Chapter 54 Following

"Wonderful Words, so she went to Su City?" Lu Qi'an murmured.

Although his uncle couldn't even be sure of her surname, if someone was brought by Gu Jing to meet her fiancé, it must be Qin Miaoyu without a doubt!

"How does she look? Is she doing well?"

Seeing his nephew so lost and disheartened, Xia Lingyan was a little surprised.

"She seems quite well, traveling in Su City with Gu Jing and another friend."

"That's good."

Lu Qi'an unexpectedly received news of Qin Miaoyu from his uncle. After arranging his affairs, he flew directly to Su City and checked into another hotel nearby.

But he didn't dare appear before Qin Miaoyu right away. Instead, he watched her and her friends go out joyfully every day and return satisfied and happy.

Yet when their eyes met by chance, seeing her smile, free of any shadow, Lu Qi'an suddenly realized something.

When Qin Miaoyu, Gu Jing, and Ji Xuan returned to the hotel, they noticed the man who had been watching them these past few days.

Sure enough, it was Lu Qi'an.

She wondered how he found out where she was staying, since Gu Jing, Ji Xuan, and Su Qiaohui were all very tight-lipped, and Gu Xunan, warned by Ji Xuan, would never have told Lu Qi'an.

But she soon decided that these matters had nothing to do with her, and calmly turned away, going back to her room with her two friends.

That night, Ji Xuan looked at the messages on her phone, her face filled with confusion.

"Miaoyu, it's so strange. Your family and the Liang family have suddenly become close, even started collaborating."

Hearing this, Qin Miaoyu recalled the time Qin Lianzhu had called her.

"Liang Sixuan seems to have adopted my parents as her godparents."

"What?" Gu Jing and Ji Xuan were incredulous.

To anyone, it seemed odd—after all, the Liang family had no connection with them, and the younger generations had their own conflicts. Why would they suddenly become god-relatives?

Qin Miaoyu shrugged. "I don’t know why. They haven't contacted me for months. I only found out when Qin Lianzhu video-called me to show off the new bag worth tens of thousands that Liang Sixuan had given her."

Gu Jing was indignant. "Is Qin Lianzhu really your sister? She couldn’t possibly be unaware of what’s happening online, yet she still talks to you about Liang Sixuan?"

Qin Miaoyu was indifferent. Her relationship with Qin Lianzhu was neither close nor distant, but after being disappointed by her so many times, she no longer cared.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. I have some good news—Jiang Anqi, that scumbag, ended up in the hospital. He got drunk, started a fight, and someone smashed his head in. The other party isn’t easy to deal with, and the Jiang family can’t pursue responsibility. So, it just ended there."

This was indeed good news for Qin Miaoyu, and a smile appeared on her face.

The next morning, someone knocked on the door.

Qin Miaoyu opened it to find a hotel staff member pushing a breakfast cart.

"We didn't order room service. Is this a mistake?"

The staff checked the room number and replied with certainty, "No mistake. The gentleman named Lu next door ordered it for you."

Qin Miaoyu immediately thought of the figure she had seen in the corridor of the hotel next door the day before.

She thought for a moment, accepted the breakfast, and then found Lu Qi'an in her contacts, telling him not to send it again.

Having enjoyed herself these past few days, Qin Miaoyu's mood had settled. During their relationship, Lu Qi'an had been truly good to her. Whatever his reasons, aside from concealing this one matter, he hadn’t done anything else wrong.

So, she decided to let it rest. She still needed this marriage to dispel any thoughts her family might have. If Lu Qi'an wasn’t in a hurry, they could part amicably when the time came—or, if he ever found his true love, they could end the marriage immediately.

Receiving her reply, Lu Qi'an was a little happy. But seeing that she left his explanations unanswered, he wasn't sure if Qin Miaoyu really believed him.

Still, since she was responding to his messages, he took it as a good sign.

He began following Qin Miaoyu and her friends at a respectful distance.

He watched what interested her, waited until they finished, then went to see for himself. He saw what she ate, then bought some to taste.

Qin Miaoyu didn't chase him away, but when she occasionally saw what he was doing, she felt a strange pang of bitterness.

Lu Qi'an was wonderful, but he didn’t belong to her.

Gu Jing and Ji Xuan naturally noticed the change in Qin Miaoyu’s mood, and pulled her along.

"Miaoyu, maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding?"

Ji Xuan had recognized who was following them. He had come all this way, and was clearly devoted to Miaoyu. She wondered if Miaoyu had misunderstood, or if the woman who had approached Lu Qi'an before was deliberately trying to push Miaoyu away.

Qin Miaoyu shook her head. "I asked Lu Qi'an. He really does have a girl's photo in his wallet."

Gu Jing tried to comfort her. "Maybe she’s someone else, not necessarily his beloved. People keep photos of close family members, too."

Qin Miaoyu thought, that’s impossible. Both families knew each other well enough to recognize whether the photo was of Lu Qi'an’s relative.

"Alright, let's stop talking about it. Let's just enjoy ourselves. If he wants to follow, let him follow!"

Let it be his punishment for treating her as a substitute.

Lu Qi'an really did follow them for three or four days, until Gu Jing grew impatient and urged Qin Miaoyu.

"Is he alright? How can he keep following us like this? You need to talk to him properly. If he keeps this up, I can't take it anymore!"

Ji Xuan agreed. "Yes, yes, go have a proper conversation. Today, Gu Jing and I will go out first. You two talk."

With that, the two left together.

Qin Miaoyu didn’t want to drag things out any longer. She messaged Lu Qi'an, inviting him to a nearby tea restaurant.

Lu Qi'an gladly accepted, changed his clothes, and went out.

When they sat facing each other, there was a brief silence. Lu Qi'an looked at Qin Miaoyu, unsure where to begin, while she waited for him to speak.

Seeing his discomfort, Qin Miaoyu spoke first.

"Lu Qi'an, I’ve thought it over. If you’re not in a hurry, we can keep this marriage for now. Whenever your true love returns, we can divorce immediately. Is that alright?"

"No!"

Hearing Qin Miaoyu mention divorce, Lu Qi'an's face showed obvious anxiety.

"Miaoyu, you don’t believe my explanation? I brought the photo with me. Once you see it, you’ll know if it’s true or not!"