Ch 103: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

❤️THANK YOU LENETTE FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS KOFI SUPPORT❤️

The place where they were now is connected to the eastern and western cities, with a massive flow of people. The conflict in front of the bookstore has already attracted more and more attention.

When Ji Zhifei finished his sentence, the Ji family servants closed in again, surrounding Jing Li and Boss Chang.

Boss Chang still wanted to speak, but Jing Li intervened and said, “What if I don’t?”

This manuscript was not only his hard work but also a record of the small moments of his life with Qin Zhao. No matter what, it was impossible for him to hand it over to such a person.

Who knew what this person was plotting in his mind?

Jing Li said, “I only submitted it to Boss Chang, not sold the manuscript to you. So, strictly speaking, the ownership of the manuscript is not with Boss Chang, and even less so with you. What reason do you have to force me to hand it over to you?”

Ji Zhifei did not expect this delicate-looking beauty to have such courage, which made him feel even more intrigued: “Are you done?”

Jing Li: “…”

“Are you new to the capital?” Ji Zhifei asked leisurely, “Just based on your impolite behavior towards me on the street, I could take you with me.”

Jing Li: “Where to, the authorities?”

If Ji Zhifei wanted to take him to the authorities, Jing Li wouldn’t actually be afraid.

Last year during Mid-Autumn Festival, the governor had invited Qin Zhao to the countryside hot spring resort, and Jing Li had met the governor at that time. The governor was upright and also appreciated Qin Zhao, so Jing Li was sure he wouldn’t support such bullying.

However, Jing Li didn’t actually want it to escalate to that point.

If it really went to the authorities, it would just cause more trouble for Qin Zhao.

Ji Zhifei also didn’t want things to get that far.

Due to the strict supervision of the governor, no one in the capital dared to break the law. Ji Zhifei was only trying to scare this beauty with the bookstore incident. If it escalated to the governor’s attention, he wouldn’t necessarily come out unscathed.

Furthermore, the old master of the Gu family had just entered the capital, and he wasn’t in the city these days.

If something really happened, there would be no one to speak on his behalf.

However, Ji Zhifei wasn’t willing to let the matter go that easily.

This was just a young boy who had suddenly appeared, and Ji Zhifei had hundreds of ways to keep him around.

With that thought in mind, Ji Zhifei’s smile deepened, and he spoke slowly, “There’s no need to involve the authorities over such a small matter. The reason this all started is because that old man Chang owes me money at my gambling house. If you can pay the money, not only can you have the manuscript, but I’ll even return this bookstore to you.”

Jing Li asked, “How much does he owe you?”

“The principal is three hundred taels, and since it’s overdue for so many days, it’s now… one thousand two hundred taels.”

Jing Li: “…”

Even if he sold himself, he couldn’t pay that back.

Jing Li subconsciously glanced at Boss Chang, who shook his head, sighing deeply.

This amount of money was certainly not something an ordinary citizen could come up with. No wonder they could only use the bookstore to settle the debt.

Jing Li said, “I don’t have that much money.”

“That’s fine,” Ji Zhifei said, “You can go to my gambling house and gamble it back. I’ll lend you the principal, and you can play with me at the gambling house. If you win, I’ll return the bookstore to you, and I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Jing Li fell silent.

How could his luck possibly allow him to win?

Jing Li remained quiet, and Boss Chang spoke, “Young Master Ji, how about I–“

“Shut up.” Ji Zhifei spat, “Who the hell wants to gamble with you?”

“What’s wrong, little beauty, are you scared?” Ji Zhifei laughed, “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. But I advise you to think it over carefully. After all, you still want to continue selling books in the capital, don’t you, Mr. Zhao Li?”

While they were talking, the Ji Mansion’s servants were still smashing things inside the bookstore. People around were pointing and whispering. Ji Zhifei was arrogantly imposing, while Boss Chang lowered his head, his hands clutching the bundle trembling slightly.

Jing Li closed his eyes and said, “Fine, I agree.”

Ji Zhifei raised his eyebrows slightly.

Jing Li said, “But not today. You need to give me a few days.”

“Alright.” Ji Zhifei said, “How about three days? In these three days, you come to my gambling house to find me. I’ll be happy to accompany you anytime.”

Jing Li: “Good.”

Ji Zhifei walked up to Jing Li and raised his hand as if to touch Jing Li’s face, but it was avoided. He wasn’t angry, instead smiling, “I advise you not to play any tricks. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee things won’t get worse.”

After saying that, Ji Zhifei waved his hand, “Let’s go.”

The Ji family people left quickly, and the crowd of onlookers also began to disperse. Jing Li helped Boss Chang back into the bookstore.

The bookstore had been nearly destroyed, with a scene of utter chaos everywhere. Jing Li helped Boss Chang sit at the counter, then turned and closed the bookstore door.

“Mr. Zhao Li, you shouldn’t have agreed.” Boss Chang sighed.

Jing Li replied, “It’s fine. What if I win? I might even help you win your shop back.”

Boss Chang shook his head, “This matter is not as simple as you think.”

Jing Li paused in surprise.

He then recalled the strange behavior of Boss Chang when he came to the store a few days ago and asked, “Is there something more to this matter?”

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll tell you the truth,” Boss Chang said. “That young master Ji has been to my store more than once.”

