Chapter 28 - 26: Going to the Qiao Family

Race track Qiao Yuxian had calmed down a bit, and the four of them returned to the stands. After sitting down, Gu Yanjing handed a bottle of water to Qiao Yuxian. Qiao Yuxian’s eyes were red and slightly swollen from crying, and her nose was also red. She didn’t take it and instead looked honestly at Gu Yanjing. Gu Yanjing met her gaze for a moment, then looked down, twisted open the water, and handed it to her again. Chu Zhengran smiled slightly, raising his eyebrows. Lin Huai Shu looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Qiao Yuxian took the water, sipped once, and said, "I want something cold. I got a bit hot from crying." "No," Gu Yanjing replied coldly. "There is," Qiao Yuxian’s voice was a bit hoarse and muffled, "I just drank something cold." "There isn’t any now," Gu Yanjing said. Qiao Yuxian frowned, remaining silent. Chu Zhengran looked at Gu Yanjing. Gu Yanjing looked at Qiao Yuxian, and after a while, he went to get a bottle of cold water, opened it, and gave it to her. Qiao Yuxian took it and drank two sips, and as she was about to take a third, she felt a cold stare from the side. Pretending not to notice, she turned her back to him and drank two more sips. "Qiao Yuxian," Gu Yanjing called out. Qiao Yuxian immediately put down the water, capped it, and placed it aside. Chu Zhengran watched Gu Yanjing with amusement, as if he was observing something new and exciting. It turns out even an iceberg can be gentle. Feeling Chu Zhengran’s gaze constantly on him, Gu Yanjing looked up, displeased, and glanced at him. Chu Zhengran met his gaze, smiled, and said, "Aren’t you going to introduce us?" Gu Yanjing looked at him for a few seconds and then introduced Qiao Yuxian: "Chu Zhengran. And that is Lin Huai Shu." Qiao Yuxian looked at them and politely said, "Mr. Chu, Mr. Lin. My name is Qiao Yuxian." She was aware of who they both were. The Chu Family and the Lin Family were prominent families in the Capital City. The high society of the Capital City was clearly divided into various rankings. With the Gu Family at the top. The Chu Family and the Lin Family were just slightly below the Gu Family. Like Gu Yanjing, Chu Zhengran was very mysterious; known by name but rarely seen. However, Lin Huai Shu was quite famous outside. The Lin Family owned an entertainment company, and he often appeared in the media with plenty of tabloid news. Chu Zhengran responded warmly, "Hello." Lin Huai Shu looked at her for a long time, speechless in a daze. Gu Yanjing ignored him and turned to Qiao Yuxian, "What do you want to eat?" Qiao Yuxian looked a bit deflated, "I don’t want to eat, not hungry." "Shall we go back?" Gu Yanjing’s voice was devoid of warmth, but it was patient. Lin Huai Shu’s eyes darted between the two of them, going back and forth. Go back? What does that mean? Living together? Oh my gosh! How much has Gu Yanjing been doing behind our backs? "Are you guys discussing something?" Qiao Yuxian asked. "No," Gu Yanjing replied decisively. Chu Zhengran: "......" "But I rented this place for six hours. If we leave now, I’d feel bad about the money," Qiao Yuxian said. "Lin Huai Shu will compensate for it later," Gu Yanjing said. "Is that possible?" Qiao Yuxian looked at Gu Yanjing. Gu Yanjing glanced at Lin Huai Shu. Lin Huai Shu immediately stood up straight, snapping out of his daze, "Yes, yes, very much yes. Anytime, feel free to use it." Qiao Yuxian looked at him and said, "Thank you, Mr. Lin." "No, you’re welcome. No problem." Lin Huai Shu forced out a friendly smile. "Let’s go," Gu Yanjing stood up and lightly glanced at Lin Huai Shu. Lin Huai Shu instantly felt a layer of his skin peel off. Oh my god! I didn’t mean to hit on your significant other! I didn’t know!!! ... Outside the race track, Meng Yan had already parked the car at the door, and seeing them come out, he got off to open the door. Gu Yanjing gestured for Qiao Yuxian to get in first. After she got in, he entered from the other side. The car door opened; Gu Yanjing first handed the snacks from the seat to Qiao Yuxian, then got into the car. Qiao Yuxian held two boxes of snacks from Wufang Restaurant, looking a bit dazed. Gu Yanjing glanced at her blankly staring little face: "Coconut pastries and osmanthus cake." Qiao Yuxian’s hand caressed the snack boxes and after a few seconds, she asked, "Are these for me?" "Yes," Gu Yanjing replied softly. Today he passed by Wufang Restaurant and inexplicably went in to buy these two kinds of pastries. Meng Yan heard her small, slightly hoarse voice and glanced back through the rearview mirror, just in time to see her red and swollen eyes, and then suddenly locked eyes with Gu Yanjing in the mirror. He almost fumbled with the wheel and quickly looked away, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Qiao Yuxian opened a box; it was osmanthus cake. She looked at it for a while, picked up a piece, took a bite, and then looked at Gu Yanjing with a smile, "It tastes just like before." Gu Yanjing saw that her eyes finally had a hint of laughter. Qiao Yuxian slowly ate one piece and then another. "Haven’t had it for a long time?" Gu Yanjing asked, watching her intently. "Hmm." Qiao Yuxian said leisurely as she ate, "After Grandpa and Grandma passed away, no one bought it for me, so it’s been