Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  The two were stunned at the sight of such hickeys.

  “Oh, that’s good to hear.”


  Pei Ge did not want to waste much energy on Qiao Jingyun, so she smiled at the woman and walked past her with Qin Qitong in tow.

  The instant she passed the woman, the latter suddenly raised an eyebrow before grabbing her hand.

  She looked at the woman who had grabbed by her hand.

  Qiao Jingyun then, with a face full of smiles, put her mouth next to her ear. “Don’t forget about your father’s……”


  Pei Ge, who was intending to break free from the woman’s grasp, paused the instant she heard her words.

  What this woman said to her last night surfaced in her mind.

  Her father’s death was a setup, and the murderer was likely her second uncle.

  Plus, the witness was her cousin……

  Seeing her frozen expression, Qiao Jingyun’s lips curled up. She let go of her wrist with a look of disdain and then walked away.

  Pei Ge only returned to her senses after the woman had disappeared from view.

  “Sister Pei Ge, are you okay? You didn’t respond despite how many times I called you. What did that woman say to you?” Seeing that she was back to normal, Qin Qitong asked this curiously.

  “N-Nothing important.” She did not want to say anything, not before she made clear of things.

  Sensing that she did not want to talk about it, the girl did not continue asking.

  After having lunch with Ji Ziming’s parents, Pei Ge left their house in a car.

  On the way back, her mind was filled with thoughts of her father due to Qiao Jingyun’s words.

  The cryptic message her fiancé had sent her had been long forgotten.

  Her mind was in a mess.

  Her conflicted thoughts from last night returned in full blast.

  After she sobered up, she was tempted to pay her second uncle a visit and ask him the truth.

  Still, knowing his character, he would likely not give her any useful information—not when she did not have any evidence.

  She might even raise the alarm bells.

  Therefore, she decided to investigate her father’s accident in secret.

  She would do a detailed and thorough investigation, with all the bases covered.

  Just like this, with her mind filled with thoughts of re-investigating her father’s death, she arrived at the apartment she was staying with her mother.

  “Mr. Zhao, thank you.”


  She stepped out of the car after thanking the Ji family’s chauffeur.

  Pei Ge decided to stay with her mother in the meantime after she saw that message from the man about him having gone on a business trip.

  After all, everything related to her father was here.

  When she unlocked the door, the sight of her mother watching a soap opera in the living room greeted her.

  “Ge Ge, why are you here?” Zhang Manhua was surprised to see her daughter at the door. “Didn’t your auntie Ji organize a singles’ party for you and Xiao Ji at their place? Why are you back home?”


  Pei Ge walked over and sat next to her mother after she changed into her indoor slippers and hung her bag, as well as her coat, on the rack by the door.

  “The party ended a long time ago.” She told her with a smile, not wanting to worry the latter about her father’s death when she did not have any solid proof yet.

  Even though she did not say anything, the conflict in her eyes betrayed her.

  “Ge Ge, is there something bothering you?”


  Even though she could not read all of her daughter’s thoughts, from the latter’s micro expressions and actions, Zhang Manhua could tell that her daughter was bothered by something really big.

  “N-Nothing’s bothering me.” She blinked and denied it vehemently.

  “Yeah, right. Don’t lie to me. Did something happen at the gathering, or did Xiao Ji do something that you dislike?” asked her mother. Turning off the TV with the remote, she then held her hand.

  “Er……”


  Pei Ge decided to tell a white lie when she saw that her mother could not be fooled.

  “Mom…… at the gathering yesterday……”


  She pursed her lips, her gaze a little hazy.

  Oh, no. What should she say?

  Alas, her mother arrived to a conclusion before she could come up with a lie.

  “Did those rich missies make things difficult for you at the gathering? I knew it!”


  “I told your auntie not to do something like that a few days ago, but she insisted on it, saying that it would help widen your social network and make it easier for you to mingle in the high society.

  “We were never in their circle to begin with, and those people have their eyes on the top of their heads, so how would they……”


  Seeing her mother go on and on, the corners of her lips twitched a little, but she heaved a sigh of relief internally.

  “That’s why you shouldn’t ever compromise for the sake of the image of Xiao Ji’s family. If those high-and-mighty people bully you, just retaliate! Don’t suffer in silence.”


  She smiled upon hearing her mother’s words.

  “I know, mom.”


  Pei Ge smilingly rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

  Even though she was already taller than her mother, who had aged, she would still rely on the latter whenever she was faced with troubles.

  “Mom, how great would it be if dad were still with us……”