Chapter 23

Both of Li Yan’s hands were in his pockets, and there was a languid expression on his face. “I’m just paying you guys a visit. Why? Second Young Mistress Qiao, am I not welcome here?”

‘You know for a fact that you’re not welcome. Why are you still shamelessly showing up here!?’

Qiao Mu chuckled dryly. “Uncle, you must be joking. The Qiao family welcomes you very much.”

‘Welcome my a*s.’

If Yu Tingyun and her daughter were not behind her, she would have closed the door and locked this devil out without hesitation!

Li Yan arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that so?”

She said that the Qiao family welcomed his presence, but it was obvious that she did not want him there!

This was when Yu Tingyun walked over and said with a smile, “Ah Yan, don’t just stand there. There were too many people during my birthday dinner, and I didn’t have the time to talk properly to you. Come in and take a seat.”

Li Yan lowered his head and looked at the backpack Qiao Mu was holding. “Second Young Mistress Qiao, are you going somewhere?”

Qiao Ya walked over enthusiastically. “Uncle, just ignore her. She has something to do at campus, so she has to go back there tonight.”

Qiao Mu stood rooted to the spot, and she had no intention of leaving. Qiao Mu’s entire body had tensed up the moment Li Yan showed up. She did not remember him saying that he would keep what had happened between them a secret in the morning. She took advantage of him and asked for 300,000 RMB from him. Could it be that he regretted agreeing to it and was here to reveal what had happened to her stepmother?

He had more than one thing on her!

The next moment, Li Yan sauntered into the mansion and said coldly, “Cousin sister, I came over because I have something to tell you.”

Qiao Mu panicked when she heard that.

Her face turned pale, and she saw that Li Yan was turning and glancing at her. She could not decipher the expression on Li Yan’s face, but her heart sank.

She could feel that her heart was beating rapidly. She clenched her fists. She did not know what Li Yan would say to Yu Tingyun if she were to leave now. Even though she did not feel like dealing with Li Yan, she was too scared to leave just like this.

This was when Qiao Ya said impatiently, “Qiao Mu, aren’t you leaving? Why are you still standing there?”

Qiao Mu put down her backpack. She then turned and returned into the living room. She smiled in embarrassment. “I suddenly feel really hungry. I’ll have dinner at home first before leaving.”

The moment she said that, Yu Tingyun and Qiao Ya’s expressions turned dark. Meanwhile, there was a nonchalant and barely noticeable smile on Li Yan’s cold face.

This little thing was truly the most shameless person he had ever met. The members of the Qiao family obviously did not welcome her presence, but she was able to endure staying with them, and she did it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She was definitely a crafty young woman, or she would not have been able to survive peacefully in the Qiao household for more than ten years with Yu Tingyun around.

Yu Tingyun raised her hand and waved at the nanny. “Go to the kitchen to make some food so that the second young mistress can have an early dinner.”

Qiao Mu quickly cut her off. “There’s no need for that. There’s a guest at home, so please don’t give me special treatment. I don’t mind waiting for a while.”

After she finished speaking, Qiao Mu walked over to the couch and sat down opposite Li Yan. She ignored Yu Tingyun’s dark expression altogether.

‘Why does she have to make her dislike toward me so obvious? Shouldn’t she at least put on an act? I don’t remember my stepmother being such a bad actress. Now that dad isn’t around, she can’t even act properly anymore.

‘Do they really think that I want to stay here and fake a smile in front of them? I’m only here because Li Yan, that troublemaker, suddenly showed up!’

Yu Tingyun’s expression was as gentle as ever as she looked at Li Yan. “Ah Yan, why don’t you stay here for dinner? We can talk as we eat.”

Qiao Mu’s heart skipped a beat, and she was really hoping that Li Yan would reject the offer. If she had to eat together with these people, she was afraid that she would throw up.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om