61 Qi Mengni's True Identity

But...how could Qi Hemei, the third son of the Qi family who came from one of the four major families and was respected even by Zhao Qingshi's father, Zhao Shi, the mayor of Hengjun City, be related to the helpless Qi Mengni as a brother and sister?

I suppressed my excitement and asked, "Isn't Qi Mengni from a single-parent family? How did she become Qi Hemei's sister?"

Zhang Yiyu said in surprise, "You know Qi Hemei? Oh, right, Zhao Qingshi became Qi Hemei's girlfriend, so it's no wonder you know her. If that's the case, then there must have been some grudge between you and Qi Hemei."

I shook my head and said against my will, "Zhao Qingshi truly loves Qi Hemei. I don't have any objection to her becoming Qi Hemei's girlfriend. As long as Qi Hemei treats her well for the rest of her life and she can be happy, that's enough."

Zhang Yiyu looked at me in disbelief and said, "It's rare for you to have such thoughts. The most difficult thing in a woman's life is to stay with the one she loves. In fact, I envy Zhao Qingshi too. She and Qi Hemei are a perfect match, and they have the recognition and support of both sides' parents. They are so lucky. Unlike me, alas..."

Zhang Yiyu sighed lightly and didn't say anything else.

I understood what she hadn't finished saying. There were many obstacles between her and Bai Yishan. First of all, Bai Yishan was a playboy and had a bunch of girlfriends. It was hard to say who he would marry in the future. What's more, a special family like Zhang Yiyu's naturally had very special standards for choosing a son-in-law. No matter how you looked at it, it would be difficult for Bai Yishan to gain the satisfaction of the elders in Zhang Yiyu's family.

I looked at the trace of sadness on Zhang Yiyu's brow, and felt an indescribable love for her. Her flawless white face was as beautiful as a lotus blooming in clear water. Her body lying on her side, with its well-proportioned curves, exuded an alluring sexiness.

Zhang Yiyu should be thinking about Bai Yishan at this moment, but do you know that when you were kidnapped, Bai Yishan made an appointment with Qi Mengni to go to the movies together, and didn't care whether your situation was safe or not.

I held Zhang Yiyu's hand tightly and wanted to say something to comfort her.

Zhang Yiyu calmly pulled her slender hand out of mine, held her forehead, and sat up, saying, "I've told you long ago that we must take a long-term view of Qi Mengni. Do you think she's just a helpless little girl who you can bully?"

I said helplessly, "But time is running out. The woman outside told me to give her a pill before noon today, otherwise she will kill you. I also want to get the ring as soon as possible so that I can ensure your safety."

I deliberately exaggerated the situation when describing it to Zhang Yiyu, so that it would appear that I took such a risk entirely for her safety.

"Killing someone! That's not possible. What did she say?" Zhang Yiyu was a little unconvinced.

"Well, she said I had to take out the pills, otherwise I would never see you again in this life." I had to tell the truth.

"You'll never see me again! This old witch really can say that." Zhang Yiyu said gritting her teeth.

"Yu Yu, do you know the woman outside?" I asked curiously.

"Of course I know her. I'll tell you about the old witch later. First, let me tell you why Qi Mengni is Qi Hemei's sister."

I nodded and motioned Zhang Yiyu to continue.

"Qin, Chu, Qi, and Yan—these are the four great families, with a heritage spanning over two thousand years, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Each of them is an unfathomable behemoth, supporting and battling each other. The grudges and hatreds between them are difficult to unravel. Qi Hemei's mother was Yu Yanling, a once-famous courtesan. She later married Qi Luoshan, the second son of the Qi family. However, due to her status, she was not accepted by the Qi family and remained without a legitimate status until she gave birth to Qi Hemei. She thought that thanks to her son's status, she would finally be able to marry into the Qi family and ascend to the throne."

Zhang Yiyu paused and continued, "It's ridiculous that this woman puts everything on a man, but she doesn't know that once a man becomes ruthless, he won't acknowledge anything."

Hearing this, I expressed my inner speculation: "Could it be that Qi Luoshan was only willing to recognize his son Qi Hemei and was unwilling to marry a prostitute?"

Zhang Yiyu shook her head. "Not really. Qi Luoshan was initially quite loyal and even threatened to die in order to marry Yu Yanling. Yu Yanling was very touched, but the Qi family elders still disagreed. It wasn't until a few years later that Yu Yanling became pregnant with Qi Mengni. That year, the Qi family finally confirmed the heir to the clan headship. It was Qi Luoshan's brother Qi Tianyun. Since Qi Luoshan couldn't become the head of the Qi clan, he would only be a free and easy prince. The Qi family no longer insisted on his wife's background."

