Chapter 47
Early on New Year’s Day, a car arrived at the villa complex.
Li Qinyue was quite familiar with the driver. She invited him in to rest, then went upstairs to get ready.
Zhuo Zhi knew they had an important event today and had gotten ready early. With nothing else to do, she made a pot of tea and chatted with the driver.
The driver’s surname was Li. He had been working for the Li family for many years. His deep wrinkles and kind smile made him look very honest.
“Are we going to Grandpa Li’s mansion today?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
“We’re going to the villa at Jiahu Lake first,” the driver said, “Then to the mansion for dinner.”
“Oh, okay,” Zhuo Zhi smiled, “Sister Qinyue’s family is really rich, so many houses.”
“That’s for sure,” the driver said with a sigh, “At first, I only drove to one or two places, but then every year there would be a new place to go to.”
Zhuo Zhi, remembering her goal for coming down the mountain, asked the driver, “Is Jiahu Lake considered downtown?”
“A little further out.”
“Do you know the housing prices there?” Zhuo Zhi asked.
The driver’s eyes widened, “The environment is good there, the housing prices are even higher than downtown. Are you thinking of buying a house?”
“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi looked like a little adult, “I have that plan.”
The driver chuckled, “Then you have to work hard and save money. I see that Miss Li likes you, you should learn from her how to do business. If we rely on our fixed salaries, we’ll never be able to afford a house at Jiahu Lake.”
“Hmm,” Zhuo Zhi nodded, thinking to herself, was it that obvious that Li Qinyue liked her?
Even Driver Li, who was meeting her for the first time, could tell. How much did she like her?
Thinking about it made Zhuo Zhi blush.
They chatted as they drank tea. Perhaps because they were both employees, they had a pleasant conversation.
Driver Li talked about Li Qinyue’s father, the current head of the Li family, a man of vision and courage, but also very kind to his employees.
It was completely different from Li Qinyue’s occasional complaints.
Zhuo Zhi had only heard of him, never met him in person. She thought she should observe him carefully and leave a good impression.
They almost finished the pot of tea when Li Qinyue finally came downstairs.
Although Miss Li often complained about her family, she always dressed up carefully when she went home.
Beautiful, but not over the top, looking very comfortable, the type Zhuo Zhi liked most.
Driver Li drove smoothly, maintaining a constant speed whenever the road conditions allowed.
Zhuo Zhi, thinking that this was a formal occasion, sat in the front passenger seat, which made Li Qinyue keep glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
They arrived at the Jiahu Lake villa just as the midday sun was shining brightly. The villa was situated by a natural lake, the sparkling water reflecting a small island in the center, its trees still lush even in winter, the scenery picturesque.
As they drove halfway around the lake to reach the villa, Zhuo Zhi admired the scenery and came to a conclusion.
Even if she learned how to do business from Li Qinyue, she probably wouldn’t be able to afford a house like this in her lifetime.
After all, Li Qinyue’s business method was to throw money at things, then walk away, just a casual observer, only doing it when she was bored.
The Jiahu Lake villa was completely different from Grandpa Li’s mansion. The mansion was elegant and traditional, with winding paths and hidden courtyards. The villa, on the other hand, was modern, technological, and minimalist, looking not only expensive, but also sophisticated.
Li Qinyue answered a phone call at the entrance. Zhuo Zhi waited, looking up at the house.
Li Qinyue hung up the phone, letting out a sigh, her tone laced with dissatisfaction, “Dragging me here so early, and then being late to show off their status.”
“They didn’t specify a time, right?” Zhuo Zhi looked at the sky reflected in the large windows. “It’s just a family gathering, what’s the big deal about being late?”
Li Qinyue took two steps closer to her and followed her gaze, “There are no elders inside, just some young people. Two cousins, a male cousin, and maybe another female cousin…”
“So many,” Zhuo Zhi looked away, a little envious, “It’s nice to have a big family.”
