles of ripples. But she lost her composure for only a moment, and then she regained her composure: "You are short-sighted, little girl, it's not your fault that you are self-righteous. In fact, for families like the Qiao family and the Bai family, marriage never needs to be based on feelings. As long as two people get married, everything can be cultivated slowly after marriage. Besides, Liyun is not an impulsive and willful child. This concerns the interests of both families. No matter what you do now, it is impossible for Liyun to change her mind."

After saying that, he stood up calmly and said, "I shouldn't have wasted my time listening to your nonsense!"

But I heard Wen Tingli say behind my back: "If I tell Bai Liyun that Qiao Xingchu plans to divorce her in a year. At that time, whether I am in Shanghai or not, he will find me and take me to Hong Kong to get married. I wonder if Bai Liyun is still willing to marry Qiao Xingchu after hearing this?"

Mrs. Joe stopped suddenly.

"It seems that Mrs. Qiao doesn't know about this," Wen Tingli raised her eyebrows, "Qiao Xingchu co-founded two red wine factories in Hong Kong. Although the business has just started, one year is enough for Qiao Xingchu to gain a foothold in Hong Kong. He kept this secret from everyone but told me. Bai Liyun only needs to ask someone to check and she will know that Qiao Xingchu did make such a promise to me. It is one thing for her to agree to this marriage for various reasons, but whether she can accept that the marriage will only last for one year is another matter."

"He dares!"

"Who wouldn't dare?" Wen Tingli smiled gently, "Is it your son who doesn't dare, or am I? If your son didn't dare, why would he be imprisoned in the study by his father at this moment? And I, a person who has been forced into a desperate situation by the Qiao family, what can't I do?! Mrs. Qiao doesn't know yet, but Qiu Dapeng told me all these things. On the one hand, he informed you and sought credit, and on the other hand, he spread the Qiao family's privacy everywhere. I believe that now in Shanghai, besides me, many people already know that Qiao Xingchu said that she would never agree to this marriage even if she died."

Mrs. Qiao stared at Wen Tingli, and Wen Tingli looked at her without fear. Mrs. Qiao's eyes slowly showed murderous intent. She turned her head to look out the window, then slowly returned to her seat and sat down.

"How does Miss Wen plan to convey this to Liyun? Why don't you try now and see if you can successfully meet your father and sister after you leave this cafe."

"I have decided to negotiate with you, so how could I not take some precautions in advance? I just wrote a letter before coming here, and this letter and those gifts are now in the hands of one of my friends."

"Your friends?" Mrs. Qiao almost laughed out loud. "Your Xiu De's classmates and teachers? Why do you think they have a chance to meet Li Yun?"

Wen Tingli just looked at Mrs. Qiao with a smile.

Mrs. Qiao's smile gradually faded. After a moment's thought, her face darkened. "Who did you ask to help you?"

"I only know that this person will definitely attend Qiao Xingchu and Bai Liyun's wedding that night, and it would be easy for him to meet Bai Liyun on weekdays. Can you prevent it for a while, but can you prevent it for a year?"

Mrs. Qiao thought for a long while with vigilance, and suddenly relaxed: "Huang Yuanshan? That's right, I forgot that you were the center of attention in our Qiao family that night. She wants to find you to make a movie so much, maybe she will really agree to help you. But unfortunately, the father of this child is very familiar with me. As long as I make things clear to her, she will not be used by you." She glared at Wen Tingli with contempt, "After all, it's just some unpresentable means--"

She picked up her bag and tried to stand up again, but Wen Tingli just looked at Mrs. Qiao as if she was laughing at a joke, and Mrs. Qiao couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

Isn’t it Huang Yuanshan?
Who could it be? Who would dare to help Wen Tingli at this moment and risk offending the Qiao family? !
Wen Tingli leisurely fiddled with the snacks on the tray: "Mrs. Qiao also knows that I am good at scheming. Your Qiao family had so many distinguished guests that night, how could I only make friends with Huang Yuanshan? You don't have to bother to find out who that person is. This person has a strong sense of justice. If there is anything wrong on my side, he will immediately hand the things over to Bai Liyun. Bai Liyun can verify whether the matter of the wine factory is true or not on the spot. No woman can stand such humiliation. Bai Liyun will not only not marry Xingchu again, but will also regard Qiao Xingchu as an enemy from now on."

Mrs. Qiao interrupted Wen Tingli abruptly: "What can a man not say to trick a woman outside into sleeping with him? Xingchu is bewitched. Now that he has seen through your character, this so-called one-year agreement does not exist at all. Liyun is a child who knows the importance of things. How could she be fooled by these evil tricks?"

"Mrs. Qiao, why not try to see if she will waver?" Wen Tingli smiled like a flower. "The more you care about Qiao Xingchu, the more shocked you will be when you see this gift on the wedding day. To be honest, if I wasn't so busy, I would have told Bai Liyun what Qiao Xingchu said right away. She deserves a man who truly loves her, but Qiao Xingchu doesn't deserve it!"

