Chapter 484: Someone Is Asking About You
Chapter 484: Chapter 484: Someone Is Asking About You
In the days that followed, Old Mrs. An continued to recuperate from her illness, but she refused to see her eldest and second sons or their families.
This behavior from Old Mrs. An actually made An Lizheng and An Likang breathe a sigh of relief. From what they knew of their mother, she was just giving them the cold shoulder. She’d get over it in time. After all, she had acted the same way after her third son and his wife passed away, but half a year later, she was back to her old self.
Therefore, the two of them had no suspicion that their mother would investigate them. Besides, they were confident they had covered their tracks completely, leaving no loose ends.
Little did they know, Mrs. Lin was secretly investigating and had already uncovered quite a bit—not just about the recent plot against An Zhihan, but also many other things Old Mrs. An had previously been unaware of.
While Old Mrs. An was secretly investigating An Lizheng and An Likang, An Zhihan was taking the medicine Mr. Gong had made. He was gradually regaining some feeling below his waist, and his condition was steadily improving. Meanwhile, things had been relatively quiet for Su Qing.
Master Zhang hadn’t been seen in Beijing recently. An Zhihan’s men had managed to dig up some information on him; he wasn’t in Xiangcheng, but had fled to Thailand. For now, however, all they could confirm was his presence in the country—his exact location remained unknown.
In light of this, Su Qing had no choice but to put the matter on hold and wait until they confirmed his location before making any plans. In the meantime, Tian Qiu had asked her to dinner twice, his words subtly hinting at his romantic interest. Su Qing, however, feigned ignorance each time, pretending not to catch his meaning. This left Tian Qiu feeling somewhat frustrated. He wanted to confess his feelings directly but was afraid of scaring her off and jeopardizing matters related to Mr. Gong, so he had no choice but to be patient and play the long game.
As for Li Huan and Cheng Beize, their relationship saw some progress over the winter break. Right at the start of the holiday, Cheng Beize paid a formal visit to Li Fenghuo and Shang Yuqi to express his feelings for Li Huan and ask for their blessing to pursue her.
In truth, Li Fenghuo and Shang Yuqi had some reservations about Cheng Beize. He was from Xiangcheng, after all. And while various policies had been relaxed, meaning it wouldn’t be an issue for the Li family if Li Huan were to marry a man from Xiangcheng, the Cheng Family’s status there was considerable. They were one of Xiangcheng’s most prominent and wealthy families. Although Li Fenghuo had no firsthand experience with Xiangcheng’s high society, he’d heard enough rumors to know he didn’t want his daughter getting entangled in their conflicts.
However, seeing how sincere Cheng Beize was, and especially since they could tell their own daughter was clearly smitten with him, they nodded in agreement. But they did set one condition: if the two were to marry, Cheng Beize must not allow Li Huan to be dragged into any messy romantic drama.
Li Huan already had feelings for Cheng Beize, so with her parents’ approval, she happily accepted his courtship and eagerly shared her joy with Su Qing.
Coincidentally, Cheng Beilin and Du Haoran were in Beijing to visit Mr. Gong, so the five of them arranged to have a meal together.
"Oh my gosh, this is fantastic! Huanhuan, you’re going to be my sister-in-law! I couldn’t be happier!" Cheng Beilin exclaimed, surprised and delighted to hear about her brother and Li Huan. She laughed and added, "My brother, the eternal bachelor, has finally bloomed! You have no idea, I was seriously worried he’d never find a girlfriend. It was all business, business, business with him, day in and day out. Romance just wasn’t in his vocabulary. Who would have thought!"
Cheng Beilin grinned at her brother. "Bro, you really know how to make a splash when you finally decide to dive in. No wonder you weren’t interested in any other girls. Turns out you already had someone special in your heart all along."
Cheng Beize blushed slightly at his sister’s teasing. "What are you talking about? ’Eternal bachelor’?"
’Am I old?’
’Okay, fine, I am several years older than Li Huan!’
Cheng Beilin giggled. "I’m not making it up."
Then, Cheng Beilin turned to Li Huan. "Huanhuan, don’t you worry. My brother is a one-track-mind kind of guy. Once he decides on someone or something, he goes all in, single-mindedly. I can guarantee you he’s not a player. You have no idea—my brother is considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Xiangcheng. Tons of socialites from prominent families have their eyes on him, but he wasn’t interested in a single one. It got so bad that my daddy, mommy, and I almost thought he didn’t like women! But now everything’s great. I can finally stop worrying about whether I’ll ever get a sister-in-law."
Li Huan pressed her lips together, trying to hide her smile. She snuck a glance at Cheng Beize, only to find him already looking at her. She blushed and quickly lowered her head.
Su Qing watched from the side, amused. ’My cousin was so clueless about love before,’ she thought. ’Now that she’s finally fallen for someone, she actually knows how to be shy.’
But then Cheng Beilin grabbed Su Qing’s arm. "Qingqing, look, I’m married, and now my brother and Huanhuan are a couple. You’re the only one left! When are you going to find a boyfriend for me to meet?"
"I’m not in a hurry. I’m not even eighteen yet. I’m still a minor," Su Qing said with a matter-of-fact smile. ’To be honest,’ she thought, ’I have no intention of finding a boyfriend. I simply have too many secrets. If I found a boyfriend and eventually got married, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t discover them. The human heart is the most unpredictable thing in the world. The Li family can treat me with genuine affection because we’re related by blood, we’re family. But a husband... that would be a different story.’
’They say a husband and wife are like birds of a feather, but they fly their separate ways when disaster strikes. If tempted by some immense benefit, who could guarantee that her future partner wouldn’t secretly plot against her and try to sabotage her?’
’Su Qing acknowledged that undying, selfless love did exist in the world. But she didn’t think she’d ever be lucky enough to find it.’
"You can at least start looking! Want me to help you screen some candidates?" Cheng Beilin said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Su Qing couldn’t help but laugh. "Why are you so interested in being a matchmaker all of a sudden? I want to focus on my studies right now. Finding a boyfriend isn’t on my mind."
Cheng Beilin looked Su Qing up and down, then blinked and whispered, "Be honest with me. Have you gotten any love letters at school?"
Hearing this, Su Qing gave a casual nod.
Li Huan, who was listening nearby, was instantly astonished. "Qingqing, you got love letters? How come I didn’t know?"
She was completely shocked. This was huge news, and she had no idea.
Su Qing replied calmly, "What was there to talk about? I’m not interested in dating any of them, so I naturally threw the letters away."
Su Qing thought about the dozen or so love letters she had received since returning to school and couldn’t help but frown. ’I hope they all take the hint when I don’t respond and just give up,’ she thought. ’And then there’s Tian Qiu... I wonder when Uncle and the others will figure out what’s really going on with him.’
Just as Su Qing was lost in thought, she heard Cheng Beilin say, "Oh! Speaking of which, Qingqing, that reminds me of something. I heard someone in Xiangcheng has been asking about you."