Chapter 745 - 257: Elope to the Qiao Family

Jie Jingchen watched Qin Mei, his eyes as gentle and shimmering as spring water. When she smiled radiantly, his gaze intensified, and he gave her a deep kiss.

They were kissing passionately when Qiao Wei came rushing in. "Cousin! Sister-in-law... You two..."

Qiao Wei was stunned. The sight of Jie Jingchen completely shattered her perception of him. ’Is this really the same cold, sharp-tongued cousin I’ve always known?’

Startled, Qin Mei buried her face in Jie Jingchen’s chest. ’We really shouldn’t be kissing in the living room.’

Jie Jingchen’s expression turned utterly foul. He glared at Qiao Wei, his icy gaze so menacing it was as if he wanted to flay her alive.

’You don’t mess with a frustrated man.’ Qiao Wei swallowed hard. ’Cousin’s glare is terrifying.’ She had the sudden urge to run for her life.

"Cousin, this is the living room," Qiao Wei said, forcing herself to speak. "If you and Sister-in-law want to be intimate, you should go to your room."

After a few seconds of demure hesitation, Qin Mei pulled away from Jie Jingchen’s embrace. Face flushed, she sat down properly beside him and regarded Qiao Wei with a composed, leisurely air.

Jie Jingchen shot Qin Mei a sidelong glance but said nothing more. ’As long as she isn’t bothered by this, then neither am I.’

"Cousin, where are Great Uncle and Great Aunt?" Qiao Wei asked.

Jie Jingchen shot Qiao Wei a cold glance. ’She knows the answer to that already.’ "If you’re looking for them, you should go to the hospital," he said icily.

Qiao Wei turned and waved to a person in the distance. "Brother Jiang, hurry up."

’Brother Jiang?’ Jie Jingchen’s pupils contracted, his eyes flashing with a cold light. ’Qiao Wei brought Jiang Yuan with her.’

Before her chat with Qin Xiang, Qin Mei could have faced Jiang Yuan with complete composure. But now, after their talk, the thought of the original Qin Mei’s relationship with him made her feel inexplicably guilty.

’What do I have to feel guilty about? It was the original me who had an ambiguous relationship with Jiang Yuan, not me. Why should I have a guilty conscience?’ With that thought, Qin Mei was able to regain her composure.

When Jie Jingchen saw Jiang Yuan walk in carrying luggage, he nearly lost his composure.

"What’s the meaning of this?" Jie Jingchen demanded of Qiao Wei through gritted teeth.

Qiao Wei pulled Jiang Yuan over to the sofa opposite Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei. "Uncle Qiao," she called out, "I’m thirsty."

The butler immediately instructed a servant to bring tea. Qiao Wei picked up a cup and handed it to Jiang Yuan.

"Thank you," Jiang Yuan said, taking a large, hearty gulp.

Qiao Wei picked up another cup and took an elegant sip. Holding the teacup, she looked at Jie Jingchen, took a breath, and said, "Cousin, Brother Jiang is mine and my sister-in-law’s lifesaver..."

"Cousin," Qin Mei interrupted with a smile, correcting her, "you’re mistaken. He’s not my lifesaver, he’s *your* lifesaver."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Jiang Yuan’s eyes. ’She’s in such a hurry to distance herself from me.’

"Sister-in-law, you can’t say that! Brother Jiang is our lifesaver. Even Cousin admitted it! He even had Jing Qi bring Uncle Qiao to..."

"What your cousin admits is his business. I certainly never did," Qin Mei cut in. ’Did Qiao Wei come here just to stir up trouble between us?’

"Sister-in-law, if it weren’t for Brother Jiang, we would’ve been eaten by that wolf pack," Qiao Wei insisted.

"*You* would have been eaten. I absolutely would not have been." Qin Mei leaned against Jie Jingchen, the very picture of relaxed nonchalance. "When it came down to it, if you couldn’t make the climb, I would have left you behind and climbed the tree myself."

Qiao Wei’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Qin Mei had acted like she would stick by her no matter what. ’When the time came, would she really have just abandoned me?’

"He lifted *you* up the tree, not me. He caught *you* when you jumped down, I never asked him to catch me. He carried *you* when you couldn’t walk, I never asked him to carry me." Qin Mei’s self-preservation instinct was in overdrive as she cleanly and decisively severed any connection to Jiang Yuan.

Jie Jingchen was immensely pleased. He gently stroked Qin Mei’s hair. Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, looked utterly dejected.

Qiao Wei thought it over. Qin Mei was right. Biting her lip, she conceded, "Fine. He’s *my* lifesaver."

"He was only ever *your* lifesaver to begin with," Qin Mei muttered.

Qiao Wei took a deep breath, refusing to stoop to Qin Mei’s level. She looked at Jie Jingchen and declared, "Cousin, I want to marry Brother Jiang to repay him, but my parents won’t allow it. So, I’ve decided to elope with him."

