She said this and then ran downstairs.
Although Gu Qiaoqiao didnât follow, she went to the window and saw the young boy indeed run to an elderly man and another boy, standing there for a while, whispering something...
Gu Qiaoqiao pondered for a moment, then walked towards the shop where An Xiaotong was staying.
An Xiaotong saw Gu Qiaoqiao coming but didnât ask her what she was going to do; instead, she held up a piece of clothing to ask Gu Qiaoqiaoâs opinion.
No matter how good the sisterly bond is, not everything needs to be asked clearly.
Besides, according to Gu Qiaoqiaoâs character, if she could talk about it, she would have eagerly told her already.
Gu Qiaoqiao hadnât yet figured out how to deal with this matter, so naturally, she couldnât tell An Xiaotong, especially since it involved Chu Chengfeng.
So it must be handled cautiously.
There were only a few days left until Chinese New Year, and Gu Qiaoqiao thought it best to resolve this matter before the holiday to let that family have a peaceful New Year.
Besides, that family isnât as indifferent as Liu Ling described; you could tell just by the older sister and brother-in-law of the Qi Family going out to find her. Not even biological relatives might go that far.
Not to mention standing right here, smiling while shopping with her is An Xiaotong, who is still Han Zhuomeiâs biological daughter, truly her biological daughter. But how did it turn out?
She chose the child of her lover, who has no blood ties, over her own biological daughter.
It just goes to show that in this world, there are all sorts of people, and anything can happen. Reality is far more fascinating and complex than the world of novels.
Some things that happen in reality, even novels wouldnât dare to invent, yet they have genuinely occurred, proving that human nature is unpredictable; thereâs no doubt about that.
Gu Qiaoqiao temporarily set aside these thoughts and focused on shopping merrily with An Xiaotong.
In the evening, Gu Qiaoqiao made a call to invite Sima Xiaowen over for dinner and to inform her about the matter.
However, Gu Qiaoqiao wasnât planning on letting Sima Xiaowen intervene.
Also, she wasnât planning to let Chu Chengfeng know about it for the time being.
If possible, itâs better to keep the incident contained.
Sima Xiaowen knew Gu Qiaoqiao had something to tell her, but it was obviously inconvenient to discuss over the phone, so she drove to the Qin Familyâs Courtyard.
After playing with Xiao Bao and Xiao Bei for a while, it was dinner time. After dinner, Gu Qiaoqiao took Sima Xiaowen to the study and told her about the matter.
Without waiting for Sima Xiaowen to speak, Gu Qiaoqiao emphasized, "Sister Xiao Wen, Iâm telling you this not to have you intervene, but to make you aware that regarding Liu Ling, you donât need to feel guilty. In simple terms, based on what we know now, neither of you owes the other anything."
"From the Qi Familyâs incident, Liu Ling isnât exactly a righteous person."
"In this regard, she and Chu Chengfeng seem quite similar, regaining her memory and then turning her back on people."
"If it werenât for knowing Sister Xiao Wen and Elder Sima, Iâd think all Phoenix Clan members were like this..."
Sima Xiaowen looked at Gu Qiaoqiao humorously but didnât respond to her earlier remarks, just playfully teased, "I say, Qiaoqiao, why do I feel like you have some special constitution, encountering all sorts of things others might not in a lifetime?"
Gu Qiaoqiao blinked; Sister Xiao Wen is quite right. Maybe she is special like that, sigh, sometimes things just happen to get in her way.
Perhaps she is the chosen one, otherwise, how could she be reborn?
Everyone talks about "if this, if that."
But once an arrow is shot, thereâs no turning back, and who can correct their regrets and mistakes?
This "if" was given only to Gu Qiaoqiao by the heavens.
Gu Qiaoqiao nodded with some self-satisfaction, "Oh dear, thatâs hard to say. I didnât want to meddle, but it just happened to me. What can I do? Originally, I didnât want to get involved, since this is Liu Ling and the Qi Familyâs matter, one willing to hit, one willing to take. But who could have foreseen Liu Lingâs actions were too ruthless, even wanting that child to become mentally disabled? I canât stand by and watch, can I?"
"Of course. If I were there, I wouldnât care about her and the Qi Familyâs relations, but I certainly wouldnât stand by while she does that to a child."
"So since itâs happened, weâll have to find a way to resolve it."
"What did you mean earlier by not letting me intervene?" Sima Xiaowen asked in surprise.
"I plan to meet Liu Ling alone tomorrow. You pretend you donât know, and donât tell Chu Chengfeng about this matter."
Gu Qiaoqiao continued, "Because of Liu Lingâs disappearance, the Qi Family is in chaos with sickness and resignations. She left freely, erasing traces of her past, but the Qi family suffered because of her. Itâs important that her sister and brother-in-law donât mindlessly keep searching outside."
"Isnât it obvious? Theyâd never find her in a lifetime, and it would ruin that family. What if the Qi Family found out the truth?"
"So, a short pain is better than a long pain. The Qi Family has the right to know the truth. Theyâll definitely feel ill at ease at first, but considering how much they value Liu Ling now, seeing her live better than in their family, I suspect theyâd only wish her well, definitely not hold her back."
Sima Xiaowen frowned slightly. Gu Qiaoqiao said a lot, which made sense, "Qiaoqiao, itâs not a problem doing it this way, but have you considered whether Liu Ling might resent you and even harm you?"
"Why would she resent me? Iâm helping her. This will be discovered sooner or later; rather than being passive later, itâs better to take the initiative now. An amnesia excuse can smooth things over, right?"
Gu Qiaoqiao didnât perceive it as overly complicated.
"Qiaoqiao, I donât have memories about Liu Ling, but my dad said sheâs no easy person. Naturally, as the Clan Leaderâs Wife, she canât be naive, so they never bother with irrelevant details. But with the Qi Family incident, like you said, the woman isnât pure-hearted; better to avoid it."
Sima Xiaowen stood up, and Gu Qiaoqiao looked at her, puzzled, "Is it really as serious as you say?"
"Qiaoqiao, one shouldnât intend harm, but you must remain vigilant. Even if you donât tell Chu Chengfeng, Liu Ling will surely see you have leverage,"