When Du Xiaoruo came out of her room after washing up, her mind was still on the massive stampede that morning. Her ears were red, her eyes were darting around, and her face clearly showed her guilt.
Qiao An, on the other hand, had a long face the whole time in the room, whether from pain or anger, it was hard to tell. But as soon as she stepped out of the room and met Mu Hua on the stairs, Qiao An immediately changed, wearing a warm smile and greeting Mu Hua politely and courteously.
"Did President Qiao stay here last night?" Mu Hua asked, holding a sleepy little book in his arms as he walked down the stairs alongside Qiao An.
Qiao An reached out and poked Xiao Shu's chubby face, replying politely, "Yes, sorry to bother you."
Why are you being so polite? Shall we have breakfast together?
"I won't disturb your work any longer, I also have work to do."
Qiao An, with his impossibly long legs, descended two flights of stairs in a few strides, reaching the lobby on the first floor in just a few steps. He raised his hand and waved to Du Xiaoruo, who was still crawling along the stairs at a snail's pace.
"Wife, I'm leaving now." The lazy male voice even carried a hint of reluctance and longing.
The sudden mention of the word "wife" startled Du Xiaoruo so much that she nearly stumbled down the stairs. Luckily, she managed to grab the handrail and steady herself, but her fair cheeks were already flushed red.
"This...I..." she stammered nervously, "Um...see you later."
Qiao An smiled knowingly, looking like a carefree scoundrel who thought "only the two of us know about that," and confidently walked out of the live broadcast room, playing with his car keys in his hand.
In the live stream room,
Wow, Mr. Qiao stayed here last night! I'm so excited!
[President Qiao seems very happy. Looks like last night was quite enjoyable. Xiaoruo is so cute when she's shy; her face is as red as a shrimp. What mischievous thing did those two do? Hahahaha.]
To be honest, isn't this how a married couple should communicate? I always thought it was fake when Qiao Qingchuan sent roses and jewelry.
Don't mention Qiao Qingchuan's name during such a tender moment; it'll ruin the atmosphere.
Qiao An got into a Bentley parked at the entrance. Her warm smile vanished, and her clear eyes stared at a spot that was throbbing slightly. She was very annoyed and wanted to curse.
Before starting the car, he took out his phone and dialed Secretary Kim's number.
Secretary Kim received a call from her boss early in the morning; her sleepy voice betrayed a feigned fear.
"Mr. Qiao?"
Joanne, "Idiot!"
Secretary Kim, "Huh?"
"It's nothing, I just had a nightmare last night and I'm in a bad mood."
Secretary Kim, “…” What a damn bad omen this early in the morning.
These past few days have also been turbulent for the Qiao family, as Qiao Qingchuan was taken to the police station for stealing a necklace.
This wouldn't have been a big deal for the Qiao family, and Jin Xizhen got Qiao Qingchuan out without much effort.
However, the online public opinion was very unfavorable to the Qiao family. Many celebrities and socialites took the lead in boycotting the Yase brand. On the night of the live broadcast incident, several Yase experience stores were also splashed with red paint. It is unclear whether it was netizens venting their anger or competitors maliciously guiding public opinion. In any case, the situation escalated.
In the reception hall of the main building of Qiao Family Manor, the 12-meter-high lobby and the handmade solid wood furniture with lacquer finish are magnificent yet elegant in an oriental style.
Seated at the head of the sofa was a white-haired noblewoman, dressed in an elegant gold-threaded Nishijin-ori cheongsam, her hair styled in a low bun and adorned with an emerald hairpin.
Although dressed in an elegant Chinese style, the lady's pupils were azure blue, and her skin was whiter than that of the average East Asian. Although she was getting on in years, she still retained her charm and must have been a stunning beauty in her youth.
This person is Jin Xizhen, the mother of Qiao Qingchuan and Qiao An, and the widow of Qiao Rukun.
Kim Hee-jin sat upright on the sofa, her knuckles slightly white as she twisted the prayer beads in her hand. Her lips were tightly pressed together as she tried to calm the anger churning inside her.
Qiao Qingchuan, who had made a grave mistake, sat on the sofa at the lower right, secretly observing Jin Xizhen's expression out of the corner of his eye. He rested his hands nervously on his knees, barely daring to breathe.
The atmosphere reached a stalemate.
With a sharp "crack," Kim Hee-jin threw the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand hard onto the floor, and the broken beads rolled all over the floor with a clatter.
