Chapter 137 Before He Zhao's cold had healed, Hua Hua's execution time had already arrived. Qiao Yanyu...

Before He Zhao recovered from his cold, Hua Hua's execution time had already arrived. As promised to He Zhao, Qiao Yanyu took He Zhao with her to Hua Hua's place. He Zhao, as he had previously agreed with Hua Hua, also brought rice to send her off.

Hua Hua was still imprisoned in that cell. When He Zhao arrived, Wang Yu and Li Xia were both there, but they tacitly came out of Hua Hua's room, leaving He Zhao and Hua Hua alone. Hua Hua was lowered from her suspended position, but her hands were still bound with ropes, and many talismans were pasted on her body.

However, Hua Hua was treated much better; at least her room had tables and chairs, allowing He Zhao and Hua Hua to sit facing each other.

After He Zhao sat down, Qiao Yanyu also sat down next to him, while Hua Hua sat opposite him. He Zhao was wearing a mask, and as soon as he opened his mouth, his voice was as unpleasant as a duck's. Hua Hua was stunned for a moment and asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just a cold."

"Oh." Hua Hua nodded, and He Zhao took out the rice he had packed for Hua Hua from his pocket. This time, He Zhao had specially chosen very nice takeout bags and boxes. Now is the time when everything is reviving and flowers are in full bloom, and even the takeout bags are printed with peach blossoms and have a refreshing light green background.

Hua Hua really liked the takeout bag. She stared at it for a long time before opening it and taking out a matching takeout box. Hua Hua exclaimed, "This bowl is so pretty!"

"Yes, I chose it especially for you."

Hua Hua smiled sincerely: "Thank you, boss lady."

Hua Hua opened the packaging bag, and He Zhao took out chopsticks and stuck them into the rice before Hua Hua began to eat. This time, it ate very slowly, perhaps knowing that this was the best meal it would ever have in its life, eating with great care. Its cautious movements brought a lump to He Zhao's throat.

She quickly reassured herself that she wasn't a sentimental person, but rather that her nose was sore from a cold.

Even though Hua Hua ate very slowly, it still finished a bowl of rice and then carefully placed the bowl and chopsticks on the table, as if they were precious things. After doing this, it smiled at He Zhaoyang and said, "Thank you so much, boss sister."

This was the second time Hua Hua had thanked He Zhao since they met today, but it hadn't expected that He Zhao's farewell gift would go far beyond that. He Zhao took out his phone, opened his photo album, and found pictures he had taken along the roadside on his way here.

"Huahua, look, it's like this outside now, so many flowers are blooming."

Hua Hua paused, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at the photos of the flowers. He Zhao was still explaining quietly, "This is a peach blossom, this is a pear blossom, this is a weeping crabapple, this is a magnolia..."

In truth, He Zhao didn't have that much knowledge; he had searched for it on the way here based on pictures. These flowers planted along the roadside were simply done by the road administration to beautify the city, and everyone passing by seemed to take them for granted. But for Hua Hua, such a scene was truly unheard of.

It stared at them, mesmerized, and murmured, "Are these all flowers?"

"Yes."

They swayed gently in the spring breeze under the bright sunshine. He Zhao's photography skills weren't great, but these flowers didn't need any fancy photography skills at all; even a casual snapshot would have made them beautiful.

"They're called flowers too?"

"Um."

Hua Hua smiled again, looking quite proud: "My mom named me Hua Hua. She always said flowers are so beautiful, but I've never seen one before. Now I have. Boss, thank you so much, thank you so much!"

Hua Hua had never been to school and only knew the word "really," saying it three times in a row to express its gratitude. It held He Zhao's phone for a long time, looking at it with reluctance, and was still somewhat reluctant to return it.

The time for Hua Hua to leave was getting closer and closer, but Hua Hua suddenly opened her mouth and dropped a bombshell on He Zhao.

"By the way, boss lady, do you know any strange people who created something called Tonghuan Club?"

"Huh?" He Zhao was stunned. She really didn't know. He Zhao looked at Qiao Yanyu next to her with some confusion and found that she looked serious, but there was still a trace of confusion in her eyes. Obviously, Qiao Yanyu was not very clear about what kind of organization this was either.

This organization doesn't sound like a good thing just from its name.

He Zhao shook his head honestly: "I don't know, what are they?"

“Hua Hua isn’t quite sure either.” Hua Hua tilted her head, seemingly thinking, and after a while said, “But before that, their people approached Hua Hua’s father and invited him to join that Tonghuan Association. They said they were doing the same thing, and that there’s strength in numbers, and they advised my father to join as well.”

Hua Hua still has some trauma from her father. When her father was mentioned, she visibly trembled, but she still told him what she knew: "But Dad got really angry. He said that Hua Hua's things are different from what they make, and that they shouldn't compare Hua Hua to those clay chickens and clay dogs they make."

"Boss lady, what does 'earthen chicken and clay dog' mean?"

