Chapter 167: The Li Family’s Private Affairs
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Qin Miaoyu slowly walked away, and the voices of Mrs. Li and Li Qixiao gradually faded into the distance.
She went to stand beside the groom’s mother and, under the pretext of offering her congratulations on the union between the two families, began asking Mrs. Li and Li Qixiao.
Mrs. Huang’s in-laws were related by marriage to the Li family, and not distantly at that. Moreover, she had known Mrs. Li for some time, so Mrs. Li had come over the previous day. Naturally, Mrs. Huang knew a little about the Li family’s affairs.
“Mrs. Huang, who is the young man standing beside Mrs. Li? Which member of the Li family is he? I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”
“He was only recently acknowledged by the Li family. I don’t know the details of his background either. All I know is that he was brought back and recognized as family.”
Qin Miaoyu asked tactfully, “Which branch does he belong to?”
“I heard he’s from the household of the Li family’s second son,” Mrs. Huang replied softly.
Could he really be an illegitimate son? Qin Miaoyu was both startled and suspicious.
She could not help glancing over again. Relying on her memory of the face of the Li family’s second son, she could not see any resemblance between Li Qixiao and him. Perhaps Li Qixiao mainly took after his mother.
After the wedding, Qin Miaoyu returned to the studio and began asking Pei Yixue about the Li family as well.
Pei Yixue grew animated at the mention of them. “I heard he’s the child of the Li family’s second son and his first love. He’s supposedly two or three years older than Mrs. Li’s own child. They say Mrs. Li was furious when she found out, but no one knows how they eventually reached an agreement. In any case, Mrs. Li seems to have accepted him.”
“We’re all curious about how the second son of the Li family managed to persuade her. Mrs. Li never used to give way on matters like this!”
The second son of the Li family was a romantic and a womanizer. Even after marrying Mrs. Li, he had never been particularly well-behaved, though he conducted his affairs in secret.
Qin Miaoyu told Pei Yixue about seeing Li Qixiao with Mrs. Li that day.
When Pei Yixue heard that Li Qixiao’s back looked like Lu Qi’an’s, she readily agreed.
“When I first saw him, I almost thought he was Lu Qi’an too. Then I saw his face, and it was completely different!”
That was indeed the case. Anyone who had seen Lu Qi’an would feel that Li Qixiao’s face was a terrible waste of such an impressive figure and bearing.
“Still, although Li Qixiao’s face is a little lacking, quite a few people think he resembles the Lu family. Everyone is speculating that the Second Master of the Li family might really be related by blood to the Old Master of the Lu family.”
“And there’s something else. The names Qixiao and Qi’an are rather similar, aren’t they?”
Qin Miaoyu was startled.
They really were.
Thinking of how Uncle Hu had been specially assigned to drive Li Qixiao around, and recalling Grandma Lu’s remark that the Old Master of the Lu family no longer seemed as concerned about Lu Qi’an as before, Qin Miaoyu’s heart gave a sudden jolt.
She wondered whether Lu Qi’an knew about this yet.
Considering the Old Master’s feelings for the Dowager Lady of the Li family, and the fact that he had found such a grandson, would he eventually pour all his affection into Li Qixiao?
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No, that could not be right.
If the second son of the Li family were truly the Old Master of the Lu family’s son, why would the Old Master not show kindness to the second son, or to Mrs. Li’s child, but instead favor Li Qixiao, who had only recently been acknowledged?
The more Qin Miaoyu thought about it, the more bewildering the matter seemed.
Fortunately, Lu Qi’an remained remarkably composed, his voice calm and indifferent.
Qin Miaoyu could not help asking, “Aren’t you worried that the Old Master might no longer care about you as much as he used to?”
Lu Qi’an shook his head. “Why should I be worried? If Grandpa truly stops caring about me because of him, then so be it. I’m not so fragile that I’d be heartbroken over something like that.”
At most, he would feel uncomfortable.
After watching the Old Master care so deeply for the Dowager Lady of the Li family all these years, he had nearly grown accustomed to it.
Qin Miaoyu muttered something under her breath, not realizing that Lu Qi’an had heard her.
“You’re different.”
The instant those words left his mouth, Qin Miaoyu’s heart gave a heavy thump. She had never expected Lu Qi’an to say something so direct even after their divorce.
She hurriedly changed the subject. “Grandma should be free at home these next few days, right? I’ll take a painting over to her.”
“You don’t need to make a special trip. You’ve probably been quite busy lately. I can stop by your place this evening and take it to Grandma for you.”
Qin Miaoyu was indeed busy. When she had said she would deliver it, she had really meant to hurry over during her lunch break or after work, drop it off, and return immediately.
“Then come by after work to pick up the painting. I’m afraid I’ll forget otherwise. It’s better to get it to Grandma as soon as possible.”
That afternoon, Qin Miaoyu returned home first.
She carried the already framed painting into the living room, then took several of the supplements her second sister-in-law had sent her—the ones most suitable for someone of Grandma’s age.
A knock sounded at the door, and Qin Miaoyu hurried over to open it.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qi’an had not come empty-handed either.
Seeing the vegetables and meat in his hands, Qin Miaoyu asked, “Are you planning to cook for Grandma?”
Lu Qi’an shook his head. “I’m not going to cook for Grandma. Let me come in first, will you?”
Qin Miaoyu thought nothing of it and let him inside.
Lu Qi’an opened the shoe cabinet. The shoes inside were arranged neatly, and there was only one pair of men’s slippers.
His heart filled with secret delight. After changing into the slippers, he carried the groceries farther inside.
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Seeing that he was still carrying the groceries, Qin Miaoyu could not help saying, “You can just leave them on top of the shoe cabinet. Isn’t it troublesome to keep carrying them around?”
“I’m borrowing your kitchen.”
Qin Miaoyu looked at him in confusion. “What for?”
Lu Qi’an smiled. “To cook you dinner.”
Qin Miaoyu was speechless. “There’s no need to come all the way over just to make one meal.”
“What? You don’t approve of my cooking?” Lu Qi’an stopped on his way to the kitchen.
“Of course not. Your cooking is delicious!”
Anyone who had tasted Lu Qi’an’s food could hardly bring themselves to say otherwise.
“Then that settles it. Go sit down. I’ll make you dinner.”
At Qin Miaoyu’s insistence, Lu Qi’an prepared only two dishes and a soup. Once everything was ready, they sat down together at the dining table.
Qin Miaoyu thought of the Li family again.
“Have you found anything else about Li Qixiao?”
After hearing Lu Qi’an say that Gu Feng was still investigating Li Qixiao, Qin Miaoyu had guessed that there was more to the matter than met the eye.
“There’s been some progress recently, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before we know the details.”
“I see. Then let me ask you something. Is the second son of the Li family really the Old Master of the Lu family’s biological son?”
Qin Miaoyu was genuinely curious about the answer. She was also somewhat worried about what it would mean if he truly was.
“No. I asked my father. He said the timing of the second son of the Li family’s birth doesn’t match at all.”
Qin Miaoyu found it even stranger.
“If the second son of the Li family isn’t part of the Lu family, then why does the Old Master care so much about Li Qixiao?”
Lu Qi’an did not know the answer either. He only knew that the facts were exactly as Qin Miaoyu had described: the Old Master of the Lu family truly did show Li Qixiao extraordinary concern.
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