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Chapter 12: Li Qingqing is Suspected
Chapter 12: Li Qingqing is Suspected
Chapter 12
Under the pursuit of the TV crew, with Sheng Yuxiao chasing relentlessly behind, the pig was finally caught.
Sheng Yuxiao heaved a long sigh, sweating profusely from the run.
"Li Xiaoya, you're too daring," Sheng Yuxiao said sternly, grabbing the little girl by the scruff of her neck, like picking up a cat.
Li Xiaoya leaned back slightly, meeting Sheng Yuxiao's gaze.
Her face was a picture of innocence and resilience, as if she was accustomed to handling such situations many times before... Without a hint of fear.
Sheng Yuxiao exhaled, and as other staff members came to help, he swiftly picked Li Xiaoya up.
"Do you know that if you fell and got stepped on, you could have lost your life?" Sheng Yuxiao scolded her fiercely.
Li Xiaoya wasn't intimidated. She looked up at him and said, "It doesn't matter. My life is worthless, even if I die, it won't be worth much."
Sheng Yuxiao's expression changed abruptly. "Who told you that?"
Only then did Li Xiaoya sense the dangerous aura emanating from him. She said quietly, "They... they all say that..."
Sheng Yuxiao took a deep breath, barely suppressing the anger surging in his heart.
What kind of place was this Li Family Village?
Weren't there any responsible adults?
He decided to take Li Xiaoya aside. They sat on the ridge of a field, watching the staff members carry the pig away.
Sheng Yuxiao asked Li Xiaoya, "Do you have any dreams?"
Li Xiaoya shook her head, bewildered.
Sheng Yuxiao realized this concept might be too grand for a child to understand.
He rephrased his question, "Do you miss the fourth grade?"
Li Xiaoya nodded.
"What about fifth and sixth grade? Do you want to keep studying?"
Li Xiaoya nodded repeatedly. "I want to study... Mom said I should study."
Sheng Yuxiao immediately said, "Then you must live on! You need to cherish your life to keep studying."
Li Xiaoya lowered her head and dug at the soil with her toe. Last year, her grandfather didn't want her to go to school anymore... She didn't know how long she could persist. Perhaps that money could help her hold on a little longer.
Sheng Yuxiao patted her head, a gesture that seemed unexpectedly gentle.
Outside the TV screen, Sheng Yuxiao's father's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Since when did he become so patient?" Sheng Jun turned and asked his wife.
Xu Qiulai, who had regained her composure, said, "It's a rare sight."
Meanwhile, Li Qingqing was leaning on the railing, her gaze fixed on the distant TV screen. Her hands gripped the railing tightly, her jealousy almost materializing and shooting towards Li Xiaoya.
How could this be?
How could this happen!
Why was Sheng Yuxiao still so kind to her?
That was Sheng Yuxiao, after all!
Li Qingqing's vision blurred for a moment as she thought of the adult Sheng Yuxiao. She had once been fortunate enough to encounter him at the airport.
The young man moved forward slowly, surrounded by bodyguards. His face was handsome, his eyes sharp, like a beautiful arrow, unleashing his intimidating aura on those around him without reservation.
As the heir to the Sheng Corporation, he was known for his ruthless tactics at a young age, intimidating countless people. But what shocked people the most was when he mentioned his sister in an interview, saying they were going to celebrate her birthday.
The media was surprised at the time and asked, "When did Mrs. Xu have a second child?"
Sheng Yuxiao replied, "She's our family's goddaughter."
It was only after seeing this news that Li Qingqing slowly learned that the Sheng family's goddaughter was actually Li Xiaoya from Li Family Village! That dusty, parentless Li Xiaoya!
From that moment on, she wished she could take Li Xiaoya's place and live that life of luxury.
This time I won't lose, how can I lose?
Li Qingqing encouraged herself repeatedly, then slowly walked downstairs, pretending to have just woken up. She rubbed her eyes and said, "Has Auntie returned?"
Xu Qiulai spared her a glance.
Li Qingqing immediately displayed deep admiration: "I've finally met you! I've seen Auntie's paintings, they're so good! I love them!"
