Xia Qing reported the lost necklace to the police, and after ending her live stream, she went to the police station to give a statement.
As I left the police station, it started to drizzle outside.
Xia Qing also stood under the eaves of the police station, looking up at the sky. She recalled the day she first went to confront Qiao Qingchuan and was chased out by the security guards. She wished it would rain like that from the sky.
It's only been two days, but it feels like two lifetimes have passed.
The driver drove the Maybach over, got out, took an umbrella from the trunk, and quickly walked over to hold the umbrella up for Xia Qing as well.
"Miss, I can't get through to you on the phone. Mr. Xia just contacted me and he wants you to come home."
Xia Qing hadn't told her parents about Qiao Qingchuan yet; she wasn't really ready to face them. She got into the car using the umbrella the driver held up, and gave instructions...
“I’m still working now. Tell Dad I’ll go back after I finish work.”
The driver stood still, and although he didn't say it explicitly, it was as if his face said, "You still have the heart to work after such a big incident? You're really carefree."
"Why are you making that face?" Xia Qing glanced at the driver, as if speaking to him but also to herself.
"In life, apart from life and death, nothing else is a big deal."
The car returned to [Beibei Restaurant]. It wasn't dinner time yet, and everyone was busy in the kitchen. The counter was piled high with freshly baked cupcakes, and Xiaoru was teaching the children how to squeeze cream into the cupcakes.
Think of the gentle accusation, "Auntie, Xiao Shu always steals cream to eat."
Little Shu had cream on her nose and mouth, and she stubbornly argued, "I didn't."
In the live stream room,
[Little Book, we're just saying, after you sneak a bite, could you at least wipe your mouth?]
[Little Shu, netizens all over the country saw you steal the cream, and you're still trying to deny it! You brat, I won't forgive you anymore, unless I get to eat all the cream from now on.]
Xia Qing is back too. Xia Qing is back too.
Xiangxiang was still pouting and angry with Xiaoshu when she suddenly saw her mother appear at the kitchen door. She quickly dropped the piping bag in her hand, ran to her mother, and hugged Xia Qingye tightly around the waist.
"Mom, you're finally back."
Xiangxiang looked up and a sweet smile appeared on her face.
Mu Hua and Du Xiaoruo protected the children very well during the live broadcast. Thinking about how they still don't know where their mother went, they will see their mother come back and they will become that innocent and happy little princess again.
The assistant director appeared in the shot and whispered to Xia Qing as well.
"Sister Qing, Director Kang is looking for you."
Xia Qing led Xiangxiang to the counter, placed her in the center, and put a piping bag in her hand.
"Think about it, you and Aunt Xiaoruo make the small cakes, and the guests will want to eat them later. Mom will go and talk to Uncle Director for a while."
"Okay." Xiangxiang nodded vigorously. "I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
After Xia Qing left, she realized something was off. She looked up at Du Xiaoruo and asked, puzzled,
"Auntie, why does my mom always call you Aunt Xiaoruo? You're clearly my auntie."
Du Xiaoruo stopped what she was doing. Xia Qing had also made up her mind to divorce Qiao Qingchuan. If they divorced, she would naturally no longer need to call Qiao An "Uncle" or her "Aunt."
"Because I prefer you to call me Aunt Xiaoruo," Du Xiaoruo replied with a smile.
"Hmm..." Xiangxiang blinked her big eyes and thought about it carefully, then quickly gave in.
"Alright, since you like it, I'll call you Aunt Xiaoruo from now on."
Du Xiaoruo is truly an angel; I love her explanation.
The guests this season are all so warm-hearted. I'm tired of saying that. I hope they continue to be so warm-hearted and don't have all the back-and-forth fighting like last season; it was exhausting to watch.
Xia Qing also got into the director's van. There was no one else in the van, and Director Kang sat by the window drinking tea.
"Teacher Xia is here?" Director Kang pointed to the seat opposite him. "Please sit down."
After Xia Qing sat down, Director Kang leaned over and poured half a cup of aged white tea into the Jianzhan (a type of Chinese teacup) in front of her.
"I'm sorry I didn't discuss today's live broadcast with you beforehand, Director Kang." Xia Qing also tapped her index finger a few times on the table next to the Jianzhan, which is the etiquette for adding tea.
Director Kang still had that same smiling face. "Not at all. The show's viewership has increased fivefold because of what you did. What kind of trouble is this?"
Xia Qing smiled wryly, picked up her teacup, and took a sip of tea.
Director Kang also said,
"President Xia called me before. If you want to take a break, I'll arrange the program."
Xia Qing understood what Director Kang meant. In her current situation, it was not appropriate for her to continue appearing in public and doing live broadcasts. At this time, she should avoid public opinion.
