Paper Lover At Old Town Bookstore Chapter 53

Sow discord

In the afternoon, the coffee shop is filled with the sweet aroma of caramel macchiato. The sunlight outside the floor-to-ceiling window passes through the blinds, casting mottled light and shadow on the table.He Pingan was sitting by the window, fingertips nervously rubbing the warm coffee cup. Opposite him, Xing Qingru was wearing an off-white dress, with delicate makeup, but could not hide the complexity in his eyes.

“Peace,” Xing Qingru spoke first, his voice soft but tentative, “Song Zhili told me that you are living well with Qiu Sheng… now?”

He Ping’an raised his eyes, with surprise and a hint of alienation in his eyes: “It’s good. Mr. Song takes good care of me, and my work goes well.”

“Take care of him?” Xing Qingru’s hand holding the coffee spoon tightened, and his tone was a little sharp unconsciously, “Is he taking care of me so much that he is willing to spend 100 million to pay off your gambling debts and let you live next to him? Ping An, what do you want from him?”

He Ping’an clenched his fists suddenly, and his face turned pale instantly: “Qingru, why do you think so? Mr. Song helped me because I have value, not what you think! I never thought about getting anything from him!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Xing Qingru’s voice rose a bit, attracting a few sideways glances from around him, “You were completely devoted to me back then, and now you have turned around and attached yourself to the heir of the Song family. Isn’t it just to climb high? Have you forgotten a long time ago, how my grandfather forced you, and how did you…”

“That’s enough!” He Pingan interrupted her with red eyes, “What happened back then is in the past! Now I just want to work hard and repay Mr. Song for his kindness. I have never thought about anything else! It was Song Zhili who told you something, right? He just deliberately provoked you!”

At this moment, a cold voice suddenly came from behind: “Instigation? I would like to hear what Song Zhili instigated.”

The two of them turned around at the same time and saw Song Qiusheng standing not far away. His black suit made him tall and tall, his eyes as cold as frost. Lin Zhiqing followed him with a serious expression.It turned out that after Song Qiusheng finished handling the company’s affairs, he remembered that He Ping’an said that he would meet an old friend in the afternoon, so he came over to take a look uneasy, but he didn’t expect to see this scene.

He Ping’an quickly stood up: “Mr. Song…”

Xing Qingru also stood up slowly, a trace of panic flashed across his face, and then he regained his composure: “Qiu Sheng, I just want to talk to Ping An alone, nothing else.”

“Let’s talk alone?” Song Qiusheng stepped closer, glanced at Xing Qingru, and finally landed on He Ping’an’s red eyes. His tone was even colder, “Is it because he is trying to climb a high tree, about his past, or about the nonsense that Song Zhili instilled in you?”

Xing Qingru’s face turned pale: “I…”

“Ms.

He paused and looked at Xing Qingru with sharp eyes: “It’s you, Miss Xing. You are getting married to Song Zhili next month. Instead of preparing for the wedding, you came here to question the people around me. Do you think Song Zhili’s instigation is reasonable, or do you want to test me on behalf of the Xing family?”

“I didn’t!” Xing Qingru hurriedly defended, “I’m just… I’m just worried that you will be taken advantage of!”

“Worried about me?” Song Qiusheng chuckled, his tone full of sarcasm, “Miss Xing, you should worry about yourself. You know better than me what kind of person Song Zhili is. He deliberately sows a relationship between you and Ping An. He just wants you to deal with Ping An and create trouble for me. If you really believe him, you will fall into his trap.”

He Ping’an stood next to Song Qiusheng and looked at him defending himself. A warm current surged in his heart and his eyes became even redder.

Xing Qingru looked at the invisible tacit understanding between the two and thought of Song Zhili’s words on the phone, feeling mixed in his heart.She looked at He Pingan, with guilt and relief in her eyes: “Ping An, I’m sorry, I misunderstood you.”

He Pingan shook his head: “It’s okay, it’s all over.”

Song Qiusheng stood up, raised his hand and patted He Pingan on the shoulder: “Let’s go.”

