Chapter 224

The two of them would occasionally bicker with each other. They would often joke around and ridicule each other.

Shuishui would never take Zilin's jokes to heart. Her relationship with Mu Zilin was the no-fuss, no-nonsense kind. They were like brother and sister.

Mu Ziyu picked up some food for Shuishui. "This chrysanthemum flower is very tender," he said.

"Good. I'm in a good mood when there's delicious food. Don't worry about me. You should eat more too. It'll be more enjoyable if we all eat together." Shuishui felt pampered. After all, she was not a little girl, and she was actually older than she actually looked.

Mu Ziyu stood up and went to pay the bill. Shuishui took the chance and asked Mu Zilin, "Does your brother like anything?"

"Why do you want to find out what my brother likes? Well, of course I know. I just know that he doesn't like being in environments that are too lively. What does he usually do with his friends? I'm not sure either. Uh, does he like to eat? I don't think so. Uh, actually, I don't really know what he likes." Zilin smiled awkwardly. He thought he would know what his own brother liked.

Shuishui was stunned. Zilin had initially acted confident and told her he knew what Ziyu's preferences were. Suddenly, he admitted that he had no idea.

Mu Zilin scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. He recalled that whenever he had to find a gift for Ziyu, he would end up giving him clothes. It was because he was unsure what Ziyu really liked.

They got to the car and drove back. In the car, Shuishui had been thinking of what to give mu Ziyu. She secretly decided on what to buy for him.

In the villa, the dim yellow lights flickered. They quietly entered the house and returned to their rooms.

Not long after Mu Ziyu got to his room, he went to Shuishui's room. He was holding a purple bear.

Shuishui looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"This is for you. It's a lavender-infused bear. It will help you sleep well." He handed the bear to Shuishui and returned to his room.

Shuishui held the bear close and sniffed it. It smelled strongly of lavender. Her lips curled into a smile as she looked at the bear. Then, she sat on the bed and placed the bear on the pillow. She then took a bath to wash away the smell of food that lingered on her skin during dinner. She changed into her pajamas and lay down on the bed.

As she lay on the bed in the darkness, she opened her eyes. Everything around her was pitch-black. She only heard the faint sound of the heater. She decided that she would call her father the next day. Although they had been communicating through text messages, she still wanted to hear his voice and ask how he was. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Qian An, meanwhile, was in the study. It was already late, but he was restless. There were so many discrepancies in the company's fund statements. He had not expected it to happen. Just when he was about to investigate on the matter, something else happened. Big Brother Li was helping him deal with it. However, he kept feeling that something was wrong. He shrugged it off and tried to ignore it because he felt that he did not have the time to care about anything else. He had to find a way to restore the company's financial integrity first.

Little did he know that the Li brothers were plotting against him. They realized that their actions were too obvious. If Qian An had found out that they were behind it, they would have been fired. They felt that it was not worth it. They did not want to expose themselves. What they did was against the law. They would be in trouble if Qian An found out.

They did not expect Qian An to be so vigilant. Second Brother Li was a little unhappy. "We could have hit him with this move, but he found out in time. It's not too late yet. Should we do something about it and make it worse?"

"No. Didn't we decide on that just now?" If they made a move then, Qian An would definitely know that they were involved. Qian An was not stupid. Moreover, his intuition was terrifyingly accurate. He could actually determine the problem just by studying the data. 'We have to be quiet for a period of time. He must be suspicious now. Moreover, he shouldn't be able to find out anything from our previous investigation. He can suspect us, but he won't be able to prove it. As long as we show a little bit of steadfastness during this period of time, we should be able to dispel his suspicions,' Brother Li thought for a while That was all they could do.

"Watch your every movement during this period of time. Take care of things properly. Tell Sister to observe brother-in-law's behavior. Tell her to let us know if anything comes up so that we can prepare for it. All right. It's getting late. You should rest early. I'll read this first." Brother Li let his younger brother rest first.

Second Brother Li looked at the time. "I'll go and rest. Brother, you should rest early too."

They smiled at each other, then Second Brother Li left.

Big Brother Li sat in front of the computer and studied the fund statement on the screen.

After a while, he saw one discrepancy. He couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't expect there to be a problem here. If we didn't do it, then who did?"

"But it doesn't matter. It's good that someone did this." He smiled sinisterly.

All of this happened in private and no one else knew.

Qian An had plenty of things to do, but Li Xue had become more troublesome. She would quarrel with him from time to time. That night, she waited for a long time for Qian An, but he didn't go to her room. Instead, she went to the study to talk to him. "Hubby, rest early."

Qian An said impatiently, "I'm busy now. You can sleep by yourself."

"Why? How many days has it been? No, it's been a few months, but you haven't entered our room. You said you're not having an affair, and I believe you. But how can I continue to believe you with your current behavior?" Li Xue could not stand it anymore. Qian An was still impatient with her. Why? How much had she sacrificed for this family?

