Miss Cousin is Always Busy

Chapter 230.1

While sitting under a crystal chandelier and surrounded by music coming from a violin, Qiu Ziqian leisurely sipped on his red wine while holding a soft conversation with Bai Yuwan.

The two sat across from each other, and the atmosphere at their table felt relaxed and pleasant. The two laughed and smiled throughout their conversation, clinking their glasses from time to time.

Jun Zishu watched this scene with cold eyes. She sat on the third floor, and her seat just so happened to grant her a perfect view of Qiu Ziqian and Bai Yuwan’s table on the second floor.

However, Jun Zishu only looked at the two adulterers for a brief moment before returning her gaze to Tang Qianqiu.

Tang Qianqiu did not notice the brief shift in Jun Zishu’s gaze as she was focused on chewing her food.

When Jun Zishu saw how earnestly Tang Qianqiu was eating, she suddenly felt the food in her mouth tasting significantly better.

Jun Zishu had originally planned to reserve a table downstairs and “coincidentally” come across Qiu Ziqian and Bai Yuwan. However, the tables on the second floor were already full by the time she called in to make a reservation, so she had no choice but to settle for a table on the third floor.

Qiu Ziqian and Bai Yuwan’s table was located far from the second floor’s entrance, and there was greenery surrounding it. So, there was no way Jun Zishu could fake a convincing chance encounter.

However, it didn’t matter. This little problem wasn’t enough to impact Jun Zishu’s plans.

When Jun Zishu diverted her gaze for the third time, Tang Qianqiu finally noticed something was amiss.

Previously, Tang Qianqiu had felt rather embarrassed whenever her gaze would occasionally meet Jun Zishu’s, and she would feel relieved yet disappointed when Jun Zishu turned her gaze away. However, when Jun Zishu stopped looking at her for the third time, she started to feel that something wasn’t right. It felt as if Jun Zishu wasn’t just looking away from her but looking at something else instead. Was there something downstairs attracting Jun Zishu’s attention?

“What are you looking at?” Tang Qianqiu asked out of curiosity.

“Your son isn’t very obedient, Mom,” Jun Zishu said as she kept her gaze fixed on Qiu Ziqian and Bai Yuwan.

Tang Qianqiu got up from her seat when she heard Jun Zishu’s answer. Then, she walked over to Jun Zishu’s side, followed Jun Zishu’s gaze, and saw Qiu Ziqian and Bai Yuwan talking. Although the two were sat some distance apart, anyone could see how intimate they were with each other based on their facial expressions.

“Is that Bai Yuwan sitting across from him?”

“Mhm.”

Tang Qianqiu frowned and pulled out her phone. However, just when she was about to give Qiu Ziqian a call, Jun Zishu suddenly stopped her and asked, “Are you going to call him, Mom?”

“I thought he’d already taken care of this,” Tang Qianqiu said, her disgust toward Bai Yuwan soaring to the extremes. She wanted nothing more than to get this person as far away from Jun Zishu right now. At the same time, her dissatisfaction with Qiu Ziqian also increased. She had already told Qiu Ziqian to settle his love affairs. Yet, here he was, having a private lunch with Bai Yuwan. It would seem that he didn’t take her words to heart at all.

“No need to get angry, Mom. We’ll just head downstairs and greet them afterward.”

Tang Qianqiu glanced at Jun Zishu. When she saw that there was indeed no sign of anger on Jun Zishu’s face, she nodded. After all, if Jun Zishu wasn’t angry, didn’t this mean she no longer cared about Qiu Ziqian?

“What do you plan on doing?”

“How far will you allow me to take things, Mom?”

“Anything is fine so long as you are happy.”

Tang Qianqiu never expected such dim-witted words to come out of her mouth. However, she meant what she said. She was fine with anything so long as Jun Zishu was happy. It wouldn’t be a problem even if Jun Zishu wanted to bring Qiu Ziqian to ruin. Just like she previously stated, Qiu Ziqian was merely an heir. She could easily find a new replacement if she wanted.

“Just watch, then, Mom. I’ll ask for your help if I need it.”

Jun Zishu felt that she needed to first find out what had caused Bai Yuwan to return to the country. Only after doing so would she have a better time targeting her.

