"A few of you, it seems you really don't know who this lady is," Fang Xun said, raising an eyebrow.
Wei Yumeng looked at Fang Xun, somewhat surprised by his appearance.
Setting that aside, if Fang Xun hadn't arrived in time, she would have been in a terrible situation.
"Isn't she Ji Qi's assistant? And he told us to..."
The other person stopped speaking abruptly, but Wei Yumeng caught the key part of the sentence.
Did Ji Qi tell them to do this? Was Ji Qi intentionally letting these people insult her?
Was he doing this to test her sincerity, or was it simply...
Fang Xun strode forward, displaying a forcefulness Wei Yumeng had never seen in him before.
Even the others present involuntarily took a few steps back.
"My apologies everyone, I must take the Madam home. Mr. Chen Zhan is not yet home, so I'll let you off for now."
As Fang Xun spoke, he walked up to Wei Yumeng and bowed, "Madam, I'm here to pick you up."
What? Madam?
Those people could hardly believe they had almost laid hands on Zhan Mohan's wife.
The consequences would have been unthinkable if they had.
"We're sorry, Madam Zhan, we were truly drinking too much just now and did such a thing."
"That's right, Madam. Please don't blame us. We know we were wrong."
These people pleaded for mercy, almost to the point of kneeling and kowtowing to Wei Yumeng.
But Wei Yumeng's attention wasn't on them. If she left now, what would happen to her project with Ji Qi?
If what these people had accidentally revealed was true, could this have been Ji Qi's test for her?
If she left now, would she have failed the test?
Wei Yumeng took a deep breath and turned to Fang Xun, "Thank you for coming to my aid in time, but I have important matters to attend to. You should go back first."
Fang Xun looked surprised, "But Madam, I cannot let you be in danger again."
Seeing Fang Xun's insistence, Wei Yumeng knew that Zhan Mohan must have sent him.
She couldn't possibly go against Zhan Mohan's wishes.
"How about this, you wait for me outside. I'll find someone else. Once I've handled things, I'll come to you."
Fang Xun hesitated for a long time before nodding, "I understand."
Wei Yumeng then turned to those people, "Where is Ji Qi now?"
"In... in the private room next door."
Hearing this, Wei Yumeng frowned. It seemed the possibility of Ji Qi testing her intentionally was even greater.
After preparing herself again, she returned to Ji Qi's private room.
Even though the previous test might have failed due to Fang Xun's interference, she was determined to try again this time.
As expected, the moment she pushed the door open, Ji Qi looked at her with interest.
"I never realized you were Zhan Mohan's wife."
Wei Yumeng said, "Mr. Ji, please don't forget, our agreement today is not over. I am to be your assistant for the night. If all goes well, you can reconsider the project collaboration."
Originally, Ji Qi thought Wei Yumeng would leave and abandon the project after being insulted like that.
He had even orchestrated the whole thing precisely to make Wei Yumeng give up.
To his surprise, Wei Yumeng was so persistent about this project. She had escaped danger but still voluntarily walked into his trap.
Ji Qi chuckled. He had never met a woman like her before. He felt that Wei Yumeng might be the person he had been waiting for.
Others said he had a peculiar temper, but he simply wanted a partner who was absolutely loyal.
Wei Yumeng before him already met one of his psychological needs.
However, this was not enough. A partnership based solely on mutual benefit would eventually dissolve due to that same benefit.
"Don't you think I was deliberately making things difficult for you just now? Why did you come back? Aren't you worried I'll do something worse to you?" Ji Qi asked.
Wei Yumeng simply looked directly at Ji Qi, "Perhaps something worse might happen, but I was the one who agreed to be your assistant, and I am the one seeking your help. No matter what I face next, I am mentally prepared."
Upon hearing this, Ji Qi stood up and walked towards Wei Yumeng. Looking at her at such close range, he found himself somewhat moved.
Indeed, Wei Yumeng, whether in appearance, figure, or even voice, was the type he liked.
Initially, because Wei Yumeng was only approaching him for the project, Ji Qi hadn't noticed this at all.
But now he regretted it. If those men had truly touched Wei Yumeng just now, he would have been so jealous he would have wanted to kill them.
Ji Qi leaned close to Wei Yumeng's neck and took a deep breath.
Wei Yumeng shivered uncontrollably. She was not accustomed to people being so close to her.
Ji Qi had thought of a way to avoid betrayal entirely: to completely possess the other person.
"Miss Wei, I've changed my mind. I don't need you as my assistant for one night. I want you... to be my woman tonight."
As Ji Qi spoke, he reached out and toyed with a strand of Wei Yumeng's hair. "If you agree, I can continue the project with you, and... in the future, my new designs can be sold in your store."
Wei Yumeng was stunned. She hadn't expected Ji Qi to change his mind so quickly, and his request was so direct.
But she was not an easily swayed woman. Besides this request, she would have considered anything else.
Now, however, she could only give up.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ji, I cannot agree to this condition."
"Why? Because you have a husband?"
"That's right. I love him very much, and I won't betray him for work," Wei Yumeng explained earnestly.
Although she was still somewhat disappointed, she could not compromise herself to achieve her goal.
However, no one expected Ji Qi to burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Talking about being for your husband? I think these are just excuses. I thought you were different from others. I thought you would hold on until the end, but in the end, you're abandoning me too."
Wei Yumeng was confused as to why Ji Qi would say that. It was just a project, yet Wei Yumeng saw betrayal in his eyes.
She felt that this Ji Qi had serious issues!
She had heard that some artists were a bit eccentric, but she hadn't paid much attention to it because her teachers and Pei Yunya were quite normal.
But this Ji Qi was making her feel a bit scared. She might have encountered that minority of abnormal people.
"Mr. Ji, please calm down! This is just a project. Even if we can't collaborate, it's not abandonment. Besides, you're the one refusing me, aren't you?"
Ji Qi didn't listen to Wei Yumeng at all. "I refuse you? I've given you a choice, all you have to do is agree, and I'll choose to collaborate with you, forever..."