Chapter 28: Mo Qian Stands Up for Her

Mo Qian: “Eat as much as you can, if you have leftovers, give them to me.”

Qiao Lan: “…”

Their relationship didn’t seem close enough for her to be giving him her leftovers.

With Old Qiao sitting opposite her, she didn’t want to reveal their contract marriage, so she silently pushed some of the food from her bowl towards Mo Qian.

Mo Qian looked at her with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, but he accepted it all.

Seeing the two of them cooperating and looking so affectionate, Old Qiao silently placed the ribs in his own bowl.

Several times, Old Qiao tried to speak, but Mo Qian’s gentle concern interrupted him.

“Don’t just eat vegetables, drink some water.”

“Your water is cold, do you want to change to a hot drink?”

“Why are you eating so little? Is it because you don’t like these dishes?”

Stared at by the man, Qiao Lan’s ears burned. She blushed and said, “Don’t just stare at me, eat your food properly.”

“You’re just too much of a worry.”

The man’s helpless tone was as if he was dealing with a disobedient child.

Qiao Lan pouted. Was she really that much of a worry?

This was the first time Old Qiao had seen Qiao Lan like this. She had shed her strong and cold exterior and was like a young girl who was just beginning to understand love, blushing, being shy, and even acting cute.

A woman only shows her vulnerable and delicate side, needing to be taken care of, in front of the man she loves the most.

Did they really love each other?

Mo Qian could feel Old Qiao’s gaze fixed on the two of them. He raised his head and said casually, “Lanlan always thinks of others and neglects herself. I’m her husband, I can’t bear to see her being wronged or hurt. I hope Grandpa won’t mind.”

The expression on Old Qiao’s face almost cracked.

Mo Qian’s words, though seemingly directed at him, were clearly a veiled criticism.

Old Qiao forced a smile: “Seeing you love Lanlan so much, I can rest assured.”

“Grandpa, rest assured, when it comes to taking care of Lanlan, I’m definitely more qualified than anyone else!”

Old Qiao, with a lump in his throat, had been preparing to say something for a long time, but he couldn’t utter a word.

Qiao Lan silently glanced at Old Qiao. Although she felt sorry for him now, she found Mo Qian, who was standing up for her, incredibly cool. Moreover, the tightness in her chest eased, and her appetite even increased.

Old Qiao, however, couldn’t swallow a single bite.

It wasn’t just the pain of his illness, but also Mo Qian’s audacity.

This man, despite his ordinary background and family, was incredibly bold and fearless of offending him.

Qiao Lan put down her chopsticks after finishing her meal: “Grandpa, are you still unable to eat?”

Old Qiao’s mental state was good, but he had lost a lot of weight. His arms, hidden under his sleeves, were already skin and bones.

Old Qiao picked up the silver ear soup in front of him: “I can only eat some liquid food.”

The cancer cells in his body were spreading rapidly, and his joints ached all over, making him completely lose his appetite.

Although Qiao Lan hadn’t gone to the hospital, she was paying attention to Old Qiao’s health.

She said with concern: “You should rest when you need to, don’t worry about company matters anymore.”

Old Qiao: “Lanlan, Qiao Corporation was built by me. As long as I’m alive, I can’t just watch it get hurt and do nothing.”

Qiao Lan knew how important Qiao Corporation was to Old Qiao, which was why she had endured it until now. Her goal was to let Old Qiao leave without regrets.

Old Qiao asked: “Lanlan, after I leave, will you still manage Qiao Corporation?”

Qiao Lan reminded him: “Grandpa, Mr. Qiao is the rightful heir of Qiao Corporation.”

She was managing Qiao Corporation out of respect for Old Qiao, not for Qiao Zhenyuan.

Once Old Qiao was gone, she would leave the company immediately.

Old Qiao guessed Qiao Lan’s thoughts. He chuckled bitterly: “Lanlan, Grandpa knows my request is unfair to you, but I’ve poured all my heart and soul into Qiao Corporation. My feelings for it are even deeper than Zhenyuan’s. Can you help Zhenyuan?”

Old Qiao lowered his stance: “Lanlan, please, Grandpa begs you, okay?”

Qiao Lan’s heart sank.

Staying at Qiao Corporation until now was already her limit.

Spending the rest of her life at Qiao Corporation to help Qiao Zhenyuan would be a living hell for her.

Looking at Old Qiao’s tired and helpless appearance, Qiao Lan’s chest ached. She couldn’t bear to refuse, but she also didn’t want to agree.

Her marriage to Chu Zhiheng was agreed upon under similar circumstances.

Unwilling to see Qiao Lan in a difficult position, Mo Qian said bluntly: “Grandpa, Lanlan can manage Qiao Corporation for a while, but not forever. After all, besides Qiao Zhenyuan, that idiot, there’s also Qiao Yue.”

“Instead of asking Lanlan to help manage Qiao Corporation, you should use your remaining energy to train Qiao Zhenyuan like a devil, so he can stand on his own two feet.”

Qiao Lan’s eyes lit up. She added: “Grandpa, helping him is just a temporary solution, the root of the problem lies with Mr. Qiao.”

If Qiao Yue’s descendants were also useless, the downfall of Qiao Corporation would only be a matter of time.

Staying alive for a few more years would be meaningless.

Old Qiao also knew that Qiao Zhenyuan was the foundation of Qiao Corporation, but after observing him for two days, he saw Qiao Zhenyuan chase away two teachers. He was clearly not the material for business.

He was just unwilling to see Qiao Corporation collapse right after he left.

Mo Qian continued: “I know a business management professor who’s very good at teaching. Let him guide Qiao Zhenyuan for a while. If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of other ways.”

Mo Qian’s tone was seemingly a suggestion, but his words carried an undeniable authority that left no room for rebuttal. Even Old Qiao couldn’t argue.

This kind of aura, he had only seen it in powerful figures at the top.

Mo Qian was just an ordinary person, how could he have such an aura?

Qiao Lan didn’t notice Old Qiao’s abnormality. She agreed with Mo Qian’s suggestion: “Grandpa, I think this method is feasible. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll think about it again.”

Of course, Qiao Lan wouldn’t allow it to fail.

Even if it meant teaching Qiao Zhenyuan to fake it or arranging competent assistants to help him handle company affairs, she would make sure he got through it, so Old Qiao could rest assured.

“Alright.”

After a lot of maneuvering at the dinner table, Old Qiao felt exhausted. He called the waiter to settle the bill.

The waiter smiled: “The bill has already been settled.”

Qiao Lan looked at Mo Qian, surprised: “You paid?”

Mo Qian nodded. He took the coat beside him and handed it to Qiao Lan: “Let’s go.”

Old Qiao looked at Mo Qian with deep eyes, saying meaningfully: “Lanlan, your husband is not ordinary.”

Even if his family background was ordinary, his ability to speak and act with such consideration was far from ordinary.

Qiao Lan might not be able to control him.

Qiao Lan just smiled and said nothing. She watched Old Qiao leave in his car before turning to the tall and handsome man beside her and sincerely said: “Thank you just now.”

Thank you for standing up for her at the dinner table and for coming up with a plan.

If he hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t know how to refuse Old Qiao.

Mo Qian naturally put his hand on her shoulder and said matter-of-factly: “You’re my wife, of course I have to protect you.”