Zhan Qipei’s face turned dark instantaneously, and even the phone in his hand creaked under his grip.
“Boss, the document—this document is urgently awaiting your signature.” Tang Yan said, steeling himself.
Tang Yan’s words interrupted Zhan Qipei’s train of thought. After recomposing himself, Zhan Qipei’s complexion slowly returned to normal.
What on earth was he thinking just now? Who Qiao Jing associated with or whom she got close to, what did it have to do with him?
Zhan Qipei tossed the phone aside, took the document from Tang Yan, and just as he was about to pick up the pen to sign, a “ding—” sounded.
A new message had arrived.
Zhan Qipei kept his posture ready to sign and didn’t move. Three seconds later, he glanced at the cell phone screen.
It was a voice message from Zhan Yuanshan.
“Boss, about the document—” Tang Yan hadn’t finished speaking when he saw Zhan Qipei set down the document in his hand, pick up the phone, and play the voice message.
“Nanqing, since when did you start lying? Seeming to hold hands? How is that possible? I know Jing Girl very well; she doesn’t even spare a glance for your brother, so how could she take a fancy to the Xu family’s boy?!”
Upon hearing this voice message, Zhan Qipei rarely twitched the corner of his eye.
However, upon careful reflection, it seemed indeed just as Zhan Yuanshan said. The girl had been indifferent and aloof towards him, acting completely like a stranger.
For the past couple of days, Zhan Nanqing had been incessantly murmuring in his ear about how Qiao Jing was deliberately putting on that cool and unruly facade, playing hard to get.
To be honest, with his unique insight into people and things, he actually felt that was the genuine nature of Qiao Jing.
“Boss?” Tang Yan called out anxiously again.
His voice broke through Zhan Qipei’s thoughts.
Forget it, why think so much about it—after all, she was only his legal wife for 100 days. After those 100 days, it would be back to each their own path.
Zhan Qipei pushed all these thoughts out of his mind and picked up the document, scrutinizing it carefully.
This document primarily concerned the large-scale shopping mall soon to be established, and the specific related matters and procedures.
“Is everything arranged for the welfare institute?”
The location they had chosen was centered around the Angel Welfare Institute, radiating outward.
“It’s being processed. It should be resolved by this afternoon at the latest,” Tang Yan replied.
“Hmm,” Zhan Qipei responded faintly, then proceeded to sign the document.
The scene shifts.
Pedestrian street.
In front of Baoda Xiang Department Store, Xu Moqian was festooned with dozens of large and small packages, attracting the attention of many passersby.
Indeed, there were a few others on the street juggling a number of shopping bags, but only Xu Moqian, who was simultaneously handsome, posh-looking, and resembling a coolie, stood out, hence attracting the curious gazes of many.
“Sister Jing, are we continuing to shop?” Xu Moqian asked, looking pitifully at Qiao Jing.
Indeed, all women around the world were alike. Even the super boss Qiao Jing couldn’t escape from this trait, perhaps even more so.
Ordinary women “choose” clothes.
When Qiao Jing chose clothes, she would just buy whatever she liked on the spot, without the dilemma of whether to choose this one or that one.
“The clothes for the kids are all bought, but we still haven’t purchased the clothes for the teachers and staff at the welfare institute,” Qiao Jing said, glancing at the shopping bags Xu Moqian was holding.
“I really can’t carry anymore; I’ll take these to the car first.” Xu Moqian felt like his hands were about to break.
Qiao Jing shook her head, “Giving up already with just this much? I told you, you should exercise more regularly.”
“Uh, Sister Jing, let me tell you, you must never tell a man he can’t handle something. That could really sting. Especially if you ever meet a man you like in the future, you definitely can’t say that, or else—tsk tsk tsk—you’ll be the one to suffer, heh heh!”
Qiao Jing gave Xu Moqian a speechless look. “If your racing skills were one-tenth as good as your chattiness, you wouldn’t have lost the race last month at Pan Mountain.”
“Ugh, you shouldn’t hit someone where it hurts,” Xu Moqian said with an awkward smile, “so I’m going to have to ask Sister Jing to help me win it back next month, to get some revenge.”
