166 Not favourite anymore
Lu Xuan’s rendered An Qinyan speechless but soon she recovered herself from the shock and recalled the issue that pressed her to return home as soon as possible.
“Ah Xuan, let’s not talk about this matter now, ” An Qinyan suddenly said. “You know we have more pressing issues at this moment. And my romantic life shouldn’t be a concern right now. “
“Mom, I think your life is very much a concern right now, ” Lu Xuan pressed.
An Qinyan sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Lord, look at my son setting me up with a man. It’s making me nervous.”
“Don’t talk to the Lord, talk to me, “Lu Xuan said with a pout. He could only act spoiled when it came to his mother.
“Alright, go call your sister. I have something very important to discuss with her, ” An Qinyan said, changing the topic.
“I am not gonna call her there, ” Lu Xuan pursed his lips. “I’m not even familiar with her questionable friends.”
“Oh, ” An Qinyan reacted. “I will have to ask Lanlan to refuse Xueyun to come to visit here. You don’t like her friends. I am sure Xueyun will feel uneasy if she comes here.”
Lu Xuan opened his mouth to say no immediately but he knew that he had been cornered by his mother. Thus, he said in a reluctant voice, “I’m going to call her. And you can’t tell Xueyun not to come here.”
An Qinyan merely shrugged her shoulders. She watched her son running out of the room and soon a bright smile was tugged on her lips. However, as she recalled the new problem, she heaved out a sigh. She looked at the new document that her secretary sent her and she sighed again.
She knew that when she would return to China problems like this would emerge but she hadn’t expected her rivals to pull her children into the mix.
The Ji family was another family based in the same city that worked in the hospitality sector. They had restaurants all over the country. They even had a very popular fast-food chain. Recently, the family decided to venture into the Luxury hotels business and since the Orchard groups owned by An Qinyan was the biggest hurdle they were facing, they began causing problems for her like sabotaging their projects and smearing their reputation all over the Internet.
The recent accident where her workers were injured was also orchestrated by the Ji family.
It would have been better if the matter was not limited to their professional world, but the Ji family crossed their limits by making the professional problem personal.
Miss Sunshine was a provincial-level beauty pageant contest. The winner of the contest could participate in the upcoming Miss China Teen.
Miss Qiu who was preparing An Xiulan for the upcoming contests called her this morning and informed her how she wouldn’t be able to take An Xiulan as her student anymore. She was ready to pay the contract termination fee. She was one of the best in her field. When An Qinyan asked her the reason why she refused to take An Xiulan as her student, she informed how the girl was hopeless and that she would rather take a contestant that had more chances of winning.
Miss Qiu was one of the best in her field and she wouldn’t want to smear her reputation by taking a student that has very few chances of winning.
An Qinyan wasn’t offended, at least she could understand the teacher’s concern. Even she wouldn’t take a project if it promised no returns. What made her mad was the fact that the Ji family offered Miss Qiu more favourable benefits to take their daughter Ji Mao’er.
Currently, An Qinyan was looking for a teacher that could help An Xiulan prepare in one week. The contest would be held in a week and her daughter had been doing anything but preparing.
Of course, if it was up to her daughter, she was sure that the girl would definitely want to enter Miss China but thankfully, it wasn’t possible.
Miss China Teen would be held in one month’s time. To enter the contest, she had to win Miss Sunshine first.
On the other hand, Lu Xuan pressed the doorbell and moments later, an elder came out with furrowed brows.
“Is it sister in?” Lu Xuan asked the older man.
“Your sister? Han Qian asked the young man standing at the door.
“Yeye, come soon. Ice cream is getting cold, ” An Xiulan shouted from the inside. “Oops. I mean it’s melting.”
Lu Xuan pointed inside and said with a smile, “The glutton inside.”
“Oh, you are the twin brother I have been hearing a lot about, ” Han Qian said. “Come inside, son. We are having lunch. Why don’t you join us?”
Lu Xuan wanted to decline but he was dragged inside by the old man. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
When An Xiulan looked at her annoying brother coming with grandfather Han, she hugged the ice cream box tight. “Lu Xuan, don’t you dare eye my ice cream.”
“Glutton, ” Lu Xuan muttered under his breath. His eyes fell on the eye sore of a person sitting next to his sister and the person he absolutely disliked on the left side. Was it too late to go back? As much as he knew his sister, he was sure that she wouldn’t budge until she ate all the food on the earth. And so he took a seat next to the old man. He just didn’t want mom to refuse Song Xueyun.
“Why are you here?” An Xiulan asked as she raised her brow.
“To bring you back, ” Lu Xuan simply answered.
“I’m not coming back to the place where I’m not getting enough attention, ” An Xiulan grumbled. “I will live here.”
“You can’t sleep without your room, ” Lu Xuan reasoned with her.
“Well, I have a room here and it’s very comfortable, ” An Xiulan nonchalantly replied
Lu Xuan looked at all of them, dumbfounded. “She has a room here?”
All the three men on the table nodded their heads.
“An Xiulan! Our family hasn’t married you off to the Han family yet, ” Lu Xuan said, restraining his anger.
“Yet, ” Han Qian said in a low voice.
Seeing that there was something wrong with his sentence, Lu Xuan bit his tongue. “Finish your ice cream and then come home. Mom has something to discuss with you.”
“Young man, have some ice cream and cool off, ” Han Qian said as he passed the ice cream bowl to the boy and Lu Xuan offered the old man a smile and took it. “What class are you studying in?”
“Sir, My sister and I are in the same grade and school, ” Lu Xuan replied.
“Oh, then you must know my grandsons, ” Han Qian couldn’t help but ask.
“We have seen each other in the school but we are not close enough, ” Lu Xuan said with a kind smile. “We are in different sections of the same grade.”
“Oh, yes, ” Han Qian said while nodding his head. He recalled how Jingyuan High had several sections of the same grade. His eldest grandson was in the top section while the youngest one was in the last section. “What are your hobbies?”
“I am the captain of the school football team, ” Lu Xuan replied and both Han Zixin and Han Nanxian closed their eyes.
The reason why An Xiulan bonded with Grandpa Han was Football.
“Really?” Grandpa Han looked at Lu Xuan with sparkling eyes. It was as if he had just found his new favourite. “I was in the school football team back then. I even played in college. I was almost selected for the national team. Those good old times.”
“Really?” Lu Xuan asked as he looked at the elder in curiosity. “Then, when didn’t you join the national team? Was it because the benefits for players weren’t the same as they are now?”
“My parents weren’t supportive of my sports choices back then, ” The old man said in a voice full of regret. “However, I wanted to play and rebelled against my parents. But it was my leg injury that rendered me unable to play again. In the end, I was forced to join my father’s company.”
“Sir, if you want to see our game, we play in the community playground every weekend and since it’s the summer holiday we play almost every day. You are always free to join us, “Lu Xuan said with a smile.
“Cheat Prince?” An Xiulan called out his name in a soft voice.
“Hmm?” Han Zixin looked at her.
“I am no longer Yeye’s favourite, ” An Xiulan said in a voice full of hurt.
“You will always be my favourite, ” Han Zixin said with a bright smile. He scooped more ice cream out of the box and put it in her bowl. He even added extra sprinklers to it.
“What about me?” Han Nanxian chimed in.
“What about you?” Han Zixin said without looking at him.
“Am I not your favourite anymore?” Han Nanxian cocked his brow.
“Do you want your jaw broken again?” Han Zixin scoffed.