Chapter 1849 - 1847: Parting on Bad Terms (1)

Chapter 1849: Chapter 1847: Parting on Bad Terms (1)

On Luo Fan’s other side sat that woman called Sinan.

The dining table was very large, laid with exquisite tableware and beautiful platters.

Luo Fan’s mother was a well‑maintained middle‑aged noblewoman, with very fair skin. Her brows and eyes somewhat resembled Luo Fan’s, but her expression was different, carrying a trace of condescension. Gu Qiaoqiao couldn’t tell where that condescension came from—did she really think coming back from overseas made her superior?

Luo Fan’s father was very tall, wearing gold‑rimmed glasses, a decent smile on his face. But if you looked closely, there was a faint sense of aloofness.

At this moment, Sinan swept a glance at Luo Fan and suddenly spoke in a coquettish tone, "Brother Luo Fan, didn’t you promise to take me out to have fun?"

Luo Fan froze for a second, looked at Sinan, and said with a half‑smile, "I’ve been very busy lately. But I’ll have my secretary take you around."

"Brother Luo Fan, you’re going back on your word." Sinan pouted coyly, as if she were very familiar with Luo Fan. "I remember when we were kids you were always telling me how great this place was. Now that I’m here and you agreed to show me around, why are you backing out?"

Then, before Luo Fan could speak, she turned to Mrs. Luo and said with a hint of grievance, "Mother Luo, look at Brother Luo Fan—he clearly promised to take me out, but now he’s going back on it."

Mrs. Luo seemed a little displeased and shot Luo Fan a glare, scolding, "Since you promised to take Sinan out, you have to keep your word. Or is it that your girlfriend won’t let you go?"

How did the spearhead suddenly get pointed at Gu Qianqian?

Gu Qiaoqiao smiled as well. "Auntie Luo, where did that come from? From the moment we walked into this private room, my sister hasn’t said a single word."

Then she glanced at Luo Fan and said, half‑joking, half‑serious, "Luo Fan, what’s going on? You can’t just let my sister take the blame for nothing."

Her tone sounded all smiles, but Qin Yize could hear his wife grinding her teeth.

Luo Fan’s brows furrowed. Ever since he and Gu Qianqian had made their relationship official, his mother hadn’t said it was good or bad; her attitude toward him had been the same as before, so he hadn’t thought much of it. But why had it suddenly become so sharp now?

He quickly looked at Gu Qianqian. The little girl blinked at him, looking like she didn’t quite understand what was happening.

But she was smart enough not to jump in and argue.

Luo Fan’s brows knit slightly as he said slowly, "Mom, didn’t I tell you yesterday? I’ll be very busy lately. You’re familiar with this place too—you weren’t born overseas, you’ve only been away for about ten years. You can totally take Sinan out yourselves. I’ll have my secretary accompany you the whole time, everything is already arranged."

He turned to Sinan sitting beside him and said coolly, "Sinan, you still haven’t kicked your habit of talking nonsense, have you?"

Sinan’s eyes widened and she protested playfully, "When we were little, didn’t you say you liked that I always talked nonsense?"

All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the private room turned strange.

Gu Tianfeng’s face didn’t look good, but he was very well‑mannered and held his tongue.

Elder Luo snorted coldly.

Luo’s father hurriedly tugged at Mrs. Luo beside him and said with a smile, "You see, it’s all kids’ stuff. What are we adults getting involved for?"

Then he smiled and said, "We’ve been away for more than ten years. Sometimes when we talk, we might bring in some foreign habits. Please don’t take it to heart."

The Old Patriarch let out a cold "heh," and mocked bluntly, "What, just ten years away and you’ve forgotten where your roots are, forgotten who you are?"

Elder Luo’s expression shifted; he cast an annoyed glare at his son. Mrs. Luo’s face grew a bit gloomy—she seemed to want to say something, but when she saw Elder Luo’s expression, she forced herself to swallow it back.

The Old Patriarch went on, "Old Luo, it’s a good thing you brought Luo Fan back early. Otherwise, who knows what kind of person he’d have turned into."

"Old Patriarch, you can’t put it like that. Things are very advanced overseas." Luo’s father quickly retorted.

Qin Yize smiled slightly and said in an unhurried tone, "Uncle, it’s true that things abroad are advanced, but we’ll catch up soon enough. Our Huaxia is a great nation—we can’t belittle ourselves."

Elder Luo shot his son a fierce glare. He hadn’t expected these two today to actually be looking for trouble.

Yesterday they’d already expressed their dissatisfaction with this engagement. The girl his daughter‑in‑law liked was Sinan, and Sinan also wanted to marry Luo Fan, so she’d tagged along.

He’d thought he’d made his stance crystal clear last night, so these two brats should’ve given up by now. Who would’ve thought they’d actually lie in wait for him here.

These two brats really weren’t giving him any face at all.

"The two of you seem to be getting more useless with age, not even as sensible as a child. Don’t go back this time. Stay put here for a few years," Elder Luo said darkly.

"Dad, I still have my business over there."

"And the earth will stop spinning without you? You can hand it over to your younger brother."

Elder Luo’s voice carried a chill, with a hint of threat.

Mrs. Luo turned her head away.

Luo’s father, on the other hand, was a man who knew when to bow to the situation; he immediately smiled and said, "Dad, I was just joking earlier. Coming back all of a sudden, some habits really are hard to change." Then he looked at the Members of the Gu Family. "Please don’t mind it."

Elder Luo’s face didn’t look good at all, and neither did the Old Patriarch’s.

Gu Qianqian had her head lowered, her thoughts unreadable. Luo Fan quietly placed his hand over the back of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Gu Qianqian looked up, she met Luo Fan’s smiling eyes. The little girl felt a bit wronged and turned her head away in a huff.

Luo Fan coaxed her in a low voice, "Qianqian, I brought you lots of nice things. I’ll bring them all to Gu Garden for you tomorrow."

And right then, a gloomy glint flashed through Mrs. Luo’s eyes. She was already extremely dissatisfied; venting behind their backs was useless. Better to confront them directly, beat the gong face‑to‑face, and make this family back off on their own.

Having made up her mind, she spoke in a mocking, sing‑song tone, "Luo Fan, all the elders are here. How can you two whisper to each other like that? Isn’t that awfully ill‑mannered? I certainly didn’t raise you that way."

The private room instantly fell silent.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The faces of the Members of the Gu Family all changed.

Gu Qiaoqiao shot to her feet. She had already seen that this woman was here to pick a fight today, so all that ’respecting your elders’ crap could go to hell. She snapped, "I’ve tolerated you again and again because you’re Luo Fan’s mother, but you’ve gone way over the line. So what if you’re an elder? Does that give you the right to spew nonsense? What do you mean, ’no manners’? What do you mean, ’whispering’? Then where are your manners?"

Qin Yize frowned and tugged at Gu Qiaoqiao’s fingers, signaling her to rein her temper in a bit. Couldn’t she see that Elder Luo and the Old Patriarch were already furious?