Ji Yao's heart tightened instantly, fearing that Lu Jincheng had overheard Qi Huai'an's comment about the child.
She swallowed nervously, carefully observing Lu Jincheng's expression.
Lu Jincheng's face grew darker and darker.
He, however, was unaware that Ji Yao was also involved with Qi Huai'an?
Otherwise, why hide in this banana grove, so secretly?
Remembering how Ji Yao had avoided him recently and all the past interactions that revolved solely around financial benefits, Lu Jincheng felt as though he understood something.
Could it be that she had hooked up with someone else?
But in any case, this Qi Family's second young master did not seem to be richer than himself, unless Ji Yao was blind.
With this thought, Lu Jincheng's gaze fell upon Ji Yao, and he didn't expect this woman to shun a powerful support like himself to curry favor with the second young master of the Qi Family.
Unaware of Lu Jincheng's thoughts, Ji Yao also did not dare to initiate a conversation, fearing exposure.
Just when the atmosphere among the three became tense and strange, Qi Huai'an, who could not resist stirring the pot, gave a cold laugh while holding his wine glass.
"Young Master Lu, could it be that you want to play the Emperor and the Imperial Consorts, sharing one husband between two sisters?"
Such provocative words caused Lu Jincheng to frown instantly.
Ji Yao seemed to guess what Qi Huai'an was about to say next, hurriedly gave him a look, but his words were already out, "You like raising children so much, why don't I help you out in the future?"
This sentence was a double entendre, and Ji Yao could hear not only the mockery that Lu Jincheng was willing to be a cuckold but also the insinuation that he neglected his own flesh and blood.
But!
The problem was Lu Jincheng didn't know about her pregnancy at all!
Ji Yao's complexion turned pale instantly as she glanced at Lu Jincheng, unsure if he had understood the meaning behind those words.
A sharp glare stabbed viciously into Qi Huai'an's heart, and he instantly shut up, reading from Ji Yao's eyes that if he said any more, she probably wouldn't let him off the hook.
Lu's mother originally thought that with Lu Jincheng here, she could bring Ji Zimo over to interact more with him, and Ji Zimo had gladly agreed, carefully cradling her stomach as she slowly made her way over.
She had not expected to overhear anything about raising a child as she approached.
A chill ran down Ji Zimo's spine, dreading the possibility that Lu's mother might find out the child wasn't Lu Jincheng's. She immediately covered her stomach and let out an "Ouch."
Ji Zimo's abnormal behavior indeed attracted Lu's mother's attention, who immediately supported her.
This movement not only made Lu's mother concerned for Ji Zimo but also turned the heads of the three others, seeing Ji Zimo with fine sweat on her forehead.
"Zimo! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Ji Zimo's forehead was dotted with cold sweat, truly frightened, but she could use this opportunity to feign physical discomfort and divert Lu's mother.
"Yes, Mom, could you help me sit down for a bit?"
Before Lu's mother could respond, Lu Jincheng continued to look at Qi Huai'an with a furrowed brow, "What about raising a child?"
Ji Zimo never expected the topic to turn back to this, and when glancing fiercely at Ji Yao, she saw Ji Yao smiling and mouthing a message.
Translated, it meant—add money, solve your problem.
Just recently, Ji Yao had extorted 80 million from her and now here she was, talking about money again!
As if she had truly gone money-mad!
Lu's mother also noticed the reference to raising children and looked at Qi Huai'an and Lu Jincheng with confusion.
A bead of sweat formed on Ji Zimo's forehead, wishing she hadn't come over just now!
But now, with things as they were, she could only hope for a satisfactory resolution to this situation.
She looked at Ji Yao, who was still staring at her unruffled, as if waiting for her to continue with her response.
Her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm. At the critical moment, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Ji Yao immediately broke into a smile as beautiful as blossoming flowers. "Actually, it's nothing. It was just Qi Er Shao making a joke."
While speaking, she turned her head to look at Qi Huai'an, and the threat in her eyes made it impossible for him to ignore.
Shifting his gaze away, Qi Huai'an casually grunted a few times.
"Right, right. I meant that when your child is born, you can bring them over to my place to play for a couple of days."
Upon hearing this, Lu's mother beamed with joy. The Qi Family was not a small clan, and even though they weren't on par with their own family, it was still essential to maintain good social relations.
"Sure, sure. When the time comes, I'll definitely let Jincheng bring them over to your house."
Lu's mother knew Qi Huai'an, and naturally assumed that everyone at the banquet must be there for Lu Jincheng, so Qi Huai'an was probably a friend of Lu Jincheng.
But what she didn't know was that she had completely misunderstood the situation, because Qi Huai'an was there for Ji Yao.
"Mom, my stomach hurts..."
Ji Zimo spoke up again at the right moment, and Lu's mother reacted quickly, hurrying to support her and leave.
Ji Yao winked at Qi Huai'an. If it hadn't been for Qi Huai'an's cooperation, it probably wouldn't have been so easy to bluff their way through.
In that case, she could consider giving Qi Huai'an a cut of the compensation... one-fifth!
How generous!
But what Ji Yao found most joyful was that there was a sucker willing to throw money, and it seemed like Lu Jincheng was also successfully fooled.
All Lu Jincheng saw was the two of them playing off each other, followed by winking and gesturing, which really annoyed him.
Now, whatever the case, Ji Yao was officially Mrs. Lu. Flirting with another man at the banquet was like a slap in his own face, right?
Just as he was about to say something, Lu's mother's voice came from afar: "Jincheng, come over and see, Zimo still seems quite unwell!"
The words that reached his lips were forcefully swallowed by Lu Jincheng, and after a long moment, he left with just one sentence, "Remember, your identity is now Mrs. Lu."
Ji Yao ignored his words. Mrs. Lu? She was nothing more than a nanny for his unattainable dream.
Was he even going to control her in this?
Well, that was not acceptable. There would have to be extra charges!
The manager was pondering whether to extort Lu Jincheng a bit more.
Qi Huai'an, watching Lu Jincheng walk away, arched an eyebrow at Ji Yao and asked curiously, "You definitely wouldn't help her voluntarily, so why did you?"
Ji Yao's eyes curved with a mischievous sparkle and her lips formed a sly smile. "Why else? She pays, I do the job. As long as the money is right, I'd even say the child is Lu Jincheng's, despite anyone's disbelief."
Qi Huai'an was taken aback by Ji Yao's words. As Mrs. Lu, was Ji Yao really in need of money?
"Do you need money that badly?"
Ji Yao pouted, a touch of melancholy flashing in her eyes.
"Of course. Isn't money simpler, more direct, and more reliable than any vow or the like?"
Ji Yao spoke lightly, and Qi Huai'an chuckled. "From what you're saying, if I give you money, could you also be my woman?"
Ji Yao paused for a moment, realizing that Qi Huai'an was probably joking. After all, a playboy like him could have any woman he wanted; his words were surely just teasing her.
She joked back, "Sure. Show me one million in advance to see your sincerity, and then you're on the waitlist."