Kapitel 242: Chapter 241: Big Family Gathering

Autor: Qian Feifei Machinenübersetzung

"Anzhi, you're not young anymore. You should be sensible. The company belongs to the Qian family, not to the Li family. You have to remember that!" Qian An said straightforwardly.

Qian Anzhi nodded. "Dad, I know. The company belongs to our family. You were the one who single-handedly turned it into what it is now. It has nothing to do with uncle and the others to begin with."

Qian Anzhi didn't know if Qian An even heard what he said. Qian An simply started the car and left.

When they arrived at the apartment, Qian Anzhi cautiously went to Shuishui's room. "Sis, did something happen?"

Shuishui looked at Qian Anzhi and thought for a few seconds before letting him in. "Have a seat. I know a little about it, but I'm not too sure about the specifics. I can tell you about it, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else, including your mother."

Qian Anzhi didn't notice that Shuishui referred to Li Xue as 'your mother' and not 'our mother.'

Qian Anzhi nodded. "Sis, I promise you that I won't tell anyone. It's just that our dinner tonight made me feel a little uncomfortable. Why did Dad suddenly say that?"

He sat down with his back leaning against the headboard. He really felt uncomfortable. He didn't know why, but he had become skeptical of his two uncles.

Shuishui also sat by the bed and started to explain. "Dad single-handedly took over the company and made it grow. Ever since First Uncle Li and Second Uncle Li returned to the city, they've been insistent on joining the company. Dad told them that the company was well-staffed and there were no vacant positions for them, but they insisted. You know how Dad can be. Sometimes he can be quite soft-hearted, so he let them join the company."

"No way. Why did he let them in that easily? Besides, they are not qualified to work there, right? What can they do in the company?" It wasn't that he looked down on his uncles. He just found it strange that they were so lenient with outsiders.

Anzhi wasn't very close to his mother's siblings and other relatives. He even found his cousins annoying.

Shuishui looked at the desk in front of her. "From the moment they entered the company, I noticed that Dad had become busier, and he had more and more things to do. I visited him at the office several times. He was busy every day. He was always on the phone, even when he was eating."

Shuishui continued, "I don't know what's going on at the company either, but after what Father said tonight, I think something is wrong. The company seems to be in big trouble now. Although Dad is trying his best to save it and the situation is improving, he is still cautious because anything could happen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set aside funds for us this early." Shuishui felt that their father's behavior was quite strange and unusual. She felt that it was useless for Qian Anzhi to know so much, but judging how her father had behaved earlier during their dinner, she had a sharp feeling that something was wrong. She couldn't interfere in company affairs, nor did she know what those affairs were. She could only hope that everything would get better soon.

Qian Anzhi clasped his hands together and looked down. He had never thought about such things. "Then what will happen to us if the company goes bankrupt?"

Shuishui reached out and pushed Qian Anzhi's head "What are you thinking about? Believe in Dad's ability. Even if we go bankrupt, Dad will have prepared money for us to be able to finish our studies and live well in the future. We don't need to worry. After that, we have to work hard to support Dad. We need to be as tenacious as him."

He looked up with a somewhat anxious expression. "Sis, since we're talking about this . . . I just feel that the Li family has evil intentions They come to our house as if it's theirs. Didn't I tell you before? Every time they come to visit, they act like they're close members of our family. Will they be joining the company and secretly transferring our money and other assets to their name, just like what happens in those TV series?"

The more Qian Anzhi thought about it, the more ridiculous it became. However, he also felt that it was very probable. There were many things that seemed suspicious.

"I think that they have evil intentions, but I don't know what their motives are. Don't make wild guesses. Perhaps things aren't what we think." Shuishui scratched her head. How should she put it? She felt that she couldn't say it out loud. She didn't know what to do either. She had never had any siblings. It was the first time she had a brother who was close to her. Moreover, she knew very little about family matters, and she thought that her brother also had the right to know.

She shrugged off her thoughts. She couldn't figure out the grudges between the rich and powerful. In the past, when she found out what her relatives did, she wanted to act impulsively. She realized that she had to endure everything first. She endured until she became successful and found solid evidence against them. She then annihilated her heartless relatives in one fell swoop.

When the business declined and her relatives had asked for her help, she agreed only to find more evidence against them. The evidence she had presented in court were enough to put her perpetrators in jail. She was also able to successfully regain what was rightfully hers—her parents' money.

"Sister, no. I'm serious. If they take a fancy to our money, what should we do?" Anzhi was very worried. He felt that what was rightfully their was slowly being taken away from them.

