Hidden identities of the AI Heiress
Chapter 770 - Chapter 770 Chapter 770 Scared His Soul Away

Chapter 770: Chapter 770: Scared His Soul Away Chapter 770: Chapter 770: Scared His Soul Away Su Mian saw Lu Jingzhi’s eyes darting away and became even more suspicious that he was hiding something from her. However, with Elder Li still present, she could only suppress these questions temporarily, planning to ask after everyone had left.

Meanwhile, Li Hanzhou received a call from Qiao Yun and wondered why she would call him at this time. Could it be that she was missing him?

With a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he answered the call, only to hear a sentence that made his eyebrows instantly knit together. He massaged his forehead and replied in a low voice, “Alright, I got it.”

After a pause, he added coldly, “Don’t worry about me. If it’s causing you trouble, feel free to throw him out.”

Qiao Yun spoke earnestly, “You can’t be that impolite.”

Amused by Qiao Yun’s seriousness, Li Hanzhou couldn’t help but chuckle and said with a voice as if laced with tenderness, “Wait for me.”

Qiao Yun had the illusion of a man whispering in her ear. She touched her ear and murmured an acknowledgment.

Su Mian narrowed her eyes and saw her daughter’s state all too clearly; the more she looked, the stranger she found it, and a bad premonition began to form in her heart.

Qiao Yun dutifully informed the family and then hung up the call.

At the same time, Elder Li’s phone rang and he picked it up with slight guilt.

It was indeed from Li Hanzhou.

[When did you become friends with the parents of the Lu Family?]

Elder Li replied righteously, [Just now.]

He hadn’t lied; he truly was there to visit an old friend, and who said one couldn’t make a friend on the spot?

[It seems you’re very eager to return home?]

Elder Li was so frustrated he almost snorted, but knowing his grandson would do as he said, he could only sigh deeply, very reluctantly admitting, “I should leave.”

“So soon?”

The Lu Family was pleased to hear that Elder Li was leaving.

They were relieved to see this imposing figure go; it wasn’t that they didn’t welcome him, but they were afraid that they couldn’t entertain him properly and might upset him.

Moreover, with the vast disparity between their families, if they were too enthusiastic, he might misunderstand their intentions as trying to curry favor or climb socially.

Elder Li slowly got up, complaining, “Yes, if I don’t leave now, my grandson will think I’m causing you trouble.”

As he spoke, he addressed Qiao Yun without the will to leave, “Alright, old man, I won’t bother you any longer.”

Qiao Yun shook his head sincerely, “It’s no trouble at all.”

Elder Li looked skeptical, “Really?”

Qiao Yun nodded her small chin, gently confirming with a murmur.

Elder Li, eyeing an opportunity, asked, “Then may I come to visit you again in the future?”

“Of course you can, anytime you want,” Lu Rui said, his words merely a polite formality, as normally people wouldn’t take such an invitation seriously.

But Elder Li was different from others; upon hearing he could come anytime, he immediately beamed, “Then it’s settled. I’ll have to stay in Shangjing City for a few more days anyway, so there will be plenty of time to come and visit.”

Lu Rui: “…” How shameless.

Once more looking at the time, Elder Li exclaimed in surprise, “It’s nearly dinner time already. I really should go; otherwise, when I get home, there won’t be anything left for me.”

Following the fine Chinese tradition of hospitality, Su Mian politely urged, “Why not stay and have dinner with us? It would save you the trouble.”

Elder Li hesitated, “You really want me to stay for dinner?”

Su Mian found his question a bit odd but still said, “Yes, it’s just the matter of an extra pair of chopsticks, as long as you don’t mind.”

“Why would I mind.” Elder Li sat back down, “Since you’ve extended such a warm invitation, it would be impolite to refuse. Otherwise, I’d be disrespecting you.”

Su Mian’s mouth twitched as she looked at the beaming Li Hanzhou. To be honest, she couldn’t detect even a hint of embarrassment on his face.

“I’ll wait until after dinner to leave,” Li Hanzhou thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to leave, it was the Lu Family who kept asking him to stay, making it impossible for him to go.

Su Mian had already made her statement, what more could she say?

What was supposed to be a simple dinner became incredibly grandiose because Li Hanzhou was there.

During the meal, Li Hanzhou sat directly next to Qiao Yun, which sort of irked Su Mian. Why was the elder of the Li Family always clinging to Qiaoqiao?

At the dinner table, Li Hanzhou kept putting food on Qiao Yun’s plate, his enthusiasm making it seem like he was the master of the house.

“Come on, eat more. How can you eat so little? No wonder you’re so tiny.”

Qiao Yun: “…” For the first time in her life, she experienced a force-feeding by an elder, and it felt pretty weird.

Out of respect for Grandpa Li as an elder, Qiao Yun couldn’t refuse and obediently ate all the food he had served her.

