Chapter 3: So It Was a Hidden Expert All Along

His mother had mentioned earlier that when his Second Aunt was young, she was even prettier than some of the female celebrities in the entertainment industry today.

At the time, he had dismissively replied, "No pictures, no truth."

Now, he believed it!

A slap in the face, instant and swift.

How delicious!

On the other side, Qiao Nian was holding her phone, speaking to the person on the other end with an air of indifference.

"Damn, the Qiao family really kicked you out? Those people are truly disgusting! Before, they used you to keep that cheap sister of yours alive, and they’d hypocritically use the status of 'family' to morally blackmail you. The moment they saw you had no more value to exploit, they immediately kicked you to the curb!"

"If you had known, you shouldn't have wasted your time and effort treating that Qiao what's-her-name. What do they know? If it weren't for you, could that short-lived ghost Qiao Chen, who wouldn't have lived past twenty, have recovered? They think hemophilia is just a cold—take some amoxicillin and sleep it off!"

Seeing someone walking toward her, Qiao Nian lowered her eyelids and said casually, "Regardless, the Qiao family raised me. Curing Qiao Chen's illness counts as me repaying their favor. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

The person on the other end of the phone gritted their teeth, sounding frustrated. "Do you have any idea how much you've helped the Qiao family over the years? If it weren't for you, why does Qiao Weimin think he could expand his business from Raocheng to Beijing? Does he think it's because he's a moron?!"

"And that sister of yours—she didn't ask for little help with her tutoring or having you arrange music for her. How much have they and their whole family taken advantage of you?"

"I used to think they were your biological parents and sister, so I just thought they were biased. Once I found out they had no blood relation to you at all, I realized they were just shameless!"

"They knew full well you weren't their biological child, yet they still had the nerve to use you like that without ever treating you as family. Is their skin made of titanium or something?"

Qiao Nian let out a soft "hmm," finding his description quite fitting. She curled the corner of her lips and said, "When did you start studying literature? You even know about titanium."

"I've always known!"

Seeing Jiang Li approaching, Qiao Nian lowered her voice. "I have things to do, I'll talk to you later. Hanging up."

"Where are you staying tonight? Do you want me to come to Raocheng to pick you up?"

"No need, my family is coming to get me."

"You're really going to look for your biological parents?"

Qiao Nian’s eyes were indifferent, her tone low. "Even falling leaves return to their roots. At the very least, I need to know where I came from and who I am."

The person on the other end fell silent for a moment, saying nothing.

Qiao Nian didn't want to guess what he was thinking, so she said quietly, "Hanging up."

She hung up quickly. Just as Jiang Li walked up, she had already ended the call and tucked her phone into her pocket.

Who doesn't like beautiful things and people? Jiang Li smiled brightly as he stepped forward to help her with her things, taking the initiative to greet her. "Nian Nian, right? I'm your cousin, Jiang Li. You can just call me Second Brother."

Qiao Nian looked up at him. Jiang Li was tall with striking features; his long, narrow peach-blossom eyes seemed to carry a natural smile, giving him an air of harmless approachability. A streak of vibrant purple was dyed into his forehead, adding a touch of flamboyant, playful arrogance to his noble appearance.

*Hiss*, she felt like she had seen this face somewhere before.

Qiao Nian was face-blind; she generally didn't remember unimportant people. She filtered through the faces of people she knew in her mind, but since she couldn't recall, she let it go.

"Mm. Hello, I'm Qiao Nian." She greeted him politely, looking quite well-behaved—at least, that’s how it appeared to Jiang Li.

"Grandpa’s legs aren't great, so he couldn't take a plane, which is why he sent me to pick you up. He’s taking the high-speed train and will arrive later. Your dad and my parents have booked a place to eat at the Water Pavilion; they’ve probably already arrived, so let’s head over."

Jiang Li smiled as he spoke to her, reaching out to help her with her bag.

"Nian Nian, I have a friend in the car. He’ll be joining us for dinner later. You don't mind, do you?"