Faced with such a blatant provocation, Qin Zaiye merely glanced at the Golden Toad. "Giving away gold on a whim. Just what I'd expect from the nouveau riche."
"Who are you calling..." Ji Yanzhi was about to snap back when a smile suddenly returned to his face. "Yes, of course a businessman reeks of money. Unlike you, Lieutenant Colonel Qin-so aloof and proud, only ever captivated by someone pure and unsullied."
Qin Zaiye raised his cold eyes. "Is that your only trick?"
"Sorry. We nouveau riche are particularly good at poking where it hurts."
That silenced Qin Zaiye outright. Just as Ji Yanzhi was about to show him the door, he suddenly spoke. "Are the hundred-plus yttrium-related patents under Shili's name because of Ji Ting?"
"Whether they are or not is none of your business."
He hadn't answered directly, but Qin Zaiye already had his answer. A faint, self-mocking smile curved his lips. "I suppose people have to take a hard fall where they feel most certain before they understand what it means to trap themselves in a cocoon of their own making."
Ji Yanzhi's brow twitched, his interest suddenly piqued. "Did you really think Ling Xi had a miserable life in our family?"
Qin Zaiye didn't shy away from his past stupidity. "Yes."
"If I remember correctly, you two met at a dinner party at my house, didn't you?" Ji Yanzhi gave a derisive laugh. "If Ling Xi really were Ji Ting's captive plaything, or if the Ji Family had mistreated him, why would we let him appear at social events looking so glamorous?"
No sooner had he finished than Qin Zaiye countered, "You're so possessive of your younger brother. Why did you let him date Ling Xi in the first place?"
The question left Ji Yanzhi speechless. Seeing