"No need." Xia Qing refused without even thinking. "Only those who have done wrong are ashamed. I haven't done anything wrong, so why should I hide?"
When Director Kang looked at Xia Qingye again, his eyes were a little different. Xia Qingye had never been very ambitious before. Although she had been in the entertainment industry, she had only played a few supporting roles as a hobby.
His impression of her had always been that she was the daughter of the Xia family and the wife of the Qiao family. Being born with a silver spoon in her mouth seemed to be her biggest label. But when Xia Qing said those words, Director Kang realized for the first time that she was an independent woman with her own thoughts and personality.
"Since Teacher Xia has made up her mind, then I wish you a pleasant time on the show and hope you can forget about these unpleasant things soon."
"Thank you, Director Kang."
To the surprise of netizens, after the midday farce, Beibei Restaurant continued to operate at 6 pm, and the live stream continued as usual.
Xia Qing changed into a casual dress and appeared in the live broadcast room with a calm expression.
The guests were a little reserved at first, but seeing that everyone in the restaurant was very natural, they gradually joined in, and Beibei Restaurant quickly returned to its usual lively state.
After dinner, Lele helped Muhua with the bill at the restaurant.
Although Lele is bad at Chinese, often inventing nonsensical idioms, and his comprehension is terrible, he is really good at math. Even Mu Hua can't figure out the math, but Lele can figure it out in less than half an hour.
Du Xiaoruo looked at it from the side and felt that it seemed a little proud.
Xia Qing also walked over to Du Xiaoruo's side and watched Lele do the accounts for a while. She nudged Du Xiaoruo lightly with her elbow.
"Want to go out for a drink tonight?"
"ha?"
This was the first time in Du Xiaoruo's twenty-odd years of life that she had been invited to drink together. Her first instinct was to refuse, but thinking of Xia Qing's recent troubles, she forced herself to nod.
"What time is it?"
"Let's wait until the children are all asleep."
Mu Hua, who had been dozing off to the side, opened her eyes and waved her hand when she heard their secret plot.
"Go on, go on. I'll look after the kids. You two go out and relax."
After sending Xia Qing and Du Xiaoruo away, Lele finished calculating the accounts, saved the form, and prepared to go upstairs to do his summer homework.
"Lele, wait a minute."
Mu Hua called the three little ones to her side.
"Hey Lele, think about it, your two mothers went out for some fresh air tonight. I don't know exactly what time they'll be back, so you two have to listen to me tonight, okay?"
Lele and Xiangxiang nodded.
Mu Hua then said, "Now, Lele, you take care of Xiangxiang, your little sister. Xiangxiang, you take care of Xiaoshu, your little brother. Xiaoshu, you must be a good boy and listen to your older brothers and sisters, okay?"
The three little ones, "..."
In the live stream room,
[Hahaha, Mu Hua, is this what you mean by "taking care of the kids"?]
[As expected, men are unreliable when it comes to taking care of children.]
[Am I the only one who thinks Mu Hua's arrangements are flawless? Not only did she arrange everything perfectly for Le He, but she also managed to get her own son sent away along with her, hahaha.]
Du Xiaoruo followed Xia Qing to a rather upscale bar. The bar's layout resembled a library, with rows of floor-to-ceiling wine racks standing in the vast space, filled with all kinds of wines arranged by year, making it look particularly spectacular.
Xia Qing also casually grabbed a bottle of red wine. Du Xiaoruo glanced at the price tag.
The 2000 limited edition Mouton Rothschild Golden Ram, 280,000 pieces worldwide.
Du Xiaoruo was the head pastry chef at the Platinum Hotel in her previous life, so she was used to such expensive red wines. Moreover, she felt a little uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment, so she kept a cold face throughout.
She and Xia Qingye, one with a cool and clean temperament, the other with a beautiful and elegant demeanor, attracted the attention of many men in the open hall as they selected their wines.
Xia Qing finished selecting her drinks and asked the waiter who had been following them, "Are there any private rooms available on the second floor?"
The waiter immediately replied, "Yes, but there is an extra charge of 8,800 for private rooms."
Xia Qing also handed over a gold card, saying, "I don't want to see any men today. I'd rather spend some money than sit in a garbage dump."
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the male guests whose eyes were constantly lingering on them to hear.
The men were a little embarrassed and annoyed, and they looked over and whispered something.
Du Xiaoruo straightened her back without making a sound; at a time like this, she couldn't afford to lose face.
The private rooms on the second floor overlook a small artificial lake, where the afterglow of the setting sun falls on the surface, like sprinkling a layer of gold leaf on the calm water.
Du Xiaoruo turned her head to look at the dreamlike scenery, not knowing what to say, so she pretended to admire the view.
The waiter brought in a pre-opened bottle of red wine, the ruby-red liquid served in a crystal decanter.