This isn't a nice word. Hua Hua is so innocent, He Zhao didn't want her to know the implied meaning, so he explained it literally: "It's the chickens and dogs we keep at home. I must say, the dogs are quite cute."

"Mmm! Cute."

This was the last piece of information Hua Hua provided. Next, the bureau chief, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, replaced He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu, and questioned Hua Hua about the Tonghuan Association. However, Hua Hua couldn't provide any more information. Being a clueless and neglected ghost, she could only describe the appearances of those who came looking for the main villain; she couldn't say anything more.

Hua Hua waved goodbye to He Zhao before heading to her execution ground.

As before, He Zhao went to the conference room to wait, but this time she didn't use her phone. One reason was that the feng shui at the Countermeasures Bureau was bad, and she kept losing at games; the other was that the ghost being tortured this time was Hua Hua, and He Zhao really wasn't in the mood.

After a while, He Zhao finally saw Qiao Yanyu. Qiao Yanyu spoke, saying, "Let's go."

"good."

The two walked side by side out of the Bureau of Countermeasures. It was still a sunny day outside. The flowers on both sides of the road stood quietly in the spring breeze. Occasionally, a few petals left the buds and fluttered down onto He Zhao's shoulders.

Qiao Yanyu reached out and brushed the petals off her shoulder.

The weather is so nice, I'm sure Huahua feels the same way.

He Zhao suddenly realized that she hadn't really said goodbye to Hua Hua properly. Their last conversation ended at the party, and she hadn't even said "goodbye." Her expression was a little strange, but Qiao Yanyu could tell what she was thinking from it.

Qiao Yanyu's voice was soft, even softer than a spring breeze: "It's okay, I've already said it for you. I was the one who saw it off on its final journey."

"Sister Qiao, thank you."

"Between us, there is no need for thanks."

He Zhao finally smiled. She reached out and clasped her hand with Qiao Yanyu's. Her mood improved, and she even started asking what the "Joyful Gathering" was. Qiao Yanyu didn't hide anything from her, but since they were waiting for a car outside the Countermeasures Bureau, Qiao Yanyu lowered her voice a bit.

She leaned down and huddled close to He Zhao, as if the two were whispering secrets.

"Actually, I'm not too sure either, but judging from what Hua Hua said, it should be an organization like Hua Hua's father, that wants to create ghosts to achieve their own goals. It's just that unlike Hua Hua's father, who focuses on creating a single, high-quality ghost like Hua Hua, Tong Huan Hui casts a wide net to catch as many fish as possible. We just haven't figured out what their purpose is in doing this."

"That kind of scoundrel is really annoying."

Most ghosts are formed naturally, but some are created by humans, like Hua Hua. People in this circle know that hatred can give birth to a ghost, whether it creates itself or is caused by someone else's actions.

Hua Hua didn't actually harbor much hatred; it was just that it had been imprisoned and deprived of love, growing up in a twisted cage. Such a person is naturally destined to become a ghost. Then, nourished by the hatred of others by its father, it became a great ghost.

Knowing this principle, creating a ghost is a very simple thing.

But—those who do such things are despicable.

Qiao Yanyu nodded in agreement with He Zhao's words: "Yes, they are really annoying." This type of person was probably the most annoying person in the world to Qiao Yanyu. Her mother died at the hands of this type of person, and out of hatred for them, she also hated all people of this type. She couldn't blame He Zhao for that.

Just as Qiao Yanyu could read He Zhao's thoughts from her expression, He Zhao also caught the fleeting emotion in Qiao Yanyu's eyes. At this moment, He Zhao was a little conflicted. She tightened her grip on Qiao Yanyu's hand and said after a while, "Sister Qiao, go do what you want to do, don't worry about me."

Qiao Yanyu was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then repeated blankly, "Do what I want to do?"

“Yes.” He Zhao nodded, still whispering to Qiao Yanyu, his voice low: “Sister Qiao definitely can’t just let that Tonghuan Club go unchecked. And the fact that they can even find Hua Hua proves they have a lot of henchmen. Maybe one day it will affect our city.”

“Defensive counter-attacks aren’t Sister Qiao’s style. Now that we’ve got a lead, we should strike directly. That’s the real Sister Qiao. Besides, Sister Qiao has been cooped up at home for a long time and must really want to get back to the front lines. I understand. I understand everything about Sister Qiao. So you don’t need to worry about me, just go.”

He Zhao's words caused Qiao Yanyu to tighten her grip. She couldn't deny He Zhao's words, because, just as He Zhao said, she desperately wanted to eradicate this organization called Tonghuan Society. Moreover, Qiao Yanyu had a premonition that Tonghuan Society might be related to the recent incidents involving the child ghost and other ghosts she couldn't handle.

But... the thought of leaving He Zhao and dealing with them on her own made Qiao Yanyu hesitate.

Her voice was a little dry, sounding even hoarseer than He Zhao's: "But I want to protect you." This was also her wish; she hoped to protect He Zhao well.

This was a thought deep within her heart, even more resolute than annihilating those villains.