Chapter 710 - 246: Hunger Strike Protest

Qin Mei, mistakenly thinking Jie Jingchen hadn’t understood her, continued, "For example, it depends on the person. In Room 206, with Xu Jiali, it’s about selling your skills, not your body. In Room 205, with Qiao Wei, it’s about selling your body, not your skills."

’Selling your body, not your skills... That’s perfect. The medicine I developed is just right for that crowd.’ Qin Mei wanted to pull Qiao Wei in as a partner.

’Xu Jiali has no worries about food or clothing; she couldn’t be bothered to make money with me. It took all my powers of persuasion just to convince her. Qiao Wei is Jie Jingchen’s cousin, and a Qiao at that. Someone like her isn’t short on cash. She just wants to have fun, not earn money. How could I possibly get her on board?’

Jie Jingchen sighed softly. "They are indeed cut from the same cloth."

"Heh heh." Qin Mei smiled. ’No need to pull Qiao Wei in after all. I just have to hold on tight to Xu Jiali and not let go.’

’People earning that kind of money, tempted by the cash, would definitely be reluctant to rest and recuperate. Unless they get a sugar daddy, of course. And that’s where the medicine I developed will come in handy.’

"What are you laughing at?" Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow, looking at Qin Mei’s calculating smile.

Qin Mei pursed her lips into a soft smile and said gently, "One is your cousin, and the other is your aunt. They certainly know how to enjoy life."

Jie Jingchen’s brows knitted together, a shadow darkening his eyes. He asked in a low, cold voice, "What? Do you envy them?"

Qin Mei rolled her eyes at Jie Jingchen and said irritably, "We have different interests. I don’t have that kind of... proclivity. What is there for me to envy?"

’Even though I’m from a future era, my upbringing didn’t teach me to just play the field, fall into depravity, and never pull myself out.’

’Lust is a blade hanging over one’s head. It’s dangerous for men and women alike.’

’Just one Jie Jingchen is already a handful for me. Developing multiple partners? I’ve never had that kind of desire. You have to cherish your own body. And even though this body wasn’t originally mine, since I’ve taken it over, it means we were fated to be together. So I have to take good care of it.’

Jie Jingchen stared at Qin Mei, his gaze piercing.

"By the way, what’s your cousin’s background?" Qin Mei asked.

"The young lady of the Governor’s Mansion." Jie Jingchen’s long fingers lifted a strand of Qin Mei’s hair, playfully twirling it around his finger.

Qin Mei’s pupils contracted. ’The young lady of the Governor’s Mansion? That status absolutely blows Xu Jiali’s out of the water.’

’If the Gao family could get in the good graces of the Governor’s Mansion, it would be even better than latching onto the Qiao Family—like giving wings to a tiger.’

’Is the current Governor of Xiangjiang’s surname Qiao? No, that can’t be right.’

Qin Mei didn’t ask directly, but rather posed a more subtle question. "Is Qiao Wei’s surname really Qiao?"

The fingers twirling her hair paused. Jie Jingchen looked at Qin Mei with a smile. "Qiao Wei took her mother’s surname."

"She took her mother’s surname?" Qin Mei was even more surprised. ’For a young lady from the Governor’s Mansion to take her mother’s surname is just too unbelievable. Never mind the Governor’s Mansion, look at the Jie Family in Huaxia. Jie Jingchen’s mother is the Qiao Family’s only daughter, but the children she bore—even Jing Qi—didn’t take her surname, Qiao.’

"Qiao Wei’s mother is Qiao Yanchun. She’s my mother’s cousin—my maternal grandfather’s grandniece. She married into the Governor’s Mansion," Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei mused to herself, ’Qiao Wei and Jie Jingchen are so distantly related, yet they call each other cousin so affectionately. It’s quite something.’

"Did your maternal grandfather’s sister marry into a family with the surname Qiao?" Qin Mei asked curiously.

Jie Jingchen shook his head. "She took her mother’s surname."

’Another one who took her mother’s surname. It seems all the daughters born to women of the Qiao Family take their mother’s name. So why didn’t Jing Qi?’

’Even though Jing Qi changed his surname to Qiao later, he was originally a Jie.’

’So, this is why you shouldn’t marry someone far away. No matter how rich your family in Xiangjiang is, once you marry into a family in Huaxia, you have to follow their customs.’

’No wonder her husband’s maternal grandparents couldn’t stand their son-in-law. They tried everything to trick their daughter—his mother—into coming back, hoping to convince her to divorce his father. In their eyes, their only daughter’s marriage must have been the biggest failure of their lives.’

"Jie Jingsi, I feel like your mom was the exception to the rule," Qin Mei couldn’t help but quip.

"The families they married into were reasonable. The family my mom married into was unreasonable." Jie Jingchen’s summary was sharp and to the point.

Qin Mei gave him a thumbs-up.

"Fourth Sister-in-law!" Jie Jingshan’s anxious voice called out.

Qin Mei went to open the door, but her hair was still tangled in Jie Jingchen’s fingers. A sharp pain shot through her scalp as it was pulled taut. Pressing a hand to her head, Qin Mei gritted her teeth and glared at him.

’Of all the things to play with, he had to pick my hair. And if he was going to play with it, did he have to get it all tangled in his fingers?’

Jie Jingchen quickly released her hair, but Qin Mei didn’t give him a chance to show any concern, immediately rushing to open the door.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, hurry and check on Aunt!" Jie Jingshan grabbed Qin Mei’s arm and began pulling her toward Xu Jiali’s room.

Jie Jingchen didn’t follow. As long as Qin Mei was there, Xu Jiali would be fine.

Xu Jiali was curled up on the bed, her body trembling slightly.

Qin Mei pushed a pill into Xu Jiali’s mouth, but Xu Jiali stubbornly spat it out. With lightning-fast reflexes, Qin Mei caught the pill and stuffed it back into her mouth. When Xu Jiali tried to spit it out again, Qin Mei clamped a hand over her mouth, forcing her to keep it down.