Chapter 1443: The lie could become the truth, too.
“What’s the point of returning to find me? Right now, you should go back to Ji Ziming’s side. Only if you coax him can we get back what is rightfully ours.”
“But I wanna see you.”
“Be good, baby; once we accomplish this matter, we can be together every day. You’ll be able to see me daily, then. I’ll bring you to Hawaii for a holiday, then to the South Pole to see the penguins, and the North Pole to see the polar bears. As long as you’re willing, we can go to the equatorial places to see the sunrise.”
“Then, how long do I have to wait?” Qu Jingwan imagined the future her cousin had envisioned with beautiful sceneries and just the two of them.
“The wait depends on you.” Qu Qingyu poured himself a glass of wine again and took a deep breath of it. The red wine, which was air flown from Germany, was indeed different, but the price was different as well.
“I… I don’t know, either.”
She looked at the small suitcase by the bed. The moment she thought of Ji Ziming not getting on her bed, the days of her and her lover going to the both poles felt more distant.
“My baby, you’ll have to work harder for our future; our future lies in your hands.”
“I—”
He interrupted, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up; don’t call me too often, alright? I miss you! Mwah!”
The man hung up before she could finish speaking. The sadness in her heart consumed her as she heard the disconnected tone.
A knocking at the door was heard, and when she opened it to find the hall manager standing outside.
“Ma’am, the car is ready; when are you planning to leave?”
“Has Ji Ziming left?”
“Not yet.” He turned to peer into the corridor and inched closer to her when he was sure that nobody else was there. “I heard from the person in charge of cleaning the CEO’s room that he hasn’t woken up yet. Do you think that he and Miss Pei—”
“Manager Xu, have you considered the consequences of speaking ill about your boss?”
Qu Jingwan was already upset about last night’s incident to begin with. She did not expect this manager to speak about it in front of her today. It could only be said that he licked boots in the wrong place.
“Didn’t you…”
The manager was baffled. This lady’s heart is hard to comprehend. When he mentioned the CEO and that woman last night, this lady was obviously very delighted; today, she was upset to hear about the two. Could it be…
“Just carry the suitcase down.”
She interrupted the manager, who obviously wanted to continue speaking, as she could see that someone was walking from the end of the corridor from the corner of her eyes.
Xu Weitian nodded. “Yes.”
Just as he carried the suitcase into the elevator, that person walked straight into Qu Jingwan’s room and sat on the sofa. Lifting his head and looking at her smilingly, he said, “I was sent here by Old Lady Qu. Do you still remember that item I gave you last night?”
She frowned slightly at this man. Sporting a crew cut with a little stubble on the corners of his mouth, the moment he came in, she could smell nicotine on him. It was slightly stronger and smelled differently from the usual brand.
“I remember; how couldn’t I?” She closed the door and walked to his side. “Why are you looking for me now?”
“There’s nothing to fear. I know that nothing happened between you and Ji Ziming last night. Old Lady Qu told me to bring you another gift.”
He took out a white brocade box, and even though he was smiling, she could sense the chilliness coming from it. “This is the item she told me to give you.”
She took the box from him and shot the man a glance. “I still have no idea what your name is.”
“It doesn’t matter what my name is. You should just know that you must be unscrupulous when treating your prey.” The man took another look at her room and praised, “This room isn’t really bad. This sofa is made from real leather; not bad, not bad.”
He noticed a dragon and phoenix flower vase on the study table not far away and walked there.
The man reached out to hit the vase and said with pity, “Kaolin clay but mixed with red soil. It’s not bad that this high-quality imitation could be made so exquisitely.”
She frowned. “You’re very well-versed with such things?”
“No, no. I’m merely looking around.” Her suspicious gaze remained the moment he entered.
“If you like it, you can just take it.” Anyway, the Ji family was rich, and they even had the decency to place a high-quality fake in her room. Could this have been arranged by Ji Ziming?
After much thought, she still felt that it was that man purposely arranging her to stay in this room. Other than him, she could really not think of anyone else with the ability in the hotel to swap items in the presidential suite.
“I’m uninterested in imitation goods.” The man pouted in disdain. “But I feel that Miss Qu isn’t bad. Perhaps, you’ll even be more outstanding than Old Lady Qu.”
“What do you mean?” She stared coldly at this guy, unable to read between the lines.
“It’s alright if you don’t get what I mean. I hope that you won’t fail this time around. This item is really hard to get, and you may not get it even if you are rolling in dough.”
“I get it. If there’s nothing else, you may take your leave. I’m heading down.”
Qu Jingwan turned around to look elsewhere. The unhappiness in her eyes was captured by him. “Alright. I’ll leave.”
“Not seeing you out.”
“How could I let Miss Qu see me out? Do it well and don’t disappoint your grandmother.” The man smiled and left as though he were not afraid of meeting anyone.
Hearing his laughter, she turned around to look at the flower vase. She smashed it harshly on the floor. “A fake flower vase can become real one day, and that’s only if the person who knows it’s fake isn’t alive.”
When she returned to the Ji family’s house, Madam Ji happened to be sitting under the green Chinese wisteria in the courtyard with Ji Chi. The boy was playing with wooden blocks on the bench while his grandmother was napping in the lying chair.
“Baby, I’m back.” She wore a silver, body-fitting skirt and beige sweater, which perfectly outlined her figure. She wore a khaki sun hat and walked slowly toward the green Chinese wisteria.
“Jingwan, you’re back.” Upon hearing the voice, the older woman opened her eyes and looked at her. “Come over quickly. Are you thirsty? Let me pour you a cup of tea.”
“Thanks, auntie; I’m not thirsty.” Her eyes were red from forcing herself not to blink for a prolonged period while in the car. She did not sleep a wink the whole night, too, so the haggardness of her face could not be concealed by makeup anymore.