When it was 7:00 pm, He Wanqing pushed open the study room's door.
Behind her were Jun Yexuan and Mu Jinghang, who were forced to do hard labour.
"Baby, it's almost time for the party. What gift did you prepare for your grandpa?"
Qiao Qing placed down her book when she heard this. She pointed at a wooden box on the table, "Oh, this."
He Wanqing looked at the heavily scratched and old looking box; her expression collapsed.
She quivered as she opened it up. Inside, she saw a set of Go stones that looked as old as the box itself. She trembled.
With a crying face, she glanced at Qiao Qing, "Baby, are you serious about this?"
Qiao Qing responded, "Grandpa likes Go, right?"
In other words, why wasn't she serious? She took his hobby into consideration.
He Wanqing, "..."
Mu Jinghang watched just how serious Qiao Qing was. He held onto his stomach as he guffawed. He found it difficult not to cry from laughter.
"Ah, Qingqing, this is the first time you misunderstood what Auntie meant. Do you hate your grandpa?"
Qiao Qing shook her head. "No."
She didn't feel anything towards him.
"If you give him this set of Go playing pieces on his 66th birthday, aren't you scared he's going to fall ill from anger? Look at how damaged this set is. A birthday gift for an elder? This looks too shabby even as a gift for the homeless."
Qiao Qing's lips gently quivered as her expression dropped
Jun Yexuan didn't laugh at her like Mu Jinghang did. Instead, he walked up with a serious expression and opened up one of the Go bowls.
He picked out one stone and rubbed it gently with his finger.
Then, the way he looked at Qiao Qing turned to shock.
Just as He Wanqing was troubled by this, Chen Ming walked in, "Ma'm, the guests have arrived. It's time for you to go in with the miss."
It was too late to pick out another gift now. He Wanqing hopelessly slammed the box shut and gave it to Chen Ming.
"This is the gift for the old man. You hold onto it for now."
Chen Ming took over the box and saw the ancient carvings on top. His pupils restricted and he too, looked over to Qiao Qing with awe.
He Wanqing didn't notice Jun Yexuan and Chen Ming's expressions. Instead, she noticed what Qiao Qing wore.
Her vision went dark yet again, "Baby, why didn't you change into the clothes I prepared for you for this event?"
Before her, Qiao Qing was wearing the same casual wear as per usual. A simple pair of capris pants and a red and white striped tee.
Qiao Qing put her hands in her pockets as she got up, "It's a hassle."
He Wanqing, "..."
What could she do?
A daughter she gave birth to was someone she had to spoil even if she had to kneel.
"Then, just go down. Little Xuan, take Qingqing to the hall. I will go get the old man and the old lady from the back yard."
Then, He Wanqing turned around and left.
To give Jun Yexuan and Qiao Qing some time to be alone, Mu Jinghang dragged Chen Ming and left as well.
Qiao Qing didn't even acknowledge Jun Yexuan. She straight up headed out of the study room and walked to the stairs.
Jun Yexuan was tall and had long legs. Despite her intentional avoidance, she failed to get rid of him.
It didn't take many steps for Jun Yexuan to catch up.
Jun Yexuan turned his head and saw Qiao Qing's cold expression. He asked, "You don't like to wear skirts?"
Qiao Qing was expressionless, "That's none of your business."
Ever since she failed to get Jun Yexuan to leave that other day, her attitude towards him basically turned below freezing point. Perhaps it was because she was afraid of losing control, but she hadn't said anything nice.
No matter what he said to her, she was either too lazy to respond or she would snap back with something rude.
She was forcing him to leave.
Originally, she thought Jun Yexuan would smartly shut up. Unexpectedly, right after she spoke, she felt her body spin around as Jun Yexuan pushed her against the wall.
Jun Yexuan slammed one arm beside her head against the wall, blocking her way – a standard Japanese manga move.