Chapter 67: Talent

Qin Miaoyu also looked puzzled. Thinking back to the time when Lu Qi’an had come to pick her up in President Qi’s car, she guessed, “It was probably a friend he knows who gave him a ride. He gets along very well with Gu Xunan.”

Of course Xi Ruofen knew who Gu Xunan was. Upon hearing that it might have been Gu Xunan’s car Lu Qi’an had borrowed, her suspicions were quelled.

“The butler said he’d been waiting outside for quite a while, so you’d better leave earlier.”

After tidying up, Qin Miaoyu headed out and got into Lu Qi’an’s car.

“Why are you here so early?”

Her second brother had said that the meeting with Master Wu was set for noon, yet it was only nine in the morning.

Lu Qi’an tucked her stray hair gently behind her ear. “We’re heading back to Jing City tonight. I wanted to take you out for some fun before that.”

Qin Miaoyu brightened with anticipation. “Where are we going?”

“I checked some travel guides online. I heard Cloud Park is great, and it’s not far from where we’re having lunch.”

The two of them spent some time at Cloud Park before arriving at their lunch spot half an hour early.

Liang Siyuan’s company was nearby. When he learned from Qin Miaoyu that they had arrived, he drove over to Welcome Hall.

As the door of the private room opened again, Qin Miaoyu saw her second brother, whom she hadn’t seen in days.

She stood up to greet him, and Lu Qi’an rose as well.

“Second Brother, let me introduce you. This is my husband, Lu Qi’an. Qi’an, this is my second brother, Liang Siyuan.”

Lu Qi’an was the first to extend his hand. Liang Siyuan gave him a searching look and, after a brief hesitation, shook it.

“May I ask how your name is written?”

Liang Siyuan had heard of Lu Qi’an; he was the young master of the Lu family in Jing City.

Lu Qi’an replied calmly, “Lu as in the character for ‘six’ written in uppercase, Qi as in the Qilian Mountains, and An as in ‘peace.’”

Liang Siyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s a good name.”

The full name was exactly the same as the young master of the Lu family in Jing City—and both were from the same city. Was it really just a coincidence?

But his younger sister had said her husband was just an ordinary office worker. As for appearances, all the photos he’d seen of the young master showed him wearing glasses. He really had no idea what he looked like without them.

He glanced at Qin Miaoyu, suppressing his doubts for now, deciding to have someone look into it later.

The three sat down and asked the server to bring some tea.

Liang Siyuan hadn’t forgotten his original intentions; after confirming that the relationship between Lu Qi’an and Qin Miaoyu was quite good, he began to probe into Lu Qi’an’s capabilities.

Lu Qi’an, for his part, immediately sensed that his brother-in-law was evaluating him, and remained composed as he engaged Liang Siyuan in conversation.

They soon found themselves unexpectedly in sync.

Seeing the two of them so engrossed in their discussion, Qin Miaoyu quietly messaged Master Wu, asking about her preferences and dietary restrictions.

Master Wu replied in surprise, thinking at first that Qin Miaoyu had sent the message by mistake. Only after Qin Miaoyu briefly explained did she realize that the person Liang Siyuan wanted to introduce her to today was Qin Miaoyu herself.

So, upon arriving, Master Wu was curious about how the two of them ended up together. When she learned that Qin Miaoyu and the former Liang family daughter had been switched at birth, she sighed with emotion.

She also knew a bit about the plagiarism incident from Qin Miaoyu, and felt a pang of regret for her.

Qin Miaoyu herself was surprised by how well Master Wu and her second brother seemed to get along.

“Have you forgotten? Your second brother studied art for a while. Back then, the family hired Teacher Wu to teach me, but I had no talent whatsoever, and drove Teacher Wu to distraction.”

Teacher Wu laughed. “Indeed! I’ve had so many students over the years, taught so many people, but your second brother’s cluelessness when it comes to painting is unmatched—if he’s the worst, no one else could even compete for second place!”

Speaking of talent, Qin Miaoyu thought of Liang Qibin.

“By the way, I’ve been painting with Liang Qibin these days. That child’s gift is extraordinary, but he says his family doesn’t want him to pursue art.”

Liang Siyuan frowned deeply at that. “You’ve been painting with Qibin?”

“Yes, why?” Qin Miaoyu blinked, puzzled by her brother’s reaction.

“A couple of years ago, I noticed Qibin seemed to love painting, so I bought him some art supplies. My sister-in-law smashed them right away…”

“Maybe it’s because Qibin’s health isn’t great, and they want him to relax by doing what he likes?”

Liang Siyuan shook his head. “When I went back recently, my sister-in-law was still adamant. How could she have changed her mind so easily?”

Lu Qi’an spoke up. “That suggests there’s more going on here...”

Qin Miaoyu hadn’t known any of this before, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But hearing her brother and Lu Qi’an say this, she realized something was off.

Noticing her troubled expression, Liang Siyuan tried to lighten the mood. “Who knows, maybe Qibin insisted. That boy’s stubborn and can be quite single-minded—if he really dug in his heels, perhaps he could get sister-in-law to give in.”

“That’s possible. These past two days I’ve noticed that Qibin isn’t just talented, he genuinely loves painting. When he’s studying with me, you can see the happiness on his face.”

Qin Miaoyu took out her phone and showed Master Wu some of Qibin’s drawings.

“Look, he had almost no foundation before—just what he heard his siblings discuss and what he’d seen on his own, never any formal study—yet he’s already able to draw at this level.”

Master Wu studied the pictures on Qin Miaoyu’s phone, her face showing admiration.

“He really is exceptionally gifted. It’s a pity, though: from what you say, it sounds unlikely he’ll be able to study art seriously. Otherwise, I’d be happy to take on another disciple.”

Qin Miaoyu felt a pang of regret at that. Before, she’d only thought Liang Qibin was talented, but now even Master Wu said so—his gift was clearly even greater than she imagined. And yet Qibin couldn’t become Master Wu’s student.

“Well, Qibin’s affairs are for his parents and elder brother and sister-in-law to manage. Outsiders like us shouldn’t worry too much,” Liang Siyuan said, though he felt a twinge of regret too. He and Qibin seemed to have their fates reversed: one wanted to learn but couldn’t, the other was forced to learn against his will. But he also knew there was nothing they could do.

The meal was quite pleasant overall.

Liang Siyuan offered to escort Master Wu, while Qin Miaoyu left with Lu Qi’an.

Before they parted, Liang Siyuan pulled Lu Qi’an aside.

“Lu Qi’an, what is your relationship to the young master of the Lu family in Jing City?”

“You already have your suspicions, don’t you?” Lu Qi’an’s gaze sharpened.

Gone was the gentle persona; the formidable young master of the business world emerged.

Liang Siyuan’s brow furrowed. “Does Miaoyu not know? She told me you were just an ordinary office worker.”

Lu Qi’an gave a wry smile and roughly explained how things had come to be.

After listening, Liang Siyuan smiled faintly, a touch of irony in his tone. “So you’ve been hiding this from my sister all this time? Lu Qi’an, are you planning to keep lying to her?”

His words, by the end, carried a hint of anger.

“No, I wanted to explain it to her before, but something always interrupted. Then the Liang family matters came up. Once Miaoyu’s finished here and we return to Jing City, I’ll tell her everything—every last detail!”