“Nice? You’ll see later, it’s annoying as hell.” Li Qinyue continued to look up, then finally asked, “What were you looking at? There’s nothing to see there.”
“The window.”
“What about the window?”
Zhuo Zhi pointed, “The reflection of that cloud and the shadow of the tree next to it, don’t they look like two overlapping hearts?”
Li Qinyue chuckled and looked at it for a moment, “They do look alike.”
“Right?” Zhuo Zhi said happily.
“You’re quite romantic, little fool,” Li Qinyue patted her head.
They were still looking up when a head suddenly appeared in the floor-to-ceiling window downstairs.
Zhuo Zhi, being alert, immediately looked down. It was a cute little girl in a red dress.
The little girl looked at her with wide eyes and winked.
Zhuo Zhi winked back.
Li Qinyue grabbed her arm and led her inside, “That’s Li Tian, her sister is Li Mi.”
Zhuo Zhi was confused. Li Qinyue had already introduced another name before they even met the first one. How would she know who was who?
But her confusion vanished as soon as they entered the house. Standing beside Li Tian was another little girl in a matching green dress. Apart from the color of their clothes, they were identical.
She had seen twins before, but never such beautiful twins.
Amazed by nature’s wonder, Zhuo Zhi froze. Li Qinyue tilted her chin towards the girls, “Say hello to your sister.”
Li Tian and Li Mi extended their hands and said to Li Qinyue, “Sister Yue!”
Li Qinyue pulled Zhuo Zhi closer, “Say hello to this sister, Zhuo Zhi, she’s three years older than you two.”
“Sister Zhuo Zhi!” The two girls said in unison, their voices clear and sweet.
They were adorable. Zhuo Zhi’s heart was bursting with joy. She responded awkwardly, “Just call me Zhuo Zhi.”
Li Qinyue patted each of their hands, “I’ve sent your gifts to your house.”
The two girls groaned and retracted their hands, looking disappointed.
“Well, I bought the gifts,” Li Qinyue shrugged, “Whether you get to play with them depends on yourselves.”
Li Tian said, “My mom will definitely hide them.”
Li Mi said, “If we ask her, she’ll definitely say we can only play with them after our final exam results are out.”
Li Tian frowned, “We’ll get beaten if our results are bad.”
Li Mi shrugged, “Me too.”
“Then go hide at Grandpa’s place,” Li Qinyue put her arm around Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder. “But seriously, can’t you two get passing grades for once? Is the passing line that difficult? Look at your Sister Zhuo Zhi, she scored…”
She paused and turned to ask Zhuo Zhi, “How many points did you get on your college entrance exam?”
“Not very high,” Zhuo Zhi touched her nose, a little embarrassed, “Just twenty points above the first-tier university admission score.”
“Did you hear that? Twenty points above the first-tier university admission score!” Li Qinyue said proudly, “If you two keep this up, your dad will have to donate a building to the school.”
The atmosphere was relaxed. Li Qinyue clearly didn’t treat Zhuo Zhi as an outsider, not even mentioning her bodyguard status. Feeling a little bold, Zhuo Zhi blurted out, “Did Uncle Li donate a building to the school, Sister?”
Li Tian and Li Mi burst into laughter.
Li Qinyue leaned closer to Zhuo Zhi and whispered, “Shut up.”
“Oh,” Zhuo Zhi shut her mouth.
Li Tian secretly gave Zhuo Zhi a thumbs-up, “You’re awesome, Sister Zhuo Zhi.”
“You two call anyone you meet ‘sister’?” A male voice suddenly came from upstairs.
Zhuo Zhi looked up. It was a man in a floral shirt. Having met several members of the Li family, Zhuo Zhi could tell that this was probably the male cousin. Their blood ties gave them a strangely similar appearance.
Zhuo Zhi didn’t say anything. There was no need to provoke a conflict over a sarcastic remark.
Li Mi, however, looked up and said, “We get gifts for calling people ‘sister’. If I call you ‘sister’, will you buy me a game?”
