Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  The fact that her father was willing was one matter, but forced to submit his resignation letter was a separate matter.

  Since a young age, she had suffered too much under Qi Minlan and Qiu Chenxi. This time, the matter was right before her, so how could Shi Qing not want to know about it?

  Qiao Nan thought for a while. “I only have a rough guess.”

  “Guess, what guess? Didn’t Brother Zhai already silently confirm your guess? The facts can’t deviate too much from your guess. Hurry.”

  “I think Chief Zhai was most likely able to win against your dad and assumed the position of chief many years ago because he wanted to aggravate your auntie. Or put it in a different way, he was motivated because of your auntie. He knew best what your auntie cared about most. In order to make your auntie feel bad, Chief Zhai purposely took on this position. To put it in ugly words, all these years, the Zhai family and the Qiu family have always been in contact. It was as if they were relatives. Although the Qiu family benefited much from the glory of the Zhai family, when your auntie sees the Zhai family leading such a good life and is well respected by others—that even her own spouse had to bow, bend his waist, and lower his neck to the Zhai family—how do you think your auntie feels?”

  “If, if she was the one and not Auntie Miao who married Chief Zhai in the past, she, in fact, needed not to depend on the glory of others. All these actually belonged to her,” Shi Qing said in a gloating tone. “The more the Qiu family gains from the Zhai family, the more auntie feels unjustified, and the worse she will feel. This is because she thinks she can get more than this. Therefore, she did not gain much. In fact, she lost even more. Won’t this drive my auntie to the grave?”

  That auntie of hers liked to take advantage of others the most. After doing so, she still acted as if she looked up to them and gave them face.

  Reversing the situation now, the Zhai family gave the Qiu family benefits on her account. Wouldn’t that drive her auntie mad?

  “Isn’t that so?” Qi Minlan basked in glory in the recent few years of her life. She was the childhood friend of Chief Zhai and was also on quite good terms with the chief’s wife.

  However, no matter what, despite all the glory, she relied on the Zhai family and could only shine with their help.

  In short, the more Qi Minlan gained from the Zhai family, the more dissatisfied she was. She would feel worse at heart and also be tortured by the many ‘ifs’ in her heart.

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  “This is possible!” Shi Qing clapped her hands. “Given what you said, Chief Zhai and my auntie are actually not on such good terms. He even set up such a psychological barrier and tortured her for so many years. Why did he?”

  Shi Qing did not really understand this point. Didn’t they say that Chief Zhai and her auntie were very much in love many years ago?

  If Old Master Zhai had not forced Auntie Miao in between the two of them, Chief Zhai would have married her auntie long ago.

  In the end, Chief Zhai was the one who chose to dump her auntie and marry Auntie Miao. The revenge sequence was now reversed?

  “You have to ask your dad about this. Qi Minlan is your auntie. It’s not convenient for me to say certain things. Also, if you hear it from your dad, it will be more convincing. Of course, I’m not sure if your dad is willing to tell you.”

  The confidential topics that involved the Shi family and the Zhai family, Qiao Nan would not delve into them too deeply. It was inappropriate.

  “Fine, then quickly return to your bedroom and do your homework. I’ll give my dad a call. If I don’t get this clear today, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep tonight. I won’t be able to study well in school tomorrow.” Shi Qing robbed the place of the host and chased Qiao Nan into her bedroom. She even helped Qiao Nan close the door in case Qiao Nan heard anything.

  Qiao Nan, who was pushed into the bedroom, tweaked her lips. The speed that Shi Qing kicked someone to the curb when they’d outlived their usefulness was not slow at all.

  Shi Peng had never brought up these matters that happened when he was young. Now that his daughter was interested and seemed to have found out something, Shi Peng told her what happened in the past to prevent unnecessary trouble.

  When Shi Peng and Zhai Yaohui were young, they were opponents competing with each other.

  At that time, Shi Peng was more popular than Zhai Yaohui, and most people felt that Shi Peng would be the victor. They felt that there was a higher chance that Shi Peng would win against Zhai Yaohui.

  Qi Minlan was an opportunistic individual. When she heard that the support for her biological brother was higher, although she bore a different surname from Shi Peng, she also felt good. She looked down a little on Zhai Yaohui then.

  Before this matter, Zhai Yaohui and Shi Peng were young talented men advancing on equal pace, and their future was very promising.

  If Shi Peng had won, he would have left Zhai Yaohui far behind in the ‘race’.

  As such, the relationship between Qi Minlan and Zhai Yaohui would have been pulled apart as well.

  Because of this, Qi Minlan’s attitude toward Zhai Yaohui became uncertain. When she was outside, she would always address Zhai Yaohui as her brother, not the brother that she was in love with, but her biological brother.

  At that time, Zhai Yaohui eventually gave up on Qi Minlan and married Miao Jing. The greatest reason why the Shi family did not create a fuss, and even refused to listen to Qi Minlan’s nonsense about stopping the marriage, was, in fact, Qi Minlan.

  The month before Zhai Yaohui married Miao Jing, the Shi family discovered that Qi Minlan had an intimate relationship with another man. They met up frequently and the relationship was abnormal.

  Zhai Yaohui started as a patrol officer in the army. In terms of observation skills, even Shi Peng had to take his hat off Zhai Yaohui.

  So many things were happening to Qi Minlan, and even the Shi family discovered it. Would that escape Zhai Yaohui’s eyes?

  Hence, one month later, when they heard that Zhai Yaohui was going to marry Miao Jing, the Shi family did not have any reaction. They just did not attend the banquet.

  The Shi family suspected that Zhai Yaohui had discovered something about Qi Minlan and thus listened to Old Master Zhai and married the lady that Old Master Zhai brought back from the countryside.

  The Shi family was in the wrong. The Zhai family did not announce the reason publicly and took on the burden as the scapegoat who turned their back on the Shi family. The Shi family should feel guilty instead. Zhai Yaohui was the one who protected the reputation of the Shi family and Qi Minlan.

  If others knew that Qi Minlan had been in a relationship with another man behind Zhai Yaohui’s back one month before stopping the marriage, the reputation of the Shi family would be ruined. Furthermore, Shi Peng would be dragged into this matter and also lose his rights to compete for the position of the chief.

  In order to compete for that role, Shi Peng could not have any flaw in his resume and experience.

  It could be said that because of Qi Minlan’s ignorant ways when she was young, she nearly destroyed the entire Shi family and also Shi Peng, her biological brother.

  It was not that the Shi family was generous enough to not take issue with Zhai Yaohui’s ‘turning his back for a new lover’. It was because they were guilty-conscious in the first place and had to hide their tails.

  “I see. This matter is so complicated.” Shi Qing was stunned beyond words. “My auntie is so shameless. She’s already in a relationship with someone else and still wanted to stop a marriage. Is she sick in the mind?”

  “She’s not sick in the mind. She thought that the one that Zhai Yaohui loved was her, and that even if Old Master Zhai wanted him to marry Miao Jing, Zhai Yaohui would disobey Old Master Zhai because he could not bear to part with her.”