[Hahaha, what the heck? I even ran into Boss Ha here? What's he doing here?]
[They even brought an assistant; they must be here on a business trip, right? What a coincidence.]
All I can say is it's all fate; it's no wonder Ha Zong is going to lose money.
All I can say is that everyone at Beibei Restaurant has encountered a living saint.
After exiting the highway, the two vehicles pulled over to the side of the road and stopped in the emergency lane.
Joan and Secretary Jin each pushed open the car door and got out. As soon as their feet touched the warm asphalt road, a group of people rushed out of the van and surrounded them as if they were meeting some important figures.
Amidst the noisy chatter of everyone, Joan finally understood what was going on. The group of hungry zombies in front of her... no, her good friends, had been exiled here by their beloved director, who just happened to be passing by.
"What a coincidence." Qiao Anjin nodded demurely. "I wish you all a safe journey."
After saying that, he took off running, but he couldn't get up. Looking down, he saw his little dumpling hugging his leg, crying and shouting.
"Daddy, Daddy, you can't leave me here! Daddy, are you leaving me to go find a pretty auntie?"
Because the group looked so flamboyant and the vintage Bentley parked on the side of the road was so flashy, many people coming off the highway were watching them, and some were even recording them on their phones.
Little Shu clung to Qiao An's leg and wailed loudly, causing a murmur to erupt from the crowd.
"This man looks quite respectable, how could he abandon such a cute little child?"
"Are you filming a TV series? There are cameras around."
"You don't understand, these days you even take photos as evidence when catching someone cheating."
Qiao An was completely at her wit's end. The usually confident and resourceful person now felt only guilty and powerless. Wait, why should she feel guilty? She hadn't done anything wrong.
Did you automatically immerse yourself in the character as Xiao Shu cried out?
Under immense pressure, Joan managed to squeeze out three words through gritted teeth, "How much?"
"Let's discuss it in the car, let's discuss it in the car." Mu Hua seemingly warmly put his arm around Qiao An's shoulder, but in reality, he was practically kidnapping him and pulling him into the van.
The group disappeared like the wind, leaving Secretary Kim bewildered and confused. Oh dear, what am I going to do?
[Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter! It has to be you, Xiao Shu, the epitome of "whoever feeds me is my mother."]
All I can say is that Xiaoshu has maxed-out survival skills; she could survive anywhere.
In that instant, Xiao Shu could see barbecue, ice cream, cream cake, potato chips, and so on on Ha Zong's face. How could he not call him "Dad"?
The van followed the navigation and drove all the way to a well-known lakeside restaurant in the area.
While in the car, Ni An had already looked it up. Apparently, this restaurant is located by the river, where you can not only see the beautiful river view, but also eat wild fish that has just been caught from the river. Although the price is a bit expensive, now that everyone has a sugar daddy, the price is not a consideration.
It's hot now, so everyone eats dinner late, and there aren't many customers in the restaurant right now.
The owner specially recommended a spot on the second floor with the best view. From there, one could see the distant, rolling mountains, the nearby babbling river, and the egg-yolk-shaped sunset nestled in the mountain valley, its daytime heat already gone. Further away, a translucent crescent moon eagerly hung in the sky above the river.
High mountains and flowing water, the sun and moon shining together—it is indeed a rare and beautiful sight.
The main attraction of this live stream in Guicun was the survival stories of the poor guests, but then a husky suddenly appeared, ruining all the appeal.
The directing team held an emergency meeting, and after discussing and agreeing on a plan, the chubby director Kang appeared on camera with a beaming smile.
"Good evening, distinguished guests, and welcome Mr. Ha."
Qiao An crossed her arms and leaned back in the small bamboo recliner, listening to President Kang's high-sounding nonsense and welcoming President Ha's arrival. Did I come here of my own volition?
"President Qiao," he corrected coldly.
Director Kang said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ha. Your appearance was unexpected. We just discussed it, and the guests cannot get travel funds from you without working for them. That would be a bit unfair."
A smile finally appeared on Joan's long face, and he nodded demurely. He didn't want to be taken advantage of by this group of strange people.
"Then I will announce the rules for the next period."
