Intricacies

Seeing the people who came in, Chu Lian didn't have time to speak before Li Xiuer cautiously walked over to Li Mingxue and respectfully said, "Aunt, long time no see. How have you been?"

"A...a...a...aunt?" This left Chu Lian dumbfounded. She had no idea that her mother was Li Xiuer's aunt. She mechanically turned her head to look at her mother, only to see her mother wink at her.

"Xiuer, long time no see. How is your father?" Her mother responded indifferently, as if she didn't care much about this so-called brother.

"Father is well. He often thinks of you and misses you dearly," Li Xiuer said with her hands behind her back, standing straight and clearly very nervous.

From the side, Chu Lian could even see a blush rising on her face, spreading to her ears. But with her aunt present, she didn't dare move much and could only look at Chu Lian for help.

"Cough, cough, Mom, let's talk after the meeting. Xiuer, come sit next to me," Chu Lian said to her mother, unable to bear seeing her friend and now apparent relative standing there as if being punished.

Her mother's eyes twitched slightly, seeming reluctant to agree, but seeing the plea in Chu Lian's eyes, she sighed and nodded.

Relieved from the invisible pressure of her aunt, Li Xiuer bowed slightly to Li Mingxue and sat down next to Chu Lian.

Fortunately, the conference room was large, with enough seats for thirty people. Apart from the school principal and other officials who occupied half of them, the remaining fifteen seats were taken by her mother, Chu Lian, Li Xiuer, and the two men in suits who had followed them. Three other unfamiliar people sat on the other side.

These people seemed unaffected by the strange atmosphere, focusing on their own tasks and never letting their gaze linger on anyone for more than three seconds. The scene resembled warriors preparing for battle rather than people waiting for a meeting.

Seeing that not everyone had arrived yet, Chu Lian leaned close to Li Xiuer and whispered, "Xiuer, why do you call my mom 'aunt'? If you're related, why have I never met you before?"

Indeed, this puzzled her. If the former Chu Lian had deliberately hidden this memory, she would have known in the past year. So, the fact was probably not hidden memory but never having met.

But how could relatives who hadn't contacted for so many years be instantly recognized by Li Xiuer and treated with such respect, as if meeting a revered elder?

"Aunt...she occasionally came to our house when Father wasn't home, gathering with us and leaving before he returned. It seemed she didn't want Father to see her. Or rather, Aunt didn't want to see Father. I don't know why; Father never talks about it, and others don't dare to. Mother told me not to ask about it, so..."

Li Xiuer didn't know much. Every time she saw Li Mingxue, it was at her own house. Others treated her with great honor, and asking about her aunt's identity yielded no answers. Over time, she grew more respectful and awed by this mysterious aunt.

"A family? She never mentioned this..." Chu Lian frowned, feeling an inexplicable repulsion towards this suddenly revealed family. However, this was only directed at the family and not at Li Xiuer herself.

Chu Lian genuinely liked Li Xiuer, who was both adorable and shy, yet sometimes incredibly bold. She wanted to be friends with her. Now that they had an additional layer of familial relationship, it only made their bond closer, and nothing more.

In truth, she never judged people by their background or status; she always based her relationships on her feelings. If she liked someone, she liked them, and if she didn't, she didn't. Even if this made her treat some people with significant bias, that was just how she was, following her heart.

"Can you tell me when my mom usually goes back to visit?" If her mother indeed had a powerful family background, many things would start to make sense.

"Aunt usually visits at the beginning and middle of each month and leaves the next day. But since something happened ten months ago, she reduced her visits to once a month and often leaves before the next day. It seems... it seems to have something to do with you..." Li Xiuer spoke cautiously, occasionally sneaking glances at Li Mingxue, afraid she might be scolded.

"Ten months ago, that was shortly after I arrived in this world. Mom, why did you change your decision? Could it be...?" Chu Lian pushed away the fleeting thought and suddenly grabbed Li Xiuer's small hand, asking, "Did you know I was your cousin all along?"

Startled by Chu Lian's action, Li Xiuer looked around and saw that everyone was engrossed in their documents, not paying attention to them. She sighed with relief and answered, "I only just found out... Father told me before he left this morning. He said if possible, you should visit our home. Because Aunt never allowed the family to contact you, I wouldn't have been an exception if I weren't your classmate after you transferred."

"Visit? I don't think that's necessary. Let's wait for Mom's decision." Chu Lian chose to avoid the issue, knowing that visiting would likely cause big trouble. It wasn't sensitivity but a natural premonition, though it was often unreliable.

"Oh, I see. I hope Father won't be too disappointed... Also, can we still be friends? After all, we are..." Li Xiuer trailed off, her voice trembling slightly with apprehension.

"Of course, I never choose friends based on who they are, but on whether I like them. And I like you a lot..." Chu Lian said, her lips coming close to Li Xiuer's. If she moved a bit closer, she could kiss her.

Li Xiuer noticed this but didn't know what to do—should she avoid it or pretend not to notice? As she hesitated, the conference room door opened again, and a few people walked in.

It was Wang Tingsi, a handsome young man in a white suit, a sexy woman in a lavender dress, and a neatly groomed man in his thirties.

They were Wang Tingsi, Wang Shiyu, and Wang Hao.

They arrived late because Wang Tingsi had wandered in the woods for a long time, and Wang Shiyu and Wang Hao had spent considerable time searching for him. Otherwise, they would have arrived shortly after Li Xiuer and her group, not five minutes later.

The conference room, which had seats for thirty people, now had twenty-six occupants. It seemed the remaining four seats would soon be filled, so the meeting would start a bit later.

"Quite impressive, this person..." Her mother's light, bell-like laughter sounded in her ear, and she followed her gaze to see Wang Hao.

"Hello, Ms. Li. I hope the planning for this event can be completed soon so that everyone can enjoy a pleasant collaboration," Wang Hao said, smiling broadly at Li Mingxue as if genuinely pleased to see her.

"Hello, Manager Wang. This project is mutually beneficial, so the sooner we prepare, the sooner we can start. I hope you'll be kind to us..." Her mother responded with a rare bright smile, looking graceful and gentle, a stark contrast to her usual playful demeanor at home.

"Is this the real Mom?" Chu Lian murmured, watching her mother's performance.

"No, the real Mom is the gentle one you see at home..."