"You've seen my paintings?" A flash of surprise crossed Xu Qiulai's eyes.
Li Qingqing nodded. "I've seen 'Spider Woman', 'Breaking the Cocoon', 'Death of the Moon'..." She rattled off several names of Xu Qiulai's paintings.
She continued, "My favorite is 'Breaking the Cocoon'. In the transparent cocoon, a helpless girl is curled up. At this moment, a hand reaches out, bloody, piercing through the cocoon wall, touching the girl's abdomen. The girl's abdomen splits open, revealing a corner of a butterfly wing..."
"It's very impactful. The viewer can directly perceive the unyielding will to break free from the cocoon. When she is determined, the world also extends a helping hand to her, clearing away her constraints."
"The colors in this painting are intense..."
Li Qingqing spoke eloquently, her words substantial.
She was certain she could touch Xu Qiulai's heart.
After all, these were the words of a famous critic, copied verbatim. They couldn't be wrong!
Sheng Jun exclaimed in surprise, "Unexpected."
The danmu also said: [Wow, Li Qingqing knows so much]
[For a girl from the countryside to have such insight is amazing]
Li Qingqing finished speaking confidently, then looked at Xu Qiulai's expression.
What she saw made her freeze.
She realized Xu Qiulai was... scrutinizing her.
That's right, not admiring, no pleasant surprise, but a cool scrutiny.
Why was this happening?
Li Qingqing timidly asked, "Auntie, did I say something wrong?"
Xu Qiulai spoke without mercy: "Who taught you to say these things?"
Li Qingqing clenched her hands: "Auntie, what do you mean? I don't understand..."
Xu Qiulai frowned slightly: "This doesn't sound like something a child your age would say."
Li Qingqing felt a surge of hatred, not expecting Xu Qiulai to be so unsympathetic. She wanted to retort, asking if Xu Qiulai had never seen a genius before!
But Li Qingqing didn't dare, so she could only look at Xu Qiulai with a hurt expression.
At this moment, Xu Qiulai turned to her husband: "Doesn't this speech style sound familiar?"
Sheng Jun hesitated for a moment: "...It sounds like what Zhao Quan would say when commenting on your paintings."
Li Qingqing's heart sank.
Zhao Quan was that famous critic.
He actually knew the Sheng couple!
[Isn't Sheng Yuxiao's mother being a bit too picky? Why is she giving such a hard time to this little girl? I think Li Qingqing did very well]
[+1, Li Qingqing was clearly trying to please her, but got a cold shoulder in return, ugh]
[Speechless. Do you guys have any brains? No wonder she's a great artist, and you're just keyboard warriors. Ms. Xu wasn't wrong; Li Qingqing definitely couldn't have come up with those words on her own.]
By this time, tears were already streaming down Li Qingqing's face. "Did... did I say something wrong? Auntie, please don't be angry."
Xu Qiulai slowly stood up. "I'm a bit tired. I'll go rest now."
Sheng Jun immediately got up as well, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Mm, you have to fly abroad tomorrow. Come on, I'll go run your bath water."
Li Qingqing stood there helplessly, her heart being eaten away by jealousy.
Why would a big shot like Sheng Jun personally run bath water for his wife?
Xu Qiulai turned to go upstairs. After a few steps, she felt it wasn't quite right to leave the young girl like that, so she patted her husband's arm. "Say a few words to comfort her."
Sheng Jun nodded, smiling as he said, "Alright. I've actually imagined before how I'd console a daughter if we had one. I guess today's the perfect opportunity to put that into practice."
Meanwhile, Li Xiaoya and Sheng Yuxiao were still huffing and puffing as they repaired the pigsty.
"...It stinks so bad!" Sheng Yuxiao suddenly raised his head, exhaling heavily.
How on earth did he, the dignified young master, end up in this situation?
The audience was wondering the same thing.
[Heir to a billion-dollar fortune, reduced to repairing pigsties in a village! Is this a twisted human nature or a moral decline?]
[It must be Li Xiaoya's magical influence]