“Okay.” Tang Qianqiu nodded. “Actually, so long as I explicitly forbid Qiu Ziqian from having any more dealings with Bai Yuwan, he will most likely agree to it.”

“That’s no good. I’m sure you know how much Qiu Ziqian liked Bai Yuwan in the past. That feeling remains the same even now. While forcibly separating them might keep them apart physically, Qiu Ziqian’s heart will certainly be thinking of Bai Yuwan all the time. As for Bai Yuwan, she could simply marry another person and carry on with her comfortable life. Such an outcome won’t do. How can I let them get away so easily?” Jun Zishu said, shaking her head. She wanted to shatter every aspect of Qiu Ziqian’s self-righteous face.

“What about you?”

“Me? After I enact my plan, I will naturally give the position of Mrs. Qiu to Bai Yuwan, and she will have to take it whether she likes it or not.”

Hearing Jun Zishu revealing her schemes so boldly before her, Tang Qianqiu couldn’t help but give Jun Zishu’s nose a tap and ask, “Do you trust me so much? You are aware that you are scheming against my son right before me, right?”

“Didn’t you say I should do whatever I want, Mom? I know you treat me the best,” Jun Zishu said as she hooked her pinky around Tang Qianqiu’s pinky and shook it around. She had Tang Qianqiu wrapped around her little finger, both literally and figuratively. She was confident that she could get Tang Qianqiu to do whatever she wanted with just a little flirting.

…

Afterward, Jun Zishu went downstairs by herself and walked to the innermost part of the dining area.

“What a coincidence, Miss Bai. I didn’t expect you to be having lunch here with Ziqian.”

Setting down her cutlery, Bai Yuwan wiped her mouth with a napkin and replied, “What a coincidence. Did you also come here to have lunch, Miss Jian?”

Both Bai Yuwan and Qiu Ziqian behaved naturally even after seeing Jun Zishu. Qiu Ziqinan felt that he was only having lunch with a friend, so he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. As for Bai Yuwan, although she looked at this situation differently, she still behaved generously when dealing with Jun Zishu.

“Yes. I was having lunch upstairs just now and just so happened to see you two, so I decided to come down and say hello.”

“The signature dishes here are excellent. Ziqian and I have visited this place several times already. You should give them a try if you get the chance, Miss Jian,” Bai Yuwan said with a smile, her words making it sound as if she and Qiu Ziqian were the couple while Jun Zishu was the outsider.

“Thank you for your suggestion.”

“By the way, how is your body faring? I didn’t get to visit you when you were discharged from the hospital. I do hope that everything is alright?” Bai Yuwan asked with a concerned look. However, rather than feeling concerned over Jun Zishu’s wellbeing, she was concerned that Jun Zishu would forget about her miscarriage.

“I’ve already recovered. I’m delighted to hear that you still remember it.”

Bai Yuwan would naturally remember it. She eagerly hoped that Jun Zishu would’ve lost her ability to bear children after that fall.

Qiu Ziqian couldn’t find an appropriate time to intervene in the conversation, so he could only watch as the two women conversed.

“It’s something I should do. After all, Ziqian is my close friend,” Bai Yuwan said with a smile. “Did you come here to dine by yourself, Miss Jian?”

“No, I came with my mother-in-law,” Jun Zishu said, smiling while taking in the minute changes in Bai Yuwan’s expression.

Bai Yuwan could provoke Jun Zishu as much as she wanted in front of Qiu Ziqian because she knew that Qiu Ziqian was biased towards her. However, if Tang Qianqiu had been present, her provocations would probably result in an unpleasant situation for herself.

Bai Yuwan knew about Qiu Ziqian’s adopted mother. She also knew who the Tang family truly belonged to.

After hearing Jun Zishu’s words, Bai Yuwan couldn’t help but feel a little distressed. Didn’t Qiu Ziqian say that his mother would rarely return home and that she paid no attention whatsoever to his marriage?

“My mom is also here?” Qiu Ziqian asked, uttering his first words since Jun Zishu appeared. Then, he quickly looked around, only to fail to find Tang Qianqiu’s figure anywhere.

“Mom went to the restroom. There, she just came out. Mom, over here.”

Jun Zishu beckoned, and Tang Qianqiu came over.

“Mom.”

Qiu Ziqian promptly stood up and smiled at Tang Qianqiu.

“Hello, Auntie.”

