Chapter 363: Under the Table
The moment he spoke, the harmonious atmosphere in the room suddenly fell into a strange silence.
Jiang Qingli felt Xie Youchen turn his head to glance at her. The pressure was suddenly immense, and she quickly denied it. "Marshal Sun, you’ve misunderstood. Que Feiling and I are just friends."
Hearing the word "friends," Xie Youchen seemed to recall something and silently curled his lip.
The young man lifted his gaze, his voice deepening slightly. "Marshal Sun, you’ve misunderstood."
His gaze never moved, but under the table, his hand found Jiang Qingli’s with pinpoint accuracy. He slid his fingers between hers, intertwining them, then pulled her hand onto his lap.
At that distance, they would be discovered if anyone so much as glanced their way.
Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but grow tense and tried to pull her hand back.
But Xie Youchen’s movements were gentle yet restraining, giving her no chance to pull away.
He even gently kneaded her knuckles with his calloused thumb. The slow, soft pressure sent a tingle up her spine.
’Who would have thought he’d do something like this when he’s jealous...?’
Jiang Qingli’s heart raced, but she could only maintain a calm expression, pretending she was by no means his accomplice.
Thankfully, no one else noticed.
Sun Ruida had been about to say they made a good match, but he hadn’t expected to be mistaken.
Catching the blush on the tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears, he assumed she was shy because of the misunderstanding. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and tried to explain, "My apologies, Miss Jiang. I just suddenly remembered hearing somewhere that the Vermilion Bird Clan likes to give their tail feathers to their beloved. And that kid, Que Feiling, always turns down the blind dates we set up for him, saying he already likes someone. Ah, I just got the wrong idea for a moment..."
Yuan Liang chimed in, "That’s right. That kid Que Feiling is always so vague, making us think he’s already given his tail feather to his sweetheart. We’ll have to make him explain himself clearly when he gets back!"
After their explanations, Jiang Qingli simply smiled. "Mm, okay."
She looked perfectly calm.
But only she knew that under the table, the grip on her knuckles was slowly tightening, like a spider’s web contracting, constricting her heart and making it beat even faster.
The meeting ended after a few more pleasantries.
Sun Ruida took the tail feather and went to arrange the search for Que Feiling, while Yuan Liang left for his routine patrol.
Chen Mi tactfully took his leave.
As they walked out of the conference room, the sky was growing dark.
Xie Youchen pulled her to her feet, his expression as calm as ever. "Would you like to try some of the Twelve Cities’ specialty foods?"
Jiang Qingli asked, "Don’t you have work to do later?"
Ever since they boarded the aircraft, Xie Youchen hadn’t had a moment’s rest. She had woken up in the middle of the night to find him still signing documents. The sheer volume of his work was enough to make her worry.
Xie Youchen looked into her eyes and said, "The East District was ambushed. I’m heading over tomorrow morning."
The defensive points of the Twelve Cities were scattered, with the two most important being the West District and the East District. Jiang Qingli and the others were currently in the West District.
The East District had been attacked last night. Fortunately, the losses weren’t heavy. Xie Youchen wasn’t the type to be a sitting duck. He planned to go on the offensive tomorrow after the damaged defense points were repaired.
Before that, he would have some free time.
Hearing that Xie Youchen was leaving, Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but worry. "For how long? Is it dangerous?"
"It’s not dangerous." Xie Youchen looked at Jiang Qingli and said, in a tone that was practically a direct invitation, "The orders just came down. Family members are permitted to accompany."
Privately, Xie Youchen hoped she would go with him to the East District.
Only by keeping her in his sight and ensuring her constant safety could he feel at ease.
But just as he expected, he saw hesitation on Jiang Qingli’s face the very next second.
’She still can’t let go of that empty-headed idiot.’
Just as Jiang Qingli was about to speak, she heard him say, "I’ll be back in about a week. Don’t worry."
Hearing him say that, Jiang Qingli felt a pang of guilt, as if he had seen right through her.
She touched the tip of her nose and continued to explain, "Um... I’m just worried that Qin Muye might be unstable during this time. Plus, if Que Feiling’s condition isn’t stable when he’s found, I’ll need to help heal him."
At the thought of the red tail feather she had handed over, Xie Youchen’s eyes darkened.
