Transmigrated into the body of the vicious first wife of a fallen prime minister

At 3:45 AM, representatives from various businesses took their seats one after another.

Qi He was getting sleepy while waiting, so she yawned and followed behind Qi Zheng.

Her seat happened to be next to Liu Yan's. The man glanced at her, his eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm.

Qi He ignored him and started flipping through the summit's agenda booklet.

Like a lunatic, even looking at it is an eyesore.

After turning only two pages, a commotion broke out at the door.

Suddenly, servants from all the households rushed to the entrance, and flashes of light from cameras crackled and popped, illuminating the area in front of the door as bright as day.

Qi He was curious: who was making such a grand entrance?

The last character to make such a grand entrance was the male lead.

She leaned forward and glanced towards the door, her smile freezing on her face.

Not only his smile, but his entire body froze, his head lolling out in a strange posture.

In the brightly lit room, surrounded by a dozen or so servants, was none other than Shang Jue, whom they hadn't seen for over half a year!

He seemed more composed than he had been six months ago. His former naivety had completely faded, and his face was stern, with a sharp, unapproachable air about him.

Qi He was stunned for a moment, her mind went blank.

What's going on? The original owner didn't mention that the Merchants Association would attend this merchant gathering!

Isn't it going to be several more months before he returns to Jinling?

Compared to Qi He, who knew the plot in advance, the shock on Qi Zheng's face was much more genuine.

Several managers beside him who had seen Shang Jue before looked surprised and suspicious, and subconsciously looked at Qi Zheng.

Qi He no longer cared about the expressions of those around her. She abruptly lowered her head, her heart pounding like a drum. They were so far away; surely they wouldn't notice her...

Don't find me...

The hall of the guild hall was extremely large, and she kept her head down, clinging to a sliver of hope.

But whether it was her imagination or not, there was always a faint gaze fixed on her from beginning to end.

Shang Jue returned earlier than expected, forcing Qi He to bring forward his previously shelved plans.

She grew anxious and waited restlessly for the meeting to end.

The expressions on the faces of the people at the Qi family banquet varied, while others were only concerned with currying favor with Shang Jue.

He hadn't had many opportunities to socialize on his own when he worked for the Qi family, so not many people knew him.

Qi He didn't wait for the after-party to end, and hurriedly left the table, claiming that she was feeling unwell.

Although Qi Zheng knew she was mostly making excuses, he still relented and told her to go back and rest.

Qi He felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickened her pace to leave, but before she left, she inexplicably turned back for a glance.

With just one glance, their eyes met in mid-air.

The other person remained calm, even more at ease than six months ago, but she could clearly read a hint of coldness in his eyes.

Qi He's heart tightened, and she decisively looked away, quickening her pace.

Oh no, is this bastard going to retaliate against me beforehand?

Back at her lodging, the first thing she did was rummage through her travel bag and pack her things. The informal banquet was more relaxed than the formal gathering, more like an occasion for people to visit each other and catch up. Someone like her, who would doze off halfway through the event, shouldn't have joined in the fun.

She packed her luggage into a full suitcase, clapped her hands in satisfaction, picked up the suitcase, and walked out.

When Shang Jue returned at this moment, his face practically screamed "I'll take your life."

In the original story, Shang Jue returned to settle old scores, but it's unclear how far he has gone astray.

No matter which step it is, let's just take the first step!

She called for driver Lao Wu, and without bringing any helpers, she dragged her suitcase downstairs.

The wooden door at the top of the stairs creaked open, and Qi He looked up, her whole body stiffening.

There were many people standing inside the door, and in the center... was Shang Jue!

When Qi He saw him, she turned pale as if she had seen a death warrant, and reflexively took several steps back.

Shang Jue's face darkened upon seeing her reaction.

Sure enough, after she took only a few steps back, his expression became even more unpleasant.

Qi He thought to herself that she hadn't done anything to wrong him, at most she had mentioned divorce, which was much better than the original owner in the original story.

"Isn't this Miss Qi the Second?" Liu Yan, also in the crowd, spoke with a half-smile. "Where are you rushing off to?"

Qi He wanted to roll her eyes. Couldn't she tell that she was going to run away?

But of course, these words could not be said aloud.

She completely forgot that the banquet was being held in the villa where she was staying; she was on the second floor, and the banquet was being held on the third floor.

She couldn't just stand at the top of the stairs in front of everyone.

Liu Yan added with a smile, "Could it be that you didn't listen to much during the meeting and therefore don't want to attend the banquet? What's the meaning of you dragging your luggage, Second Miss? I just heard from Young Master Qi that you're not feeling well; are you going back to the manor to recuperate?"

It was obvious to everyone that she didn't want to attend the banquet, and several young people in the stairwell couldn't help but chuckle.

Qi He didn't show it on her face, but in her heart she cursed, "You're the one who's sick."

Having reached this point, she had no choice but to accept her fate and reluctantly entered the stairwell.

The pavilion was spacious, and Qi He stood on the far right, trying to stay as far away from Shang Jue in the center of the crowd as possible.

He hadn't even looked at her properly for so long; that attitude said it all.

Okay, so you're pretending not to know her, huh? That's her specialty!

As they went upstairs, Liu Yan chatted and laughed with Shang Jue. Qi He secretly admired him for being able to say so many nice things to Shang Jue's cold face. If the timing wasn't wrong, she would have liked to cheer him on.

The pavilion suddenly swayed, and Qi He, who was distracted, almost lost her balance and fell to the side. Fortunately, a servant beside her caught her, saying, "Miss, be careful."

Qi He leaned against his arm, quickly steadied herself, and thanked him.

The servant's heart skipped a beat at the sight of that beautiful face, and his ears turned slightly red: "It's alright."

Qi He was about to exchange a few more polite words when she suddenly caught a glimpse of Shang Jue's gaze, which was so cold it could almost freeze a person.

What does that mean? Does she now have to make him resent her even for talking to someone else?

Finally reaching the banquet hall on the third floor, Qi He stepped out of the stairwell and let out a long sigh of relief.

Looking up, she saw Qi Zheng talking with several leaders, and the suffocating embarrassment from before was immediately relieved by the sight of her loved one.

When Qi Zheng saw her arrive, he asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you didn't want to come to the banquet? Why are you here again?"

Brother, I didn't want to come here, I was forced to come...

Qi He's escape attempt failed, and he remained silent and sullen.

Qi Zheng knew she was upset, so he patted her shoulder and said, "I know what you're thinking. Don't be afraid. So what if he's now the head of Jingyu? Your marriage contract is still valid. If you really can't take it, go to the yamen as soon as possible and get a divorce. Whatever decision you make, I'll stand by you."

"Our Marquis's mansion is not afraid of a merchant."

Qi He felt a surge of warmth in her heart; indeed, in this world, only her own elder brother was truly reliable.

The casual banquet was dull and boring, and Qi He had absolutely no interest in chatting with anyone.

She chose a corner to sit down by herself, her gaze inadvertently falling on Shang Jue, and she couldn't help but think to herself, "No wonder he's the male lead."

She had thought he wouldn't return to Jinling until at least autumn, but he returned a whole month earlier than expected.

Putting aside those grudges, she truly admired him.

If only I had been reborn as the male lead's sibling, I might have even benefited from his good fortune. But instead, I ended up being his doomed first wife.

She picked up the honey water on the table and took a sip. Outside the window, the cicadas were chirping loudly, as if they were speaking up for her.