Although Xu Yiyi and Xu An'an looked soft, cute, and adorable, they were very hard to approach.
The reason why Tang Li got along well with them was simply that he had been by their side since they were little.
Ordinary people couldn't easily gain the trust of Xu Yiyi and Xu An'an in a short period of time.
Lu Chuanbai was an exception, which made Tang Li can't help but wonder if it was because of the father - son connection and blood relationship.
"You must be very tired after a whole - night flight. Go back and get some sleep quickly. My mother has already prepared the room for you."
Xu Qingqing didn't want to continue this topic. She glossed over it and turned around to leave.
But Tang Li asked her from behind, "Xu Qingqing, you know my feelings for you, right?"
Xu Qingqing paused for a moment, pretended not to hear, and kept walking.
Tang Li wasn't a kind - hearted person. At the very beginning, he approached Xu Qingqing because he had something to gain from her, as she could be of help to him.
She didn't know why Tang Li had fallen in love with her. He had hinted to her more than once that he was willing to accept the two children, treat them as his own, and even be willing not to have children of his own.
Xu Qingqing was very grateful for his affection, but she didn't plan to accept it. She didn't know why, but just thinking about getting married and sleeping in the same bed with Tang Li in the future felt strange.
Xu Qingqing just wanted to raise the two children well. She could live a good life even without a partner.
Unlike the harmonious atmosphere in the Xu family, at this moment, the atmosphere in the Gu family was as tense as a red - hot iron pan. One drop of water splashing in would cause an instant explosion.
"Damn it! You've disgraced the Gu family!" Father Gu slapped the table twice and pointed at Gu Anrou's nose.
"I shouldn't have trusted you in the first place. You said it was only for foreign customers. Now look what you've done! You've caused a huge mess!"
Father Gu had just received a call from the police station, asking Gu Anrou to cooperate with the investigation.
Gu Anrou panicked completely and kept begging, "Dad, what if the police come to the door? I don't want to go to jail!"
If she went to jail, her life would be ruined!
"What else can we do? Admit your mistake obediently and claim that you had no idea about this." Seeing his daughter's anxious look, Father Gu sat down in disappointment, looking as if he had aged ten years.
"Even if they arrest you for interrogation, you should say that you were deceived. Do you understand?"
"Got it." Gu Anrou nodded like a pounding garlic, fidgeting. The slightest noise outside could startle her.
She was afraid that the police would come for her.
After soothing Gu Anrou, Father Gu called someone for help. He apologized again and again, and managed to reduce Gu Anrou's crime from being the mastermind to an innocent victim being used by others. She only got a verbal warning.
However, the reputation of the Gu family was still damaged because of this incident. People would always mention the tomb - raiding incident when talking about the Gu family's auction house.
What saddened Gu Anrou the most wasn't this, but that all the cultural relics had been taken away by the police, not a single one left.
The mysterious man was still urging her to settle the money from selling the cultural relics.
"Where's the money from the auction? Hurry up and give it to me. The brothers below are waiting for their share!"
Gu Anrou said angrily, "I almost got killed because of you! The police came and took all the things away. I didn't make a single cent!"
She had also suffered a great loss!
Hearing that there was no money, the mysterious man exploded, "What! The things were taken away? You're so useless! Your auction house should compensate!"
"Why should I! I've also lost a lot of money!" Gu Anrou gritted her teeth in hatred when she thought of Xu Qingqing standing on the stage smiling.
"You promised me that if I helped you sell the things, you would help me with one more thing!"
"Pfft!" The mysterious man was amused by her greedy way of thinking, "You didn't even make me any profit. Why should I help you! Compensate!"
"I don't care. If you don't help me, our cooperation ends here. If you do help me, I'll apply for compensation for you."
Gu Anrou threatened.
"Moreover, helping me is also helping yourself. It was Xu Qingqing who called the police that caused the auction to fail!"
The mysterious man hesitated and thought that Gu Anrou made sense, "What do you want me to do..."
The next morning, the two kids carried the snack bags prepared by Grandma Xu and went out to play with Grandma Xu and Tang Li.
Xu Qingqing asked for leave from Lu Qi and was going to report to the task force recommended by Professor Zhou.
Although the task force was to assist the police, their base wasn't in the police station, but in an ancient - looking villa.
The outer wall of the villa was covered with red ivy, and the courtyard of the villa was clean and tidy.
There was a big banyan tree in the courtyard. Under the big banyan tree, there was a small blue shed. An old man with gray hair, wearing a white protective suit and a mask, was restoring a bronze ware.
Xu Qingqing walked over carefully and stood silently behind the old man, watching.
The process of restoring cultural relics was most afraid of being disturbed by others. Once the train of thought was disrupted, it would be very difficult to get it back.
Xu Qingqing stood in the courtyard for a full hour. Only after the old man finished the restoration did he put down the tweezers in his hand, take off his mask, and slowly straighten up.
The old man stretched and saw Xu Qingqing standing behind him, "Who are you?"
Xu Qingqing introduced herself, "I'm Xu Qingqing. I was recommended by Professor Zhou. I'm here to join the special task force for cultural relic restoration."
"Ah, you were recommended by little Zhou!" The old man took off his reading glasses, "You've been waiting here since I started the restoration?"
Xu Qingqing nodded.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"It's okay. I can wait." Xu Qingqing's tone showed no impatience at all. She was humble and polite.
Hearing Xu Qingqing's words, a look of appreciation flashed in the old man's eyes.
He had noticed this girl as soon as she came in. It was just that there was a bronze fragment that he couldn't attach properly for a long time, and he also wanted to test this girl, so he made her wait a while longer.
Unexpectedly, this girl was really well - behaved and patient.
The old man came out of the shed, taking off his protective suit as he asked, "What cultural relics have you restored? How many years of experience do you have?"
"I've restored mostly privately - collected antiques. I've been learning restoration from my father since I was a child." Xu Qingqing answered truthfully.
"Okay, come in first."
The old man was a bit skeptical about Xu Qingqing because she had never restored any formal cultural relics. He thought she was a bit unreliable.
The rooms in the villa were also antique - looking. All the furniture was made of mahogany, and the floor was covered with shiny red - wooden planks.
The spacious living room had been converted into three workbenches. Two people in protective suits were working on restoring cultural relics in front of the workbenches.
The old man clapped his hands, "Stop what you're doing. We have a new member. Let's welcome her."
The two people took off their masks, and only then did Xu Qingqing see their faces clearly.
One was a young man with gray - dyed hair and earrings. His fox - like eyes were full of charm. The other was about the same age as the gray - haired young man, but with a serious expression on his face.