Chapitre 47: In Denial
Li Zongying was lazily curating her feed on social media. She had already chosen the pictures she was going to post. Of course, once she was famous, people would drag through all the details of her life in socials. So she had to pull through for everyone that would visit her page soon enough.
She just deleted a post she made a couple years back about some coffee that was no longer popular when her telephone started ringing. "Mr. Qing's office. How may I help you?"
"Hi," a forcibly calmed voice said. "This is Qing Chen's office, right?"
"Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you?"
"Oh, listen. This is his mother-in-law, I am Feng Xuan's mother," the woman from the other line said in slow words. "I am just concerned about their relationship…"
A smile spread to her lips, still she played along. "Uhm, do you want me to connect you with Mr. Qing? I don't—"
"No! Don't!" the other person on the line chuckled nervously. "I called because I really wanted to talk to you."
"Ma'am?"
"I want to know if there are some people that my son-in-law had been seeing lately?"
"Uhm, I don't really get what you mean, ma'am." In her mind, Li Zongying was already laughing. She didn't think her plan could've reached this point. But there she was.
The person sighed. "The thing is, I received a tip from someone that Qing Chen was cheating on my daughter, Feng Xuan. Since you're his secretary I'm pretty sure you know how most of his days play out."
"I do, ma'am." Then she lowered her voice, another plan forming in her head. "I can't really speak about this over the phone. Do you think we could meet somewhere?"
"Oh! That would be delightful!"
The woman hung up the call after giving her an address and Li Zongying grinned. She had heard that Feng Xuan and her step-mother did not have the best relationship. She saw it perfectly at the wedding party. They hardly talked.
So maybe she found an ally in all this.
During lunchtime, Li Zongying went to the address which turned out to be an expensive restaurant. She was lead down a hallway to one of the private rooms. Food were already laid down the glass table and a woman with shoulder-length hair sat on the head.
"Good afternoon, madam," she said.
"Hello," said the overwhelmingly sweet voice. "Have a seat."
The woman's face held no wrinkles and her skin looked like it had been stretched a few times already. Her skin was clear and looked icy. Her eyes felt like it hadn't seen happiness until that day. Still, her beauty floats over everything else. No wonder Liu Meilien, the model, looked so gorgeous.
"I am Liu Lifen," she said.
"I am Li Zongying," she answered. "I understand you want me to answer some questions about Mr. Qing."
"Yes," the woman gestured and tea was poured into small cups. She was handed one and she took a sip. "I am just worried about my step-daughter. I'd hate to see her heartbroken. Surely, you understand where I am coming from."
"Yes, madam," she said.
"Tell me more about Qing Chen. Who is this mystery girl that he was being rumored to be cheating with?"
Li Zongying liked that this woman had gotten down to business immediately. She would've hated getting into small talk about things she really didn't care about. And she was pretending to be concerned for Feng Xuan when in fact, it was obvious she had another agenda with all this. "Just between you and I, madam, I don't think Mr. Qing Chen is cheating on your step-daughter."
"Oh!" disappointment started to appear in her eyes. "Well I guess that tip was fake, then."
"But, I heard something else," she said.
The woman's eyes rounded with intrigued and she leaned closer. "What is it?"
Li Zongying leaned too, close enough that she could whisper to the other woman's ear. "He had gotten someone pregnant."
Li Zongying expected a gasp or any form of surprise and shock. But all she got was a satisfied grin when the woman pulled away. "So that rumor is true then? He really had gotten someone pregnant?" the woman raised her cup to her lips. "And do you have any idea on who this woman might be?"
Li Zongying felt a smile forming on her lips. This woman was a great actress. She had called in pretending she only knew that Qing Chen was only cheating when in fact she already knew that he had gotten someone pregnant. "Yes, I do have an idea."
"And who is that?"
"Me."
The other woman choked on her tea and she wiped her lips, smearing a little of her lipstick. In her eyes, there was shock and possibly, a little disgust which entertained Li Zongying. "YOU?!"
