Chapter 577 Awakening from a Dream
Three days later was Mr. Qiao's funeral.
Grandpa Qin originally wanted to see them off, but Qiao Xing and Qin Ce stopped him.
Although Grandpa Qin meant well, Qiao Xing knew the Qiao family's character best, so she insisted on not letting Grandpa Qin go.
As Grandpa Qin saw the two off, he gave them a few words of advice, saying with concern, "Although I don't mind these things, it is a funeral after all. You are pregnant, so it may be a bit inconvenient for you. Come back as soon as it's over. I'll be waiting for you at home."
Qin Ce said, "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'm here."
It was because Qin Ce was there that Grandpa Qin felt at ease. Grandpa Qin nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Qiao Xing waved to Grandpa Qin, "Grandpa, we're leaving now."
After getting on the bus, Qiao Xing remained quiet and didn't say much.
Qin Ce turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"
Qiao Xing lowered her eyes and said softly, "It's nothing, I just feel a tightness in my chest. Every time something like this happens, I always think of Grandpa. I don't know if I'll have the courage to accept it when Grandpa leaves us one day in the future."
Pregnant women are often sentimental, which is why Qin Ce didn't want Qiao Xing to attend the funeral.
He reached out a hand and took Qiao Xing's hand in his own. "Don't think about these things anymore, and don't be anxious about anything that hasn't happened yet. Just let things take their natural course."
Qiao Xing nodded, but her thoughts were still somewhat hazy.
Qin Ce sighed silently to himself.
He felt it was necessary to provide Qiao Xing with some psychological counseling, as he was worried that if things continued like this, she might really develop prenatal depression, just as the doctor had said.
The Qiao family arranged for Old Master Qiao's funeral to be held at the funeral home, but apart from a few members of the Qiao family, very few people came to see him off.
Compared to the scene at the birthday banquet that day, the difference was enormous.
The main reason why people didn't want to come to see Old Master Qiao off was because of Qiao Hong.
His affairs have become a huge scandal, and even the fact that his project investment failed and he was framed has been dug up.
Everyone knew that Qiao Hong not only had an affair, but also released an indecent video at the old man's birthday banquet, which literally angered the old man to death.
Not only that, Qiao Hong lost his business, Cao Yun divorced him, and even his own children disowned him.
He has now become a pariah, hated by everyone.
Even so, Qiao Hong still wanted to see Old Master Qiao off on his final journey.
But as soon as he reached the entrance of the funeral home, he was stopped by Qiao Jie.
A light rain was falling from the sky. Qiao Hong didn't even have an umbrella. He stood in the rain, pleading with Qiao Jie, "Second Brother, please let me in. I'm Dad's son, I can't leave him without seeing him off..."
"Get out of here!" Qiao Jie angrily reprimanded Qiao Hong. "You angered Dad to death! And you still have the nerve to call yourself Dad's son? Look at the things you've done! You're here to send Dad off? Do you plan to let him die with his eyes wide open in disbelief?"
Qiao Jie clenched his fist tightly, as if he was about to smash it into Qiao Hong's face. "Get out! From now on, the Qiao family has no one like you!"
This incident involving Qiao Hong has also implicated Qiao Jie. Not only did he lose his 800,000 yuan, but after the video of Qiao Hong's affair was exposed, it spread everywhere, and even his company was affected.
Everyone knew he had a younger brother, which made Qiao Jie feel an unprecedented sense of shame.
"Second brother, everything that happened before was my fault, but no matter what, you have to let me see Dad off on his final journey. Xiaoyun is gone, and Yingying and Xiaoxi aren't coming home either. I have nothing left now, this is the only thing I can do. I'm begging you, second brother..."
"This is all your own doing!" Qiao Jie said, exasperated. "You have to take responsibility for what you've done. This has nothing to do with the Qiao family! Don't expect the Qiao family to clean up your mess!"
After Qiao Jie finished speaking, he directly told the people at the funeral home, "Don't let him in. He's not a member of the Qiao family!"
The phrase "not a member of the Qiao family" shattered Qiao Hong's last shred of conscience.
From the moment Cao Yun left home, Qiao Hong realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.
He certainly hated Cao Yun, hated her for scheming against him, and even hated her so much that he wanted to kill her.
But the old man's death made him realize the truth of his dream.
He knew he couldn't keep making the same mistake. He had already lost his wife, and if he lost his two children as well, he would truly have nothing left.
So even though Qiao Hong knew he would be scorned and cursed for coming here, he still came.
He tried to make amends and salvage the situation with his last remaining chance.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Jie sentenced him to death with such a casual remark.
Looking back on his contributions to the Qiao family over the years, he was no less than anyone else.
Why won't they even give him a chance to make amends?
It takes nearly half an hour to travel from Tianxiang Water Garden to the funeral home. When Qin Ce and Qiao Xing left, the weather was gloomy, and now it was drizzling.
Qiao Xing's mind was in a mess. Watching the raindrops pounding against the car window, she fell asleep without realizing it.
When they arrived, the rain still hadn't stopped, but luckily there was a spare umbrella in the car. Qin Ce had also brought a jacket for Qiao Xing before leaving. He parked the car and went to unbuckle Qiao Xing's seatbelt. "Xingxing, we've arrived."
Qiao Xing opened her eyes and first saw Qin Ce. Then, her gaze shifted slightly, and the doors of the funeral home appeared in front of her.
Just like the weather right now, it was lifeless and the air was filled with a depressing atmosphere.
This was Qiao Xing's first time at the funeral home, and she hoped it would be her last.
"Have you thought it through? If you're really not feeling well, we won't go." Qin Ce asked Qiao Xing again before getting out of the car.
He was still worried about her.
She's pregnant now, which makes her more sensitive and prone to overthinking. Qin Ce was really worried that this oppressive atmosphere would cause her to have unspoken worries.
Qiao Xing knew he was worried about her, and felt a warmth in her heart. She smiled and said, "It's really nothing. I'm not that fragile. Don't worry."
Qin Ce got out of the car, opened his umbrella, walked to the passenger side door, and opened the door for Qiao Xing.
Qiao Xing wore a loose-fitting black dress with a trench coat over it. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was pregnant.
Qin Ce took her hand. "Let's go."
Just as the two were about to go inside, Qiao Hong was kicked out by the funeral home staff.
He didn't notice someone behind him and almost bumped into Qiao Xing. Qin Ce reacted and immediately stepped forward to block Qiao Xing.
Qiao Hong stumbled and fell to the ground. When he looked up, he met Qiao Xing's gaze.
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