"You let Shuishui meet your friend, and you even let her stay at your friend's for a while. Momo is also your child. Why don't you let Momo meet your friends? They are all your children. Why are you so biased?" Li Xue felt heartbroken when she thought of it.

"They're all my children, and I love them all. As for you, don't think too much about it. I don't have another woman. There are so many things going on in the company right now. Can you stop being so annoying? Can you be more mature?" Qian An felt a headache coming on. Why was she getting more and more insensible? Li Xue had gotten worse. She pestered him every day. He disliked women like Li Xue the most. "All right. I am busy with something. You can go out," Qian An said.

"No. I'm not going out. I won't leave until you explain clearly." Li Xue had already decided that she wouldn't leave the room unless Qian An explained everything to her. She was really suffering. She had been suffering for such a long time, and she definitely couldn't let him off so easily.

Qian An rubbed his temples and said, "All right. I'll make it clear to you now that I am not having an affair, but I hate women who pester me. And you're exactly the type of woman that I hate. I'm busy with work. Why do you have to come here and pester me? I'm really tired. Can't you let me feel at ease?"

"All right. I've said what I needed to say. You can go back to your room now," Qian An said coldly. He was really annoyed.

Li Xue was still not satisfied. "Then make some arrangements for Momo. She really admires that Mu Ziyu of the Mu family. If they can be together, won't it be good for your career?"

"Who do you think he is? Their family already returned to the capital and won't be coming back. as for Mu Ziyu, I've already asked him about Momo. He doesn't even know her. It seems he already has a girlfriend. Stop pushing it." Qian An didn't think that Momo was a bad person, but he knew that Momo had an unpleasant character. It was his fault for not allotting time to teach and correct her. She ended up not listening to him at all.

A child like Qian Momo should find a mature and older man. That would be good for her. He thought about it but didn't do anything about it because Momo was still young.

"If you're worried, bring Qian Momo with you to the dance party later. Let her get to know more people. See if she likes anyone, and if she does, we can do something about that." Qian An decided that he couldn't just find any man and set him up with Momo. He would first have to ask the man whoever Momo set her sights on.

Li Xue noticed that Qian An had spoken more gently. She wanted to know more. Moreover, she was really worried about Momo. "Momo is now in her twenties. Actually, it will be beneficial to her if she finds a potential partner at a young age. It will also be beneficial to you."

"It might be good for the company, but it will also depend on the young man who catches her attention. We'll see when the time comes. Don't bother about Shuishui anymore. I treat my children equally, and I'm not biased. Previously, it was because you were biased towards Momo that I became closer to Shuishui. I didn't want Shuishui to think no one cared for her in the family. If you treat your children equally, your children will respect you." Qian An knew that if Li Xue had treated Shuishui well, Shuishui would not have treated Li Xue badly.

Qian An had hoped that they would still treat each other like a mother and daughter would. Why did they have to act like they were enemies? He felt that it was Li Xue's doing. He blamed her for her strained relationship with Shuishui. If she had treated Shuishui well, no one would have said anything. He said, "Reflect on yourself. Are you biased towards Momo? Are you so heartless towards Shuishui? In the past, Shuishui would always call you 'mother.' Later, she stopped. Don't you know why?"

Li Xue did not think that she did anything wrong. "How would I know? Who would have thought that she would be so disappointing?"

"Disappointing? You're the one who's disappointing. You belittled your own daughter. She is also your daughter. Can't you treat her the way you treat Momo? Your brother is your sibling, but don't I treat them well?" Qian An said in an angry tone.

Li Xue glanced at him and scoffed, "That's not what I meant. My brother treated me very well when I was young, so I naturally have to repay them. Moreover, they're doing quite well now. What are you thinking? It's not like they'll rely on you. After all, they are confident with themselves."

For Li Xue, her two brothers were very upright and courageous. She could see no wrong in them.

Qian An looked at Li Xue's face and said, "I don't know who they truly are, and I won't forget what they did to me."

Li Xue quickly explained for her brothers. "Eh, it's all in the past. Why are you thinking so much? Besides, they didn't do it on purpose at that time."

Qian An didn't want to say anything anymore. "All right. I need some peace."

Li Xue was about to say something when she saw Qian An's impatient expression. She left the study room.

As soon as Li Xue left, Qian An walked towards the door and locked it.

He was annoyed that he had forgotten to lock the door, which was why she was able to casually enter the study.

Li Xue had not changed at all. She wouldn't change simply because Qian An asked her to. Her brothers were opportunistic individuals. They had joined Qian An's company by begging for their positions. When they joined the company, so many problems started to arise. However, Qian An hadn't been able to find any evidence that he could use against them. Qian An was just convinced that they were the reason why the company's state of affairs was declining. He was unhappy that they had caused so many problems.