Heart Stealer

On a sunny afternoon, Mrs. Qiu and several of her friends went to a high-end beauty salon to enjoy a rare moment of relaxation.

Among this group of elegant ladies, Hu Mei seemed a little out of place.

She has always had an indescribable envy and jealousy towards Mrs. Qiu.

On the comfortable sofas in the beauty salon, the ladies enjoyed facial treatments while chatting about their recent situation.

At this time, Hu Mei deliberately turned the topic to Mrs. Qiu's daughter, Qiu Xue. "Mrs. Qiu, I often see Qiu Xue hanging out with a group of friends lately, both men and women, but I rarely see her new husband, Xiao Tuobang. Is there something wrong with their relationship?"

Every word Hu Mei said was full of thorns, and Mrs. Qiu immediately felt dissatisfied.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and she immediately retorted to Hu Mei, who was harboring ill intentions: "Hu Mei, where did you hear that? Qiu Xue and Xiao Tuobang have always had a good relationship. They each have their own social circles, and that doesn't mean they're not in love. But you, I heard your daughter was recently dumped. You should pay more attention to your own child."

Hu Mei's face suddenly turned ugly. She didn't expect Mrs. Qiu to expose her thoughts so directly.

She forced a smile, trying to hide her embarrassment: "Oh, Mrs. Qiu, I just said it casually, don't mind it. Of course I care about my daughter, but sometimes we can't interfere in young people's affairs."

Mrs. Qiu didn't give up. She continued, "Hu Mei, I know you might be jealous of me because of something, but making up rumors is not a good habit. We should support each other instead of talking about other people's private affairs behind their backs."

Hu Mei was speechless after hearing what Mrs. Qiu said. She knew that she had hit a hard wall this time.

The other ladies present also saw Hu Mei's intention. They either lowered their heads and remained silent, or exchanged meaningful glances.

Mrs. Qiu returned home, still thinking about what Hu Mei mentioned in the beauty salon.

She walked into the study and saw Qiu Rongyao sitting at the desk, flipping through documents intently.

She coughed lightly, attracting Qiu Rongyao's attention.

"Master, I heard some gossip about Qiu Xue and Xiao Tuobang in the beauty salon today." Mrs. Qiu's voice was a little uneasy.

Qiu Rongyao raised his head, frowned slightly, and put down the documents in his hand: "What gossip? What happened between Qiu Xue and Tuo Bang?"

Mrs. Qiu sat down, her tone revealing worry. "Some people said they weren't getting along, but I didn't believe it at first. But now that I think about it, Tuobang's behavior has been a little unusual. Before we got married, he wanted to stay at our house every day, but after we got married, he's been gone almost every day."

Qiu Rongyao pondered for a moment, recalling Xiao Tuobang's recent unusual behavior. He also felt something was amiss. "Indeed, I've noticed it too. He rushes off work every weekend, saying he's going back to the countryside to help his parents with farm work. He rarely went back so often before."

The two looked at each other and felt that this matter was of great importance.

Qiu Rongyao immediately picked up the phone and dialed the number of the driver, Uncle Ming: "Uncle Ming, please prepare the car, we are going to my son-in-law's house soon."

Soon, a black luxury car stopped at the door. Qiu Rongyao and Mrs. Qiu quickly got in the car. The car drove out of the gate smoothly and sped towards the son-in-law's villa.

In the car, Mrs. Qiu held her handbag tightly in her hand. She was feeling uneasy, not knowing what kind of situation she was about to face.

Qiu Rongyao had a serious expression on his face, determined to find out the truth himself and give his daughter the support and help she needed most.

The car drove through the city streets and finally arrived at the villa area where my daughter lived.

Just as Qiu Rongyao and Mrs. Qiu were about to get off the car, two people got out of the car in front. They were chatting and laughing, and waved goodbye to each other.

The two old men looked closely and found that it was Qiu Xue and Ye Qingyun.

Qiu Rongyao and Mrs. Qiu witnessed Qiu Xue and Ye Qingyun's farewell in the car, and Qiu Rongyao's emotions instantly became excited.

With trembling hands, he unbuckled his seat belt and was about to rush out of the car to question his daughter, but Mrs. Qiu reached out and held him back, signaling him not to be impulsive.

Qiu Rongyao barely suppressed his inner anger. The two of them waited quietly for Ye Qingyun to drive away. Only after they were sure that he was far away did they slowly open the car door and get out.

Qiu Xue was surprised when she saw her parents' unexpected arrival.

She quickly stepped forward, warmly ushered her parents into the living room, and poured hot tea for them.

Mrs. Qiu took the teacup and asked gently, "Qiuxue, we heard that there were some problems in your relationship with Tuobang. Is that true?"

Qiuxue shook her head and firmly denied it: "That's not true, Mom. Tuobang and I have always had a good relationship."

