Chapter 106 The Beloved Little Cousin 23

She raised a polite yet unfamiliar smile on her face: "Next time there is a chance, I will definitely do it."

Xue Hao noticed the girl's distant attitude and his eyes dimmed slightly.

The three of them watched Nan Qiao leave the banquet hall, and the music on the dance floor started up again. However, the guests in the banquet hall had completely lost their minds to dance, and just stared at the girl's retreating figure in a trance.

Xue Hao waited until the girl disappeared around the corner of the stairs before retracting his gaze. He looked at Xu Congnan on his left, remembering the several projects he had intercepted in Country M a few days ago. His eyes grew cold for a moment, but then softened quickly.

No matter what, the man in front of him was the cousin of the girl he liked. If he wanted to win her heart, he had to be careful not to offend him. Xue Hao quickly smiled. Although the smile didn't reach his eyes, it was much friendlier than when they met before.

Xu Congnan's face was indifferent. He ignored the other party's friendliness, nodded slightly, and left the dance floor.

The smile on Xue Hao's face froze, and his eyes darkened. After a long while, he put away the smile as if nothing had happened. He looked at the person not far away who he had regarded as his rival in the past few years, and a barely perceptible trace of inquiry flashed in his eyes.

How strange.

Being in the same business field and with many projects under their respective subsidiaries, Xue Hao had several contacts with the other party in the business world during this year.

Although he unilaterally regarded the other party as an opponent and provoked him many times during several encounters, this noble young man from aristocratic family seemed to have never paid any attention to him.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Xue Hao knew that the other party might not have taken what he thought was a provocation seriously.

But what happened recently?

Xue Hao took a glass of wine from the servant, took a sip, and his face was full of thought.

Something went wrong with several of his small projects in Country M, and after investigation, he discovered that Xu was responsible.

Why would the arrogant young master from a noble family suddenly attack him?

Even just now, when the other party spoke to him, there was an inexplicable hostility...

Xue Hao raised his eyebrows. He really couldn't figure it out, so he could only put the doubt aside for the time being.

The guests around him who saw him being alone soon came over. He put on a polite smile and soon got along with several guests with ease.

After dealing with several guests who wanted to cooperate with him, the banquet was only halfway through. Xue Hao found a quiet place to sit down and watched the men and women dancing on the dance floor, a hint of boredom flashing in his eyes.

She was not the only one looking for some free time at the banquet. On the sofa not far away, several second-generation people in bright clothes were chattering away.

The music in the dance floor was not loud enough that Xue Hao, who was sitting nearby, could clearly hear what the second-generations were saying on the sofa nearby.

The noises of several girls making noises were particularly loud.

"...If you like me, just confess. What are you afraid of, Mingzhu?"

"Yeah, there are quite a few people in our circle who like Master Zhou. Hiding it is so boring. Who still plays the game of secret crush these days? Don't regret it if you miss out."

The girl who was being teased had doubts in her voice: "I won't go. It would be so embarrassing if I get rejected."

"What's so shameful about this? The Xie and Xu families are a perfect match, and you and Master Zhou are about the same age. You're both talented and beautiful. There's no one in this circle who's more compatible than you two. Even if it's an arranged marriage, it's a match made in heaven..."

When it comes to the topic of marriage, some people with ulterior motives become curious.

"Speaking of arranged marriages, Qiao Qiao is already an adult. Will she also choose a marriage partner in the circle when the time comes?"

"I think so. I heard that many people in our circle have come to the Xu family to inquire about it..."

Soon another girl started to speak out in dissatisfaction.

"Honestly, I really can't think of anyone in the industry who is worthy of Qiao Qiao..."

"...They are all a bunch of misshapen melons and jujubes, a bunch of toads wanting to eat swan flesh!"

The conversation between the sisters, which was filled with the atmosphere of ignorant youthful love, quickly turned into various sighs of dissatisfaction with the second generation of each family who were trying to get something for nothing.

The eloquence of these young girls can be described as eloquent. Without saying a single dirty word, they criticized some of the most popular second-generation people in the circle.

Xue Hao listened silently. Although he didn't know the second-generation people they mentioned very well, based on the principle that anyone who had feelings for Qiao Qiao was his rival, he kept in mind all the shortcomings of the potential rivals they mentioned.

"There are really few good people in our circle this generation. The best ones are almost all from the Xu family..."

"Xu Congnan alone is more than enough for everyone in the circle. If the Xu family insists on arranging a marriage for Qiao Qiao in the circle, they can only be the tallest among the short ones."

"It's too early to think about that now. I heard that the Xu family loves Qiao Qiao very much. Anyone who wants to date Qiao Qiao will probably be scolded by her cousins."

“…”

The girls were still talking, but Xue Hao didn't continue listening. He frowned, thinking about the thought that just flashed through his mind.

Two weeks ago, he had also visited the Xu family and hinted at the Xu family's intention to form a marriage alliance. Less than a day later, several of his projects in Country M were disrupted.

