Chapter 114: The Liang Family Affair

“Looks like a little sweetheart,” Qin Miaoyu said.

Zheng Suning laughed at that. “I hope so. Let’s just pray he stays a good little darling and doesn’t start causing trouble later.”

After the three of them sat down at the dining table, Liang Siyuan asked, “How long are you staying in Nancheng this time?”

“About a week, I suppose. If the studio doesn’t need anything from me, I could stay longer.”

Liang Siyuan exchanged a glance with Zheng Suning, then said casually, “I’ve got plans with a few friends in a couple of days. Come along too. There’ll be quite a few promising young men there, and your second brother has already screened them for you.”

Qin Miaoyu did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Second Brother, I’d better not go, would I?”

“No. You have to go take a look. You can’t possibly give up on dating for the rest of your life just because of one Lu Qian’an, can you?”

Qin Miaoyu shook her head. She had never thought that way.

“Well, then. Go and have a look. You might just find someone who suits you.”

Liang Siyuan knew that was exactly why he wanted to introduce people to Qin Miaoyu. He hoped his little sister would not remain trapped forever in the relationship she had had with Lu Qian’an.

Just then, a friend had told him that the most effective way to forget one relationship was to throw oneself into another, so he wanted to see whether that would work.

Hearing her second brother say it like that, Qin Miaoyu agreed. She had nothing to do anyway, so going out to pass the time would not hurt.

Halfway through the meal, Liang Siyuan’s phone rang. When he saw the name on the screen, his brow furrowed deeply, and he went to the living room to answer it.

Qin Miaoyu shot Zheng Suning a puzzled look.

Zheng Suning swallowed what was in her mouth and said, “Probably a call from Liang Sixuan.”

“Liang Sixuan? Then why did Second Brother look like that?”

Qin Miaoyu had rarely heard Liang Sixuan’s name over the past year. The last time must have been half a year ago, when she heard that Liang Sixuan and Su Yikun had gotten married.

“Probably because of her husband. Su Yikun wants to expand his company, and he has his eye on the field your second brother is in now, so he wants your second brother to give him a hand.”

“Then why is Liang Sixuan the one calling Second Brother?”

And why did that make him so cold?

“Your second brother looks down on a man like Su Yikun, so naturally he has no desire to bring Su Yikun along. That is why Liang Sixuan calls every few days, hoping to persuade your second brother to agree to work with him.”

Qin Miaoyu felt there must be more to it than that. Sure enough, Zheng Suning went on, “Nobody knows what kind of spell Liang Sixuan has been put under, but for the sake of the Su family, she can say anything. Your second brother used to feel a little brotherly affection for her, but after what she has done lately, there is much less of that now.”

Qin Miaoyu found it strange too. Back when she was at the Liang family home, she could already tell Liang Sixuan did not like Su Yikun, yet the two of them ending up married later had truly surprised her.

Let alone now, when she was nearly at odds with Second Brother for the sake of the Su family.

“And what is Su Yikun’s attitude toward all this?”

“Of course he is letting Liang Sixuan do as she pleases. He probably hopes she can settle this for him. The Liang family is indulging him now, so he has apparently decided your second brother ought to indulge him too.”

Qin Miaoyu was shocked. She had no idea what had happened in the Liang family to make them stoop to indulging Su Yikun like this. And Liang Sixuan marrying Su Yikun—could that have something to do with the Liang family’s attitude?

Back when she had stayed in the Liang household, the longer she was there, the more clearly she saw how hidden yet pervasive Madam Liang’s control over Liang Sixuan was.

If Madam Liang truly wanted Liang Sixuan to marry into the Su family, then even if Liang Sixuan resisted, she would likely yield in the end. That seemed even more frightening than the kind of control her own mother had once exercised over her.

At that thought, she suddenly realized that even if she had never been switched at birth, her life might not have been any better.

“Miaoyu, if the Liang family comes looking for you, be careful,” Zheng Suning reminded her.

Qin Miaoyu came back to herself. “Will the Liang family come looking for me?”

Zheng Suning nodded. “Maybe. In any case, the Liang family’s situation is not looking good right now. If your second brother were in the Liang Group, he would not be having such an easy time either.”

Qin Miaoyu answered solemnly, “I understand.”

But before any news from the Liang family arrived, someone entirely unexpected came instead.

“Little Aunt!”

When Qin Miaoyu opened the door, she saw Liang Qibin, whom she had not seen in a long time.

She touched his head. “Qibin, you’ve grown a lot taller. Why have you come to your second uncle’s place?”

“I heard from Second Uncle that Little Aunt had come back, so I wanted to come see you.”

Qin Miaoyu took him by the hand and led him into the villa.

Perhaps because his treatment had gone smoothly, Liang Qibin looked fleshier than before, and his spirit was much better too.

As soon as Liang Qibin sat down on the sofa, he took a sheet of paper out of the backpack he was carrying and unfolded it.

“Little Aunt, look. How did I do?”

Qin Miaoyu took the drawing paper and was surprised to see that Liang Qibin was already drawing so well. She praised him with genuine admiration.

“Has the family started letting you study art?”

“No. I’ve been learning in secret and practicing by myself whenever I can. But after I threw a tantrum last time, they don’t dare stop me from drawing for fun anymore.”

Qin Miaoyu understood then. The Liang family still did not really want Liang Qibin to study painting. But seeing his attitude, she did not say anything further about it.

She had no feelings for the Liang family, so she naturally thought that if he wanted to draw, he should draw; there was no need for so many scruples. But Liang Qibin was different. The Liang family was the home where he had grown up. No matter how much they opposed something he wanted to do, they were still his family.

Then she remembered something else. “Have they stopped arranging other classes for you now? Otherwise, how could you have come over today?”

In the past, Liang Qibin’s schedule had been packed. Even on weekends, he spent the entire day learning one class after another.

“No. Lately they haven’t arranged any weekend classes for me,” Liang Qibin said, though he did not really understand why. That did nothing to dampen his mood. “I come over to Second Uncle and Second Aunt’s place a lot now. I’m very happy here!”

What Zheng Suning had said yesterday had not fully struck Qin Miaoyu then, but now, realizing that even Liang Qibin was being left to his own devices, she felt with utter clarity just how serious the Liang family’s situation really was.

He was still young, and because the Liang family was hiding everything from him, he knew nothing at all. In fact, that seemed to make him a little happier.

She did not know whether that was a good thing for Liang Qibin or not. After all, if the Liang family truly ran into an irreparable crisis, then he would naturally no longer be able to live the carefree, well-provided life he had now.

At any rate, Qin Miaoyu herself was rather pleased by this news. She had no affection for the Liang family anyway; if anything, she rather disliked them because of what had happened before.

Still, yesterday Zheng Suning had said the Liang family might come looking for her. Could it be that they were trying to set their sights on her for some purpose?