Was she stupid?
Or did he think she was an idiot?!
The visitor noticed her expression and smiled gently.
“Adorable. Truly my little sister.”
He reached out to ruffle her bun-style hair.
Li Qiao sidestepped. “And you are…?”
“Your second brother, Xiao Qingyan.”
Xiao?
Second brother?
Li Qiao suddenly understood—the Xiao family, the one that had adopted her mother until she was ten!
So, he really was her brother.
But her mother wasn’t close to the Xiao family anymore.
Would it be inappropriate for her to get closer to them?
Her mother had always been wary of the Liu family using them to leech off the Xiaos.
Xiao Qingyan watched her conflicted expression with amusement.
“Qiaoqiao, with us here, Auntie will never suffer again.”
“But… what about the Liu family…?”
Xiao Qingyan chuckled. “The Liu family is nothing to the Xiaos. The only reason we tolerated them was for Auntie’s sake.”
Li Qiao hadn’t expected this.
The Xiao family and her mother, Liu Yusi, had been protecting each other all along.
Xiao Qingyan accompanied Li Qiao to visit Li Shaoxing in the hospital.
Li Shaoxing had mixed feelings about the Xiao family.
Over the years, while there hadn’t been much overt interaction, he and his brothers had visited the Xiaos during holidays.
Their parents would go too, but they’d always be hurried away by the Lius.
It was clear their mother had once cared deeply for her birth family, but years of disappointment had worn her down.
Now, she saw the Lius for who they really were.
“Shaoxing, rest well. You must come to Grandfather’s birthday banquet next month.”
The entire Li family was expected.
Li Shaoxing nodded solemnly. “I will.”
The Lis held a favorable view of the Xiaos.
Thanks to Liu Yusi’s ties, the younger generation got along decently—though “decently” was the operative word.
Li Shaoxing asked, “Is Qinglu coming back?”
“He is. And Shaoyu will be there too, right?”
“Yeah.”
Li Shaoxing’s response was terse.
The two exchanged a glance, mutual exasperation flashing in their eyes.
Li Qiao’s gaze darted between them, sensing something unspoken.
Who was Qinglu?
Shaoyu was her fourth brother, Li Shaoyu, a controversial figure in the entertainment industry with a legion of anti-fans.
“Xiao Qinglu is your sixth brother. He’s also in the industry—and he and Shaoyu are sworn rivals. On-screen or off, they’re mortal enemies.”
Xiao Qingyan didn’t elaborate further. Li Qiao would find out the rest eventually.
The mere thought of the two crossing paths gave both families a headache.
So that was the backstory.
After seeing Xiao Qingyan off, Li Qiao searched online for news about Xiao Qinglu and Li Shaoyu.
She found Li Shaoyu’s latest tweet:
Li Shaoyu V: “Hah! ‘White Moonlight’? More like ‘Black Moonlight’—that’s me!”
The replies were a circus:
-
“Li Shaoyu begging for attention again. Who’s he trying to impress?”
-
“Quit the industry already. Zero-talent pretty boy.”
-
“My king doesn’t need acting chops. His face IS the ratings.”
-
“^ Obvious hater.”
The vitriol escalated. Switching to Xiao Qinglu’s page, she saw:
Xiao Qinglu V: “My dream? To be the entertainment industry’s ‘White Moonlight.’”
Fans fawned:
-
“Qinglu is too pure for this world!”
-
“Li Shaoyu’s just jealous. Stop leaching off our idol!”
-
“OMG my ‘QingYu’ ship is sailing!”
-
“^ Delusional. Get help.”
Li Qiao marveled at the chaos.
No wonder they were rivals.
With fan armies like these, their feud would outlast the ages.
She closed her phone, done with the drama.
Soon, Xu Tong called—he was picking her up.
“Since when are you this nice?”
“Tch. Just repaying you for saving me.”
He’d planned to go swimming today, but her warning echoed in his head the moment he stepped into the pool.
He’d turned around and left.
She’d spooked him good.
Li Qiao grinned. Xu Tong’s fear was downright entertaining.
He resisted believing her, yet couldn’t shake it off.
Classic trauma response.
“Stop laughing.”
“Scared?”
“…Yeah.”
His sudden honesty disarmed her.
She’d never mock genuine fear.
The supernatural unnerved everyone.
Back home, she waved him off.
Grandpa Li was in the yard chatting with an elderly man she didn’t recognize.
“Qiaoqiao! This is Grandpa Liang, my old friend.”
“Hello, Grandpa Liang.”
“Ah, what a bright, lovely girl!”
Grandpa Liang beamed at her.
Not wanting to intrude, Li Qiao fetched fruit for them.
The small gesture moved Grandpa Liang deeply.
“Daughters are blessings. I never had children… or grandchildren.”
His voice cracked.
Li Qiao studied his face. No descendants? Impossible.
But she kept quiet.
By lunchtime, the house was bustling with preparations to host Grandpa Liang.
As the elders played chess outside, Li Qiao asked her mother about their guest.
“Grandpa Liang fought in the war. When he returned, his village had been… wiped out.”
The unspoken horror hung in the air.
Afterwards, he never remarried.
His wife had been his childhood sweetheart.
Decades later, he still couldn’t move on.
Liu Yusi sighed. “Your grandpa urged him to remarry, but he refused. ‘One wife, one lifetime,’ he’d say.”
Touched, Li Qiao hesitated before speaking.
“Mom… his face shows he has a son and grandchildren.”
Liu Yusi’s teacup clattered. “Qiaoqiao, are you—?” Then doubt crept in. “But the village was destroyed. If this is false hope…”
Was she stupid?
