A single word, a single look, and no one dared to speak another word. Even though Xu Minru was older than Pei Shiyi, the Pei family was governed strictly by seniority and rank. Pei Shiyi was her elder, and in his presence, Xu Minru did not even have the courage to resist.
"Don't worry, Little Uncle, I understand," Xu Minru replied hastily, though a flicker of resentment flashed in her downcast eyes.
Having achieved his goal, Pei Shiyi did not intend to stay. He stood up and began walking out of the restaurant. As he reached the door, he came to a sudden halt.
"At the family banquet in a few days, I expect you know what to do. If I hear anything I don't care to hear again, do not blame me for disregarding my eldest brother's feelings."
Xu Minru's expression was incredibly grim, but she gritted her teeth and nodded, squeezing a sentence through the gaps in her teeth. "I will certainly remember."
Having suffered such a setback, she found the insult impossible to swallow. Her face darkened instantly. Only after Pei Shiyi had left did she vent all her fury on the neatly arranged dishes on the table.
The floor was a mess of shattered porcelain. Feeling her anger subside slightly, she smoothed her somewhat disheveled hair, picked up her limited-edition bag, and walked away with an arrogant stride.
At that moment, Jenny, dressed flamboyantly, stepped out from a corner of the restaurant. Seeing the shards covering the floor, she couldn't help but look terrified, but a treacherous smile quickly replaced the expression as she hurried to catch up.
Fortunately, Xu Minru had only walked into the adjacent mall, so Jenny didn't lose her. With a few large strides, Jenny rushed forward and grabbed her. "Auntie, long time no see."
Xu Minru had looked down on Jenny for a long time, and being grabbed in the middle of the street only deepened her disgust. She pulled her hand away and stood at a distance. "Can't you say whatever you have to say properly?"
She glanced around, and only after confirming there was no one else nearby did she breathe a small sigh of relief, though the loathing on her face remained unabated.
"I heard everything Shiyi said to you." Jenny could clearly see the other woman's disdain, but before she could offer any mockery, she reminded herself that the enemy of her enemy was her friend.
To have her humiliation overheard by the person she looked down on most made Xu Minru feel as if she had lost all face. She grabbed Jenny's wrist and demanded in a low voice, "What exactly did you hear? I'm telling you, if word of today gets out, I'll make sure you pay dearly."
Her voice was pressed extremely low, her words laced with venom.
"I didn't come here to laugh at you; I came to give you an opportunity," Jenny said with a narrow smile. "Everything today was caused by Jing Meng. Since we share the same enemy, why don't we join forces to get rid of her?"
It would be a lie to say Xu Minru wasn't tempted. The stifled anger was still stuck in her chest. She hesitated before letting go of Jenny's hand. Her eyes darted around before she finally dropped her arm. "What kind of thing are you? Cooperating with you would only foul my eyes."
Jenny gasped in rage. She pointed at Xu Minru and shouted, "How dare you speak to me like that! You're currently forced to bow your head under someone else's roof yourself, yet you have the nerve to put on airs with me? Ridiculous!"
Jenny's family background was nowhere near that of the Pei family, but she had some capital of her own. Naturally, she had to strike back when insulted.
However, Xu Minru was no pushover. She offered a cold smile. "That is still far better than shamelessly throwing yourself at a man who doesn't want you."
The words struck Jenny's heart. Her face turned white then green with rage before she finally turned and ran away.
Originally, Xu Minru had wanted to let the matter go, but she hadn't expected someone to come along and add to her frustration. She lost interest in everything and went straight home.
When Pei Gong saw her, he couldn't help but feel puzzled. His mother never came home this early, even when she had nothing to do. "Mom, did something happen? Why are you back so soon?"
Xu Minru angrily threw her bag onto the sofa and gulped down several large mouthfuls of water. "It's all because of your Little Uncle. I don't know what kind of spell that girl Jing Meng cast on him, but he protects her at every turn. He was even willing to tear into me for her sake."
Pei Shiyi was a man of his word within the household, and everyone in the family gave him face. Pei Gong feared him from the bottom of his heart and never dared to go head-to-head with him.
However, Pei Shiyi had threatened his mother today for the sake of an outsider. This matter would not be dropped easily.
Bai Xi, who was standing nearby, listened carefully. Her eyes rolled quickly as a spark of inspiration hit her. "I have an idea. Why don't we..."
The three of them sat on the sofa, whispering to each other. As the conversation deepened, their smiles grew more treacherous. They couldn't wait to scheme against Jing Meng until she could never recover.
At that moment, the target of their plotting was sleeping soundly. It wasn't until the phone on the table suddenly rang that Jing Meng was forcibly pulled from her dream.
Rubbing her eyes and letting out a long yawn, she answered the phone. Upon hearing a voice she loathed from the bottom of her heart, she was about to hang up when she heard a piece of information she cared about.
"I know the whereabouts of your mother," Bai Xi said with a mischievous laugh over the phone. "If you want to know, come to the address I sent you."
Before Jing Meng could ask more, the call was disconnected. A moment later, she received a text with an address.
The location was an extremely remote restaurant. After a moment's thought, she sent a message to Pei Shiyi. She didn't have time to consider the danger; she grabbed her car keys and ran out.
Jing Meng followed the navigation, circling a few times before finally finding the restaurant in a sparsely populated area. To her surprise, as soon as she entered, several waiters rushed forward. Without a word, they restrained her and forced her into a private booth.
The booth was very small. Inside sat Bai Xi, wearing a fake smile. "Close the door tight. Don't let her escape again."
After being forced into a chair, the waiters turned and left, not forgetting to shut the door firmly behind them.
"Where is my mother?" Ignoring her own peril, Jing Meng's mind was focused entirely on her mother's location.
Bai Xi stood up slowly and patted Jing Meng's shoulder. "Don't be in such a rush. As long as you hand over all the finished products from the laboratory to me, I will naturally tell you where she is."
Upon hearing this, Jing Meng understood. Bai Xi had gone to such great lengths to lure her here solely for her experimental results. She truly was a greedy person.
"Do you really think I have no bottom line?" It was true that Jing Meng had been searching for her mother, but she also knew perfectly well that Bai Xi had no idea where her mother was.
Therefore, there was no need to humiliate herself further. She reached into her pocket and gripped a small remote control. After pressing a sequence blindly, she heard a muffled groan from the person beside her.
The hand Bai Xi was using to press down on Jing Meng's shoulder went numb. She wanted to move, but her body wouldn't obey. She stared with wide eyes at Jing Meng, who was standing up.
"Tell them to open the door and let me out," Jing Meng said, enunciating every word.
Bai Xi had no intention of following her orders, yet as the last syllable fell, she found herself uncontrollably repeating the words. Her eyes widened in absolute shock.
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