21 1.18

"Then, shall we go now?" Xu Jiaqi looked over to the interior of her home, where she found her mother looking at the couple with proud eyes. Instead of stopping the interaction, Li Jiayun felt happy, even waving to send them off.

Of course, just like Xu Zheng, Li Jiayun at first had some apprehensive thoughts about letting her princess go forth and mingle with Qin ZIcheng due to his dangerous nature, but upon receiving old madam Qin's assurance in his son's prohibition for hurting Xu Jiaqi in any sort of way, she was able to gain a little bit of reconciliation.

Xu Jiaqi escaped the Xu home bringing nothing but her mobile phone. She let Qin Zicheng lead their plans for the day because she knew that the man must've came here with prior preparation.

The two had quite the sweet 'date', even though their premise was that of a newly formed 'friendship'. They went to places where a typical couple would visit, and showed public displays of affection as they spent time together, scattering dog food everywhere. Even so, they never addressed or spoke to each other with a romantic sense.

By the time they were satisfied and declared their outing as done, it was already night time, and of course, Qin Zicheng would have to do the duty of sending Xu Jiaqi back home. They both entered the car and reached the Xu home safely.

At this point, Xu Jiaqi was already quite certain that their relationship could be explored into something much more, but she still took small steps at a time. She didn't want to put herself in too much of a submissive position, but she also did not want to anger Qin Zicheng. It was hard to figure out what kind of person Qin Zicheng truly was because the rumors he was involved in did not match with the showcase he gave her.

Qin Zicheng's car stopped in front of her home, and the man hurriedly got out of the car to open the door for Xu Jiaqi. His mother told him that little actions piled up were what mattered the most in the long run, and excessive moves right off the bat would only deter the target. The old madam was speaking from her own experience, proving to be a very charming woman back in her prime days that attracted people left and right until she decided to settle with Qin Zicheng's dad.

He opened the door, but instead of accepting Qin Zicheng's support and getting out, Xu Jiaqi raised her hand and gestured for the other to wait. Qin Zicheng raised a brow, waiting for her next action.

"Zicheng ge, do you trust me?" Before getting out of the car, Xu Jiaqi said.

Qin Zicheng had an internal debate. He was not someone who would speak lies. He was frank and truthful. There were many forms and levels of trust. He trusted Xu Jiaqi in the sense that he would dare to take some risks and go along with her, but ultimately, his decision would have to depend on what level of severity Xu Jiaqi wanted to bring.

He nodded slightly. It wasn't a lie, he really did trust her. Not completely, but at least a lot more than nothing.

"I want you to acquire.. shares of the Zhou company. You know that because Zhou Yuan doesn't have much familial backing and excellent connections, he has a hard time garnering financial support? At the start of his career, there was an anonymous sponsor that backed him up. If that person wasn't there, Zhou Yuan would have never gotten to where he is right now," Xu Jiaqi said, tilting her head and twirling strands of her hair as she slowly spoke. "Zicheng ge, do you know who this sponsor is?"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Qin Zicheng's eyes narrowed slightly. The small change would only be visible to those with keen eyes. His aura shifted as he felt his heart tug at Xu Jiaqi's words. What did she mean? She wanted to acquire the shares for what? To support, or to destroy the company?

When he investigated Xu Jiaqi, there was discoveries of her diverting assets and supporting the Zhou entity using a falsified identity. It was very hard to trace back to the woman, but since Qin Zicheng purposely wanted to dig down at her matters, he still found out.

Such a massive amount of support couldn't have just been motivated by a casual want. The resources she gave away, along with some beneficial information were things that people would die for. Not to mention, Xu Jiaqi's support wasn't just a one time thing, it spanned over the course of Zhou Yuan's entire career. From the beginning, when he was just a nobody, ignored by the world.

For Zhou Yuan to receive such efforts from her, exactly what did he do? What spurred her to do those things over the course of such a long time?

"Yes, it really was me. My eyes were bad, ah. I supported him quite heftily with my family's resources, all while keeping my identity undercover. I communicate with Zhou Yuan using cryptic methods, and he has been dying to figure out exactly who I am,"

"Unfortunately.. the game has to end here. I don't want to be his sugar mommy anymore, so I'm thinking that.. I should just cut his head off right now before it's too late. What do you think?"

"Are you willing?" Xu Jiaqi's beautiful sparkling eyes were dazzling under the moonlight's shine. She had a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her face, but the intentions she spouted were unlike her exterior image of a lovely and pure lady.

Qin Zicheng shuddered, feeling a high rush of adrenaline shoot up through his bloodstream. The thought of Xu Jiaqi holding a devious and complex side to her interested him even more. To promise to destroy another company, especially one of Zhou's caliber was not an easy one to make. However, for Qin Zicheng, anything was possible.

Xu Jiaqi did not just speak, her hands also moved and left light touches on Qin Zicheng's robust body. The fluttery, light tingles sent shivers down his spine. It was his first time being subjected to such treatment and even allowing it in the first place. His heartbeat sped up, and his mind raced with excitement. The feeling of wanting to look away, but also not being able to resist.