Chapter 27

Xu Lianqiao looked at Jiang Huai with a blank expression.

Hiccup…

She accidentally hiccupped.

So embarrassing.

But instead of feeling ashamed, she felt more confused.

“What…what do you mean?”

Ning Yuan had been thinking about this for days. He couldn’t be sure if Ah Qiao would remember their past, but he couldn’t allow her to fall in love with Jiang Huai… even though Jiang Huai’s soul once lived in him.

Ning Yuan realized he couldn’t let go of her after getting so close to her.

He gently released Xu Lianqiao, carefully brushing aside the hair that had fallen over her face, and looked into her red, tear-filled eyes.

“Ah Qiao, it’s a long story. I’ll explain everything in detail when we get back, okay?”

His voice was warm like the winter sun, and his breath on her head made her feel incredibly calm and at peace.

Though she didn’t completely understand, she nodded, as if she got the gist of it.

“Can I hold you for a bit?”

Without waiting for his answer, Xu Lianqiao wrapped her arms around his waist. She had never been held like this before and felt a deep need for the warmth he offered.

_ 

Xu Lianqiao was led to the table by Jiang Huai. She felt like she was in a dream. She had never been cared for this way before.

Chen and Xu Jiawei, sitting at the same table, were shocked to see Jiang Huai here. Especially Xu Jiawei, who nearly dropped her chopsticks when she saw Jiang Huai serving Xu Lianqiao food.

Impossible…

How could Jiang Huai be so kind to Xu Lianqiao? When Xu Jiawei thought about everything she knew, the anger in her eyes was like she wanted to kill someone.

Not to mention, she had heard for months that Jiang Huai didn’t care about Xu Lianqiao.

But now, Xu Jiawei watched Jiang Huai serve Xu Lianqiao food, pour her tea… and even smile at her and whisper. This was completely different from the rumors.

What was going on?

Xu Lianqiao took small bites of cabbage, glancing at Jiang Huai from time to time.

When their eyes met and he smiled at her, she quickly lowered her head.

She had no real appetite, even though she was eating.

It was because of this man, who only gave her half the story, leaving her feeling frustrated.

“Eat a bit more for now, and we’ll talk when we get back.”

Xu Lianqiao, still distracted, heard the man joke again.

She felt a bit irritated and kicked him under the table.

Ning Yuan didn’t get angry at the sudden kick. Instead, he gently tugged on Xu Lianqiao’s sleeve under the table.

“Good, don’t cause trouble.”

Xu Lianqiao blushed again when he called her “good.”

_ 

After the banquet, Xu Lianqiao hurriedly grabbed Jiang Huai, eager to leave.

“Let’s go back.”

“Okay.”

Xu Lianqiao followed Jiang Huai toward the gate but unexpectedly ran into Xu Jiawei.

“Sister, may I speak with my brother-in-law for a moment?”

When Xu Jiawei said this, she didn’t look at Xu Lianqiao, but directly at Jiang Huai.

“I’m afraid Miss Xu’er and I have nothing to discuss.”

Ning Yuan immediately refused.

Not caring about Xu Jiawei’s expression, he pulled Xu Lianqiao’s sleeve and started to walk away.

But Xu Jiawei didn’t give up. She turned around and, addressing Jiang Huai and Xu Lianqiao’s backs, continued: “The day my brother-in-law accompanied my sister home, he left something in the backyard. Do you remember it?”

When Jiang Huai didn’t respond, Xu Jiawei added, “My sister picked it up and never had the chance to return it. Today, I thought I should return it to my brother-in-law.”

Ning Yuan was confused for a moment, but quickly realized this was just an excuse. Xu Jiawei likely had something else to say to him.

He also wanted to see what Xu Jiawei was up to, so he nodded at Xu Lianqiao.

Turning to Xu Jiawei, Ning Yuan smiled coldly. “Then I’ll trouble Miss Xu’er.”

Having achieved her goal, Xu Jiawei continued, “Sister, I won’t take it with me. So I’ll trouble my brother-in-law to follow my sister. As for my sister… my mother wanted to see her about something and asked if she could visit.”

Xu Lianqiao felt something was off when she heard this, but when Jiang Huai gave her a reassuring look, she nodded.

She knew he had a plan. She didn’t know why, but she trusted him completely.

It was strange. He hadn’t said anything yet, but she knew she could rely on him.

_

Looking at Ah Qiao walking away, Ning Yuan’s smile faded. He turned to Xu Jiawei, his voice cold and emotionless: “Miss Xu, if you have something to say, just say it.”

Xu Jiawei raised an eyebrow and bluntly asked, “Why doesn’t my brother-in-law believe what I said back then?”

Ning Yuan frowned, genuinely confused. He didn’t know the answer, but he was surprised to learn that Xu Jiawei was also involved with Jiang Huai.

