Chapter 162: Lying

The autumn landscape painting that had been redone was currently at Grandma Lu’s place. That was why Cao Xiuhua had recognized it at a glance. Since her daughter-in-law, Xia Yun, mentioned buying the painting from a young girl, could it be that she had bought it from Miaoyu?

She held up the painting for Lu Qi’an to see. "Qi’an, look, is this the same painting that hangs at Grandma’s house?"

Lu Qi’an took his grandmother’s phone, glanced at it, and nodded. "Yes, it is the one hanging in your bedroom."

"So, the painting in my bedroom was done by Miaoyu?"

"It should be. I had felt that the paintings my mother gave you looked familiar, but I never specifically asked her about it."

Cao Xiuhua couldn't help but pat her grandson. "You silly boy! If you had asked sooner, with the connection of Xia Yun frequently buying paintings from Miaoyu, perhaps you two wouldn't have ended up in this situation!"

Lu Qi’an gave a bitter smile. He had once had that thought, but eventually gave up on it. Their relationship had always been ambiguous, and if he had brought this matter to light, Miaoyu might have felt awkward. Therefore, even though he had guessed, he never intended to get to the bottom of it.

Hearing this, Cao Xiuhua sighed. Her grandson had been smooth sailing in every aspect, except for his rocky love life. He had been reluctant to find a partner for a long time, and now that he was married, it felt like a dream within a mirror—she had no idea what the outcome would be. Moreover, she heard that the child from the Gao family was coming back, and that incident from years ago was truly...

Thinking of this, she stopped dwelling on it and instead spoke to Lu Qi’an about Old Master Lu. "There is something wrong with your grandfather."

Lu Qi’an agreed; his grandfather had indeed been acting very strangely lately. "I will go back to the old mansion more often and try to ask around."

Actually, the easiest way would be to ask Uncle Wang, the grandfather’s assistant. However, Uncle Wang had served as the old man’s assistant for so long precisely because of his unwavering loyalty, not to mention that the old master had once saved his life. If his grandfather intended to keep something from them, Uncle Wang would certainly not reveal a thing. Thus, he had to go to the mansion himself.

After learning which painting Grandma liked, Qin Miaoyu found the framing supplies she had bought earlier and framed it herself, planning to bring it along the next time she visited Grandma Lu. Once finished, she went to the living room to pour some water and caught a glimpse of the traffic downstairs. She remembered to tell the driver that he didn't need to pick her up from the studio today. This driver was the one Lu Qi’an had mentioned was available, as Lu Qi’an was so concerned about her safety that he insisted on having a driver pick her up for work.

As soon as she sent the message, the driver replied: "Miss Qin, coincidentally, Old Master Lu has given me a task. I was just about to tell you that I cannot pick you up today."

The next morning, Qin Miaoyu arrived at the entrance of the residential complex and saw the car she had been riding in lately. She was surprised. Fearing that Lu Qi’an’s car was too conspicuous, she had specifically requested an ordinary vehicle. She opened the door and got in. "Uncle Hu, good morning. I thought you wouldn't be here this morning."

Uncle Hu had messaged her last night saying he might not be able to make it. Uncle Hu said good morning and explained, "I thought I wouldn't be able to come either, but the person I was supposed to pick up ended up sleeping at a bar, so I didn't have to make the trip."

"Sleeping at a bar? Who in the Lu family would require the Old Master to specifically arrange for someone to pick them up from a bar?" As far as Qin Miaoyu knew, neither the main branch of the Lu family nor any of the extended relatives had people who frequented or slept in bars, let alone someone the Old Master would personally arrange for.

Uncle Hu was unsure. "It doesn't seem to be someone from the Lu family, but the Li family. Assistant Wang told me it was 'Young Master Li'."

Qin Miaoyu was completely bewildered. "Young Master Li?" She had heard the term before, but it was usually reserved for the younger generation of the Li family. The only ones the Old Master would personally care for were Old Madam Li and the second son of the Li family, who was usually addressed as "Second Master Li." So, who was this Young Master Li?

"Are you sure it was Young Master Li and not Second Master Li?"

"It wasn't Second Master Li. Assistant Wang even showed me a photo of Young Master Li, fearing I wouldn't recognize him."

"He even had to show a photo? Is he not someone from the Li family that you know?" Uncle Hu used to drive for Lu Qi’an and had seen many people, yet Assistant Wang still had to show him a photo.

"I'm not sure. I certainly never saw this person at the Li family residence when I used to drive for the Young Master, but according to Assistant Wang, he is a member of the Li family. Yesterday, he just told me to drop him off at the Li residence."

Another Li family member who had captured Old Master Lu’s special attention—Qin Miaoyu felt that this was definitely not a good sign.

After taking his grandmother home yesterday, Lu Qi’an had returned to the Lu family’s old mansion. Lu Fuling and Xia Yun had gone to the neighboring city, so only Old Master Lu was home. Usually, the old man would be overjoyed to see Lu Qi’an. But today, Lu Qi’an noticed that while his grandfather was happy, it lacked the usual spark; he didn't even call to the kitchen to add his favorite dishes as he used to.

Lu Qi’an kept his composure and sat down beside his grandfather. "Grandfather, have you been staying home alone lately? Haven't you gone out to see any old friends?" The old man was not one to sit idle; he usually went fishing or had tea with friends.

Old Master Lu laughed. "With you all away, I naturally went to see my old friends. I just went fishing with Grandpa Pei these past two days."

The Old Master did not look at Lu Qi’an while speaking, so he naturally missed the sudden change in Lu Qi’an’s expression. The reason for Lu Qi’an’s shock was that he had met with the eldest son of the Pei family just yesterday regarding company business. When they went out for a meal afterward, the eldest Pei had complained that his grandfather had been grumbling at home because he couldn't get Old Master Lu to come out, and he didn't know what the old man had been up to lately.

And now, his grandfather was claiming to have just gone fishing with Grandpa Pei? Why would his grandfather lie? Lu Qi’an couldn't figure it out. He didn't know what his grandfather was involved in lately that required keeping it a secret from them. He wanted to ask directly, but thinking of the mention of the Li family earlier that morning, he felt it might not be necessary—after all, it had always been matters concerning the Li family that caused his grandfather to act this way.