Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu discussed it in the car.
They decided not to tell Aunt Liu about meeting Mr. Xiang at the venue entrance today, to avoid worrying her.
Li Xiaozhong also agreed to keep it a secret and not say a word.
However, Xia Qingtian never expected that at the dinner table, someone would actually deliver Mr. Xiang's invitation.
It was an invitation to a birthday banquet, scheduled for July 20th at 7:30 PM, at a manor nearby.
Along with it came three women's evening gowns and five men's formal wear outfits.
The women's dresses included everything from jewelry, dresses, high heels, to matching clutch bags. The men's formal wear ranged from shirts, ties, suits, to hats and Oxford shoes...
The sizes were suitable, and the fabrics were comfortable.
Also displayed was a handwritten letter with a faint scent of pine wood.
The handwriting was flowing, and the script was bold and powerful.
The content of the letter was about Mr. Xiang's adopted son, Nie Qingkong's, birthday banquet on July 20th. They were formally invited, with the hope that they would grace their humble abode, offer blessings to Nie Qingkong, and give Mr. Xiang an opportunity to personally express his gratitude to everyone for their care of Nie Qingkong.
It was indeed a good reason.
"It seems this Mr. Xiang knows a lot about all of us..." Gu Yaoyang narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the handwritten letter.
"Qingyu, take care of Aunt Liu." Seeing Aunt Liu's displeased expression, Xia Qingtian immediately asked Xia Qingyu to accompany Aunt Liu back to her room. She then called Gu Yaoyang aside, "There's something I've been hesitating to tell you."
"About Mr. Xiang?" Gu Yaoyang asked. "I had Bai Yuqi investigate. Nie Qingkong is indeed the young master Tarik, and this Mr. Xiang is the person I've been looking for. I've investigated thoroughly."
"You've investigated everything, then I can rest assured." Xia Qingtian sighed with relief. "I didn't know how to bring it up with you. I'm also very surprised that Qingyu is Mr. Xiang's biological daughter, and Aunt Liu is Mr. Xiang's ex-wife..."
As Xia Qingtian spoke, she clearly noticed a change in Gu Yaoyang's expression. She paused and asked, "Didn't you... investigate it thoroughly?"
Gu Yaoyang seemed to be trying hard to process all the information Xia Qingtian was giving him. "Well... not that thoroughly..."
They exchanged a glance and then chuckled awkwardly.
This situation was... a bit too hasty.
What happened before had been explained, and what was to come still needed to be resolved and faced.
Xia Qingtian glanced at the dining table. Li Xiaozhong frowned, seemingly thinking that Mr. Xiang was well-prepared and that something was amiss.
Bai Yuqi, as a private investigator, also had this sense of vigilance. He was smiling while watching Shi Xingwu fool around, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, as if he were also calculating how to resolve this matter.
Miao Tong propped his chin with one hand, smiling, but his mind was entirely occupied by the difficult problem his mother had left him.
In the entire restaurant, only Shi Xingwu was carefree and genuinely happy. m..oΓg
"This might be a Hongmen Banquet," Gu Yaoyang said with a deep breath.
"A Hongmen Banquet we have no choice but to attend," Xia Qingtian echoed with a deep breath.
Mr. Xiang had clearly investigated their situation quite thoroughly. These gifts of clothes, invitations, and the choice of banquet venue, while appearing thoughtful, carried a definite element of threat.
It seemed that Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu's continuous defiance had displeased Mr. Xiang.
A powerful dragon doesn't bully a local snake, let alone when this Mr. Xiang wasn't a snake, but a proud dragon coiled in one place.
After realizing this, Xia Qingtian looked at Gu Yaoyang and said, "I'll go upstairs to check on Aunt Liu and Qingyu."
"Mm, I'll go and make some preparations too," Gu Yaoyang nodded.
They parted ways.
After going upstairs, Xia Qingtian saw Aunt Liu and Xia Qingyu sitting opposite each other in the room, silent.
There were still tear streaks on Aunt Liu's cheeks, and Xia Qingyu's eyes were also slightly red.
It seemed they had already had a conversation.
However, the end of this conversation was likely not pleasant.
"Don't you want to try on the evening gowns?" Xia Qingtian said with a smile as she entered. "If you don't try them on soon, Shi Xingwu might try them for you. He's so excited."
Hearing Xia Qingtian's words, Xia Qingyu couldn't help but chuckle. Shi Xingwu was indeed capable of doing something like that.
However, thinking of his muscular physique wearing an evening gown, and whether the zipper would even go up, the scene would certainly be a sight for sore eyes.
Aunt Liu also wanted to smile, but thinking that her peaceful life of over a decade would be irrevocably disrupted, Aunt Liu found it hard to smile.
She truly loved her current family.
Her husband, Hong Lang, was gentle and open-minded, with a touch of romance occasionally.
Her elder daughter, Qingtian, was generous and enthusiastic. Although she made Aunt Liu worry, she always brought her surprises.
Her younger daughter, Qingyu, was always clinging to her sister, and her smile was more frequent than before.
She was truly happy.
Every day was a happiness she had never dared to imagine.
It was as beautiful as a dream she didn't want to wake up from.
It was as beautiful as a brightly colored soap bubble.
But dreams eventually end, and soap bubbles eventually burst.
The tenderness and happiness that didn't belong to her, and that she yearned for, would eventually vanish.
"Aunt Liu, what's wrong?" Xia Qingtian asked, seeing the cloud of worry on Aunt Liu's brow. She sat beside her and took her hand. "I brought you out to have fun. If my dad finds out I made you cry, he might disown me again."
"Qingtian, this has nothing to do with you..." Hearing Xia Qingtian's words, Aunt Liu was about to explain, but then she felt an urge to cry again, her nose feeling sore and uncomfortable.
She didn't want to be so ungraceful in front of her children.
"I know," Xia Qingtian said, playing with Aunt Liu's long, slender fingers. "I actually spoke to that Mr. Xiang privately. He..."
"How was he? Did he make things difficult for you?" Aunt Liu shivered upon hearing this, immediately gripping Xia Qingtian's hand, and asked anxiously, "Did he hurt you? Did he do anything to you?"
"It's okay, it's okay," Xia Qingtian quickly comforted her by stroking Aunt Liu's shoulder with her other hand. "We just chatted. Nothing happened, really. I'm fine, aren't I?"
After confirming multiple times that Xia Qingtian was indeed alright, Aunt Liu breathed a sigh of relief, her heart at ease.
Seeing Aunt Liu's reaction, Xia Qingtian's gaze shifted, and she then brought up Mr. Xiang. "Aunt Liu, I thought that Mr. Xiang was refined, gentle, and polite. Although he might be a bit older than you, he has an elegant demeanor, is a good conversationalist, loves to laugh, and carries himself with grace. He seems like a very good person."
Xia Qingtian's words were not exaggerated. Excluding the dangerous elements she sensed and Mr. Xiang's social skills, his outward impression was indeed like that – practically perfect.
"Xiang Xueyuan was my teacher, and he is indeed much older than me." Aunt Liu lowered her head slightly, and after a while, she continued, "He taught with humor and advocated for education for all. Although he was young, he was knowledgeable and never arrogant. At that time, he was the most popular teacher in the school; everyone liked him."