"Well, it's hard to say. I have no idea what they've been up to. For now, you just need to study hard. If anything happens, we have to trust that Dad will be able to handle it well." She touched Qian Anzhi's head. "Don't think about it. Go wash up, and take a hot bath. Rest early tonight. I'll turn on the heater in the living room."

"En, okay." Qian Anzhi was merely a young lad, but what had happened made him think deeply about his family's situation and what the future held.

As he lay in bed that night, his thoughts ran wild. He barely slept the whole night. He wanted to sleep but he couldn't. He was still thinking about what had happened and about what could happen to their father. When he did fall asleep, he dreamed that they lived in a empty and small home that barely had enough space for them to move around in.

In his dream, he could hear the voices of their neighbors.

When he woke up the next morning, he saw that Shuishui was busy in the kitchen. "Sis, what are you doing so early in the morning?"

"Making breakfast. I'm going out after I eat breakfast," Shuishui answered.

"I was frightened by the noises you made. I was scared to death," Anzhi said as he wiped off his cold sweat. He felt that the room was very hot, so he opened the window. The cold wind blew in, and he immediately felt cold. "So cold!"

"Okay. I'll eat first. After you wash up, you can go and prepare your own breakfast. Just put everything in the pot." Shuishui ate in large mouthfuls. She planned to visit her teacher after breakfast. She bought some practical gadgets in the capital. She remembered that her teachers were all from the capital, so there was no point in giving them local delicacies.

She visited her four teachers' houses in a span of two days and dined with each of them.

Of course, she told Qian An about her plan to visit the army camp for training. Qian An asked her to dine with the Qian relatives before she went.

The Qian family was a big clan. Shuishui could not remember anything from the previous Shuishui's memory, so she did not recognize many of the relatives she saw. She remembered that their relatives were generally nice. They were neither warm nor cold people, and Shuishui presumed that they were not too close to them.

Her grandfather did not seem to be very satisfied with his three grandsons. Shuishui scoured through her memory, and she remembered that he would always keep a cold face when they met each year. He did, however, like her other cousins.

The Qian family also had a slight preference for sons over daughters. Compared to the scheming members of the Li family, the Qian family was much better. However, Li Xue was not willing to join family gatherings. Shuishui knew that Li Xue would not get along with her sisters-in-law. Every time they met, they would be ridiculed. Li Xue could not stand it.

The big family gathering was arranged in a large private room in a restaurant. Three big tables were prepared inside.

Shuishui wore one set of new clothes, which was bought for her by Auntie Mu. Qian Anzhi also wore a new set of clothes. He entered the private room with Shuishui. They were clearly good-looking siblings.

Qian An approached his two children and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Shuishui is becoming more and more beautiful. Anzhi is also becoming more like a young version of me. He's really handsome."

"Dad, are you secretly praising yourself?" Shuishui teased.

Qian An rubbed his belly and smiled. "Well, I was indeed handsome when I was younger."

Shuishui agreed. "Yes, I can see that."

Qian Anzhi rubbed his face. "I'm becoming more and more handsome. When those girls come to me to confess their feelings, what should I do?"

Shuishui only responded by laughing.

Qian Momo was sent over to the restaurant by the chauffeur. She persuaded her mother to accompany her. It was rare for her to dress so beautifully. She even wore a diamond necklace. She was determined to look better than anyone else.

Li Xue didn't want to go, but she couldn't resist her daughter's persuasion and eventually agreed. She kept telling herself that her family was the richest and that they were all just jealous of her.

Back in the private room, the old man walked in with a serious expression while leaning on his walking stick. "Stop fighting. Is everyone here?"

"Dad, not everyone is here yet. Third Brother is on his way," said a man who looked like an older version of Qian An. He went forward and helped the old man to sit down. "Dad, I was told that I would pick you up."

The old man sat down and said in a serious tone, "There's no need."

The children did not dare to be presumptuous. Only a few boys dared to go forward and approach their grandfather.

"Grandfather, I graduated two years ago. I want to start my own company," one of the young men said. He sat next to the old man. To start a company, he needed capital. His parents had iron rice bowls, and his father occasionally invested and earned a little money. However, his father did not want to invest in his company.

"Zhishan, what do you want to do? Tell me. Let me hear it," the old man said as he looked kindly at his eldest grandson. He thought his grandson was quite opinionated. He wanted to start a company and start from scratch. He could support it, but he wanted to hear what his grandson's plans were.

"I want to be like Third Uncle. I want to start as a real estate agent." He also had his own ideas. He had put in a lot of effort to persuade his grandfather.

