Qin Cha smiled without really smiling, "It has been a long time, dear sister."
Qin Yun glanced meaningfully at Qin Cha, standing obediently behind their grandfather and giving him a comforting back rub.
"Grandpa, it's been three years since I last saw my sister. She's always busy with work, and I thought coming here to see you might give me a chance to see her, but I always seem to miss her. Even if she's busy, she shouldn't have missed the family banquet for several years, right? She can't neglect her family like this."
Qin Mingyuan responded indifferently, "I should come home more often."
Hearing this, Qin Yun looked at Qin Cha provocatively, hoping to see her sister embarrassed.
But Qin Cha had already expected Qin Yun would try to trip her up and didn't let her get away with it.
"Don't worry about it, little sister. I'm sorry you had to wait so long to see me, but if you really missed me, why didn't you even call me? If you want to have dinner with me, I'll make time even if I'm busy. I've also heard you only come to see grandpa when you're in trouble, but you're not very attentive otherwise."
The meaning was clear: don't pretend to care about me.
Neither of them wanted to let the other win, and Qin Yun naturally heard the sarcasm in Qin Cha's words. She looked displeased but didn't dare get angry in front of their grandfather.
"What are you talking about, sister? I do miss you, but I know you're busy. You never come back even during holidays, so how can I bother you? But I can endure it. Grandpa must miss you more than I do these past three years. How can you not even come to see him? Are you that busy?"
Qin Yun refused to let Qin Cha off the hook. She wanted to hear from her sister's own mouth what she'd been doing during her three-year absence.
According to her sources, Qin Mo had found Qin Cha covered in blood when he went to pick her up. It seemed she hadn't been doing well these past few years.
Qin Yun was happy to hear that Qin Cha hadn't been doing well.
If their grandfather knew Qin Cha hadn't been working hard the past three years, she wouldn't even qualify to compete with her.
Qin Cha glanced coldly at Qin Yun and chuckled, "I am busy, but we haven't settled our competition yet, so I won't report to you. I'll explain everything to grandpa privately."
Qin Yun gritted her teeth.
Let her be arrogant!
It would be best if Grandpa knew she hadn't done anything these past three years and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Qin Mo lazily changed the subject, "Xiao Cha is indeed very busy. Haven't you noticed she's lost weight? As for Xiao Yun, it seems she's been doing well these past few years. Her face looks much rounder now."
Which girl could bear to hear someone say she'd gained weight? Qin Yun immediately blushed and shot back, "Did Second Cousin recently become nearsighted? Where could I gain weight?"
She strictly controlled her weight, how could she have gained weight?
"Ah, you didn't gain weight? Maybe it's because you're standing next to your sister and look stronger, which made me misunderstand. Sorry about that," Qin Mo said, but there was no real apology on his face.
Of course he would protect his sister.
Qin Yun: "..."
Wasn't he basically saying she wasn't as thin as Qin Cha?
Bah, what's so great about being skinny? It looks like she's being abused.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yun refused to be weak. "Second Brother, you're biased..."
"Okay, okay, we finally have the chance to sit down and talk quietly. Don't make my ears hurt with your bickering," Qin Mingyuan, getting older, hated noise the most.
He glanced at Qin Yun and spoke in a deep voice.
Qin Yun, interrupted, closed her mouth unwillingly, clenching her fists.
Why didn't Grandpa say anything when Qin Cha talked earlier?
It was obvious Qin Cha was favored!
What was wrong with her compared to Qin Cha? Why was the whole family so biased?
"Grandpa, dinner is ready."
Chen Bo Shishi appeared and spoke up.
Qin Mingyuan nodded and waved at the three children. "Let's eat."
The table was filled with exquisite dishes, and the ones in front of Qin Cha were all her favorite dishes since she was a kid.
She felt warm inside and looked at Chen Bo with a smile, knowing he must have taken care of her.
Chen Bo smiled back, his eyes full of kindness.
"Um..."
Qin Cha picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and was about to eat it when she suddenly couldn't stand the taste and felt nauseous.
She covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom.
Seeing her sister in distress, Qin Mo frowned and followed her inside, worried.
Chen Bo looked a little surprised and quickly picked up the sweet and sour pork ribs to check, then took a bite.
Strange...the color, smell, and taste were all perfect. There was absolutely nothing wrong.
This was clearly the dish Miss used to love the most.
Qin Mingyuan's brow furrowed slightly.
After vomiting, Qin Cha lost her appetite. She rinsed her mouth and sat back, feeling a little uncomfortable. When she met Qin Mo's worried gaze, she shook her head, telling him not to worry.
"Miss, are you feeling unwell?" Chen Bo asked anxiously.
Qin Cha shook her head and casually made an excuse. "It's nothing, Chen Bo. Maybe I'm a little carsick, but I'll be fine soon."
At that moment, Qin Mo took a piece of hawthorn cake from the table and held it to Qin Cha's lips. "Try this."
The sour and sweet taste made Qin Cha feel much better. "Thanks, Second Brother. It's delicious."
Qin Yun, who had been watching all this, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Sister, with all the vomiting and craving for sour stuff, anyone who didn't know better would think you're pregnant," Qin Yun said, barely holding back her laughter as she looked for a chance to mock Qin Cha, not realizing she'd accidentally guessed the truth.
Qin Cha studied Qin Yun carefully, trying to figure out if she really knew something or was just talking nonsense.
She replied casually, "What are you thinking, little sister? Just because you vomit and crave sour things doesn't mean you're pregnant. Why don't you try riding Second Brother's car later and see what it feels like to be pregnant?"
Qin Cha tried to sound natural, but she could feel Qin Lao Ye silently staring at her.
Qin Yun, rebuffed, rolled her eyes in frustration.
Years passed, but Qin Cha's sharp tongue was as fierce as ever.
"What have you been doing these past three years, Xiao Cha?" Qin Mingyuan suddenly asked, catching everyone off guard.
Qin Yun immediately perked up and gloated, "Sister, look! Grandpa cares about you. Why don't you tell us all the achievements you've made during those busy years?"
Though she couldn't avoid the interrogation, Qin Cha simply replied, "Grandpa, I've been working on a promising project in a coastal city these past three years. Sorry I couldn't visit you more often. It's my fault."
Before Grandpa could say anything, Qin Yun cut in, "Going to another province isn't like going to another country. Even if you went abroad, you'd still be under surveillance. It's hard to believe you haven't come back in three years. People might even think you ran off with someone."
Qin Cha frowned slightly and looked coldly at Qin Yun.
What did she really do all those years ago?
Or more like, how much did Qin Yun really know?