C22 He Attended a Family Gathering

After school, Qin Su came home to find only her father there.

“Sweetheart, we're going to the Sunns' for dinner tonight. Get yourself ready!” Qin Guangjun said, smiling warmly at his daughter from the couch. The more he looked at her, the more he felt she was capable and smart. If it weren't for her, things might not have turned out so well.

Qin Su had no idea what her father was thinking; she just found this dinner a bit odd. Noticing her mother wasn't around, she figured she was off at dance class with her aunt.

“Who else is coming to dinner?” Qin Su asked, sounding wise beyond her years.

Guangjun didn't mind her grown-up tone and cheerfully replied, “Just a few of my old buddies. It's been a while since we all got together. Since you kids are home from school, we thought today would be a good day to meet up.”

After that, Qin Su dropped her backpack and headed to the Sunns' with her father. On the way, she wanted to ask more questions, but Guangjun ignored her, leaving her to wonder what the real reason for this dinner was.

When they arrived at the Sunns', Qin Su saw that Pann Minwei and his son, Ren Dahai, and Sunn Jiang and his daughter were already there. As Qin Guangjun and Qin Su entered, everyone stood up to welcome them, which took Qin Su by surprise.

What are these adults up to, standing up to welcome them into the Sunn family's home? Eventually, Qin Su got the scoop from Pann Hao about the real purpose of this gathering. It turns out the adults were buzzing about how Qin Su's actions had caught them by surprise, leaving them both impressed and admiring.

She managed to steer her father away from a messy situation without compromising his interests, cutting ties with the other woman just in time. Otherwise, with everything going on, it would have dragged in a whole bunch of people, including some of their own.

Watching her father chat enthusiastically with his friends, Qin Su found the dinner incredibly dull. "Qin, your daughter is really something else—smart and quick-thinking. My daughter is a bit of a wild one. She should definitely learn a thing or two from her big sister!" Sunn Jiang said earnestly to his daughter, Sunn Nan.

Sunn Nan glanced at Qin Su, and they exchanged a silent nod of acknowledgment. Qin Su pulled Pann Hao aside, whispering with a frown, "Why does it seem like our dads are so easily drawn to other women? First, I found out about my dad, and then you discovered your dad's situation. It's exhausting!"

"Yeah, when I heard you were coming tonight, I decided to come too. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to attend this kind of party with my dad..." As she spoke, Sunn Nan sat quietly nearby, her eyes intently watching Qin Su. When Qin Su noticed, Sunn Nan quickly looked away, pretending she hadn't been staring.

The fathers were deep in conversation, clearly enjoying themselves, and perhaps out of consideration for the kids, they avoided bringing up any sensitive topics.

Qin Su, smiling, walked over to Sunn Nan with Pann Hao. "Hi Sunn Nan, I'm Qin Su, as you know. This is Pann Hao, we go to the same school. Don't just sit here by yourself, come join us."

Initially, Sunn Nan hesitated, her expression conflicted, unsure if she should go with them. Seeing his daughter frozen and unsure how to respond to a friendly invitation, Sunn Jiang chuckled and said, "Sweetheart, we came here so you could meet your friend Qin Su. Go on, have fun!"

Sunn Nan glanced at her dad, then at Qin Su and Pann Hao standing nearby, and finally nodded, joining them. Once the three friends started playing, age didn't matter, and their whispered conversations were filled with mystery and excitement.

The adults nearby were curious, wondering if the kids were discussing grown-up matters as they suspected. Sure enough, through Sunn Nan's introduction, Qin Su learned that her parents were dealing with the issue of an affair. The family tensions were high, but fortunately, her parents had stopped fighting and causing a scene about divorce. In the future, it would depend on how they handled things. It seemed they might wait until Sunn Nan grew up before considering a divorce.

Qin Su comforted Sunn Nan, advising her not to worry and explaining how she could protect her mother. This gathering, under the guise of a friendly meet-up, actually brought the three kids closer together. For the sake of their mothers and their homes, they bravely faced the challenge of confronting the affair, determined to protect their family sanctuaries.

