69novels Chapter 765 As expected, someone is planning all of this!
Chapter 765 As expected, someone is planning all of this!
The lingering sound of the chime bells seemed to still linger on the beams. Qi Ji's dance was like a willow swaying in the wind, and finally froze after a graceful turn.
She panted slightly, her curves under her gauze dress were faintly visible in the candlelight, and a layer of fine sweat on her forehead shone in the halo, adding a bit of lovable laziness. However, her eyes never really left Gao Yao. In the intervals between seemingly focused dances, her eyes moved around, accurately capturing the depth of the wine glass in his hand.
When the wine in the cup was a little less, she came forward like a light butterfly, holding the warm wine pot with her slender hands, and refilled it for him with just the right amount of respect and a hint of intimacy. This subtle thoughtfulness, like spring rain moistening everything, silently soothed Gao Yao's tired nerves.
"Huh..." Gao Yao put down the empty cup, his eyes fell on the sweaty temples of Concubine Qi, and he couldn't help but sigh again. This is how different women deal with the world! Yu Shu is like a clear spring, clear but easily trapped by turbid currents; Lu Zhi is like a raging flame, burning but with the edge of burning everything; and the Concubine Qi in front of him is like a warm jade, hiding her thoughts in the most soothing tenderness.
No wonder she could capture people's hearts in this thrilling harem, and even... captured some of her own comfort. This extreme control of details, the precise grasp of men's psychology, the level of care and the comfort it brought, I'm afraid even the most caring Xiaoyue would have to admit that she was inferior. Gao Yao had to admit that Qi Ji's ability to "grasp men's hearts very well" was indeed unique.
When Qi Ji finished dancing, with a sweaty body and a slight panting breath, and was about to lean forward, Gao Yao's admiration and the aroused heat in his eyes suddenly settled down and turned into a deep scrutiny. He did not take the opportunity to embrace the beauty, but leaned back slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the smooth table, making a light sound, breaking the charming atmosphere.
"Qi Ji," Gao Yao's voice was not loud, and even had a hint of hoarseness from drinking, but it was like an invisible rope that instantly tightened Qi Ji's nerves. "Tell me, what happened?" His sharp eyes were like substance, penetrating the gentle place Qi Ji had carefully created. "Just say whatever I tell you to say. You have to understand who you rely on for a living."
This last sentence, light and yet heavy, carried an unquestionable pressure. It was like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing the embarrassment and secret joy that had arisen in Qi Ji's heart because of Gao Yao's "dishonest behavior" just now.
The blush on her face caused by exercise suddenly faded, replaced by a pale look of astonishment. Gao Yao... he actually held back?! With her careful arrangements, the atmosphere so ambiguous, and his obvious intention, he could actually suppress the desire that was about to spread and ask about the incident in the backyard right away?!
This composure, this almost cold clarity that he maintained even in the trap of tenderness, made Qi Ji feel a strong sense of awe for this man for the first time in her heart, and even... a hint of fear.
She had thought that no matter how powerful a man was, he would lose his concentration for a moment when faced with beauty, which would be enough for her to deceive him or influence him. But now she understood that Gao Yao's success was not a fluke. His determination to achieve great things far exceeded her wildest expectations.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Qi Ji almost instinctively said, as if she was hit by an invisible hammer, her knees softened, and she fell to the ground. Her forehead was pressed tightly against the cold floor, not daring to lift it up even a little bit, her voice trembled uncontrollably, and the charming smile she had before was gone.
Gao Yao looked at the trembling body at his feet, his eyes did not waver at all, only the understanding of seeing through everything. The farce in the backyard, Lu Zhi's cold-eyed observation, Yu Shu's grievance and forbearance, and then Qi Ji's "coincidental" comfort at this moment... This chain of "coincidences" is a huge joke if there is no one behind the scenes.
Gao Yao was able to rise in the troubled times, from a mere cook to his current position of power, not by nepotism, nor by womanizing. He was not like Liu Bang who relied on his wife and brothers to conquer the world! His power was gained through his planning, fighting in the bloody storm, and countless sleepless nights!
It was the product of the advantage given by the system combined with his own iron-fisted means! Even without the "virtuous wife" of Lü Zhi and the "talents of the king" of Xiao He and Zhang Liang, Gao Yao alone with his own scheming and ruthlessness, he would have been more than enough to rule the three counties of Nanhai and dominate the area! No matter how smart and resourceful the women in the backyard were, their wealth, honor, and disgrace, their life and death, all originated from his will!
"What's so hard to say?" Gao Yao's voice calmed down, but it carried a more frightening power, like the calm before a storm, "Just say it directly. You can rest assured that I'm here." He leaned forward slightly, his shadow covering the prostrate Qi Ji, and every word was clearly struck in her heart, with absolute control, "In the backyard, no one dares to target you."
The cold floor brought a biting chill through her gauze dress, and Qi Ji's crawling body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
Gao Yao's words "With me here, no one dares to target you" were like a heavy burden, a promise and a pressure. She knew that any hesitation or lie at this moment could push her into an abyss of no return. The price of this "protection" from the absolute power was complete and unreserved honesty.
She took a deep breath, as if she had used up all her strength. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's. With an undisguised panic, she uttered the name clearly:
"Husband...husband...it was...it was Sister Lu Zhi...she told me...not to show up..." Qi Ji lowered her head even lower, almost burying it in her arms, "She said...she said that as long as husband sees everyone waiting, husband will get upset and will naturally...will think of coming to me..."
Every word was like a red-hot iron, burning her throat. This was a complete betrayal, exposing the hand behind the scenes in broad daylight. She didn't dare to look up at Gao Yao's face, her heart was filled with desperate panic. She had been in the mansion for too short a time, her foundation was as shallow as duckweed, and she had not yet given birth to a child to rely on. In this hierarchical fortress in the backyard, she was almost at the bottom.
Lu Zhi was at her peak of power. If she offended her, she would suffer endless troubles in the future. But if she angered Gao Yao now, it would be an immediate disaster! She had to choose the lesser of two evils. She could only choose the man who held the power of life and death over her.