The road ended at the foot of Guishan Mountain. Du Xiaoruo followed behind Qiao An and Secretary Jin, climbing up the mountain path. Both of them were tall and had long legs, so Du Xiaoruo had to work very hard to keep up. After climbing for a while, she was panting heavily.
As Qiao An walked ahead, she glanced back and saw that Jin's face was flushed and her nose was covered in a thin layer of sweat. She deliberately slowed down, and several times Jin almost bumped into the back of Qiao An's head.
"You'll die if you walk too fast..."
Qiao An turned her head and glanced at him indifferently. Although she didn't say anything, her meaning was clear: she had a murderous look in her eyes.
Secretary Kim's words took a turn in her throat.
"Whether you're happy or not, what I mean is that everyone cares about how far you go on your journey, but the people who truly love you only care about whether you're happy or not. These are my thoughts, inspired by these lush green mountains."
Du Xiaoruo couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Idiot." Qiao An cursed, turned around and continued climbing the mountain. Hearing Du Xiaoruo's laughter, her clear eyes also filled with amusement.
Their destination was a hillside on Guishan Mountain. It was supposed to be a fabric research and development base, but it was actually just a few bungalows built on a flat area on the mountainside. There was no sign, and it looked no different from most of the houses in Guishan.
Outside the bungalow, a number of steel wires were neatly strung across an open space, with various colored fabrics hanging from them. However, the fabrics looked old, like faded old photographs at first glance.
Secretary Jin explained to Du Xiaoruo that the fabrics were dyed with persimmons, so the color was an old pumpkin color.
Hearing a noise outside, a woman in her thirties came out of the house. Her soft, long brown hair was braided into a plait and hung down in front of her chest. She was wearing a pumpkin-colored dress made of the same fabric that was hanging outside, which made her look like an old photograph, with a very classic charm.
"Mr. Qiao, you've arrived?"
The woman smiled gently, her lips pursed, revealing two sweet dimples on her fair face.
Seeing Du Xiaoruo standing behind Qiao An, the woman's light brown eyes showed a hint of surprise. This was the first time Qiao An had brought anyone other than Secretary Jin to the mountain.
"Have you eaten yet?" the woman asked again, her impeccable manners making one feel as if she were the lady of the house.
"Teacher Han, there's no need to trouble yourself, we've already eaten." Qiao An smiled at her and gave a slight bow as a greeting.
"Let's go to the back of the house for tea, it's hot outside," Han Nianwei said, taking the lead and walking around the small house to the backyard.
Du Xiaoruo followed Qiao An to the backyard. The backyard was next to the mountain, so the sunlight couldn't shine directly into it. There was a cool breeze as soon as you walked in, like a natural air conditioner.
The courtyard was planted with some shade-loving climbing plants, and in the center was a large, quaint tea table. After everyone went in, they sat down around the tea table.
Han Nianwei bent down and scooped water from a water vat on the ground to brew tea.
Qiao An sat down and introduced Du Xiaoruo, "Xiaoruo, this is Han Nianwei. Teacher Han, this is my wife, Du Xiaoruo."
Upon hearing this, Du Xiaoruo immediately stood up and said, "Hello, Teacher Han." Her proper manners were like those of a model student in elementary school meeting their teacher.
Han Nianwei was amused by her appearance. Her smile was particularly gentle, like a clear pool, shallow and soft, making people unconsciously want to get close to her.
She put the spring water on the small stove to boil and added a handful of tea leaves.
Turning back, he smiled and said to Xiaoruo,
"I've always wondered what kind of girl could be worthy of Mr. Qiao's extraordinary demeanor. Meeting you today, I can say that you are indeed a beautiful and talented woman with a wonderful personality. Such a pure and clean personality is rare these days."
Du Xiaoruo wasn't good at such polite words. Hearing Han Nianwei's words, she blushed and stammered, "No, no, you're very beautiful too."
Seeing Du Xiaoruo's shy and incoherent manner, Han Nianwei's smile deepened. Having spent a lot of time in wealthy circles and seen a lot of hypocrisy, she had a better impression of Du Xiaoruo's personality, which was not good at polite conversation.
Joan smiled helplessly. Having a wife who's bad at talking is the same; she always has to help her out of awkward situations.
He subtly changed the subject.
"Teacher Han, I told you on the phone that Qiao Qingchuan has now been brought down, it's time for us to make a move."
Upon hearing the crucial information, Du Xiaoruo perked up her ears. What was the relationship between Han Nianwei and Qiao Qingchuan? What was their intention?
