Chapter 133: Could This Be True Love?

After the waiter left, Su Mubai lowered his voice and said, “Qin Xuan, the biggest barrier between you two is actually this: you’re the student, and Xiaoqing is your teacher…”

“What?”

Qin Xuan was momentarily stunned.

A student and a teacher?

“That’s right. Our Su family has always been quite traditional in education. Otherwise, how could she have spent two years with Li Shihao without even holding hands once?”

Su Mubai felt somewhat relieved but also troubled. “Because of this, in Xiaoqing’s eyes, a student and a teacher can never be together. She’s been zoning out a lot lately, probably tangled up in this dilemma.”

“Really? I haven’t noticed her acting conflicted.”

Qin Xuan felt a bit frustrated.

“Do you really think Xiaoqing would show you when she’s conflicted?” Su Mubai shook his head with a smile. “She might seem normal in front of you, but at home, it’s different. She often looks distracted.”

“Im… impossible,” Qin Xuan said, hardly believing it. The idea that Su Muqing liked him but was heartbroken because of their roles seemed unbelievable.

“Why impossible? Listen to me,” Su Mubai said with an expectant smile. “Don’t be fooled by how indifferent she acts toward you on the surface. She cares deeply. If you put in some effort and find a way to bridge that biggest gap of teacher and student, everything can work out.”

Qin Xuan was speechless, downing his tea in one gulp.

“Are you excited? Don’t worry, I fully support you and will help you talk to Xiaoqing. It’s just a student and teacher relationship, what’s the big deal?”

Su Mubai went on, “Recently, didn’t an eighty-year-old professor marry a female graduate student under thirty? Teacher-student romances aren’t a problem at all…”

Qin Xuan nearly spat out his tea.

An eighty-year-old professor and a female graduate student under thirty? Married?

Could this be true love?

“Ahem, Brother Su, maybe we shouldn’t talk about that,” Qin Xuan said awkwardly.

Of course, he liked Su Muqing. But even if what Su Mubai said was true, Qin Xuan wasn’t about to make a move.

To him, love required mutual feelings.

If he truly wanted Su Muqing, he would have taken advantage when she was drugged before. But he didn’t want to exploit her vulnerability; a relationship without genuine affection only leads to pain.

It was the same now.

If Xiaoqing had reservations, even if they got together, she wouldn’t truly be happy. Qin Xuan wasn’t going to force anything.

“Ha, you’re shy now,” Su Mubai laughed heartily. “Alright, let’s drop that topic. By the way, keep an eye out—recently, the Li family is basically collapsing, and there are a few things I must tell you.”

“Oh?”

Qin Xuan looked curious.

“First, Wang Xiang—you probably already know about him,” Su Mubai said with a somber expression. “This time we wanted to bring his whole family down, including his father and mother. Unfortunately, someone in Yanjing is protecting him, so we had to let him go.”

“Do you know who’s protecting him?”

Qin Xuan frowned.

“Someone from the Wang family in Yanjing. Apparently, Wang Xiang’s mother is the old Wang patriarch’s illegitimate daughter.”

“Illegitimate daughter?”

Qin Xuan thought for a moment. The relationship was complicated—not exactly close, but if trouble arose, the Wang family wouldn’t just abandon her. Qin Xuan had no prior impression of the Wang family in Yanjing; he had never heard of them before and paid little mind.

But Wang Xiang himself annoyed Qin Xuan greatly.

“I hope that kid behaves himself. Otherwise, whether it’s the Wang family or some bastard’s, none of them will have an easy time.”

“Haha, Qin Xuan, if the Yanjing Wang family heard you say that, you’d be in big trouble,” Su Mubai said with a helpless shake of his head.

“Wang bastard?” Only Qin Xuan would say something like that.

“There’s only the two of us here, no way they could have overheard,” Qin Xuan chuckled, unbothered.

“Of course. But there’s something more important I need to tell you,” Su Mubai said, taking a bite of his food as his expression grew even more serious. “If you get into conflict with the Wang family, be very careful of the Zhao family.”

“Hm? Careful of the Zhao family?”

Qin Xuan frowned.

The Zhao family was the one Senior Brother Zhao Long belonged to—why be cautious of them?

“That’s right. Originally, the fact that Wang Xiang’s mother is the Wang patriarch’s illegitimate daughter wasn’t public knowledge. But when the Wang family intervened to protect Wang Xiang, someone from the Zhao family quickly sided with Wang Xiang and helped shield him.”

“What? How could that be?”

Qin Xuan was surprised.

In his view, Zhao Long was the heir to the Zhao family; his will should represent the entire clan. And those targeting Wang Xiang included not only Zhao Long but also the military faction Zhao Jun. How could anyone from the Zhao family side with Wang Xiang under those circumstances?

But then he reconsidered. Zhao Long was merely the heir, not yet the clan head. And Zhao Jun, according to Su Muqing, had made a grave mistake in the army and hadn’t been promoted for nearly a decade.

It made sense that there were dissenting voices in the Zhao family.

“Maybe you don’t know this yet,” Su Mubai continued, “Zhao family’s old patriarch, Zhao Kun, who is now the chief of staff for the Jinling Military District, has always been aligned with the Yanjing Wang family faction.”

Hearing this, Qin Xuan furrowed his brows even deeper.

Really?

Though he didn’t know what exactly the Yanjing Wang family was, he had a bad feeling about them because of Wang Xiang.

Now, learning that the Zhao family patriarch was part of the Wang family faction, Qin Xuan foresaw trouble brewing.

“Heh. Although Zhao Long is your senior brother, if you truly become enemies with the Wang family, the Zhao family might not stand with you. The Yanjing Wang family is a giant. Qin Xuan, be careful and don’t act rashly.”

“I understand.”

Qin Xuan nodded.

It seemed there was no direct conflict yet, but if things escalated, Zhao Long would be in a difficult position. Supporting the Wang family meant opposing Qin Xuan; supporting Qin Xuan meant betraying the old patriarch and the clan—and he might lose his position as heir.

Even for Zhao Long’s sake, Qin Xuan knew he had to restrain himself.

“As long as the Wang family doesn’t provoke me, I won’t start anything.”

“That makes me feel at ease,” Su Mubai smiled. “Besides, the Yanjing Wang family doesn’t have direct strength in Jinling, only the Zhao family and some smaller families are affiliated with them. Normally, nothing would happen. I’m just giving you a heads-up, just in case.”

“Got it.”

Qin Xuan nodded, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, “Brother Su, there’s one more thing I need you to watch out for.”

“Oh?”

Su Mubai looked at him with some curiosity.