The time of the city

Chapter 214 Threat

In the afternoon coffee shop, sunlight filtered through the glass onto the wooden tabletop, creating patches of mottled light and shadow. He Qingqing sat by the window, staring out with a blank look in her eyes.

"Ms. He, here's the coffee you ordered." The waiter carefully placed a cup of coffee in front of her and said softly.

He Qingqing nodded subconsciously, but her eyes remained fixed on the dialog box between her and Nan Feng on her phone. The seconds ticked by, and the screen remained dead silent. It had been 25 hours, and Nan Feng hadn't replied to her message.

"It's been 25 hours since you replied to my message." She murmured to herself, her voice full of dejection and loss.

At this time, the whispers of several girls could be heard from not far away.

"Hey, I heard that Mr. Qiao is looking for a marriage partner for Qiao Feng again."

"Isn't He Qingqing Qiao Feng's fiancée?"

"What? That's what she said herself. The Qiao family didn't admit it. Before Madam He passed away, she could still have some connections with the Zhao family and barely caught the Qiao family's eye. Now her family's small, shabby company has collapsed, and her father ran away with her stepmother. I heard that He Qingqing and Zhao Jianzhi broke up."

"Ah? Doesn't Zhao Jianzhi love her as his cousin the most?"

"I'm so unlucky to have a cousin who has accomplished nothing and is so arrogant."

After hearing the previous words, He Qingqing was still silently enduring in her heart. After all, her current situation was indeed much worse than before. But when she heard the last familiar voice, she could no longer bear it.

"Leng Xiyan, are you sick? You're talking about others behind their backs." He Qingqing stood up suddenly, picked up a cup of coffee on the table, and splashed it hard on Leng Xiyan's face.

The sudden change stunned everyone around. Those who were gossiping didn't expect that the real person was right next to them, so they all made excuses to leave.

Leng Xiyan was splashed with coffee in the face, but she didn't panic at all. She slowly took out a tissue and wiped the coffee grounds off her face, sneering and saying, "I dare to say that even though you're right in front of me."

"You think you're still the eldest daughter of the He family? Your He family has collapsed, and the Qiao family doesn't want you anymore. Qiao Feng likes Mo Yu. He looked at you a few times, and you really think you're Mrs. Qiao?"

"You bitch, don't think I don't know that you are the one behind He's bankruptcy this time." He Qingqing's eyes were wide open, and she raised her hand to slap Leng Xiyan.

Leng Xiyan was quick-witted and quick-handed. She grabbed He Qingqing's wrist and taunted her, "You get angry at the slightest provocation. You're petty, stupid, and arrogant. No wonder you were abandoned." After she finished speaking, she swung He Qingqing hard onto the sofa beside her, then walked away.

"I've been abandoned, and so have you. Ni Jiamu is going to marry Mo Yu." He Qingqing shouted at Leng Xiyan's back.

When Leng Xiyan heard this, she paused for a moment, then clenched her fists and quickened her pace to leave.

After Leng Xiyan left, He Qingqing's emotions finally broke down. With trembling hands, she called Nan Feng. The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up.

"Qingqing, is there anything wrong?" Nan Feng's voice was as cold as usual.

He Qingqing cried and said, "A Feng, Leng Xiyan beat me up. Can you come and pick me up?"

"I'm a little busy. I'll send someone over."

"No need!" He Qingqing roared and hung up the phone. Her body was shaking slightly with anger and grievance. She sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face.

After a long while, she gradually calmed down, and a hint of determination flashed in her eyes. She called the Qiao family's old house again, and it was the housekeeper who answered the phone.

"Can you transfer the call to Grandpa Qiao?" He Qingqing tried her best to make her voice sound calm.

"Please wait a moment. I'll go ask for you."

After a few minutes, the butler's voice came from the other end of the phone again: "Master Qiao asked you to come home."

He Qingqing was overjoyed and immediately called a taxi to go straight to the Qiao family's old house.

Arriving at the Qiao family's old house, the housekeeper led her directly to Qiao Zhengrong's study. Opening the door, a rich scent of ink filled her nostrils. Qiao Zhengrong, dressed in a Tang suit, was standing at his desk, concentrating on writing calligraphy.

"Hello, Grandpa Qiao." He Qingqing said respectfully.

Qiao Zhengrong did not respond. He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote a big word "Li" on the paper.

"Grandpa Qiao is good at calligraphy." He Qingqing spoke again, trying to break the slightly awkward silence.

"What are you here for this time, Miss He?" Qiao Zhengrong finally put down the brush, raised his head, and looked at her sharply.

"Grandpa, I heard that you are looking for a marriage partner for Afeng, but didn't you say last time that I was your future granddaughter-in-law? Why don't you keep your word?" He Qingqing said courageously.

Qiao Zhengrong laughed, but there was a chilling sinisterness in his laughter: "Are you here to accuse me?"

He Qingqing took a step back, her tone softening: "I just feel a little sad. I already regard you as my grandfather. I also really love A Feng and really want to marry her. I don't want you to do this."

"Hmph." Qiao Zhengrong snorted coldly, "How much is sincerity worth? I only want one word." He pointed to the word "profit" he had just written. "Profit? I'm a businessman, I only care about profit. I need a granddaughter-in-law who can help Ah Feng reach the top of the pyramid. I chose you before because I thought you had the ability to make Zhao Jianzhi help Ah Feng wholeheartedly, but last time you told me that Zhao Jianzhi still wanted to cooperate with the Ni Group. I was very sad."

"Grandpa, I can't control my cousin's thoughts, but I can help Afeng. After I marry him, I will go to work at Qiao's company. I will work hard." He Qingqing said anxiously.

"Ms. He, if you have nothing else, please leave." Qiao Zhengrong ordered her to leave.

"Grandpa Qiao, if Ah Feng knew that it was you who hired someone to hypnotize him and control him, and also separated him and Mo Yu, what do you think he would do?" He Qingqing gritted her teeth.

"Are you threatening me?" Qiao Zhengrong's face instantly turned gloomy, and the atmosphere in the entire study became depressing.

"I'm not threatening you, I just want to marry Afeng." He Qingqing lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.

"You can go and tell Ah Feng. Whether he believes you or not is one thing. Even if he does, I can hypnotize him again. As for you..." Qiao Zhengrong didn't say anything else, but just looked at He Qingqing with a meaningful smile. That smile made He Qingqing's back chilled.

He Qingqing left Qiao's house and sat on the side of the road in a daze.

The last time Qiao Zhengrong asked her to listen to the conversation with Wu Kang, it turned out that he didn't value her, but didn't take her seriously at all.

In the past, she could live a comfortable life as a young lady thanks to the support of the He family and Zhao Jianzhi. But now her father has run away without leaving her anything, and she and Zhao Jianzhi are having conflicts. If Qiao Zhengrong wants to attack her, there is no one who can protect her.