Xia Qing also poured a small half-glass of wine into the wine glass in front of Du Xiaoruo.
"You wrote that letter, didn't you?"
"Hmm?" Du Xiaoruo pressed her thumbnail against the pad of her index finger and immediately tensed up.
Xia Qing smiled reassuringly and raised her glass, "Thank you, Xiao Ruo."
Du Xiaoruo raised her wine glass and clinked it against hers. "Actually, you would have found out sooner or later."
Xia Qing also swallowed the red wine and shook her head.
“If we had found out a few days later, my dad would have lent Qiao Qingchuan 100 million yuan and even put on a huge jewelry and fashion show with him. Once the interests of the Xia family and the Qiao family are intertwined, it will be hard to end the situation.”
Du Xiaoruo also took a sip of red wine, "That's alright."
After drinking the red wine, Xia Qing's tears, which she had been holding back all day, finally slid down her cheeks. Now that there was no one else around, she didn't want to pretend anymore.
Beneath the facade of the Xia family's heiress, she is also a woman who has just experienced the awful thing of her husband's infidelity.
"Don't let my seemingly normal appearance fool you. These past two days, I've felt like the sky is falling, and I've even thought about ending it all."
Du Xiaorong pursed her lips. She really wasn't good at comforting people. After struggling for a while, she finally managed to utter a sentence.
"It's better not to die."
"Of course I can't die. I still have Xiangxiang. Xiangxiang can't fall into the hands of that beast Qiao Qingchuan."
"Yes, and think about it." Du Xiaoruo took another sip of wine.
Xia Qing wiped away her tears with a tissue and sobbed, "I can't let Qiao Qingchuan get away with this. I'll let him know that I, Xia Qing, am not someone to be trifled with."
Du Xiaoruo: "Yes, he should know."
Xia Qing rambled on and on about a lot of random things. After venting all her emotions, she realized... Du Xiaoruo seemed to be... drunk?
The person who should have been drunk wasn't, but she, an unrelated person, was completely drunk and unconscious.
Xia Qing tried calling Du Xiaoruo for a long time, but couldn't wake her up; she was sleeping soundly.
She went over to pull Du Xiaoruo up, but Xia Qing herself had also drunk quite a bit and was unsteady on her feet. She couldn't pull her up and instead fell on top of Du Xiaoruo, almost crushing her to death.
In the end, Xia Qing had no choice but to call Qiao An first.
Xia Qing didn't have Qiao An's phone number either, so she had to call Jinse's front desk first, then be transferred to Yase's front desk, and only after revealing her identity could she get Qiao An's private number.
About half an hour later, before Xia Qing had completely gotten herself drunk, Qiao An arrived at the bar.
Xia Qing was still able to walk on her own, so Qiao An asked the waiter to help support her while she squatted down and carried the unconscious Du Xiaoruo on her back.
Qiao An carried Du Xiaoruo to her feet. She usually looked quite tall, but when Qiao An carried her on her back, she felt very light, as if she had no weight.
Du Xiaoruo rested her chin on Qiao An's shoulder, and he could feel the contours of her jawline. Her warm breath enveloped Qiao An's neck, and the aroma of red wine lingered around his nose.
Joan felt that familiar burning sensation again, the same burning sensation she felt the night she saw the doe-eyed boy.
Unsteady on her feet, Du Xiaoruo stumbled as she went downstairs, and she snorted in dissatisfaction. Qiao An quickly slowed her pace.
Du Xiaoruo was jolted awake and regained a little clarity, remembering that she was still drinking with Xia Qing.
"Qingye, I envy you. You have a huge army behind you and inexhaustible confidence, unlike me, I have no one behind me."
Although she was drunk, she spoke very clearly.
Joanne paused for a moment as she descended the steps, landing steadily on the bar's cashmere carpet embroidered with gold patterns.
Back at the villa, everyone else was already asleep, and the hall was quiet. Qiao An carried Du Xiaoruo up to the second floor on her back.
But he didn't know which room Du Xiaoruo was staying in. He turned around to ask Xia Qingye, but found Xia Qingye drunkenly leaning on the railing, swaying back and forth on the handrail.
Afraid that she would fall, Qiao An supported Du Xiaoruo's legs with his hands and had to stick out his foot to hook Xia Qing's leg as well.
Xia Qing grabbed Qiao An's foot and said inexplicably, "You stinky thing, you think you can run away? I'll punish you today."
"Hey, hey, let me go first, hey, I'm going."
With one foot held by Xia Qing and Du Xiaoruo on her back, Qiao An, unable to stand steadily on one leg, hopped around in the corridor like she was doing a tap dance.
The door to a room on the second floor clicked open.
Who is it?
Mu Hua, wearing a coat, came out of the room and, seeing Qiao An's predicament, quickly went to help Xia Qing.
