Su Qingning was always calm. Lin Xiao had rarely seen her this anxious.
"Honey, what’s wrong?"
"Less talk, just come with me!" Su Qingning said, her expression grim.
"Honey, did those two vixens outside upset you? Just wait, I’ll go give them a spanking!"
Su Qingning glared at Lin Xiao. "You pervert! What nonsense are you spouting? It wasn’t them!"
Lin Xiao asked with a smile, "If not them, then who?"
"My mom just called. She said my cousin got into trouble," Su Qingning said glumly.
"Uncle? You have an uncle?"
They had been married for a while now, but Lin Xiao had never heard her mention an uncle, nor had one ever visited. He had always assumed her mother was an only child.
Su Qingning shot him another glare.
Lin Xiao chuckled. "Honey, I was just kidding. Don’t be mad."
Su Qingning huffed coldly as they left the villa together, rushing through the streets of Jinling City.
"Honey, what kind of trouble did your cousin get into?" Lin Xiao asked curiously.
"He offended Xue Wenbing, the only son of the Xue Family!" Su Qingning said miserably.
The name made Lin Xiao’s ears perk up. "What exactly happened?"
"My cousin was having lunch with his girlfriend when a drunk Xue Wenbing showed up. He saw my cousin’s girlfriend was pretty and started hitting on her. My cousin got angry and punched him, so Xue Wenbing called the police. Now, not only has my cousin been arrested, but the Xue Family has declared that the matter isn’t over. My uncle’s family is going crazy, trying to pull every string they can. But my maternal grandparents’ family is just third-tier, while the Xue Family is second-tier and has the backing of the Jinhai City Xue Family. No one dares to cross them," Su Qingning finished, her voice full of despair.
Lin Xiao was a little speechless. "Honey, that’s it?"
Su Qingning’s anger flared instantly. I’m about to lose my mind here, and he’s being so flippant about it!
"You pervert! Can you please stop boasting? Is this a small matter to you? Don’t you know my grandfather is in the hospital because of this?!" Su Qingning raged.
Lin Xiao gave a helpless smile. "Alright, alright, it’s a big deal. Honey, how does your uncle treat you and your mom?"
This only made Su Qingning angrier. "You pervert! I’m worried sick, and you have the nerve to ask such a ridiculous question?"
Lin Xiao smiled. "It’s not a ridiculous question at all. Just tell me honestly, how do they really treat you?"
This was actually crucial. If her uncle had treated her and her mother poorly, he wouldn’t get involved. But if they had been good to them, he would naturally have to help. Besides, for him, this was a trivial matter. One phone call to Bai Xiangqian would be enough to resolve everything.
Su Qingning didn’t want to answer his ridiculous question, but seeing the expectant look on his face, she snapped, "Are you an idiot? If my uncle treated my mother and me poorly, would I be this worried?"
"Good. Since they’re good to you, this will be easy to handle."
"What do you mean? Are you planning to ask Shao Mei’er for help?" Su Qingning asked huffily.
Lin Xiao grinned. "Well, that’s one option."
Su Qingning’s gaze fell, and she sighed softly. "Let’s not bother her. She already did me a huge favor today, and it wouldn’t be right to trouble her again. Besides, asking her to offend the Xue Family for a relative she doesn’t even know... that’s asking too much. Even I feel it’s inappropriate."
"Then how about I handle it?" Lin Xiao offered with a smile.
Su Qingning’s temper flared. "You pervert, just shut up! I’m warning you, when we get to my uncle’s house, don’t you dare brag or make empty promises. Got it?"
Lin Xiao was speechless. He could solve this problem effortlessly, yet she thought he was just bragging. Fine. Since she’d said her piece, he wouldn’t say any more. If they could handle it themselves, great. If not, it wouldn’t be too late for him to step in then.
Soon, they arrived at Su Qingning’s uncle’s house. Her uncle lived in a villa, a definite step up from her old place, but not by much. In fact, it probably wasn’t even as nice as the large apartment Pei Donglai currently occupied.
After parking the car, Su Qingning led Lin Xiao quickly into the villa. The large living room was filled with stale smoke. A man and a woman sat on the sofa, the atmosphere bleak.
When he saw Su Qingning, the middle-aged man shot to his feet. "Qing Ning, you’re here!" he said enthusiastically.
Su Qingning nodded. "Uncle, my mom called me about my cousin’s situation and asked me to see if there’s anything I can help with."
So this was her uncle, Qiu Jianping. He did look a bit like Su Qingning’s mother.
As Lin Xiao sized him up, Qiu Jianping’s gaze also fell upon Lin Xiao. After a brief glance, a flash of disappointment crossed the uncle’s eyes. Lin Xiao paid it no mind and offered a smiling greeting, to which Qiu Jianping gave a lukewarm nod.
"Uncle, what’s the situation? Can I be of any help?" Su Qingning asked.
Qiu Jianping started to speak, but the woman beside him cut in, her tone detached. "Qing Ning, thank you for coming. But as for helping... I think we’re fine."
Though her words held no overt contempt, her tone was clearly dismissive.
Su Qingning’s expression soured. "Aunt, I was just trying to help!"
"I know you mean well, but good intentions can’t solve this problem. Besides, we’ve already asked the He Family for help. They work for the young miss of the Shao Family and have agreed to negotiate with the Xue Family on our behalf. So, we won’t need to trouble you."
He Yonghong, Lin Xiao thought immediately. But there’s no way the He Family alone can resolve this.
Su Qingning felt a pang of indignation. I came here with the best intentions, and this is how my aunt responds?
"That’s enough," Qiu Jianping chided in a low voice. "Qing Ning meant well."
His wife retorted venomously, "I know she meant well, but what good is that? She married a beggar! What help could you possibly expect from her?"
Qiu Jianping sighed, annoyed. He wanted to argue, but deep down, he knew his wife was right.
Su Qingning, however, was furious. It wasn’t that her aunt considered her meddlesome, but her attitude toward Lin Xiao—especially calling him a beggar.
Her tone became rigid. "Uncle, Aunt, since you’ve already found help from the He Family, we won’t intrude any longer. I’m going to the hospital to see my grandfather."
"Alright, you go on ahead," Qiu Jianping said, sounding helpless.
Just as Su Qingning was about to pull Lin Xiao away, he chuckled. "Just a friendly piece of advice: apologize to Qing Ning right now, and I might still consider helping. Otherwise, the moment we walk out that door, you could get on your knees and beg, and I wouldn’t lift a finger."
Hearing this, Su Qingning’s aunt merely scoffed in disdain.