Hidden identities of the AI Heiress

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Questioning (4)Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Qiao Yun scanned him with her eyes and found his brow furrowed, an expression weighed down with heavy thoughts, further confirming that Lu Jingzhi was ill.

With sincere concern, she said, “If you’re sick, you should see a doctor early, don’t delay the treatment.”

Lu Jingzhi, however, thought Qiao Yun was showing concern for him, and a hint of guilt surged in his heart.

He had so many misunderstandings about Qiao Yun before, yet she was still concerned about whether he was ill.

“Qiaoqiao,” Lu Jingzhi’s voice was a bit hoarse, “I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Qiao Yun lifted her eyelids to look at him, her obedient demeanor softened Lu Jingzhi’s gaze slightly.

Lu Jingzhi watched her for a while, then asked her, “You knew all along that Tingting was lying, didn’t you?”

At this, Qiao Yun raised her eyebrows and admitted, “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

Lu Jingzhi couldn’t understand why she didn’t simply reveal the truth to them. If it hadn’t been exposed by Pei Ya, perhaps the truth would have remained hidden forever.

Did she not mind at all that the credit for her deeds was misunderstood as someone else’s?

Qiao Yun calmly replied, “Because you wouldn’t believe me, so I had to wait for you to discover the truth yourself.”

She was speaking the truth, a statement that stabbed directly into Lu Jingzhi’s heart, weighing him down.

But he couldn’t refute it.

Qiaoqiao was right. Even if she had told him the truth at the beginning, he most likely would have still chosen to believe Tingting, assuming Qiaoqiao was lying.

However, once he discovered the truth himself, he had no choice but to believe it.

To Qiaoqiao’s eyes, he wasn’t a brother worthy of trust, leaving Lu Jingzhi feeling conflicted.

Looking into Qiao Yun’s dark, clear eyes, devoid of any impurities, he remained silent for a long while before taking out a gift from his suit pocket.

It was a beautifully wrapped small box.

“This is for you,” Lu Jingzhi said in a soft voice, his gaze filled with expectation.

With little emotion, Qiao Yun said, “Can I not accept the gift?”

“Why, don’t you like it?” Lu Jingzhi frowned, his secretary had told him that all young girls liked this type of necklace, and he had thought Qiao Yun would like it.

“I don’t know what to give you.” Qiao Yun seemed troubled, the Lu family really liked giving gifts.

Lu Jingzhi was taken aback, “I don’t need you to give me anything.”

“I can’t,” Qiao Yun’s voice was soft as she told him, “Grandpa said that you can’t just take things without giving anything in return. Once you’ve reciprocated, the score is settled and no one owes anyone. Then you won’t be morally blackmailed later.”

That’s why she had never accepted any gifts from those people.

The gifts from the Lu family were hard to refuse, but she had always reciprocated with something worth more than the gifts.

Lu Jingzhi found it unbelievable, as he had thought Qiao Yun was eager to return.

After returning, she certainly wanted to find a way to integrate into the family.

However, he hadn’t anticipated that from the beginning, Qiao Yun had kept a clear separation from them. That’s not how family members interact.

It turned out it wasn’t that Qiao Yun hadn’t entered their world—it was them who hadn’t stepped into Qiao Yun’s world, and he had even pushed Qiao Yun further away.

With an indecipherable look, Lu Jingzhi took back the gift, “I understand, I won’t disturb your rest then.”

Qiao Yun’s way of thinking must be corrected, real family members don’t interact like this.

But he didn’t know how to do it, Qiao Yun gave off a strong sense of distance. If only she could be more proactive.

After Lu Jingzhi left Qiao Yun’s room, he shared everything he knew with Lu Rui.

Lu Rui was silent for a long time, his voice heavy as he said, “Call Tingting here.”

Lu Ting came soon after, her heart tightened seeing her father and older brother together, and the next second she heard Lu Jingzhi confront her directly.

“Why did you lie to me?”

The color drained from Lu Ting’s face.