Chapter 39: I Believe Her

Translator: Tuiwen Editor: Tuiwen

Her remarks drew everyone’s attention right away.

Surprise drained the blood from her face, but Fu Qing’s fists were clenched beneath the table. She was well aware that word of her alleged affair with another man had already made its way to the rest of the family members.

“Qing is my wife and the Zhan family’s third young mistress. She can’t possibly be too stingy with her clothing choices. She has style and finesse. Otherwise, wouldn’t it reflect poorly on our family’s reputation?”

After being caught in the ceasefire for far too long, Fu Qing was able to resolve the awkwardness. It was all thanks to Zhan Qi’s prompt response to defend her.

Zhan Yuv winced and argued, “Qi, Dad knows you and Qing are in love, but she should understand she’s already tied to the Zhan family. There are some things we should be careful of, such as our actions in public.”

Zhan Cheng also seconded his statement, hoping to create even more havoc.

“I agree. Ah Qing doesn’t have a steady job, and you’re always on the move. How can we know if someone indecent will pursue your wife and entice her to do something that will damage the family’s reputation?”

Those seated at the dinner table were all experienced socialites. They couldn’t have missed the sarcasm in her words, could they? They gave a gurgle of laughter and covered their mouths.

Fu Qing clinched her fists and sprang to her feet. “Does anybody know someone who seduces me daily? I’m not sure, but I can sense someone is following me from behind every day and covertly documenting my every move and interactions with others. I’m curious to know if this kind of behavior is considered hazardous to the family.”

Suddenly, one person bit off a shaky laugh and looked down in shame.

“Who took your photo, Qing, and what kind of picture did they take? I want to get to the bottom of this.”

Zhan Qi immediately got up and comforted her with a hug and a few pats on the shoulder.

Fu Qing stared at Zhan Yuv and gave him the ghost of a grin.

“Dad, can you show Qi the photos? I want everyone to see them as well, because no one will believe me even if I explain it myself. Since everyone is here today, we can tackle the impending issue of the Zhan family’s calligraphy and paintings being sold by someone else, preventing any future theft incidents.”

The silence in the room was deafening. Nobody dared to say anything else.

Zhan Qi swept his gaze across the quiet crowd and seized the opportunity to speak on Fu Qing’s behalf. “Dad, what photos are Qing referring to? Let me look at them.”

When Zhang Xue realized things weren’t going as planned, she rushed to try to smooth things over. “The food is getting cold. Let’s dig in first. We don’t often get together and have fun. Now that our family is complete, let’s enjoy each other’s company for the time being and talk about the photos later.”

Zhan Yuv locked his gaze on Zhang Xue, his eyes glistening with a deeper meaning.

“Qing is my wife, and she was secretly photographed by some creepy stalker. How can I not be concerned as her husband? But you’re right, everyone is here today, so we’ll talk about it at the right time. I don’t want to cause any misunderstandings between us.”

With a wave of his hand, Zhan Yuv signaled the butler to head upstairs and get the pictures for Zhan Qi to see.

Zhan Qi smiled as he went through each of them one by one.

“Everyone, please don’t be alarmed. I know him, and he is certainly Little Treasure’s father. His name is Luo Ying, and he is the current president of the Luo Group. He is extremely grateful that Qing and I have taken such good care of his son for a few days. To extend his appreciation, he has expressed interest in working with me.”

Zhan Yuv’s expression softened when he learned that this misunderstanding had resulted in something positive and that there were business benefits. He immediately changed the way he looked at Fu Qing.

“Okay everyone, let’s drop this nonsense. Since Qi already said so, I’m not going to bother with it any longer.”

However, Zhan Qi was not about to make it easy for the person behind this propaganda. His square jaw clenched visibly, and the next few words he spoke were ominous.

“Dad, who sent you these photos? Qing was secretly followed and photographed for no apparent reason. This is clearly an invasion of privacy, and we can’t just ignore it.”

Zhan Yuv was being unreasonable in this situation, and he was annoyed that Zhan Qi couldn’t just let it go. “Cheng, where did you get these photos?” he inquired as he looked at Zhan Cheng.

“Umm…” Zhan Cheng couldn’t even look convincing as he pretended to be oblivious to the matter. “My assistant gave them to me and said he just happened to see them by accident,” he explained awkwardly. “He thought something didn’t add up because he didn’t know about Little Treasure.”

“Wow, your assistant is so hardworking and efficient. Not only is he doing his job at the company, but he’s also focusing on me and my wife,” Zhan Si said impassively.

“Cheng, don’t keep this malicious gossiper as your assistant. Give him alimony, then get rid of him. Replace him with someone more sensible.”

Zhan Yuv exercised his authority as the family head and put his foot down. He wanted to get this matter resolved as soon as possible.

Zhan Cheng quickly replied, “Okay, I will..”