Father Qiao’s scarlet and angry eyes frightened the children. They held Qiao An’s hand tightly and looked fearfully at their grandfather, who didn’t welcome them.

Qiao An almost begged her father. “Dad, let’s talk alone. Don’t scare the children.”

Only then did Father Qiao’s gaze move to the children. When he saw the dignified Joey, the exquisite porcelain doll-like Angel Qiao, and the arrogant young master-like Ki Ki, his cold heart instantly melted.

He eased his expression and put on a forced smile. “It’s not that Grandpa doesn’t welcome you back. It’s just that your mommy did something wrong and Grandpa wants to criticize her. But this doesn’t affect Grandpa loving you.”

Angel Qiao asked timidly, “Grandpa, can you not talk to Mommy so loudly? Mommy will be afraid.”

Father Qiao was stunned.

Then, she couldn’t help but laugh. “This child is really your mommy’s little sweetheart. Alright, alright, alright. I promise you. I won’t be angry anymore. Babies, come in quickly.”

Even though Father Qiao was angry at Qiao An, he still welcomed the children home happily.

The children showed great interest in this place, because every blade of grass and tree here condensed the story told by their mommy. Soon, the three brats went to the courtyard to catch crickets.

Qiao An and Father Qiao sat on the sofa in the living room. It was rare for father and daughter to catch up.

“All these years, you’ve been sending a lot of money back to Dad every year. I guess your life hasn’t been bad. But I just don’t understand what kind of huge difficulty you’ve encountered. Dad begged you countless times. I asked you to come home, but you weren’t willing to. Today, seeing these three children, I finally understand.”

At this point, Mr. Qiao thumped his chest and said, “You’re helping that bastard Li Zecheng carry on his family line.”

Qiao An looked up, startled, and shook her head.

Father Qiao was stunned.

Qiao An explained excitedly, “Dad, the children aren’t Li Zecheng’s.”

Mr. Qiao stood up in shock, his face turning red and white. Finally, he looked at the many expensive appliances in the house and seemed to understand.

“Qiao An, where do you get your money? Is it your payment for surrogacy with rich men?”

Qiao An was speechless.

She was speechless for a moment. After all, she had given birth to Huo Xiaoran’s child, and Huo Xiaoran had indeed given her a huge amount.

Mr. Qiao was furious. “Qiao An, you have hands and feet. How can you have the intention of reaping without sowing? It’s shameful for a woman to parasitize a man like this.”

“Dad, it’s not like that.” Qiao An blushed. Yet she knew that her relationship with Huo Xiaoran was an indescribable scandal.

Mr. Qiao said angrily, “Then how did the children come about?”

Qiao An looked at her father. She was a little overwhelmed by Father Qiao’s straightforward personality.

She thought that if her stubborn father knew that she and Huo Xiaoran had an affair and cheated on Li Zecheng, he would definitely fly into a rage.

Qiao An knelt in front of Father Qiao and apologized with tears in her eyes. “Dad, I did something wrong. Please punish me. It’s just that it’s not convenient for me to reveal the children’s backgrounds. Please forgive me.”

Mr. Qiao was so angry that he almost had a heart attack.

He snarled. “I don’t have a daughter like you who sees integrity as nothing. Leave.”

Qiao An covered her face and cried. As Father Qiao’s deafening roar filled the air, she pulled her suitcase and fled.

She came out into the yard, holding Angel in one hand and Joey in the other. She let Ki Ki run after her, crying as she left the house.

“Mommy, why doesn’t Grandpa like us to go home?” In the car, Angel held her mommy’s face and asked with tears.

Qiao An hugged her daughter tightly.

At this moment, she was actually a little shaken. Had she been wrong to hold on?

Was it really shameful to give birth to Angel and Ki Ki?

After Qiao An left the capital, Qiao He and Xiao Yue found Qiao An’s message at her house in Huaman City. The letter thanked Qiao He and Xiao Yue sincerely for their selfless help during this period.

In return, Qiao An gave the house in Huaman City to Qiao He and Xiao Yue as a gift for their marriage.

Xiao Yue panicked when she saw such a message.

“What does Sister Qiao An mean? Did she leave the capital? Is she never coming back?”

Qiao He thought of the child and concluded that if Qiao An was really going to leave the capital, she would definitely take the children.

He went to the rented room where the children were staying. Unexpectedly, the nanny told him, “Miss Qiao asked me to pack the children’s luggage last night at five o’clock. She left with the children early this morning.”

Qiao He was puzzled. “Why did she leave the capital?”

Huo Xiaoran quickly learned that Qiao An had gone missing. He called Qiao An and texted her, leaving a message on her social media account, but she didn’t respond at all.

Huo Xiaoran immediately felt terrified and uneasy. He hurriedly found Huo Zhou and asked him for help.

“Zhou Zhou, Qiao An suddenly disappeared. I’m worried that something happened to her. Immediately use your connections to help me find Qiao An. Okay?”

Huo Zhou pondered for a moment and told Huo Xiaoran, “Xiaoran, don’t be anxious. Listen to me. Previously, Lu Mo’s father came to look for Grandpa. I heard from Grandpa Butler that he deliberately slandered Qiao An. He said that Qiao An is your niece-in-law. It’s not good for your reputation if you get too close to her. He even said that she caused Li Zecheng’s reputation to be ruined. Presumably, when Grandpa and Grandma heard Father Lu’s words, they became dissatisfied with Qiao An.”

Huo Xiaoran understood. “Are you suspecting that Qiao An’s disappearance was caused by the Huo family?”

Huo Zhou said, “It’s hard to say. It could be the Lu family or the Huo family.”

Huo Xiaoran walked out with a dark expression.

Huo Zhou shouted at him, “Where are you going?”

“A human life is at stake. I have to ask Grandpa directly if it was his doing.”

Just as Huo Xiaoran reached the door, Madam Huo walked in surrounded by servants.

Huo Xiaoran paused and looked at the old lady with a dark expression.

Madam Huo smiled and said, “I heard you’re looking for Qiao An?”

Huo Xiaoran said, “Yes.”

“She’s unrelated to you, but you’re so concerned about her. Xiaoran, this is against the rules. Your fiancée will be sad if she finds out,” the old madam said earnestly.

Huo Xiaoran said, “It seems that Grandma knows something about Qiao An’s disappearance.”

The old lady nodded.

Huo Xiaoran returned to the sofa and sat down heavily. He looked at the old lady faintly.

The Old Madam looked at the murderous Huo Xiaoran. She still remembered Qiao An’s words. Qiao An only needed to keep her promise and leave Huo Xiaoran, but she had to take the initiative to explain this to Huo Xiaoran.

At that time, she felt that as long as Qiao An left, Huo Xiaoran would believe her.

Now, looking at Huo Xiaoran’s eyes, she instantly realized that her job was not simple.