289— They Sent A Calling Card (2)

"Is there anyone you suspect?"

Gao Tinghua paused to think before saying, "Other than my father's siblings, I can't think of anyone."

Li Chuanmo raised his brows, "And why would they be suspects?"

"Well, let's just say that they weren't exactly happy to know that my sister has been found. My granduncle even threatened to get rid of her if her presence endangers the interests of the family."

If Li Chuanmo's face could become any colder, he would be able to directly freeze the chair on which he was sitting. As it was, the atmosphere was chilling.

"Keep an eye on them and inform me of any suspicious moves."

"Okay." Gao Tinghua made a mental note.

"How many people have seen it?" Li Chuanmo asked, referring to the calling card.

"Excluding me; My parents, the butler and the worker who brought in the mail."

"Keep it that way."

"I understand."

After a short silence, Gao Tinghua asked, "So the banquet can still go on, right?"

Li Chuanmo didn't rush to answer, making Gao Tinghua's heart tighten. If even this person was hesitant, it meant things were worse than they had thought.

Then Li Chuanmo let out a laugh. It was soft, but Gao Tinghua could swear that his hairs almost stood up on end at how terrifying it sounded.

"Why should we cancel? If they're so confident, let them come."

Let them come?

Gao Tinghua really hoped that Li Chuanmo had the capability to back up such an arrogant statement.

"Okay. So, should we inform Elder Sister?"

Another long pause, but eventually Li Chuanmo answered, "Leave that to me."

Left to him, he didn't want to tell her anything. Even with his eyes closed, he could imagine the expression of worry and panic that will etch itself on her face. He had promised himself that she would never have to be so scared again.

But remembering what happened the last time he hid a matter from her, the dilemma surfaced. Would she be angry if he hid it? Of course she would be.

But would she be happier without the extra cloud of worry hovering over her? Again, she would definitely be.

He needed to think about it properly before deciding.

Gao Tinghua had no comments. He already had enough on his plate trying to console his mother who had been in shock since seeing the letter. He knew her tears would soon come pouring out. Some things just never changed.

"I'll keep you updated if they're any other occurrences." Then he paused and added, "Thank you, Brother-in-law."

They hung up, and Gao Tinghua heaved a sigh. He went to his father's study first. The older man was waiting for him with a frown of worry.

"Tinghua, what did that person say?"

"Brother-in-law said he will handle it, that we should stay calm and continue as usual."

Gao Zhipeng did not know what to think, but he was a bit shaken up and wasn't sure if he could believe in a young man's reassurance. Not to mention that he had never seen the said person before.

The terror that had been ingrained into him all those years ago was threatening to spill out of its carefully hidden spot.

"Tinghua, don't you think we should postpone this? These people are really dangerous. I don't doubt that this incident is their doing."

Gao Tinghua wasn't about to go into this discussion, "So what do you suggest Father? Pretend she doesn't exist? Leave her out of the family?"

Gao Zhipeng didn't speak, but his expression was all but saying his true thoughts. He really didn't see why they had to forcefully disturb the balance.

Gao Tinghua sneered.

"I'm afraid that won't happen. If you must truly do something, I suggest you spend the time keeping your family in check and making sure everything runs smoothly on that day. Or maybe it would also be a good time to man up and comfort your wife."

Without waiting for him to speak, he left the study and went to his mother's room.

Qiao Mingran had moved back to the house in order to plan the banquet, and now she and Gao Zhipeng were living like there was no talk of divorce between them. It was just that they were now staying in separate rooms.

As he expected, his mother's eyes were red when she opened the door, her handkerchief wet.

"Mother, what are you crying for? Elder Sister is fine, and her husband has also promised to help. You just need to keep calm and continue the planning."

"Tinghua, I'm so scared. What if it was really a bad idea to find her? I wish I had just let her be to live her life with her family. If anything happens to her again, I- I don't know what I'll do."

Qiao Mingran dissolved into tears again, making Gao Tinghua's head ache with a vengeance. He could feel his patience fast deserting him, so he quickly said,

"Mother, if you have the time to cr—worry, then it would be better to spend it planning the best banquet ever. Call Elder Sister and ask her about her preferences, so that she feels included in the planning.

Truly, he was able to divert her attention. Qiao Mingran sniffled as she nodded, "She should like that, right?"

Gao Tinghua nodded, against his conscience. He was sure Pei Yueran will resent the disturbance, but he had no choice. He just needed to divert his mother's attention somehow.

"Alright, I'll do that. Tinghua, do you think she'll like the name I chose for her?"

Gao Tinghua wanted to say he doubted his sister would care since she probably would not use the name after that day anyway, but he refrained from stressing his mother further.

"It's a good name, but I guess you should ask her about it too, in case she has something else in mind."

Qiao Mingran nodded. "Then how about the gift? What do you suggest?"

"Mother, as long as it is from your heart, I'm sure she will love it. Just don't go overboard."

Qiao Mingran nodded and picked up her phone, seemingly trying to call someone. "Right. And I still need to put finishing touches to that guest list."

Grateful that her attention was finally on something more pleasant, he moved towards the door, "And have you sent the invitation to her adoptive mother? It's better to send it soon, to avoid last minutes problems."

Gao Tinghua waited for a while, but didn't hear anything from his mother. Turning back, he saw her looking uncomfortable, "What, you weren't planning on inviting her?"

"Would it be a problem if I didn't?" Qiao Mingran thought it was a bit selfish of her, but she wanted to be the only mother of her daughter present on that day.

That way, she could pretend that her daughter had always been with her all along and they could deepen their relationship.