Chapter 1567: Almost Doing a Bad Deed with Good Intentions

Jiang Chenghao gave a light cough and urged, "Eat, the food is getting cold."

Sister Zhang smiled and stopped teasing the two of them.

But after only a moment of quiet, Xu Xiaoxiao's phone suddenly rang.

Xu Xiaoxiao glanced at it, and the moment she saw the number, her expression shifted slightly.

"You guys go ahead and eat, I need to take a call."

After saying this, Xu Xiaoxiao took her phone and returned to the bedroom.

After taking a deep breath, she answered the phone.

"Why did it take so long to answer? Are you busy?" The person on the other end of the line was Xu Xiaoxiao's father.

Facing her own father, Xu Xiaoxiao had no warmth, only saying very politely, "No, I'm eating, I didn't hear it."

"Oh, oh, right, Xiao Xiao, we saw the promotional video you shot for that Holographic Projection. I didn't expect you to have such good resources now; you've really made something of yourself."

"It's not really a resource, I'm just doing a friend a favor."

"Oh my, that's still very impressive," Father Xu paused, then said, "Your sister misses you and wants to go see you."

Sister?

Xu Zixin?

Xu Xiaoxiao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and refused, "I'm very busy. Even if she comes, I won't have time to entertain her."

"This..."

Before Father Xu could finish his sentence, the phone was snatched into Xu Zixin's hands.

Then came a bossy voice: "You just shot a promotional video, do you really think you're famous? What are you acting so arrogant for!"

Having not been in touch for a long time, this sister of Xu Xiaoxiao's was still just as... annoying.

Xu Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows slightly and replied expressionlessly, "I'm just stating the facts."

"I don't care how you put it, I'm going anyway! You also need to introduce that friend of yours to me!"

Just based on Xu Zixin's attitude...

Introduce someone to her? Not a chance!

Xu Xiaoxiao thought to herself.

Father Xu snatched the phone back, first giving Xu Zixin a warning look, then speaking in a conciliatory tone:

"Your sister is just envious that you have such a good opportunity and wants to go over and see it for herself. As for us, we'll be coming over in a couple of days. We don't need you to entertain us, just help us find a place to stay in advance."

Xu Xiaoxiao listened expressionlessly, offering no response.

"Right, the location of the house needs to be good, the interior must be fully equipped, and the environment can't be noisy—you know your sister doesn't sleep well. Oh, and if you could provide a car, that would be even better."

Father Xu considered his demands to be modest.

As a daughter, Xu Xiaoxiao should still be able to help with such a small favor.

It's just that...

After he finished speaking, why was there no response from his eldest daughter?

This made Father Xu feel somewhat awkward and also a bit annoyed.

After a light cough, Father Xu prepared to say something more.

But Xu Xiaoxiao spoke first: "It seems you aren't just staying for a moment."

"... It won't be too long, nor too short, and we certainly won't disturb you."

Xu Xiaoxiao didn't believe a word of that.

And also...

"Are you done, Dad?"

"Yes."

"Heh, you made this whole call to me without a single word of concern."

Xu Xiaoxiao was stating a fact.

But this fact made the other end of the line go quiet all of a sudden.

The next second, Father Xu laughed it off and said, "You're so capable, Dad believes you must be living very well. Well, I won't disturb your meal anymore, let's hang up."

Xu Xiaoxiao hung up the phone before Father Xu could, then tossed it aside.

She had long since stopped holding any expectations for this family.

But suddenly receiving such a call still made her feel...

Bad luck!

Xu Xiaoxiao breathed deeply, calmed her mood for a moment, and then walked back out of the room.

But even though Xu Xiaoxiao tried hard to appear calm, Jiang Chenghao could tell something was wrong with her at a glance.

"Are you alright?"

Xu Xiaoxiao smiled and shook her head slightly.

Sister Zhang made an excuse about finishing her meal and left the dining room to give the two of them some space.

But Xu Xiaoxiao didn't speak; she just poked at her food a few times before using her phone to look up rental information.

Jiang Chenghao saw this and asked, "Are you moving?"

"No, my family is coming in a few days, I'm looking for them."

Xu Xiaoxiao truly didn't want to deal with this nuisance.

But if she didn't, those people would definitely latch onto her and refuse to leave!

That would be even more annoying!

Xu Xiaoxiao let out a long breath, then patiently continued to look at the listings.

Jiang Chenghao noticed her impatience and suggested, "Let me help you find it; what kind do you need?"

"No need, I can handle it myself."

"But I want to help you."

Xu Xiaoxiao paused in her movements, then smiled at Jiang Chenghao and said, "If you eat a bit more, that's helping me."

After speaking, Xu Xiaoxiao raised her hand and patted Jiang Chenghao's head, as if coaxing a little puppy.

The little puppy felt quite helpless, but he did not insist.

However, Jiang Chenghao kept this matter in his heart.

The very next day, he went to find Liu Xin'ai.

Liu Xin'ai asked with a smile, "Speak, is there something you want to consult me about?"

Jiang Chenghao was startled: "How did you know I came to ask you about something?"

"You and Xiao Xiao have just gotten together, you're too busy being sweet to have time for me. But since you came, it means you have a request."

*Cough*, Liu Xin'ai was indeed sharp-witted.

Jiang Chenghao rubbed his nose uncomfortably, then said, "It's like this, Xiao Xiao's family is coming over, and I want to help arrange their accommodation, but I don't really know their preferences, so I wanted to ask."

Xiao Xiao's family is coming?

Upon hearing this, Liu Xin'ai's expression became somewhat unnatural.

Furthermore, she put away her smile, looking nothing like the warmth she had just shown.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Chenghao sensed something and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Liu Xin'ai forced a smile and asked, "Did Xiao Xiao ask you to arrange this?"

"No."

"Then you had better discuss it with Xiao Xiao first before taking action."

Jiang Chenghao hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is there some hidden story?"

Come to think of it, there really was a hidden story.

Liu Xin'ai originally did not want to speak of other people's private affairs.

But based on Liu Xin'ai's understanding of Jiang Chenghao, if he didn't know some of the inside story, I'm afraid that after Xu Xiaoxiao's family arrived...

Liu Xin'ai shook her head gently, and subsequently, she had no choice but to begin explaining:

"Xiao Xiao's parents are divorced. When she was young, she lived with her mother for a while, but because her mother was in poor health, she was taken to live with her father."

"Her father started a new family, and Xiao Xiao has a half-sister. Her sister... has a rather difficult personality, and Xiao Xiao's father is quite biased, so over these years, Xiao Xiao's relationship with her family has been lukewarm."

"I don't know why Xiao Xiao's parents are coming this time, but for Xiao Xiao, it certainly isn't a good thing. You should be prepared; don't just keep being good to her family for the sake of coaxing Xiao Xiao. Sometimes you will find... it's not worth it."

Jiang Chenghao was stunned as he listened.

He had not expected Xu Xiaoxiao's original family to be like this.

But he was also very glad and quickly said, "Thanks to this trip today, otherwise I definitely would have done the wrong thing!"

That is the good thing about Jiang Chenghao: he listens to advice and knows how to reflect.

Li Beijue's expression darkened instantly; he grabbed Jiang Baobao's wrist, his voice as cold as ice: "What did you just say? Say it again!"