At this point, Mrs. Qiao finally revealed her vicious side. She looked so hateful that she wanted to tear Wen Tingli in half right there and then. Wen Tingli simply stood up with her bag. Mrs. Qiao's face changed several times: "Stop! What do you want to do?"

"Mrs. Qiao knows exactly what I want. For me now, the worst outcome is that both sides will be destroyed!"

Although the tone was understated, every word was as sharp as a knife. The café was still playing decadent music, but the table was shrouded in a cold atmosphere like winter. After a while, Mrs. Qiao compromised and squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth: "Sit down, and let's talk it over."

"Immediately ask Xiude School to withdraw the notice of my expulsion, and ask several school directors to write a joint letter to recommend me to study at Shishi Girls' High School."

Mrs. Qiao sneered. It was amazing that Wen Tingli could think of such a thing. Shiwu was almost the best girls' high school in the city. It was donated by the famous Lu family. Xiu De was already a high-class girl for Wen Tingli, and how dare she covet Shiwu?
However, Wen Tingli's tone was so clear that she was not joking.

Mrs. Qiao said sarcastically, "First of all, how do I know you are not lying to me? I really don't believe you really have such a 'friend'."

Without saying a word, Wen Tingli took out an old gold-sprinkled vermilion invitation from her schoolbag. The date of the invitation was a certain day in July last year, which was Mrs. Qiao's 45th birthday.

Mrs. Qiao quickly shifted her gaze to the "Guest Name" column, but unfortunately it had already been crossed out with foreign ink.

"This friend often attends your Qiao family's banquets. This is just one of the invitations sent to him/her by the Qiao family."

Mrs. Qiao thought with a gloomy face. She remembered this banquet. At that time, the master's investment had been in crisis. In order to help the master consolidate his reputation in the business world, the Qiao family sent out invitations to many famous officials to come to the banquet. The guests came from all walks of life in politics, business, and literature and art. Anyone who could get this invitation would have a high status in the local area.

To be honest, she had suspected that Bao Xin had asked Qi Guang to help Wen Tingli. Bao Xin had always helped her brother, and Qi Guang had always been willful and free-spirited. If Bao Xin asked him for help on behalf of Wen Tingli, Qi Guang might really agree to help an outsider.

But the moment she saw the post, her confidence was shaken. No matter what happened in the Qiao family, there was no need to post anything to Qi Guang. So, who is this person?

She slowly turned her gaze back to the face of the person at the opposite table. She had underestimated Wen Tingli!

"Did you see it clearly? My friend has several more of these posts in his/her drawer. They were all personally delivered to him/her by your Qiao family one by one."

A green pearl lamp shone down from above, illuminating a layer of white oil on Mrs. Qiao's forehead. Once rouge and powder were mixed with oil, even the most delicate makeup would appear dirty. The blue veins on Mrs. Qiao's forehead were faintly visible. She was thinking rapidly, hating that Wen Tingli had pinched her and her master's soft spot with just one move.

This marriage really cannot withstand any disturbance.

"Okay." She had to soften her tone. "I can promise to help you solve some problems, but I still hope you can leave Shanghai for a while, at least wait until Xingchu and Liyun get married before coming back."

Wen Tingli said word by word, "I will not leave. I have made my conditions very clear, and I don't want to repeat them again. Mrs. Qiao, instead of being worried day and night, why don't you let me stay under your nose? You and I will formally draw up a treaty - I promise not to see Qiao Xingchu and Bai Liyun again, and you promise not to embarrass us. After a year and a half, I will personally hand over the pile of things to you. By that time, Qiao Xingchu and Bai Liyun will have developed feelings for each other, and my words will naturally no longer have any damaging effect on them."

After thinking it over again and again, Mrs. Qiao's attitude softened a little, but she was still angry: "I am not familiar with Principal Zou of Shishi Girls' Middle School. I can only try my best to help you with this matter."

"I believe Mrs. Qiao can do it!" Wen Tingli raised her lips, "Before tomorrow night, I have to get the admission letter from Shiwu Girls' Middle School. In addition, you have to let Liu Liangcai continue to rent a house to us. Third, my father is seriously injured. If it weren't for your Qiao family's secret support behind the scenes, Qiu Dapeng would never dare to bully my father like this. From now on, my father's medical expenses must be paid by your Qiao family. Fourth-"

"There's a fourth one?!"

"My father's life is in danger. The murderer Qiu Dapeng must be punished, but he is hiding now. Today, the police from the International Settlement came to investigate the case, but their attitude was very perfunctory. I think this is probably because your Qiao family secretly protected him. I demand that the Qiao family stop interfering in this matter immediately!!!"

(End of this chapter)