Chapter 176: She Loved Herself More

Hearing this, Shen Qingyi suddenly lost the mood to coax her back. "Mom, can you please stop being so willful?"

"That manuscript might have been taken by Zhao Ming. I have to go ask him in person to clear things up."

Shen Qingyi took a deep breath. "Who are you planning to sell the manuscript to?"

Only then did Han Lanzhi snap back to reality, realizing she had been blinded by panic. If Zhao Ming had taken it, he would have no reason to be in a rush to buy it from her.

At that thought, she deflated like a punctured ball.

After a long moment, she slowly raised her eyes to look at Shen Qingyi, and finally nodded powerlessly. "I'll go back with you the day after tomorrow."

Shen Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to her room to rest.

The next day, Xia Xiyue did not come. Together with Xia Xiyun, Shen Qingyi picked out five sets of clothes for her mother. Shen Qingyi paid for them, and Xia Xiyun did not refuse.

However, upon hearing that Shen Qingyi was going to buy her train ticket tomorrow, Xia Xiyun looked quite surprised. "So soon?"

Shen Qingyi smiled and nodded. "Yes, I shouldn't impose on you for too long either."

"Are you missing An'an?"

"A little, but mainly I just want to get this matter settled quickly."

Xia Xiyun wore a look of regret. "My eldest brother just came back from Hong Kong and said he was going to take you to meet a designer from Hong Kong."

Xia Xiyun had mentioned this to her before, saying they wanted her to pursue advanced studies, put her name on her works, and build her personal brand. While this concept did not yet exist domestically, Shen Qingyi had heard about it from Elder Qian.

It would be of immense help in boosting her personal reputation.

Shen Qingyi was somewhat tempted, but still hesitated. "Can it wait until next time?"

"Not even two or three days longer?" Xia Xiyun arched an eyebrow at her. "It's not easy to make a trip here after all."

Seeing that Shen Qingyi remained silent, Xia Xiyun knew she was tempted and continued, "Your case has been put on hold for so long anyway, a couple of days won't make a difference. Why don't you come back to the Xia family home with me and meet my eldest brother? My mom was overjoyed when she heard you were coming. She even cleared the old lady out of the house."

Shen Qingyi was surprised. She had indeed sensed the old lady's unfriendliness last time, but from the old lady's perspective, some guard was completely normal.

Just as Xia Xiyun said, given Xia Xiyue's face and the Xia family's standing in Pengcheng, one didn't even need to guess to know there were many people plotting against him.

She hadn't expected Madam Wu to be so courteous.

Deeply moved, Shen Qingyi said, "I'll go meet Madam Wu, but I still have to buy the train ticket today."

Xia Xiyun conceded to her. "Alright, I'll have Sun Ning buy it for you later. Just mention anything else you need, and I'll have someone sort it all out."

A warmth bloomed in Shen Qingyi's chest, and she smiled as she said, "I can handle these things myself."

"Look at you, being polite again. I'm never polite with you; whatever you give me, I accept gladly. We've known each other for so many years, what's there to be polite about? To be honest, the benefits you've brought to the Xia Group mean that this kind of treatment is really nothing." Xia Xiyun flashed a bright, bold smile with her red lips.

"How about you convert it into cash for me instead?" Shen Qingyi joked.

"No way, didn't Lu Yan's patent make such a huge sum of money? Didn't he give you a share in the divorce?"

Shen Qingyi shook her head. "I was the one who proposed the divorce; how could I have the nerve to ask for his money? But you must never tell my mom about this."

Xia Xiyun raised her eyebrows. She wouldn't dream of telling this Auntie Han anyway. She had seen plenty of people like her—not necessarily truly bad, but snobbish, vain, and self-centered.

Ever since Han Lanzhi spoke to Shen Qingyi yesterday, her own attitude had cooled considerably.

During dinner, she had worn a sullen expression the entire time.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul about this." After giving her assurance, Xia Xiyun smiled and added, "I certainly don't want people to know how easy it is to negotiate with Lu Yan over patents. I'm still waiting for a chance to see if I can talk business with him myself."