Bai Yuwan also stood up and politely greeted Tang Qianqiu.

“This is?” Tang Qianqiu asked as she looked at Bai Yuwan.

“Mom, this person here is Miss Bai. She’s the same Miss Bai that you know,” Jun Zishu said, introducing Bai Yuwan before Qiu Ziqian could do so.

“Oh, so you’re the Miss Bai who sat on my son’s lap and caused my daughter-in-law to miscarry? I’ve heard a lot about you,” Tang Qianqiu said as she looked at Bai Yuwan coldly.

“Auntie, you misunderstood. Ziqian and I…”

Bai Yuwan’s face paled when she heard Tang Qianqiu’s words. She originally thought she had done a good job taking care of the loose ends in this matter. However, she didn’t think a problem would crop up on Tang Qianqiu’s side. If she couldn’t get Tang Qianqiu’s acknowledgment, so what if she married Qiu Ziqian?

“No need to say that I misunderstood. Is what I stated not the truth? Did you not sit on my son’s lap?”

“Mom, that was just a misunderstanding.”

“Shut up. Did I let you speak?”

Tang Qianqiu sent Qiu Ziqian a cold glare, instantly silencing Qiu Ziqian.

Bai Yuwan couldn’t help but feel embarrassed in this situation. While doing her best to remain calm, she said, “Auntie, that was just a joke…”

“We are businessmen. What we care about is not the nature of the cause, but the cause and the result, instead. The cause of this incident is you sitting on my son’s lap, and the result is my daughter-in-law miscarrying. Did I get anything wrong?”

“No,” Bai Yuwan answered while greeting her teeth. They were currently still inside the restaurant, and there were many guests on the second floor. Everyone who heard their conversation had turned to look at them, and she could feel the strange gazes all of these people were giving her.

“Qingqing might not care because she is generous, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care, Miss Bai. It is my opinion that an upright person should be self-aware and self-respecting. No matter how good of a relationship you share with a person, it is not an excuse for you to sit on the lap of a married man. That is too frivolous of an action. I have some impressions of you. You are a child of the Bai family, right? You’re not a person without status. My Tang family wouldn’t dare accept a woman who would casually sit on the laps of other people’s husbands as a daughter-in-law. Fortunately, Qingqing isn’t that sort of woman.”

Tang Qianqiu criticized Bai Yuwan initially, but she ended up singing praises of Jun Zishu by the end of her speech.

Tang Qianqiu had also made her intentions clear with her words—she wouldn’t accept Bai Yuwan as her daughter-in-law.

“What you say is right, Auntie. I will take note of this in the future.”

Bai Yuwan knew that she would only be digging herself a deeper hole if she kept on trying to make excuses for herself. She didn’t wish to say anything more to worsen Tang Qianqiu’s opinion of her, either. So, she had no choice but to stomach her anger and humiliation.

Although she had successfully gotten rid of Jian Qing’s child, she had ended up offending Tang Qianqiu in the process. Whether her efforts would remain worthwhile would depend on her actions later on.

However, Bai Yuwan wouldn’t let her efforts go to waste, no matter what.

Seeing this, Jun Zishu couldn’t help but admit that Bai Yuwan was truly capable of enduring hardships. Despite Tang Qianqiu mocking her so explicitly, Bai Yuwan could still keep a smile on her face, albeit a stiff one, and agree with what Tang Qianqiu said.

Qiu Ziqian, on the other hand, wasn’t so good at controlling his emotions, his complexion turned ashen when he saw his mother humiliating Bai Yuwan to such an extent. However, he dared not say anything in retaliation, either. The only thing he could do was glare at Jun Zishu angrily.

Jun Zishu had no idea why Qiu Ziqian was glaring at her. Her mother-in-law was berating her husband’s mistress, yet her husband was glaring at her, his wife. Was he thinking that she wasn’t virtuous enough for not trying to regulate this relationship? Or was he blaming her for coming to greet them and causing Bai Yuwan to get berated?

As a response to Qiu Ziqian’s glare, Jun Zishu glared back at him and even gave him a false smile.

“Let’s go.”

Tang Qianqiu couldn’t be bothered to say more. After having Jun Zishu hold her arm, they left the restaurant.

Aside from telling Qiu Ziqian to shut up, Tang Qianqiu did not say anything else to Qiu Ziqian.