At this moment, looking at Shao Qibin, who commanded with composure and exuded the charm of a serious and mature man in every gesture, even the prejudiced Shao Qile had to admit the man's charisma. And this charisma was probably what was called the protagonist's aura, the charm of a womanizer.
At Mr. Bi's age, he had seen and heard everything he needed to see; he had experienced it all. He naturally knew that the redevelopment of the old city was inevitable. The government was now showing great sincerity, and although the new mayor was still a bit inexperienced, he couldn't hide his vigorous spirit. Older people always appreciate that kind of drive. Even if Mr. Bi had guessed the power struggles within the municipal government and knew he was being used as a test of the mayor's trust, he simply smiled. To him, these were all trivial matters.
He didn't rush to agree to anything, and had someone see Mayor Shao and his entourage off. The old butler who was with Old Bi said with a smile, "Mayor Shao is quite strange. Such a big matter as the planning and renovation of the old city is being discussed with only two students. You can tell from the girl's name that she is Mayor Shao's sister. You could say he brought his sister out to broaden her horizons. But the student from Huali is a bit strange."
"That child's surname is Hua! His features seem somewhat familiar. Go and check if this child named Hua Li is Dr. Hua's child." Old Bi knew perfectly well. Since Shao Qibin hadn't pointed it out directly, he was naturally happy not to expose him either. If he really was the descendant of his benefactor from back then, then the old city redevelopment project could be pursued even from behind the new mayor's back.
Just as Old Master Bi was about to rest, the old butler who had gone out turned back in: "Master, Miss Li Jianmei from the Li family has brought someone to visit you. She said that the person she brought is Dr. Hua's distant nephew."
Upon hearing this, Old Bi slightly opened his half-closed eyes. This was quite interesting. He had spent so many years trying to find Dr. Hua's descendants, but within a single day, one person after another came to deliver messages.
After visiting Elder Bi, Shao Qibin returned to the municipal building. Shao Qile, having seen Li Jianmei's car on the road, guessed what was going on, called the detective agency, and then went with Hua Li to the old town to continue data collection.
Knowing she would be staying in T City for a while longer, Shao Qile bought an apartment near Shao Qibin's residential area. She had it cleaned and aired out by a housekeeper over the past two days, and it was ready to move in today. According to Shao Qile, her new apartment had three bedrooms and two living rooms, more than enough space for Hua Li to stay in the guest room. However, Shao Qibin somehow found out she was going to live with Hua Li in the same apartment, and called her directly, telling her to move into his apartment. As for Hua Li, he was left to live alone in the large apartment.
"Your older brother isn't worried I'll do anything to you, is he?" Hua Li asked with a half-smile, looking at Shao Qile who had just finished packing and was about to move again. Her eyes sized Shao Qile up and down, as if to say that with Shao Qile's good looks, there was no need to worry that he would be ruthless.
Shao Qile didn't care about Hua Li's elimination; everything was proceeding according to her plan.
If she had proactively offered to move in with Shao Qibin from the beginning, he might have packed her up and sent her back to Beijing. Now, Shao Qile seems to be waiting for He Jianguo to come over so they can work on the old city redevelopment project. She's even moved into her own apartment, which has given Shao Qibin no excuse to kick her out.
She had calculated that Shao Qibin felt guilty, cared for, and responsible towards his adopted sister, and with the added instruction from Shao's parents, Shao Qibin, as the older brother, had no choice but to take care of his sister.
After much trouble, Shao Qile finally settled down in Shao Qibin's apartment. At the same time, she also received a message from the detective agency.
No sooner had they left than Li Jianmei and her group went to Elder Bi's place. However, judging from the photos sent by the detective agency, Li Jianmei's expression was not good, and her thoughtful look clearly indicated that she had thought of something.
Shao Qile knew that although she hadn't officially clashed with Li Jianmei yet, her past actions, including the recent Hua Li incident, hadn't been carefully concealed. A contest between her and Li Jianmei was inevitable.
I wonder what Li Jianmei's stance is.
However, if she's not mistaken, it certainly won't be a happy occasion.
Just as Shao Qile had predicted, Li Jianmei, after being reborn on the eve of her birthday banquet and combining it with the memories of her original body, was full of confidence that she could use her precognitive abilities to win over Qibin, the man she had longed for in her previous life. However, she discovered that, for some reason, the memories of this life differed from those of the previous one.
Originally, her greatest enemy, Zhang Mengxin, had been eliminated by her current self three years ago, leaving her no chance to even have a chance to exist. But why is it that even though Zhang Mengxin is no longer a match for him, she herself has also been despised by Shao Qibin?
Desiring to salvage the situation, Li Jianmei immediately investigated Shao Qibin's current situation and decided to use Bi Lao as a breakthrough point to increase her political leverage, letting Shao Qibin know that the once arrogant girl has grown up and can stand shoulder to shoulder with him and stand on her own.
But when she went to visit him with great confidence and joy, introducing the distant nephew of the doctor surnamed Hua to Old Master Bi, she did not get the result she expected.
After some investigation, they naturally found out about Hua Li and the role Shao Qile played in this game.
