Wen Shangyin lit a cigar and slowly exhaled a thin stream of smoke, "She is Shang Qi's woman."
Song Lian didn't quite understand. He peeled a lychee and popped it into his mouth, "So what?"
In Song Lian's opinion, a woman becoming Wen Shangyin's wife was an unparalleled honor.
After all, it meant a life of luxury and comfort, no worries about food or clothing, and protection when going out.
This honor was not something anyone could easily attain; it also depended on one's own value.
Wen Shangyin glanced at Song Lian, shook off the ash, and replied, "I don't touch women Shang Qi has touched."
For Wen Shangyin, touching a woman Shang Qi favored would make him seem like a junk recycler.
Even though that woman was good, he was never short of women who threw themselves at him.
He needed women, but he wasn't so desperate that he would covet his own brother's woman.
He was a good brother, doting on his younger brother.
When his brother, Wen Shangyin, killed Shang Qi, he would send that woman to accompany Shang Qi on the road to the underworld, ensuring Shang Qi wouldn't be lonely.
Wen Shangyin didn't look at Song Lian, smoking his cigar and drinking his wine, speaking to himself, "You know I have an obsession with emotional purity. What's the point of that woman being good? She's already impure. Keeping her around makes me feel dirty and unlucky."
Just as Song Lian was about to speak, someone knocked on the car window from the outside.
After three knocks, a voice came, "Master Yin, the negotiators have arrived."
Wen Shangyin looked at Song Lian, put down his red wine, and then said, "Let's go, it's time to meet an old acquaintance."
***
The temporarily set up negotiation venue was shielded from the sun by a parasol.
Beneath the parasol, there was a table and four chairs.
Su Ling, Shang Qi, Wen Shangyin, and Song Lian sat facing each other.
Not far from their negotiation table, a group of people in uniform, holding weapons, was particularly striking.
On the negotiation table, there were fine wines, cigarettes, and delicious food emitting enticing aromas.
In front of the delicacies, Su Ling was not shy at all, holding a lamb chop in her left hand and a steak in her right. She acted as if she were among her own.
To Su Ling, it would be a waste to not eat these delicious foods, and it was free food.
Moreover, her apparent enjoyment of the food would serve to misdirect.
Wen Shangyin watched Su Ling's unreserved feasting, assuming she hadn't eaten such delicious food for a long time, thus revealing her unrefined manners and lack of respect for those present.
However, he had to admit that he found Su Ling to be faultless.
Her eating posture was pleasing to the eye, especially with her pale, delicate face; she was truly not bad.
It was just that she was Shang Qi's woman, which caused his prejudice.
Wen Shangyin shifted his gaze away from Su Ling and focused on Shang Qi.
The person he had been searching for so desperately, whom he had sought high and low, had appeared without any effort.
What was Shang Qi doing?
He was holding a knife, cutting the juicy beef into pieces, then drizzling sauce over it. He put down his fork and pushed the beef towards Su Ling, who was devouring it.
Wen Shangyin and Song Lian watched Shang Qi do all of this from beginning to end.
Both of them thought Shang Qi was cutting the meat for himself, but they didn't expect him to be cutting it for Su Ling.
It was truly a rare sight to see the usually unchivalrous Shang Qi display such tenderness and gentleness.
After finishing, Shang Qi finally looked at Wen Shangyin.
Wen Shangyin looked back at Shang Qi, "I didn't expect to meet you here."
As he spoke, Wen Shangyin picked up a cigarette from the table and lit one.
Shang Qi leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and met his gaze. His tone was devoid of emotion, "My Ah Ling dislikes the smell of smoke."