Han Nianwei was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing Du Xiaoruo's confused look, she spoke calmly, as if she were specifically addressing Du Xiaoruo.
“I used to be Kim Hee-jin’s vocal coach. I was only in my early twenties then, probably about the same age as Mrs. Qiao now. For an ordinary family like mine to be able to work for the Qiao family and earn a considerable commission, I cherished this job so much back then.”
The tea on the small stove was boiling, making a bubbling sound.
Han Nianwei stopped talking, first taking the teapot off the stove and pouring tea into the rough earthenware bowls in front of her.
Secretary Kim, with great perceptiveness, brought out hot tea and placed a cup in front of each person.
Looking at the rising steam in the teacup, Qiao An felt a pang of pity. "Teacher Han, if you don't want to talk about the past, there's no need to bring it up."
"It's nothing." Han Nianwei put down the teapot, turned her head, and spoke in a calm tone, as if she were talking about someone else.
"I just wanted to work hard for the Qiao family for a few years, earn money to pay off the debts my parents incurred for my music studies, and then get a teaching position as a music teacher, living a peaceful and happy life. But fate had other plans. I hadn't even been with the Qiao family for a year when Qiao Qingchuan drugged my water. He... he raped me."
Du Xiaoruo's heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. She wanted to ask Han Nianwei to stop talking, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't say a word.
"This isn't over yet." Han Nianwei continued calmly, her expression unchanged.
“After I woke up and realized what had happened, I immediately called the police. But the Qiao family is very powerful. Although I called the police, the relevant departments refused to file a case and instead accused me of seducing Qiao Qingchuan and extorting money from the Qiao family.”
Du Xiaoruo's eyes welled up with tears. Just thinking about it was so painful. She wondered how Han Nianwei, who was only in her early twenties, had managed to get through it.
“I escaped from the Qiao family. To avoid being found, I went into hiding and worked as a factory worker in a small noodle factory. About five years ago, Mr. Qiao found me and took me out of there. I have lived in Guicun for five years.”
"I'm sorry." Qiao An's gray-blue eyes were full of guilt, guilt as a member of the Qiao family. He had only found out about Qiao Qingchuan's womanizing by chance, and only by following this lead did he discover Han Nianwei's affair.
“What did you do wrong?” Han Nianwei shook her head. “You weren’t even 18 back then, were you? Even if you knew, what could you have done?”
"Are we finally able to announce this now?" Han Nianwei's light brown eyes were calm, and her tone was light. "I can't wait."
"Hmm." Qiao An picked up the warm tea and took a sip. "Everything is ready."
Han Nianwei calmly picked up the teacup, but the slightly trembling tea betrayed her feigned composure. She simply put the teacup down.
"President Qiao, I haven't asked you yet why you hate Jin Xizhen and Qiao Qingchuan so much. They are your mother and brother, after all. It can't just be a struggle for family interests, can it?"
Qiao An paused as he brought the teacup to his lips, remaining silent for a long time.
Just when everyone thought he wouldn't say anything, he put down his teacup, unbuttoned his left cuff with one hand, and rolled up the cuff of his shirt twice.
Then Joanne removed a Vacheron Constantin watch from her wrist. Where the strap pressed against, there was a deep scar, with faint traces of stitches visible on both sides. The scar should have healed long ago, but it did nothing to prevent those present from seeing the cruelty it had caused.
“They once drove me to the brink of suicide,” Joan explained simply.
Du Xiaoruo felt a vein throbbing in her temple. She was so shocked by what she heard that she couldn't make a sound. No wonder Chen Ding said that this world was abnormal, really abnormal.
A loud bang came from beside her, and Du Xiaoruo turned around in a daze.
Secretary Kim angrily slammed her fist on the tea table, causing the tea in the teacup to shake violently and soak the table with a lot of tea.
"Doesn't your hand hurt?" Joan picked up the watch from the table and put it back on his wrist. His lazy and casual expression returned. He even joked with Secretary Jin, "You're quite strong. Go chop wood later."
Han Nianwei smiled at Secretary Jin and said jokingly, "Then thank you. The firewood is in the front yard."
She calmly sipped her tea. "I wouldn't be surprised if those two scumbags did something, but even tigers don't eat their cubs. Is Kim Hee-jin really your biological mother?"
"No." Qiao An denied it quickly, and was truly glad that she didn't have a mother like that.
"But you look very alike."
Han Nianwei voiced the question that had been bothering Du Xiaoruo: if they weren't related by blood, why did Qiao An look so much like Jin Xizhen, even more like mother and son than Qiao Qingchuan?
