"What do you mean?" Upon hearing Shen Zhi Qiu's question, Lu Jia's expression turned serious, and he looked at Shen Zhi Qiu earnestly and asked.
“I have some doubts. I wonder if my grandmother was drugged at the sanatorium in Nancheng?” Shen Zhi Qiu frowned. “Xiao Ran’s words today made me realize that my grandmother’s Alzheimer’s symptoms have improved significantly since she came here.”
Lu Jia pondered for a moment and somewhat agreed with Shen Zhi Qiu's statement. "I'll check it out, but don't overthink it. Perhaps it's because you're with your grandmother every day, and she really enjoys living here, so her mood is good and her condition is also improving."
Shen Zhi Qiu nodded and sat back down.
"Sister Zhi Qiu! So you're here!" Lu Xiaoyu ran up, sweating profusely and carrying a basketball. She was immediately drawn to the desserts in front of her. "Wow, there's cake!" she exclaimed, running to the table.
"Go wash your hands, I'll save some for you," Shen Zhi Qiu said with a smile.
Lu Xiaoyu quickly put down the basketball and ran off to wash her hands.
At this moment, Zhou Xiaoran and Si Mingyu also came up.
Shen Zhi Qiu looked back and didn't see Jiang Bei, so she asked curiously, "Where's Jiang Bei? Why haven't I seen him today?"
"He had something urgent to attend to and left first," Lu Jia said casually.
Shen Zhi Qiu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Jiang Bei often acted this way; one phone call and he would be gone in an instant, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
Shen Zhi Qiu invited Zhou Xiao Ran and Si Ming Yu to sit down and have dessert.
Lu Jia then took out Shen Zhi Qiu's favorite lemon-flavored cake from the box and placed it on her plate before pushing the dessert box to the center of the table to make it easier for everyone to take the cake.
Si Mingyu silently watched Lu Jia's actions, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart. It seemed that an insurmountable distance had grown between him and Zhi Qiu, but he still maintained a gentle smile.
"Zhiqiu." Zhou Xiaoran took a bite of cake and said with some concern, "I might have to go back to my hometown tomorrow. My mom called me today and asked me to go back and keep them company. I was planning to spend more time with you."
"Then you should go back." Shen Zhi Qiu smiled. "Your aunt and uncle must miss you. Take advantage of your time now and go back quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to go home when you are busy with work later."
“But I’m still worried about you.” Zhou Xiaoran sighed.
"Don't worry about Zhi Qiu, I'm here. Relax, if you miss Zhi Qiu, come anytime," Lu Jia said loudly.
“Yes, that’s right, Miss Zhou, please rest assured, I’m still here. If anything happens, I can help.” Si Mingyu added gently.
Lu Jia frowned and glanced at Si Mingyu. "Mr. Si, aren't you planning to return to Nancheng?"
Shen Zhi Qiu raised an eyebrow; this was clearly a way of kicking someone out. She looked up at Lu Jia.
Si Mingyu was not displeased by Lu Jia's words and remained as calm and composed as ever. He smiled faintly and said, "I'm still a little worried about Zhi Qiu being here alone. Although Mr. Lu can take care of Zhi Qiu, it would be good to have someone else here to look after her. I'm also worried that if Gu Qingyan doesn't give up, given his abilities, it shouldn't be long before he finds this place."
"Is Mr. Si questioning me?" Lu Jia narrowed his eyes, his tone unfriendly.
“I believe that if we stay here, it might take Gu Qingyan a long time to find us. But Zhi Qiu can’t stay indoors forever. Once she goes out, she might leave a trace. Mr. Lu doesn’t understand Gu Qingyan. He is definitely not the calm person he appears to be. The fact that he was able to deal with the company’s old guard in a short time and quickly take power proves that he is no benevolent person.”
If I'm not mistaken, his men are definitely already in Rongcheng searching for Zhi Qiu's whereabouts.
Hearing Si Mingyu's words, Shen Zhi Qiu frowned. Three years into their marriage, while Gu Qingyan wasn't exactly a good husband—judging him only from a moral standpoint—it didn't seem like he was the kind of person who was treacherous and cunning. However, Shen Zhi Qiu then thought of Gu Qingyan calling the police to arrest Zhou Xiao Ran, which made Si Mingyu's words seem more credible.
Seeing through Shen Zhi Qiu's thoughts, Si Ming Yu added: "A few years ago, when Gu Qing Yan was appointed as the president of Gu's Group, many veterans opposed it, especially with his second uncle stirring things up. Many people had strong opinions, feeling that Gu Qing Yan was too young to shoulder such an important responsibility."
However, soon after, the villa of a veteran leader was burned to the ground; then, the granddaughter of another veteran was kidnapped on her way home from school and found barely alive; and yet another veteran was involved in a car accident on her way home from work, her car maliciously thrown off an overpass and killed instantly. Although the police eventually found the perpetrators in all the incidents, everyone felt that Gu Qingyan was involved in them all. How could it be such a coincidence that all the veterans who opposed Gu Qingyan's rise to power were involved in these misfortunes?
Shen Zhi Qiu pursed her lips, somewhat startled.
Lu Jia sized up Si Mingyu, noticing his calm demeanor, gentle eyes, and composed manner as he spoke about Gu Qingyan. Seeing Lu Jia scrutinizing him, Si Mingyu looked up at her directly and smiled unhurriedly.
Lu Jia couldn't quite put her finger on it, but her intuition told her that Si Mingyu wasn't as gentle and refined as he appeared on the surface. Although his words and actions exuded elegance and gentleness, and he always spoke softly, Lu Jia felt that this wasn't the complete Si Mingyu.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere between the two, Shen Zhi Qiu quickly told Zhou Xiao Ran to go back and rest, and also asked Si Ming Yu to leave first, saying that she needed to discuss her grandmother's recuperation.
Si Mingyu's eyes darkened, a bittersweet feeling rising in his heart, a sense of loss washing over him. He simply rose slowly, politely taking his leave. Before leaving, he casually placed the trash on the table into a bag and carried it with him.
“If you really don’t like Si Mingyu being here, I’ll find a way to get him to leave,” Lu Jia said to Shen Zhi Qiu after glancing at Si Mingyu’s departing figure.
"Brother Lu, don't send Brother Mingyu away. I finally found someone to play basketball with." Lu Xiaoyu, sitting under the rose bushes, grumbled in dissatisfaction after hearing Lu Jia's words.
"Kids can just eat cake, don't interrupt the adults." Lu Jia frowned.
"Never mind." Shen Zhi Qiu sighed. "He did help me bring my grandmother here, so it wouldn't be right to just kick him out. He didn't mean any harm."
"Let it go on for a while. He can't stay here forever. There are countless business matters at the Si family's place; they'll eventually have to let him go back."
“I was afraid that when you’re with him, you’ll always think about what happened back then…” Lu Jia said hesitantly, but seeing Shen Zhi Qiu’s expression change, he immediately changed the subject: “I will investigate what you told me tonight as soon as possible, don’t worry.”
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