Surprisingly, Shao Qile and Shao Qibin had a rather harmonious relationship, which could even be described as brotherly affection. Such a close sibling bond wouldn't be unusual in an ordinary family. However, in Li Jianmei's memory, the siblings' relationship had never been so harmonious; it could even be described as tense and on the verge of conflict. Most of the time, Shao Qibin didn't seem to care about his sister, Shao Qile.
In fact, in his previous life, Shao Qile suffered several mental breakdowns because he admired and loved his blood-related elder brother, and ultimately died young.
But Shao Qile, who couldn't find a suitable heart donor in his previous life, has already undergone heart surgery in this life and is much healthier. His academic achievements have become the envy of everyone; he skipped grades, obtained his bachelor's degree at the age of eighteen, and is currently pursuing a master's degree under one of the country's top architects.
All of this is different from my memories of my previous life!
Could it be that fate has not only favored her, giving her a second chance, but has also taken special care of this guy, Shao Qile?
Author's Note: Even if Li Jianmei is reborn, she'll still lose the game against Lele, who has already gained the upper hand.
22 new hate values
Chapter Twenty-One: Increased Hatred Value
The more I think about it, the more wary I become!
Even looking back at her memories before her rebirth, so different from her previous life, she realized that in her struggle with Zhang Mengxin, although she drove away Zhang Mengxin, the woman who used to be by Shao Qibin's side, she herself had also lost her chance to compete for a place in Shao Qibin's heart.
Years have passed, and trying to find any trace of what happened back then would likely have been completely concealed. Moreover, looking back on her own memory, everything that happened, except for Zhang Mengxin unexpectedly breaking the ice with Shao Qibin and moving in together much earlier than planned, was entirely a decision made according to her own temperament.
Instinctively, Li Jianmei sensed something was amiss, even suspecting it was highly likely related to Shao Qile. News from Beijing revealed that Zhang Mengxin's cohabitation with Shao Qibin stemmed from her cousin's failed kidnapping attempt, which resulted in Shao Qile being hospitalized, angering Shao Guanjie and leading to the expulsion of Zhang Mengxin's adoptive parents from Beijing. Meanwhile, Zhang Mengxin began a relationship with Shao Qibin.
With these clues, Li Jianmei became even more certain that Shao Qile had also been reborn.
The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits!
Li Jianmei suppressed her initial urge to rush up and confront Shao Qile. Now, with the enemy in the open and her in the shadows, since Shao Qile dared to scheme against her, she naturally wouldn't let him get away with it!
Didn't Shao Qile defy human ethics by falling in love with her own brother?
In her previous life, she was able to ruin Shao Qile's reputation once again. This time, she used the same trick to drag Shao Qile down to hell again. It was just a familiar practice.
"Ding, system reminder: The reborn female protagonist's hostility towards the host has increased, and she has entered the battle PK mode. Please be prepared and take precautions."
Shao Qile was busy drawing blueprints, concentrating on calculating various values and thinking about the distribution and arrangement of these old residences from the Republican era, when he suddenly heard the system's notification, which abruptly disrupted his thoughts. Looking up at the wall clock again, he realized it was already past ten o'clock at night.
After the initial data collection was completed, she and Hua Li communicated online with their mentor, He Jianguo, and were then assigned tasks. Each of them was responsible for a small area and had to come up with their own design proposals. Since moving to Shao Qibin's place, Shao Qile had occupied a corner of Shao Qibin's study as her workspace. She started designing in the afternoon and became so engrossed that she didn't come to her senses until this time.
Before I realized how much time had passed, I wasn't experiencing any negative feelings like hunger or fatigue. Now that I've come to my senses, I feel a terrible stomach ache.
After tidying up the things on the table, I left the study and found that Shao Qibin had not returned yet. I remembered that when Shao Qibin left in the morning, he said that he had a dinner party in the evening and would be back a little late.
After quickly making himself a bowl of noodles in the kitchen to satisfy his hunger, Shao Qile brought up the game control panel. He noticed that Li Jianmei's character attribute bar had an additional hatred value (88/100). He rubbed his chin, realizing that this was something Shao Qile had expected.
Now that she's entered the race for Best Actress, she can't remain hidden in the background forever. However, three years ago, she was too weak, and being a newcomer, she didn't dare make any major moves to avoid arousing suspicion from the Shao family. Now, her foundation is solid, and no one can deny that she's not the Shao family's daughter. She's also invested all 10 of her attribute points she gained recently into her health, which is now close to that of a normal person (67/100). She doesn't need to worry about being in mortal danger at the slightest provocation.
This means facing Li Jianmei's scheme head-on, so what does she have to fear?
She had her own way of dealing with things, ready to meet any challenge.
After gathering his thoughts, Shao Qile checked the time and decided to continue the calculations that had been interrupted in the study. The measurements of load-bearing capacity, lighting, and other aspects were no small project.
This calculation took him completely to heart, until some noises outside the door brought Shao Qile out of his focused world. When he checked the time, it was already almost 1 a.m. When he opened the door, he saw his elder brother being helped into the house by his secretary, He Shengming.