Li Hanzhou was bursting with satisfaction.

With two little ones at home, one aloof and the other erratic, he didn’t get to feel much like a grandfather.

Indeed, it was Professor Qiao who won his heart. Just look at how well-behaved she was.

Su Mian bit her chopsticks, her eyes conveying complex emotions.

Seeing this, Lu Rui couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking about?”

Su Mian whispered, “Don’t you think the old Li’s attitude toward Qiaoqiao is very similar to… I mean… the way dad treated me back in the day?”

“What?” Lu Rui didn’t understand what Su Mian was talking about.

Speaking in a hushed tone, Su Mian said, “The first time I came to your house, dad treated me the same way, as if he wished I’d eat up everything on the table.”

Lu Rui was puzzled: “So what?”

“So what? Doesn’t the old Li look at Qiaoqiao like he’s looking at his own daughter-in-law?!” If it weren’t for fear of Li Hanzhou, who was still enthusiastically feeding Qiao Yun, hearing her, Su Mian would have liked to remind him loudly.

Lu Rui’s gaze drifted over to Qiao Yun and, after a moment, he decisively shook his head, “You’re overthinking it, he clearly looks at her like his own granddaughter.”

“Is that so?” Su Mian paused for a moment.

“Qiaoqiao is exactly the kind of person who’d be popular with grandparents. Plus, with Li Hanzhou’s life having been saved by Qiaoqiao, it’s normal for him to like her so much now.”

Lu Rui thought Su Mian was being over-sensitive and added, “Besides, who wouldn’t want to take someone as nice as Qiaoqiao home as their daughter-in-law? However, even if they wanted to, Qiaoqiao would have to agree, so don’t think too much about it.”

Reassured by his words, Su Mian relaxed quite a bit: “You’re right, I was overthinking it.”

She looked toward Qiao Yun, and an auntie’s smile involuntarily bloomed across her face: “I just questioned the relationship between Qiaoqiao and Han Zhou for a moment there, which was really inappropriate of me.”

Lu Rui, reflecting on Li Hanzhou’s assertiveness earlier, hesitated for a moment–why did he have the impression of dowry giving?

He shivered inadvertently and shook his head vigorously. That thought was truly terrifying.

But Li Hanzhou had given them so many nice things; it was truly hard to deal with.

Lu Rui pondered how to reciprocate, but this kind of back-and-forth would only entangle them more with the Li Family, wouldn’t it?

For an instant, Lu Rui thought, it felt as if they’d been schemed against.

But soon he found the idea laughable.

What kind of person was Li Hanzhou? Why would he need to scheme against them?

Meanwhile, Li Hanzhou was smugly thinking that he had to take matters into his own hands, and now the two families were getting closer.

When the ties between the families became hard to break, it would naturally lead to a marriage alliance, and he could take Professor Qiao home as his granddaughter-in-law.

After the meal, Li Hanzhou stood up to take his leave. If he continued to stay, his grandson might seriously throw him out of the country.

Lu Rui and Su Mian were terrified that Elder Li would suddenly say, “I’ll be staying at your place tonight,” and this time, they even skipped the pleasantries.

Elder Li didn’t mind, instead, he actively asked Qiao Yun, “Qiaoqiao, would you like to see me out?”

“Sure,” Qiao Yun agreed, considerately supporting Elder Li as they walked out.

Elder Li, strong and healthy, didn’t feel embarrassed to be assisted by a young girl; on the contrary, he seemed quite pleased.

Elder Li walked slowly, his smile fading a bit as he said, “We had agreed that I would deal with the Qin Family affair, who would have thought…”

He admitted slightly sheepishly, “They suddenly pulled back, and the leads were cut off just like that.”

“It’s okay, Grandpa Li,” Qiao Yun said in a soft and obedient voice. “As long as they don’t bother me, I won’t bother them.”

“You’re right.” Elder Li, who had been quite angry, had laid down a harsh line to his grandson, certain he could track the person down. Now the other party had become a turtle retracting into its shell, making it difficult for him to find them.

Elder Li patted his chest and said, “If they dare to bother you, I’ll be the first to not let them off.”

Qiao Yun pursed her lips and whispered, “Thank you.”

She thought to herself that meeting the parents wasn’t as scary as it seemed; Elder Li wouldn’t be like those in TV dramas who hand over a check to make her leave Li Hanzhou.

Of course, Qiao Yun was already prepared. If Elder Li handed her a check, she would double the amount and give it back to him.

Elder Li didn’t bring up the matter again and amiably said, “Come visit me more often, okay?”

“Sure, I will.”

They chatted as they walked until they reached the doorway.

Qiao Yun looked up, and the light in her eyes seemed to shine even brighter.

