Chapter 31

Before Li Qi arrived, he had emphasized to Uncle Wu and his nephew countless times that he had a very important matter to attend to today. If Uncle Wu were to see that his so-called important matter was just lying here sleeping, he really wouldn't know how to explain it.

Suddenly, he got up from the ground, shook his head, and looked around in all directions. However, there wasn't a single person in sight, not even the white-clad woman. He suddenly drew in a cold breath. Could it be—did I encounter a ghost?

At that moment, a "giggling" laugh came from behind the tree. "Why are you so nervous? I can't believe you're actually afraid of Uncle Wu."

Li Qi's mind "buzzed" as his face suddenly turned grim. He turned his head and saw the white-clad woman walk out from behind the tree. He asked coldly, "Are you sent by Mr. Wu to spy on me?"

The words of the white-clad woman were enough to show that she knew Li Qi and was aware of his background.

As a progressive young man of the 21st century, Li Qi placed great importance on privacy. Moreover, his bottom line with business partners was trust. If this woman was indeed sent by Wu Furong, it would mean that Wu Furong or Lady Qin did not trust him at all. Such a partnership, Li Qi would rather not have.

Seeing his grim expression, the white-clad woman was slightly taken aback and huffed, "I'm not sent by Uncle Wu."

"Then are you sent by Lady Qin?" Li Qi asked in confusion.

The white-clad woman shook her head again, smiling at Li Qi and giving him an encouraging look, indicating that he should continue guessing.

Li Qi was too lazy to play this hide-and-seek game with her and asked directly, "Then who are you?"

The white-clad woman smiled and said, "Do you really not recognize me?"

Li Qi didn't even need to think. He definitely hadn't seen this woman before. Otherwise, with her appearance, he wouldn't have forgotten her. He probed, "Have I met you before?"

"How would I know?" The white-clad woman smiled slightly and continued, "But you praised me yesterday, saying I was kind-hearted, well-read, and gentle."

Sweat! I haven't even seen you, how could I praise you? You're clearly just messing with me. Li Qi said with a dark face, "Miss, are these words you've always wanted to say to yourself? I don't remember praising you at all. Besides, I don't have the literary talent to say such things. When I praise women, I only use two words: beautiful and very beautiful."

The white-clad woman laughed, "I'm not as shameless as you. Do you remember a maid who bought stinky tofu from you at noon yesterday?"

"Midday?" Li Qi thought for a moment and said, "Yes, but there were two maids. I wonder which one you're talking about." Halfway through his sentence, Li Qi suddenly realized and pointed at the white-clad woman, "Could it be that you are the one who—no, the White Lady?"

The white-clad woman nodded with a smile. She was Bai Qianruo, known as the second most talented woman in Tokyo.

"Ah, it's the White Lady, my apologies, my apologies." Li Qi quickly clasped his hands and smiled. In his mind, he was thinking, why would the White Lady suddenly find me? Could it be because of yesterday's incident? If that's the case, it would be easy to handle. If not, then—Li Qi suddenly remembered the time Bai Qianruo helped the Jade Pavilion with a couplet, and he was suddenly alarmed. This matter must be clarified. He laughed and said, "By the way, White Lady, was the little girl named Xing'er who bought stinky tofu from me yesterday really your maid?"

Bai Qianruo smiled, "Whether she is or not doesn't seem to matter much to you, Mr. Li."

It's a rhetorical question, definitely a rhetorical question!

Li Qi smiled apologetically, "White Lady, what are you talking about? If I had known that little girl was sent by you, I wouldn't have just given her a few pieces of stinky tofu. I would have delivered them to you personally. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."

"You're just saying what you think I want to hear. I don't believe you," Bai Qianruo shot him a glance and said, "But you don't need to worry. I didn't come here for that."

Li Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he feigned curiosity, "Then why did you come to see me—"

Bai Qianruo frowned and interrupted, "Who said I came to see you?"

"Uh... It's just the two of us here. If you're not here to see me, why did you come to this desolate place?" Li Qi clearly didn't believe her.

"I went to the forest ahead with my maid this morning to gather herbs," Bai Qianruo pointed to the dense forest not far ahead and continued, "When we were coming back, I saw you lying here sleeping, and I saw your fishing rod by the river, so I came over out of curiosity."

Bai Qianruo originally didn't want to explain to Li Qi, as it wasn't necessary. However, she had already experienced Li Qi's wild imagination and was very worried that if she didn't explain clearly, he might say something shameless. So, she decided to explain, as there was no need to fear a straight back.

"I see." Li Qi glanced behind Bai Qianruo and asked, "By the way, where is your maid?"

Bai Qianruo knew Li Qi still didn't believe her and continued to explain, "Since someone is waiting for the herbs, I sent her back with them. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

"Oh, White Lady, you're being too formal. Even if I don't trust my own parents, I wouldn't doubt you—by the way, who is waiting for the herbs?—don't misunderstand, I'm just asking out of concern, nothing more. If you don't want to say, it's fine." Li Qi saw that Bai Qianruo's face was pale and she was trembling, which didn't seem like an act. If it was an act, he would accept it. He then felt relieved.

How can there be such a shameless person in the world? Bai Qianruo forcibly suppressed the urge to leave and said, "Alright, I've told you everything you wanted to know. Now, shouldn't you answer my question?"

"Your question?" Li Qi scratched his head and asked, "What question?"

"What are you doing here?" Bai Qianruo almost spat out each word, thinking Li Qi was deliberately pretending not to know. However, this time, Li Qi really didn't get it.

"Oh, that question. I'm here to—fish, of course!" Li Qi said matter-of-factly, "Where else would you think I should be, White Lady?"

"Fishing? What kind of fish are you planning to catch, Mr. Li?" Bai Qianruo asked with a sidelong glance.

Li Qi laughed, "White Lady, I didn't expect you to be so witty. There are at least seven or eight types of fish in this river. How would I know which one will bite? I didn't prepare for that."

Bai Qianruo gave Li Qi a meaningful look and said softly, "From the installment plan to the promise of a thousand strings of cash, and now the stinky tofu known to everyone, every step has been meticulously planned. I believe that someone as calculating as Mr. Li would not easily cast a fishing line without knowing that a fish would bite."

After Bai Qianruo finished speaking, Li Qi was frozen in place, his eyes staring blankly at her.