This live-streamed extravaganza sparked a phenomenal discussion online.
This is absolutely mind-blowing! This is probably the most dramatic fashion show in human history.
[I was there at the time. You didn't see Kim Hee-jin's face. She really turned pale on the spot. Later, she had to be helped down by her bodyguards; she could barely walk.]
Wow, to witness something like this in person, you've really done something good.
[It's said that Qiao Qingchuan went berserk backstage, kicking a staff member quite badly; the person was unable to move on the spot, and even the police arrived. But, damn it, the police came to the scene and left. It's obvious Jin Xizhen pulled some strings again. Damn it, I'm so angry!]
Qiao Qingchuan is such a scumbag. From now on, I will resolutely boycott all Ya Jin products.
[It's not just one or two women boycotting Ya Jin; Jinse's stock has already started to decline.]
As the scandal of Qiao Qingchuan's infidelity continued to unfold, the popularity of the Beibei Restaurant variety show continued to rise due to the presence of Xia Qingye, Du Xiaoruo, and other people related to the Qiao family. That evening, the popularity of the Beibei Restaurant variety show had more than tripled compared to the previous day.
This sudden surge in popularity has completely baffled Director Kang. The show is now receiving a constant stream of business calls, and advertising fees are soaring to their highest point since the show began.
The farce at the fashion show has ended, but the onlookers are still eager for more, waiting to see if there will be any bigger scandals.
Supported by several bodyguards, Kim Hee-jin exited the venue through the back door. Surrounded by reporters and paparazzi, she didn't even dare to ride in her own car and instead took a ride in her makeup artist's work vehicle.
No sooner had Jin Xizhen arrived at the main building of the Qiao family manor than Qiao Qingchuan followed her back. His expensive suit was covered in stains and footprints, and it was noticeable that one of his legs was slightly lame when he walked.
Earlier, as Qiao Qingchuan ran out of the venue, he was kicked several times in the chaotic crowd, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Normally, Qiao Qingchuan would never have tolerated such an insult. If someone kicked him, he would probably cripple their leg before he was satisfied. But now he had no time to care. After rushing out of the venue, he hurried home to find Jin Xizhen.
Kim Hee-jin sat upright in the main seat, her eyes closed, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand and fiddled with them. However, her hand movements were flustered, and it was not hard to tell from her trembling hands that she was also extremely flustered at this moment.
Qiao Qingchuan rushed to Jin Xizhen and accused her.
"Mom, it's Qiao An. It must be Qiao An who did this. He mentioned the name Han Nianwei to me before. He knew about this all along. He must have been behind today's events."
Kim Hee-jin suddenly opened her eyes, her grey-blue pupils fixed on Qiao Qingchuan's face.
"What did you say?" Her voice was sharp and urgent. Qiao Qingchuan rarely heard Jin Xizhen speak in this tone, and he was startled.
“It’s Joanne,” he murmured.
Jin Xizhen stopped fiddling with her prayer beads, lowered her eyelids, and asked, "You mean Qiao An mentioned Han Nianwei to you before?"
"Ah, yes." Qiao Qingchuan nodded quickly.
Kim Hee-jin suddenly stood up, raised her hand, and slapped Qiao Qingchuan hard across the face. Kim Hee-jin cried out in pain.
"My nemesis! My nemesis! How could I have raised such a nemesis? Since you knew, why didn't you tell me right away? Now you've ruined yourself and the entire Qiao family. My nemesis, how could I have given birth to such a wicked beast?"
Kim Hee-jin collapsed to the ground, wailing. The housekeeper and others hurriedly helped her up and carried her into the bedroom.
Qiao Qingchuan lay on the ground, vaguely hearing the butler's voice coming from the bedroom.
"Notify the doctor to come over and give them a sedative first."
Qiao Qingchuan crawled towards Jin Xizhen's bedroom on all fours. He knelt beside the bed and called out anxiously.
"Mom, Mom, are you alright? Take care of yourself, Mom."
Kim Hee-jin closed her eyes, two lines of tears sliding down her wrinkled cheeks. After a long while, she uttered a few words.
"Get out of here!"
Upon hearing this, the housekeeper hurriedly came over to persuade Qiao Qingchuan, "Mr. Qiao, please go out first, and come back in after the old lady has calmed down."
Qiao Qingchuan sat on the sofa in the main hall as if he had lost his soul. After a long while, he stood up, clenching his fists.
