Chapter 644: Chapter 644 Qiao Xi’s Plan
Lu Yingxue felt her hand co away covered in blood.
The bandage on her right cheek had been knocked off, exposing the ghastly wound beneath.
The wound split open, oozing pus and blood.
Lu Bannong’s slap had reopened the wound that was beginning to scab over.
“Father…”
Lu Bannong stared at her, his eyes devoid of any warmth: “Didn’t I warn you not to act clever? Do you think Zhong Yi is like the fools you’ve dealt with before? He climbed step by step to reach his position! How could you beco so impatient? Is it because you lost to Qiao Xi?”
“I…”
He was right.
Lu Yingxue’s neck flushed red.
Qiao Xi’s arrival had brought unprecedented setbacks to her life.
She wanted to prove herself!
She first aid to replace Qiao Xi in Zhong Yi’s heart, but she never anticipated that she would end up sabotaging herself!
She gained nothing, only incurring Zhong Yi’s disdain and her father’s reprimands.
And today, she uncovered an earth-shattering secret—she was an illegitimate child.
It felt like her life had been on a downward spiral ever since Qiao Xi arrived in the Imperial Capital.
“Am I wrong for just wanting to prove myself?” Lu Yingxue’s heart was weighed down with bitterness. “You should be blaming Xiang Mingzhu. That unstable elent ruined everything for us. If at the Needle Testing Conference, she hadn’t betrayed us, the Lu Family and the Xiang Family wouldn’t have reached this point!”
How was she in the wrong!
“Father, everything I’ve done is for the Lu Family!”
Her eyes reddened, filled with unwillingness.
“If you truly want to help the Lu Family, you’ll listen to ! Stop acting on your own and focus on healing your face.”
Lu Yingxue took a deep breath, her throat filled with sourness: “Mother’s death anniversary is approaching. Are you still not going to take to pay my respects this year?”
Every year, Lu Bannong would say he didn’t want mother and daughter eting, fearing it would stir up sorrowful mories.
On the anniversary day, he would always arrange nurous tasks for her.
As a result, all these years, Lu Yingxue had never visited her biological mother’s grave.
She used to think it was a coincidence, but now it was clear these were her father’s deliberate arrangents.
What original wife would want to see an illegitimate daughter after her death?
The information Lu Yutong had disclosed was true.
“You don’t need to worry about the morial. Instead, focus on how to secure the Vice President position. Qiao Xi joining the Traditional Chinese dicine Association will undoubtedly bring many changes. Though her foundation is shallow and her position lower than mine, she has Mr. Huang and Cheng Han behind her. The veterans in the Association will also grant her so favor.”
Just the thought of this infuriated Lu Bannong.
A little girl dared to challenge his standing.
“I understand.”
Even if Lu Yingxue had endless patience, she couldn’t endure the repeated blows she suffered today.
Lu Bannong said lightly, “Go back to the villa. Keep a close watch on Ye Ying. If she ends up pregnant, it could help us navigate the current crisis, but the child in her womb must never be born. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I won’t let her give birth.”
Zhong Yi’s child could only be hers.
“Leave now, and try not to co here unnecessarily. And don’t provoke your aunt or Xiang Mingzhu. The grudges of the previous generation end here.”
Lu Yingxue remained silent.
She gathered her belongings and slowly turned to leave.
How could the grudges of the previous generation simply end?
If Qiao Xi discovered the truth of what happened back then, she’d hate the Lu Family even more.
Let alone…
The night outside was oppressive, and Lu Yingxue’s heart was even heavier.
She almost wanted to destroy this entire world.
…
anwhile.
At the Huo Family’s Garden Villa.
After leaving the housewarming banquet, Qiao Xi and Huo Xingzhou returned to the villa.
Huo Sijiao heard the commotion and quickly stood up, saying, “Sister-in-law, you’re finally back. I’ve already gotten the item you asked for. Do you want to take a look?”
She took a small packet of the newly released Beauty Cream from Yingyue Pavilion out of her bag.
Today, Yingyue Pavilion had stolen plenty of business thanks to this Beauty Cream, which had instant effects.
What woman could resist beauty?
The wealthy belles were going mad over it.
“Sister-in-law, why do you look upset?” Huo Sijiao observed her closely, sensing that Qiao Xi seed angry.
Normally, even when in a bad mood, her sister-in-law rarely let it show.
What had happened?
Huo Sijiao continued to observe her older brother’s expression before pulling Qiao Xi aside. “Sister-in-law, did my brother make you upset?”
“It’s not him.”
Qiao Xi took the Beauty Cream from her hands. “It’s just so unpleasant things happened outside. Let’s take a look at this first.”
“Oh, okay.”
Huo Sijiao glanced at her, then at Huo Xingzhou.
Huo Xingzhou’s lips twitched slightly as he said, “I’ll be in the study. Old Chen, co with .”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Old Chen followed Huo Xingzhou upstairs.
In the living room.
Qiao Xi carefully analyzed the herbal composition of the Beauty Cream. To most people, it probably slled identical and without any discernable differences.
But Qiao Xi’s sense of sll was exceptionally keen.
She could detect slight discrepancies.
Sothing was missing.
“Sister-in-law, did you discover anything?”
Huo Sijiao promptly asked.
Qiao Xi hadn’t confird yet and replied, “I need a closer look.”
She moved to the coffee table, spreading the cream and finding so light green granules. So components couldn’t be processed into powder and had to be kept intact to maximize their efficacy.
Qiao Xi dissolved the cream in warm water, which released a dicinal scent.
“It’s clearer in water. The Beauty Cream has a stronger dicinal aroma and contains pearl powder.” Pearl powder does have whitening properties. Perhaps Yingyue Pavilion added extra functional ingredients to achieve faster results.
“It’s missing rice water.”
“It’s missing jade bamboo.”
“The amount of angelica dahurica is too much.”
“It’s lacking…”
“The dosage here is excessive, and the formulation…”
Qiao Xi analyzed slowly.
Beside her, Huo Sijiao watched in awe, her eyes filled with admiration. “Sister-in-law, you’re incredible! How can your nose detect all this? I can’t sll a difference at all. At first, I even thought they had stolen our Jade Skin Ointnt formula. Turns out it’s just a counterfeit… Is this Beauty Cream formula any good?”
“It’s fine for basic whitening, but it’ll be difficult to remove scars.”
Qiao Xi said plainly.
Jade Skin Ointnt was sothing she and Grandpa Cheng had developed together through extensive trial and error. Seeing Lu Yingxue’s Beauty Cream, she could easily identify its limitations.
“Then it poses no threat to our beauty salon. After all, our flagship product is for scar removal! It’s still infuriating, though. This Beauty Cream must’ve been made with stolen secrets from us, right?”
Huo Sijiao fud. “Maybe Lu Yingxue made it for her own use, just to spite us.”
Lu Yingxue had injured her face and was no doubt trying all sorts of thods to repair it.
What woman wouldn’t care about her appearance!
Qiao Xi listened to her words, recalling the events earlier, her tone completely calm.
“Jiaojiao, we’re gearing up for a tough battle ahead.”
Huo Sijiao perked up at this and said, “Sister-in-law, just give your orders. Don’t hesitate to ask for my help. Do you have a plan? Is it related to what we discussed before?”
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