Director Kang swallowed nervously, sensing that he might be beaten up next.
"Everyone can't expect to get something for nothing, but they can earn service fees by providing services to Mr. Ha, including but not limited to preparing meals, massages, driving, putting him to sleep, and scrubbing his back."
"?"
Joan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Lulling someone to sleep? Giving someone a bath? Was this some kind of service, or some new kind of scam?
In the live stream room,
[Hahaha, I really want to read a little book to lull Ha to sleep.]
[What the heck is this "body scrubbing"? A domineering CEO scrubbing a body? I've never seen anything like it before! Whose domineering CEO is doing body scrubbing?]
[Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter! The production team really knows how to generate buzz.]
[Yeah, watching them eat and drink every day was actually a bit boring, but now I'm really looking forward to this trip.]
After announcing the rules, Director Kang ran away before the husky could throw the cup at him, leaving Joan alone, bewildered in the river breeze.
He turned his head, looking at the hungry zombies with a pained expression.
"You are all elites in your respective fields. Have you really thought about living a life with no future, no challenge, and no dignity?"
Everyone gave him a puzzled look. Wasn't this kind of life just about doing nothing, eating and lying around, having no ambition, and being idle? Who wouldn't want that?
Qiao An turned her head in despair, her clear eyes staring blankly at the gloomy river surface.
The owner brought out the fish, freshly caught wild fish, and cooked it in a large pot of yin-yang hot pot, one side being a milky white milk pot and the other side a spicy hot pot with bubbling red oil.
As soon as the wild fish was served, its fresh and fragrant aroma filled the entire space. Everyone smelled the rich aroma of the food and realized that they had been starving for a long time.
After traveling all afternoon, Qiao An was also hungry. No matter how difficult life is, she still had to eat properly.
He stood up from the recliner and walked to the low dining table. Mu Hua immediately took out tissues to wipe the stool clean for him, while Ni An reached out to lift the fabric of his suit trousers so that he could sit down more comfortably.
The bowl and chopsticks were handed over by Xiaoshu. Qing had already rinsed them with boiling water beforehand. Thinking about her own lace-trimmed bib, she was hesitating whether to tie it on Qiao An.
Secretary Kim was already laughing so hard she was doubled over. She was holding her phone and watching the live stream with Otto, Yu Pan, and the other two in the group chat, laughing wildly at each other.
Yu Pan: [I'm dying of laughter! This is the happiest day since I joined Yase.]
Otto, [Jin, quickly tell Xiangxiang to put that lace bib on Ha, he really wants to see it.]
Secretary Kim, [Don't harm me. The day the lace apron is put on will be the day I die.]
Despite everyone's deliberate and flattering care, Qiao An's gaze kept drifting towards Du Xiaoruo. Du Xiaoruo was usually quiet, and even at times like this, she sat quietly in the corner.
For some reason, Qiao An really wanted to be taken care of by her, like being coaxed to sleep or having her bathed.
Then Joan was startled by this inexplicable thought that popped into her head. Damn it, that's so weird. I can't think like that.
Du Xiaoruo was sitting near the chili sauce stand, and Ni An, who could handle spicy food, asked Du Xiaoruo to pass him the chili sauce several times.
Because they usually worked in the kitchen, Du Xiaoruo and Ni An were fairly familiar with each other. Seeing him constantly eating chili sauce, she casually remarked...
"You can really handle spicy food."
Du Xiaoruo is usually very quiet, so her sudden initiative to speak made Ni An feel a little flattered. She quickly took the opportunity to talk to Du Xiaoruo for a few more minutes.
"Ahem." Qiao An coughed lightly twice, interrupting their conversation.
He pointed to the chili sauce, indicating to Du Xiaoruo that he wanted some too.
Du Xiaoruo handed Qiao An some chili sauce without saying a word, which made Qiao An even more annoyed.
At this moment, Mu Hua and Secretary Jin started chatting about everyday things.
Mu Hua: "Secretary Jin, are you here on official business today?"
"Hmm." Secretary Kim put the fish into a bowl to cool, and adjusted her glasses, which had slid down to the tip of her nose due to a thin layer of sweat. "Our company has a fabric research and development base in Guicun. We came here to take a look at the new products."