It was all Joanne's doing, damn it, they're all doomed!
Many reporters also came to the recording site of Beibei Restaurant. In order not to affect the live broadcast of the restaurant, the reporters were all waiting at the entrance of the small villa, just waiting for Xia Qingye and Du Xiaoruo to come out.
Du Xiaoruo watched as Xia Qing walked out and was surrounded by reporters. She quickly turned around and fled back into the kitchen.
Lele searched through the noisy crowd but couldn't find Du Xiaoruo. He crept back to the kitchen along the wall and saw Du Xiaoruo standing in front of the counter, pinching her fingers.
"Mom?" Lele walked over and saw that Du Xiaoruo's fingertips were red from being pinched.
He reached out his soft little hand, pried open Du Xiaoruo's fingers, then held her slender white fingers in his own hand, comforting her like a little adult.
"Don't be afraid, Lele is here. I'll help you escape."
When Du Xiaoruo saw so many reporters outside, her palms started to sweat and her arms went numb. But now that her hand was being held by Lele's soft, warm little hand, she suddenly felt much more at ease.
It's strange, even though the other person is also an introverted little kid, Du Xiaoruo feels a sense of security that she can entrust to him.
Lele held Du Xiaoruo's hand and wandered around the small villa, finally stopping in front of a dog hole in the backyard.
Du Xiaoruo, “…” In the end, I misplaced my trust.
While she was speechless with emotion, Lele lay down and crawled straight out through the dog hole.
After climbing out, Lele turned around, its fluffy head peeking out from the other end of the dog hole.
"Mom, quick, there are no reporters here."
Du Xiaoruo was speechless again.
But when she thought of the reporters who were surrounded by zombies, she gritted her teeth and crawled out through the dog hole.
Even though Du Xiaoruo was thin, she was still an adult. She got stuck halfway up the narrow dog hole and her waist got stuck. She was doomed. Now she couldn't get out or back. She was stuck in this place, neither up nor down.
Lele grabbed Du Xiaoruo's head and pulled her out like a radish.
At that moment, Du Xiaoruo vowed that she would treat Lele well for the rest of her life, so that he would forever keep the secret of getting stuck in the dog hole because of his love for his mother.
After pulling Du Xiaoruo out, Lele led her along the wall and strolled directly onto the street.
The two were hesitant to take a taxi, fearing the driver would recognize them. Instead, they scanned a QR code to rent a shared electric scooter, and Du Xiaoruo rode it with Lele on the back, speeding all the way back to Chenxiang Apartment.
Back at the apartment, Mu Hua and Ni An had already returned. The two of them, with Xiao Pangshu in their arms, squatted against the wall at the entrance of 2018, chatting about everyday things.
If it weren't for the upscale decor of the surroundings and their respectable attire, the way they acted—if they simply moved onto the overpass and placed a bowl in front of them—someone would surely throw them some change.
Du Xiaoruo pointed inside the door and asked softly, "Is it still noisy?"
Xiao Shu nodded with a bitter face.
Mu Hua sighed, "Yesterday it was an elephant trampling, today it's glass beads."
Du Xiaoruo thought to herself, "An elephant stepping on you is indeed terrifying, but the damage from breaking through glass should be much less, right?"
With that thought in mind, she pushed open the door and went inside.
"Splash, la la, la, la la, la la la, la..."
Glass marbles were used like they were free; the whole house was filled with the sound of them hitting the tiled floor. The clattering sound felt like it was hitting your heart, your forehead, your temples, and your calves. If you stayed at home for even a little while, you felt uncomfortable all over.
Du Xiaoruo quickly closed the door and stepped out, squatting down next to the three of them against the wall.
Lele stood at the door for a moment, then walked to room 2007 across the street. He crouched down so that his line of sight was level with the keypad lock, and observed that some numbers were slightly lighter in color than the others.
Lele quickly pieced together the numbers in her mind, then reached out and entered a string of numbers into the combination lock. Sure enough, the door opened; it turned out to be Qiao An's birthday.
"Uncle, please come in and have a seat at home."
After Lele opened the door, she invited everyone to sit in the room first.
Mu Hua and the others had just seen him fiddling around at the door, and now that the door was open again, they all assumed that Qiao An had given him the password. Without thinking much of it, they pressed their legs, which were numb from squatting, and stood up, then followed him into room 2007.
Secretary Kim sent someone to the house this morning to clean it, put water and drinks in the refrigerator, fresh fruit, and some ready-made food on the kitchen cabinet.
