Chapter 362 - Because of Love
Chapter 362: Because of Love
She welcomed her second brother and sister-in-law into the house. Although Li Tinglei and the Second Madam were both from wealthy families, when they saw the luxurious decorations in the Heavenly Imperial Garden, such as the limited edition Rolex watch on the shelf, which was worth tens of millions, and the dazzling rare jewelry, they looked uneasy.
At that moment, they deeply realized that Huo Xiaoran and Qiao An were already nobles that they could not reach.
But Qiao An gave them the courtesy of being at home.
She personally made tea for them. Li Tinglei’s was Longjing tea, and Second Madam’s was premium flower tea. They were all their favorite flavors.
Second Madam was straightforward and immediately praised Qiao An. “An’an, coming here with your second brother is quite eye-opening. Fortunately, you’re not someone who despises the poor and loves the rich. You even served us good tea. You’ve truly warmed my heart.”
Then, Second Madam said dejectedly, “Sigh, Li Zecheng has bad taste. He didn’t cherish such a good wife and insisted on marrying a vain woman like Wei Xin. Now that the house is in chaos, this is his retribution.”
Qiao An’s expression was peaceful, as if what Second Madam said had nothing to do with her. She looked calm and said indifferently, “Second Sister-in-law, you must be here for the third branch today.”
The Second Madam and Li Tinglei looked at each other awkwardly. They did not expect Qiao An to see through their intentions at a glance.
Li Tinglei looked at Qiao An and suddenly smiled. “Qiao An, you’re indeed smart. No wonder the old man praised you.”
Qiao An said, “Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law don’t visit unless they need something, and the gifts are all according to my preferences. I don’t think you’re here for Brother Xiaoran. Since you’re here for me, you must be here for the third branch. After all, I’m indeed often involved with the third branch.”
Li Tinglei went straight to the point. “Qiao An, to be honest, Old Master asked Second Brother to come. He praised you for being wise and said that you definitely have a way to resolve the dispute between the three families.”
Qiao An’s face was calm.
Li Tinglei was slightly stunned. He originally thought that Qiao An would tactfully refuse, or that Qiao An would not be able to think of a solution. However, seeing that Qiao An was deep in thought and seemed to have an idea, Li Tinglei suppressed the excitement in his heart and quietly waited for Qiao An’s answer.
Qiao An suddenly looked up and said, “Second Brother, I don’t dare to interfere in the third branch’s matters. I’m afraid that if I do it out of kindness, some people will misunderstand that I’m taking advantage of you.”
Li Tinglei vowed, “Qiao An, as long as you’re willing to help our Li family stop fighting, you’re our lucky star. In the future, if anyone in the Li family dares to disrespect you, Second Brother will not let them off.”
Qiao An thought for a moment and nodded. “Since Old Master and Second Brother are so sincere, Qiao An will accept.”
Li Tinglei was overjoyed. “Qiao An, we’ll look forward to your interference.”
Qiao An nodded.
After sending Li Tinglei and Second Sister-in-law off, Qiao An returned to her room and saw Huo Xiaoran standing in the middle of the living room, staring blankly at the gifts on the coffee table.
“Brother Xiaoran.” Qiao An smiled and walked up.
Huo Xiaoran turned around and asked in surprise, “Who came to my house?”
As Qiao An gently and considerately helped him take off his coat, she explained, “Your second brother and sister-in-law came by.”
Huo Xiaoran’s handsome face darkened slightly and he smacked his lips. “The gifts are all yours. They must have specially come to look for you.”
Qiao An said, “Old Master was behind this. He asked me to settle the dispute.”
Huo Xiaoran was dumbfounded.
Then, he sneered, picked up the gifts on the coffee table, and walked out. “What’s this old man thinking? The third branch bullied you so much and he still wants you to help them calm the dispute?”
Qiao An said weakly, “Brother Xiaoran, I agreed to it.”
Huo Xiaoran suddenly paused and turned to look at her in disbelief.
“Qiao An, you don’t have to repay them with kindness.”
Qiao An pulled him back and placed the gifts in Huo Xiaoran’s hand on the coffee table again. Only then did she explain patiently, “Brother Xiaoran, I’m not the Virgin Mary. The schemes and harm the third branch has done to me in the past are not giving cause to curry favor with them.”
“It’s just that now that I’m your wife, I see them all the time. I thought it would be better to bury the hatchet with them than fight them.”
Huo Xiaoran hugged Qiao An. “Don’t you feel aggrieved?”
Qiao An said, “My heart has long been dead to them. If I don’t give them my feelings, it’s purely a deal. I won’t feel aggrieved.”
Seeing that Qiao An was enjoying herself, Huo Xiaoran smiled. “As long as you’re happy.”
Qiao An nodded.
Huo Xiaoran reminded her worriedly, “But An’an, the third branch might be involved in a criminal case. You have to be careful not to get involved and become a topic of gossip.”
Qiao An seemed to have seen through everything. “Brother Xiaoran, are you referring to Third Sister-in-law being plotted against?”
Huo Xiaoran nodded. “Third Sister-in-law jumped off a building. There are too many mysteries in this case. I’ve seen many people who committed suicide. They won’t leave themselves any leeway. Third Sister-in-law jumped off the third floor of the hospital. She doesn’t look like she wants to die.”
Qiao An understood. “I’m sure Third Sister-in-law wanted to jump off a building.”
Huo Xiaoran said, “How are you so sure?”
Qiao An said, “Because Third Sister-in-law talked to me before she jumped. At that time, I vaguely felt that something was wrong. It was only when she jumped that I understood why she apologized to me.”
Huo Xiaoran said, “But the surveillance footage shows that when Third Sister-in-law jumped off the building, Third Brother passed by the place of the accident.”
Qiao An smiled. “Third Sister-in-law is cunning. Perhaps she deliberately called Third Brother over to make him take the blame for his jump. After all, she can get something on Third Brother to threaten him.”
Huo Xiaoran nodded. “That makes sense.”
In the afternoon, Qiao An went to the hospital to visit Third Madam.
When Third Madam saw her, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
“Third Sister-in-law. I’m here to see you.” Qiao An smiled.
Third Madam sighed weakly.
“Qiao An, do you know that the last person in the world I want to see is you?”
Qiao An smiled. “I know.”
Third Madam opened her eyes and blushed. “Do you know why?”
Qiao An said, “You just want to retain your dignity.”
Third Madam laughed. “You were clearly my daughter-in-law, but now you’ve become my sister-in-law. You were clearly suppressed by Zecheng, but now you’re his arrogant aunt. The people who bullied you are all in a sorry state now. Qiao An, are you very happy that the heavens have punished us?”
Qiao An didn’t gloat, but her expression was calm and peaceful. “Third Sister-in-law, if Brother Xiaoran and I hadn’t been able to reconcile, perhaps I would still be living in the shadow of that shattered marriage. I would probably be hating you for the rest of my life. But fortunately, Brother Xiaoran accepted me despite the past. With his love, those past injuries have long healed.”