Chapter 147 "Sister Qiao, I'm all better..." He Zhao's voice was always rising in pitch, even before she entered...
"Sister Qiao, I'm all better..." He Zhao's voice was rising in pitch, her voice preceding her even before she entered the room. But once she stepped inside, her voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible. Because when she came in, she saw that Qiao Yanyu was already asleep.
Qiao Yanyu lay quietly on the bed, seemingly still waiting for her. The blanket wasn't even properly covering her, draped loosely over her. Her usually sharp features had softened considerably because of her sleep. She didn't wake up when He Zhao entered the room, remaining fast asleep.
He Zhao moved closer and simply lay down on the edge of the bed, looking at Qiao Yanyu's sleeping face.
Perhaps Qiao Yanyu was too tired to notice He Zhao entering, or perhaps she trusted him too much. He Zhao secretly hoped it was the latter. But seeing Qiao Yanyu sleeping so soundly still made him very happy.
He Zhao even had a mischievous thought. She took out the braid she had just braided and gently tickled Qiao Yanyu's cheek with the end of the hair. Qiao Yanyu's brows furrowed slightly, and she softly hummed twice, showing no sign of waking up.
"You little liar, you said you'd wait for me and give me a kiss, but then you just fell asleep without saying a word."
Although she said that, He Zhao's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of waking the sleeping Qiao Yanyu. She gently pulled the blanket up a little so that Qiao Yanyu was completely covered. Qiao Yanyu seemed to sense it and moved her body slightly, but still did not wake up.
She watched Qiao Yanyu for a while longer before leaving. Back in her room, she changed out of her pajamas, tied her hair into a bun, and then went out. She ate something outside first, then went to the market to buy groceries.
Midway through, the system suddenly spoke up: [Host, someone is following you. They've been tailing you ever since you left the residential area, keeping a respectful distance, but without any malicious intent.]
He Zhao, who was selecting spinach, raised an eyebrow, losing all interest in haggling with the vendor. He simply said, "You're too expensive," and left, putting down the spinach. Even when the vendor called after him, "Hey, I'm selling it all! Don't go!" he remained unmoved.
She communicated with the system in her mind: "Who is it?"
[It's unclear. The other party hasn't done anything besides surveillance, and I haven't sensed any malice; it seems more like they're monitoring the host.]
He Zhao remembered what the system said and returned home, even while cooking, she was somewhat absent-minded. However, she had become a skilled cook, and even with some distraction, the dishes she made were still very delicious.
Qiao Yanyu had a good night's sleep, only to be woken up by Jiu Qing's phone call. She exchanged a few words with Jiu Qing and then got up. When she went to the living room, she saw that He Zhao had already prepared a lunchbox for her. This time, it was an insulated lunchbox, not a disposable one.
Qiao Yanyu was stunned for a moment, but when she realized what it was, she immediately laughed. However, her smile didn't last long because she saw the worried look in He Zhao's eyes.
"He Zhao, what's wrong?"
He Zhao didn't hide anything and told Qiao Yanyu about what happened when she went grocery shopping that day. She clearly stated that the system had told her that the other party had no malicious intent and was just planning to monitor her. Qiao Yanyu's expression immediately darkened. She thought for a while before telling He Zhao, "I understand. Don't worry, I won't let any random people bother you."
After saying that, she picked up the insulated lunchbox He Zhao had prepared and prepared to leave. But He Zhao called out to Qiao Yanyu, and before she could leave, she pulled her back and said, "Sister Qiao, a farewell kiss~" She leaned in and kissed Qiao Yanyu on the cheek, which made Qiao Yanyu's somewhat gloomy face brighten up.
I'll try to go tonight.
When Qiao Yanyu said this, He Zhao advised her, "Work is more important, and it's the same if Wang Yu comes."
The two exchanged a few more reluctant words until Qiao Yanyu's phone rang, at which point she left. She stepped into the elevator, answered the phone, and said through gritted teeth, "Jiuqing, there are some things I need to talk to you about."
Upon arriving at the Countermeasures Bureau, Qiao Yanyu carefully placed the insulated lunchbox He Zhao had brought for her on the cabinet in the break room before storming off to find Jiu Qing. Jiu Qing was communicating with her team members when she saw Qiao Yanyu and had just said, "You're here," when Qiao Yanyu interrupted her.
"The people who were following He Zhao, you sent them, didn't you?!"
Faced with the furious Qiao Yanyu, Jiu Qing remained remarkably human: "You found out? I specifically told you to be careful and not to wander around near you."
Qiao Yanyu didn't explain, but when Jiu Qing gave this answer, the veins on her forehead bulged.
The bureau chief already knew from the grandmother in the security room that Qiao Yanyu had stormed over. Realizing something was wrong, she rushed to the office assigned to the investigation team. Unfortunately, when she arrived, she was met with the scene she didn't want to see.
Qiao Yanyu grabbed Jiu Qing by the collar and punched Jiu Qing in the face with her clenched fist.
