Li Aiguo was already sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water. When he saw Su Qing approach, he gestured to her. "Qingqing, come have some water. It’s hotter here than in the Northeast. You’re probably not used to it yet."

"The weather is quite different," Su Qing said with a smile as she sat down.

Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e both smiled and urged Su Qing to drink the water. Su Qing glanced at the glass, then nodded with a smile. "Alright."

Su Qing lifted the glass. The moment the water touched her lips, the green mist from the Bagua Pool in her palm silently circled through it.

Seeing Su Qing drink the water, Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e’s smiles grew even brighter. Zhao Li’e then said to Su Qing, "Come on, let me take you to see your grandmother first. The dear old woman has been thinking about you all these years."

"Is that so?" Su Qing blinked, putting on an innocent expression. "I haven’t received a single phone call all these years. I thought I’d been completely abandoned."

Hearing Su Qing’s words, the smiles on Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e’s faces stiffened. Li Aiguo quickly said, "We neglected you in the past. But now, as soon as things started looking up, I rushed to the Northeast to see you."

Su Qing’s eyes curved into crescents. "You’ve gone to so much trouble, Uncle."

Li Aiguo coughed lightly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a hint of sarcasm in Su Qing’s words. But, as they say, you don’t hit a smiling face. Since Su Qing’s eyes were crinkled in a smile, he couldn’t say much. "Alright, let’s go see your grandmother first," he said instead.

"Sure."

Su Qing’s grandmother, Ning Daya, had taken a fall last year, which made it difficult for her to walk. She had been bedridden for the past year and rarely left her room.

Ning Daya knew Su Qing was coming, so she wasn’t too surprised when Su Qing appeared in her room. However, the moment she saw Su Qing’s face, her expression clearly stiffened.

Su Qing took it all in. ’It seems my face is quite a shock to the Li family,’ she thought. ’I wonder why?’

Su Qing’s expression remained impassive, but inwardly, her mind was already turning.

’No need to rush. I’m already at the Li family’s house. I’ll figure out the reason eventually.’

For some reason, an image of Li Huan’s face flashed through Su Qing’s mind.

"Is this Xiao Wan’s child?" Ning Daya asked, squinting at Su Qing.

"Yes, Mom, this is Xiao Wan’s child, Su Qing," Li Aiguo quickly said to Ning Daya with a smile. Then he turned to Su Qing. "Qingqing, this is your grandmother. Go on, call her ’Grandma’."

Su Qing gave Ning Daya a cool nod. "Grandmother."

Ning Daya also gave a cool acknowledgment. "Since you’re here, you might as well stay. If there’s anything you’re not used to, tell your aunt. And get along with your cousins. You’re all grown up now, not little kids anymore. Don’t cause any trouble and make your uncle and aunt worry."

Those words were clearly not spoken with good intentions. Su Qing narrowed her eyes slightly. She could sense the old woman’s unconcealable loathing for her.

’Heh, how amusing. My own grandmother obviously can’t stand me, her granddaughter, yet Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e insisted she missed me dearly.’

’Too bad the old woman couldn’t keep up the act. Her true feelings slipped out after just a few sentences.’

Su Qing pressed her lips together lightly and didn’t rise to Ning Daya’s bait.

It was obvious that Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e sensed something was wrong too. Li Aiguo quickly said to Ning Daya, "Mom, what are you saying? Qingqing is so well-behaved. How could she cause any trouble for me and Liyue?"

"That’s right," Zhao Li’e added with a quick smile. "Mom, you’re just too worried about Qingqing. Don’t worry, I’m sure Qingqing will get along with Xiao Juan and Xiaodong. They’re close relatives, after all. Blood is thicker than water. It’s just like they’re siblings."

The corners of Su Qing’s mouth curved up slightly as she silently watched Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e try to smooth things over for Ning Daya.

Ning Daya seemed to realize she had gone too far as well. She nodded and said, "Sigh, I’m old, and my words aren’t pleasant to hear anymore. Qingqing, don’t take it to heart."

Su Qing smiled faintly. "Of course not. You’re being too serious, Grandmother."

"Alright, you’ve just arrived, so go get some rest. I’m tired too." After just a couple of sentences, Ning Daya was already shooing them away.

"Alright, Mom, we’ll leave you to rest then," Zhao Li’e said to Ning Daya with a smile before leading Su Qing out of the room.

Once they were out of Ning Daya’s room, Zhao Li’e was about to speak when Su Qing cut in, "Aunt, where’s my mother? I want to see her."

"Ah, well..." Zhao Li’e blinked, glanced at Li Aiguo, and finally took a deep breath before saying to Su Qing, "Qingqing, um, your mother isn’t home right now."

"What!" Before Su Qing could even speak, Li Aiguo stared at Zhao Li’e in astonishment. "How could Xiao Wan not be home? Wasn’t she perfectly fine here when I left?"

Su Qing observed that Li Aiguo’s surprise didn’t seem feigned. ’Since Li Aiguo made a special trip to the Northeast to get me, and he made it clear he’s been taking care of Li Wan all this time, he must have made proper arrangements for her before he left,’ she mused. ’There’s no way something this unexpected should have happened. But now, it’s clear that Li Wan being gone from the house has caught him completely by surprise.’

While thinking this, Su Qing put on an anxious expression and asked, "What’s going on? Uncle clearly told me you’ve all been taking care of my mother for years. How can she not be home now? Where is she?"

"Sigh, I don’t know either." Zhao Li’e was frustrated, too. "We’ve already reported it to the police, but they haven’t found her yet."

"You’ve already reported it to the police?" Su Qing narrowed her eyes and asked, "What exactly happened? Why isn’t my mother at home?"

"That’s right, Liyue, what in the world happened?" Li Aiguo was getting anxious. ’Li Wan is a crucial part of the plan. If she’s not here and Su Qing refuses to stay quietly with the Li family, how am I supposed to carry out the rest of my plan?’

’Women. More trouble than they’re worth.’

Li Aiguo shot Zhao Li’e a fierce glare. ’How could something go wrong at such a critical moment?’

Since Su Qing kept insisting on seeing Li Wan, Zhao Li’e knew she couldn’t hide it any longer. She said, "Hah, don’t even ask. A couple of days ago, someone suddenly broke in and abducted our younger sister. At the time, only she and Mom were home. Mom’s legs are bad, so she couldn’t stop him. She had to just watch as he took her away."

"What!" Li Aiguo was stunned. "Who was it?"

Zhao Li’e glanced at Su Qing, pursed her lips, and said, "It was a man."