Chapter 112: Visiting Grandma

Seeing Qin Miaoyu eat with such obvious delight, Lu Qianan’s eyes were full of warmth and amusement.

“Oh, right. What happened with the Li family?” Qin Miaoyu suddenly remembered that matter. After all, it involved six million.

“The Li family is bold indeed. They wanted to pull me into some shady business. The profits are real enough, but once you get tangled up in it, it’s hard to get out.”

“Then how did that Mr. Li even dare hand you the proposal himself?” Qin Miaoyu felt that the second son of the Li family was far too reckless.

“He figured greed would get the better of me. Besides, there was nothing obviously wrong with the project on the surface. It was only after I had people look into it that we uncovered some rather serious problems.”

Qin Miaoyu muttered, “The way he was talking before, I thought it might actually be some impressive project.”

Turns out she had been overthinking it.

“So you rejected his proposal?”

“Not yet...”

“Not yet? You didn’t really get tempted by the benefits he dangled in front of you, did you? Even knowing there’s a problem, you still want to step into it?”

Lu Qianan gave a helpless smile. “Of course not. I’m planning to keep it on ice for now and see how he reacts.”

Qin Miaoyu stopped in the middle of picking up another dish. “You’re trying to cast a long line and catch a big fish?”

“Yes. His proposal is indeed very appealing. More precisely, it’s appealing to me, which means there may be something questionable inside the Lu Group. I want to see whether I can lure it out.”

“I didn’t hear that, I didn’t hear any of that. For something this important, don’t go saying it everywhere. What if someone carelessly lets it slip?”

“I’m not saying it everywhere. I only told you.”

“Well, what if I blurt it out by accident?”

“You won’t. I trust you.”

Qin Miaoyu lowered her head and went back to eating.

She had discovered that Lu Qianan’s eyes, if stared into for too long, might just draw a person right in.

The next day, after Qin Miaoyu arrived at the company, Xu Xiaoqi told her about the wedding planning company.

“Chen Xuanyu was sent there to learn about the situation. According to the wedding company, one of their employees was a relative of the client from that follow-up order. He happened to see our studio’s brochure and renderings from that client, and that gave him some bold ideas.”

“And then he teamed up with the client to make money?”

“Yes. After the wedding company learned about it, they fired that employee. They were worried we’d come after them, so they kept refusing to answer our calls.”

Qin Miaoyu rubbed her temples. “Let’s leave it at that. You keep handling Zhou Zhaolin’s matter on your side, and Yixue and I will lead the team and make sure Miss Jin’s wedding is completed properly.”

“Speaking of Zhou Zhaolin, I actually haven’t officially started on much yet. I’m still collecting dirt on him. But with some recent events, his reputation online is already terrible. Once we release the hard evidence we’ve gathered, he won’t be able to rehabilitate himself even if he wants to.”

The studio stayed busy for another half month, and then Miss Jin’s wedding arrived as scheduled.

The wedding went very smoothly, and anyone trying to cause trouble was stopped by the security guards arranged in advance by the groom.

At last, with a little free time, Qin Miaoyu made a trip to visit her grandmother.

Her grandmother had already been discharged and was back home. Seeing Qin Miaoyu arrive, she was overjoyed and told the housekeeper to make several more of Qin Miaoyu’s favorite dishes.

“Why didn’t Qianan come with you?”

“He’s busy with work, so I only told him.”

Cao Xiuhua complained, “That naughty boy. Once work gets busy, he forgets all about his grandmother, his parents, his wife—everyone!”

Qin Miaoyu helped her grandmother to her feet. “After all, he has such a huge company to manage. Grandma, is your leg better now?”

Cao Xiuhua looked at her leg and smiled. “Yes. It’s all thanks to you. The doctor said I’ve rested well during this time, so my leg has recovered nicely too.”

“That’s good. It never hurts to let a leg injury heal properly.”

Qin Miaoyu helped her grandmother sit down. When she lifted her eyes, she noticed a painting hanging on the wall across from her.

A flicker of hesitation crossed her gaze. Her lips moved a few times before she finally asked the question aloud.

“Grandma, that painting looks a little familiar to me. Do you know where it came from?”

Cao Xiuhua followed the direction Qin Miaoyu was pointing and, seeing which painting she meant, smiled. “My daughter-in-law gave it to me.”

Qin Miaoyu asked again, “You mean Qianan’s mother?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Nothing. I just think it looks familiar, and I also rather like this style, so I wanted to know where I could buy one.”

Cao Xiuhua thought for a moment and confirmed that her daughter-in-law had never told her where the painting came from.

“I don’t know where she bought it either. I just know that we both like this style. I once happened to see one at her place, and after that she would occasionally send me a painting. Probably someone gave it to her.”

Qin Miaoyu nodded.

It was probably that art dealer auntie who had given the painting to Lu Qianan’s mother.

Still, the thought that Lu Qianan’s mother liked the paintings she herself made was rather astonishing.

She still remembered hearing from one of Lu Qianan’s friends that Lu Qianan’s grandfather and father would never agree to him marrying her, but no one had mentioned his mother’s attitude.

Qin Miaoyu chatted with her grandmother a while longer when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Cao Xiuhua teased, “I don’t know what’s gotten into my doorbell today. It’s rung more often than usual.”

The housekeeper went to answer the door, and soon Qin Miaoyu heard her delighted voice.

“Sir, you’re here! The old lady has been waiting for you!”

Lu Qianan came in carrying gifts. “Grandma, I came to see you too!”

Cao Xiuhua pretended to be angry, though the smile at the corners of her mouth was impossible to suppress. “You little rascal. You only remembered to come see me after your wife showed up, did you?”

Lu Qianan set the gifts on the coffee table and apologized with a grin. “How could that be? I just happened to have time today. Even if Miaoyu hadn’t come, I would still have come by today!”

“You still have a bit of conscience left, at least. You remembered to visit your grandmother. Come, sit down. Miaoyu has been keeping me company and chatting for quite a while.”

Lu Qianan asked, “What were you talking about?”

Cao Xiuhua’s gaze suddenly fell on the painting on the wall, and she said, “Miaoyu really likes that painting on the wall. It was sent by your mother. Ask her later where she bought it, and once you find out, tell Miaoyu.”

Lu Qianan looked at the painting, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“This painting does look a little familiar.”

His certain tone made Qin Miaoyu blink. She hadn’t expected that even after more than a year without seeing her paintings, he would still find them familiar.

But she had no intention of saying the painting was her own work, so after Lu Qianan responded, she said nothing more.

“By the way, Grandma, that old lady from the Li family hasn’t come here to bother you again, has she?” Lu Qianan asked.

At the mention of the Li matriarch, Cao Xiuhua frowned with clear irritation. “No. She used to dare come to the hospital before, but the security here is very strict. She can’t get in easily.”