Chapter 244

Chapter 244: Big Trouble Ahead

“What?”

What Du An Rao said surprised everyone else in the room.

Ms. Qiu was the first to look at her friend: “You two have met before?”

That Auntie had not expected Du An Rao to remember her. She said, a bit unsure: “We probably saw each other once from afar in the exhibition hall.”

“Then what do you mean by speaking up for her?”

“It does not really count as speaking up for Miss Du. I just told the truth.”

“Let me explain.”

It turned out that in the exhibition hall of the auction house that day, Du Tian Ci and Du Wei Shuai and the others had taken the initiative to come find Du An Rao. They hinted that she was just a burden who had gotten Du De Sheng’s favor only because of Qin Yan Qing, and they threw sour words at her, implying over and over that she did not deserve her place. They also tried to use their identities as older brother and elders to press her down and crush her spirit.

But Du An Rao did not play along at all. She even tore off the fake masks of the father and sons and stomped on them a few times.

Back then, this Auntie had been in the crowd watching. She did not just watch. She cooperated with Du An Rao and clearly said that this family had tried to eat up Du De Sheng’s last bit of wealth, only to be punished by him instead. They had already cut ties with him, but they still called themselves Du De Sheng’s relatives everywhere to trick people who did not know the truth and make money. In the end, she even pointed out sharply that this whole family was full of envy and hatred because Du An Rao alone had gained Du De Sheng’s favor.

“Even though I was sure I would not suffer under that father and son, if this Auntie had not cooperated so well and helped explain their terrible relationship with my granduncle and all the awful things they did early on, some people might really have been misled by them and then tried to use moral standards to force me to bow my head to them.”

[Even though I never bother being moral to people like that, running into them even once is still disgusting. It is really tiring to talk to those fence?sitters who know nothing but still think they are righteous. Auntie really saved me from that mess.]

Hearing this, Auntie was a bit embarrassed: “Miss Du, you are too polite. I was just speaking my mind. I could not stand seeing that greedy bunch of grown men bullying a young girl like you. I just said a few fair words without thinking, and I never thought you would remember me. I am really honored.”

Du An Rao smiled, then turned to look at Ms. Qiu: “So they are the ones you messaged me about, the ones you were going to bring along? Are you friends?”

“Yes. He is my and my husband’s junior schoolmate, and he is also a very important partner of our company. His family name is Liu. The one next to him is his wife. Her family name is Qi.”

“Nice to meet you. I am also Auntie Qiu’s friend. My family name is Du.”

“We know, we know. We have long heard of you, Miss Du. We have always wanted a chance to meet you, but for various reasons we missed the chance before. Today we finally get to meet you in person.”

“You wanted to meet me because Auntie Qiu mentioned me to you?”

“Yes.” Mr. Liu looked at his wife and then said straight out: “We have heard Sister Qiu talk about you, and we know about your skills. To tell the truth, my wife and I came here today because there is something we would like to ask Master Du to help us with.”

A light flashed in Du An Rao’s eyes. She was not surprised at all.

She trusted the character of the Qiu mother and son. After spending time with them a few times, she also knew they were not rude people. If they suddenly said they wanted to bring extra people to a meal they had already agreed on, it would not be just to get a free meal.

“What do you want me to help with? I will say something ugly first. I do have some skills, but compared to those true experts who can move mountains and seas and do divination, I only know a little bit. I may not really be able to solve your problem.”

The couple looked at each other and both saw the same hint of disappointment in the other’s eyes.

But they were already at the point of having no other choice and were just giving it a try. They did not blame Du An Rao and only said: “It does not matter. We just want a clear answer so we can give up in our hearts if needed.”

“All right then. Tell me, what do you want from me?”

“To be honest with you, Master Du, my wife and I both really love children. After we got married, we never used birth control, but we still have not been able to have a child. Because of this, we have done many health checks over the years. They did not find any problem, but when it comes to having children, we just…”

“Pfft…” Before Mr. Liu could finish, Du An Rao choked on her drink.

[Come on, man. No, not man, uncle. If you cannot have a child, you should go see a doctor and get some treatment. Why are you coming to me? I am not some goddess who grants children. I cannot have the president get confused and steal a baby for you.]

Xi Jing Yue: “…”

“How long have you two been together?”

“We have been together since university. We have been together for more than twenty years and have been married for almost twenty years.”

“During that time, have you ever had a child?”

When Ms. Qi heard Du An Rao ask this, a trace of sadness appeared on her face: “We had one, but sadly we could not keep the baby.”

Mr. Liu comfortingly squeezed his wife’s hand: “Yes, we had one. When she was more than five months pregnant, we had an accident… and lost the baby. After that, she never got pregnant again.”

“At first we worried that the miscarriage had hurt her body too much, but the hospital did all kinds of tests and said there was nothing wrong with her health. We also tried taking medicine and doing IVF. In the end, they all failed.”

It was clear that this matter had hit the couple very hard. After Ms. Qi finished speaking, the two of them unconsciously leaned closer together, as if only in that way could they draw warmth from each other.

Hearing this, Du An Rao could not help frowning. She stared at the two of them for a long moment, and her expression changed.

Xi Jing Yue noticed the change in her expression. Just as he was about to ask, he heard her familiar exclamation in his mind.

[What is going on with these two? The resentment on them is so heavy, and there is blood too. Are they about to run into terrible bad luck, life?threatening bad luck!]

Xi Jing Yue’s eyes moved slightly. He subconsciously turned to glance at the couple who were still leaning on each other and comforting each other.

Before he could think more, he heard Du An Rao raise her inner voice again in shock.

[Oh my god, so that is how it is. This is way too cruel!]

Xi Jing Yue: “…” So what exactly is going on? Is it not a bit immoral for you to cut off the story and eat the gossip all by yourself?

After she understood the couple’s basic situation, the look in Du An Rao’s eyes became more complex and sympathetic as she looked at them. She cleared her throat and asked in a low voice: “So what exactly did you come to me for today? I have to make it clear first, I have no experience when it comes to having children. I am afraid I may not be able to help you.”

The couple froze for a moment, then could not help laughing: “Master Du, you misunderstood. We just want you to help us see whether we are fated to be childless.”

“If you are, what do you plan to do?”

The expressions on the couple’s faces grew even more bitter: “If that is so, then it means our blessings as a couple are too thin, and we do not deserve to have our own child. We will give up and stop struggling. After that, we will decide whether to adopt a child or have one given into our family…”

“Given into your family?” Du An Rao raised an eyebrow, smiling but not smiling: “Are you planning to have Mr. Liu’s brother’s child given over to you?”