"This is speechless!" Zhou Hong smiled and gently stroked Qiao Xiaoyu's hair.
"I wonder what the identity of my biological parents is. Just now on the phone, she mentioned family. It seems my biological parents come from a family in the capital. I just don't know if it's a big family or a small one." Zhou Hong chuckled with a hint of anticipation.
"Zhou Hong, will you leave me? By the way, what did your biological mother call you just now?"
"Qiao Feng." Zhou Hong said with a wry smile.
"It seems your real name is Qiao Feng."
"This... is a bit awkward. You're called Qiao Xiaoyu, and I'm called Qiao Feng. Without knowing, people would think we're siblings." Zhou Hong touched his head. If his real name was indeed Qiao Feng, then he and Qiao Xiaoyu would really have the same surname.
However, at this moment, Qiao Xiaoyu suddenly trembled.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Hong asked.
"Zhou Hong, I'm afraid... we might really become siblings, or at least cousins." Qiao Xiaoyu said nervously.
"I don't understand what you're saying." Zhou Hong said, bewildered.
"There's something that maybe even my grandfather hasn't told you."
"What is it?"
"Your biological mother just said you're surnamed Qiao, have a family behind you, and are from the capital. Isn't that referring to the Qiao family in the capital?" Qiao Xiaoyu started crying, increasingly feeling that her worries were about to come true.
"There's a Qiao family in the capital, what does that have to do with you? Are they the only ones allowed to be surnamed Qiao?"
"You don't understand. My family originally branched off from the Qiao family in the capital. In my great-grandfather's generation, they became a collateral branch of the Qiao family in the capital. And since there was no successor, they were forced to separate. Then my great-grandfather brought his descendants to Jinzhou City and established the current family here. If you truly are from the Qiao family in the capital, then we... will really become siblings." Qiao Xiaoyu cried.
"Ah, there's such a thing." Zhou Hong was also stunned. He, Qiao Feng, was about to become siblings with Qiao Xiaoyu.
"Perhaps my biological parents aren't from the Qiao family in the capital," Zhou Hong quickly comforted her.
"Impossible. There's only one Qiao family in the capital, and it's a very powerful family. According to my grandfather, the major families in the capital are divided into nine ranks, from first-class to ninth-class. The Qiao family in the capital is a sixth-rank family with a history of over nine hundred years."
"Let's not think too much about it for now. Call your grandfather."
Just then, Qiao Xiaoyu's phone rang. Taking a look, it was indeed her grandfather, Qiao Wanli, calling.
"Hello, Grandpa," Qiao Xiaoyu hurriedly answered.
"Xiaoyu, is Zhou Hong with you?" Qiao Wanli asked with a slightly low voice.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"Tell him to run quickly!" Qiao Wanli suddenly shouted.
"Grandpa, what do you mean?" Qiao Xiaoyu was bewildered.
"Run quickly!" Qiao Wanli roared.
At this moment, another voice came from Qiao Wanli's phone: "If you still want your grandfather alive, bring that Zhou Hong back immediately."
"Who are you? Don't hurt my grandfather," Qiao Xiaoyu said nervously.
"Heh heh, who am I? Strictly speaking, we're family. I should call you cousin." The other person replied with a playful smile.
Zhou Hong quickly snatched the phone and said, "I advise you not to hurt my grandfather, or don't blame me for twisting off your head."
"Hahaha, you're that bastard, aren't you? I never expected you to still be alive, and to have martial arts talent at that. But what surprised me even more is... never mind, I won't say it. If you still want Qiao Wanli alive, come home immediately. I'll only give you half an hour." After speaking, the other person hung up.
"Xiaoyu, let's go back quickly." Zhou Hong pulled Qiao Xiaoyu and was about to leave.
However, Qiao Xiaoyu shook her head and cried, "They are here for you. It must be the people from your family that your biological mother mentioned. They are still part of the main branch of the family, so they don't want you, a member of a collateral branch, to rise. You run now, don't worry about my grandfather."
"Are you crazy? That's your grandfather!" Zhou Hong gave Qiao Xiaoyu a side-eye.
"But going back might not save my grandfather, and it will only put you in danger."
"That's not necessarily true." Zhou Hong, too lazy to waste more words, directly picked up Qiao Xiaoyu and ran.
And at this very moment, at Qiao Xiaoyu's home.
A young man and an old man were sitting in the living room of his house, while Qiao Wanli was also restrained nearby.
Qiao Wanli's complexion was very poor. He already knew that Zhou Hong was a descendant of the Qiao family in the capital.
"Hahaha!" Qiao Wanli let out a bitter laugh. His grandson-in-law, whom he was so satisfied with, turned out to be family in the end. Although the blood relation was already very distant and beyond three generations, they were still of the same lineage.
"Qiao Wanli, what are you laughing at? Are you regretting that your good grandson-in-law is suddenly becoming a nephew?" the young man on the sofa asked with a smile.
"Hmph, kill me or cut me up as you please," Qiao Wanli snorted coldly.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Regardless, you are a collateral branch that flowed out of our Qiao family, and you still carry the blood of our Qiao family's ancestors. If I really killed you, it would be hard to explain back home. However, Zhou Hong doesn't need to live."
"You are too wicked! Zhou Hong has already become a provincial young genius. He could have had a supreme future. Why can't you let him go? I can swear to you on his behalf that he will never return to the Qiao family and will never affect your status as a main branch."
"I'll call you Grandpa Qiao for now, but you are too naive. Think about how your father left the family with his children back then. Our Qiao family has been passed down for over 900 years, generation after generation. How many people are there? That small place in the capital can't accommodate so many people. So, the ancestors left a rule that any collateral branch with declining talent must leave the family and seek their livelihood elsewhere. Now, my branch is a main branch ranked near the bottom. If Zhou Hong were allowed back into the family, my branch might be expelled from the main branch and become a collateral branch, or even fall to your level in the future. Do you think we can let Zhou Hong live?"
Qiao Wanli closed his eyes in despair. He didn't know the strength of the two people in the room, but since they dared to come, they must have confidence in killing Zhou Hong.
Now he could only hope that Zhou Hong would run quickly, as far away as possible. As for the relationship between Zhou Hong and Qiao Xiaoyu, he could only sigh.