Chapter 77: The Purpose

“When I first joined the company, people thought I was too young. So sometimes, the older, more experienced employees would use their seniority to boss me around. I decided to wear glasses to look more mature and steady—it made quite a difference compared to my usual appearance.”

“So, President Qi’s car is actually yours, and the apartment we shared was also your property?”

“…Yes.”

“President Qi played this game well, didn’t he? So all along, you were just toying with me?”

“No, Miaoyu, I only delayed telling you because I feared that once you learned my true identity, you’d want to divorce me immediately. I kept postponing it, hoping that day would never come!”

“But I know now, don’t I?”

“Miaoyu, what are you planning to do?”

“Nothing much—just considering whether I should divorce you.”

“Miaoyu…”

Qin Miaoyu didn’t listen to Lu Qi’an’s explanation any longer; she simply hung up the phone.

Holding her phone, she walked into the living room and handed it to her second brother. “Second Brother, did you already know about Lu Qi’an’s real identity?”

Liang Siyuan’s hand paused as he took the phone, then he accepted it.

“It was when we met with Teacher Wu last time. I found him familiar—I’d seen him at some banquets before, so I recognized him. He said he’d tell you the truth once you returned to Jing City. I wasn’t clear about what was happening between you two, so I didn’t mention it.”

“Mm. Second Brother, ask Aunt Yang to serve dinner—I’m a bit hungry.”

Liang Siyuan spoke to Aunt Yang, then sat with Qin Miaoyu at the dining table.

“What are you planning now?”

“I plan to divorce him…”

Liang Siyuan was surprised. “Has it really come to this?”

Qin Miaoyu shrugged. “It’s not only because of this. Lu Qi’an and I agreed to a contract marriage from the beginning, with the plan to divorce after two years. It’s already been more than half a year. If he’s willing, we can divorce now; if not, we can wait until the agreed time.”

“A contract marriage?” Liang Siyuan was even more astonished by this.

But Qin Miaoyu didn’t intend to explain further, instead turning the conversation to the matter of matching.

“I’ve either been at the Liang family’s old residence or out with friends. Today I only had a routine checkup—so how did they manage to test for compatibility?”

Seeing that she was in good spirits, Liang Siyuan shared his thoughts.

“I’ve heard that bone marrow transplants are best matched with relatives, especially those with the same blood type. The Liang family has always valued the eldest son and grandson—you can see that clearly. With Qibin’s illness, they wanted to be extra cautious. Unfortunately, none of the family members with compatible blood types matched successfully.”

“So they brought me back, hoping I’d be a successful match and could donate bone marrow to Qibin?”

“Yes, that’s what I suspect.”

“When was Qibin’s illness discovered?”

“I’m not sure of the exact time, but he was hospitalized in the past two months.”

That fit the timeline.

The Liang family learned before the New Year that she and Liang Sixuan had been switched at birth, and orchestrated a ceremony to acknowledge god-siblings, intending for Liang Sixuan to enjoy double affection but never planning to formally recognize her. Later, when Liang Qibin fell ill and no one in the family matched successfully, they turned their attention to her.

Bringing her back resolved the mistake of the switched children; if she could successfully match and donate bone marrow to Qibin, it would also solve the issue of the eldest grandson’s health.

Quite a convenient solution…

“So today’s medical exam was intentional—to check if my blood type was suitable?”

Qin Miaoyu now realized she didn’t even know her own blood type.

The Qin family wasn’t in the habit of routine checkups, and she’d never been seriously ill, so her blood type had never been tested. If she had known it earlier, perhaps the truth about the switched children would have surfaced much sooner.

Liang Siyuan affirmed her suspicions.

“But everything is just guesswork—maybe it’s all a misunderstanding.”

Qin Miaoyu laughed sarcastically, sharing with her brother the fact that the Liang family had never intended to recognize her.

Liang Siyuan’s face darkened—he hadn’t imagined there was such a backstory!

He’d always thought their parents simply favored their eldest son too much. Now it seemed it was more than just favoritism. Knowing their biological daughter was out there, they actually hesitated to bring her home?

But now was not the time for his anger. “Miaoyu, Second Brother didn’t know about any of this, otherwise I would have searched for you much earlier!”

Qin Miaoyu nodded.

She trusted her brother’s words.

Though she hadn’t known him long, his care and affection for her were sincere—it was only with him she’d truly felt the warmth of family.

“Second Brother, I’ll probably stay here for a while longer, then leave Southern City.”

“So suddenly?”

“Not really. Returning to the Liang family wasn’t part of my original plan—I intend to travel for a while.”

“Travel? Where do you want to go? Second Brother can arrange it for you.”

Qin Miaoyu smiled and shook her head. “No need, Second Brother. I just want to wander as I please, no arrangements necessary.”

She planned to leave after her brother and Sister Suning’s wedding, continuing the journey she hadn’t finished before.

Gu Jing was stunned when she received Ji Xuan’s call.

She muttered, “I knew he looked familiar—must have seen him somewhere before. Lu Qi’an really hid himself deep; no one figured it out for so long!”

Lu Qi’an—Lu Qi’an from the Lu family in Jing City. Gu Jing suddenly remembered that Xia Lingyan was from the Xia family, which was Lu Qi’an’s maternal family. So Xia Lingyan was actually Lu Qi’an’s uncle!

She stormed into the study, full of indignation.

“Xia Lingyan, you’re something else—hiding it from us along with your nephew!”

Xia Lingyan immediately knew that Lu Qi’an’s secret had finally been exposed.

“I didn’t hide it—you never asked.”

He took off his glasses.

They say nephews resemble their uncles; without his glasses, Xia Lingyan looked even more like Lu Qi’an.

“Hmph, trying to talk your way out of it. Well, now your nephew might end up without a wife!”

Xia Lingyan asked, “Is it really that serious?”

“It is! First, your nephew wasn’t honest. He’s been married for over half a year, hiding it all this time so Miaoyu wouldn’t find out. They say one lie needs a thousand more to cover it up—who knows how many things he’s deceived Miaoyu about!”

“And second?”

“Second—and this is the most important—Miaoyu was once engaged, but that experience was hardly pleasant. So she never considered marrying into a wealthy family. But your nephew is from the Lu family in Jing City, and will eventually take over the family business, so…”

Xia Lingyan frowned—he hadn’t expected things to be so complicated. For the sake of his nephew’s happiness, he asked, “So, Miss Gu Jing, do you have any plans?”