NOVPUBChapter 433: 419, Personally Invite (1)_1
Chapter 433: 419, Personally Invite (1)_1
The sound of Qiu Bo’s voice rose before the words had even fallen.
“Miss Qing!”
Qiu Bo’s eyes were joyfully surprised as he looked at the people in the living room, swiftly descending the stairs.
Great, Miss Qing is here. The master will certainly be pleased.
“Jian Qing! What are you planning to do by seeking the grandpa? Are you going to tattle yet again?” Yang Xiang couldn’t help but speak.
Jian Qing gave her a cold side-eye, barking coldly, “Are you asking for a beating?”
Her aggressive words, packed with a demeanor of ferocity, charged straight at Yang Xiang.
Yang Xiang choked, her cheeks still faintly throbbing.
“Miss Qing, the master is in the study. Would you like to go up?” asked Qiu Bo.
Jian Qing gave a small nod and headed up with Quan Jingwu.
Watching the two figures vanish around the staircase corner, jealousy bubbled under An Yu’s gaze, her lips pressed into a resentful bite.
“Nothing good ever comes when Jian Qing is around,” muttered Yang Xiang, who just couldn’t keep quiet.
“Hold your tongue.” An Zhonghui cast her a stern look and, in a cold voice, issued a warning.
Yang Xiang shrank her neck in response, and fell silent.
Upstairs
The door of the study was left open, and as Jian Qing stepped in, she saw the master’s slightly hunched silhouette, surrounded by a faint aura of loneliness.
“Sir, guess who’s here?”
Qiu Bo walked briskly over and quietly said.
Old Master An looked up to see Qiu Bo’s mysterious grin, which gave him a puzzled look.
“Who else would visit so late?”
“Sir, why don’t you see for yourself?” Qiu Bo pointed to the space behind him and answered.
Old Master An was confused. He turned around and looked in the direction Qiu Bo was pointing. A delicate female face came into his line of sight.
Following a moment of stunned silence, his face burst into delight.
“Qingqing, you…why are you here?”
Because of his delight, his face even appeared slightly flushed, wrinkles bunching up like chrysanthemums.
Jian Qing’s glance was indifferent as she walked slowly over.
Looking downwards at the sitting old man, the coldness in her eyes faded, and she asked gently, “We bought a cake. Care to join us for a piece?”
Were these words meant as an invitation?
Old Master An looked at her unbelievingly, his voice trembling with excitement, “I…am I allowed to come?”
“Right.” She nodded.
Old Master An’s eyes welled up. The gloom that had been gathering at the bottom of his heart for the past several days disappeared in an instant.
He abruptly stood up, lightly shaking with his stooped stature.
Jian Qing calmly steadied him, speaking softly, “Take it easy.”
A warm feeling welled up within Old Master An, a benevolent smile spreading across his face.
“Let’s go.”
“It’s cold outside, let’s put on a coat before we go.” Jian Qing retrieved her hand gracefully, suggesting.
The smile on Old Master An’s face remained as he nodded. As he was about to ask Qiu Bo to fetch his coat, he turned around to find that Qiu Bo was not there.
Just as he was about to call for Qiu Bo, he had already returned, with a coat in his hand.
“Sir, your coat.”
He assisted Old Master An in donning the coat. Against the backdrop of the large coat, Old Master An’s figure appeared all the more frail.
At this moment, watching the old man’s greying hair, a faint sense of bitterness crept into Jian Qing’s heart.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the staircase, instantly drawing An Zhonghui and the rest’s attention.
Seeing Old Master An dressed as if ready to head out, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
“Dad, it’s so late now. Are you planning to go out?” An Zhonghui asked.
Old Master An glanced at them measuredly, the expression on his face stern. “Yes.”
“Jian Qing, Grandpa’s health isn’t good. It’s freezing cold outside in the late evening. What if the Old Master catches a cold? Can you bear that responsibility?” Yang Xiang snidely asked.
Zhou Qi glared at Jian Qing, visibly upset. She then switched to a placating smile and said to Old Master An, “Exactly, Dad. It’s very late and you shouldn’t be venturing outside. If something unfortunate were to happen, that would not be good.”
Old Master An nervously glanced at Jian Qing. Seeing that she seemed undisturbed, he felt relieved.
He then looked at Zhou Qi and the rest, with a grave voice, “Do I need your permission to go outside?” 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
“No, Dad, that’s not what we meant.” Zhou Qi hastily tried to explain herself.
An Zhonghui said, “Dad, we’re just concerned about you. It’s so late, and we’re not comfortable with you going out.”
Old Master An snorted, “Have you forgotten what day it is?”
An Zhonghui was taken aback, “Dad, you…”
How could he possibly forget? Today was Azhe’s birthday. But given the current circumstances, he doubted that Azhe would even want to see them, let alone have dinner together.
Old Master An shifted his gaze, offering gently, “Qingqing, let’s go.”
Jian Qing gently nodded, helping him out.
The group’s hustle and bustle left Zhou Qi and the others seething.
“Mom, what’s today’s occasion?” Yang Lin remembered Old Master An’s earlier words and asked in confusion.
“Your eldest uncle’s birthday,” An Rong replied, her face tense.
Jian Qing coming to fetch Old Master An was clearly a deliberate attempt to embarrass the An family – wasn’t she just taking advantage of how much her elder brother doted on her?
There was a mix of reactions among those present.
Zhou Qi in particular, whose face turned a sickly pale, her eyes fixed rigidly on the front door.
That damned Jian Qing, she really was as opposed to her as her vixen of a mother. Even on her own son’s birthday, she didn’t have the chance to see him. This infuriated Zhou Qi even more.
Her accusing eyes turned to An Zhonghui and she complainped discontentedly, “Zhonghui, why didn’t you say anything just now?”
An Zhonghui scoffed and spared her a glance, “Do you want to go too? Or do you think Azhe doesn’t resent you enough?”
Her dignity lay trampled in front of the children. Zhou Qi looked aggrieved, but bit back her words, “I…”.
He waved his hand impatiently, “Stop complaining. If you truly wish to win back Azhe’s heart, be more courteous towards Jian Qing in the future and cut out the spite.”
“You…you’re saying I’m rude?” Zhou Qi pointed at her nose, staring at him in disbelief.
“Don’t you see how that damned girl Jian Qing treats me? I am her elder, after all. She shows no respect; why don’t you say something about that?”
An Zhonghui, hearing her harsh voice, showed a trace of intolerance. Unwilling to continue arguing with her, he stood up and headed upstairs.
Seeing this, Zhou Qi turned red with anger, smacking the armrest of the sofa.
Now her son didn’t want her, and even her husband wasn’t on her side.
All of this was that damn Jian Qing’s fault.
Zhao Xuan watched Zhou Qi’s infuriated countenance, a fleeting, derisive sneer flashing across the depths of her eyes.
…
“What’s keeping Qingqing? Could something have gone wrong?” A worried Mo Xiao looked at the time, his hands uneasily clasped together.
Jian Luo, aware of the circumstances behind Jian Qing’s departure, was relatively calm.
“Don’t worry, she will be back soon.”
Just as he finished speaking, there was a sound from the doorway.
Mo Xiao instantly looked towards it, and as the door opened, Jian Qing walked in.
