A few days later, Susu and Tianyi, accompanied by bodyguards, went to Lu Yuanhong's home, following the address provided by the director of the children's hospital.
Xiao Anjing couldn't join them due to other commitments, but he completely trusted them to vet the situation regarding Xiaoxiao.
Their car drove along the lakeside road, approaching the foot of Luoxia Mountain.
Susu remembered the scenery, having visited once with Yang Sijie, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Are there really people who can live in a scenic area?"
"They built their house on their own land, and it just happened to be designated as a scenic area," Qin Tianyi guessed.
As they neared their destination, they saw from the car window, in the distance, a small building with grey bricks and dark tiles, and upturned eaves. The architectural style seemed to transport them back to ancient times overnight.
When their car stopped, two men in black long gowns and white gloves approached their vehicle, opened their doors, and invited them out, saying, "Please come in. Sir has been waiting for you for some time."
As Susu walked in, she admired the antique and elegant house.
Qin Tianyi couldn't help but say to her, "The philanthropist donating bone marrow for Xiaoxiao is truly refined and also possesses considerable economic strength."
Susu saw Lu Yuanhong sitting in the hall, dressed in a dark blue Chinese tunic suit, looking radiant and full of vigor.
"Mr. Lu, hello. This is my husband, Mr. Qin."
Lu Yuanhong seemed somewhat excited to see them and stepped forward to shake Qin Tianyi's hand, saying, "Mr. Qin of Lan Cheng Aoxiang, I've heard of you for a long time."
Qin Tianyi politely shook his hand and replied, "Hello, Mr. Lu. I didn't know what business you were in. It seems you are quite low-key."
"I merely rely on some assets left by my ancestors. I dabble in various small businesses, so I don't have much of a reputation in the business world. It's nothing worth mentioning," Lu Yuanhong said with a smile, inviting them to sit.
Qin Tianyi searched his mind for prominent figures in the Lan Cheng business community but had never heard of anyone named Lu. It was truly strange.
How could someone living in a house like this at the foot of Luoxia Mountain be a businessman from humble beginnings? He found Lu Yuanhong's smile somewhat disingenuous.
After sitting down, Susu spoke directly, "Mr. Lu, I believe the hospital has already informed you. Xiaoxiao is recovering well and should be fully cured soon. We see that you have the financial capacity to adopt a child, but wouldn't it be too lonely for Xiaoxiao to live in such a large house with you? Moreover, your age is such that you could be Xiaoxiao's grandfather. We also worry about what would happen if you were unable to raise Xiaoxiao to adulthood due to health reasons."
Lu Yuanhong's expression stiffened. Susu quickly added, "We don't mean to imply that your health is poor, we just want to consider Xiaoxiao's long-term future."
Lu Yuanhong then smiled again and said, "Your considerations are not wrong, but my eligibility for adoption is perfectly fine. In fact, besides Xiaoxiao, I have already adopted other children."
His gaze shifted upwards, and he called out, "Bring the children down so Mr. and Mrs. Qin can see them."
Susu and Tianyi were slightly surprised. A beautiful woman in her thirties, accompanied by two boys, came down from upstairs. One was about seven or eight years old, and the other was about five or six, around Xiaoxiao's age.
Both boys had large, dark eyes and were extremely cute.
However, the two boys were timid when they saw strangers, not daring to speak, and hid behind the beautiful woman.
"Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, hello." The beautiful woman greeted them and stood aside with the two children.
Seeing the two children, Susu wanted to tease them, but thinking it was their first meeting and they weren't familiar, she held back.
Lu Yuanhong smiled and introduced them, "These are the two children I adopted previously. She is the nanny I hired for the children."
"You haven't adopted these two children for very long, have you? They don't seem very familiar with the environment," Qin Tianyi asked.
Lu Yuanhong replied, "Yes, yes, I adopted them half a year ago. It takes time to get familiar with each other. Once I adopt Xiaoxiao, the three children together will be livelier. So, please rest assured, Xiaoxiao will not be lonely or uncared for with me."
Susu found no fault with Lu Yuanhong and looked at Qin Tianyi, silently asking for his opinion.
Qin Tianyi looked at Lu Yuanhong and said with a polite smile, "Mr. Lu, we have seen your conditions, and they are indeed very favorable. We will discuss it further when we return. We won't disturb you any longer."
With that, he stood up, and Susu followed suit.
"Are you leaving already? Why don't you stay for dinner?" Lu Yuanhong enthusiastically invited them.
"No, we have some other matters to attend to," Qin Tianyi said, holding Susu's hand tightly, and they departed resolutely.
Sitting in the car, Susu looked back at the receding small building, which was becoming increasingly blurred, and asked, "Didn't you have anything important to do at your company today? Why didn't we stay for dinner and observe his family situation further?"
Qin Tianyi held her hand and said, "Didn't you hear that his invitation to stay for dinner was just polite, not genuine?"
"Oh, I didn't realize that. He seemed quite enthusiastic towards us, but those two children and the nanny seemed a bit strange. Have they really been living with Mr. Lu for half a year?"
"You noticed it too? I feel that it's not just the two children and the nanny, but also Mr. Lu himself, and the atmosphere in their home is very strange, yet I can't pinpoint why."
"But with his financial situation and all other aspects, there's nothing to fault." Susu felt there was no reason to refuse his adoption.
Having Xiaoxiao adopted by Mr. Lu would be better than staying in the orphanage.
Qin Tianyi frowned and said, "The absence of any fault is the biggest fault. Let's postpone this matter as long as possible. I'll investigate this person further."
"It's good to be cautious," Susu agreed, listening to him. She suddenly thought of the cute appearance of the two little boys, "Tianyi, don't you think the two little boys and the nanny look a bit alike?"
Qin Tianyi shook his head and said, "I didn't pay attention to the appearance of the three of them. Anyway, the atmosphere in Mr. Lu's home is very strange."
"Alright, regarding finding an adoptive family for Xiaoxiao, let's wait until after she attends our wedding," Susu said, playfully hooking his chin with her finger. "For now, my heart is entirely focused on our wedding."
Qin Tianyi kissed her forehead and said, "Mine too."
...
Not long after Susu and Qin Tianyi left, another woman came out from the second floor.
Jia Nanfang hurried down from upstairs, first casting a glance at the beautiful woman and the two children, and said coldly, "Look at your unworldly demeanor. You almost let them see something!"
The beautiful woman, holding the two children, quickly lowered her head and said, "Sir, I'll take the children back to their room."
Lu Yuanhong gestured for them to disappear immediately, then put his arm around Jia Nanfang and said, "Why are you angry with them? They are always timid."