Three years after our breakup, my ex-boyfriend dragged me to get our marriage certificate.

Lin Qingyi cursed inwardly.

He Zhixu could tell that she was instantly unhappy.

"Qingyi," He Zhixu whispered in her ear, "the woman I'm talking about isn't his real girlfriend, she's just a woman he brought in to amuse himself."

He Zhixu was afraid that Lin Qingyi would say something wrong, so he reminded her first.

Lin Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief.

"That woman... is with her boyfriend." Ji Yuhuai saw Lin Qingyi's profile in the rearview mirror.

He Zhixu choked, he already felt that Ji Yuhuai had played his tricks long enough.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yuhuai actually became a mistress...

He neither agreed nor disagreed.

Lin Qingyi, on the other hand, suddenly felt nauseous.

After feeling disgusted, I was also filled with lingering fear.

She was genuinely afraid of catching a disease from Ji Yuhuai.

Therefore, Lin Qingyi was not interested in anything along the way.

He Zhixu chatted with Ji Yuhuai about work and projects, while Lin Qingyi lay down on He Zhixu's lap to catch up on sleep.

"The first project I'll be taking over after this transfer to the northern part of the city is that mess of 'Yongyue Plaza'."

He Zhixu rubbed his temples.

Lin Qingyi's breathing was steady and long; if you didn't look closely at her slightly trembling eyelashes, you would really think she was asleep.

"I've spoken with my uncle, and the Ji family will help me; they've agreed to invite me to participate in the bidding."

He Zhixu sighed, "If I can't handle this mess, I won't be staying in Beicheng for long, let alone get promoted."

"My dad, would he do a losing business?" Ji Yuhuai said, steering the wheel with one hand.

"The Yongyue Plaza project killed so many people. The families of the victims can't just sit idly by."

Ji Yuhuai looked in the rearview mirror but didn't see anything unusual about Lin Qingyi.

"I suggest you cancel this project."

He Zhixu gave a bitter smile. "I know that the officialdom is not like the business world. Once you fall, you may never be able to get back up in this place."

Ji Yuhuai didn't say anything more.

He had ulterior motives.

The previous contractor for this project was the Lin family.

Lin Qingyi's father jumped from the top floor of the shopping mall because of this project.

The families of the victims do not want the project to be restarted.

If He Zhixu insists on getting involved in this project, Lin Qingyi will likely hate him just like the families of the victims.

The car stopped in front of the vacation villa.

The resort, designed in the style of Suzhou and Hangzhou gardens, is a place that is refreshing and delightful to behold.

Lin Qingyi took a deep breath, and her displeasure instantly dissipated.

"Do you like it here?" He Zhixu walked to her side and said softly.

Before Lin Qingyi could answer, a clear female voice came from afar, "This place is so beautiful."

Lin Qingyi's heart skipped a beat, and she looked ahead in disbelief.

He Zhixu's face froze instantly, but he quickly put on a fake smile, "Sui...Sui Ning, what brings you here?"

Qiao Suining looked at him, a fake smile also appearing in her eyes: "What a nice place, who wouldn't want to come and see?"

She didn't want to come at all.

Her parents had dinner with He's parents, and when they came back, they urged her to come here, saying that they wanted her to develop a relationship with He Zhixu.

She originally intended to just glance around and find an excuse to leave.

I never expected to run into one—

"Qingyi!"

Qiao Suining's gaze settled steadily on Lin Qingyi. She jogged over and grabbed Lin Qingyi's arm: "Great! I didn't expect you to come too."

Lin Qingyi was still in shock at seeing Qiao Suining, and was also taken aback by her enthusiasm, not knowing how to respond.

He Zhixu's fake smile turned pale, his eyes darted around, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before finally asking the question.

"You two know each other?"

"Let's get to know each other, beautiful." Qiao Suining affectionately nuzzled Lin Qingyi's head. "Can't we get to know each other?"

Lin Qingyi's face regained some color, and before Qiao Suining could speak again, she hurriedly explained, "I met Miss Qiao in the art studio."

Qiao Suining saw Ji Yuhuai walking over from the side and thought that Ji Yuhuai probably didn't know that Lin Qingyi had been kidnapped with her.

That's true. Anyone would think that if someone is kidnapped and spends the night there, their innocence is definitely questionable.

Lin Qingyi helped her, and she couldn't ruin Lin Qingyi's reputation.

"Actually, no." Qiao Suining smiled. "I've known you for much longer than you think."

Now it was Lin Qingyi's turn to be surprised.

"I used to work with Doctors Without Borders, helping refugees with peacekeeping forces."

As Qiao Suining spoke, her face showed admiration. "When the shells came, the air-raid shelter protected us very well."

He Zhixu was puzzled and felt that Qiao Suining had gone off on a tangent.

How could Lin Qingyi be associated with peacekeeping forces?

"On the list of designers for that air-raid shelter, I only recognize Lin Qingyi from China."

Qiao Suining patted Lin Qingyi on the shoulder, "From that time on, I really wanted to meet this Chinese designer."

As a doctor, all I can do is help them after they get injured.

But there was nothing they could do to shelter them from the wind and rain.

But you did it, Qingyi.

You saved hundreds of lives, including mine.

Lin Qingyi was a little embarrassed by the praise, "It's good that I can help them."

At that time, she was studying at UCL.

The air-raid shelter design was her entry for a competition.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, she not only helped refugees in war-torn countries, but also herself.

He Zhixu was greatly shocked; he really wanted to praise Lin Qingyi.

But he couldn't reveal his true colors in front of Qiao Suining.

He stepped back, keeping a safe distance from Lin Qingyi.

Lin Qingyi also noticed his hesitation.

In fact, she knew very well that He Zhixu would never break off his engagement with the Qiao family for her sake.

"Come on, Qingyi." Qiao Suining pulled her inside and they started talking about the air-raid shelter.

Ji Yuhuai and He Zhixu followed behind.

"Ah Huai." He Zhixu thought for a moment, "In a little while, you'll be helping me take care of Qingyi, so I probably won't be able to get away to be with her."

Luckily, Ji Yuhuai didn't bring a female companion, otherwise things would have been very difficult to handle.

Ji Yuhuai glanced at He Zhixu and said, "If you're so timid, why do you keep a mistress?"

He Zhixu was criticized and didn't know how to refute it.

He is not cowardly.

I just feel sorry for Qingyi.

If his parents and grandfather found out about Qingyi's existence, not only would his fate be uncertain, but Qingyi would definitely be punished as well.

In addition, the Qiao family is known for being fiercely protective of their own.

It's possible that even without his parents' intervention, Qiao Suining's parents would have dealt with Qingyi themselves.

Qingyi has already suffered a lot of grievances by following him.

He couldn't let Qingyi get hurt again.

"Ah Huai, you have to help me," He Zhixu threatened. "Or I'll go talk to Jiang Wenxi about you being a mistress?"

"I'll help." Ji Yuhuai narrowed his eyes. "How could I not help you?"

They helped him call his fiancée over and helped him cultivate a relationship with Qiao Suining.

Wasn't he feeling stifled? He could ask Qiao Suining to help him cool down.

How can it not be considered helping?