“This bookstore is in a prime location, and the Ji family wants to buy it to open a cloth shop.”

“But this shop has been passed down through my family, and I refused to sell. The Ji family sent people to persuade me many times, using both threats and bribery. I’ve been exhausted from dealing with them, so I thought I’d temporarily close the store and return to my hometown to hide for a while.”

Jing Li understood. “So, when I came to find you, you were planning to leave?”

“Yes.” Boss Chang nodded, “At the time, I thought since we had been at an impasse with the Ji family for so long, a few more days wouldn’t make a difference, so…”

Seeing Jing Li’s uneasy expression, he quickly added, “Sir, don’t blame yourself. This matter is my responsibility. I shouldn’t have involved you, and I failed to consider this properly.”

Jing Li asked, “Then where is your brother…”

“I don’t know where he is.”

Boss Chang sighed heavily again. “That brat, as soon as he heard the Ji family was offering a high price for this shop, he tried to convince me to give in. I refused, so I sent him out of the city to return to our hometown and hide for a while. What happened in between, I’m not too clear on, but most likely, Ji Zhifei found him and used some method to bring things to this point.”

“The promissory note that Ji Zhifei brought indeed has my brother’s seal on it. Even if it goes to the authorities, I won’t be able to explain it.”

“How could this happen…”

From the looks of it, it seemed that Boss Chang’s brother had secretly returned, teaming up with Ji Zhifei to set up this scheme.

Although Jing Li knew that Boss Chang’s younger brother had never been reliable, he hadn’t expected him to be the kind of scoundrel who would betray his own family.

Jing Li looked at the disheveled appearance of Boss Chang and couldn’t help but sigh.

Boss Chang had been in business for many years, always honest and upright. Now, he was only trying to protect the family shop left by his parents, yet he was caught in such an unfair disaster.

Moreover, if it weren’t for his help, Jing Li wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

The bookstore was silent for a moment, and Boss Chang sighed, “In any case, you shouldn’t have been dragged into this. Later, I’ll visit the Ji Mansion and try to speak on your behalf, so Ji Zhifei will let you off.”

“It won’t be that easy,” Jing Li said. “The Ji family’s goal from the start was the shop. There’s no reason for them to give us a chance to turn things around. Ji Zhifei wants to make this gambling bet with me just to find an opportunity to get closer.”

“Even if I don’t agree, he’ll find other ways. He won’t just give up this easily.”

Jing Li had already thought this through when he agreed to the bet. Given the current situation, even if he knew Ji Zhifei had other motives, he couldn’t back down now.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to live peacefully in the future.

“So what should we do now?” Boss Chang asked.

Jing Li smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, Boss Chang. I already have a plan. Your shop won’t be lost.”

Jing Li had been delayed in the bookstore for quite some time and arrived home just before noon.

As he walked into the courtyard, he noticed the study door wide open from a distance. Gu Heng was sitting at the desk, but there was no sign of Qin Zhao.

Jing Li thought for a moment, walked up to the study door, and poked his head inside. “Young Master Gu.”

Gu Heng was focused on reading, and upon hearing the voice, he looked up. “Has Madam returned?”

“Shh.” Jing Li quickly raised his hand to his lips, glanced into the inner room of the study, and asked in a lowered voice, “Is Qin Zhao not here?”

The young master clearly didn’t know why Jing Li was being so cautious, so he instinctively lowered his voice as well. “Sir has gone to rest in the room. He asked me to review these two essays a few times and said he would come out later to quiz me.”

“Oh…” Jing Li nodded and walked into the study with relief. “How’s your review going?”

“I’ve memorized them all.” Gu Heng said proudly, “The county exam is in a few days. If I hadn’t memorized them by now, how could that be? Wait for my good news!”

Jing Li nodded, then asked, “By the way, I wanted to ask you about something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know the son of the Ji family?”

“Ji Zhifei?” When Gu Heng heard the name, he seemed somewhat displeased. “I know him, why?”

Jing Li hummed, unsure of how to begin.

“Did Ji Zhifei offend you?” Gu Heng asked. “That scoundrel is just a spoiled rich kid. I’ve never liked him. But since my father respects his father, I’ve let him off. Don’t worry, if he dares to offend you, I’ll definitely stand up for you!”

Jing Li quickly waved his hand. “No, I was just asking casually. I heard he opened a gambling house?”

“Yeah, the biggest gambling house in the west of the city is managed by his family. I’ve heard that my father also invested quite a bit of money in it behind the scenes. Why are you asking about this?” Gu Heng paused for a moment, then instinctively looked toward the door.

Seeing that no one was in the courtyard, Gu Heng lowered his voice and said, “You want to go to the gambling house? I can take you there!”

“But I… I don’t know how to play those games.”

“That’s no problem, I can teach you.” Gu Heng said, “Honestly, reading all the time is making me feel a little dull. It wouldn’t be bad to relax a bit.”

“Even though I’m not as skilled as Sir, I’m more than capable of teaching you!”

Jing Li’s eyes brightened. “Alright, then we—”

“Alright, what?”

A voice came from the door, and both people froze in their tracks. They turned in unison to look.

Qin Zhao stood at the door, his eyebrows slightly raised. “Where are you two planning to go?”