“We just have similar eye color. People with this eye color are quite common among Westerners, and it doesn’t necessarily mean we are related by blood.”
Having said that, he already knew what Han Nianwei was going to ask next, and he shook his head helplessly.
“I don’t know who I am. I’ve lived in the Qiao family since I was born. The only thing I know is that I wasn’t born to Kim Hee-jin. I don’t know anything else.”
Based on Qiao An's situation, Han Nianwei guessed that he might be Qiao Rukun's illegitimate son, born outside the family and then adopted and raised in the Qiao family. If that were the case, then given Jin Xizhen's character, she would definitely try every means to torment him.
No, Han Nianwei thought about it and still felt that this guess was wrong.
If Qiao An were Qiao Rukun's biological son, how could Qiao Rukun possibly bear to send him into the hands of that poisonous woman, Jin Xizhen?
Han Nianwei shook her head, unable to figure out what was going on.
As dusk approached, the already poor lighting in the backyard made it even darker.
Han Nianwei stood up. "It's already dinner time. Why don't you eat here and then come on over? I usually live alone on the mountain, so it's rare for someone to have a meal with me."
"Xiaoruo, try my cooking."
Du Xiaoruo snapped out of her daze, not having clearly heard Han Nianwei's words earlier, "Huh?"
"Let's have dinner here," Joanne repeated softly.
“Okay, I’ll help you.” Du Xiaoruo stood up.
"No need," Han Nianwei waved her hand with a smile. "Just wait and eat."
Du Xiaoruo sat down again, feeling that the atmosphere at the tea table was strange. Qiao An was calmly drinking her tea, while Secretary Jin was fidgeting and looked anxious.
Secretary Kim stood up and sat down several times, finally sighing and muttering under her breath in a defiant tone, "What the hell?"
"I'm going to chop wood to expend my energy. I'll probably be able to eat something later when I'm hungry."
Du Xiaoru blinked, not understanding what was wrong with Secretary Jin.
Qiao An sipped his tea, his eyes full of smiles. He leaned close to Du Xiaoruo's ear and whispered something.
"Han Nianwei's cooking is terrible. Secretary Jin feels like she's being tortured every time she eats here."
Du Xiaoruo pursed her lips, thinking that even if it wasn't very tasty, it couldn't be that bad. At most, it was just too salty or too bland.
When Du Xiaoruo sat down at the table, she saw a few light stir-fries and a bowl of cucumber and egg soup, which all looked quite normal.
She picked up a piece of stir-fried beef in front of her, put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, chewed and chewed, but couldn't chew it at all; it was like cowhide.
I'm doomed. Now I can't swallow it or spit it out.
Du Xiaoxiao glanced at Qiao An and Secretary Jin. The two of them had calm expressions and acted naturally, but they only picked up vegetables and didn't touch any meat dishes.
Du Xiaoruo understood. At least she could chew vegetables, which was better than having a piece of beef stuck in her mouth.
She looked at Joan with a pleading expression.
Qiao An smiled slightly, glanced at the cucumber soup, and casually asked, "Teacher Han, do you have a soup spoon?"
"Yes, I'll go get it." Han Nianwei got up and went into the kitchen.
Qiao An quickly pulled out two tissues and handed them to Du Xiaoruo.
Du Xiaoruo took the tissue, put it to her mouth, turned around, spat the piece of beef into the tissue, wrapped it up, and threw it in the trash can.
Han Nianwei came out of the kitchen, handed a soup spoon to Qiao An, and used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef and hand it to Du Xiaoruo.
"Xiaoruo, I see you really like beef. I usually eat vegetarian food and don't eat meat. It would be a waste to leave it uneaten. You should eat more."
Du Xiaoruo, “...I..."
Qiao An handed over the bowl and took the piece of beef. "Give it to me. Her stomach hasn't been feeling well these past few days, and the doctor told her to eat less meat."
Du Xiaoruo saw him chew the piece of beef, which was harder than cowhide, without changing his expression and swallow it directly. She was a little worried that his stomach would hurt again later.
It was quite late when we got back to the guesthouse from the mountain. The children had all returned and were playing with some trinkets we had bought during the day in the guesthouse lobby.
After returning to the guesthouse, Du Xiaoruo went to her room to get Qiao An's stomach medicine.
Joan sat down on the soft couch in the hall, leaning back lazily as she watched the three little ones fiddling with their crudely made handmade gadgets.
Lele crawled up the carpet to Joan's legs and handed her a wooden Ultraman toy that she had bought at the awning boat dock during the day.
"Dad, I want to give this Ultraman to Mom."