Qiu Rongyao's anger hadn't completely subsided. He said sternly, "It's been rumored everywhere that you two are having a relationship problem. We thought it was Xiao Tuobang's fault, but now that I've seen you and Ye Qingyun come back together, it seems we were wrong about him."

Qiu Xue tried to explain: "Dad, Ye Qingyun and I are just ordinary friends. We just ran into each other by chance today, nothing else..."

Qiu Rongyao interrupted her and said in a serious tone, "Qiu Xue, for your own good, from now on we will not allow you to have any contact with Ye Qingyun. We don't want to see your marriage affected by outside interference."

When Qiu Xue heard her father's decision, a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes, but she knew that her parents' concerns were not groundless.

She was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly, indicating that she accepted her parents' opinions.

After Qiu Rongyao returned home, he was still angry.

He sat on the sofa in the living room, his hands crossed on his knees, his brow furrowed, obviously thinking about how to deal with the situation.

Xiao Tuobang has been in poor condition recently, looking haggard and listless. It turns out that it was all caused by Qiu Xue's behavior.

Qiu Rongyao picked up the phone, swiped his finger across the address book, and found Ye Junhao's name. He hesitated for a moment and wanted to call him and ask Ye Junhao to discipline his son Ye Qingyun.

But Mrs. Qiu stopped him in time. She walked over to Qiu Rongyao and gently persuaded him, "Rongyao, we're not sure yet whether the cause of this incident is due to the relationship between Qiu Xue and Ye Qingyun. If we act rashly, it may cause a bigger misunderstanding, and then it will be difficult to resolve."

Qiu Rongyao's anger subsided a little after hearing his wife's words. He put down his phone, sighed deeply, and decided to take a more cautious approach to solve the problem.

“Okay, then I won’t call Ye Junhao first, but I have to talk to Ye Qingyun to see what he really thinks.”

Qiu Rongyao picked up his phone and dialed Ye Qingyun's number, trying to keep his tone calm: "Qingyun, this is Uncle Qiu. There are some things I want to discuss with you in person. When would it be convenient for you?"

Ye Qingyun seemed a little surprised when he received Qiu Rongyao's call, but he quickly agreed: "Uncle Qiu, I'm available anytime. Please set a time and place."

Qiu Rongyao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's meet at the coffee shop in the city center at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

Ye Qingyun agreed, and the two agreed on a time and place.

Qiu Rongyao hung up the phone, but his anxiety did not decrease. He knew that what he was about to face was not just a simple conversation, but a serious negotiation that could affect the relationship between two or even three families.

Mrs. Qiu looked at her husband and comforted him softly, "Rong Yao, no matter what the outcome, we must remain calm. For the sake of Qiu Xue and the harmony of the entire family, we must act with caution." Qiu Rongyao nodded.

At three o'clock in the afternoon of the second day, Qiu Rongyao and Ye Qingyun arrived at the agreed coffee shop on time. They exchanged a few words and then sat face to face. The atmosphere was a little tense.

Qiu Rongyao spoke first, saying in a serious tone, "Qingyun, I know you and Qiu Xue know each other, but I must make it clear to you that Qiu Xue is married. According to our traditional concepts, men and women should maintain an appropriate distance. I hope you can understand this."

Ye Qingyun smiled slightly, appearing very calm: "Uncle Qiu, I understand your concerns. But please rest assured, Qiu Xue and I are just ordinary friends. There is nothing between us that goes beyond friendship."

Qiu Rongyao wasn't satisfied with this answer. He pressed on, "Even so, if outsiders see you two together, there's bound to be gossip. Qiu Xue is a family woman, and I don't want her reputation to be damaged."

Ye Qingyun sighed. He knew this question wasn't easy to explain. "Uncle Qiu, I understand your concerns. But I want to make it clear that the relationship issues between Qiu Xue and Xiao Tuobang weren't caused by me. As for the specific reasons, I think they should explain it themselves, not me."

After hearing this, Qiu Rongyao frowned, but he didn't give up and continued to ask: "Qingyun, I hope you can tell me the truth. This is very important to our whole family."

Ye Qingyun shook his head and said firmly, "Uncle Qiu, I really can't provide any more information. I can only suggest that you go directly to Xiao Tuobang and Qiu Xue and let them tell you what happened in person. I believe they will give you the truth."

Seeing Ye Qingyun's persistence, Qiu Rongyao knew that further questioning would be fruitless.

He looked at Ye Qingyun deeply, then stood up and said politely, "In that case, I will ask Qiu Xue and the others. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me during your busy schedule."

Ye Qingyun also stood up and said sincerely, "You're welcome, Uncle Qiu. If there's anything I can help with, please feel free to let me know."

The two shook hands and said goodbye, and Qiu Rongyao left the cafe with full of doubts and worries.

He wished he could find Xiao Tuobang and Qiu Xue immediately and solve the mystery himself.