The Qiao family's butler busied himself with several maids quietly cleaning up the Buddhist beads on the ground.
"Mom." Qiao Qingchuan's legs went weak and he knelt down. "Mom, I was wrong. You must save me this time."
Kim Hee-jin angrily raised her hand to slap him, but Qiao Qingchuan instinctively dodged backward. Kim Hee-jin's hand, adorned with various jade ornaments, hovered in the air, but in the end, she couldn't bear to slap her son's face. Instead, she landed lightly on his back.
"Mom." Qiao Qingchuan raised his face, crying like a child in his thirties.
He crawled on his knees for two steps to reach Kim Hee-jin, and tearfully pleaded...
"Mom, all of this was caused by that vicious woman Xia Qingye, and... it must also involve Qiao An. When Xia Qingye came to see me before, she mentioned Qiao An and said some very hurtful things, saying that I was not worthy to carry Qiao An's shoes."
"Even at a point like this, you still think the other person is in the wrong?"
Jin Xizhen pointed at Qiao Qingchuan's head with a look of exasperation, and said through gritted teeth,
"You're thirty-two years old, son. You're a father now. When will you grow up?"
"Mom~" Qiao Qingchuan cried as he rushed to Jin Xizhen, burying his head between her knees and pleading. He didn't want to grow up; he would always be his mother's precious darling.
"Get up! A man's knees are worth gold. Don't kneel down all the time. It's spineless."
As soon as Kim Hee-jin spoke, the housekeeper quickly stepped forward and helped Qiao Qingchuan up to sit on the sofa next to him.
Kim Hee-jin casually took the string of tourmaline prayer beads handed to her by the housekeeper, gently stroking the warm, smooth beads with her thumb. After a while, she sighed.
“The Xia family went too far this time.” She raised her chin and gestured to the housekeeper, “Tell them I want to see them.”
"Who are they?" the butler asked respectfully, leaning forward slightly.
"The Xia family, Qiao An, and Qiao An's wife, what's her name again?"
"Her surname is Du, Du Xiaoruo," the butler replied.
"I'm too old to remember so many things, so let's leave it at that. Just make sure you understand who I'm talking about."
She said she couldn't remember, but in reality, Jin Xizhen didn't bother to remember. In her heart, Du Xiaoruo, although she was her youngest son's wife on the surface, was just an insignificant person.
Seeing that his mother was about to make a move, Qiao Qingchuan, who had just been acting like a stray dog, revealed a smug smile.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the name that Joan had whispered in his ear in the company corridor that day.
Qiao Qingchuan hesitated whether to tell Jin Xizhen about this, but Jin Xizhen seemed very tired and waved for him to leave.
After leaving the main building, Qiao Qingchuan got into a golf cart and returned to his Jiangshan Mansion. The Qiao family manor was very large, and golf carts were usually provided for people to move around the manor.
On the way, Qiao Qingchuan thought that although Han Nianwei's matter was kept secret, it had caused quite a stir before, and Qiao An might have heard about it from somewhere.
If Qiao An really had any solid evidence, she would have taken action long ago, instead of just making empty threats like this.
Thinking of this, Qiao Qingchuan put his mind at ease, feeling that there was no need to tell Jin Xizhen such a baseless rumor.
The weather has been getting hotter and hotter these past few days. Even sitting still, you can break out in a sweat. This morning, Mu Hua bought a big watermelon at the market, and it's chilling in the refrigerator right now.
It was hot, so we had cold noodles for lunch.
Ni An carried a bowl of cold noodles that had been rinsed in cold water in a porcelain basin. The three little ones followed behind him like ducklings, carrying plates of cucumber strips, carrot strips, bean sprouts, and some shredded chicken.
Place the cold noodles and condiments in a large bowl, pour on the vinaigrette and sesame paste, mix well, and the cold noodles are coated with sauce. One bite is both refreshing and satisfying.
[Watching them eat cold noodles looks so delicious! Where can I buy this kind of cold noodles? I want to eat them too.]
This way of cooking feels like the way they eat it in Northwest China, with sesame paste and chili oil. I know there's a place like that on Luofeng Old Street; it has a very small storefront, and the storefront is a converted stairwell.
I know that restaurant; their chili peppers are extremely spicy, and I can't eat it even with mild chili.
[I feel like I'm watching a mukbang instead of a children's variety show. Ever since Beibei's Restaurant started airing, I've gained 10 pounds! Can you believe it?]
