Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Killing Invisibly
Mr. Wen felt both pity for his daughter and frustration at her foolishness. "You’re a student at Imperial University," he said. "What kind of excellent young man couldn’t you have? And yet you just had to fall for a cripple and end up in a mess like this."
Even after being beaten until her backside was raw, Wen Qing still had no idea how serious the situation was.
She said defiantly, "Dad, weren’t you the one who kept saying how amazing Brother Su is? You told us to get close to him.
I didn’t think much of him at first, but the more I got to know him, the more I came to admire him. Especially when I saw that his wife was actually quite pretty.
That made me like him even more. Besides, Gu Jiaojiao is just a fake heiress. What are you so afraid of her for?"
"You fool! Do you think I’m afraid of *her*? Haven’t you seen the families of those sick people brazenly showing up at our door? We’ve dealt with situations like this before, but has anyone ever dared to come here?"
Wen Qing: ...’It’s true, no one ever has!’
"They aren’t worried at all that this ’mad dog disease’ could be fatal. That’s enough to prove they already know their barking was man-made.
Su Shuochi knows Divine Doctor Su Gu, so his wife must have learned some of his unorthodox tricks!"
As Wen Qing listened to her father, she thought it over. The more she thought, the more her legs trembled uncontrollably. Even though she was lying prone over a stool, she couldn’t stop shaking.
A sudden realization hit her. That afternoon, when Gu Jiaojiao had kicked her, a sharp pain had shot through the back of her knee, causing her to collapse...
’That fake heiress must have used some kind of trick. If she has the power to make people bark like dogs, she has the power to kill someone without a trace!’
’If I anger that fake heiress, she... she could kill me without anyone ever knowing! This... This is terrifying!’
"Dad, Su Shuochi is the one who knows the Divine Doctor. If I marry Brother Su in Gu Jiaojiao’s place, then I could also..."
"You damn fool! You still have the nerve to say that? Su Shuochi is married! Married!"
"He can get a divorce, can’t he? I was just trying to make Gu Jiaojiao back down today."
"Did she back down? And you? You went for the wool and came home shorn! Second Son, give her a good beating! Beat the stupidity out of your sister!"
"Ow! Mom, please save me! Dad’s going to beat me to death!"
"Old Wen, quick, tell our son to stop! If he keeps this up, he’ll hurt Qing’er. How is she supposed to attend the Qing City Elite Exchange next month?"
"Sigh! Second Son, stop. We’ll let her off this time. If it weren’t for the annual exchange, I’d have you beat her until she learned her lesson."
"Dad, I know I was wrong! I’ll never dare to provoke Gu Jiaojiao again, sob... It hurts so much!"
"Qing’er, Mom will help you put on some ointment." Mrs. Wen went up with her second son to help her daughter up.
The Wen family’s second son had followed his father into politics after graduating from university. He was very smooth in his dealings and hadn’t actually used much force at all.
But he had still beaten Wen Qing until her backside was raw, which just went to show how terrifying the Wen family’s discipline was.
If his strict older brother had been the one to carry out the punishment, he would have crippled their sister with just two strikes.
"Qing’er, every year in Qing City, we hold an Elite Exchange. It’s a tradition that’s been around for over a hundred years.
It was suspended for a few years for various reasons, but it started back up in the last two years.
They say the founder is the most influential person in Qing City, so it carries a lot of weight.
Even some big shots from out of town make a special trip to attend, just to expand their network of contacts.
Your grandfather and maternal grandfather have never missed the Elite Exchange; they’re invited every year."
"Mom, is it a few days before school starts?" Wen Qing asked weakly.
"Yes. Qing’er, you just focus on recovering at home for now. After the exchange, you’ll be heading to the Imperial City for school!" Mrs. Wen was very worried about her daughter.
"Mom, Dad and I were also invited this year. We can take you and little sister with us."
"Your father already told me. To put it bluntly, these large-scale exchanges are all about expanding your network.
For us big families, it’s about arranging marriages and scouting for promising individuals. For the socialites, it’s about finding their Mr. Right.
Of course, there’s also sharp confrontation, subtle digs, and suppression. The winners get to enjoy a wave of glory.
Everyone who gets an invitation is from a prominent, wealthy family or is a magnate in the political world..."
Mrs. Wen had attended the exchange when she was young; that was how she found her husband.
She had always been proud of it, so she never hid it from her children and often used it to motivate them.
The Wen family’s second son thought to himself, ’His mother’s way of thinking is a bit absurd.’
’It wasn’t as if this was the first time the Wen family had the chance to attend this major annual Elite Exchange.’
’He and his older brother still hadn’t found anyone they liked. He, however, already had a target in mind: Lili from the Xi Family.’
The Xi Family was also holding a family meeting at that moment. This was because Uncle Xi’s son, who had a crush on Wen Qing, had also contracted the "mad dog disease."
Ever since his surgery, Old Sir Xi had been eating well and sleeping soundly; he was in excellent health.
"Second Son, did you know that Xiao Mi went with that girl from the Wen family to cause trouble for Gu Jiaojiao?"
"I only found out after Xiao Mi was hospitalized with the ’mad dog disease’," Uncle Xi said awkwardly.
"The Xi Family has no place for ignorant good-for-nothings. If you don’t educate your children properly, don’t blame me for mercilessly kicking you out of the family."
"I will heed your teachings, Father. Please give me one more chance. I will discipline Xiao Mi properly."
"Dad, just give Second Brother and Xiao Mi another chance. Xiao Mi is still young and doesn’t know any better."
"Hmph. For your big brother’s sake, I’ll give you one chance. The Xi Family is currently the top family in Qing City. Forget about being surpassed soon; it’s lonely at the top. Do you people understand that or not?"
"Grandpa, who could possibly surpass the Xi Family?" Third Uncle Xi’s son asked earnestly.
"There are plenty! If you all keep acting so lazy, we’ll be surpassed in less than two years," Xi Gaoguan said.
"Hmph! Less than two years? If *that* person decided to make a move, we’d be surpassed this year," Old Man Xi said, frustrated that his family wasn’t living up to its potential.
"Who is it?"
"Who’s that amazing?"
"No way. Grandpa, don’t go scaring yourself."
"Grandpa is telling the truth. I can think of one person. If he were willing to make a move, the Xi Family would truly be out of the picture."
As Xi Guodong heard his grandfather’s words, the image of Su Shuochi surfaced in his mind.
"Big Brother, who is it? The Wen family definitely can’t surpass us. The Xiao Family has always kept a low profile; if they were going to surpass us, they would have done it long ago."
Uncle Xi’s eldest son’s voice grew quieter as he spoke; he had just casually named two families that were on par with their own Xi Family.
"It’s not that the Xiao Family doesn’t *want* to surpass us, but that they truly aren’t qualified yet. Their ability to stir everyone up this time was purely a matter of shared interests."
Old Sir Xi spoke slowly, his words acting as a calming pill for the younger members of the Xi family.
"It’s the rising stars you should fear. Your eldest uncle was absolutely right to tell you all to get in touch with Su Shuochi more often. Thankfully, it seems he has no interest in competing with us in Qing City."
"Grandpa, I know there’s also the Song Family," Xi Lili said, thinking of that handsome and dashing young man.
