Leaving the hotel, Xia Qingtian went directly to Yue Shi.
Most people at Yue Shi knew Xia Qingtian, so her journey was smooth.
Meanwhile, Yue Chengzhong, on a higher floor of Yue Shi, was also informed of Xia Qingtian's arrival. He instructed his staff to prepare tea and snacks while also having the tails following her dealt with cleanly.
"What a careless girl," Yue Chengzhong narrowed his beautiful fox-like eyes, a faint smile curving his lips. "Never mind, the Yue family will protect her anyway. Let it be."
As he spoke, Yue Chengzhong placed the fishing rod he was toying with in the corner and sat down behind his desk.
Ever since the incident with the Yue family back then, no one in the family would back down.
If anyone dared to provoke them, the Yue family would retaliate a hundredfold.
The office door was knocked, and Xia Qingtian poked her head in, smiling brightly. "Second Uncle, are you busy?"
"I'm busy slacking off. Does that count as busy?" Yue Chengzhong asked with a smile.
"That's hard to say~" Xia Qingtian pursed her lips, pushed the door open, and sat down in the chair next to the desk. A casual glance revealed the fishing rod standing by the wall, making her lips twitch. Good heavens, he was indeed slacking off.
"Why have you suddenly come to the capital?" Yue Chengzhong asked Xia Qingtian with a smile. "Are you short on money? Shall I transfer some to you?"
"No, no, I have enough money. My sister is here in the capital for an exam, and I'm accompanying her," Xia Qingtian replied.
At this moment, the secretary brought in tea and snacks, giving Xia Qingtian a sweet smile. Xia Qingtian returned the smile.
"Your sister?" Yue Chengzhong's smile faltered slightly. "How come I didn't know you had a sister?"
"My father's stepdaughter, the one he brought into the family later," Xia Qingtian picked up a piece of nut cookie and took a small bite.
"Stepdaughter." Yue Chengzhong nodded slightly. "I see."
"Mhm." Seeing that Yue Chengzhong knew, Xia Qingtian picked up her teacup and took a sip. The Earl Grey tea was smooth and pleasant, pairing well with the snacks.
The secretary was knowledgeable, which was good.
"You want Uncle to help you get rid of this step-sister, don't you?" Yue Chengzhong traced a line across his neck with his fingertip.
"Pfft!" Xia Qingtian spat out a mouthful of tea and cookie crumbs. "Second Uncle, what are you talking about!"
Hearing such words from her usually gentle and refined second uncle was truly terrifying.
"Aren't you? Or do you not want to make it too obvious?" Yue Chengzhong asked.
"No!" Xia Qingtian quickly waved her hands. "Qingyu is a good child. We sisters have a good relationship. Second Uncle, please don't do anything strange!"
"Is that so?" Yue Chengzhong sighed slightly.
"Second Uncle, are you disappointed?" Xia Qingtian couldn't help but ask.
"No, I was just reading a detective novel recently and came across a method of killing with fishing line. I was thinking it would be interesting to try if I had the chance. I have excellent fishing line," Yue Chengzhong said, resting one hand on his cheek, his pleasant, warm, magnetic voice uttering words that made Xia Qingtian's blood run cold.
"Stop it! Second Uncle, please put away those dangerous thoughts." Xia Qingtian raised her hand to wipe her mouth before continuing, "Qingyu and Aunt Liu are both good people. Mother and daughter are very kind. They're not like the wicked stepmothers and spoiled stepsisters in novels. Don't worry about me, I'm being taken good care of."
"Is that so?" Yue Chengzhong hesitated for a moment, then his handsome fox-like eyes curved, and he smiled. "If that's the case, please come to the Yue family for a casual meal."
Xia Qingtian's naturally simple nature made her easy to fool, but that didn't mean the Yue family was equally susceptible to outward appearances.
Whether that Xia Qingyu was a genuine good sister or just pretending to be one would be revealed when she brought her to the Yue family.
If she was someone with a deep, hidden agenda, then Yue Chengzhong would absolutely not allow such a dangerous person to exist beside Xia Qingtian.
Rather, if the Yue family had possessed this ruthlessness earlier, the previous farce would never have happened.
The Yue family should have been like this long ago.
"Okay, but Qingyu still has her exam. How about tomorrow?" Xia Qingtian thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow evening, I'll bring Qingyu and a few friends to the old Yue family residence to visit Grandpa and have a good chat with my uncles."
"Alright," Yue Chengzhong said with feigned envy. "That's wonderful, having you accompany her for her exams... Your mother was very busy back then and never accompanied us brothers for our exams. If we wanted to accompany her, she'd get shy and wouldn't let us. You're much cuter, Qingtian."
"Uncle, you complimenting me like this will make me blush." Xia Qingtian covered her face with one hand, smiling a little shyly.
"Oh my, you look even cuter when you blush." Yue Chengzhong smiled and picked up his phone, taking two pictures of Xia Qingtian's face. "I'll send them to the family group so they can envy me."
Xia Qingtian was a little surprised that Yue Chengzhong was taking photos of her, but hearing his words, she could only feel helpless.
"Qingtian, you must have had other business coming here today." Yue Chengzhong shifted his gaze from the phone screen to Xia Qingtian. "Just tell me directly if there's anything. I won't refuse if I can help."
"Actually, it's nothing major, just that I wanted to inquire about something." Xia Qingtian finally revealed her true purpose. "Do you know much about the matters concerning the Miao and Tang families, Second Uncle?"
"You're here about the disappearance of the Tang family's patriarch?" Yue Chengzhong countered, not answering Xia Qingtian directly.
"Second Uncle knows?" Xia Qingtian blinked.
"Chengfeng mentioned it before, saying you had asked him about it," Yue Chengzhong turned around, pulled out a file from the bookshelf behind him, and handed it to Xia Qingtian. "Knowing you're curious, I had a friend look into it."
"Wow..." Xia Qingtian squeezed the thickness of the file bag, somewhat surprised by Yue Chengzhong's efficiency and speed.
It hadn't been that long since she asked Yue Chengfeng.
Xia Qingtian opened the file and sat there, quietly perusing the information within.
Yue Chengzhong didn't rush her. He picked up the fishing rod from the corner and began to fiddle with it.
They each went about their own business for about forty minutes. Xia Qingtian finished reading the materials and put them back into the manila envelope.
She had to admit, this was the most detailed information she had ever seen about the Tang, Miao, and Lu families.
It covered everything from the initial alliance of the three families, the mysterious annihilation of the Lu family, the postponed marriage arrangements, and the current introductions of the main branches of the Tang and Miao families.
Xia Qingtian found the information perfect, except for the introduction of Miao Tong, which seemed...
Xia Qingtian's mind was filled with Miao Tong, who had been beaten to look like a pig's head, making it impossible to reconcile with the description in the text: [A deep-thinking smiling tiger, currently the most dangerous and astute individual of the Miao family, and one of the candidates for the Miao family head].
In Xia Qingtian's heart, Miao Tong was just a hapless victim!