Could it be that Qi Luoshan felt that it was because of Yu Yanling's identity as a prostitute that he failed in his competition for the heir, so he took his anger out on Yu Yanling?

I was about to ask a question when Zhang Yiyu interrupted me: "Let me finish first. Ask anything else you want to ask."

"Qi Luoshan is the second son, and his rank is right after his eldest brother, Qi Luoyun. Furthermore, he's not favored, so he originally had no hope of inheriting the Qi family's headship. Therefore, he has always been carefree and has never bothered to fight for it. It seems that he has no interest in the position of Qi family's headship at all."

"But when a glimmer of hope appeared, no matter how deep his attachment to Yu Yanling was, he couldn't resist the temptation of power. Just when Yu Yanling was about to marry into the Qi family as she wished, another woman offered to marry Qi Luoshan. This immediately changed the minds of the Qi family and Qi Luoshan himself. This woman even demanded that Qi Luoshan abandon Qi Hemei and the pregnant Yu Yanling and sever all contact with Yu Yanling and her son, to which Qi Luoshan readily agreed."

"Is this woman very unusual?" I couldn't help but ask.

Since Yu Yanling was a famous prostitute of her generation, her beauty was naturally needless to say, not to mention that she was pregnant with Qi Mengni. The other woman who could make Qi Luoshan abandon her and her child without hesitation must be even more outstanding.

Zhang Yiyu's face showed admiration: "More than just extraordinary, twenty years ago, she had a title."

I asked, "What title?"

Zhang Yiyu said slowly, "The most beautiful woman in the world."

I was very shocked. The world is so big and there are so many beautiful women. Even Qingming College, which has only tens of thousands of students, has countless beauties. Among them, the ten carefully selected campus beauties, such as Zhao Qingshi, Zhang Yiyu, etc., are all stunningly beautiful. The boys clamored and could only rank them in a rough order. If we really want to say which campus belle is the most beautiful one in Qingming College, I am afraid it will be difficult to get everyone's approval.

And this woman was actually rated as the most beautiful woman in the world and was recognized by everyone. It is simply unimaginable how beautiful she is.

"Yes, twenty years ago, she was recognized by all the young talents at the time as the most beautiful woman in the world. Even that old witch outside was convinced."

The moon fairy outside is already extremely beautiful. She just came out of the hot spring slowly. The rippling water exudes an indescribable temptation and charm, which makes me intoxicated like a fairy from the Yaochi Lake.

Even such a fairy-like figure is convinced by the most beautiful woman in the world, which shows how she has captivated everyone. Ordinary people would be confused by just one sight of her. No wonder Qi Luoshan is willing to abandon his wife and children for her.

"Among the Four Great Clans, the Qin Clan has always held the top spot. This most beautiful woman in the world also has another identity: the Qin Clan's eldest princess, Qin Wuyao. Her beauty and intelligence are unparalleled. It's said she was destined to become the first female head of one of the Four Great Clans in a thousand years. However, she ultimately offered to marry Qi Luoshan, leaving Qi Luoshan and the Qi Clan no choice but to accept. How could he and the Qi Clan refuse?"

I nodded. Even if I were in Qi Luoshan's position, I would probably make the same choice as him.

Even though Yu Yanling was a stunningly beautiful woman of exceptional grace, her status as a courtesan was still considered unattainable by the upper classes. Conversely, Qin Wuyao, not to mention her peerless beauty, recognized as the most beautiful woman in the world, or the advantages afforded by her status as the eldest princess of the Qin family, simply possessing the undisputed goddess of her generation was enough to make any man lose himself in the ultimate inner satisfaction.

Zhang Yiyu glared at me with an unhappy look on her face and said, "You men are all like this. When you see someone new, you forget about the old one."

I quickly said, "I wouldn't. If I were Qi Luoshan, no matter how beautiful Qin Wuyao was, I definitely wouldn't abandon Yu Yanling."

Zhang Yiyu's expression brightened slightly, and I asked, "Just because the Qin family's eldest princess, Qin Wuyao, married Qi Luoshan, does that mean the Qi family can change the heir to the clan? That's a bit too much."

Zhang Yiyu shook her head. "Of course not. Qin Wuyao married Qi Luoshan, and the heir to the Qi family was still Qi Tianyun. However, several years after Qin Wuyao married Qi Luoshan, a strange incident occurred. Qi Tianyun, the original first-in-line heir to the Qi family, suddenly died."

"Could it be Qin Wuyao and Qi Luoshan who were responsible?"

"Qi Tianyun's death likely had nothing to do with Qin Wuyao. It simply happened to occur after Qin Wuyao married Qi Luoshan, which does arouse suspicion. As the heir to the clan, Qi Tianyun naturally had top-tier security measures. Killing him without leaving any trace would have been nearly impossible. After Qi Luoyun's death, the Qi family conducted extensive investigations but ultimately concluded he died of natural causes. This naturally made Qi Luoshan the first in line to inherit the Qi clan's throne."

