Chapter 139: Revisiting the Past

Lu Qian nodded. “We’re going in different directions, but I want to see you home.”

Qin Miaoyu felt it was pointless to reason with him, so she stopped responding and just kept her head down, walking ahead.

Lu Qian silently followed behind.

The subway was packed during rush hour. After a difficult boarding, the train was also crowded with people.

Qin Miaoyu was used to this and felt nothing special, but Lu Qian couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

Seeing his expression, Qin Miaoyu found it a bit amusing. The lingering annoyance that had weighed on her heart began to dissipate slightly.

After getting off the subway, they still had some distance to walk.

Qin Miaoyu remained silent, showing no intention of speaking until Lu Qian accompanied her to the gate of her residential complex. She stopped, turned, and looked at him.

Suddenly, Lu Qian had a bad premonition.

Sure enough, Qin Miaoyu said, “Lu Qian, let’s pick a time when we’re both free and go to the civil affairs bureau. Let’s get the divorce finalized. There’s no need to wait for the two-year period.”

A flicker of panic crossed Lu Qian’s face. “Miaoyu, have I done something wrong recently?”

Qin Miaoyu shook her head as she looked at him. “It’s not that you did something wrong. It’s just that our family backgrounds are different. Being together brings many problems. You know I originally just wanted to marry an ordinary person, right?”

Lu Qian certainly knew. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have dared to tell her the truth from the start? He understood from her words that she wanted to marry an ordinary person just to satisfy her family.

But recently, Miaoyu had seemed somewhat more flexible. Why had her attitude suddenly changed so drastically?

Recalling what Xu Xiaoqi had said about someone approaching Qin Miaoyu, Lu Qian formed a suspicion.

“Did your grandfather come to see you? What did he say?”

His parents were still away, and his grandmother always liked Miaoyu. So, if any family member’s visit had caused this change in her attitude, it could only have been his grandfather.

Qin Miaoyu hadn’t expected Lu Qian to guess so quickly. She hadn’t intended to bring it up herself, but since he had figured it out, she had no reason to hide it.

“Your grandfather did come to see me because the Liang family reached out to him, hoping that Old Master Lu would help the Liang clan. You know the Liangs—they know you’re from the Lu family and will try everything to get help from your family. Right now, they’re only asking Old Master Lu, but if he refuses, who knows what they’ll do next!”

Lu Qian’s voice was urgent. “No matter what the Liang family wants, they won’t succeed. With their abilities, they can’t threaten me.”

Qin Miaoyu said nothing. She naturally understood this and knew that the real reason she wanted to divorce Lu Qian wasn’t about this.

As long as the Liang family kept meddling, Old Master Lu would hold onto this matter stubbornly, and just thinking about it made Qin Miaoyu feel suffocated.

It was like when Jiang’s mother had once used the Qin family to leverage Jiang’s family’s advancement, forcing her to comply with all sorts of demands.

Though the circumstances weren’t exactly the same, essentially there was little difference.

She was tired of dealing with such things.

Moreover, Lu Qian had a good relationship with his grandfather. Even if she fell out with Old Master Lu, there was no reason for Lu Qian to clash with him over such a trivial matter.

After a long silence, Qin Miaoyu said, “Next week. Let’s pick a time when we’re both free, and then we’ll go to the civil affairs bureau.”

Her words struck Lu Qian like a blow, making him tremble inside. Yet from her face, he saw her firm resolve.

He left with a single phrase: “We’ll discuss it then.”

Qin Miaoyu stood still, watching his retreating figure for a long moment before turning to enter the complex.

Lu Qian had returned to the old family home—a rare visit.

Before Old Master Lu could express any surprise, Lu Qian said, “Grandfather, what did you say to Miaoyu?”

Old Master Lu’s expression immediately darkened, surprised that his grandson had come back to confront him.

“What’s the matter? Do I have to report to you about what I say to her?”

Lu Qian stared at his grandfather. “You don’t have to report to me, but now Miaoyu wants a divorce!”

Having glimpsed a sliver of hope during their recent time together, this news struck him like a thunderclap.

Old Master Lu said, “What’s so good about Qin Miaoyu? It was fine before, but now she’s got the Liang family’s huge mess. They’ve come to me, begging for help from Old Master Lu.”

“That’s their business, not hers. The Liang family is one thing, she is another. I never planned to intervene on behalf of the Liangs.”

“If she had nothing to do with the Liang family, that would be true. But she is part of the Liang family. They won’t let her relationship with you go unused. If this time they don’t succeed, the Liang family will come again. Or what if they use Qin Miaoyu to threaten you in the future?”

Before, Old Master Lu hadn’t minded much because the Liang family hadn’t run into trouble. But now, with such a huge gap and them begging him, it showed their limited capabilities. Even if he helped now, would he help again if problems arose later?

Lu Qian scoffed. Given their current state, the Liang family posed no threat to him. If they dared, the Liang clan could disappear in an instant.

But he kept silent, instead asking, “What if we help them? For the Lu family, it’s a small matter. A bit of effort now could stabilize the Liang clan for years. And when they recover, they might rise again.”

Old Master Lu disagreed. “It’s not that easy for them to rise again! Besides, what if they never do? Will we keep patching their holes?”

Lu Qian looked at Old Master Lu and suddenly laughed aloud. “So, this is why you refused to help the Cao family back then?”

The Lu and Cao families had once been a strong alliance. Unfortunately, the Cao family’s major project ran into a funding shortfall, and they turned to the Lu family for help.

At that time, Old Master Lu was in control, but he had no affection for Cao Xiuhua. Moreover, he doubted the Cao family’s ability to complete the project and firmly refused their request for investment.

As a result, the Cao family was ousted from the circle of wealthy families.

Cao Xiuhua had completely given up on Old Master Lu, and although she never succeeded in divorcing him, she lived separately and never shared a home with him again.

Old Master Lu’s son—Lu Qian’s father—was also distant from Old Master Lu.

Recalling those past events, Old Master Lu fell silent. The Cao family’s situation back then was very similar to the Liang family’s now.

But Lu Qian did not see the two cases as comparable.

After all, the Cao family had been sabotaged by a competitor, which caused the funding gap in what had been a flawless project.

Furthermore, they had believed the Lu family would never stand by idly. With his great-uncle’s abilities, he could have turned the tide.

Yet, that never happened.