Could it be that Xu Congnan's sudden attack was because he proposed to get engaged to Qiao Qiao a few days ago?

Xue Hao had an unfathomable expression. He took a sip of wine, but still couldn't figure it out.

In the business world, people are deceitful and deceitful. No matter what happens face to face, as long as it is not a life-and-death situation, people will observe superficial etiquette. After all, a sudden attack will definitely be regarded as a provocation.

Shengshi and the Xu family haven't reached a life-and-death struggle yet, so it's really puzzling that Xu Congnan, who has always been calm and composed, suddenly does this.

Xue Hao squinted his eyes, leaned lazily on the sofa, staring at the sparkling wine in the glass, lost in thought.

What is the reason?

"Qiao Qiao deserves the best. Isn't the most outstanding young master of our generation in the circle the Xu family? If you ask me, we shouldn't limit our search to within the circle. Aren't there many outstanding people outside of our circle? For example, isn't that self-made CEO of Shengshi quite good..."

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, causing the still lazy Xue Hao to sit up straight and clench the cup in his hand.

Although his speculation was unfounded, Xue Hao suddenly remembered Xu Congnan's demeanor when he had just danced with the girl for the first time, as well as that inexplicable hostility...

Tsk, no way.

This speculation is too outrageous.

Xue Hao put down his wine glass in annoyance, then thought of the girl's clean and pure eyes. His expression darkened and he stood up and left the banquet hall.

No matter what, this matter concerns Qiao Qiao, and no matter how outrageous the guess is, we have to find out the truth.

*

Nan Qiao's coming-of-age ceremony came to an end very quickly. Since then, more and more people began to come to her house and hint at the possibility of marriage.

Nan Qiao was well-protected by the Xu family, and outsiders could not easily see her. Therefore, the second-generation descendants who were interested in her could not see her and could only go home with a smug look on their faces and beg their parents to come to their house.

As a result, the number of visitors to the Xu family's old house in the past few days has increased several times compared to the previous period.

The girl knew nothing about this and studied diligently on the fourth floor every day. Ever since she knew she was not her parents' biological daughter, her enthusiasm for studying has become even stronger.

Knock knock knock, there was a knock on the door.

The girl put down the pen in her hand and went to open the door although she was a little unhappy.

The tall and graceful man outside the door was none other than Xu Congnan. He was holding a bowl of steaming porridge and walked in when the girl opened the door.

He glanced at the scattered exercise books on the table, put the porridge on the table, and said, "You didn't eat anything at noon. I asked someone to make porridge. Have some first."

The girl sat down obediently and drank her porridge. Xu Congnan sat on the sofa and looked at her, with a hint of tenderness in his handsome eyebrows.

Nan Qiao was now completely immune to his gaze. While drinking her porridge, she asked, "When will my tutor come?"

Half of the winter vacation has passed, but the long-awaited tutor has not shown up yet.

Xu Congnan looked at the scattered papers and asked, "Qiao Qiao, is there anything you don't understand?"

Nan Qiao nodded. Although she had been studying abroad, the education system abroad was ultimately different from that in China. She had only been studying there for a year, and there was still a lot she didn't understand.

Xu Nanqiao: "Then let me teach you. What don't you understand?"

The girl paused slightly with her hand holding the spoon, a hint of doubt flashed across her fair little face, and her eyes kept drifting towards the man.

It's not that she doesn't believe him.

It's been so long since you graduated from college, do you still remember what you learned in high school?

Xu Congnan saw through her suspicion, but remained calm, a hint of a smile crossing his eyes. Seeing that she had finished her bowl of porridge, he picked up a math test paper, pointed to the last few questions she had left blank, and began to explain.

The answer was so sharp and clear that it was as if the fog had been cleared away in the girl's brain, and she quickly understood the steps to solve the problem.

Poor students naturally admire the top students.

After Xu Congnan finished explaining a few questions, the girl looked at him with sparkling eyes filled with admiration for the academic genius.

After finishing the last question, the girl grasped her train of thought and wrote furiously on the test paper. Xu Congnan picked up another test paper and looked at it, saying apologetically, "Qiao Qiao, I'm sorry, the tutor I hired for you had some family matters, so he quit his job."

The girl, who was busy writing, looked up immediately after hearing this, a little surprised: "Quitting?"

Xu Congnan nodded without any guilt, with a look of genuine apology on his handsome face.

"Are there any other tutors?" the girl said, gathering hope again. "We should be able to hire a new one."

Xu Congnan felt a little regretful: "The good ace tutors were all snatched up during the winter vacation, and the ones left now probably don't have much talent."

Nan Qiao frowned and murmured, "What should I do then..."

Her grades weren't particularly good to begin with, and she had been counting on the help of a tutor during the winter break to cram for the exams, but she didn't expect that even the tutor was gone this time.

Xu Congnan's eyes were clear, and he seemed to think for a moment. He adjusted his glasses and smiled lightly, "I've asked my assistant to find a new teacher for Qiao Qiao, but it may take some time. How about I tutor Qiao Qiao for a few days first?"

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