Chapter 142: Innocence

Although she said so, Qin Miaoyu did not truly believe that Lu Qi'an could handle these complex relationships well.

Seeing the unease in Lu Qi'an’s eyes for the first time, however, she felt a bit soft-hearted and did not speak too bluntly.

Lu Qi'an, unaware of Qin Miaoyu’s inner thoughts, finally showed a hint of relaxed relief on his face when he heard her words.

After watching Qin Miaoyu enter her apartment complex, Lu Qi'an immediately contacted his parents to ask about the plan for dining at his grandmother's house.

Xia Yun and Lu Fuling were, of course, happy to oblige. Seeing their son’s message, Xia Yun was delighted, believing that her son and daughter-in-law had finally achieved a happy ending. However, when she saw the follow-up message from her son, her smile froze instantly. She tossed her phone to Lu Fuling.

"Look at this! Look at the good deed your father has done!"

Xia Yun had always maintained only a facade of respect for her father-in-law. Ever since she learned from Lu Fuling about the past between her parents-in-law, she had held no great affection for the old man. She never expected that after Old Master Lu had torn apart his own family back then, he would now try to meddle in her son’s marriage as well.

Upon reading the message, Lu Fuling’s face darkened. Hearing his wife’s words, he immediately recalled the events of the past. Unlike his wife and son, who had only heard rumors, he was a witness to those years. It was precisely because of that history that his relationship with Old Master Lu had always been distant. Perhaps feeling a sense of guilt, the Old Master had rarely interfered in his affairs. But with Qi'an, the Old Master had poured years of effort into him, and because Qi'an had always been filial, the old man had repeatedly overstepped.

While he and the Old Master had previously urged their son to marry early, that was back when Qi'an was single and had no romantic interest. But now, with his son already married, for the Old Master to disregard Qi'an’s wishes and meddle in his marriage...

Lu Fuling reached out to hold his wife. "Don't worry. Aren't we returning soon? I will have a serious talk with the Old Master when we get there."

"Tomorrow. We’ll buy tickets and head back tomorrow!"

After finishing his messages with his parents, Lu Qi'an felt much more at ease. With his father stepping in, the situation with his grandfather would be much easier to resolve.

However... looking at the information delivered to his desk, Lu Qi'an’s expression grew unreadable. He had not expected that after he refused to resume cooperation with the Li family, his grandfather would actually use his personal assets to assist them. When he hadn't yet cut ties with the Li family, he never imagined his grandfather would go to such lengths. This made him hesitate again regarding the thought he had previously dismissed: could the second Li son truly be his grandfather’s illegitimate child?

***

Back home, Qin Miaoyu collapsed onto the sofa. She briefly regretted agreeing to have dinner with the Lu family, but she had relented because of how much her grandmother and Lu Qi'an had hoped for it. Thinking about it now, she felt she should have just refused directly.

She was busy now; couldn't she have used that as an excuse? She shook her head; she had already given her word, and it felt wrong to go back on it now.

After waking from an afternoon nap, Qin Miaoyu saw a missed call from Xu Xiaoqi. When she called back, Xu Xiaoqi told her the fish had taken the bait. Ever since they learned from Pei Yixue that Chen Xuanyu was getting cozy with a young girl in the design department named Deng Huanhuan, she and Xu Xiaoqi had kept a close eye on her.

Deng Huanhuan had been hired when the studio was first established. They hadn't intended to hire someone without experience, but Deng Huanhuan was genuinely talented in design and had great ideas for wedding planning. They decided to hire her, hoping she would be capable of handling more responsibility after a year or two of training.

In reality, she had performed well, but everyone shared the same assessment of her: she was naive and simple-minded. Nobody knew how she had become involved with Chen Xuanyu, but by the time anyone noticed, the two were already in an ambiguous relationship.

"Deng Huanhuan has already seen the new renderings. It’s just a matter of whether she tells Chen Xuanyu. If the new renderings appear online, we will have our confirmation." Xu Xiaoqi’s tone was tinged with regret; she had pushed for keeping Deng Huanhuan, believing in her potential, and never expected such a mess.

"Are we following the usual process? Deng Huanhuan might be easy to bait, but Chen Xuanyu... judging by his past actions, he seems quite thorough."

Xu Xiaoqi replied, "Don't worry, we are following the established process. The new renderings were due to be released in the next few days anyway. Unless Chen Xuanyu discovers we are investigating him, he won't suspect a thing. If it’s confirmed he’s the one behind it, we’ll kick him out of the studio immediately."

