Not long after Xia Qingtian crippled the fat man who had tried to force her submission with a gun, she was kidnapped. Her captors claimed to be acting on behalf of the Yue family, intending to harvest her organs and dump her body at sea.
Upon hearing that the Yue family was behind the abduction, Xia Qingtian immediately recalled events from her previous life.
She had initially assumed the Yue family wanted to reclaim the copyrights for "Night Moon," "Sleepless," and "Sonata" through this method. However, now that she was with the Yue family and had met its members, things seemed different.
Her grandfather, who had already planned her future, her kind and approachable eldest and second uncles, and her third uncle, whom she hadn't met yet but remembered as gentle and refined, were all present.
Xia Qingtian had since overturned all her previous assumptions and suspicions.
The instigator of the kidnapping was definitely not a Yue family member she was familiar with.
It seemed more likely to be someone from a collateral branch of the Yue family.
For instance, the mother of that scumbag fat man.
Having overheard the woman's words firsthand, Xia Qingtian had every reason to suspect she was seeking revenge for her son by attempting to kill her.
As Xia Qingtian was deep in thought, a male voice called from behind her, "Qingtian?"
Startled, Xia Qingtian immediately turned around and saw a man fishing behind another ornamental rock not far away, holding a fishing rod.
He appeared to be around forty years old. He wore a dark blue hooded sun protection jacket over a white crew-neck t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. Between his long legs sat a folding fishing bucket and a high-end fishing tackle box. Beside him, a spinning rod was set up.
"Second Uncle." Xia Qingtian recognized the man leisurely fishing as her Third Uncle, Yue Chengzhong, whom she remembered as gentle and refined. "What are you doing here... fishing?"
"There are plenty of fish here." As soon as Yue Chengzhong finished speaking, the fishing line on his rod began to twitch. "Look, I caught a big one."
"But Second Uncle..." Xia Qingtian watched Yue Chengzhong excitedly reel in his line and couldn't help but remind him, "These are ornamental fish; they don't taste good."
"I don't fish for food, but for the pleasure of fishing." After removing the hook from the fish's mouth, Yue Chengzhong released it back into the lake.
"Then shouldn't you go sea fishing or wild fishing in a lake?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"I've tried, but caught nothing. The fish in the home's ornamental lake are easier to catch." Yue Chengzhong placed a finger to his lips. "Keep this a secret for me, okay?"
Xia Qingtian was momentarily at a loss for words.
Was this the legendary "bad at something but loves doing it"?
In the end, she could only force a laugh and say, "Well, I'll go look around somewhere else, see if there's anything I can help with."
"Go ahead. Though, it's highly unlikely there's anything for you to help with," Yue Chengzhong said, baiting his hook and casting it out again.
"Second Uncle, aren't you going?" Xia Qingtian hesitated and asked.
Many from the collateral branches were helping today, yet her second uncle was hiding here to fish. Wouldn't that look bad?
"No need. For this kind of occasion, it's better for your eldest uncle to show his face more," Yue Chengzhong said casually, gazing at the calm lake surface.
Xia Qingtian didn't immediately understand Yue Chengzhong's words. Then she recalled the woman passing by earlier mentioning the previous Yue family head's favoritism. Suddenly, she grasped Yue Chengzhong's intention.
He was doing this to avoid giving people anything to talk about and to prevent malicious instigation from those with ulterior motives.
Therefore, it was fine for her eldest uncle to do more, and it was acceptable for her fourth uncle to help, but it was better for her second uncle not to get involved.
With this thought, Xia Qingtian glanced at her second uncle again, her heart feeling a little heavy.
As outsiders often said, the world of the wealthy was deep and treacherous.
Even if the uncles wanted to maintain brotherly affection, they had to be mindful of appearances.
Alas...
Just as Xia Qingtian was sighing, a roar came from the corridor, "Yue Chengzhong! Are you still fiddling with that damn fishing rod at this hour!"
Xia Qingtian turned her head to see Yue Chengdong and Yue Chengfeng standing side-by-side in the corridor. Yue Chengdong said irritably, "You haven't even changed your clothes! Do you know what time it is? There's a limit to slacking off!"
Yue Chengfeng frowned, still seemingly troubled by a hangover. "Second brother, I've told you before, you have absolutely no talent for fishing! Truly bad at it but addicted to it!"
"Tsk." Yue Chengzhong tutted, reeled in his fishing rod, and muttered, "You scared all the fish away! So annoying!"
Yue Chengzhong packed his belongings and stepped onto the ornamental rocks. As he was about to climb over the corridor, Yue Chengfeng and Yue Chengfeng simultaneously reached out.
Grabbing their brother's hands, Yue Chengzhong crossed over the corridor. "Wait for Qingtian for a moment."
The three of them looked down at Xia Qingtian, only to see her standing in place. She held her white handbag with one hand, pressing down her lotus-pink skirt that the wind had lifted. With her other hand, she tucked away a strand of hair blown by the wind. Her eyes were curved like crescent moons, and her lips curved upward in a beautiful arc.
"Qiyan..."
"Little sister..."
"Sister..."
The three Yue brothers were momentarily stunned. It wasn't until Xia Qingtian called out, "Uncles, wait for me," that they snapped back to reality. They revealed faint smiles and simultaneously extended their hands to Xia Qingtian, saying, "Be careful where you step."
"Mm."
From the corridor to the front courtyard, Yue Chengdong escorted Yue Chengzhong to change his clothes.
Yue Chengfeng had been accompanying Xia Qingtian. However, after receiving a phone call, he hurried away, seemingly to pick someone up.
Recalling the scene of the three uncles in the corridor, Xia Qingtian couldn't help but cover her mouth with one hand and chuckle.
"Are you... Xia Qingtian?" Suddenly, a timid voice called out from behind Xia Qingtian.
Xia Qingtian turned around and saw three children, whose combined age was likely less than twenty. She nodded and bent down slightly, saying, "Yes, I am Xia Qingtian. Hello to you all~"
"Mommy! It's a celebrity!"
"Mommy! I saw Xia Qingtian! Hurry!"
"Sister! Catch her!"
Once the three little rascals confirmed Xia Qingtian's identity, they suddenly screamed and ran off in three different directions, still screaming.
Xia Qingtian stood there, bewildered, unsure how to stop any of them.
Thanks to these three children, the collateral branches of the Yue family and their affiliated families, who were chatting and resting in the front courtyard, all turned to look.
Being stared at by so many eyes at once, their gazes filled with confusion, suspicion, contempt, indifference, appraisal, and hatred... the mix made Xia Qingtian's scalp tingle.
Silently swallowing, Xia Qingtian straightened her body and adjusted her posture.
In any case, she couldn't lose in terms of presence.
"I've heard that people in the entertainment industry will do anything for attention. What? You dare to ride on the Yue family's coattails? Do you have a death wish? Hmm?"
"If you leave right now, we can pretend we never saw you."