Thunder rolled in the sky.

*“He wants me, his wife, to respond to his ex-girlfriend who’s asking to meet? Is this really a good idea?!!!”*

Ji Fei’s mind was on the verge of exploding.

*What exactly does Qin Zhao mean by this?*

She’d only stumbled upon the email by accident, and her plan had been to pretend she didn’t see it, leaving it for Qin Zhao to discover and handle quietly himself. But instead, Qin Zhao had practically thrust the email in her face, his tone almost interrogative.

*“Is he hinting that his first love is back, and I should be stepping aside?”*

Qin Zhao’s brow twitched, and a wave of irritation surged in his chest.

Qin Mom and Qin Rong: *!!!!*

*“Wait, no—he asked how *I*, his wife, should respond!”*

Qin Zhao: *…think carefully before you respond!*

Qin Mom and Qin Rong sat nearby, barely daring to breathe as they watched with anticipation, their hearts racing.

Qin Mom thought, *Feifei, as his wife, you should show some dignity. Warn her that a respectable ex should stay as good as dead—no visits, no appearances, no point at all.*

Qin Rong urged, *Sis-in-law! He’s letting you respond to prove he’s honest and completely clean. This is his way of reassuring you! Sure, Second Brother may not have appreciated you fully before, but don’t give up on him now. Seize the opportunity, get rid of any loose ends, and tell the ex to scram!*

But unfortunately, Ji Fei couldn’t hear their thoughts. Still single at heart, her brain was a muddle, with a part of her secretly excited by the unfolding drama.

*Is this really happening?*

Seeing her eyes widen like saucers, Qin Zhao’s tone softened, a trace of indulgence in his voice. “You can respond however you like.”

Ji Fei’s eyes lit up, her imagination running wild, like a herd of horses she couldn’t rein in.

*“For real? Maybe I’ll go with a polite response: ‘Okay, I’ll wait for you.’”*

Qin Zhao’s face froze.

*“Or maybe a domineering CEO vibe: ‘You wanted to break up, so we broke up. Now you want to come back? What do you take me for!’”*

Qin Zhao’s expression cracked.

*“Then there’s the defiant option: ‘If you don’t love me, then don’t say anything, and don’t ever come to see me again.’”*

Qin Zhao felt like a mouthful of old blood was lodged in his chest.

*“Or maybe the playful-but-firm response: ‘I’m still married.’”*

Qin Zhao managed a pleasant smile.

*“Or maybe…”*

Qin Mom and Qin Rong thought, *Stop, stop! Our hearts can’t take this—please stop!*

“Honey, have you made up your mind?” Qin Zhao’s sudden question broke into Ji Fei’s wild thoughts.

She shivered at the word “wife.” Although she often jokingly called Qin Zhao “husband,” and he played along, he rarely addressed her as “wife” so directly.

*“Is he… is he okay? Why did he suddenly call me ‘wife’? Did he take something? Or is he rattled by his ex coming back?”*

Qin Zhao thought, *No, it’s you who’s rattling me!*

Qin Mom and Qin Rong: *It’s you!*

Ji Fei looked at Qin Zhao in disbelief, noticing that although he was smiling, his gaze held something strange. She couldn’t quite understand it, but her instincts suddenly flared: *Danger, danger, danger.*

Goosebumps spread across her skin.

“Should I…should I just scold her?”

Qin Zhao’s eyes glimmered slightly, and just as he was about to speak, Ji Fei quickly added, “But it’s not like she asked for anything inappropriate. If I scold her, that seems a bit much. Maybe I should…just pretend I didn’t see it and ignore it?”

*“This way, there’s no harm done, right? A perfect, safe answer. I’m so clever!”*

Qin Mom and Qin Rong instantly deflated, unsure whether Ji Fei was trying not to anger Qin Zhao, testing him, or if she truly didn’t care about him anymore.

Qin Zhao’s deep, dark eyes stared at her, making Ji Fei start to doubt herself. Finally, he just lowered his gaze, and with a completely neutral expression, gave a simple, “Hmm.”

Actually, he had his own reasons for wanting Ji Fei to reply. Yu Zhi had always been a person of dignity and boundaries, and he couldn’t understand why she’d suddenly reach out to him again. If his wife made it clear she wasn’t comfortable with his ex contacting him, Yu Zhi would likely back off, putting an end to the matter once and for all.

