Chapter 143: The Lu Parents

Lu Fuling said, "Since you are using your own money, that is up to you. It is your own property, and it does not matter who you choose to leave it to; we have no right to interfere. Even if you want to leave everything to the Li family, we would have nothing to say."

After saying this, Lu Fuling walked out, and no matter how much Old Master Lu called after him, he would not turn back.

Upon learning that the dinner was set for tomorrow, a sense of tension rose in Qin Miaoyu’s heart.

She had met Mrs. Lu before.

She had seen Mrs. Lu at Gu Shu’s birthday banquet.

Anyone who could give birth to someone as good-looking as Lu Qi’an would naturally be exceptionally beautiful, and her temperament was equally extraordinary.

Of course, what impressed her most was Mrs. Lu’s attitude toward Liang Siyuan, as well as the bracelet she had given her at the time.

Aunt Hua had eventually helped her send the bracelet back.

At the time, she hadn’t even realized it was Lu Qi’an’s mother.

So, did Mrs. Lu send her such a precious bracelet because she had already recognized her back then?

Qin Miaoyu didn’t know the exact price of that bracelet, but just looking at the quality of the diamonds on it, she knew it was worth a fortune.

Moreover, even Aunt Hua had thought it was expensive.

The Gu family was one of the top elite families in Ancheng, and the things Aunt Hua usually bought were naturally out of the ordinary. If Aunt Hua considered something expensive, the level of that expense was certainly not on the same scale as what Qin Miaoyu considered expensive in her daily life.

It was only their first meeting, and for Mrs. Lu to give her such a valuable bracelet, there had to be a reason!

And the only person who could connect her to Mrs. Lu was Lu Qi’an...

Thinking of this, her tension faded significantly.

Judging by Mrs. Lu’s attitude toward her last time, she should be relatively easy to get along with. It was just Mr. Lu she was unsure about...

Last time, Lu Qi’an’s friend said that neither Mr. Lu nor Old Master Lu would agree to her marrying into the Lu family.

Old Master Lu’s attitude was already very clear, especially after the incident with the Liang family seeking help. What would Lu Qi’an’s father think?

Although she had already decided to divorce Lu Qi’an, Qin Miaoyu couldn’t help but worry about the attitude of Lu Qi’an’s parents.

Perhaps she simply hoped that things would go smoothly before the divorce.

Upon learning that Qin Miaoyu was going to have dinner with the Lu parents, Pei Yixue immediately came to comfort her.

"Don’t worry, Auntie Lu is a very kind person. As for Uncle Lu, he is indeed a bit serious, but he isn’t the type to make things difficult for others. It’s well known how good they are to Lu Qi’an. Since you are the one Lu Qi’an has chosen, they certainly won’t give you a hard time!"

Qin Miaoyu looked at Pei Yixue with some helplessness: "What do you mean, the one he has chosen..."

Pei Yixue smiled: "Isn’t that the truth? Why deny it? We all know..."

Seeing the lack of a smile on Qin Miaoyu’s face, Pei Yixue stopped and sat down beside her.

Pei Yixue naturally knew about Old Master Lu approaching Qin Miaoyu.

"Miaoyu, you don’t need to care about Old Master Lu’s thoughts. Whether you and Lu Qi’an stay together is a matter between the two of you; there is no need to overthink it."

Sometimes, Qin Miaoyu envied the carefree attitude of friends like Pei Yixue, but unfortunately, she couldn’t reach that level.

She smiled: "Don’t worry, I have my own considerations."

The divorce was not a result of an impulsive decision. She had thought about this many times, and the back-and-forth struggle had left her feeling somewhat restless.

Besides, the marriage began as a contract, so it would be better to end it according to the original agreement. Once free from the constraints of the contract, she could then decide where the relationship would go.

Seeing the firm expression on Qin Miaoyu’s face, Pei Yixue stopped trying to persuade her. Not wanting Qin Miaoyu to dwell on the matter, she brought up Chen Xuanyu instead.

"Chen Xuanyu used to put on such a good act; I never expected his intentions to be so deep! Xiao Qi checked the recent surveillance and found that he had actually done quite a few things behind our backs!"

Listening to Pei Yixue recount Chen Xuanyu’s misdeeds, Qin Miaoyu frowned. Regardless of whether Chen Xuanyu had anything to do with the leaked renderings, he could no longer remain at the studio!

Thinking of Deng Huanhuan, Qin Miaoyu asked: "Did Deng Huanhuan do anything else?"

"Not really. Deng Huanhuan was likely deceived by Chen Xuanyu as well. She might not even have understood that some things shouldn’t be spoken about. We realized this when we were probing her for information; perhaps because she is part of the studio, she was detailed and clear."

"Then let’s wait and see, and observe what her true feelings for Chen Xuanyu are."

Pei Yixue was puzzled: "If she was simply deceived, there’s no need to deal with her, right?"

Qin Miaoyu shook her head: "If she was simply deceived, she should be able to walk away once she discovers Chen Xuanyu’s true colors; then there would be no need to take action. The fear is that she can’t break away. If she stays at the studio, it’s inevitable that she might be influenced by Chen Xuanyu to do something irreparable."

