Zhang Jisheng was plunged into panic; he was unsure whether he had revealed his secret and whether that’s why Qi Taiguo hit him.
He waited anxiously; if he had said it, Qi Taiguo surely wouldn’t let him off!
But after two days, Qi Taiguo hadn’t come looking for trouble, so he felt relieved. Could it be that he hadn’t let it slip?
Then why the beating? What a brute!
What he didn’t know was that Qi Taiguo was not avoiding confrontation but feared that he might lose control and kill him, and more so, feared that the elder sister might catch on.
He thought to let him remain in fear and see if he’d dare to act recklessly in the future.
June arrived, the weather warmed, and Cheng Su grew tense because her first college entrance exam since her rebirth was only days away.
To ease her preparation stress, Qi Taiguo handled most of the household chores but insisted Cheng Su cook, believing in balancing work and leisure, not pulling too tight.
On June 5th, Cheng Su’s birthday, Qi Taiguo bought her a big bouquet of roses early in the morning.
"We didn’t have this last year!" Cheng Su raised her eyebrows.
Qi Taiguo thought for a moment and said: "Wasn’t there a mission at that time? I’ll buy for you every year from now on."
Cheng Su smiled, kissed him on the cheek, fetched a vase, trimmed, and arranged the roses. To be fair, last year he didn’t send flowers, and she herself forgot about her birthday until later checking her household registration documents revealed it had passed.
Qi Taiguo ordered a few dishes for Cheng Su to prepare, intending to give her a proper celebration.
Unexpectedly, Ning Ge showed up coincidently.
Since learning Ning Ge’s identity, Qi Taiguo felt very complicated whenever he saw him.
Upon hearing it was Cheng Su’s birthday today, Ning Ge said: "Why didn’t you mention earlier? I didn’t prepare a gift, I’ll make up for it later!"
Cheng Su said: "That’s thoughtful, why don’t you stay for dinner?"
Not the least bit embarrassed, Ning Ge said: "I planned to crash the meal anyway, should I call Xiao Ya over?"
Cheng Su replied: "I’m the host; I’ll invite her." With that, she called Ying Xiaoya and then took a basket to the farmer’s market for groceries.
Once she left, Qi Taiguo and Ning Ge closed the door for a conversation.
"Is everything handled with that matter?" Qi Taiguo offered him a cigarette.
"Haven’t you seen the news? The two countries have started a fight over an island?" Ning Ge smiled smugly.
Qi Taiguo said: "So it’s done?"
"Sort of. But in our line, nothing is ever really done; there’s still lots of intelligence being gathered," Ning Ge said.
"Hmm?"
"I have reason to suspect Jiang Conghe and the Loo Family aren’t clean," Ning Ge’s eyes flashed coldly.
Hearing this, Qi Taiguo immediately sat upright and asked: "Any evidence?"
"Evidence is scarce, well, almost none," Ning Ge saw Qi Taiguo’s look of disappointment and added: "Don’t overthink. The Loo Family has been established since the turmoil and has developed its networks over many years, not in a day. As for Jiang Conghe, while unreliable dealing with Chiang Qing’s matter, he’s still a commander; the past years haven’t been a waste."
Which means, no matter how arrogant Jiang Conghe might be, he’s not entirely incapable, and the networks developed are not minor, pulling them down is no simple task.
Qi Taiguo felt a bit anxious; the Jiang and Loo families were his thorn, without them stepping down, he couldn’t feel at ease.