Shen Qingyi laughed. "Are you really like this?"

"Like what?"

"Your head is full of business schemes," Shen Qingyi teased.

Xia Xiyun put on a distressed expression. "The heavy burden of our family falls entirely on me. Can you blame me for always thinking about it?"

"That's true."

"Still, I really didn't expect you to actually go through with the divorce. Could you really bear to let Lu Yan go?" Xia Xiyun tilted her head to look at her.

Shen Qingyi let out a long sigh. "I couldn't bear it."

Understanding dawned in Xia Xiyun's heart. She silently mourned for her foolish younger brother for two seconds. Anything he wanted, she and her family would provide, but Shen Qingyi was a genuine challenge.

Yet he simply couldn't let her go.

"True, Lu Yan is so exceptional; it's only natural that you couldn't bear to part with him." Caught in a dilemma herself, Xia Xiyun wanted to secure benefits for her younger brother, yet didn't want Shen Qingyi to suffer. Seeing how visibly unsettled and heartbroken she looked when discussing the divorce with Lu Yan, Xia Xiyun cautiously advised, "Although we've been taught since childhood to be filial, we have to look at the person, at right and wrong. I don't think you should yield to Auntie Han in everything."

"Thank you, I know."

With that, Xia Xiyun patted Shen Qingyi's shoulder. "Still, I can understand your situation. Right now, besides An'an, she is the only family you have left in this world."

Shen Qingyi did not dwell on it further and shifted to a lighter topic. "Let's go, let's go see Madam Wu."

Ever since Shen Qingyi left with Xia Xiyun, Han Lanzhi had been sitting anxiously in the living room.

As soon as she got up and went downstairs, she ran into Zhao Chu.

She gave him a cold look. "How did you know I was staying here?"

Zhao Chu smiled. "Wasn't my dad worried about you? So he sent me over to ask how things are going with the manuscript."

"She doesn't have it," Han Lanzhi said coldly.

"She says that and you just believe her?"

"After her father's accident back then, their house was thoroughly searched." Having said that, Han Lanzhi recalled Zhao Meng's previous visit to harass Shen Qingyi and her face immediately darkened. "You should head back right now. This deal isn't going to happen."

Zhao Chu didn't move. "I think she's lying to you. Why don't I go try my luck?"

Looking at the malicious smile on her stepson's face, Han Lanzhi felt a chill in her heart. "I'm warning you, don't you dare lay a finger on her, or the Xia family won't let you off."

Zhao Chu wore a look of utter disdain. "Auntie Han, why are you so stupid? Lu Yan is one thing—our Zhao family does business and has always disliked fighting for political power, but the Xia family just has some money. What do I have to be afraid of them for?"

Han Lanzhi's face instantly paled. "Zhao Chu, regardless of everything, I am your elder. Please show some respect when you speak."

"If you can't get what the Zhao family wants, you're no elder of mine," Zhao Chu said bluntly.

"So my only value to the Zhao family is that manuscript?" Han Lanzhi could hardly believe it.

Zhao Chu was young after all, not nearly as adept at hiding things as his father Zhao Ming; everything showed clearly on his surface. "Well, what else? My father supported you for all these years, and now you're telling us it doesn't even exist?"

Previously, while Shen Qingyi and Lu Yan were still married, no one dared to make a rash move against her. When Zhao Chu acted on impulse last time, the Zhao family was immediately issued a warning from above, and Zhao Ming had locked him up for a month of solitary confinement.

Han Lanzhi let out a self-deprecating, cold laugh, suddenly feeling how foolish she had been. How could she have believed that that scoundrel Zhao Ming, after so many years of silence and nearing fifty, still harbored undying romantic devotion toward her?

Besides, she had never truly loved Zhao Ming anyway; she loved herself far more.

Since she couldn't gain any benefits from him and was only eyed with greed, she might as well tear off the facade entirely.