Chapter 185 She Is Finished

Is that really how things stand?

Lin Sangqian looked over at Qi Erliu, and seeing her face as pale as ashes and trembling like a leaf in the wind, she knew the matter was all too true.

"Even if the two of us share no blood ties, so what? I was adopted by the Qi family, and he is still my older brother!"

Kang Ya sneered, then viciously kicked Qi Tong. "Speak for yourself!"

Terrified and shivering for a long time, Qi Tong finally stammered, "It is true that Qi Erliu and I were entangled. Even after she married into your family, I frequently went to the Yu residence to meet her in secret..."

Strangely enough, upon hearing these words, Yu Jingxiao felt no sense of anger at all.

He merely found it laughable, utterly nauseating.

"You're lying! Why are you trying to frame me? Is it Kang Ya? Did this woman bribe you to come here and ruin me?" Qi Erliu lunged at Qi Tong, attempting to beat him, but Kang Ya hurriedly signaled for the guards to pull her away.

"Jingxiao, you must believe me, I didn't do it!" Qi Erliu shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Regrettably, Yu Jingxiao did not even spare her a glance; he turned around and walked back into the house.

Kang Ya let out a cold laugh. "Things have reached this point, and you still expect Jingxiao to believe you? Save your breath and stop wasting your voice."

Qi Erliu jerked her head up, glaring at her with venomous hatred. "You framed me... Why did you want to ruin me?"

"If you hadn't behaved in such a manner, I would have found no opportunity to expose you, even if I wanted to," Kang Ya retorted. "Dare you say I fabricated this? Were these disgusting deeds not committed by your own hand?"

Qi Erliu had nothing left to say. At that moment, her face was streaked with tears, her hair disheveled, looking utterly wretched.

After a brief moment of silence, she suddenly burst into wild laughter. "I see! I understand now! Kang Ya, the truth is you've always been in love with Yu Jingxiao, haven't you... Hhahahaha! You are his father's second wife, his stepmother! To harbor such feelings for him—oh Kang Ya, Kang Ya, how are you any better than me?"

The color drained from Kang Ya's face.

Lin Sangqian strode over, coming to stand beside Kang Ya. She looked down at Qi Erliu and said, word for word, "At least her feelings were genuine, and she never crossed any boundaries. Unlike you, putting on a false front everywhere, despicable and shameless."

"Lin Sangqian! You—"

Qi Erliu opened her mouth to curse, but suddenly caught the stern, warning gaze of Guan Yanqing, which frightened her into snapping her mouth shut instantly.

"Take them both back to the Yu residence, lock them in the woodshed, and guard them closely. Do not let them escape, and give them no chance to take their own lives!" Kang Ya commanded.

"Understood!"

"Stuff them into the carriage. Keep them out of sight."

Kang Ya had no wish to turn this scandal into common knowledge; otherwise, Yu Jingxiao would inevitably become the laughingstock of the town.

The servants immediately dragged Qi Erliu and Qi Tong away. Qi Erliu kept screaming at the top of her lungs, desperate for a single glimpse of Yu Jingxiao, but no one paid her any heed.

Kang Ya also departed, leaving only Guan Yanqing and Lin Sangqian behind in the courtyard.

"Will Young Master Yu be all right?" Lin Sangqian asked with a trace of worry.

"He is bound to grieve for a while, that is certain," Guan Yanqing replied. "However, I trust him; he will not let this utterly crush him."

"That's good to hear," Lin Sangqian sighed. "I hope the next time he meets someone, she will truly and deeply love him."

Actually, Kang Ya seemed quite a fine match, but the reality of their relationship precluded any such possibility, and besides, Yu Jingxiao held no romantic affection for her whatsoever. Thus, it was destined to be nothing more than a pipe dream.

"Let's give him some time to collect himself."

Guan Yanqing looked at Lin Sangqian, wondering whether he should seize the moment to invite her somewhere—perhaps to drink tea and admire the snow scenery—when he saw Zhao Laner and the others hurrying over in a flurry.

"Sangqian, what just happened? We saw Qi Erliu and some man being dragged away!" Zhao Laner asked anxiously.

"She is finished," Lin Sangqian stated concisely.

"What?" Xiao Yawen wailed. "Why did I miss the spectacle?"

"Indeed! Such a deeply satisfying scene, it's such a pity we missed it," Wang Qiongshi lamented.

"It is better that you didn't see it," Lin Sangqian said with a wry smile. "Otherwise, how mortified would Young Master Yu have been?"

At this reminder, they finally realized that things were indeed as she said.

"Very well. As long as she receives the punishment she deserves, that is enough."

At that moment, Xiao Yawen noticed Guan Yanqing standing nearby and suddenly realized that the three of them standing there made them rather unwelcome third wheels.

"Um, I think I'll go to the kitchen to bake some pastries. Shall we all go together?" Xiao Yawen suggested. "Aren't Eldest Brother Lin and Second Brother Lin heading out soon? The two of you can bake some pastries for them to take along."

"Oh, that's true!" Zhao Laner agreed.

"Then you must teach me! As the saying goes, 'If you want to conquer a man, you must first conquer his stomach!'" Wang Qiongshi said, eager to try her hand at it.

The three chatterboxes departed, leaving Guan Yanqing and Lin Sangqian alone once more.

With the surrounding quiet restored, Guan Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief. He had already settled on a fine destination: a teahouse owned by the Yu family with a mountain rising just behind it. Sitting on the second floor, sipping tea while watching the falling snow and chatting idly, would surely be delightful.

Just as he was about to propose this to Lin Sangqian, she spoke up. "Now that these matters are pretty much all resolved, I ought to busy myself with reopening the shops."

Guan Yanqing: "..."

"Let me think, the three shops on East Street, and the one on West Street..."

Lin Sangqian muttered to herself, furrowing her brow with a troubled expression.

Ever since she began expanding her chain of stores, this was the first time she had been forced to temporarily shut down all of them on such a large scale.

"And since I'm planning to move to the capital soon, the shops here need to be entrusted to trustworthy hands for management."

Guan Yanqing let out a helpless sigh, then said, "Miss Lin, if there is anything you need help with, just say the word."

"Really?" Lin Sangqian asked with a beaming smile. "Then I'll have to trouble Eldest Young Master Guan. Tonight, I will cook a grand feast for you!"

Guan Yanqing smiled. "Then I shall look forward to it."

After a flurry of activity, all the branches under the Micken Chicken brand finally reopened for business.

Lin Sangqian even had several of the larger outlets set off firecrackers at their entrances to mark the festive occasion.

During the days when the mountain bandits were wreaking havoc, everyone had kept their doors tightly shut indoors. Now that peaceful life had finally returned, the atmosphere was naturally joyous, and the townspeople had long been craving the delicacies from Micken Chicken.

Consequently, customers streamed through the doors of every shop in a continuous, bustling flow.

Lu Chengren’s Fuman Restaurant had also reopened, and he specially sent Yang Shí over to invite Lin Sangqian to lunch.

Since Guan Yanqing was with Lin Sangqian, Yang Shí extended the invitation to him as well.

Guan Yanqing did not decline.

Lu Chengren had reserved a private room on the second floor especially for them, instructing the head chef to prepare a table full of the restaurant's signature dishes.

Several of those dishes were prepared using recipes provided by Lin Sangqian herself.

Lin Sangqian picked up a piece of chicken to taste, nodded, and remarked, "Mm, truly delicious. A master chef is a master chef indeed; after learning it just once, there is virtually no difference between this and what I make myself."

Hearing this, Guan Yanqing picked up his chopsticks and tasted a piece as well.