Chapter 158: Adding to the Trouble

After a long silence, Lu Qi’an still could not bring himself to bring up the idea of moving the date forward. Eventually, the two of them said their goodbyes, and the call was disconnected.

Qin Miaoyu stared at the tabletop, her mind deeply entangled in what she had just heard. Gao Qingqing, driven by a love that turned into a desire for destruction, had likely spent a long time plotting. She had been so precise in choosing the location and timing that Lu Qi’an had nearly ended up in prison. Now that Gao Qingqing was returning, and given Mrs. Gao’s current attitude, were they conspiring on how to deal with Lu Qi’an?

Over on Lu Qi’an’s side, news finally arrived from abroad. Gao Qingqing had not fared well during the first two years. Later, once Lu Qi’an stopped having his people monitor her, the Gao family began to secretly provide her with financial support. However, they dared not give too much, nor could they do it openly, for fear that Lu Qi’an would discover it and stir up trouble again. But as time passed, and with Lu Qi’an no longer keeping a watch on her, the Gao family grew bolder. Gao Qingqing’s life descended into debauchery and excess, and she even began dabbling in illicit substances.

Yet, where Gao Qingqing was currently located, the people Gu Feng had hired could not determine.

"The contact says that over the past year, Gao Qingqing has frequently appeared in casinos or certain exclusive overseas clubs; it is common for her to be unreachable," Gu Feng reported.

"Oh? So that means she might be in a casino or a club? Or is it possible she has already returned to the country?" Lu Qi’an asked.

Gu Feng replied, "He says it is most likely a casino or club, but we cannot rule out the possibility that she has returned. However, there are no records of plane tickets. If she were to return, it certainly wouldn't be through official channels."

Lu Qi’an naturally understood. The agreement had been for a five-year term. If the Gao family did not want to be threatened by him again, they would certainly not allow Gao Qingqing to return openly before the time was up. But if she returned in secret and managed to evade his detection, Lu Qi’an would have no recourse if the Gao family refused to admit it. If Gao Qingqing had indeed returned, that was surely what the Gao family was thinking.

"Tell the people over there to dig deeper and confirm whether Gao Qingqing has truly returned. Also, is there any new progress on the matter regarding Li Qixiao?"

Gu Feng looked troubled. "Yes, Mr. Lu. Most of the information we’ve gathered seems standard, and there is no apparent connection to the Mo Shanchuan you mentioned."

Lu Qi’an tapped his fingers on the desk and asked, "Is he close with anyone else, then?"

Upon mentioning this, Gu Feng had managed to uncover something.

"This Li Qixiao appears to be a relative of the Li family. He has had some contact with Mr. Li Deyong recently, though not much. It seems he was trying to borrow money from him."

Li Deyong? Lu Qi’an frowned; he hadn't expected to be linked back to the Li family again. Li Qixiao and Li Deyong—the names themselves suggested a potential kinship.

"Have someone keep a close watch on them. If you find them meeting again, remember to tell me."

Had it been anyone else, Lu Qi’an might have considered whether he was being overly suspicious, but the connection to Li Deyong was far too coincidental.

Qin Miaoyu pondered for a long time before pulling the business card Mrs. Gao had given her from her pocket. Staring at the number, she dialed it.

When Mrs. Gao answered, her tone was entirely indifferent, as if she had fully expected Qin Miaoyu to call her.

"Miss Qin, it seems you have made your decision?"

"Yes. Mrs. Gao, what do you think I should do?"

"Miss Qin, it is not about what I want to do, but what you want to do. It all depends on whether you have the heart to be ruthless!"

Qin Miaoyu asked, "Mrs. Gao, I don't understand."

"Miss Qin, how important do you think the Lu Corporation is to Mr. Lu?"

"It is very important."

"Exactly. If you want to avoid the worst possible outcome in the future, you must at least secure a portion of the company's shares. While the two of you are still on good terms, this should be an easy task."

Qin Miaoyu became increasingly confused about what Mrs. Gao was planning. Were shares of the Lu family really so easy to obtain? Even in the event of a divorce, getting hold of a significant portion of Lu Corporation stock would be anything but easy. Yet, Mrs. Gao spoke as if it were a simple matter, and furthermore...

"How does Mrs. Gao know that we are still on good terms? Mrs. Gao, have you been having me followed?"

Mrs. Gao chuckled on the other end. "Calling it 'following' is a bit severe. I was merely trying to inquire about your whereabouts and happened to discover that your relationship with Lu Qi’an is quite good—he even goes out of his way to pick you up from work. However, there haven't been no conflicts between you these past few days, have there?"

Qin Miaoyu’s expression darkened. So the person who had been following her was indeed someone sent by Mrs. Gao! And judging by this, the person tracking her had simply become better at hiding, not that they had stopped following her at all. She did not dwell on this, however, but instead asked if Mrs. Gao had any good methods for obtaining the shares.

After listening to Mrs. Gao’s idea, a cold sneer appeared on Qin Miaoyu’s face. Mrs. Gao must think she was a fool. The method she proposed was merely a way to cause trouble for Lu Qi’an, not something that would actually help her obtain shares in the company.

"Alright, Mrs. Gao, I understand. I will try it out when the time comes."

"Very well, Miss Qin. I am only offering you well-intentioned advice. As for whether you choose to act on it, that depends on the state of your relationship with Mr. Lu. If you believe your bond is stronger than steel, then there is indeed no need to do this. But if there are conflicts, I suggest Miss Qin start planning for herself sooner rather than later!"

"Yes, I know. But Mrs. Gao, I do not like being monitored."

"Rest assured, the person was withdrawn yesterday. You simply weren't aware of it."

After the call ended, the indifference on Mrs. Gao’s face shattered. She knew Qin Miaoyu did not fully trust her, but she didn't need her to trust her immediately. If Qin Miaoyu were naive enough to believe her instantly, she wouldn't have been a good choice for causing trouble for Lu Qi’an anyway.

Previously, when she learned that Lu Qi’an and Qin Miaoyu were not living together and rarely saw each other, she hadn't considered using Qin Miaoyu for anything. It was only after the person she sent to track Qin Miaoyu reported that the two had reconnected, and that Qin Miaoyu had begun using a dedicated driver to commute, that she decided to leverage her to cause trouble for Lu Qi’an. As long as she could throw Lu Qi’an into a state of panic and distraction, other things would be much easier to handle.

By now, Qin Miaoyu had already consulted with Lu Qi’an. She had been puzzled about Mrs. Gao’s intentions, but Lu Qi’an had guessed them easily.

"She likely sees that we have a genuine connection and wants to use you to cause me trouble."

"But if our relationship is truly good, then wouldn't her words be useless? Wouldn't she fail to achieve her goals?"