Joan recalled Ultraman from last night and knew that Lele had heard it too. He pressed his slightly aching temples with a hint of helplessness.
"Give it to me, I like it."
"No, I want to give it to my mom. She likes Ultraman too."
“No, she doesn’t like it.” Joan forcefully snatched the Ultraman toy and hid it behind the sofa cushion. “You’re not allowed to mention Ultraman in front of your mother again.”
Qiao Lele was very unhappy. She had never seen him so domineering. If he liked it, he could buy it himself.
Du Xiaoruo came over with warm water and stomach medicine and handed the medicine to Qiao An.
Seeing Lele sitting on the ground looking unhappy, she reached out and patted the soft, curly wool. "Are you tired, Lele?"
Just as Lele was about to complain, a warning look from Qiao An instantly silenced her temper.
"Yeah, I'm tired."
"Go to sleep early if you're tired."
"Oh, right." Qiao An swallowed the medicine with water and said to Du Xiaoruo, "You'll be staying in Secretary Jin's room tonight. The guesthouse manager cleaned it before you left this afternoon."
"Hmm?" Du Xiaoruo glanced at Secretary Jin. "Aren't you afraid to live alone?"
Secretary Jin adjusted her glasses, gave Qiao An a resentful glare, and under President Qiao's threatening gaze, humiliatingly admitted...
"Yeah, I'm a little scared."
Several children, upon hearing Secretary Kim's words, ran over to mock him, saying it was shameful that someone so old was afraid of the dark.
Du Xiaoruo smiled knowingly, "Then you can stay in a suite, I'm not afraid."
Everyone was a bit tired, so they chatted for a while and then went back to their rooms. Du Xiaoruo went up to the third floor and found that the room was really beautiful.
The small garden was full of roses, which emitted a faint fragrance in the dark night.
The room had a large swing bed; lying on it, you could see the stars in the night sky sparkling like diamonds. It's a shame Secretary Kim is too scared to stay alone.
Du Xiaoruo took a bath, dried her hair, and came out. She nimbly jumped onto the swing bed and rolled around in the soft quilt twice.
In such a comfortable environment, she thought of the horrific scar on Joan's wrist. What kind of despair must she have experienced to want to give up her life?
Du Xiaoruo lost the mood to continue appreciating the beautiful scenery. She got out of bed and took her phone out of the backpack she had carried that afternoon.
Open the message Chen Ding sent and quickly reply.
I'm back from Guishan. What should I do next?
Chen Ding's message came back quickly: [Help Qiao An acquire Jinse's shares.]
Du Xiaoruo pursed her lips, staring at the message Chen Ding had sent, thinking to herself, "You really think highly of me. May I ask, if I have no money or power, how can I acquire it? Can I use my life?"
Holding her phone, she jumped back onto the bed and texted Chen Ding back: "Tired."
Chen Ding, [If you're tired, why don't you come with me? We'll hold hands and reincarnate together. It doesn't matter if you don't have enough merit for your next life; I'll be a rat and you can be a dog. I'll always be your obedient rat.]
Du Xiaoruo lay down on the bed, held her phone above her head, and wrote: "This world is just as twisted as you."
Chen Ding: [Xiao Ruo, I'm seriously correcting you. I meant the world has changed, not that it's become abnormal. Don't keep calling my son a monster. You know every work is like the author's own child, right? Even if we take a step back, it's also like your own nephew. I beg you, please don't call it abnormal.]
Du Xiaoruo thought Chen Ding's days down there must be quite boring. Given her personality, she'd probably be looking for ghosts to argue with everywhere. She's even improved her eloquence quite a bit now.
In the morning, after breakfast, everyone got into the van and prepared to return to Wencheng to start filming the second episode of the Beibei Restaurant challenge.
Qiao An and Secretary Jin were going to pick up Han Nianwei, and said goodbye to them at the entrance of the guesthouse.
Standing beside the Bentley, Joanne looked out the window and said to Lele, "I'll be busy for a while, so listen to your mother, okay?"
"Can we meet?" Lele rested her chin on the car window sill, raised her eyelids to look at Qiao An, but her face did not show any sadness.
"I'll come see you when I have time." Joan reached out and pinched his rosy cheek.
"Oh, then take care, Dad."
Mu Hua stuck his head out of the driver's seat. "President Qiao, I won't thank you enough. I'll remember your kindness this time. Just let me know if you ever need anything."
Joanne waved her hand. "Drive carefully."
In the live stream room,
[Where is Mr. Ha going? Why does it sound like we're saying goodbye?]
[It's probably just that old saga of the Qiao family. Kim Hee-jin has publicly stated that the Qiao family will unite to face this crisis together.]
