Chapter 659 - 229: Meimei, 108 Stabs

"Slow down, don’t choke," Jie Jingchen urged, holding a dessert in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. He was waiting on her hand and foot.

Grandfather was slightly taken aback. He had never seen his eldest grandson dote on someone so attentively.

"Jing Chen, you’re coming with me to the Governor Mansion later," Grandfather said.

"Alright," Jie Jingchen agreed with a nod.

"Why are you going to the Governor Mansion?" Qin Mei asked curiously.

"My grand-aunt is the Governor’s Wife, and Bernhard is a German Merchant." Jie Jingchen didn’t spell it out, but Qin Mei understood immediately.

"Is that really necessary?" Qin Mei asked, taking a bite of her dessert.

"You practically turned the man into a hornet’s nest, and you’re asking if it’s necessary?" Grandfather said irritably.

"It was only 108 times. He’s a big guy; that’s a far cry from a hornet’s nest." ’Her original goal had been to turn him into an actual hornet’s nest, but Jie Jingchen had stopped her. He liked reading Water Margin. If only he preferred One Thousand and One Nights.’

’One thousand and one stabs would have definitely done the trick.’

"You nearly stabbed a man to death, and now the Qiao Family has to answer for it," Grandfather said, raising a hand to rub his temples. ’This girl was ruthless. He liked that.’

"The Qiao Family has to answer for a minor injury? Is he some big shot?" Qin Mei scoffed. ’He’s just a merchant. Would a truly important figure come to Xiangjiang and put himself in harm’s way?’

"Minor injury?" Grandfather frowned, picturing the German Merchant’s state. ’One hundred and eight stab wounds... how could that possibly be a minor injury?’

"He’s already been sent to the hospital for treatment. As long as they don’t fake the report, the official medical assessment will absolutely rule it a minor injury," Qin Mei stated confidently. "Though each stab looked vicious, I deliberately avoided all his vital organs."

"For real?" Grandfather was skeptical.

"Grandfather, you should probably send someone to the hospital to keep an eye on things, just in case they try to fake the report," Qin Mei advised.

Grandfather’s gaze shifted to Jie Jingchen, who was sitting beside Qin Mei and attentively feeding her. He didn’t trust Qin Mei’s words, but he had complete faith in his eldest grandson.

"I trust her," Jie Jingchen said, glancing sideways at Grandfather.

A corner of Grandfather’s mouth twitched. He was a man who had weathered many storms. He had built the Qiao Family’s power, cementing their foothold in Xiangjiang by marrying his niece into the Governor Mansion. In the business world, his own methods were notoriously iron-fisted, ruthless, and cold.

By lunchtime, her grandmother, Mrs. Xie, and Jie Jingshan still hadn’t returned, so it was just Grandfather, Jie Jingchen, and Qin Mei eating together.

Having already eaten dessert, Qin Mei was full after only a few bites at the dining table.

Grandfather had a habit of taking an afternoon nap. After lunch, he pulled Jie Jingchen aside to chat for a bit before heading upstairs to sleep.

"Meimei, want to go out for a bit?" Jie Jingchen asked.

"No, we just went out yesterday." Qin Mei was curled up lazily on the sofa. With her grandfather gone and only Jie Jingchen in the living room, she couldn’t be bothered to worry about her posture.

"I don’t mean a walk in the courtyard. I mean actually go out," Jie Jingchen said.

"’Go out?’" Qin Mei glanced outside. The sun was scorching, a truly daunting sight. She shook her head decisively. "It’s too hot. I’m not going."

’She’d much rather stay home than go shopping. It was comfortable and air-conditioned inside!’

Jie Jingchen knew how much she hated the sun, so he didn’t press the issue. His gaze on her grew deeper. "Meimei, you speak German?"

"I do," Qin Mei nodded. ’It wasn’t just German. She could speak eight different languages.’

"Who taught you?" Jie Jingchen asked.

Qin Mei stared at Jie Jingchen. ’What was she supposed to say? The truth? Obviously not. She couldn’t even explain it herself.’ After a moment’s thought, she said casually, "I don’t know."

"’You don’t know?’" Jie Jingchen’s brow furrowed as he watched his own reflection in her eyes.

"You forgot, I have amnesia," Qin Mei said flippantly. ’Amnesia really was convenient. She could blame anything she couldn’t explain on it.’

Jie Jingchen was at a loss for words. "You have amnesia, but you can still speak German."

"It’s amnesia, not aphasia," Qin Mei shot Jie Jingchen a look. ’It was a good thing she’d revealed her German skills *after* he’d fallen for her. If it had been before, he definitely would have treated her like an enemy agent.’

Jie Jingchen opened his mouth, but for a moment, he couldn’t find a retort. He asked, a hint of grievance in his voice, "Why didn’t you tell me you could speak German?"

Qin Mei stared at Jie Jingchen. After a long silence, she broke into a wide, toothy grin. "You never asked."

Jie Jingchen felt his chest tighten with exasperation. ’Who would think to randomly ask someone, "By the way, do you speak German?" It was the kind of thing she should have mentioned herself!’

’If they hadn’t run into that German Merchant today and she hadn’t spoken German, he would have never known.’

Jie Jingchen took a deep breath and looked at Qin Mei with a serious expression. "Alright then, I’m asking you now. Besides German, what other languages can you speak?"

"Chinese," Qin Mei replied, her voice laced with amusement.

Jie Jingchen’s eyes widened. ’What was he going to do with her? He wanted to strangle her, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.’