"That's impressive," Mu Hua complimented. "Well, it's so late now, so we probably can't work anyway. Shall we grab some ice-cold beer?"
Joan took a few bites of the fish dipped in chili sauce, and her eyes were seeing stars from the spiciness. When she heard about the ice-cold beer, she told them to bring it over quickly.
Seeing the condensation still clinging to the beer glass, Du Xiaoruo felt a little worried. She pursed her lips, twisted her fingers, hesitated for a long time, and finally found a moment to whisper to Qiao An,
"Don't drink too much ice water after eating such spicy food, or your stomach will hurt."
"fine."
Qiao An replied calmly, appearing nonchalant on the surface, but inwardly she was quite pleased. It seemed she liked men who could handle spicy food.
After dinner, Mu Hua inquired with the restaurant owner about the best guesthouse in Guicun, and the group drove there.
Secretary Kim conscientiously booked rooms for everyone, one room per family. Qiao An's family was larger, so they stayed in a suite. Secretary Kim, however, took advantage of everyone's inattention and booked a rooftop room with a view of the stars for herself.
There were no cameras in the guesthouse rooms, and the live stream stopped once I entered the room.
Back in her room, Du Xiaoruo noticed that Qiao An's face was a little pale. Although he was naturally fair-skinned, even his lips looked bloodless.
Did you just eat something too spicy and your stomach hurt?
Du Xiaoruo went to her suitcase to look for stomach medicine. After rummaging around for a while, she found a packet of spleen-strengthening granules for children. She looked at the instructions and felt that it was also suitable for Qiao An's current situation.
The tea cabinet in the suite was in the small kitchen connected to the balcony. Du Xiaoruo took the medicine and went to the kitchen to boil water.
Qiao An's stomach was indeed a little sore, but it was still bearable. She smelled strongly of hot pot, so she took a change of clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Just as I turned on the shower, there were two knocks on the door.
"who?"
The little book was pasted on the door and asked loudly, "Mr. Ha, would you like a massage? The adorable little book is here to work."
Joanne refused without hesitation, “...I don’t need it.”
About three minutes later, just as Joan was applying foam to her short hair, she heard another knock on the door.
It was Xiao Shu's mischievous voice again, "Would you like to eat oranges in the bathroom? I can bring them in."
Qiao An said, "No, you should leave right now." Why would someone want to eat an orange in the bathroom for no reason?
Lele heard Xiaoshu's words from inside the room and quickly ran over to take Xiaoshu away. Qiao An heard Xiaoshu speaking loudly through the bathroom door.
"I have to serve, otherwise I won't have money to buy food tomorrow."
Joanne turned on the shower to rinse off the foam. Her stomach ached, and her head hurt even more. Who came up with this disgusting idea of providing services?
As he was lost in thought, there were two more knocks on the door.
Joan pulled a bath towel around her waist and flung open the bathroom door with a whoosh. "Are you ever going to stop...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Qiao An froze.
Du Xiaoruo's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom. Her gaze lingered on Qiao An's half-naked body, from his firm chest muscles to his tight and sexy abdomen, and then along his abdomen she saw two V-lines hidden in the bath towel. What a breathtaking sight!
"You...you...you..." Joan reached out and grabbed the edge of the bath towel to prevent the already flimsy thing from slipping away. After a long while, she finally managed to stammer out a complete sentence.
"Have you looked enough? What are you going to do?"
Du Xiaoruo quickly averted her shocked gaze, staring awkwardly at the door frame.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to tell you that the stomach medicine is by the door. Drink it while it's hot. You actually... you don't need to open the door."
"Feel sorry."
Du Xiaoruo bowed and then quickly fled the scene.
She ran into the room, pulled the blanket over her head, and her face was as hot as the boiling water she had just used to soak the medicine. Why, why does it always have to be this awful?
Joan looked down, puzzled, and sure enough, she saw a small cup of brown liquid on a wooden tray on the floor.
He bent down, picked it up, and brought it to his nose to smell it; it had a faint smell of Chinese medicine.
