Chen Ningxi lowered her gaze, the bank card sat quietly on the small table. When she looked at Cheng Siluo again, her expression was sharp and commanding. "Sister, what do you an by this?"
Cheng Siluo pleaded, "Sister-in-law, don’t overthink. Mayor Chen is a man of position and reputation. Because your father-in-law was brought in for investigation, his reputation indeed cannot be compensated with money. But this is the most sincere apology from your brother-in-law and ."
Before her eyes, she was transported back to the first ti she t Cheng Qiaobei. He too tried to use money to solve problems using the sa thod. And now, Cheng Siluo was pulling the sa trick.
Luckily, Cheng Qiaobei had broken away from the Cheng Family and was no longer like before.
Chen Ningxi’s gaze grew colder. "My father lived his whole life with integrity. Are we supposed to let this slide with just an offhanded apology? You also know he holds a special position. If no evidence is found, will my father have to carry a lifeti of infamy, or even end up in prison? When that ti cos, will you step forward and testify on his behalf, proving his innocence?"
Cheng Siluo swallowed hard. She knew very well that if things were as Chen Ningxi described, there was no way Sun Dongchen would co forward to testify for Chen Weichuan’s innocence.
"Why aren’t you answering?" Chen Ningxi didn’t want to completely break ties, but the fact that Cheng Siluo tried to use money to buy them off had trampled on her father’s and her own dignity and bottom line. "And now you try to use family bonds to manipulate ? Do you even have the right to talk about family? Have you ever, for even a mont, considered Qiaobei as family? Have you?"
Cheng Siluo couldn’t respond, because in her heart, she had never truly regarded Cheng Qiaobei as part of the family.
"Is the question too hard to answer?" Chen Ningxi pressed. "The only reason you’re not answering is because you’ve never seen Qiaobei as family. And now, you’re trying to use him as leverage to ask to plead for my father? Do you even realize how shaless that sounds?"
"I always believed that human hearts are made of flesh. But after seeing you all, I realized that’s not always the case.
When you need him, he’s family. When you turn your back, he becos an enemy or a rival. You even doubt and guard against him.
This isn’t how you treat family. You’ve never truly treated him as one of your own. Have you ever thought about this? If Qiaobei really wanted to harm you, would he even give you the chance to react? With his mind and ability, taking over Jade Jiali would be as easy as lifting a finger.
As for this bank card, it’s the greatest insult to and to my father. If Sun Dongchen gets caught, I hope he rots in prison."
Cheng Siluo’s lips trembled with rage. Her chest heaved violently, but she restrained her fury and said:
"Sister-in-law, don’t get angry. It was inconsiderate of . I didn’t an to insult you. I just wanted to compensate for the ntal anguish."
Chen Ningxi said sincerely, "He hasn’t suffered any loss. He wouldn’t feel ashad of sothing he didn’t do. What kind of person my father is, the hundreds of thousands of citizens in Danjiang know best. But as for you, you should feel ashad of your actions today."
Cheng Siluo took a deep breath. Even though she was about to lose her composure and drop her pretense, for Sun Dongchen’s sake, she forced herself to lower her tone and beg Chen Ningxi.
She humbled herself, softening her voice. "Sister-in-law, you’re right. I can apologize for what I did today. But I’m still pleading with you to help put in a good word for your brother-in-law and spare him this ti."
From childhood to now, Cheng Siluo had never begged anyone. This was her first ti.
Chen Ningxi replied, "Sister, I’ve already said what I needed to say. I can only govern my own decisions. As for my father, this isn’t just a matter of his personal reputation anymore. What your husband did crossed the bottom line of the law. If you break the law, you must face justice. As for Qiaobei—anyone who harms him in the future, I won’t let them off. Qiaobei is my family."
Her words were clear; Cheng Siluo understood that Chen Ningxi wouldn’t help her.
Cheng Siluo withdrew the bank card, stood up, and her expression changed instantly. "Since this is your attitude, our families will no longer interact from now on. Let’s pretend we aren’t relatives."
Chen Ningxi said, "Fantastic."
"!" Cheng Siluo frowned. Did she hear that right?
Chen Ningxi repeated, "I said that’s fantastic. It’s wonderful not to have relatives like you. I hope you stick to your word and never bother Qiaobei again."
Cheng Siluo gritted her teeth in fury. "How could he marry soone like you—arrogant, domineering, inhuman."
Chen Ningxi chuckled nonchalantly, "Whether I’m humane or not depends on whether the other side is human."
"You..." Cheng Siluo nearly choked on her breath. Pointing a trembling finger at Chen Ningxi, she spat, "Don’t get smug now. Just wait until Cheng Qiaobei leaves the company; let’s see how long your happiness lasts."
Unable to vent her anger, Cheng Siluo noticed the paper cup on the small table, still holding half a cup of water.
She waved her hand to knock it over, but Chen Ningxi was faster, stepping back to dodge it. The half-cup of water instead splashed entirely onto Cheng Siluo’s coat.
"Hey..." Cheng Siluo frowned and looked down. Her ivory-white coat now had a wet patch.
Chen Ningxi pulled a tissue from the table and offered it to her. "Sister, this isn’t my fault. You splashed it on yourself."
Seeing the amusent in Chen Ningxi’s eyes only made Cheng Siluo more aggrieved and furious. She snorted coldly, swept the tissue aside, and stord out.
In the hallway, the sound of her high heels echoed loudly, each step stomping hard enough to convey her displeasure.
Inside the office, Chen Ningxi couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips. When she saw Cheng Siluo storming out of the building with an obvious sulk, Chen Ningxi could no longer hold it in and burst into laughter.
Cheng Qiaobei’s car had been parked outside the office entrance the entire ti. When he didn’t see Chen Ningxi co out, he pulled out his phone to call her. But before he could dial, he saw Cheng Siluo storming out in anger.
Cheng Qiaobei, noticing her dark expression and the visible stain on her coat, thought she looked nothing like the usual impeccably dressed woman who paid such attention to detail.
His first reaction was that Cheng Siluo had gone to the office to cause trouble for Chen Ningxi. He opened the car door and walked directly toward her.
Cheng Siluo saw Cheng Qiaobei’s Cayenne and was about to change direction when she saw him stepping out of the car.
Summoning her composure, she waited until he approached. "What do you want?"
Cheng Qiaobei’s expression darkened, and his tone was cold. "That’s what I should be asking you."
Cheng Siluo turned her face to the side. "Nothing, I just ca to handle so business."
Cheng Qiaobei let out a derisive chuckle. "Let guess—what business could the eldest miss of the Cheng Family have here?"
Cheng Siluo caught the sarcasm in his tone. "I ca to see Ningxi. Is there a problem?"
Cheng Qiaobei’s sharp black eyes swept over her. "Stay away from her."
Cheng Siluo could sense that he was unsettled. "What are you afraid of? Do you think I’d harm her?"
Cheng Qiaobei said, "Whatever you’re scheming, let give you a piece of advice—just drop it."
Cheng Siluo’s eyes darted slightly. "What’s wrong with visiting her? She’s the family of the victim. Can’t I discuss compensation with her?"
Cheng Qiaobei frowned, his tone filled with disdain. "Cheng Siluo, has sothing gone wrong with your brain?"
...
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