I Refused to Be a Substitute, and Shot to Fame on a Variety Show With My Mother-In-Law

171 Han Qianye Wanted to End the In-Law Relationship Early

Li Xiwu sat in a chair in front of the window. The sketchbook lay open on her lap. She held up her phone and took a picture of the sketch she’d made that morning. Then she sent it to Qiao Qiao on WeChat. Just this photo. No words.

She waited a moment.

Qiao Qiao called. “Bae, who was that sketch portrait in the picture you just sent me?”

Li Xiwu pursed her lips. “Do you know him?”

Qiao Qiao said, “No, but… a little familiar.”

Li Xiwu’s chest tightened. “Familiar?” After a pause, Li Xiwu asked again, sounding noticeably more anxious than before, “Is he really familiar? Have you seen him?”

Qiao Qiao could hear the urgency in Li Xiwu’s tone and guessed that she probably didn’t know the picture Li Xiwu had sent her.

Qiao Qiao didn’t dare to be perfunctory. She answered seriously, “It’s just that he looks a little familiar. If you ask me who he is, I really can’t say who he is. Perhaps he’s a celebrity? Or a business powerhouse?”

Listening to Qiao Qiao’s various guesses, Li Xiwu smiled faintly. “You don’t have to think about it carefully. Tell me when you suddenly remember.”

Qiao Qiao suggested, “Why don’t I send it to one of my workgroups and ask? Several of my workgroups start with three hundred people.”

Li Xiwu had her own concerns. “It’s fine.”

Qiao Qiao agreed. “Okay, I know.”

After answering, Qiao Qiao didn’t forget to mention, “Come to my house for dinner tonight.”

Li Xiwu smiled bitterly. “I can’t come.”

On the other end of the line, Qiao Qiao looked crestfallen. “Why can’t you come again?”

Li Xiwu didn’t want Qiao Qiao to worry too much, but she didn’t want to lie to her. After thinking about it, she told Qiao Qiao everything. Just as she had thought, Qiao Qiao was very anxious when she found out what had happened to her at Liangshan. She asked a bunch of questions.

“Is it serious?”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Did the doctor say anything about any sequelae?”

“I’ll book a flight over immediately. Wait for me, bae.”

When Qiao Qiao finally finished speaking, Li Xiwu said, “It’s not a serious injury. It’s much better. The doctor said there won’t be any sequelae. Also, you don’t have to come over. Pei Jingzhou is here.”

Qiao Qiao, who was about to book a plane ticket, heard that Pei Jingzhou was here and silently exited the booking software. Compared to the continuous bombardment just now, Qiao Qiao was much calmer after the shock. “When did President Pei arrive?”

Li Xiwu said truthfully, “This morning.”

Qiao Qiao was dissatisfied. “Why didn’t President Pei rush over immediately last night?”

Li Xiwu smiled. “Like you, he didn’t know. He only found out when he came to pick me up this morning.”

Qiao Qiao sighed. “Bae, oh Bae, sometimes I wish you were more selfish.”

Li Xiwu was stunned. She remembered that Pei Jingzhou had said the same thing to her more than an hour ago. Now, Qiao Qiao was saying the same thing to her. Selfish? What was selfish?

After thinking for a few seconds, Li Xiwu cut to another formal topic. “Qiao’er.”

On the other end of the line, Qiao Qiao heard the seriousness in Li Xiwu’s tone. “Huh? What’s wrong, Bae?”

Li Xiwu asked, “Did you know anything about my past before you met me?”

Qiao Qiao didn’t think too much about it and replied, “I know. You said it before. You were an orphan who grew up in a welfare institute. You went to elementary school, junior high school, and university in the same place. Your life was a mess. When I heard that, I sighed with emotion. It wasn’t easy for you to grow up.”

She mentioned Li Xiwu’s past.

Qiao Qiao had to mention how they knew each other. She continued, “We met at a hairdresser’s. You’re a customer and I’m a hairdresser because I gave you a haircut that was going to call the police. In case you did, I said I’d give you a month’s wash for free, and that was how we met.

“At that time, I thought you were a poor university student. You thought I was a delinquent who had entered society early. In the end, not long after, I found out that you were actually a rich wife.”

After hearing Qiao Qiao’s past, Li Xiwu had no choice but to emphasize, “Not long after you found out that I was the wife of a wealthy family, I also happened to discover that under the car key with your Hongguang logo, it was actually a Maybach logo.”

Qiao Qiao smiled awkwardly. “Hey, I came out to start a business and open a hair salon. I didn’t ask for a single cent from my family. Only that car kept following me and wasn’t taken back.”

Li Xiwu pursed her lips and smiled. “Yes, your business failed, so you haven’t returned it. Therefore, you hope that the old man at home won’t be able to make it so that they can call you back to inherit the family assets.”

Qiao Qiao: “…”

It would have been better if she hadn’t said anything, but once she did, it became a sad matter.

Qiao Qiao sighed. “Don’t mention it. That old man at home is very healthy. I don’t know how long it will take to inherit the family assets. What I’m worried about now is whether tomorrow’s work can be carried out. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to starve again.”

Li Xiwu suppressed a smile.

At this moment, the ward door opened. Pei Jingzhou was back. Li Xiwu ended the call with Qiao Qiao, closed the sketchbook, and got up. Pei Jingzhou walked over with breakfast and noticed the sketchbook in Li Xiwu’s hand. He took one look and retracted his gaze. “Breakfast,” he said gently.

Li Xiwu walked over. She was about to ask Pei Jingzhou if he had seen the sketch.

Pei Jingzhou suddenly said, “You haven’t drawn in a long time. You’re still so good at it.”

Li Xiwu choked back her question. Just as she was wondering if she should continue asking, Pei Jingzhou asked her, “Who did you draw? He looks to be a certain age. Is he someone you know?”

Before Li Xiwu could answer, Pei Jingzhou said, “Why don’t you try drawing me? I’ll be your free model. I can wear or take off my clothes.”

Li Xiwu: “…”

She didn’t know if Pei Jingzhou did it on purpose. But since he had asked her who she was drawing and shown that he did not know the sketch, Li Xiwu did not need to ask again, because she knew that if she asked, he would still answer in the same way.

However, the more this was the case, the more curious she became. Who was the person she had drawn based on her dream memories?

Did he have anything to do with her?

–

At four in the afternoon, Li Xiwu boarded a plane back to the capital with Pei Jingzhou.

At the same time, Han Qianye, who had already flown back to the capital, gathered with Lin Yourong.

The two of them drank afternoon tea and shopped. They bought a bunch of things. After paying, they didn’t have to take those things away. They just got the people in the shop to send them to the Pei residence.

...

Lin Yourong wanted to call her niece, Lin Huan, out.

However, before Han Qianye came back to ask her out, she emphasized that she was not allowed to call anyone else. Only then did Lin Yourong give up on bringing Lin Huan along.

They were sitting down to afternoon tea.

Han Qianye revealed the thought she had been holding back for a long time. “Rongrong, I plan to leave the variety show in advance.”

When Lin Yourong, who was stirring her coffee, heard this, her eyebrows twitched. “Quit early? Don’t you want to chase Li Xiwu away?”

Han Qianye sighed. “Not only do I have to withdraw in advance, but I also plan to give 400 million yuan to Li Xiwu in advance to end this annoying mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship as soon as possible.”