Before leaving, Qin Su and Pann Hao exchanged contact information, and both of them did the same with Sunn Nan. They agreed to keep their phones and online chats open for any necessary communication. As Sunn Nan left with her father, Sunn Jiang, Pann Minwei and Qin Guangjun said their goodbyes and headed home for a good rest.

Walking beside her father, Qin Su looked at Pann Hao standing next to Pann Minwei and said, "See you at school tomorrow!"

"Alright, see you at school!" With that, most of the people had left.

Ren Dahai joined Qin Guangjun as he was leaving.

At the door, under the vast night sky, Pan Minwei stood beside his son.

With a smile, he asked, "While we adults were chatting, what were you kids talking about?"

"That's a secret!" Pan Hao replied, not in the best mood, and without waiting for his dad to say anything else, he headed straight to his room and shut the door.

"This kid, really needs a talking to!" Pan Minwei chuckled in exasperation, locked the front door, and went to his room to rest.

On the way home with her father, Qin Su noticed Qin Guangjun suddenly remember something.

"Oh no, I left the newspaper on the table!" Qin Guangjun said, frustrated.

Qin Su looked at him, expressionless, and asked, "If you didn't have a guilty conscience, would you be this worried?"

Qin Guangjun, a bit puzzled by his daughter's words, said, "What do you mean by that, young lady?"

"Nothing much, it's simple! If you weren't thinking about that woman, would you be so anxious about what Mom might ask if she saw it? Would you be this nervous?" Qin Su replied as they walked.

Understanding dawned on Qin Guangjun, and he laughed, "Haha, I get it now. If I have nothing to hide, I shouldn't worry about anything!"

After finishing their conversation, the two of them arrived home, just in time to see Guizhen sitting in the living room.

“Mom, I’m back!” Qin Su said with a smile as she walked over to her mother, noticing her eyes fixed on the newspaper. “Mom, what are you reading? Did you have fun dancing today? Has my sister-in-law gone home?”

Hearing her daughter’s questions, Guizhen nodded and replied, “Where have you two been? Why are you back so late? Go wash up. Some things in the paper aren’t suitable for you.”

Qin Su understood that her mother didn’t want her to see the darker side of society. Little did her mother know, if it weren’t for Qin Su’s help and intervention, her father might have been one of the names mentioned in the newspaper’s report. With this in mind, Qin Su realized she didn’t need to see the content to know what it was about.

Later that night, as she was about to go to sleep, Qin Su lay on her bed scrolling through news on her phone. She was contemplating how to deal with the Meng sisters, determined not to let them make a comeback and ruin other families’ happiness. Deep down, Qin Su had no intention of letting them off the hook, but she was unsure of the best way to handle the situation.

Suddenly, her phone chimed with a text message notification. Seeing the name on the screen, Gao Yan...

"Why are you texting me at this hour asking if I'm asleep? What do you want?"

Qin Su, looking puzzled, sent back a reply and quickly received another text from Gao Yan. It was a short message: "How should we handle the Meng sisters?"

"I haven't figured it out yet!" Qin Su replied, feeling a bit helpless. "It's late, I'm going to sleep."

"Alright, get some rest. I'll find you in class tomorrow," Gao Yan texted back promptly. But Qin Su couldn't fall asleep. Why was Gao Yan so invested in this? Was he worried about her safety, or did he have another motive?

As the night deepened, Qin Su wasn't sure when she finally drifted off. When she opened her eyes, a new day had begun. Sunlight streamed through the windows, lighting up the room. Despite the bright morning, Qin Su felt exhausted.

She had spent the whole night trying to figure out how to handle the situation. She knew the importance of the law and couldn't risk breaking it just to punish those two wicked women.

After getting ready, she found her mother, Guizhen, had already prepared breakfast. Seeing her daughter emerge from the bedroom, Guizhen said, "Still tired? Didn't sleep well last night? Make sure you pay attention in class and don't doze off."

"Got it, Mom!" Qin Su replied with a smile. No matter how bad her mood was, she always tried to keep a cheerful expression for her mother. After all, in her previous life, she had lost her mother and was filled with resentment toward her father. Now, being back with her mom was indescribable.

As long as she could have her mother by her side, she was willing to do anything to protect their little family!