“I believe it has nothing to do with Miss Xu’er.”

Xu Jiawei’s face lit up with excitement. “Why wouldn’t it matter…?” Then she realized she’d spoken too eagerly and lowered her voice, continuing, “If my sister did something like that, it wouldn’t be related to my Xu family…”

That ‘thing’? It probably referred to the incident where Ah Qiao was framed.

Ning Yuan became alert. “But Ah Qiao said she didn’t do that thing.”

“She’s lying,” Xu Jiawei responded, clearly nervous. She hadn’t expected Jiang Huai to ask Xu Lianqiao. She had told him back then not to ask. Even if he did, she knew Xu Lianqiao would never admit it, making things difficult for her. But Jiang Huai still asked, and judging by his words, he believed Xu Lianqiao.

This made Xu Jiawei panic, and her hand trembled slightly on her chest.

Ning Yuan noticed this, his gaze sharp.

“Don’t worry, Miss Xu’er. I subtly asked before leaving. She didn’t say you told me anything,” he reassured.

Xu Jiawei sighed in relief upon hearing this.

“Brother-in-law, I personally found that box of things in my sister’s room. There is indeed a doll of Mrs. Jiang hidden in it. You’ve seen all this yourself, right?”

Ning Yuan now understood what Xu Jiawei meant.

His knuckles, hidden within his sleeve, made a soft crackling sound.

Such a huge setup.

He suddenly recalled the locked box he had seen in Jiang Huai’s study. He had never found the key and had just put it aside.

Although Ning Yuan’s heart was cold, his expression remained unchanged. He lowered his voice and replied slowly, “Has Miss Xu’er finished speaking?”

Xu Jiawei felt a chill run down her spine as she looked into the darkening eyes of “Jiang Huai.”

“Now that you’re done speaking, it’s time to find my wife.”

With that, Ning Yuan walked away down the corridor without a backward glance.

He mentally reviewed the situation.

It was clear that someone was targeting Ah Qiao.

_

Xu Lianqiao was waiting for Jiang Huai to explain the things he said earlier that day. But when they got home, he quickly told her to go to her room while he went to study.

“Ah Qiao, I’ll explain tomorrow,” he said hurriedly.

Xu Lianqiao felt uneasy and frowned. Just as he was about to leave, she grabbed the corner of his clothes.

She suddenly asked, “Have we met before?”

Ning Yuan was surprised. He realized that Ah Qiao was very sharp.

“Yes, of course,” he replied. He would never forget any day he spent with her.

Xu Lianqiao felt comforted and slowly let go of him.

“Then I’ll wait for you,” she said.

“Okay,” Ning Yuan agreed.

Although Ning Yuan also wanted to explain everything to her, he had to leave because he received a letter when they arrived. The letter was for Jiang Huai. It said that someone had been asked to investigate, and Jiang Huai needed to meet someone at the Dongping Street Inn at 2:00 p.m.

With only half an hour left, Ning Yuan decided to go and see who was behind this.

Before he left, Ah Qiao called out to him.

“Ah Qiao, I put Lishu and Lishu in the box on the second floor of the cabinet in your room. I signed and fingerprinted them,” Ning Yuan said.

Xu Lianqiao understood what he meant and nodded.

“Okay,” she replied.

When Ning Yuan saw her calm response, he felt more at ease and left.

As she watched the sunset, Xu Lianqiao suddenly felt a heaviness in her heart.

“He didn’t explain things clearly,” she thought, but somehow, she had a strange sense of belief. Now it made sense—after Jiang Huai woke up from his coma, she had felt like she knew him.

This felt unbelievable, yet she believed it.

_

Later that night, a strong wind began to blow, making a strange, eerie sound outside the window.

Inside Xu Mansion, Xu Mingze placed his teacup down, looking worried.

“Is he starting to suspect?” he asked nervously.

“No… not yet,” Xu Jiawei replied, but her tone was uncertain.

Xu Mingze’s hands shook, but he tried to stay calm. “It’s fine, Wei’er. Go back to your room.”

He kept thinking about the man who had asked him to put the box in Xu Lianqiao’s room. At first, he thought agreeing to this would cause trouble. But when the man placed two thousand taels of silver in front of him, he couldn’t refuse.

Their family was already struggling financially, and those two thousand taels could save them.

Reluctantly, Xu Mingze agreed.

Xu Lianqiao was not his real daughter. Her biological parents didn’t care for her, so why should he? He had raised her for many years, but he no longer felt any real attachment to her. Whether she had a good life after marrying Jiang Huai didn’t concern him.

Anyway, they had done what was asked. If Jiang Huai didn’t believe them, it wasn’t their problem. Even if Jiang Huai became suspicious, that wasn’t on them. The blame would lie with the man who didn’t do his part properly.