I speculated in my heart that it was hard to believe if this was true. Qin Wuyao was such a woman. Since she could have become the head of the Qin family, it would have been unreasonable for her to marry Qi Luoshan. Even if she had to marry, she would have to marry Qi Luoshan, who could become the head of the Qi family, and not Qi Luoshan, the unfavored second son of the Qi family.

Perhaps Qin Wuyao and Qi Luoshan had resorted to some covert scheme back then, but no one in the Qi family could find the reason. Now, after so many years, with Qi Luoshan now the head of the clan, it seemed likely that the matter would be left unresolved, destined to remain an unsolved case. The true nature of the grudges and hatreds involved would never be known to outsiders.

I thought about it and asked, "Since Qi Luoshan abandoned his wife and children, how did Qi Hemei eventually become the Third Young Master Qi again, and how did Yu Yanling and Qi Mengni, mother and daughter, have to rely on each other for survival?"

Zhang Yiyu said, "Because Qi Luoshan still faces one final obstacle in his quest to become the head of the Qi family. After several years of marriage, he and Qin Wuyao have failed to produce children. This inevitably worries the Qi family elders, who fear there will be no successor to the Qi family."

I asked, "Isn't it possible to adopt one?"

"The Qi family has been passed down for thousands of years. If Qi Luoshan had married another woman, he could have naturally adopted a collateral son. But Qi Luoshan chose Qin Wuyao instead. A thousand years ago, during the Tang Dynasty, there was an empress named Wu Zetian, who could depose and enthrone even her own sons at will. This is a lesson learned from the past. Qin Wuyao is incredibly talented and brilliant, on par with the empress of that time. If Qi Luoshan dies first, and his adopted son still refuses to follow Qin Wuyao's control, wouldn't the Qi family fall into Qin Wuyao's hands? Therefore, if Qi Luoshan doesn't have a biological son, the Qi family would never dare allow him to inherit the position of head of the Qi family."

"So at this time, Qi Luoshan thought of his abandoned son Qi Hemei?"

"That's right. Qi Hemei was ten years old at the time, having been abandoned by her father, Qi Luoshan, for five years. Qi Mengni was also five. Qi Luoshan had wanted to take this opportunity to bring back Yu Yanling and her child. However, Qin Wuyao was already wronged by marrying Qi Luoshan, and she wouldn't agree to share a husband with a prostitute. In the end, they reached a compromise: Qi Luoshan could take Qi Hemei back, but Yu Yanling couldn't. Even Qi Mengni wasn't allowed to enter the Qi family's gates."

I was silent in my heart. It seemed that Qi Hemei chose to abandon her mother and sister for fame and fortune.

Thinking of this, I said nonchalantly, "Since Qi Hemei abandoned her five-year-old sister Qi Mengni and didn't care about her for so many years, then what should I worry about now?"

Zhang Yiyu saw the indifferent expression on my face and said angrily, "Even if Qi Hemei abandoned the young Qi Mengni because he coveted the position of the Qi family's eldest son and even ignored her for many years, now that he has grown stronger, there is no reason for him to stand by and watch his sister being bullied."

I thought about it and it made sense. Even though power held a higher position in Qi Hemei's heart, enough to make him cruelly abandon his five-year-old sister, this did not mean that Qi Mengni was insignificant in his heart. Even if it was to save face, he would not remain indifferent when he learned that his sister had been raped.

Zhang Yiyu said, "At this point, the best way is to use the ring to make Qi Mengni fall in love with you."

My heart moved slightly. It was indeed tempting to let Qi Mengni fall in love with me. Besides, I had just taken her virginity. Just thinking about that little girl with a baby face and big breasts squeezing in my arms, whispering softly and actively asking me for sex would be an extremely tempting scene.

But the ring cannot be used casually now. According to the deal with Liu Feisheng, I must get Zhang Yiyu and her mother to survive. The ring can be used safely twice at most. If I waste it on Qi Mengni, it will cost me my own life.

And Zhang Yiyu was right in front of me. Her intoxicating willow-shaped eyebrows, bright red lips, and pointed little chin made up a peerless beauty that made me want to pounce on her and kiss her hard.

Compared with Bai Yishan's two girlfriends, the little fairy is more attractive than the one with baby face and big breasts. Although Qi Mengni's breasts are big, Zhang Yiyu's breasts are not small either, and her face is undoubtedly more beautiful.

Just as I was comparing Zhang Yiyu and Qi Mengni in my mind, an unhappy voice came from the door of the cabin: "You two are having a good chat."