Chapter 160: The Plan

Ever since she left that place, Qin Miaoyu had never returned—not even once.

She still remembered the location, and even the entry code remained unchanged. With a simple input, the door clicked open. She paid no mind to these details, however, walking straight into the living room. The furnishings were exactly as they had been before. Lu Qi'an sat at the dining table, sipping his coffee at a leisurely pace.

"Where is your phone?" Qin Miaoyu demanded, her irritation flaring instantly.

Lu Qi'an looked up, startled. "Miaoyu? Why are you here? My phone is on the coffee table."

Qin Miaoyu turned her head and realized there was indeed a phone sitting on the coffee table she had just hurried past.

"Why did you come over?" Lu Qi'an asked again. "Did something happen?"

Qin Miaoyu sat down at the table, clutching her bag. "I came to see if *you* were the one who had something happen to you!"

Lu Qi'an blinked, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Worried about me?"

"Worried my foot! I was worried you’d actually drunk yourself into a disaster."

Lu Qi'an immediately understood why she had rushed over. He poured a glass of water for her and explained, "That was just a public narrative. I needed to see if Mrs. Gao would buy it. To make it look authentic, I haven’t been to the office for the past few days, handling everything online instead."

Only then did Qin Miaoyu remember why she had contacted him in the first place. "Did the Lu family really miss out on a major project?"

Lu Qi'an nodded.

Qin Miaoyu grew anxious. "You can scheme all you want, but why go to such lengths?"

Lu Qi'an offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it’s all under my control. Even if it didn't fall into the Lu family's hands on paper, but..."

"The company that secured the project is also a subsidiary of the Lu family?"

"Of course not. If it were a Lu subsidiary, wouldn't it be easily discovered? The company that won the project is one I founded with a partner long ago. After securing this, that company will leap forward—the results will be far better than if the Lu family had taken it directly. So, there is no need to worry."

Qin Miaoyu felt relieved, yet she still turned her head away and huffed, "Who said I was worried!"

She stood up. "Since you're fine, I'm leaving!"

"Why not stay for lunch? Grandma probably heard the rumors and is coming over today; she’s likely worried about us."

Qin Miaoyu hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Lu Qi'an went to prepare lunch while Qin Miaoyu sat on the sofa to reply to Xu Xiaoqi's messages. Before long, the doorbell rang.

Qin Miaoyu went to open it, only to find Elder Lu standing on the other side.

The moment he saw Qin Miaoyu, his face fell. "Why are you here?"

"Lu Qi'an invited me, obviously. Is that a problem?"

Hearing her tone, Elder Lu grew indignant. "Where are your manners? It’s just as I thought—raised in a common household!"

Qin Miaoyu didn't hold back. "Manners are for those who deserve them. Why waste them on those who don't?"

Elder Lu tapped his cane sharply. "It’s a blessing that Qi'an divorced you. Our family couldn't afford a daughter-in-law like you!"

"It’s a blessing that he divorced me, too. Being your granddaughter-in-law is hardly a prize!"

After snapping back at him and seeing his sour expression, Qin Miaoyu felt a sense of exhilaration. She shouldn't have endured his arrogance last time; she had been too focused on playing the submissive role then. She walked back into the house, leaving him to decide whether he wanted to follow.

From the kitchen, Lu Qi'an called out, "Miaoyu, who is it? Is it Grandma?"

"Your grandfather is here."

Hearing it was his grandfather, Lu Qi'an immediately turned around, worried that his grandfather might say something hurtful to her. He set down his work and walked out, not even bothering to untie his apron.

Seeing his grandson emerge from the kitchen in an apron, Elder Lu was stunned. "Qi'an, what are you doing? Cooking?"

"That's right, Grandfather. Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? You haven't been home for ages, and the rumors outside are rampant. I came to see if you’d lost your mind or been bewitched!"

Lu Qi'an laughed. "Isn't that a bit dramatic, Grandfather?"

"Dramatic? I heard the Lu family missed out on a project they were supposed to have in the bag. A group as big as ours needs to keep moving forward; how many of these big projects can we afford to miss? Is a divorce enough of a reason to stop caring about the family business?"

Lu Qi'an was about to explain, but the old man continued, "If you had partnered with the Li family, you might not have lost this project. I heard the Li family has close ties with the firm behind it, but you insisted on cutting ties with them. Look at you now!"

Lu Qi'an’s expression darkened. He didn't know why his grandfather kept bringing this up. "Grandfather, what is the point of talking about the Li family? Even if they have connections, that doesn't mean they can dictate who gets the project. If they were so powerful, wouldn't they have just taken it themselves?"

Elder Lu was helped to the sofa. "The Li family doesn't have the capacity to handle a project this size. If our two families were still working together, and we leveraged their connections, winning this project would have been a certainty!"

Lu Qi'an didn't believe the Li family had such influence, but he didn't want to argue, so he tried to change the subject. However, Elder Lu kept steering the conversation back to the Lis.

Growing impatient, Lu Qi'an finally said, "Grandfather, Grandma is coming over for lunch soon. Are you planning on staying?"

As soon as he heard Cao Xiuhua was coming, Elder Lu shook his head immediately. "Forget it. Your grandmother’s temperament—she gives me a cold look every time she sees me. I’d better leave!"

Cao Xiuhua ran into Elder Lu downstairs, so as soon as she entered the apartment, she asked, "What, was the old man here to nag you about finding a new wife again?"

Lu Qi'an’s gaze sharpened.

He hadn't noticed it until now—his grandfather hadn't mentioned his marriage prospects at all! Based on his usual character, knowing he and Miaoyu had divorced, he would have insisted on matchmaking immediately. Yet, he hadn't said a word.

Lu Qi'an reflected on the recent past and realized that his grandfather didn't seem as invested in him as before. He used to get a phone call every other day; now, a whole week had passed without a word. And his grandfather’s assistant, who used to send gifts every few days, hadn't contacted him in a month.

A realization dawned on him: What was going on with the old man?