Eating cold noodles in the summer is refreshing, and the children ate a little too much without realizing it. Mu Hua remembered the watermelon in the refrigerator. If she took it out now, the children would definitely want to eat more, but she was worried that they would get a stomachache from eating too much cold water.
After finishing their noodles, the children helped the adults clean up the bowls and chopsticks and put them in the kitchen.
Mu Hua smiled with satisfaction, "You children are so well-behaved. How about Uncle Mu Hua rewards you with a game of hide-and-seek?"
No child dislikes playing games, and the three little ones immediately agreed.
Xiao Shu asked excitedly, "Then who will hide and who will find?"
"You all go hide, I'll come back for you when I count to one hundred."
As soon as Mu Hua finished speaking, the three little ones hurriedly ran away to find a place to hide.
After they were out of sight, Mu Hua stood up, rushed into the kitchen, and came out carrying a large watermelon.
"Hurry, hurry, Ni An, cut it quickly."
Ni An realized that they were going to eat watermelon without telling the children, so she took the knife from Mu Hua and quickly cut the watermelon into pieces.
"Dad, hurry up and count!" Xiao Shu's voice came from the storage room downstairs, urging Mu Hua to count quickly.
"One, two, three." Mu Hua began to count slowly, urging Xia Qing and Du Xiaoruo in a low voice, "Eat quickly, hurry up!"
Du Xiaoruo found it amusing and picked up a watermelon to eat in small bites.
While eating watermelon, Mu Hua counted aloud. When he reached one hundred, his words changed to, "I'm starting to look."
"Oh dear, where is it?"
Several adults also cooperated.
"Is it downstairs? I thought the sound came from that direction."
Xiao Shu hurriedly shouted, "No, no, Xiao Shu isn't downstairs!"
The adults sat at the dining table leisurely eating watermelon, occasionally moving their mouths, while the little ones were kept busy.
In the live stream room,
Hahaha, that's not fair to bully a kid like that.
When it comes to ruining your son's career, it has to be you, Mu Hua.
[It's still because you haven't studied enough. If the three of you had combined diplomas, you wouldn't be in this situation.]
After finishing the watermelon, the adults quickly cleaned up the crime scene. Without Du Xiaoruo and the others having to lift a finger, Mu Hua and Ni An caught the three little ones in just two or three minutes.
"Let's play one more time." Little Shu hadn't had enough fun and grabbed Mu Hua's arm, acting coquettishly.
Mu Hua scooped him up and held him in her arms. "No more playing, go take a nap."
Everyone went to take a nap, and the hall returned to quiet.
Du Xiaoruo closed the door and took out a slice of watermelon cut into a fan shape from behind her. The flesh was red and had a grainy texture, clearly the best part of the watermelon.
She handed the watermelon to Lele, saying, "Here you go."
Lele took the watermelon, took a bite of the pointed end, and found it sweet and juicy.
Actually, he already knew that the adults were hiding and eating watermelon. He had been hiding behind the curtains in the second-floor corridor, from which he could see the scene in the restaurant.
Lele knew that adults didn't allow children to eat too much cold food, so although he wanted to eat it, he didn't think much of it. He didn't expect that Du Xiaoruo would secretly hide a piece for him, and it was the best and sweetest piece.
As he munched on the sweet melon flesh, a sentence suddenly popped into his mind: "A child with a mother is a treasure."
Having a mother is definitely better than having a father; children with fathers will only be taken advantage of by their fathers.
Xiaoruo hid a watermelon for Lele. Oh my, look at Lele's smile, she can't hide her happiness!
[Aren't kids supposed to avoid eating so much cold food? Why did you give it to Lele again?]
Because Lele is a bit older than the other two children, he can still eat a little. Du Xiaoruo was considerate and didn't give him too much, just one piece to satisfy his craving.
Du Xiaoruo saw that the camera in the room was still on, so she went over and covered it with a towel.
Covering the camera, Du Xiaoruo suddenly remembered the stampede that morning. Wasn't the camera covered back then? If that incident had been broadcast live, she would have simply disappeared from the face of the earth.
Just as Du Xiaoruo lay down on the bed, her phone rang.
She picked up her phone; the caller ID showed an unfamiliar number ending in 6688.
Upon answering the phone, a polite middle-aged male voice came through the receiver, "Excuse me, is this Ms. Du Xiaoruo?"