[Oh my god, Jin Xizhen even said that Qiao Qingchuan only made a mistake that every man makes. If he were my husband, I would advise him to castrate himself. If you force me to do it, I'm afraid I'll go too far.]
[Good job, ladies upstairs! Don't be a coward like Xia Qing; it's truly shameful.]
[No, I have to wait for a twist. I don't believe this is the end of it. How tough was Xia Qing when she caught him cheating on her live stream? I don't believe she'll just swallow this insult.]
Anyway, Xia Qing and Qiao An are going back to Wencheng now, so they have to give everyone an explanation, right?
The nanny van returned to Beibei Restaurant around 4 p.m. The three little ones acted as if they were back home, carrying their own luggage into the small villa.
Hmm, something feels a little different.
During the two days they were gone, the layout of Beibei Restaurant was rearranged. The first floor is still the main hall, but the tables and chairs have been upgraded, and a lot of green plants have been added.
The children climbed to the second floor, but the room was gone.
Yes, the rooms where the guests originally stayed have been turned into several private rooms, and the beds, wardrobes and other furniture are gone. Now they are furnished with dining tables and chairs.
Director Kang appeared on camera with a beaming smile, her belly protruding as if she were five months pregnant.
"Congratulations on starting the second phase of the challenge. In this phase, you will be challenged to achieve a turnover of 200,000 within two weeks. After completing the task, you will receive the second phase reward and unlock the third phase of the challenge."
Little Shu raised her chubby little arm and asked, "Uncle Director, where will we stay?"
Director Kang's smile turned somewhat eerie.
"Well, the production team has prepared new dormitories for everyone, but you'll have to find them yourselves based on the clues."
"It's very hot outside now."
Mu Hua was both amused and exasperated, wishing she could punch Director Kang a couple of times. In this sweltering heat, with a child and luggage, what kind of clues were they looking for?
Director Kang shrugged, indicating that he was powerless to help.
"I'm so tired, I don't want to move." Xiao Shu rolled onto the ground, looking like a shameless little rascal who wouldn't budge and wouldn't let anyone do anything about it.
Director Kang reminded everyone again, "Everyone, I advise you to hurry up and find some clues, otherwise tonight's live stream will just show you sleeping on the streets, and that would probably get even more views."
In the live stream room,
[Tormenting the guests is a consistent practice at Beibei Restaurant.]
[The production team has really abandoned all integrity in their pursuit of sensationalism. It's so hot outside you could fry an egg on the ground; aren't they worried about the guests getting heatstroke?]
At this time, the Bentley also returned to Wencheng.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Qiao An turned to Secretary Jin and asked, "Have you arranged accommodations?"
"Okay." Secretary Jin nodded. "I've prepared an apartment close to the company. You can move in first. Teacher Han will have to stay at my place for the next few days. There are many people at my house, so it's relatively safe. I don't feel comfortable letting you stay in a hotel alone."
Next, they will have to completely break ties with the Qiao family, and Qiao An will never be able to return to the Qiao family manor.
"Then take me back to my apartment first, I'll go take a shower and change my clothes."
Upon arriving at the apartment mentioned by Secretary Kim, we found it to be a high-end business apartment with its own restaurant, library, and swimming pool. The property management was also very strict, requiring residents to swipe their access cards to enter.
Joanne was carrying a sheepskin travel bag from L's store, and couldn't remember when she had bought the apartment here.
He has been speculating in real estate for over ten years and has bought a lot of properties in Wencheng. These are all managed by Secretary Jin. With so many properties, Qiao An himself is not even sure of their exact locations.
Following the address given by Secretary Kim, Qiao An swiped her card and went up to the 20th floor. She counted the room numbers one by one and found her own room, 2007.
Joanne entered the password on the keypad lock and walked in, but then felt something was off, so she picked up her handbag and went back out.
He turned to look at room 2018 across the street, where a blue advertisement with white lettering was pasted.
[Beibei Restaurant Staff Dormitory]
Qiao An took out her phone and dialed Du Xiaoruo's number. "I saw your staff dormitory."
"Huh?" Du Xiaoruo immediately turned on speakerphone and handed the phone to everyone. "Where did you see that?"
Joan's languid voice came from the speaker, "Room 2018, Building 7, Chenxiang Apartment".
In the live stream room,
[Hahaha, Mr. Ha, you're truly a living saint at Beibei Restaurant!]
[Mr. Ha, Beibei Restaurant really can't function without you.]
[Director Kang: Mr. Ha, listen to me, thank you.]
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