"True, there aren’t many people like me who can walk away in time!"

Hearing Pei Yixue’s self-deprecating remark, Qin Miaoyu’s smile widened.

Indeed, if Deng Huanhuan could be like Pei Yixue, she could naturally stay. But if not, no matter how talented she was, the studio could not keep such a hidden danger.

The next day, Lu Qi’an arrived to pick up Qin Miaoyu as usual.

In the car, Lu Qi’an spoke proactively: "Mom has been wanting to see you for a long time. She likes you very much, so don’t worry."

Qin Miaoyu said calmly: "I have already met Mrs. Lu before."

Lu Qi’an then remembered that his mother had already met Qin Miaoyu at the Gu family’s banquet.

"Was the bracelet sent back from the Gu family the one Mom gave you at the time?"

Qin Miaoyu nodded: "How did Mrs. Lu recognize me back then? We hadn’t met before, right?"

Lu Qi’an thought to himself that they had met before, but that was over a decade ago, so his mother certainly didn’t recognize her from a single meeting from so long ago.

"Weren’t we wearing our wedding rings then? I told my mom about buying the rings, and she teased me for buying something too cheap. When you mentioned buying the rings at the banquet, she guessed it."

Qin Miaoyu was surprised: "Why did you tell her about buying the rings?"

"Of course I had to explain it, otherwise Mom wouldn’t have let me off easily."

"It seems you and Mrs. Lu are indeed very close."

Lu Qi’an nodded: "Yes. And my dad—don’t let his serious face fool you; he is actually quite soft-hearted inside. He did want me to marry someone of equal social standing, but that was before I married you and before he knew I had someone I loved. Once he knew we were already married, he stopped bringing it up."

Qin Miaoyu immediately felt more at ease.

Just as Pei Yixue had said, the Lu parents would at least not hold the same attitude as Old Master Lu, which made her feel much more relieved.

When the housekeeper opened the door, Qin Miaoyu saw three people in the living room: Grandma Lu, Mrs. Lu, and Mr. Lu, whom she had only seen on television.

Mrs. Lu stepped forward first, smiling and taking her hand: "Miaoyu, we haven’t been able to meet again since the banquet at the Gu house. It’s wonderful to finally see you again. Come, come and sit."

Qin Miaoyu didn’t expect Mrs. Lu to be so enthusiastic; before she could react, she was pulled onto the sofa.

"Uncle Lu..." Qin Miaoyu started to say, but seeing Lu Qi’an’s signal, she immediately corrected herself, "Mom."

Xia Yun heard this "Mom" and the smile on her lips grew even more evident.

"Yes. This is your father, Lu Fuling. He is just a bit serious by nature."

Just as Xia Yun said, Qin Miaoyu saw a smile on Lu Fuling’s face—not a fake one.

She felt much more relaxed and called out, "Dad."

Lu Fuling acknowledged her and told Lu Qi’an to find a seat himself.

Lu Qi’an looked at the full sofa and feigned complaint: "It seems I’m the only outsider here now; there’s not even a place for me to sit!"

Grandma Lu patted her grandson’s hand and told the housekeeper to bring him a stool.

Xia Yun was talking to Qin Miaoyu about the bracelet from before.

"I thought I had finally given my daughter-in-law a gift, but it ended up being sent back from the Gu house. Today, Mom brought a bangle. You must accept it this time; consider it our first formal meeting and a welcome gift!"

Without giving Qin Miaoyu a chance to refuse, Xia Yun took a jewelry box from her bag and pulled out a silver bangle.

"It’s just a silver bangle, not expensive. Please feel free to wear it. I had it specially designed. Why don’t you try it on and see how it looks?"

Hearing it was just a silver bangle, Qin Miaoyu breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lu Qi’an.

Lu Qi’an naturally wanted her to accept it and nodded at her.

Qin Miaoyu extended her wrist, letting Xia Yun put the bangle on.

When the bangle turned, Qin Miaoyu realized that it was actually inlaid with diamonds!

However, since it was already on her wrist, she couldn’t say much, planning only to take it off and return it to Lu Qi’an after they left.

Xia Yun gently held Qin Miaoyu’s arm, admiring it, and nodded with satisfaction: "I knew this design would suit you perfectly!"

At this moment, she seemed to notice something: "Miaoyu, didn’t you two buy wedding rings? Why aren’t you wearing them now?"

Qin Miaoyu looked at her bare fingers, then at Lu Qi’an’s empty hands.

She had taken her own ring off, and as for Lu Qi’an’s, she had asked him to take it off as well.

She said calmly: "That pair of rings didn’t look very good after a while, so Qi’an and I discussed getting a new pair, and we stopped wearing the old ones."

"That’s perfect. I know a designer; why don’t you tell me what kind of rings you want, and I’ll have them custom-made for you? You’ve been married for so long, and I haven’t contributed anything yet."

Qin Miaoyu didn’t know how it happened, but she found herself inexplicably drawn into a conversation with Mrs. Lu about the design of the rings. They chatted for a long time until they finalized the details.

Lu Qi’an looked on with some helplessness: "Mom, aren’t you going to ask for my opinion? I’m the one who has to wear the other ring, after all. Give me a sense of participation, too!"