Li Hanzhou had arrived at some point, leaning against the car, one hand in his pocket, exuding an air of cold nobility. He looked at Elder Li with an almost smiling gaze.

Elder Li was visibly startled.

Why had this unfilial grandson come himself??

Qiao Yun looked up at Li Hanzhou and spoke gently, “Did you come to pick up Grandpa Li?”

“Mhm,” Li Hanzhou’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he reached out to touch Qiao Yun’s face and then quickly pulled away.

He had merely used the excuse of picking up his grandfather to see his little girlfriend.

Qiao Yun made an acknowledging sound, not having said much yet, when she heard Li Hanzhou add, “But I wanted to see you even more.”

Upon hearing his words, Qiao Yun took a step closer, “Then take a good look.”

Li Hanzhou coughed lightly, nearly amused to laughter by Qiao Yun’s directness.

Although the two didn’t have any excessive display of affection, nor did they say any cheesy lines, Elder Li was almost blinded by their affection.

“It seems my presence is no longer needed here, so I’ll be leaving,” said Elder Li.

Li Hanzhou, as if he just realized his grandfather’s presence, said with an inexplicable tone, “Grandpa, are you thinking of leaving just like that, without saying anything?”

“Say what?” Elder Li was momentarily sheepish, but soon he straightened up, puffing his chest out with full bravado, “It’s because you’ve been so useless that you haven’t managed to win over Professor Qiao’s family. I had no choice but to step in. Are you not embarrassed to make me worry about your life-long issues at my age?”

Li Hanzhou laughed, his gaze steadily on Elder Li.

Elder Li’s eyes darted left and right, “Alright, alright, who am I if not your dear grandfather, destined to worry for you. Let’s go now.”

Seeing that Grandpa Li was upset, Qiao Yun said with a serious face, “You can’t bully the elderly.”

Li Hanzhou said helplessly, “Now who’s bullying whom?”

Qiao Yun disagreed, “We should respect the old and love the young.”

With his girlfriend saying so, what else could he do? Naturally, he doted on her.

“Did I cause you any trouble?” Li Hanzhou glanced at the rightfully indignant old man, “My grandfather didn’t say anything superfluous, did he?”

Old Master Li immediately felt dissatisfied, “I don’t like that kind of talk–what do you mean by ‘superfluous’? I simply hit it off with Professor Qiao and wanted to have a chat with her.”

“Not at all.” Qiao Yun gave Old Master Li a reassuring look with her eyes.

Only then did Old Master Li feel satisfied.

Li Hanzhou: “…” His bride hadn’t even entered the door yet, and she was already siding with his grandfather?

Li Hanzhou didn’t dwell on this, and instead took out a bag from the car, “This is for you.”

“What?” Qiao Yun instinctively took it and opened the bag.

Li Hanzhou casually said, “A vase. It’s just lying around at home, and your mother loves flower arranging, right? It’ll come in handy.”

Qiao Yun had already seen the vase. She picked it up to have a look.

Standing beside them, Old Master Li staggered upon seeing the vase, his face flashing with astonishment, then he glared at his grandson with fierce resentment.

That ungrateful grandson! Wasn’t he just taking initiative to meet his future in-laws? There was no need to give away the antique that he had treasured for many years.

He usually couldn’t bear even touching it.

Old Master Li suspected that his grandson did it on purpose, just to infuriate him.

Qiao Yun, not very knowledgeable about antiques, really thought it was just an ordinary vase and accepted it.

Old Master Li’s eyes almost bulged out, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask for the gift back once it was given.

At this point, Zhou You appeared out of nowhere and respectfully handed a document bag to Qiao Yun, “Professor Qiao, here’s the thing you asked for.”

Qiao Yun hummed in acknowledgment and then took it.

Zhou You then withdrew.

“Here you are, Grandpa Li,” Qiao Yun handed the document bag to Old Master Li.

Old Master Li accepted it bewilderedly, “What’s this?”

Qiao Yun said, “You gave us so much, this is a return gift.”

Thinking the document bag might contain a thank you note or something, Old Master Li happily said, “Then I shall accept it without any hesitation.”

Li Hanzhou’s lips couldn’t help but twitch; his grandfather really seemed quite shameless.

Old Master Li joyfully held the document bag, presumed to contain Professor Qiao’s letter of thanks, and happily got into the car.

Li Hanzhou gave Qiao Yun a deep look, “Let’s go.”

“Mhm.”

Since the elder was there, Qiao Yun only nodded.

Li Hanzhou gave Qiao Yun another glance before getting into the car.

Once the car started, Old Master Li couldn’t resist any longer and opened the document bag, eager to see what words of thanks Qiao Yun had written.

As expected.

He saw several A4 papers as soon as he opened it.

Old Master Li excitedly took them out, and upon reading, he was nearly shocked out of his soul.