Li Tian burst into laughter.
The man in the floral shirt didn’t seem offended. He smiled faintly, “She’s not the one buying you games. Look at her, from head to toe, she probably doesn’t even have enough money to buy a single button.”
Zhuo Zhi pouted, but didn’t speak. Li Qinyue spoke up, but didn’t even look at the man in the floral shirt. She said to Li Tian and Li Mi, “Did you bring Gelomi? I think I hear a dog barking.”
“No,” Li Tian laughed again.
Her laughter was so contagious that Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but laugh too.
The man in the floral shirt scoffed and turned to walk away, “I’m not going to argue with women.”
Li Qinyue said bluntly, “Idiot.”
Li Mi came over and suddenly took Zhuo Zhi’s hand, “Little Sister, Tiantian and I are playing with a Rubik’s Cube, do you want to join us?”
Before Zhuo Zhi could answer, Li Qinyue pulled her back, “Sister Zhuo Zhi is an adult, she doesn’t play with kids.”
“She’s only three years older,” Li Tian said.
“Three years is a generation gap,” Li Qinyue held Zhuo Zhi closer.
“Then you two must have more than one generation gap,” Li Mi pouted.
“You know what,” Li Qinyue had an excuse for everything, “We’re adults, adults play differently from children.”
This excuse successfully dissuaded Li Tian and Li Mi, who ran off after a few more playful remarks.
Zhuo Zhi and Li Qinyue were left standing in the empty living room. Zhuo Zhi asked Li Qinyue, “Why didn’t you let me play with them?”
“You wouldn’t enjoy playing with them,” Li Qinyue waved her hand, “They’re so annoying.”
“They’re not annoying,” Especially after that comparison with the man in the floral shirt, Zhuo Zhi said sincerely, “They’re very cute.”
“They’re cute?” Li Qinyue frowned, “Are they cuter than me?”
Zhuo Zhi couldn’t help but laugh, “Why are you comparing yourself to them? You’re not cute, Sister.”
“Then what am I?”
“Beautiful.”
“Am I just beautiful?” Li Qinyue pointed at her face, “Doesn’t ‘beautiful’ only refer to my appearance? Am I only pretty on the outside? Does a word like ‘cute’, which describes personality, not apply to me?”
“Hahahahaha…” Zhuo Zhi doubled over with laughter.
A voice suddenly came from upstairs, “I think you’re quite cute.”
This time, Li Qinyue didn’t hesitate. She said impatiently, “Is eavesdropping the only way you manly men can avoid arguing with women?”
“No, no, no, I’m not taking the blame for Li Hao. I warmly welcome this little sister,” another voice said.
“Is this your house that you can warmly welcome people?” Li Qinyue said, “And look at your age, is it appropriate to call her ‘little sister’?”
Zhuo Zhi looked up. A man in a suit was walking down the stairs, tall and handsome.
His features were more defined than the other Li family members, and perhaps because of his light hair color, he had a mixed-race look.
The man didn’t seem offended by Li Qinyue’s sarcastic words. He smiled gently and changed his address smoothly, “Little miss.”
“Creepy,” Li Qinyue said, “Too creepy.”
“Hey,” the man reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of Li Qinyue, “It’s been a while, why haven’t you said anything nice to me?”
“Have I ever said anything nice to you?” Li Qinyue asked.
“No,” the man said with a smile, “Same old you.”
“Then stay away from me, don’t ask for trouble,” Li Qinyue waved her hand.
“I like it when you scold me,” the man said calmly, “It makes me feel young again.”
“Then your youth must have been messed up,” Li Qinyue said bluntly, “This is our family gathering, what are you doing here?”
“You can bring a friend,” the man pointed at Zhuo Zhi, “Can’t Li Hao bring a friend too?”
Li Qinyue suddenly smiled. She pulled Zhuo Zhi closer and, without any hesitation, kissed her on the cheek, “This is my girlfriend, family. Are you and Li Hao together or something?”
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