Chapter 125: Eldest Brother

Qin Miaoyu spoke frankly, “That’s not just being a little conservative; it’s downright feudal. The blood ties are right there, yet not even changing my surname or adding me to the family registry—how can that prove anything?”

Xi Ruofen gave a helpless smile. “There’s nothing to be done. It’s been so many years, and your father is just too stubborn. He’ll never change his mind.”

“Then just leave it as it is. I don’t really care either way.”

“You child, how can you be so muddleheaded? Other people would give anything for these things, yet you can say something like that.”

Liang’s mother truly thought Qin Miaoyu was confused, maybe even a little slow. She was nothing like Liang Sixuan, whom she’d raised since childhood and who was shrewd and capable. If it were possible, she would much rather Liang Sixuan be her real daughter.

Unfortunately, after all these years of raising her, this was all she could do for the Liang family.

With that thought, she glanced again at the girl before her.

Qin Miaoyu’s greatest advantage was her looks—a perfect blend of her parents’ best features.

Qin Miaoyu felt unsettled by the way Liang’s mother was eyeing her, as if she were inspecting goods. Not wanting to continue the conversation, she stood and said she was tired and wanted to return to the Dongshan Villa to rest.

With that, she walked toward the master bedroom door.

Liang’s mother didn’t stop her, so Qin Miaoyu easily made her way to the stairs on the second floor.

She hadn’t expected to run into Liang Siquan there.

The last time she’d seen her eldest brother was a year ago. Back then, although the Liang family had some minor issues, things were generally running smoothly, and he still carried himself with confidence.

Now, he was visibly thinner, and his entire demeanor seemed diminished.

Qin Miaoyu greeted him as “Big Brother” and tried to walk past, but Liang Siquan spoke up.

“Mom talked to you just now, didn’t she?”

“About what? Aunt Liang mentioned several things.”

“She told you about the shares, right?”

“She did. Are you curious how many shares I’ll get?”

Liang Siquan sneered, “Of course not. No matter how you split them, it’s not much.”

He spoke with confidence, knowing that their parents had always intended for him to inherit, and even now, despite the company’s troubles, they’d never considered letting him step aside.

Qin Miaoyu, however, found his social skills severely lacking.

“So, what exactly are you getting at?”

“If you want the shares, play your part as the obedient young miss of the Liang family. When Louis and his people come to Nancheng, if you catch their eye, you’ll get far more than just those shares.”

“Who is Louis…?”

“What are you two talking about?” Xi Ruofen interrupted as she left the master bedroom.

Qin Miaoyu forgot what she’d wanted to ask and simply said, “It’s nothing. I’m heading home now.”

Seeing Qin Miaoyu’s calm expression, both Liang Siyuan and Zheng Suning were relieved. When she said she wanted to go home, they wasted no time, bid farewell to the Liang family, and returned to Dongshan Villa.

Back at the villa, surrounded by foreign brand furniture, Qin Miaoyu suddenly remembered what she’d forgotten.

She asked Liang Siyuan, “Second Brother, do you know who Louis is?”

“Louis?” Liang Siyuan thought for a moment but couldn’t recall anyone by that name. “No. Why?”

Qin Miaoyu briefly recounted what had happened.

Liang Siyuan, sensing something amiss, decided to have someone investigate this Louis.

As Qin Miaoyu was about to go to her room, Zheng Suning stopped her and handed her a box—the same one Liang’s mother had wanted to give her at the old residence.

“Suning, I have no use for this. Please give it to you and Second Brother,” Qin Miaoyu said.

Zheng Suning replied, “Miaoyu, you should keep it. You’re a child of the Liang family. They never raised you, so this is the least compensation you deserve.”

Especially since, after learning about the switched children, Liang’s parents still showed no intention of treating Qin Miaoyu well. To Zheng Suning, it was as if they had given birth but never taken responsibility. So, regardless of Liang’s mother’s intentions, Zheng Suning believed the box rightfully belonged to Qin Miaoyu.

Qin Miaoyu didn’t entirely agree, but for her own reasons, she accepted it and put it away in her room.

The next day, news about Louis reached Liang Siyuan.

Apparently, Louis was a top executive with the overseas E Group, a company that controlled half of their country's economy—a truly formidable force.

After reviewing the information, Liang Siyuan had a good idea of the Liang family’s intentions.

They likely hoped to secure investment from E Group to stabilize their precarious situation and buy time to find a better solution.

However, a company as powerful as E Group wouldn’t be easy to impress. Under normal circumstances, even with all their past glory, the Liang family in its current state wouldn’t attract E Group’s interest—unless E Group had some ulterior motive.

Given this, if the Liang family couldn’t convince E Group through conventional means, they might resort to less honorable strategies.

As he read a particular line, Liang Siyuan’s face darkened with anger.

“Louis is a notorious womanizer, with a particular fondness for…” The rest of the description made one person come to Liang Siyuan’s mind immediately: his younger sister, Qin Miaoyu.

So, after marrying Liang Sixuan off to the Su family, were they now planning to use Qin Miaoyu to establish ties with Louis for their own benefit?

He tossed the dossier onto the desk and ordered his assistant to dig deeper into Louis’s background.

Meanwhile, Qin Miaoyu unexpectedly received a bouquet of flowers.

The delivery man stood at the door, asking her to sign for them.

Seeing the unfamiliar bouquet, Qin Miaoyu was certain they weren’t from Lu Qi’an—he always selected several of her favorite flowers with great care.

This bunch, however, was a striking array of red roses.

She didn’t dislike red roses, but she didn’t particularly like them either. What bothered her now was not knowing who had sent them.

Thinking back to the recent incident with Zhou Zhaolin’s overly zealous fans at the studio, she was even more reluctant to accept the flowers.

“Could you please take them back? I’ll pay you for your trouble,” she said.

The delivery man hesitated. “Sorry, ma’am. The customer didn’t leave a return address—the order was placed over the phone. I can’t return them.”

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Then please just throw them in the trash. None of my friends said they’d send me flowers, and I think I have the right not to accept gifts from strangers, don’t I?”

In the end, the delivery man accepted her tip and left.