Chapter 269 Blackmail
"Mr. Lu, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Qin Xiaoning was chatting with Mr. Wei when Zhao'er ran over from the courtyard at the end of the passage. When he saw Qin Xiaoning, the little boy's eyes lit up. He rushed over and grabbed her hand, calling her affectionately, "Mr. Lu, what are you talking to father about?"

Before Qin Xiaoning could speak, Master Wei said to his daughter, "Zhao'er, why are you so rude?"

"When you meet a gentleman, you should ask courtesy first." Although it was a reproach, the man looked at his little daughter with eyes full of doting.

Anyone with eyes could see that the man doted on his only child.

"Hello, sir." After hearing his father's reminder, Zhao'er hurriedly greeted Qin Xiaoning.

Seeing his daughter so well-behaved, Master Wei's eyes became gentler and a loving smile appeared on his face involuntarily.

Zhao'er looked up at his father with an innocent look on his face: "Father, I want to invite Mr. Lu to my yard to see the flowers and plants you planted for me. Mr. Lu likes beautiful flowers the most, just like me."

Master Wei raised his hand to straighten the hairpin on his daughter's head and gently said, "Then take Mr. Lu with you."

Then, he said politely to Qin Xiaoning: "Mr. Lu, take care."

Qin Xiaoning nodded politely, and then followed the jumping little girl to the courtyard.

Zhao'er always told Qin Xiaoning that her garden was full of flowers and plants. His father knew that she liked them, so he planted the most beautiful flowers and plants in the world in her yard.

In the past, Qin Xiaoning laughed at her and said that she was just talking nonsense, but as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Qin Xiaoning was really shocked.

The little child lives in the most spacious courtyard, which is full of flowers and plants. As far as the eye can see, it is a sea of ​​flowers in all colors.

It would be better to call it a garden of flowers rather than a courtyard, and all the flowers and plants are of precious and rare species. Qin Xiaoning, who grew up in a mansion, is knowledgeable, but when faced with the flowers and plants in Zhao'er's courtyard, she could only barely recognize a small half of them.

"These are all transplanted for me by my father from all over the place." When talking about her father, the little girl's eyes were filled with admiration: "My father loves me the most."

Mr. Wei's first wife died early, and Mrs. Wei said that he never remarried. He only had a little daughter, Zhao'er, and naturally he doted on her in every way.

The next day, when Rou'er and Zhao'er came to class, they were brought there by Mrs. Wei herself.

It was early summer and the weather was just right. Qin Xiaoning asked the maids to place the zither in the courtyard. Qin Xiaoning taught the two girls how to play the zither, while Mrs. Wei sat in the pavilion and watched with great interest.

After the class, the two girls started practicing. Madam Wei greeted Qin Xiaoning and said, "Madam, you are really amazing. Although I am not good at playing the piano, I feel refreshed and relaxed when I listen to your piano."

"You are too kind." Qin Xiaoning joked, "As a teacher, I must have some real skills. Otherwise, how can I teach good students?"

Madam Wei smiled and said, "Speaking of this, my second uncle mentioned it to me yesterday. He said that Zhao'er has made great progress since he started studying with you. Not only in terms of talent, but the child has also become more cheerful than before. My uncle wanted to thank you in person."

"Tomorrow I will set up a thank-you dinner for my teacher at home. No outsiders will be there, just me, my husband, and my uncle. I wonder if my wife would be willing to honor me."

It is common for parents to invite teachers to dinner when students have made progress. Not to mention ordinary people, even in the past, in the noble families such as the Duke's wife and the grandmother, they would invite teachers every now and then. On the one hand, they would thank the teacher, and on the other hand, they could communicate more about their children. This is common, and seeing that Madam Wei invited her frankly, Qin Xiaoning naturally couldn't refuse, so she readily agreed.

Qin Xiaoning had just seen off Mrs. Wei and two students when an uninvited guest arrived.

It’s Mr. Li, the boss of Lantingxuan.

This time, Boss Li seemed very polite and even brought some snacks for Qin Xiaoning.

It is not advisable to extend a hand to a smiling person. When the other party acted like this, Qin Xiaoning said warmly, "This is the first time that Mr. Li has visited my humble home. How come you, such a busy man, have so much free time today?"

Boss Li sat down on the chair, took the teacup handed to him by the maid, and replied with a smile: "Madam Lu is right, I am indeed very busy these days."

After deliberately keeping the audience in suspense, he said in detail, "I opened another calligraphy and painting shop on Chang Street. It is bigger than the previous one and has five floors."

Qin Xiaoning smiled faintly when she heard this: "Then congratulations to Boss Li."

Boss Li swung the jade fan in his hand and said, "To be honest, I admire your calligraphy very much. Although you have rejected me many times, I still want to persuade you to turn back."

Without waiting for Qin Xiaoning to reply, he continued, "That Cai guy is already over fifty years old. Madam, you are not so naive to think that he can make a comeback. I also cannot bear to see your precious talent go to waste, so I came to give you some good advice."

Then he made a condition: "As long as Madam Lu is willing to transfer the calligraphy to Lantingxuan, I am willing to add another 10% to the share that you and Boss Cai gave you before."

"If you cooperate with me, you can earn much more than if you follow that Boss Cai."

Qin Xiaoning patiently listened to Boss Li's conversation, then replied with a smile: "Boss Li, I appreciate your kindness, but I have already promised Boss Cai that I would give him the calligraphy. We should not break our promises."

As soon as Qin Xiaoning said this, Boss Li's face immediately turned cold: "So, Madam Lu is really determined to keep going down this path, right?"

Qin Xiaoning said: "I can never take back what I said."

Boss Li laughed coldly, then raised his eyes to look at Qin Xiaoning, his eyes flickering slightly at her belly: "I heard that Madam Lu is pregnant?"

The baby in her belly is Qin Xiaoning's weak spot.

Seeing this, she immediately frowned unconsciously: "What does Boss Li mean?"

"It's nothing." Boss Li gently shook the jade fan in his hand, and said in a gloomy tone: "I just think that my wife is a woman who will raise a child alone in the future. I am an experienced person who can make money, so naturally I hope that the child can study and make progress."

Qin Xiaoning also turned cold when she saw this: "This is natural."

Boss Li looked up at her with a fierce look in his eyes: "My lady, if you want your child to succeed, then he must study. You know, the best private school in Shuwang City was also built by me, Li."

As he said this, he smiled grimly: "Unless my lady doesn't want the child to go to a private school, otherwise, I don't believe that my lady can't ask me for help."