Chapter 657 - 228: He Said, ’Trade Me for the Cargo on the Ship’ (Part 3)

"Talk her out of what?" Qin Mei glared at him. He was actually playing dumb.

Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes were inscrutable, a chill settling between his brows. His tone was cold and strangely playful. "Your reputation is a test for me. My mother’s reputation is a test for my father."

Seeing his detached, unconcerned attitude, Qin Mei reminded him, "That’s your mother."

Jie Jingchen lowered his gaze, stating emotionlessly, "My mother doesn’t care."

Hearing Jie Jingchen’s detached words, Qin Mei’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed. She demanded, "You’re not your mother. How would you know she doesn’t care?"

Jie Jingchen’s brow furrowed deeply, his lips pressing into a cold, hard line. His gaze was fixed on Qin Mei, but he remained silent. The fingers of his clenched fist, however, tightened their grip.

Her grandfather snorted, his face dripping with sarcasm. In a derisive tone, he said, "If she cared, she wouldn’t have chased some so-called ’love’ all the way to Huaxia. She never would have run into... all that trouble, and she certainly wouldn’t have defied our objections to stubbornly marry that good-for-nothing Jie Jianguo."

"She married him to repay a debt," Qin Mei blurted out.

"Repay a debt?" Her grandfather sneered. "If you’re going to repay a debt with your life, you’d better promise it to the right person. The one who sacrificed herself to save her was Zhang Hongyan, not that Jie Jianguo. Zhang Hongyan died saving Yan Qiu, and we were grateful. There are many ways to repay Zhang Hongyan, but she chose the absolute worst one."

’If Jie Jianguo had saved her, and she’d promised herself to him in return, I could have understood. But the one who gave her life to save her was Zhang Hongyan. What did that have to do with Jie Jianguo? If she wanted to take care of Zhang Hongyan’s three children, we, the Qiao Family, could have paid to raise them into successful adults. But instead, Yan Qiu was dead set on marrying Jie Jianguo to repay Zhang Hongyan for saving her life.’

The Qiao Family was wealthy, but when it came to Yan Qiu marrying Jie Jianguo, her grandfather felt a profound sense of defeat. It was a harsh lesson that money can’t solve everything.

Her grandfather’s words left Qin Mei speechless. ’Different perspectives lead to different opinions. It’s hard to judge who’s right and who’s wrong.’

"Jie. Jing. Chen." Qin Mei tugged at the hem of Jie Jingchen’s shirt, enunciating his name syllable by syllable.

’The plan was my idea, and I truly don’t give a damn about something like reputation. But I never dreamed Grandfather would throw my mother-in-law under the bus. And to think that Jie Jingchen, her own son, would just let it happen!’

’She and her mother-in-law got along well. If this incident strained their relationship, or even turned them into enemies, Jie Jingchen would be caught in the middle.’

"This was Grandfather’s decision." A bitter smile touched the corners of Jie Jingchen’s mouth as he reached out to stroke Qin Mei’s cheek.

"This is unfair to your mother," Qin Mei bit out, the words forced through her clenched teeth. She was filled with regret. ’I never should have gotten involved. When Jie Jingchen told me to go back to my room, I should have just listened to him.’

’I was so sure I could control the situation, but it turns out I’m completely useless.’

"Meimei, don’t feel guilty. If Mother were here, she would have stepped forward herself," Jie Jingchen soothed.

"Jie Jingchen, you bastard!" Qin Mei angrily slapped away the large hand caressing her cheek. ’Are they trying to make me die of guilt?’

Qin Mei wanted to slap herself. ’How could I have done something so despicable?’

"Grandfather, I take it back," Qin Mei said, finally yielding as she looked at him.

"Too late." A stern expression crossed her grandfather’s face.

Qin Mei glared at her grandfather. ’This old man is doing this on purpose. He’s venting his frustration—his dissatisfaction with me and his disappointment in my mother-in-law.’

Liu Translation wanted to grease his soles and slip away. He retreated silently, and seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he reached the doorway, spun around, and prepared to make a run for it.

As long as he got out of the Qiao family estate, the German Merchant’s bodyguards would be outside. Just as Liu Translation was celebrating his narrow escape, a Qiao family servant blocked his path, clapped a hand over his mouth, and dragged him away.

The Qiao family’s servants were all highly skilled.