Joanne tilted her head back and drank the warm medicine, then turned and walked into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of a hairdryer and... cheerful singing came from the bathroom.
Whether it was because of the medicine or because her mood suddenly improved, Qiao An felt much better after taking a shower and returning to her bedroom.
The suite has two rooms. Lele and Qiao An sleep in the large room, while Du Xiaoruo sleeps in the small room by herself.
Lele wasn't in the bedroom, so Qiao An leaned against the headboard and turned on the TV.
A little while later, Lele and Xiaoshu returned together, with Xiaoshu carrying a glass of orange juice.
"Dad, are you done taking a bath?" Lele pointed to the orange juice in Xiaoshu's hand. "Xiaoshu and I squeezed this for you together, and we put ice cubes in it."
Xiao Shu brought the orange juice to Qiao An, wishing she could personally pour it into his mouth.
"Please enjoy your meal, Mr. Ha."
Joan had a stomachache and didn't want to touch anything cold, but seeing the two little ones' longing eyes, she gritted her teeth and drank the orange juice.
Seeing that Qiao An had finally finished enjoying the service, Xiao Shu was satisfied, and her breakfast for tomorrow was finally taken care of.
"Mr. Ha, please get some rest."
Xiao Shu imitated the waiters at the upscale hotel his father had taken him to, placing his hands in front of his lower abdomen and awkwardly bowing.
Joan was speechless. "Please call me uncle next time. Thank you and your whole family."
Having witnessed the stampede incident before, Du Xiaoruo found it much easier to accept this time. She took a bath in her bathroom, and when she came out, only one thing remained in her mind: Qiao An's figure was truly amazing. If Du Xiaoruo hadn't read some Playboy magazines in her previous life, she might have actually had a nosebleed at this moment.
Despite being a socially awkward person, Du Xiaoruo is actually quite attracted to good-looking people. In her past life, her biggest dream was to make a lot of money and then keep a mute model with a perfect figure and appearance as her sugar daddy.
Although it was impossible for Qiao An to be a kept woman, it was still okay to feast one's eyes. Du Xiaoruo found herself becoming more and more shameless. She even relived the scene in her mind.
With a huge visual impact, Du Xiaoruo fell asleep, dreaming of half-naked handsome men feeding her oranges, embracing her on both sides, which felt incredibly good. Du Xiaoruo even reached out and touched one of their pectoral muscles.
Half-asleep, Du Xiaoruo was woken up by someone pushing her. Opening her eyes, she saw Lele's pure and innocent face.
"Mom, go check on Dad, he seems to be sick."
Lele's big eyes were full of anxiety, and her long, thick eyelashes were wet with tears, sticking to her slightly reddened eyelids one by one.
Du Xiaoruo quickly got up and grabbed an outer robe from the headboard, draping it over her sundress.
Upon entering the large room, they indeed saw Qiao An with a deathly pale face, clutching her stomach with both hands, curled up at the foot of the bed like a little shrimp.
"Is it a stomachache?" Du Xiaoruo walked over and asked softly.
Qiao An looked up. "No, it's nothing."
Now, Joan has taken off his sharp suit, and his usually meticulous black hair is messy and hanging over his forehead. Because of the pain, his face and lips are very pale, which is different from his usual self, but it has a more breathtaking morbid beauty.
Du Xiaoruo pinched her fingers, reminding herself that this was not the time to look at handsome men. She quickly returned to her room and changed into a set of casual clothes that she could wear outside.
She changed her clothes and returned to the bedroom, where Joan was still lying at the foot of the bed, stubborn as a duck.
"I'm fine."
"She's in such a state, she needs to go to the hospital." Du Xiaoruo walked over and easily lifted Qiao An up. "Lele, take your father's coat, car keys, and your phone. We'll need to pay the medical fees later."
Qiao An struggled weakly for a few moments, and the 1.8-meter-tall man was simply carried away by the thin and frail Du Xiaoruo.
After settling Qiao An into the back seat, Du Xiaoruo turned on the navigation and drove towards the village's only clinic.
Joan clutched her coat, asking weakly, "Do I need a shot?"