The two of them turned and walked towards the door, leaving Xing Qingru sitting alone, looking at the cold coffee on the table, feeling confused.She knew that Song Qiusheng was right, and she had indeed fallen into Song Zhili’s scheme.But when she thought about the wedding next month, Song Zhili’s madness, and He Pingan’s current situation, she felt that this marriage between the Song and Xing families might have been a mistake from the beginning.

In the basement of the villa, the lights were as dim as Song Zhili’s state of mind at the moment.He clutched the phone, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. A cold reply came from the Xing family housekeeper: “The old man said that since Miss Xing has apologized, the matter will no longer be pursued. Mr. Song does not need to say more.”

“No need to say more?” Song Zhili chuckled, his laughter full of crazy paranoia, and his eyes filled with almost destructive possessiveness, “She is generous, but why do some people occupy things that do not belong to them?”

After hanging up the phone, he slammed the phone against the wall. The sound of the screen shattering was particularly harsh in the silent basement.The scene in the cafe reappeared repeatedly in his mind – Song Qiusheng stood in front of He Ping’an, defending him with a cold tone, the two of them standing side by side, like a poisonous thorn, piercing his heart.

“Song Qiusheng, you can only belong to me.” He faced the empty basement with a hoarse and firm voice, with undeniable paranoia, “No matter it was before, now, or in the future, you can only belong to me!”

When he was studying abroad, the image of Song Qiusheng standing in the sun wearing a white shirt is still clearly engraved in his bones.At that time, he was the heir to whom the family had high hopes, and Song Qiusheng was the beloved nephew. The two had a brief but unforgettable time in an unknown corner.But later, for the sake of family interests and marriage with the Xing family, he had to let go and watch Song Qiusheng move away from him step by step.

I thought that after the marriage, everything would be settled, but Song Qiusheng suddenly appeared in a neighboring city, desperately saving He Ping’an and protecting that man by his side.This made Song Zhili completely lose control – he could accept that Song Qiusheng would not forgive him, and he could accept that the two of them were strangers, but he could never tolerate other men around Song Qiusheng, especially a man like He Ping’an who had been attached to the Xing family and had entanglements with Xing Qingru!

“He Ping’an…” Song Zhili gritted his teeth, a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes, “Since Xing Qingru can’t do it, then I’ll find someone who can.”

He bent down to pick up the broken cell phone and dialed Mr. Xing’s personal number from memory.The moment the call was connected, he quickly stopped all his madness and his tone became respectful and sincere: “Uncle Xing, this is Zhili. There is something I have to tell you. It is related to the face of the Xing family and the marriage of our two families.”

Mr. Xing’s old but majestic voice came from the receiver: “What’s the matter?”

“He Ping’an.” Song Zhili lowered his voice and deliberately added jealousy, “Now he is relying on Qiu Sheng’s favor to spread his word in neighboring cities. He not only spreads the story that you forced him to break up with Qingru, but also threatened toWe need to use the power of the Song family to take revenge on the Xing family.Qiu Sheng was kept in the dark and obeyed his advice. If this continues, not only will the reputation of the Xing family be damaged, but the marriage between our two families may also be affected.”

He paused and his tone became more urgent: “Uncle Xing, you also know that Qiu Sheng has a stubborn temper. I have tried to persuade him several times, but he didn’t listen at all. The only one who can stop He Ping’an now is you. You can’t watch him destroy the Xing family and our marriage, right?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time, so long that Song Zhili almost thought that Mr. Xing would not agree.Just when he was about to lose his patience, Mr. Xing finally spoke, his voice cold and bone-chilling: “I understand. This He Ping’an should have been eradicated from the beginning. Don’t worry, I will make him disappear completely and won’t cause any more trouble to the Xing family or you.”

“Thank you, Uncle Xing.” A sinister smile appeared on Song Zhili’s lips, and the craziness in his eyes became even worse.

After hanging up the phone, he walked to the window, looked out at the dark night, and murmured to himself: “Qiu Sheng, don’t blame me. If you do, blame He Ping’an for being so ignorant and blocking our way. When he disappears, you will come back to me, right?”

The darkness of night completely covered up his paranoia and madness.In the duplex apartment in the neighboring city, Song Qiusheng didn’t know it yet, but a conspiracy against He Ping’an had quietly begun.