"Ah, yes."
Hearing such a gentle and polite voice, Du Xiaoruo unconsciously sat up in bed, straightened her back, and made her voice sound more energetic.
"Hello, I am the old lady's housekeeper. I apologize for bothering you, but the old lady invites you to a family dinner at 6 pm."
Based on the old lady's words and the family dinner, Du Xiaoruo guessed that it must be Qiao An's mother.
“But…” Although the other person was very polite and gentle, Du Xiaoruo couldn’t help but remind them, “I’m live streaming right now.”
6 PM is still the busiest time at [Beibei Restaurant], so you probably can't leave at that time.
The other person's voice was calm and even, reminding him once again.
"This is the old lady's wish. I will send the restaurant address to your phone later. Please be sure to arrive on time."
Although the other party's tone remained polite throughout, the content of the call was still very assertive.
Du Xiaoruo summarized it as follows: "I'm telling you to come for dinner at 6 o'clock, and whether you have time or not, if I say 6 o'clock, it's 6 o'clock. Even if the sky falls, it's still 6 o'clock."
This forceful phone call left Du Xiaoruo somewhat at a loss. In her memory, the original owner had never interacted with Qiao An's mother, and she didn't know who was attending this family dinner.
Du Xiaoruo was feeling quite down after her hard-won routine of life was disrupted, and the thought of the unknown family dinner filled her with immense pressure. With these thoughts on her mind, she tossed and turned in bed at noon, unable to sleep.
In the afternoon, Du Xiaoruo was making small cakes in the kitchen.
Du Xiaoruo was thinking that she should talk to Qiao An about this first. Since it was a family banquet of the Qiao family, Qiao An should also be attending. However, when she thought about the stampede incident that morning, Du Xiaoruo felt that she would never have the face to speak to Qiao An again.
As 6 p.m. drew closer, Du Xiaoruo grew increasingly anxious.
She peeked out of the kitchen window and saw that guests were starting to arrive. Lele, Xiangxiang, and the others were making lemonade for them.
Mu Hua came in to get the menu. Du Xiaoruo wanted to ask Mu Hua's opinion, but before she could organize her thoughts, Mu Hua hurriedly left.
Xia Qing also came in and asked, "Xiaoruo, give me the ice cream, I'll take it out, the customer wants to buy ice cream."
"oh."
Du Xiaoruo turned around and walked to the freezer, carrying over two large buckets of ice cream. She handed the ice cream to Xia Qingye, who subconsciously reached out to take it. But the moment she received the ice cream, she was thrown forward by gravity.
Du Xiaoruo realized that Xia Qing couldn't lift such a heavy thing either, so she quickly steadied the ice cream bucket, preventing Xia Qing from falling.
How can you have so much strength?
After Xia Qing regained her footing, she stared at Du Xiaoruo's slender wrist, which didn't seem like someone with such strength.
Du Xiaoruo easily picked up the ice cream bucket. "Then I'll deliver it."
The two walked to the freezer in the hall. Du Xiaoru put the ice cream in the freezer. She wanted to ask Xia Qingye about the family banquet, but then she thought of Xia Qingye's awkward relationship with the Qiao family, so she pursed her lips and didn't say anything.
Back in the kitchen, Du Xiaoruo took the cupcakes out of the oven, piped buttercream flowers onto them using a piping bag, and then sprinkled icing sugar on the piped buttercream flowers according to different flavors.
"Mother."
Lele ran in from outside with a big smile and said happily, "My dad's here."
Du Xiaoruo paused, having sprinkled too much icing sugar.
Why is Qiao An here? Could it be that he went to the hospital for a checkup and something really went wrong? No, no, if there really was a problem, he should be hospitalized.
While Du Xiaoruo was still lost in thought, a slender, fair hand reached out from behind her and took away the clown cake with lots of frosting.
Joan, biting into her cake, turned to Jolele and said,
"Go make me a glass of lemonade; this cake is a bit too sweet."
Years of professional habit made Du Xiaoruo react immediately to those words. She quickly picked up another perfectly presented cake from the tray and handed it to Qiao An with both hands.
"Excuse me, please have this."
Qiao An: "...No need, this is fine with me, I'll just have some water."
“No, the one you have is defective. We need to process it centrally.” Du Xiaoruo’s attitude was firm. In her professional field, she never cut corners.
Qiao An, “…” Something feels off.