Qin Miaoyu fully agreed. They had already shown mercy when Chen Xuanyu approached Pei Yixue with ulterior motives; if he really were the one causing trouble now, he couldn't stay, or the studio would be ruined sooner or later.

The next morning, when Qin Miaoyu arrived at the studio, she ran into Chen Xuanyu and Deng Huanhuan. Upon seeing Qin Miaoyu, Chen Xuanyu looked panicked for a fleeting second before regaining his composure. He hadn't had any real relationship with Pei Yixue, and dating Deng Huanhuan now didn't mean he had wronged anyone.

Qin Miaoyu gave them a look of feigned surprise. Deng Huanhuan blushed, not expecting to run into the boss. She immediately let go of Chen Xuanyu’s hand and greeted her, "Good morning, Ms. Qin. Why are you here so early?"

Qin Miaoyu replied, "There are some things to wrap up, so I came early to handle them. How is the progress on your project?"

Discussing work made Deng Huanhuan less nervous, and she quickly updated Qin Miaoyu on their situation. Qin Miaoyu listened to the detailed report and smiled slightly. "It seems you’ve been diligent lately to have such a comprehensive understanding."

Deng Huanhuan blushed under the praise and glanced at Chen Xuanyu. "It’s all thanks to Xuanyu’s reminders that I’ve been able to spend more time on the project."

Qin Miaoyu lowered her eyes. It seemed Chen Xuanyu’s plans were not small; he had even gotten Deng Huanhuan to learn the details of the entire project. Wedding planning involved many aspects, especially for large-scale events, and it took a lot of effort to understand every facet. What Deng Huanhuan had just revealed showed she had put in far more than just a little effort.

However, Qin Miaoyu didn't show anything on her face. She smiled at Deng Huanhuan, "Keep up the good work. It’s almost time for the workday to start. While the studio doesn't strictly forbid office romances, you must not let them interfere with your work."

Deng Huanhuan’s face turned bright red. "Don't worry, Ms. Qin! It definitely won't interfere!"

Qin Miaoyu nodded and headed toward her office. Once inside, she called the administrative department to ask which part of the work Chen Xuanyu was responsible for. Learning that his tasks were still minor and did not involve confidential information, she breathed a sigh of relief. She then understood why he was trying to extract information from the design department.

Chen Xuanyu couldn't get anything useful from his own department, so he set his sights elsewhere. With Deng Huanhuan’s personality and abilities, he saw her as a gateway to the studio's more important secrets. She didn't know if Deng Huanhuan was a willing participant or if she was being kept in the dark.

Based on her past observations of Deng Huanhuan, she was likely being used without knowing it. Qin Miaoyu gave this an 80% probability. After all, Deng Huanhuan was a fresh graduate who had been focused on postgraduate entrance exams before joining the studio. She was essentially a workplace novice who hadn't been exposed to complex environments.

Chen Xuanyu was different. From the moment he joined, he tried to cling to Pei Yixue, eavesdropped on office conversations, and was now likely orchestrating a scheme against the studio. Such a person kept his intentions well-hidden.

Still, Deng Huanhuan clearly looked like a girl in love; it was unclear if she was blinded by romance or if she was actually hiding her own depths. Regardless, the fish had taken the bait; it only remained to see how things would unfold.

Chen Xuanyu was naturally suspicious, so after bumping into Qin Miaoyu, he felt uneasy. He asked Deng Huanhuan, "Why did you release the new renderings so quickly? Was it a last-minute decision?"

Deng Huanhuan shook her head. "Of course not. It’s the standard process. Plus, the client has been urging us for revisions, so we rushed to get them done."

Chen Xuanyu asked again, "What is the usual process for your projects? I’ve been in the studio for so long and I still don't know these things."

Seeing his curiosity, Deng Huanhuan explained the workflow. Once he confirmed that the timeline matched what he had expected, Chen Xuanyu felt relieved. He was terrified that something might go wrong. The two then went off to have breakfast together.

Xia Yun and Lu Fuling’s flight landed in Jingcheng at noon. They went straight to the family estate. Xia Yun went to her room to unpack, while Lu Fuling went to the study to find Old Master Lu.

Inside the study, Old Master Lu said, "Fuling, I promise this is the last time. I will absolutely never help the Li family again!"

Lu Fuling raised an eyebrow. "So it has come to this? It was one thing to subsidize their joint projects over the years, but now you are giving them money directly?"

If it were still about joint projects, the old man would have talked to Qi'an, since Qi'an was now the one running the Lu family business. The fact that he had come to Fuling meant the Old Master had acted on his own initiative.