Chapter 63: Disappointment

Su Yikun had no idea where he was. He wanted a drink of water, but couldn’t find any. Turning to leave, he discovered the doorknob wouldn’t turn. His temper was never the best to begin with, and the locked door made him particularly furious. In his agitation, he accidentally knocked over the coat rack beside him, sending it crashing to the floor.

Outside, someone heard the commotion and, satisfied, went to report back.

In the banquet hall, Mrs. Jiang, Yu Fang, was beaming as she watched her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law. The young man was someone she had chosen early on, and, as luck would have it, her daughter liked him too. All were happy.

But in the next instant, her smile froze. The waiter carrying drinks stumbled for some reason, and the wine splashed from his glass, soaking the pale blue gown she wore. The unsightly stain was especially vexing.

She still had to make a speech later and had no time to scold anyone. She quickly asked her assistant to bring the prepared change of clothes to the dressing room.

She headed toward the changing room and twisted the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open.

She knocked twice, but there was no response from inside.

Helpless, she contacted the hotel manager to unlock the room.

When the door finally opened, Su Yikun was sprawled motionless on the floor.

The hotel manager leaped forward, checked him, and found that Su Yikun was simply asleep from drinking too much. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mrs. Jiang, it seems Mr. Su got drunk, found a random room to rest, and locked the door behind him.”

Yu Fang knew well who Su Yikun was. If the Liang family had chosen him as a son-in-law, he must be capable. She told the manager to arrange another room for Su Yikun to rest.

Liang Sixuan, who had been secretly observing the situation, saw the manager support Su Yikun out of the changing room.

Things weren’t quite as she had imagined. She immediately stepped forward, asking, “What happened?”

Seeing it was Miss Liang, the manager explained what had happened.

“He got drunk and then fell asleep in the changing room?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing else happened? Was he alone in there?” Liang Sixuan pressed.

The manager shook his head. “Nothing else, ma’am. Mr. Su was the only person in the room.”

Liang Sixuan hid her disappointment and said, “Then please take him to another room to rest.”

With that, she turned and left without a backward glance, hurrying to the banquet hall to see if Qin Miaoyu was there.

But Qin Miaoyu was nowhere to be seen in the banquet hall.

After leaving the changing room with Mrs. An Xingmo, Qin Miaoyu had found another room, changed her clothes, and then departed. By now, she had returned to the hotel she’d booked earlier, intending to rest well.

Her mind had been busy every day at the Liang household, and she hadn’t slept properly. Once back at the hotel, she fell asleep almost immediately, only waking when Lu Qi’an knocked on her door.

Sleepily, she opened the door and, seeing Lu Qi’an, waved him inside.

Noticing Qin Miaoyu was barefoot on the floor, Lu Qi’an picked her up in a strong embrace and carried her to the bed.

“It’s not warm enough yet. You’ll catch cold walking around barefoot.”

He had noticed this habit of hers ever since they’d started sharing an apartment—Qin Miaoyu loved walking barefoot, especially when the weather grew just a little warmer.

“Alright, alright, stop nagging. I’m still sleepy. Make me some sweet soup, will you? I’ll nap a bit more.”

Just as she was about to drift off again, she suddenly jolted awake, her mind muddled, almost believing she was still living with Lu Qi’an.

Seeing him heading toward the fridge, she quickly called out.

“Lu Qi’an, I was dreaming. There’s nothing here.”

Lu Qi’an turned back, pulled up a chair, and sat beside the bed.

“Just go to sleep. I’ll order some sweet soup. When you wake, it’ll be ready.”

Qin Miaoyu pursed her lips. “No need for all that trouble. You should go back to your room. If there’s nothing urgent, we can talk when I wake up.”

“There’s nothing urgent. You go ahead and sleep. I’ll keep you company. Gu Jing and Xia Lingyan have gone out.”

Qin Miaoyu didn’t mind. Knowing he had nothing pressing, she drifted off peacefully again.

When she woke up, memories of the banquet rushed back. Without waiting to talk to Lu Qi’an, she messaged Ji Xuan to ask if anything had happened.

Ji Xuan received the message, confused, and called her.

“Nothing happened here. Did I miss some gossip?”

Hearing Ji Xuan’s obvious ignorance, Qin Miaoyu guessed that either Liang Sixuan had called off her plan for some reason, or Qin Miaoyu’s departure had forced Liang Sixuan to abort her scheme, leaving no ripple in the end.

“No, nothing happened. That’s good. By the way, thank An Xingmo for me.”

“An Xingmo?”

“Yes.”

Lu Qi’an listened to Qin Miaoyu’s conversation and, after she hung up, asked, “Did something happen at the engagement banquet?”

He looked Qin Miaoyu up and down, worried she might be hiding something from him.

“Don’t worry, nothing happened.”

Everything had passed so quietly that Qin Miaoyu found it odd. But thinking about it, Liang Sixuan wasn’t foolish. She would not attempt anything too drastic at the outset, probably acting on a ‘if it works, great, if not, no loss’ mentality.

If it succeeded, she’d be pleased. If not, there was nothing to lose.

“That’s good. When are you planning to return to Jingcheng?”

Hearing the question, Qin Miaoyu suddenly looked up. “Are you going back to Jingcheng?”

“Not immediately. But according to my leave schedule, I can’t stay in Nancheng much longer. So I wanted to ask when you’re heading back—if possible, we could go together.”

Qin Miaoyu had no intention of returning to Jingcheng soon.

“I was planning to travel. I haven’t finished exploring Sucheng yet, and after Sucheng, I have other places to visit. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Lu Qi’an said, a little disappointed, “You still don’t believe what I said before?”

Qin Miaoyu denied it. “That’s not it. Of course I believe what you said. But this trip is something I’ve planned for a long time. Now that I finally have the time, I want to make the most of it. Otherwise, once I get busy again, I won’t be able to travel.”

Moreover, Qin Miaoyu realized she couldn’t stay cooped up at home all the time. Though the days spent with Lu Qi’an were wonderful, the drawbacks were obvious. Her emotions became increasingly unstable. Sometimes, staying home made her desperately want Lu Qi’an to return, which really wasn’t healthy.

“Then, can you let me know where you are when you travel?”

He didn’t want a repeat of before, when she vanished without a trace, and he returned home only to find his wife gone.

“Of course! If you don’t mind, I can share all the fun and delicious places I come across.”

Qin Miaoyu smiled.

Lu Qi’an smiled back at her words. “I definitely won’t mind. You can tell me anything, anytime. When I get a break, I’ll join you.”