Li Zongying only grinned and danced her eyebrows.
Liu Lifen eyed her up and down. She knew that she was no Feng Xuan with her short limbs and small structure, but she was Li Zongying, the future Mrs. Qing. "H-how?"
"Mr. Qing had been heartbroken once and I helped him cure it for a night. That was all before he married your step-daughter."
Now, Liu Lifen's eyes was pure disgust. I cannot believe Feng Lizhao married his daughter to such a man, she thought in her head. "It doesn't matter."
Li Zongying put her elbow on the table and cradled her face on her palm. "I know you hate your daughter, madam. Maybe… I don't know… we could form an alliance in taking her down."
"Eh," Liu Lifen said, fixing the napkin on her lap. "I only want Feng Xuan to go down so my daughter could be first choice in everything. I don't want to dip my fingers with her marriage."
"You wouldn't have to do any of that," she said and smiled. "I could do that for the both of us. I am going to destroy Feng Xuan's marriage. Nobody has to know that you took a part in this."
Liu Lifen looked interested. "It seems like you had already thought everything out. Okay, then," she sighed. "And what is it that you want me to do?"
"Lend me your connections so I can execute this plan."
"What connections?"
"I just need you to make some calls."
"That's all?" Liu Lifen asked.
Li Zongying nodded. "Yes. Then leave the rest to me."
After that quite productive lunch, Li Zongying was back in her desk with another steaming cup of tea. Everything was falling into place that she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
She stood up when she heard the doorknob twisting. The smile slipped off her face when she saw a smiling Feng Xuan stepped out of Qing Chen's office. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Qing."
The smile only got wider. "Good afternoon, Li Zongying. How are you feeling?"
"Good, ma'am," she answered through clenched teeth. Feng Xuan was wearing a white shirt tucked into skinny jeans and her beige coat reached her knees. "Feeling a little sick in the mornings."
The eyebrows shot upwards. "Oh really, you must've eaten something bad the night before."
"Oh, I think it's just the baby."
Li Zongying didn't think it was possible, but Feng Xuan's face turned into a mock sad face. "Aw, that's so sad." And it annoyed her that the woman looked beautiful with her bottom lip pouted.
She could feel her anger flowing in her veins. "Yes, I think Mr. Qing is already making arrangements for better living conditions for me and his child."
Slowly, Feng Xuan's eyes blinked as slow as she nodded her head, still mocking her. "I hope you move fast enough, Li Zongying. You might not reach your destination if so."
Li Zongying stood up. "Are you threatening me?"
"Threatening you? Oh, please," Feng Xuan laughed and smiled at her sweetly. "I just think you're full of crap. You're not pregnant, Li Zongying and Qing Chen already knows that."
Li Zongying felt her body had gone cold. She put a hand on her belly. "I. am. pregnant. Stop kidding yourself!"
Feng Xuan only shook her head, almost pityingly. "You think you're so smart. But you're just an ant I am going to crush with my fingertip."
Li Zongying felt all the blood rush to her face. "You're in denial! You can't accept the fact that Qing Chen was taken right under your nose and you can't do anything about it! He doesn't want you, he's only with you because your parents made it so."
Feng Xuan leaned on the high white counter of her desk. "He will never be yours." The woman smirked. "Even if I die, Qing Chen will never be yours." Feng Xuan straightened back with a small smile. "Enjoy while it lasts. Tomorrow, you'll be out of this office. Good bye, Li Zongying."
Li Zongying sat back in her chair with a huff, her nose flaring. She took her phone out and dialed the number she had just saved earlier. "This is CelebRumors. How may I help you?"
"Hi, I would like to report a tip about the CEO of The Kingly Hotel. I have evidences…"
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
sugarcoatqueenx
sugarcoatqueenx AAAAA~~~ I promise to update everyday by next week. I was on a writing slump until today! I hope you all stay tuned as Feng Xuan takes this b**** down!!!
Keep safe!
xoxo
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