Regret and anger tormented Qin Mei. Bernhard, who couldn’t understand Chinese—let alone read the mood in the room—chose this tense, hostile atmosphere to confess his feelings to Qin Mei in German.

Suddenly, Qin Mei’s anger flared. Her eyes, cold as frost, locked onto Bernhard as she spat out two sharp, vicious words. "Courting death."

Jie Jingchen expected Qin Mei to follow his mother’s example and deliver a dynasty-ending kick to Bernhard. Instead, Qin Mei bolted for the kitchen.

"Eldest Young Madam!" The two chefs busy in the kitchen jumped in surprise when Qin Mei stormed in, radiating fury.

"The knives?" Qin Mei demanded.

A chef who was chopping vegetables immediately handed his cleaver to Qin Mei. "Here you go, Eldest Young Madam."

"A paring knife." Qin Mei didn’t take it; the cleaver felt awkward in her hand.

"Right here." The chef put down the cleaver and handed a paring knife to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei took it and gave it a few test swings in the air. It felt good in her hand. "Thanks," she said to the chef before turning with a flourish.

"Be careful with that, Eldest Young Madam," the chef added. "I just sharpened it this morning. It’s very keen."

"Got it. I’ll have Grandfather give you a raise later." Without turning back, Qin Mei just waved the paring knife in the air.

When her grandfather saw Qin Mei emerge with the paring knife, a flicker of light crossed his murky eyes. ’What is this girl planning to do? Peel fruit?’

Bernhard beamed at Qin Mei, completely oblivious to the fact that she and her paring knife were coming for him.

Jie Jingchen stepped forward, reaching for the paring knife in Qin Mei’s hand. "Let me."

Qin Mei hid the knife behind her back and looked up at Jie Jingchen, her expression serious. "Your knife work is sloppy."

"Meimei, he can’t die. Not yet," Jie Jingchen reminded her in a low voice.

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I won’t kill him." Qin Mei gave Jie Jingchen a sweet smile, but her eyes were filled with an icy glint.

Jie Jingchen stood in front of Qin Mei, but then he recalled his mother describing Qin Mei’s surgical skills in almost mythical terms. After a few seconds of hesitation, he stepped aside.

Satisfied, Qin Mei patted Jie Jingchen’s shoulder. She was seething with resentment and needed an outlet. Bernhard was the perfect target. She flicked the blade with her finger, remarking with a hint of regret, "This would be even more perfect if it were a scalpel instead of a paring knife."

Qin Mei strode toward Bernhard on the sofa, a smile as vibrant and deadly as a poppy blooming on her lips. Bernhard, utterly captivated, slowly rose to his feet, waiting for his goddess to draw near.

Bernhard was even taller than Jie Jingchen. The sight of Qin Mei standing next to him was like a vision of Beauty and the Beast.

Bernhard had sharp, handsome features, but he wasn’t Qin Mei’s type. A handsome foreigner was never what she looked for in a partner.

Bernhard extended a gentlemanly hand toward Qin Mei. "Beautiful... AARGH..."

Before Qin Mei even reached him, she expertly flicked a pill straight into his open mouth. Bernhard froze, stunned. He hadn’t been on guard against her at all. Even with the paring knife in her hand, he felt no fear; to him, she was just a rose with thorns.

But he couldn’t be careless about what went into his mouth—not even if it was fed to him by a beautiful woman.

By the time he reacted and tried to spit it out, the pill had already slid down his throat. It was impossible to cough up. The bitter taste made him grimace. He glared at Qin Mei and demanded in German, "What did you make me eat?"

"Poison," Qin Mei replied in German, her smile growing more bewitching, like a blood-stained rose.

Hearing her speak German, her grandfather shot a shocked glance at Jie Jingchen, only to see that he was staring at Qin Mei with equal astonishment.

’So the boy didn’t even know she could speak German.’ A worried look crossed her grandfather’s face. ’Is having someone like her by my eldest grandson’s side a blessing or a curse?’

Bernhard was startled but not frightened. He was certain the Qiao family wouldn’t dare kill him—at least, not yet.

He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling no discomfort. Bernhard leered at Qin Mei. "You have an old saying in Huaxia: ’To die among the peonies is a fate even a ghost would relish.’"

"Die? You’re not worthy." Qin Mei closed the distance to Bernhard and stabbed him without another word.