Chapter 720 - 249: Something Happened to Jiali

It was hard to say whether the allure of the Governor Mansion was too great, or the radiant Qiao Wei was simply too captivating. Or perhaps Gao Qiang was just overconfident. He had actually believed Qiao Wei’s nonsense about falling for him at first sight, completely oblivious to her ulterior motives.

Recalling the cruel things Gao Qiang had said to Xu Jiali, even a vixen like Qiao Wei found him despicably low. Even if his love for Xu Jiali hadn’t been genuine, he shouldn’t have trampled all over her self-respect.

"Who let her drink?" Jie Jingchen’s deep voice was laced with a terrifying menace.

"Drinking?" Qiao Wei looked completely lost. ’What did that have to with anything? Didn’t she cough up blood because she was so furious at what Gao Qiang said?’

Qiao Wei suddenly remembered that Xu Jiali had stomach problems. Annoyed, she tapped her head and said remorsefully, "Cousin, I forgot. I forgot your aunt has a bad stomach."

"Qiao. Wei." Jie Jingchen ground out her name through clenched teeth.

Qiao Wei flinched. ’She really was scared of her enraged cousin!’

At the time, she had only been focused on seducing Gao Qiang and pushing him to break up with Xu Jiali. She was so desperate for Xu Jiali to see his true colors that she’d completely forgotten about her stomach problems. She had just watched her drink one glass after another, failing to stop her.

Seeing that Jie Jingchen’s anger wasn’t directed at him, Gao Qiang looked at the terrified, pale-faced Qiao Wei. ’She’s a lady from the Governor Mansion,’ he thought. ’Marrying a lady from the Governor Mansion is far better than marrying Xu Jiali.’

He feared Jie Jingchen too, but he figured if he stepped forward to protect Qiao Wei now, she would surely see him as a hero and fall at his feet.

"Young Master Qiao, Jiali insisted on drinking," Gao Qiang said, stepping in front of Qiao Wei. He was scared to death, but his face wore a fearless expression.

"Get lost." Jie Jingchen’s voice dripped with sarcasm. ’Qiao Wei succeeded the moment she made her move. This man can’t resist a pretty face. Xu Jiali must have been truly blind to fall for someone like him.’

"Miss Qiao, let’s go." Gao Qiang reached for Qiao Wei, but she dodged his hand.

Now that her goal was achieved, she had no desire to get any more entangled with him. If Gao Qiang had put up more of a fight and made her work for it, she might have found it a worthy challenge. But the man’s willpower was so weak he was no fun at all.

She had originally planned on seducing Gao Qiang into bed and having Xu Jiali catch them in the act. And the result? She barely had to crook her finger before he was ready to follow her, completely skipping the dramatic ’caught in the act’ stage.

Gao Qiang froze for a second. He glanced at his hand, hanging awkwardly in the air, then at Qiao Wei, who had evaded him. He assumed she was just afraid of Jie Jingchen and didn’t dare get close to him. "Miss Qiao, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you."

Hearing this, Qiao Wei rolled her eyes in disgust. ’Him, protect me? What a joke.’ She retorted sarcastically, "Didn’t you just say you were Xu Jiali’s fiancé? Your fiancée’s stomach condition is acting up, yet you’re not concerned about her at all. Instead, you’re here trying to protect me? Is that how you try to win a girl over?"

"Miss Qiao, you’ve misunderstood. Jiali isn’t my fiancée anymore," Gao Qiang explained. "The bride price he demanded was too high, and the Gao family can’t afford it. Our engagement is off." He threw all the blame onto Jie Jingchen, framing himself not as a heartless man who’d abandoned his fiancée, but as a victim. The Qiao Family’s goal had been to make the Gao family back down, and now he was doing exactly as Jie Jingchen wished. The Gao family was backing down; the marriage was off.

Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes grew unnervingly dark. ’So he’s using the same tricks on Qiao Wei. Xu Jiali was naive enough to be led around in circles by him, but Qiao Wei is no fool. Besides, she was the one who seduced Gao Qiang with an ulterior motive in the first place.’

Qiao Wei scoffed. "Your Gao family can’t even afford a one-million bride price to marry Xu Jiali," she said mockingly. "To marry me, it’ll only be more, not less."

"Your status is worth it. Jiali’s isn’t," Gao Qiang said bluntly. He had no path of retreat now anyway; he could only see this through to the bitter end.

"Status?" Qiao Wei sneered. "Xu Jiali is from the Qiao Family, and so am I."

"You’re different from Jiali. You’re the lady of the Governor Mansion," Gao Qiang said.

"Oh, is that so? In other words, you’re not interested in me, but in my status as the lady of the Governor Mansion." Qiao Wei ran a hand through her long hair with a seductive air.

"No, that’s not it, Miss Qiao! You’re very beautiful, and I fell for you at first sight. I’d marry you even if you weren’t the Governor’s daughter," Gao Qiang insisted.

Qiao Wei let out a dry, mocking laugh. "Marry me? You’re not worthy."

Gao Qiang was stunned. "But... didn’t you say you fell for me at first sight?"