a long time since I had it." After she finished speaking, she paused and then said, "Thank you." Gu Yanjing withdrew his gaze and looked out the window, his hand slowly rubbing his leg. Mentioning Grandpa and Grandma used to be only happy, but now it’s filled with hidden grievances. From the racetrack to Fenglin Villa, Qiao Yuxian finished both boxes of pastries. After getting out of the car, she said something to Gu Yanjing and went straight back to her room. Tired from crying, full from eating, she was very sleepy. Watching her return to her room, Gu Yanjing turned and looked at Meng Yan. Meng Yan’s heart trembled at the sudden hostility emanating from Gu Yanjing. "Check if something happened to her at school." Gu Yanjing said coldly. The only social circles he knew of Qiao Yuxian were school and the Qiao Family, so the only places he needed to investigate were the Qiao Family and the school. "Yes." Meng Yan responded. ... Qiao Yuxian slept until it was dark. When she woke up, her eyes were dry and sore. She went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and saw they were swollen. She found a de-puffing eye mask and put it on before going downstairs. Only Aunt Mei was at home. Aunt Mei saw her and said with a smile, "Sir has a banquet to attend tonight. Before he left, he asked me to prepare a meal, which I just finished." "Thank you, Aunt Mei." Qiao Yuxian ate dinner while sending messages to someone marked Liu Zhou on her phone. First, she sent him a location. Then she sent him a photo of Qiao Shuning. Finally, she sent a message: [Send this person to Yue City, have someone keep an eye on her. I don’t want to see her in Capital City anymore.] The response came quickly, as if on standby: [Yes.] After sending the message, she found a drama to watch, eating while watching it. Meanwhile, Gu Yanjing, who had gone to attend the banquet, was currently outside the Qiao Family’s... villa. He had come in person, but in the end, he still sent Meng Yan in. The Qiao Family living room. The Qiao Family didn’t know Meng Yan, but they had seen his photo on the school forum. As soon as he arrived, the Qiao Family thought he was there to stand up for Qiao Yuxian. And indeed, he had come to stand up for her, but not as Qiao Yuxian’s boyfriend or in any improper relationship. When Qiao Yu saw him, he wanted to kick him out directly. But Meng Yan forcefully stayed with just a few words. Then he handed the file folder in his hand to Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu glanced at it coldly but didn’t take it. Meng Yan smiled gently, but his voice was sharp: "Mr. Qiao should take a look, otherwise you’ll never know how much grievance your daughter suffered today." Qiao Yu still didn’t take it; he even subconsciously didn’t dare to take it. Qiao Lechu and Qiao Zhiang stood on one side without moving. In the end, it was Chen Hui who took the file and looked at the contents page by page, then handed it all to Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu gripped it tightly but didn’t open it. He could guess a bit from Chen Hui’s expression. Meng Yan didn’t wait any longer and said with a smile, "The person in the photo is indeed me. The other person is my colleague. We are both drivers for Miss Qiao. I used to be responsible for picking up and dropping off Miss Qiao, now mainly my colleague handles it." Qiao Lechu looked at Meng Yan with some confusion. Ever since Chen Hui read the materials, her complexion had not been good. "Not only these few days, we will continue to pick up and drop off Miss Qiao in the future," Meng Yan said, "As for who we work for, without Miss Qiao’s consent, I can’t tell Mr. Qiao for now." Qiao Yu looked at the young man before him through his glasses. His words were so honest that even without fully explaining why they were chauffeuring Qiao Yuxian, they still convinced people. Faced with his scrutiny, Meng Yan remained composed, always with a smile: "The files contain detailed information about the rumor spreading and the mastermind behind it. It also includes the true reason for Miss Qiao’s suspension from school. Her tutor relayed false statements and information to the dean, exaggerating the seriousness of the situation, which led to the school’s decision to suspend her." Qiao Yu’s grip on the documents gradually tightened and started to tremble slightly. Meng Yan observed his reaction and calmly said, "With just a few photos of us opening car doors, Mr. Qiao concluded that his daughter did something disgraceful. Mr. Qiao’s actions truly make him unworthy of being a father. A girl subjected to such rumors is already bearing too much. Coming home, joyfully celebrating her father’s birthday, only to be reprimanded by him in person. Are you trying to drive your daughter to a dead end?" The faces of Qiao Family members turned pale. "If Mr. Qiao and Mrs. Qiao were still here, upon seeing such news, they would first sympathize with their granddaughter’s suffering. They would never, like Mr. Qiao, arbitrarily accuse their daughter based on other people’s words." Meng Yan conveyed every word of Gu Yanjing’s message. Qiao Yu’s facial muscles twitched, his heart couldn’t take the trembling. Every word from Meng Yan was piercing, a direct slap to his face. They were all telling him he was unworthy of being a father.