In Qin Zhao’s view, if he replied, it might reignite their connection. In the past, Yu Zhi would continuously find ways to prolong their conversations, even if he only gave minimal responses.

Not to mention, after hearing Ji Fei’s playful internal monologue, he realized that any reply he sent could lead to endless speculation. *Forget it; I’ll go along with Ji Fei’s approach.*

Ji Fei couldn’t read his thoughts but sensed he seemed a little upset. *Well, I handed the decision back to Qin Zhao—it’s out of my hands.*

When she looked up, she saw Qin Mom and Qin Rong watching, clearly curious. Feeling a bit awkward, she walked over, only for Qin Rong to exclaim, “Sis-in-law, why didn’t you reply? You should’ve told her off!”

“Huh? Do you even know who it was, and you’re telling me to go all out?”

From their conversation, it was obvious they hadn’t caught everything.

Qin Rong’s face faltered, and Qin Mom quickly covered, “Do we really need to know? Judging by your expressions, it’s clearly connected to those ladies from earlier. They totally deserved a scolding!”

Qin Rong silently gave her mom a thumbs-up for quick thinking.

Ji Fei forced a laugh. “It wasn’t them.”

Qin Mom and Qin Rong, sensing it might be inappropriate to hang around and gossip, found an excuse to leave, giving the couple some privacy.

“I’m going to the restroom—come with me, Rong Rong.”

“Sure, sure.”

The two of them quickly slipped away.

Meanwhile, Ji Fei grumbled to herself as she returned to the sofa to gather up her newly acquired gifts.

*“If I’d scolded her, that’d be stupid, wouldn’t it? Regardless of what Qin Zhao’s thinking—whether he’s testing me or not—if I insult her and they make up later, I’d be left looking like the bad guy. I might even have to take a hit in the settlement if I offend his first love. Careful as I am, there’s no way I’d risk being their relationship’s catalyst.”*

Qin Zhao, just about to delete the email: …

He shot a cool glance at Ji Fei, who was happily humming to herself as she organized her new treasures, and suddenly felt he could hardly breathe.

Looking away, his face expressionless, he picked up the mouse with his left hand, swiftly clicking “Reply.” With his left hand alone, he began typing quickly.

Although he wasn’t left-handed, he was skilled with both hands—a fact he’d kept private.

*“This is Ji Fei, Mrs. Qin. My husband asked me to handle this email. Miss Yu, please refrain from meeting or contacting my husband again.”*

Send!

Qin Zhao’s lips curved into a slight smirk, a bit like someone who’d successfully pulled off a prank. But as he looked up and saw Ji Fei, a bit of guilt crept in.

“Let’s go eat out tonight. What would you like?” he asked, subtly trying to make amends.

They all headed out for a family dinner.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, Yu Zhi saw the reply email and sneered.

Her friend, seeing her reaction, fumed. “Unbelievable! She really thinks she’s Mrs. Qin? I heard she tricked him into marrying her, or else they would’ve had a wedding by now. None of Qin Zhao’s friends acknowledge her even now. Poor Qin Zhao, forced into this. But to think she’d go so far as to sneak into his emails—she’s got some nerve!”

She didn’t buy the “my husband asked me to handle it” line for a second. After all, Qin Zhao had always been strict about boundaries. Even Yu Zhi herself had never once dared to check his email or touch his phone.

Yu Zhi laughed contemptuously, “Good. A woman this brainless will be easy to handle. Knowing she’s that dumb puts me at ease.”

“Then call Qin Zhao and expose her tricks.”

Yu Zhi confidently pocketed her phone. “No way. I’m not going to contact him again. When I finally meet Qin Zhao face to face, he’ll understand just how wronged I’ve been.”

Her friend grinned. “Exactly! He’ll be shocked you’re back, and when you show him that email, he’ll see her for what she really is. Qin Zhao will despise her even more and feel sorry for you. You’ll be the new Mrs. Qin in no time.”

Yu Zhi smiled, looking pleased with her plan.

Meanwhile, Ji Fei suddenly sneezed hard

.

Qin Zhao stepped forward, draping his coat over her shoulders. “Cold?”

Ji Fei rubbed her nose. “No, I’m pretty sure someone’s cursing me. Is it the wives’ club?”

Qin Zhao frowned slightly.

Just then, her phone rang.

Ji Fei picked it up and saw it was Pei-jie calling.