Chapter 24: Strawberries Aren’t as Sweet as You

Words : 1328 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Strawberries Aren’t as Sweet as You"Mr. Shi, don’t you think you owe me an explanation for why you burst into my home so brazenly and scolded my wife?" Quan Jinbei’s words left Shi’s father somewhat embarrassed, "Third Master, there is a reason for this..." "Oh?" he snorted coldly, "Do tell, what reason gives you the audacity to enter my house uninvited and cause a scene here." As he spoke, the unintended authority in his tone made Shi’s father’s legs go weak, nearly bringing him to his knees on the spot. It’s no wonder he was cowardly. Quan Jinbei’s fearsome reputation was well known, and even though Shi’s father was older by a generation, he didn’t dare to act recklessly in front of him. If it weren’t for Shi Yaoguang’s incident, which infuriated him, he wouldn’t have brought his whole family to knock on his door. Then again, the reason he was so angry, to begin with, ultimately lay with himself. Because of his partiality to Shi Yiqing, he trusted her words implicitly. He took the words of his adopted daughter over his own without any doubt and didn’t even bother to seek out Shi Yaoguang for her side of the story before he assumed a stance of disciplinary action. Shi’s mother watched her husband sweat nervously and couldn’t help directing a reproachful gaze at Shi Yaoguang, "Yaoguang, are you just going to watch your father being bullied by Third Master?" Shi Yaoguang flashed a brilliant smile, "I’m sorry Mrs. Shi, but speaking to me about it is useless, if you have a problem, you should talk to my husband." Quan Jinbei glanced at her. Shi Yaoguang, still smiling, said, "Husband, you’ve worked so hard to stand up for me, I must reward you properly~" As she spoke, she casually grabbed a strawberry from the fruit plate and held it up to his mouth, "Husband, open up~" Quan Jinbei hadn’t expected this move and was momentarily stunned. Shi Yaoguang moved the fork forward a bit more, "Husband~" After a two-second standoff, seeing that she was still holding up the fork, Quan Jinbei could only open his mouth, albeit reluctantly, and took the strawberry into his mouth. The moment the strawberry touched his tongue, he was taken aback. The strawberries at Quan Mansion were, of course, always the freshest, and he would indulge in them occasionally. But... Even the freshest strawberries didn’t taste as exquisite as the one he was eating now. The fruit was fragrant, refreshing, and sweet; with a gentle bite, juice squirted out, leaving a delicate fruity essence lingering on the lips and teeth... Of course, what mattered to Quan Jinbei was not the taste of this strawberry. It was the strange energy contained within the strawberry. After eating it, he felt his mind was clearer by several degrees, and his body felt lighter. It might not sound very orthodox, but as the person involved, he genuinely appreciated its benefits. "This..." Quan Jinbei felt that this strawberry gave him the same sensation as the Auspicious Cloud Pendant she had presented at their first meeting. The difference was, one was to be taken internally and the other used externally. Speaking of which, had she given him a strawberry at their first meeting, he certainly would not have believed her and would have suspected ulterior motives. Quan Jinbei had a multitude of questions, but Shi Yaoguang showed no intention of explaining. With a sweet smile, she looked at him and chided, "Husband, is the strawberry I personally fed you especially sweet?" What could Quan Jinbei say? He had to play along with her. Thus, Quan Sicheng’s world view was shattered. Because... Quan Jinbei, with deep affection, spoke, "No strawberry could ever be as sweet as you." Having witnessed his cold and merciless demeanor before, and now seeing him like this... Quan Sicheng suspected his father had been hexed. Regardless, Quan Jinbei didn’t bother to give him any attention. He didn’t allow him the chance to confirm his suspicions. No. It’s not like there’s no chance for him to confirm, but Quan Sicheng has been enjoying the benefits of being a favored son for over a decade, with a treatment that naturally became fixed. When the butler sent him away without any sympathy, what he felt was a familiar formula, a familiar taste. Shi Yaoguang successfully sidetracked Quan Jinbei’s questioning of Shi’s father by feeding him strawberries, so naturally, the matter was dropped. Mainly because Shi’s father didn’t have the guts to continue making accusations. "I just remembered that there are still some matters at home that I haven’t taken care of, I should head back now..." When Shi’s father said this, he was carefully observing Quan Jinbei’s expression, afraid he would refuse with a single word. Shi Yaoguang looked at his timid appearance with some disdain. Quan Jinbei, seeing her expression, found it a bit amusing, "What’s that look for?" "Can’t you tell? Disdain." Shi Yaoguang candidly admitted. She had major disdain for her own father. Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In her previous life, after she found out who her biological parents were, she was full of expectation. She had fantasized countless times about returning to the care of her biological parents, imagining a harmonious family scene. Alas, it was all just her wishful thinking. Seeing her mood suddenly drop, Quan Jinbei subconsciously furrowed his brows. Noticing it, Shi Yaoguang couldn’t help but smile, "Third Master, what’s with that look? Are you feeling sorry for me?" Quan Jinbei naturally averted his gaze and said indifferently, "Not at all, don’t overthink it." "Really not?" Shi Yaoguang suddenly leaned over to him, her nose almost touching his. Quan Jinbei’s breath halted for a moment as he was enveloped in the fragrance of the young girl. "You..." Looking at the girl with a bright and beautiful smile, in the end, he didn’t say anything harsh. His tone became even more helpless, "Stop messing around." Shi Yaoguang let out a deep sigh, "Third Master, I can’t accept what you’re saying." Quan Jinbei was puzzled, "Why not?" "You just said I was sweet, how come you’re pretending not to know me now?" Shi Yaoguang’s tone carried a hint of disappointment, "I thought Third Master really found me sweet and charming, but as expected..." "I just..." he wanted to say that he was just playing along with her act. But before he could finish speaking, he heard her continue, "As expected, men are all pigs, not a single word they say is trustworthy." Quan Jinbei: "..." He didn’t want to continue this topic anymore. "The Shi Family won’t let you off easily, what are your thoughts?" As they returned to serious matters, his discomfort faded, and his expression became grave. Shi Yaoguang replied indifferently, "Fight poison with poison." "Hmm?" "Who knows how many bad things Shi Yiqing has said about me, probably the entire Shi Family is thinking about how to deal with me now, to try to salvage the family’s lost face." Her tone was laced with a hint of mockery. Quan Jinbei felt inexplicably uncomfortable upon hearing this and said cautiously, "If you don’t mind, I can help you handle the Shi Family’s affairs." Shi Yaoguang didn’t agree at once but didn’t immediately refuse either. She looked at him seriously, her eyes probing, "Third Master, why would you help me like this, what’s your purpose?" Quan Jinbei shifted his gaze casually, coughed uncomfortably, "I’m helping you, obviously out of goodwill." "If you feel uncomfortable about it, you can always send me some fruit as a gift." "Oh~" Shi Yaoguang drew out the sound, "So Third Master wants to eat fruit, that’s easy to handle. I’ll have the butler prepare an extra portion for you." Quan Jinbei seemed hesitant, "I want the strawberries like the ones we had today, the butler probably doesn’t have them."

Chapter 24: Strawberries Aren’t as Sweet as You

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