My Manor

Qi's department store is quite decent, though it doesn't compare to the luxury goods distribution centers.

However, within a three-bus-stop radius, it is the best in the area.

The store attracts many visitors daily. Of course, these customers don't pay for their purchases directly to the mall.

The mall primarily generates income through rent, which is a significant source of revenue for Qi's.

The first floor is dedicated to selling gold, jewelry, watches, mobile phones, and other valuables.

There's also a large fruit experience store here. The basement houses a massive supermarket, while the second and third floors are parking garages.

The second floor features first-tier luxury goods—brands that are essential for flaunting wealth, such as Donkey, Crying, and Horse Shit. However, high-end brands like Patek Philippe are not available here.

The third floor offers second-tier brands, including clothing, bags, and other items—mainly some Korean brands, along with lesser-known European or American brands. On the second floor, clothes priced at thousands of yuan are considered the cheapest.

Here, clothing prices vary widely: the more affordable items cost hundreds of yuan, while the higher-end options can reach tens of thousands of yuan.

The fourth floor is home to sports equipment like treadmills and dumbbells, as well as sportswear brands like Nike and Adidas. These items are among the most affordable in the mall. The fifth floor is dedicated to food, with a variety of Chinese and Western restaurants, fast food, and ordering services.

Not only do we cater to foreign customers, but shop owners also dine here.

The sixth floor features a massive indoor game hall, reminiscent of the ones Jiang Hai and his friends frequented during their childhood, where they played King of Fighters and Three Kingdoms. The hall has expanded significantly and now includes arcade games, doll machines, fishing, roulette, guessing games, fruit machines, and other gambling devices. While classic games like driving, motorcycle racing, and shooting are still available, they have lost popularity.

The seventh floor is home to a movie theater. In China, there are many movie theaters, not just Qianda, but Qi's cinema is a favorite for young couples. It's cheaper than Wanda, and the atmosphere is similar, so its attendance rate is consistently high.

As for the security of the building and the offices of the managers, they are located in the partitions on the sixth and seventh floors.

Although Qi's is a family-controlled company, the Qi family owns a large share, and other people also hold significant stakes.

In addition to Qi Li's family, the person with the second-largest shareholding is her eldest cousin, Qi Song, whom Jiang Hai has met. The person Qi Li is seeking to inform the An family about is Qi Song's son, her cousin, Qi Liangcai. This man has a close relationship with An Changwu.

During their last confrontation, Qi Li directly expelled him from Qi's company. Though he no longer works at Qi's, he is now the general manager of this department store. Although his power at the headquarters has diminished, it seems greater here.

Qi Li came to him to inform An Changwu. If he didn't believe it, he wouldn't have acted on it.

By the time Qi Li arrived at the department store, Qi Liangcai had already been made aware of her visit.

For Qi Li, it was inevitable that Qi Liangcai would harbor resentment towards her, much like Qi Song resented her father.

He had been raised by Qi Li's father, but now Qi Li was the one in charge. Qi Liangcai had always considered himself the rightful heir to the Qi family, and when Qi Li's father passed away, he expected to inherit the company. He couldn't accept that a woman had come in and taken what he felt was rightfully his. His discontent eventually led to his alliance with An Changwu.

Now that Qi Li was here, Qi Liangcai was surprised. According to his staff, after she arrived, she immediately went to the second floor to look at evening dresses, which only puzzled him further. Curious, he left his office and took the elevator to the second floor to see what Qi Li was up to.

Upon arrival, he noticed a crowd gathered outside the store, including nearby shop assistants and customers. Both men and women kept glancing into the store, their eyes full of admiration, envy, and jealousy.

As he stepped inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to Qi Li standing in the center of the store.

This time, she had finally changed her usual women's suit. She wore a beige gauze blouse on top and a long black skirt below, with the simple black-and-white combination giving her a noble aura.

If she had been a queen before, she was now an empress!

Her tall figure, the black skirt swaying gently, revealed her long, slender white legs beneath it. Just her legs were enough to make anyone say she could model for years. The fullness of her upper body subtly stretched her blouse, revealing a slight cleavage. While it wasn't particularly extravagant, it was certainly alluring.

Her hair was tied up, and with large sparkling diamonds and a valuable handbag, she truly commanded attention.

As Qi Liangcai gazed at her, a flicker of greed crossed his eyes. He fantasized about possessing such a beautiful, noble woman, though he knew it was impossible.

They were cousins, but if circumstances worked out in the future, who knew? Still, for now, he had to suppress his emotions. He took a deep breath, put on a smile, and walked over.

"Xiao Li, what brings you to shop today? Haven't you been busy overseeing your restaurant lately?" Qi Liangcai greeted her with a smile. Upon hearing his words, the security staff and onlookers who had been quietly observing dispersed.

The customers, however, didn't leave. They remained glued to the sight of Qi Li, marveling at her beauty.

"Yes, I don't have much time, but since Jiang Hai is back, I have to make time to dress up, no matter how busy I am," Qi Li replied with a chuckle as she glanced at herself in the mirror. Despite her playful tone, she spoke coldly and arrogantly to Qi Liangcai.

"Jiang Hai is back? What's he doing here?" Qi Liangcai's eyes narrowed upon hearing her words. He didn't have a good opinion of Jiang Hai.

"Is it any of your business? What do you think? Should I wear this?" Qi Li retorted coldly, then asked her assistant while turning around with a smug expression. "No one else can wear this. Really, if the boss wears this, everyone will know who's the most beautiful. All the Middle Eastern tycoons and top businessmen will bow down to you. Then, let's see how Jiang Hai dares to flirt with other women." The assistant smiled and nodded in agreement.

Hearing her words, Qi Li smiled softly and then turned proudly in front of the mirror.

Qi Liangcai, standing behind them, could hardly suppress his discomfort after hearing the assistant's words.

Middle Eastern tycoons, top businessmen? These were two sensitive terms for him, but he knew better than to ask Qi Li. He watched silently as she continued her shopping. When she was satisfied with her choice, she bought the outfit and left the store happily.

Meanwhile, Qi Liangcai made a phone call. The person on the other end was An Changwu. After hearing Qi Liangcai's report, An Changwu frowned.

Clearly, he too was sensitive to those terms. He had his brother investigate, and they uncovered some news.

Two days later, the royal family of Dubai, led by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, would host a cocktail party in the imperial capital. Only high-ranking officials and top businessmen were invited. Originally, neither the Qi nor the An family would have qualified.

However, Qi Li's husband, Jiang Hai, appeared to have some connection with a royal family member, which led to him being invited.

When the An family learned this, they went into a frenzy. The Qi family had already suppressed them, and with connections like these, the An family could soon be finished. If Qi Li and Jiang Hai attended the party, they would make connections with influential figures and top businessmen. The An family's fate could be sealed.

Faced with this, the An family realized that they couldn't stop Jiang Hai and his associates from attending. The only option was for them to attend as well.

They didn't aim to be the main guests, but at least they would be able to attend as followers.

At this critical juncture, the An family knew they had no choice but to beg for favors.

Life and death were on the line, and they couldn't afford to care about face anymore.

This was the true nature of people. If Jiang Hai had presented them with an opportunity, they would have suspected it was a trap, but since they had to beg for it, they would never let it slip away—even if it was bait.