"That won't be easy to do at this time. Why don't you join your Third Uncle's company for a while and see if you will like it there." The old man was also a businessman, although he wasn't very successful. He was still keeping his eyes focused on what was happening in the business world. He knew it would be difficult to become a real estate agent, especially without prior experience. His Third Son's son was only in junior high school, so he thought it would be fine to let his eldest grandson help. He didn't want outsiders to join when his grandson could fill in the role.

In the old man's mind, although the family had long separated, his third son's company belonged to everyone in the Qian family.

Qian Zhishan's eyes lit up. His parents had previously mentioned that his uncle's business was getting bigger. In the future, wouldn't the Qian family inherit it? He didn't see his uncle's family often, so he found it hard to give a good impression. "It's been a long time since I've talked with Third Uncle," Zhishan said.

The old man asked his child to come over. "All right. Why don't you talk to him now? Third Uncle is getting quite old as well, but his son is still young. After all, this is his family's business. Maybe you will be of help to him."

"Yes, Grandfather, but Third Uncle probably won't be willing to let us interfere." They knew Third Uncle's personality, which was mainly why the family grew apart.

The old man hit the ground with his walking stick and said, "You're a part of the Qian family! I'll tell him. Let's see what he has to say about it."

Everyone else was busy talking.

Li Xue brought Momo over first. Her sister-in-law and aunt, who were not on good terms with her, tried their best to get along with her. Li Xue suddenly felt pride in her own family compared to the Qians, and she said, "Oh, sister-in-law, why are you so polite today?"

"Sister-in-law, I have always been like this. Why isn't Qian An with you?" she asked as she looked at Li Xue and Momo. They couldn't believe that Qian An wouldn't want to attend the gathering.

Li Xue was secretly happy when she saw that they fawned over her. "Hubby will be here soon," she said.

Everyone else was talking and trying to catch up with the others. Qian An soon arrived with Shuishui and Anzhi, and everyone took the initiative to go up.

Shuishui and Qian Anzhi quickly left. They didn't want to get involved in the adults' conversation.

Qian Anzhi tugged on Shuishui's clothes. "Second Sister, when we start eating, they'll definitely start comparing again."

"What's there to compare?" Shuishui felt strange. Logically speaking, there was a gap between the other families and Qian An's family.

"Sister, you can't have forgotten, right? They made you cry before." Qian Anzhi looked at Shuishui in confusion. How could she have forgotten about it?

Shuishui tried her best to recall and had to pretend that she remembered it. "I remember now, but that was in the past. We'll just wait and see if they'll do that again."

Qian Anzhi was stunned. Shuishui was right. What could they say about her now? Shuishui was very beautiful and didn't wear any makeup. She was smart and performed excellently in school, and she had good credentials. In his eyes, his second sister was much more beautiful than everyone else there.

"Is this Shuishui? Wow. She's changed quite a bit. I didn't even recognize her," a surprised female voice said from behind them.

Shuishui and Anzhi turned around at the same time and saw their cousin, Qian Xiaomin. She was eighteen years old and the daughter of their first uncle.

Shuishui thought for a long time before she could figure out who the girl was. She was exhausted. "Oh, cousin, long time no see," Shuishui said.

"Yeah, long time no see. You look much better now. You used to look like a ghost," Xiaomin said. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, I think so too. I was so young then and didn't know how to properly dress or put on makeup," Shuishui retorted coldly.

Qian Zhian looked at his cousin's face. "Cousin, you have so many pimples."

The thick foundation Xiaomin had applied couldn't hide her dark pimples. Qian Anzhi had made the snarky comment because he was annoyed that she said his sister used to look like a ghost.

Shuishui patted Qian Anzhi's back. She turned to her cousin and said, "Cousin, let's go and sit down first."

"Okay," Xiaomin said as she covered her face with one hand. She suddenly felt very embarrassed about her acne marks. She was extremely envious when she saw that Shuishui had clear and glowing skin and didn't even wear any makeup.

Another cousin, Qian Qiaoqiao, waved at them. "Anzhi, Shuishui, sit here!"

Shuishui and Qian Anzhi sat down. Qiaoqiao pulled Shuishui and said, "Cousin, it's really been a long time. You don't invite me to hang out with you anymore."

"I have been busy with school, and I rarely go out." Qian Qiaoqiao had a pleasant personality. Shuishui remembered as she combed through her memories that she would always chat with this cousin during family gatherings.

To Shuishui, they were just acquaintances.

Qian Qiaoqiao didn't stop talking. Along the way, she talked to Shuishui about many things. "That time, when I went to the American summer camp, I encountered something very interesting . . ."

Shuishui attentively listened to her cousin's stories. She was engrossed in the conversation. "So he didn't pay, but he didn't leave. How did you deal with him?" she asked.

Meanwhile, Qian Anzhi and his cousins were talking about games.

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