“Put the stuff in the car first.” Qiao Jing glanced at the shopping bag on Xu Moqian and headed towards another mall.
Qiao Jing arrived at a women’s clothing store on the second floor, a brand whose clothes she quite liked, but she still needed to be selective. After all, she was purchasing for the teachers at the Angel Welfare Institute, and some styles were too extravagant and unsuitable for them to wear.
Just as Qiao Jing picked up a piece of clothing, she heard an incredibly sarcastic voice.
“Yo! Isn’t this Qiao Jing? The little girl from the countryside.”
Qiao Jing’s brows slightly furrowed, as light as morning mist, and she turned to look. Two girls had come in, one of whom was the child of the woman her father married after her own mother, Qiao Mengtong.
It was almost laughable that she and this girl shared the same birthday.
Qiao Jing thought of her pitiful mother who never knew her husband had been unfaithful before she died.
Not only that, after she grew up and gained the ability to do so, she had someone investigate. Just three days after her mother’s death, the Qiao Family brought the woman they had kept on the outside back home.
That same night, they threw her into a snowhole in the countryside to make room for this new woman and her child.
Seeing that Qiao Jing wasn’t responding, Qiao Mengtong’s temper as a young mistress flared up instantaneously.
“Hey! I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?”
Qiao Jing looked at Qiao Mengtong without expression and then handed over several clothes she had chosen to the sales associate.
“I want these pieces.”
“Alright, I’ll pack these for you,” the sales associate was about to pack them when Qiao Mengtong grabbed hold of the clothes, “I’m taking these pieces!”
The sales associate started to feel uncomfortable, “Sorry, miss, these clothes were chosen by that lady.”
“Ha!” Qiao Mengtong sneered at Qiao Jing before telling the sales associate, “Let me tell you, she’s a bumpkin from the countryside, an orphan with no parents. Look at the rags she’s wearing. Do you think she has the money to buy your clothes? I guarantee you, when it’s time for her to pay, she will definitely say she doesn’t want them, making you busy for nothing. You’ll have to tidy these clothes up again and put them back.”
Hearing Qiao Mengtong say this, the sales associate began to have doubts. She had been a sales associate for seven or eight years, and she had encountered what Qiao Mengtong mentioned before.
She had observed Qiao Jing’s outfit earlier, but Qiao Jing had an outstanding temperament, which led her to guess that the other party might be a low-profile wealthy woman.
With this in mind, the sales associate looked at Qiao Jing again, “Miss, are you sure you still—”
The sales associate hadn’t finished her words when she saw Qiao Jing bring over several more pieces of clothing and place them on the counter.
“I’ll take these too,” she said and continued to pick clothes.
The sales associate, seeing the dozen or so pieces of clothing on the counter, didn’t know what to do.
“This is hilarious!” Qiao Mengtong intentionally raised her voice, speaking to her friend Zhou Qi, “What does she think this place is? This is a high-end mall, where clothes in this store start with four digits. She’s grabbing so much at once; can she even afford them?”
Zhou Qi chimed in, “Some people just love to pretend when they have no money.”
Their voices were loud enough for everyone in the store to hear. After hearing their words, the customers looked at Qiao Jing with strange expressions.
Qiao Mengtong caught all of these reactions in her eyes and sent a look of disdain and provocation towards Qiao Jing.
Qiao Jing glanced at the time, finding it too troublesome to pick out clothes, so she said to the sales associate, “I’ll take all the clothes in the store, pack them up now. Someone will come to pick them up later.”
“Pfft—” Qiao Mengtong burst out laughing holding her stomach, and Zhou Qi also scoffed with laughter.
“So funny! Taking everything? Do you have that much money?” Qiao Mengtong mocked Qiao Jing while looking at her.
“You’re annoying, like a sparrow, chirping away incessantly,” Qiao Jing pushed past Qiao Mengtong in front of her and took out her phone to scan and pay.
“Who did you call a sparrow?” Qiao Mengtong came up angrily next to Qiao Jing, her gaze falling on Qiao Jing’s phone.
Well, this is it! Pretending to be rich, are you? Today, I’m going to watch you play the part.
Waiting for you to not be able to swipe!
A “ding—” sound.