"How did you get so drunk? When I heard the noise, I thought there were rats in this old house."
Qiao An said, "...You should help her inside quickly."
He carried Du Xiaoruo a couple of steps, then turned back and asked, "Which room does Du Xiaoruo stay in?"
Qiao An walked to the door of Du Xiaoruo's room, pushed the door, but couldn't open it; it seemed to be locked from the inside.
He freed one hand to knock on the door and called softly, "Lele, Lele?"
The door opened quickly from the inside, and Qiao Lele's fluffy head poked out.
"Dad? What happened to Mom?"
"He's drunk." Qiao An asked, seeing that Lele seemed quite sober. "You're still awake?"
"Yes, I'm waiting for Mom to come back."
Qiao An glanced back at the door lock. "Then why did you lock the door? Do you want her to come back or not?"
Lele scratched his head sheepishly and quickly helped push open the door to Du Xiaoruo's room in the suite.
Qiao An put Du Xiaoruo on the bed, took off her shoes, lifted her legs and threw them onto the bed. She turned to leave, but then remembered something and turned back to pull the blanket over Du Xiaoruo haphazardly.
After doing all this, he was so tired that sweat beaded on his forehead. He grabbed the half-full glass of water from the bedside table and gulped it down, then reached out and loosened his tie.
Lele carefully locked the door from the inside, took a new bathrobe, slippers, and toothbrush from the wardrobe, and placed them next to Qiao An.
Joan, “...What are you doing?”
Lele replied matter-of-factly, "My mom's so drunk, you have to stay here and take care of her, right?"
Joan, “…”
Lele nudged him, "Go take a shower."
When Qiao An came out after taking a shower, Lele had already gone back to her room to sleep. He went over and pushed the door, and sure enough, it was locked from the inside.
Qiao An walked back to Du Xiaoruo's bedside, stood on the edge of the bed and thought for a few minutes. Then, stiffly, she lay down on the outermost side of the bed, picked up a corner of the blanket and pitifully covered her lower abdomen with it, as her stomach couldn't get cold.
Du Xiaoruo frowned and turned over.
Qiao An dared not move, and rolled his eyes to look inside. Du Xiaoruo had turned over and was facing him. The moonlight from the window fell on Du Xiaoruo's porcelain-like skin, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her cheek.
Seeing her eyelashes reminded Qiao An of her wet, innocent eyes, like those of a fawn.
Stop, stop, stop thinking about it.
Qiao An sat up, lifted Du Xiaoruo's head with her hands, and forcibly turned her face so that she was facing the wall.
Du Xiaoruo seemed very dissatisfied with Qiao An's arrangement. As soon as she turned around, she frowned and turned back herself, muttering something unintelligible.
After several attempts, Joanne simply got out of bed and lay down on the carpet next to the bed.
"One, two, three, hey!"
The familiar music came from downstairs again. Du Xiaoruo opened her eyes with difficulty and looked at the glass lamp hanging from the ceiling. Her brain, which was like mush, had long since stopped working. She couldn't even remember drinking last night.
Afraid that Mu Hua would call her name through a loudspeaker, Du Xiaoruo instinctively got out of bed barefoot after opening her eyes.
But she stepped on something hard, and Du Xiaoruo cried out in fright.
Along with her scream, another muffled groan of pain rang out.
Du Xiaoruo looked down at the floor in alarm and saw Qiao An curled up, her hands covering her legs, rolling around in pain.
Ah~
Du Xiaoruo screamed and scrambled back onto the bed, grabbing a pillow to shield herself. She was still completely bewildered by the situation.
Joan, “…Fuck!”
Du Xiaoruo belatedly realized that the hard object she had just stepped on was...?
sky!
Could this man have been crippled by my own stomp?
Once this setting was in mind, Du Xiaoruo was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. She buried her head in the pillow like a snail, feeling the intoxicating sensation of all the blood rushing to her face.
Lele pushed open the door and asked worriedly, "Dad, what's wrong? I heard you calling."
Joan released her hands in a second, calmly got up from the ground, and even spoke in a fairly calm tone.
"It's nothing, I just kicked the bed leg with my toe."
"Oh." Lele nodded knowingly, her toes kicking the bed and legs really hurt. "Then you guys get up quickly, Uncle Muhua is going to call."
"Okay." Joan waved her hand. "Go wash up, you don't need to worry about the adults."
As soon as the door closed, Qiao An immediately clutched it again, hopping back and forth on the ground, switching between his left and right feet, until he finally hopped into the bathroom.
He probably went to check if it was damaged, Du Xiaoru thought.
While Qiao An was in the bathroom, Du Xiaoruo even used her phone to check how much weight a man's penis could withstand, and what responsibilities she should bear if he demanded compensation.
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