Monopolize My Mysterious Wife

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Seems to Be Hiding Something_1 Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Seems to Be Hiding Something_1 “Tch, Jian Qing, is this all the luggage you have?” Yang Xiang scoffed, eyeing the backpack on Jian Qing’s shoulder with disdain and utter contempt.

As soon as she mentioned it, all eyes turned to Jian Qing’s pitifully meager luggage, just a backpack carried in her empty hands.

“Now that you’ve entered the An family’s house, at least stop dressing so shabbily. People might think we’re mistreating you,” An Rong teased mockingly.

Jian Qing glanced down at her clothes, a brow raised. She wondered what was so offensive about her clothes that they always found a way to criticize them.

“An Rong!” The old Master An warned out loud.

An Rong glared at Jian Qing in silence, biting back her words.

“Now that Qing is back, it’s time to instruct the kitchen to prepare dinner.” Old Master An turned back to Jian Qing with a smile full of warmth that aroused the jealousy of An Yu and others.

Autumn, their steward, stepped toward Jian Qing at the right moment. “Miss Jian, your room is ready. Allow me to show you the way.”

“Okay.” Jian Qing nodded.

Watching Jian Qing’s retreating figure going upstairs, Zhao Xuan’s eyes filled with hatred, wishing she could drive Jian Qing out right away.

She thought, what right did this conniving, fox-faced vixen have to live here?

Walking down the long corridor, Jian Qing followed behind Autumn, her mind filled with questions.

The fourth floor seemed too deserted, nothing like a place that was regularly inhabited.

“The Second Master and Young Master Yun reside on the second and third floors. The Master usually lives on this floor, but since he often lives abroad, it appears a bit deserted,” Autumn explained calmly, his voice echoing through the corridor.

Jian Qing fell silent, scrutinizing her surroundings sneakily.

According to the information she had gathered, An Zhe, unlike An Chong who was in politics, was in the military. His position was clear as day with his capability and cunning. Yet why did he mysteriously retreat and run off to do business abroad more than two decades ago?

What special circumstances drove him to abandon all his hard-earned achievements and start anew overseas alone? This point intrigued her.

“The Master’s a good man. Although he can seem cold and distant, he’s all warmth beneath. Old Master An dotes on him.” Autumn chuckled, wrinkles crowding around his forehead, carefully monitoring Jian Qing’s reactions.

Jian Qing hummed nonchalantly, “Is that so? Since Old Master An is fondest of him, why wasn’t Master An present at the birthday feast? Could it be that he, like me, isn’t too fond of the An family?”

Jian Qing made this comment lightly, chuckling. However, her eyes caught the brief stiffness on Autumn’s face.

Autumn’s heart skipped a beat, as he quickly concealed his unease, “The Master works overseas a lot and prefers quietude, hence he didn’t return for the feast.”

Jian Qing’s gaze lingered on Autumn, making him uncomfortable. She casually averted her gaze, “I see.”

Seeing her cease her inquiry, Autumn let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly opened the door, “Miss Jian, we’ve prepared everything you need in your room. Let me know if you need anything else and I’ll have it ready for you.”

Looking around with disinterest, Jian Qing noted the thoughtfully arranged room.

“That won’t be necessary, this is fine.” After all, she wouldn’t be staying long.

“Miss Jian, you can take your time to unpack. I’ll notify you when dinner is ready,” Autumn informed her.

Jian Qing nodded in acknowledgment. Autumn bowed slightly, then turned and left.

Leaning against the door frame, Jian Qing watched Autumn’s retreating figure as she fell into deep thought.

Why, when mentioning An Zhe, did Autumn seem to be hiding something? Was there a hidden secret here?

By the time Jian Qing came down for dinner, the An family was already seated at the dinner table.

“Qing darling, come sit here.” Old Master An’s stern demeanor disappeared upon Jian Qing’s arrival, replaced by a face full of affection, something the others in the An family rarely saw.

Jian Qing ignored the envious gazes of Yang Xiang and others, walking over to sit next to Old Master An.

Generally, at the An family dinner table, silence was observed during meal times. However, An Yu found the food tasteless, unable to stop herself from glancing in Jian Qing’s direction continuously.

“Qing darling, this is the chef’s specialty. Give it a try. And this one, this also tastes good.” Old Master An hardly ate any, instead he kept trying to put more food in Jian Qing’s bowl. His endless solicitousness was an indulgence that no-one bar An Zhe had ever enjoyed.

An Yu gripped her chopsticks tightly. The array of dishes before her seemed suddenly ironic.

Jian Qing looked down at her bowl, now heaped high with food, then she looked up at Old Master An, “That’s enough, you should eat too.”

Thinking for a moment, Jian Qing picked up a piece of vegetable with her chopsticks and placed it in Old Master An’s bowl.

Looking down at the bowl of greens he held, Old Master An felt his eyes watering. He nodded repeatedly, “Good, good.”

An Rong shot Jian Qing a sideways glance. Quickly switching her attention to An Yu, she queried, “Yu, I heard from Xiangxiang that you are going to do a jewelry photoshoot at JK International tomorrow, is that true?”

At the mention of this, a sense of pride gleamed in Yang Xiang’s eyes. An Yu just nodded slightly, saying, “Yes.”

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