"Don't be afraid, Daddy," Lele gently soothed him on the back with her little hand. "Even if you get a shot, it will only hurt for a little while."
Du Xiaoruo turned the car onto a slightly narrower asphalt road and looked at Qiao An in the rearview mirror, wondering if such a big thing would be afraid of getting a shot.
Ten minutes later, Du Xiaoruo witnessed a miracle.
Qiao An huddled on the narrow IV bed in the clinic, refusing to let the doctor near him, shouting at the doctor.
"I don't want a shot! Get out of here!"
The doctor at the clinic was an elderly woman in her sixties. She was shocked by the scene. In all her decades of medical practice, she had never seen an adult so afraid of injections.
"You have a stomach spasm right now, an IV drip will help you recover faster," the doctor said earnestly, holding the IV equipment in his hand.
"No, I won't take it, just give me the medicine."
"The medication will only make things worse. If the pain continues like this, a perforation could cause serious problems. A perforated stomach can lead to abdominal infection, lung infection, and even liver and kidney infection. There are no hospitals here that can perform the surgery. By the time we drive to the city, we'll be long dead."
It's unclear how much Qiao An took to heart, but it certainly startled Du Xiaoruo. Lele, bewildered, grabbed Du Xiaoruo's hand.
"Mom, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Du Xiaoruo acted decisively, walking to the bedside, pulling Qiao An's head into her arms, and gently patting his back, soothing him softly like she was comforting a child.
"Don't be afraid, it will be over in a moment. Listen to me, give your hand to the doctor."
Seeing that Qiao An was less resistant, Du Xiaoruo gave the doctor a wink.
As the IV needle pierced his vein, Du Xiaoruo could feel Qiao An's muscles suddenly tense up, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Du Xiaoruo hugged him even tighter, "It's okay, it's okay."
Qiao An wrapped her other hand, which wasn't receiving an IV drip, around Du Xiaoruo's waist with great force, as if she wanted to embed her hand into Du Xiaoruo's slender waist. The force emanating from Du Xiaoruo gradually calmed Qiao An's trembling body.
The medicine contained sedative and analgesic ingredients. Qiao An fell asleep halfway through the infusion, and her steady breathing indicated that the pain had subsided considerably.
Du Xiaoruo carried Lele, who was fast asleep by the bedside, to another empty bed and pulled the blanket over him.
Back at the bedside, Du Xiaoruo looked at the IV bottle; the liquid inside was almost gone. Du Xiaoruo went to the duty room and woke up the doctor.
The doctor deftly changed the IV bag to a dark brown one, then yawned wearily.
“Such a big man, so afraid of needles. Let me tell you, young lady, when you look for a man, you can’t just look at his appearance. You have to find someone reliable. I don’t think this man is good enough. He’s timid and has a bad temper.”
I don't know if the doctor was woken up and had a bad temper, but he kept rambling on and on about how bad Qiao An was.
Based on Du Xiaoruo's usual personality, she was not willing to argue with others. As long as it was not a matter of principle, she could keep quiet and not say a word.
But she's a bit irritable today.
“Our child is so grown up, don’t I know whether he’s good or not? You don’t need to tell me. Just focus on treating and saving lives.”
Du Xiaoruo usually speaks in a gentle and mild tone, but now that she's angry, she's like an enraged little beast, with sharp little thorns standing up all over her body. Although her tone is still relatively calm, she gives people a feeling that she is not to be trifled with.
Actually, Qiao An had woken up when the doctor came to change his dressing, but the lights in the examination room were dim and no one noticed him. He was secretly pleased to hear that she had stood up for him.
Lele was sleeping on her side when she woke up while the doctor was speaking. Hearing this, her long eyelashes fluttered twice, and she thought to herself, "She said I'm her child."
The doctor, embarrassed by her retort, muttered, "You don't look like children."
After the dressing was changed, the doctor left.
Du Xiaoruo heard the door to the duty room open; the doctor had already gone back. She turned to look at the two sleeping people, feeling a sense of relief and a good mood. Then, as if possessed, she clenched her fist and waved it in front of her, whispering a light, cheerful shout.
"I am Ultraman, with light in my eyes, fearless and undaunted."
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