Or did he think she was an idiot?!
The visitor noticed her expression and smiled gently.
“Adorable. Truly my little sister.”
He reached out to ruffle her bun-style hair.
Li Qiao sidestepped. “And you are…?”
“Your second brother, Xiao Qingyan.”
Xiao?
Second brother?
Li Qiao suddenly understood—the Xiao family, the one that had adopted her mother until she was ten!
So, he really was her brother.
But her mother wasn’t close to the Xiao family anymore.
Would it be inappropriate for her to get closer to them?
Her mother had always been wary of the Liu family using them to leech off the Xiaos.
Xiao Qingyan watched her conflicted expression with amusement.
“Qiaoqiao, with us here, Auntie will never suffer again.”
“But… what about the Liu family…?”
Xiao Qingyan chuckled. “The Liu family is nothing to the Xiaos. The only reason we tolerated them was for Auntie’s sake.”
Li Qiao hadn’t expected this.
The Xiao family and her mother, Liu Yusi, had been protecting each other all along.
Xiao Qingyan accompanied Li Qiao to visit Li Shaoxing in the hospital.
Li Shaoxing had mixed feelings about the Xiao family.
Over the years, while there hadn’t been much overt interaction, he and his brothers had visited the Xiaos during holidays.
Their parents would go too, but they’d always be hurried away by the Lius.
It was clear their mother had once cared deeply for her birth family, but years of disappointment had worn her down.
Now, she saw the Lius for who they really were.
“Shaoxing, rest well. You must come to Grandfather’s birthday banquet next month.”
The entire Li family was expected.
Li Shaoxing nodded solemnly. “I will.”
The Lis held a favorable view of the Xiaos.
Thanks to Liu Yusi’s ties, the younger generation got along decently—though “decently” was the operative word.
Li Shaoxing asked, “Is Qinglu coming back?”
“He is. And Shaoyu will be there too, right?”
“Yeah.”
Li Shaoxing’s response was terse.
The two exchanged a glance, mutual exasperation flashing in their eyes.
Li Qiao’s gaze darted between them, sensing something unspoken.
Who was Qinglu?
Shaoyu was her fourth brother, Li Shaoyu, a controversial figure in the entertainment industry with a legion of anti-fans.
“Xiao Qinglu is your sixth brother. He’s also in the industry—and he and Shaoyu are sworn rivals. On-screen or off, they’re mortal enemies.”
Xiao Qingyan didn’t elaborate further. Li Qiao would find out the rest eventually.
The mere thought of the two crossing paths gave both families a headache.
So that was the backstory.
After seeing Xiao Qingyan off, Li Qiao searched online for news about Xiao Qinglu and Li Shaoyu.
She found Li Shaoyu’s latest tweet:
Li Shaoyu V: “Hah! ‘White Moonlight’? More like ‘Black Moonlight’—that’s me!”
The replies were a circus:
-
“Li Shaoyu begging for attention again. Who’s he trying to impress?”
-
“Quit the industry already. Zero-talent pretty boy.”
-
“My king doesn’t need acting chops. His face IS the ratings.”
-
“^ Obvious hater.”
The vitriol escalated. Switching to Xiao Qinglu’s page, she saw:
Xiao Qinglu V: “My dream? To be the entertainment industry’s ‘White Moonlight.’”
Fans fawned:
-
“Qinglu is too pure for this world!”
-
“Li Shaoyu’s just jealous. Stop leaching off our idol!”
-
“OMG my ‘QingYu’ ship is sailing!”
-
“^ Delusional. Get help.”
Li Qiao marveled at the chaos.
No wonder they were rivals.
With fan armies like these, their feud would outlast the ages.
She closed her phone, done with the drama.
Soon, Xu Tong called—he was picking her up.
“Since when are you this nice?”
“Tch. Just repaying you for saving me.”
He’d planned to go swimming today, but her warning echoed in his head the moment he stepped into the pool.
He’d turned around and left.
She’d spooked him good.
Li Qiao grinned. Xu Tong’s fear was downright entertaining.
He resisted believing her, yet couldn’t shake it off.
Classic trauma response.
“Stop laughing.”
“Scared?”
“…Yeah.”
His sudden honesty disarmed her.
She’d never mock genuine fear.
The supernatural unnerved everyone.
Back home, she waved him off.
Grandpa Li was in the yard chatting with an elderly man she didn’t recognize.
“Qiaoqiao! This is Grandpa Liang, my old friend.”
“Hello, Grandpa Liang.”
“Ah, what a bright, lovely girl!”
Grandpa Liang beamed at her.
Not wanting to intrude, Li Qiao fetched fruit for them.
The small gesture moved Grandpa Liang deeply.
“Daughters are blessings. I never had children… or grandchildren.”
His voice cracked.
Li Qiao studied his face. No descendants? Impossible.
But she kept quiet.
By lunchtime, the house was bustling with preparations to host Grandpa Liang.
As the elders played chess outside, Li Qiao asked her mother about their guest.
“Grandpa Liang fought in the war. When he returned, his village had been… wiped out.”
The unspoken horror hung in the air.
Afterwards, he never remarried.
His wife had been his childhood sweetheart.
Decades later, he still couldn’t move on.
Liu Yusi sighed. “Your grandpa urged him to remarry, but he refused. ‘One wife, one lifetime,’ he’d say.”
Touched, Li Qiao hesitated before speaking.
“Mom… his face shows he has a son and grandchildren.”
Liu Yusi’s teacup clattered. “Qiaoqiao, are you—?” Then doubt crept in. “But the village was destroyed. If this is false hope…”
