Chapter 50

After speaking, Qiao Xinyi leaned close to Chen Yubing’s ear and quietly told her about buying a building, including that Fu Qingshan wanted to lend her money to build it. Chen Yubing’s emotions surged again. Luckily, she didn’t have a heart condition—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to leave the state-run restaurant tonight. Now things were even worse; Chen Yubing grew more worried.

“You’re really bold, kid!” Chen Yubing sighed deeply. She thought to herself, it would be enough just to buy a small apartment to live in—why did she have to buy a little Western-style building? That was too flashy. And renting out a house? Qiao Xinyi actually dared to think of that? She was really bold.

The more Chen Yubing thought about it, the more anxious she became. “If someone reports this…” She didn’t even dare to say the rest out loud, afraid that someone might be listening through the walls. She had heard enough sigh-worthy stories about wealthy families over the years.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’m the one doing it, but I definitely won’t be flashy about it. I’ll explain it to you when we get back to the car,” Qiao Xinyi reassured her.

Fu Qingshan and the others brought over the dishes and placed them on the table. Fu Qingshan glanced at his future mother-in-law, then gave Qiao Xinyi a questioning look. What had she said to her mom while he wasn’t there? Why did Chen Yubing’s frown deepen?

“Auntie, did Qiao Xinyi say anything to you just now?” Fu Qingshan passed the chopsticks first to Chen Yubing, showing respect to the elder.

Learning that Fu Qingshan had voluntarily lent Qiao Xinyi four thousand yuan, Chen Yubing could find no faults in him. Hearing Fu Qingshan express concern for her, Chen Yubing forced a smile toward him.

Fu Qingshan then looked at Qiao Xinyi.

“She told you about me buying a house,” Qiao Xinyi said innocently, shrugging. She had intended to distract Chen Yubing from worrying about her relationship with Fu Qingshan, but instead, the new topic only made Chen Yubing more anxious.

Fu Qingshan understood immediately. “Auntie, don’t worry. After dinner, we’ll find a proper place to talk more about it. I’ve been with Qiao Xinyi the entire time she was buying the house. If it wasn’t feasible, I would have stopped her earlier.”

Hearing Fu Qingshan’s words, Chen Yubing instantly felt reassured.

“You’re more reliable than this kid, Xinyi. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease,” Chen Yubing finally smiled instead of frowning. A house was a woman’s security; as a mother, of course she was happy that her child could buy one.

Qiao Xinyi realized that, in Chen Yubing’s heart, Fu Qingshan was more trustworthy than herself. So she began to reflect on what she might be doing wrong to cause this misunderstanding.

Qiao Xinyi tended to avoid blaming herself for things. Instead, she deliberately teased Fu Qingshan. “Fu Qingshan, I’m already your girlfriend, so why do you still call me by my full name?”

“Big sister, don’t you also call me Brother Qingshan with full name?” Qiao Yunbai blurted out.

“Then I’ll call you Brother Qingshan from now on too?” Qiao Xinyi looked at Fu Qingshan as if she was copying Yunbai.

Before Fu Qingshan could answer whether that was okay or not, Qiao Xinyi added, “Brother Qingshan, from now on, you have to call me by my nickname.”

“Where did you get a nickname?” Qiao Baihe asked curiously. “When did you start using one?”

The smile in Qiao Xinyi’s eyes deepened. “I just made it up, based on the last character of my name. For example, calling you ‘Xiao He’ (Little He), calling Yunbai ‘Xiao Bo,’ and calling myself…”

Qiao Yunbai was quick to blurt out, “Xiaoyi~”

Chen Yubing immediately spit out a mouthful of tea and turned to look at Qiao Xinyi beside her in disbelief.

“You child!” Chen Yubing scolded, but before she could finish, she couldn’t help but laugh first.

Fu Qingshan was genuinely amused and raised his hand to rub Qiao Xinyi’s head. He had long known that his girlfriend’s mouth could drive people crazy.

Thanks to Qiao Xinyi’s hilariously infuriating interruptions, the little worry lines on Chen Yubing’s face finally disappeared.

There is a saying: when a mother-in-law meets the son-in-law, the more she sees him, the more she likes him.

Qiao Xinyi’s temper sometimes even overwhelmed Chen Yubing as her mother, but it was clear that Fu Qingshan accepted it well.

Chen Yubing comforted herself, thinking that every child has their own luck, so why worry so much?

Just like Qiao Xinyi said, whether they’re a good match is something outsiders say—it’s their own matter if they like each other.

After finishing the meal, Chen Yubing approved of Fu Qingshan—not just because he was well-off, but more because he was considerate.

Chen Yubing saw in Fu Qingshan a character quite different from the kind of men like Qiao Laiwang.

He would proactively pay the bill, run errands, take care of both the older and younger people around him, respect women, and listen carefully when Qiao Xinyi spoke.

Even if they had different opinions, he would never rudely interrupt by saying something like, “You women have long hair but short knowledge; what do you know?”

After the meal, Fu Qingshan went to drive the car, and the group waited at the entrance of the state-run restaurant.

Qiao Xinyi first asked Chen Yubing what time it was, and seeing it was still early, she said, “Do you want to go see the little Western-style building I bought? It’s still early. Fu Qingshan will drive, so coming and going is pretty convenient.”

“Oh right! I almost forgot about big sister buying a house!” Qiao Yunbai looked up at Qiao Xinyi. “My heart has been getting stronger day by day thanks to big sister.”

He couldn’t believe he had forgotten such a big deal as his sister buying a house.

Once in the car, Qiao Xinyi told Fu Qingshan to drive to her little Western-style building.

The car was a suitable place to talk, so Chen Yubing asked Fu Qingshan, “What do you think about Xinyi building a house to rent out?”

Qiao Xinyi explained how Lin Long had helped her connect with people. “Mom, although I’m doing something big, I’m low-key. Lin helped handle everything, so there won’t be any trouble.”

“I know, Auntie, you’re worried about people at that organization,” Fu Qingshan said without naming the unit directly.

“All those with connections there have already arranged transfers out this year.”

“The rest, who have brains but no connections, have been keeping their heads down since last year. Especially this year, everyone should feel that the organization’s power is shrinking.”

“Now, the only ones still causing a fuss are those with neither brains nor connections, and no one pays attention to them. No matter how loud they are, they can’t stir up real trouble.”

There was something Fu Qingshan didn’t say because it was still just a rumor: some higher-ups had proposed canceling this organization, and many supported the idea.

Qiao Xinyi’s house was covered by Lin Long and Qian Ke’s help. It would be at least a year before it was finished and ready to rent out.

As long as Qiao Xinyi didn’t go crazy talking about it everywhere, there would be no problems.

After hearing this, Chen Yubing immediately turned to warn Qiao Yunbai and Qiao Baihe to keep their mouths shut. They only needed to know themselves, and after getting off the car, no one was to tell others.

About twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the door of Qiao Xinyi’s little Western-style building. Chen Yubing and the other two followed Qiao Xinyi inside and couldn’t help but repeatedly exclaim in amazement.

“This house is so big and beautiful!” Qiao Yunbai stood at the entrance, afraid to step inside, stretching his long neck like a thief peeking in.

His big black eyes were busy looking everywhere, never getting enough of the sights.

When Qiao Xinyi clicked on the crystal chandelier in the living room, the three of them all exclaimed together, “Wow!”