Everyone acted as if they were at home, taking snacks and turning on the TV.
Ha Zong's home is Du Xiaoruo and Lele's home, and Du Xiaoruo and Lele's home is essentially the home of everyone at Beibei Restaurant. This logic makes no mistake, so everyone doesn't need to be so polite.
Xiao Shu sat on the sofa, holding an apple bigger than his head in his arms. He munched on the apple and asked, his words muffled.
Why isn't my father, Mr. Ha, back yet?
"You really are a sucker for whoever feeds you." Ni An laughed and patted Xiao Shu on the back of the head.
Xiao Shu scratched her head sheepishly, "Yes, my dad said that no matter what happens, you have to eat well and live well."
Ni An looked at Mu Hua strangely. This is a peaceful era, why would Mu Hua teach Xiao Shu like this? It felt like Xiao Shu was about to flee a famine.
Mu Hua turned on the TV and met Ni An's questioning gaze. He then said something.
"Don't listen to this brat's nonsense. He's saying lines from my movies."
Ni An smiled knowingly.
The entertainment online channel was broadcasting an interview with Joan, and everyone's attention was quickly drawn to it.
Regarding the chaotic scene at the previous press conference, Qiao An stated that she will always stand on the side of law and morality, and will never tolerate even if her brother and mother commit crimes.
Mu Hua gave Qiao An a thumbs up on the screen.
"Our boss Ha's face is so photogenic. In our industry, this kind of face is called a big screen face. Tsk tsk... He's flawless from every angle."
"He is quite handsome." Ni An put the peeled apple on a plate and handed it to Lele and Du Xiaoruo.
Lele picked up a piece of apple, took a bite, turned around, and asked Du Xiaoruo,
"Mom, my dad and I don't look alike, right?"
“No.” Mu Hua answered Lele’s question quickly. “You’re quite good-looking too, but you’re still not as good-looking as your father.”
Lele was not happy after hearing this. Her big eyes were full of disappointment. She pouted and took a big bite of the apple.
Du Xiaoruo stroked his curly hair and comforted him, "Although you don't look like your dad, I prefer your appearance. You look so cute when you're being well-behaved."
Lele's mood, which had just been down, instantly brightened again. My mom likes my appearance more, which means she likes me more. She was very pleased.
Just then, there were several knocks on the door.
"Is this Mr. Ha? Why didn't you bring your keys?" Mu Hua asked, turning his head.
Ni An stood up immediately. "I guess it's Sister Qingye. Is the interview over? I'll go open the door."
As soon as the security door opened, Qiao Qingchuan rushed in with a fruit knife in his hand. He didn't even see who opened the door before he raised his hand and stabbed Ni An in the lower abdomen.
Ni An reacted quickly, dodging to the side and narrowly avoiding the blade.
With red eyes, Qiao Qingchuan had completely lost his mind, frantically waving the fruit knife in the air as he approached the sofa step by step.
Everything happened so suddenly that everyone was completely stunned.
"Qiao An wants me dead, I'll fucking make his whole family pay with their lives today!" Qiao Qingchuan roared, veins bulging on his neck.
“You.” He pointed at Qiao Lele, “You’re his son, right? Then let’s start with you.”
Du Xiaoruo snapped out of her shock, grabbed a large cushion from the sofa and covered Lele with it. She turned around, only to find Qiao Qingchuan had already rushed to within a meter of her.
"Look at me, I'm acting on behalf of Heaven!" Xiao Shu shouted, and threw the big apple in her hand hard at Qiao Qingchuan's face.
Mu Hua was startled and turned around to shield Xiao Shu with her body.
In the blink of an eye, just as Qiao Qingchuan was hit in the face by the apple, Du Xiaoruo leaped in front of him and delivered a knee strike. He felt the pain in his hand, and the knife fell to the ground with a sharp sound.
Du Xiaoruo delivered another clean and crisp elbow strike, this time hitting Qiao Qingchuan in the back. He bent over in pain, and Du Xiaoruo took the opportunity to deliver a series of powerful elbow strikes to his back until Qiao Qingchuan collapsed to the ground in pain, finishing with a clean left hook.
The punch that landed on Qiao Qingchuan's lip was very powerful. To everyone's astonishment, the skin on Qiao Qingchuan's lip swelled up at a visible speed, turning into a terrifying bluish-purple color.