During the early morning meeting, the fist that the bureau chief had tried to stop ultimately couldn't escape. She thought to herself: What kind of situation is this? What kind of investigators are these who are always ready to throw punches at the team leaders sent down from above?
If the higher-ups found out, they'd give her a severe dressing down.
"Qiao Yanyu! Stop hitting her! She's your colleague, not your enemy! Why are you hitting her?" The director's forehead veins bulged, but she couldn't do the same thing as Qiao Yanyu. She could only step forward and pull Qiao Yanyu away.
Qiao Yanyu didn't retaliate; after all, the punch had already calmed her down considerably. She pushed the bureau chief aside and said to Jiu Qing, "Call your men back. Stop focusing on He Zhao; she has nothing to do with this. Stop harping on her!"
Jiuqing was helped up by her team members, but she still insisted, "I still think He Zhao is strange. Qiao Yanyu, don't let your emotions get the better of you. I've seen the cases you've handled before. You're not the type to let your emotions get the better of you. You've done a great job in the past. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have let you work with me on cases. So why have you become like this?"
The bureau chief rubbed her temples, feeling utterly exhausted. She hadn't expected Qiao Yanyu to blurt out, "I have nothing to say to a single dog like you. I'm going to do things my own way. I'm leaving your special investigation team. I'll find clues on my own. Working with you will only make me uncomfortable. Also, don't let me find out you've sent people to follow He Zhao, or I can't predict what I might do."
Qiao Yanyu is sometimes too direct. Once she said that, there was absolutely no room for negotiation. But what she said made a lot of sense, and the director knew he couldn't force Qiao Yanyu to do something she didn't want to do, so he could only smooth things over and apologize to Jiu Qing.
But the director didn't say anything about Qiao Yanyu just joking or that she didn't really want to quit.
After that, the director also took Qiao Yanyu away, which proved that Qiao Yanyu had truly and completely withdrawn from the special investigation team, and was no longer even an unofficial member.
The director dragged Qiao Yanyu to his office. Unlike his previous actions in defending Qiao Yanyu in front of Jiu Qing, he shut the door and gave her a lecture: "Why do you think I put you in the special investigation team? Besides the fact that you are indeed very capable, didn't you realize that I had my own selfish motives?"
Qiao Yanyu remained silent and sat opposite the bureau chief. The bureau chief was genuinely troubled, but she still explained to Qiao Yanyu, "I want you to get more credit. When you become the deputy bureau chief, you won't have to take on assignments outside the city and can stay here. Wouldn't that be better for you and your girlfriend to be together forever?"
At this point, Qiao Yanyu did react somewhat. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I don't need them. I can protect the safety of the citizens on my own. Besides, Jiuqing's investigation is completely misguided. If she investigates like that, when will she ever find out anything about Tonghuan Club?"
The bureau chief sighed and waved his hand: "Whatever you want."
Qiao Yanyu wasn't satisfied. She also brought back Wang Yu and Li Xia. The director's face fell when he heard what she said: "You're going to take away all the extra staff I put in. What will the special investigation team think of us? Will they think that our municipal bureau is not cooperating at all, or that they look down on them and that's why they transferred everyone away?"
Qiao Yanyu just stared at the bureau chief without saying a word. The bureau chief then kindly advised, "How about I find someone else for you to order around? Let's just forget about these two."
"No, those two are the only two in the bureau who have spent a lot of time with He Zhao. They're bound to say something wrong, and I'm worried that Jiu Qing is still keeping an eye on He Zhao."
"..." The director felt she couldn't argue with Qiao Yanyu anymore. After arguing with both sides for a while, she could only sigh again: "Alright, alright, I give up. Take the person away."
Qiao Yanyu was finally satisfied. She even asked for one more member, but what the director didn't expect was that she asked for Xiao Hei.
"What do you need Xiao Hei for? It's just a guard dog; it can't help you with your investigation."
To this question, Qiao Yanyu answered even more confidently: "Of course it's for protecting He Zhao. Wang Yu is unreliable, but Xiao Hei is very strong. And once it's tamed, it will definitely protect He Zhao."
Xiao Hei's strength is truly formidable, primarily due to its innate ability to counter ghosts and monsters, equivalent to 2.5 Wang Yus. Even against some extraordinary individuals, it has the potential to put up a fight. Furthermore, Xiao Hei is a dog; if properly cared for, it will be loyal and devoted to its owner.
Qiao Yanyu was so confident that the bureau chief had no power to refute her. She waved her hand, wanting Qiao Yanyu to leave quickly. Qiao Yanyu took the bureau chief's appointment letter and went to find Xiao Hei first.
She tried to reason with Xiao Hei, but was somewhat troubled because she wasn't good at communicating with people, nor with dogs. She had no choice but to put the matter aside and texted Wang Yu, asking her to bring Xiao Hei to her house. Now that Qiao Yanyu had nothing to do, she took a taxi straight to He Zhao's place.
She promised to spend time with her tonight, and she's going to stay with her.
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