Jie Jingchen shot a meaningful look at the silent Jiang Yuan. ’The path was laid out for him, but he let Qiao Wei lead him down the wrong one. Infiltrate the Governor Mansion? Does he really think the Governor is some kind of pushover?’

Jiang Yuan forced a hesitant smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His heart was filled with bitterness.

’Qiao Wei doesn’t play by the rules. What am I supposed to do?’

"You’re eloping... to the Qiao Family residence?" Qin Mei couldn’t help but ask.

"Heh." Qiao Wei gave a mischievous smile. "So, Sister-in-law, are you going to welcome me?"

"It doesn’t matter whether I welcome you or not." Qin Mei looked toward Jie Jingchen. ’If Qiao Wei had come to the Qiao Family residence alone, Jingchen would have let her stay. But with Jiang Yuan in tow...’ Qin Mei wasn’t sure if he would let them both stay.

’Jie Jingchen had lied to me, saying Jiang Yuan was some kind of enemy threat. He obviously knew that Jiang Yuan liked the old me. Qin Xiang said it was a case of unrequited love on Jiang Yuan’s part, that the old me wasn’t interested in him. But Jie Jingchen could lie to me, and so could Qin Xiang. In short, they were all just taking advantage of my amnesia.’

"Cousin," Qiao Wei pleaded, looking at Jie Jingchen with pitiful eyes.

"You’re not welcome," Jie Jingchen stated coldly. He couldn’t agree to let Jiang Yuan stay at the Qiao Family residence; he was genuinely afraid that old feelings between Qin Mei and Jiang Yuan would reignite.

Qin Xiang’s appearance hadn’t triggered Qin Mei’s memories, but what if Jiang Yuan’s did? The thought filled Jie Jingchen with a sense of dread.

"Cousin, please take pity on me! Have a heart and let us stay," Qiao Wei pleaded, trying to act cute.

"Butler, show our guests out." Jie Jingchen gave the direct order to have them removed. To protect his marriage, he had no choice but to refuse to help Qiao Wei.

"You stay. I’ll leave," Jiang Yuan said, his voice clear and smooth.

"No!" Qiao Wei refused. If Jiang Yuan left, there would be no point in her having run away from home.

"Miss Qiao, don’t waste your time on me. I have no feelings for you." Jiang Yuan’s smooth voice was laced with finality. He had never been interested in Qiao Wei to begin with. Now that she was no longer useful, he wasn’t going to waste any more time playing along with her. His plan to infiltrate the Governor Mansion had failed, so it was time to move on to his real mission.

He would hide in the mountain forests, wait for a message from Qin Xiang, then contact his superior and await further orders.

’Infiltrating the Governor Mansion would have been a shortcut, but clearly, that path is now closed.’

’Staying at the Qiao Family residence with Qiao Wei would be a complete waste of time. Even though a part of him desperately wanted to be near Qin Mei, he had a mission. Matters of the heart were trivial by comparison.’

"But... aren’t we in love?" Qiao Wei demanded. Over the past few days, they had talked about everything under the sun. She had found herself deeply drawn to him, to the point where she was ready to make vows of eternal love.

"What you call being in love was nothing more than me faking it," Jiang Yuan said with a sneer.

Qiao Wei stood frozen, staring at Jiang Yuan in disbelief. ’It was always me who hurt men, never the other way around.’

’Men had always been the ones trying to win her favor. Jiang Yuan was the first man she had ever wanted to win over herself.’

’She had fallen for him at first sight—and not just in words. It wasn’t a fleeting desire to sleep with him, either. She had truly wanted to marry him.’

Qin Mei was also surprised. Jiang Yuan’s rejection was utterly decisive, without a hint of hesitation. ’His attitude toward Qiao Wei was distant at first. It only changed after I revealed that she was the Governor’s cousin.’

’My goal had been to warn him—a slip of the tongue can cause disaster—to remind him not to speak carelessly. In reality, my worries were completely unfounded. Who was Jiang Yuan? A professionally trained operative. Secrecy was ingrained in his very being. How could he possibly make such a rookie mistake?’

’But Jiang Yuan had seized the opportunity, planning to use Qiao Wei to infiltrate the Governor Mansion. Honestly, the man had some nerve.’

’Now that Qiao Wei had lost her value to him, he cast her aside without a second thought.’

’Men are so heartless. Despicable.’

’If you don’t love someone, you shouldn’t lead them on. And after you do, you can’t just expect to walk away without a single consequence.’

"I don’t believe you," Qiao Wei sobbed, glaring at Jiang Yuan with red-rimmed eyes.

"All this time, was I being sincere with you, or was I just faking it? Could you really not tell the difference?" Jiang Yuan shot back.