Du Xiaoruo carefully took the defective cake out of Qiao An's hand and then put another cake in.
Qiao An was taken aback by her sudden and inexplicable stubbornness, and stood there for a while before finally remembering to speak.
"There's a family dinner tonight, so I came to pick you up."
"But I still need to work for a while."
"It's okay, you're busy. We'll go whenever you're done." Qiao An shrugged indifferently, picked up the lemon water Lele brought in, took a sip, frowned at the sourness, and turned to walk out of the kitchen.
Du Xiaoruo breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know why, but she felt much more at ease after Qiao An arrived. Her anxiety, which had lasted all afternoon, inexplicably subsided.
Haha, their interaction is hilarious, there's a hint of affection mixed with a touch of awkwardness.
Why does Mr. Ha keep going to the live stream? Doesn't he have a regular job?
Why do you keep coming this way? It's because the person he likes is here. He comes in and goes straight into the kitchen. He doesn't need to say who he wants to see, right?
Qiao An wasn't there to eat or to work. Du Xiaoruo looked out of the kitchen window and saw him floating around in the living room. The lemonade the three little ones made was too sour, and he scolded them for it. Xiao Shu followed behind him, making faces with a disgruntled expression.
Du Xiaoruo smiled as she stood at the window.
Wow, he's making a fuss and she's laughing, it's so sweet!
The restaurant was very popular, with people waiting for a table every day. Qiao An drifted over from the waiting area and saw a middle school student watching a horror movie on his phone, so he stood next to him and watched for a while.
The middle school student looked up and saw a handsome face, like something out of a movie poster, appear behind him. He was stunned for a moment, then remembered that this person seemed to be Qiao An. He had appeared in the live broadcast episode where they were looking for the small blanket. Qiao An's face, which was so handsome that it was outrageous, was hard to forget once you saw it, especially those husky eyes.
"Hello... Mr. Ha." The middle school student with a buzz cut quickly greeted him.
Qiao An corrected him expressionlessly, "President Qiao."
"Huh?" The student suddenly realized he had misspoke. "I'm sorry, Mr. Qiao."
Seeing that Qiao An's gaze was still fixed on the phone screen, he took off one earphone and tentatively handed it to her, "Ms. Qiao, would you like to watch it together?"
“No,” Joan refused decisively. “I’ll be scared if there are sound effects.”
[Hahaha, if you're scared, why are you still watching?]
[CEO Qiao: Sincerity is the ultimate weapon. I'm just a domineering CEO who's afraid of ghosts, hahaha.]
[Wow, Mr. Ha is so awesome! I wouldn't even be able to stand next to him to watch a movie.]
[Xiao Ruo is socially awkward, Ha Zong is socially savvy; how sweet can a relationship with complementary personalities be?]
In the 888 private room of the Elegant Pavilion, Kim Hee-jin, dressed in her finest attire, sat in the main seat with a dark expression. It had been almost an hour since the agreed-upon time of 6 o'clock, and only Kim Hee-jin and Qiao Qingchuan were present in the large private room. Both of them looked rather unwell.
Qiao Qingchuan couldn't sit still any longer and slammed his fist on the table, calling the butler in.
"Call him and ask what time the hell he's coming."
The housekeeper quickly agreed and went to make the call.
Du Xiaoruo and Xia Qing were also live streaming, but they couldn't get through on the phone, so the housekeeper called Qiao An.
After the call ended, the butler went into the private room, switched his phone to the live stream channel of [Beibei Restaurant], and placed it neatly in front of Kim Hee-jin.
Qiao Qingchuan roared, "What the hell is this?"
The butler's tone was as gentle and polite as ever.
"Mr. Qiao said that you should watch the live stream carefully, and they will arrive around the time they come out of the live stream room."
Qiao Qingchuan was furious. "Who does he think he is? Why should my mother wait for him?"
The butler relayed Joanne's words truthfully.
"As Xiao Qiao always says, when inviting someone to dinner, you should first ask about their schedule; it's basic etiquette."
The butler had always worked for Qiao Rukun. He learned one thing from the old boss: if you want to make a living in the Qiao family, you have to become an emotionless tool. Accurately conveying information is the most basic professional quality.
Hearing Qiao An's words, Qiao Qingchuan was so angry that he almost overturned the table, but he couldn't do anything about it except get angry, so he was filled with resentment.
Kim Hee-jin wearily closed her bright blue eyes. The little wolf cub had grown up and was out of control.
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