But he still said nothing, only squeezing her hand and giving a soft "Mm."
—
After changing clothes, the two of them submitted a request with Chen Mi and then headed out.
The car had just left the military district when they suddenly heard a sharp honk from behind.
Jiang Qingli was sipping a drink while reading some documents. Before she could react, the steering wheel was jerked hard, and the car swerved violently to the right.
Caught off guard, Jiang Qingli was thrown sideways, but thankfully Xie Youchen reached out and pulled her into his arms.
In her peripheral vision, a military vehicle cut them off aggressively, its movements frantic as it rammed right into them!
Jiang Qingli’s eyes widened. The drink in her hand spilled, but the liquid froze in mid-air the next second.
The car outside also hung suspended in mid-air.
In the frozen world, only the three people inside the car were unaffected by time.
"Chen Mi," Xie Youchen said. At the same time, he took the cup from Jiang Qingli’s hand with one hand to catch the floating liquid.
"Yes, sir," Chen Mi responded, turning the steering wheel.
Once the drink was caught, their car glided smoothly past the other vehicle and landed steadily on the road.
As they passed, Jiang Qingli saw Qin Xiangning in the driver’s seat of the other car, staring at them provocatively through the window.
Xie Youchen’s gaze drifted lightly over the man’s face without lingering for even a moment.
Chen Mi was clearly afraid of these disciples of the Imperial Family. He quickly accelerated, driving away right at the edge of the speed limit.
But the other party had no intention of letting them go so easily.
The car behind them caught up and drove alongside them.
Its window rolled down, and Qin Xiangning leaned out, one hand resting on the windowsill. He reached over and tapped on the rear window of their car, only pulling his hand back when Jiang Qingli lowered it.
"My apologies, Marshal Xie. I was just trying to overtake you. Who knew these military district cars were so terrible to handle?" Qin Xiangning glanced at Xie Youchen. "Good thing you have that Superpower."
With that, his gaze fell on Jiang Qingli, and he raised an eyebrow. "Sister-in-law, did I scare you?"
Despite his words, his tone held not a trace of apology.
Jiang Qingli couldn’t even be bothered to glance at him. Just before she raised the window, she heard Qin Xiangning let out a cold laugh.
Seeing that they were ignoring him, Qin Xiangning didn’t linger. He stomped on the accelerator, and the car shot off like an arrow released from a bow.
Jiang Qingli said with dissatisfaction, "Just the thought of having to see him again later is so annoying."
Xie Youchen held the drink cup to her lips and said calmly, "Then I’ll have him go with me to the East District."
Taking a sip of the drink from his hand, Jiang Qingli shook her head. "You’re so busy. What if he messes things up for you?"
"He wouldn’t dare," Xie Youchen said. "It’s not safe for him to stay near you."
"How is it not safe?"
"Last night, he arranged for someone to make a move on Qin Muye."
Xie Youchen’s tone was placid, but Jiang Qingli’s heart pounded in her chest as she listened. "What?! Why didn’t you tell me!"
"Yi Nuo didn’t tell you?" Xie Youchen looked up, a faint, mocking curve to his lips, as if taunting Yi Nuo for not trying to take credit for it. "He and Guo Yu took care of the assailants last night."
Guo Yu was another of Xie Youchen’s subordinates.
Jiang Qingli hadn’t expected Qin Xiangning to be bold enough to make a move right inside the military district.
’But it makes sense,’ she thought. ’Qin Muye is at his most vulnerable right now. If he doesn’t strike now, it will be much harder later.’
Once he grew stronger, he would become a major concern for the other candidates from the Imperial Family.
’Since Xie Youchen didn’t mention it, the matter must have been handled discreetly. It can’t be used as evidence for now. If they were to expose it, Qin Xiangning would just seize the opportunity to turn the tables and make false accusations against them.’
"Don’t frown. I’ll handle it."
Xie Youchen smoothed the crease between her brows. He leaned closer, supporting himself with one hand beside her. His gaze fell on her glistening lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
He lifted her chin slightly with two fingers and lowered his head toward her.
Jiang Qingli quickly raised her hand to press the button for the privacy partition. Just as her fingers were about to touch it, she heard Chen Mi speak:
"Marshal, Qin Xiangning is heading toward Zone A."