Chapter 136: A Masterstroke

"Mind your own business!"

Xu Qing glared at Xu Fei, then flopped back onto the bed, covering her head with her pillow.

"Xu Fei, you'd better stop meddling in my affairs, you hear me?"

"If you weren't my sister, do you think I'd actually want to deal with the faces of that pair?"

"What?"

Xu Qing pulled the pillow away. "What pair are you talking about?"

Xu Fei was already walking toward the door.

"Wait! Finish what you were saying before you leave."

Hearing her call out, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of Xu Fei’s mouth. Without turning back, he said, "Didn't you tell me not to meddle? I’m done. From now on, I won’t ask about your business again."

With that, he pushed the door open and walked out.

Xu Qing couldn't sit still on the bed. She had heard rumors about Zhang Xuefeng for some time, but there had never been any concrete proof. Now that Xu Fei had hinted at it, her mind was in a turmoil. She jumped off the bed and dashed out of the room.

"Hey, Xu Fei! Tell me, what exactly did you see?"

Xu Fei, caught by her grip, looked at his sister with feigned surprise. "I thought you didn't want to know? You were just yelling at me a second ago. Honestly... if I tell you, you’ll only be heartbroken. Forget it, let’s just let it go."

The more he said, the more unsettled she became.

"Is it Ma Li?" she blurted out.

Xu Fei looked at her, feigning shock. "How did you know?"

It seemed as though Xu Qing had revealed it all herself. In reality, this was exactly the effect Xu Fei wanted. If he had simply blurted it out, Xu Qing’s temperament would have likely led her to doubt the truth of his words. Now, however, the look of sorrow on her face told the whole story.

*Waaaah!*

Her tears gushed out like a broken floodgate. Xu Fei watched her crouch on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, but he made no move to comfort her.

Du Man, who had run out from the kitchen, watched the scene in shock. She glanced at Xu Fei, not daring to make a sound, and mouthed, "What’s wrong with her?"

Xu Fei shook his head. "Let her cry. Maybe she’ll feel better once it’s out."

Du Man nodded. "I'll go back to cooking then."

Xu Fei nodded as well, then crouched down beside his sister and patted her head. "So, do you want me to tell you what I saw and heard?"

Xu Qing slowly lifted her head, her face streaked with tears. She seemed to be making a difficult decision. "Tell me."

Seeing her consent, Xu Fei pulled her up and they sat on nearby chairs.

"Here, drink some water." He handed her a glass from the table.

"Just tell me," Xu Qing said, clutching the glass without any intention of drinking, her voice urgent.

"I went to the school and saw Zhang Xuefeng in the small grove..." Xu Fei paused to gauge her reaction.

"The small grove? That bastard!"

Xu Fei knew exactly what the small grove signified at their high school. He continued, "There was a girl with him. Yes, the one you mentioned—her name is Ma Li."

"I knew it! They really are together. What happened after that?"

Seeing the pure hatred in Xu Qing’s expression, Xu Fei was secretly overjoyed. His goal was to make her abandon any lingering feelings for that scumbag, Zhang Xuefeng. Everything was progressing exactly as he had planned.

"Ma Li was saying that Zhang Xuefeng is with her now, and that her family is wealthy enough to pay for his tuition." Xu Fei looked at her. "Honestly, if you really insist on staying with that scumbag, I could still help you pay for his college."

"In your dreams! That bastard... I wouldn't spend a cent of our family’s money on someone like him, even if I were feeding it to the dogs!"

"Why do you have to be like this?" Xu Fei sighed, though he was truly ecstatic inside.

"What happened next?"

"After that, they walked away in an embrace, and I came home."

"An embrace?" Xu Qing’s face turned pale with rage. "Those two shameless wretches!"

Xu Fei nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you wouldn't believe how tightly Zhang Xuefeng was holding her..." He tutted and shook his head.

"Dinner is ready..." Du Man walked out with the food.

"I’m not eating!" Xu Qing stormed into her room. Soon, the sound of muffled sobbing drifted out.

Du Man looked at Xu Fei. "What’s going on?"

Xu Fei smiled. "Good things."

Seeing his reaction, Du Man looked perplexed. "You can still smile?"

Xu Fei sat at the table. "Wife, get me some liquor. I want a drink today."

"You still want to drink? Is there something to celebrate?"

Xu Fei waved her off. "You wouldn't understand yet. I’ll fill you in later."

Du Man brought him the bottle and a small cup. Just as she was about to pour, the courtyard gate clicked. Xu Fei looked up and saw Zhang Mingyang walking in.

"Third brother, why are you here?" Xu Fei stood up with a smile to greet him.

Seeing Xu Fei, Zhang Mingyang’s face darkened slightly. "Old Four, you’re back, why didn't you let us know?"

Xu Fei pulled him into the room. "Come, Third brother, sit. Let’s drink and talk." He took the cup from Du Man and poured one for Zhang Mingyang.

"When did you get back?" Zhang Mingyang asked, taking a sip.

"Yesterday. I hadn't had a chance to look for you guys yet when this trouble at home started."

Zhang Mingyang nodded. "How is she?"

"You heard about it?" Xu Fei asked.

"Yeah, I heard this morning and came over to check. On my way, I ran into Old Liu at the mouth of the alley, and he told me you were back."

"That’s right." Xu Fei briefed him on the situation in the provincial capital. "By the way, Third brother, how are our TV sales going? Have you been restocking?"

At the mention of this, Zhang Mingyang smiled. "I actually came by because I heard about Xu Qing’s trouble and thought you might need money. I brought some for you." He pulled a thick stack of bills from his pocket.

"This much?" Xu Fei was surprised; it looked like at least several thousand.

"This is just a portion. After you left, I followed your instructions and went to Nanjing with the Second brother. We met with Meng Anyi and delivered the share we promised them. Guess what happened?"

Xu Fei looked at him with a knowing smile.

"Qi Zhiyong isn't like Meng Anyi; he’s a man who only cares about results. Now that you’ve paid what we owed them, did he offer to increase our inventory?"

"You’re a genius, Old Four! You’re just like Zhuge Liang, strategizing from thousands of miles away! Even though you weren't there, it’s like you saw it all. You were right—once Qi Zhiyong saw the money, he offered to let us take one hundred units on credit to sell first, and pay him later."

Xu Fei nodded, smiling. "I expected as much."

Zhang Mingyang gave him an admiring thumbs-up. "Old Four, you’re brilliant!"