"Holy crap!" Mu Hua couldn't help but swear. "Damn, that's awesome."
Lele threw away the cushion blocking her way, ran to Du Xiaoruo's side, grabbed her hand to check, and spoke in a flustered tone.
"Mom, Mom, Mom, are you hurt?"
"It's nothing." Du Xiaoruo gave a thumbs up and wiped her mouth in a cool manner.
When she was 5 years old, her parents gave her up for adoption to her aunt's family. At that time, a bunch of little kids followed her around and mocked her for being an unwanted child. Her aunt was afraid that she would be bullied, so she sent her to learn Muay Thai.
Those little brats only complained; Du Xiaoruo's boxing skills were completely useless. But during the dark and oppressive time when she was abandoned by her parents, boxing became an outlet for her emotions.
Unexpectedly, after being transported to another world, the skills I learned before came in handy.
Ni An was completely stunned. She only knew that Du Xiaoruo was strong, but she didn't know that she was a boxer.
"Brother Hua, should we call the police in this situation?" Ni An looked at Qiao Qingchuan, who was lying on the ground groaning. It was the first time she had encountered such a situation, and she didn't know what to do.
Mu Hua nodded. This guy broke into a house with a knife and committed violence; the police should be called.
After finishing his exclusive interview with Entertainment Frontline, Qiao An walked out of the office, the composure between his brows gone, and his handsome face showing signs of fatigue.
To prepare for today's grand show, he hadn't slept for a day and a night. Now he was physically exhausted but mentally excited, a very strange state.
Secretary Kim's office was a glass-enclosed cubicle, designed to allow him to observe his boss's movements. Seeing Joan come out, he also came out of his office.
"Is everything over? Let me take you home to get some sleep."
"Hmm." Qiao An took the suit jacket that Secretary Jin handed her and draped it over her elbow. "How is Han Nianwei?"
"The situation is good, and the person is safe, so don't worry. Public opinion is having a significant impact now, and leaders from relevant departments have already begun to intervene in this matter."
Secretary Kim grabbed the car keys and walked with Joan toward the elevator.
After taking the elevator to the underground parking lot, Joan's phone rang.
He took out his phone and glanced at it. It was an unknown number. Qiao An immediately hung up. In this situation, his phone was practically being bombarded with calls from reporters and paparazzi.
Secretary Kim drove the car over, and Joan opened the car door and got in.
The phone rang again; it was the same unfamiliar number. Qiao An thought for a moment and then answered it.
"Hello, are you Mr. Qiao An?"
Qiao An hummed in agreement. He had received countless calls today with the same opening line, and next they would probably ask him about what happened at the show.
Unexpectedly, the other party then asked, "This is Luofeng Police Station. Are you Du Xiaoruo's husband?"
Qiao An's brow twitched. "Yes, it is." An ominous premonition rose in her heart.
"Do you know Qiao Qingchuan?" the other person asked again.
"I know him." As she answered, Joan unconsciously sat up straight, her heart and temples pounding.
"Qiao Qingchuan broke into your house today with a knife, and happened to find your wife home..."
"How are they?" Qiao An interrupted the policeman; all he wanted to know now was the safety of Du Xiaoruo and Qiao Lele.
In the police station, the police officer glanced at Qiao Qingchuan, who was lying on a bench groaning in pain.
"The situation is not good. His left cheek is bruised and swollen, and his back was hit hard. He can't straighten his back right now. We have already called 120 and he will be taken to the hospital for treatment and a medical examination at the same time."
"I'm on my way there now."
Qiao An hung up the phone, and when Secretary Jin saw his expression, her heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Qiao, what's going on?"
"Hurry, drive faster."
Joanne practically yelled, her words tumbling out incoherently from her anxiety.
"Du Xiaoruo, no, it's Qiao Qingchuan. Qiao Qingchuan rushed into my house with a knife, and now Du Xiaoruo is seriously injured and about to die."
Secretary Kim was startled when she heard this, but after calming down, she realized something was amiss.
"Please calm down. First of all, the management of Chenxiang Apartment is quite strict. How did Qiao Qingchuan get in? Also, if the landlady was so seriously injured, why would she be at the police station instead of the hospital?"
With Secretary Kim's analysis, Joan regained some of her composure.
As the Bentley drove onto the Maple Avenue lined with tall maple trees, Qiao An suddenly remembered that she could call Du Xiaoruo first. She had been so concerned that she hadn't thought of this at all.
He picked up his phone and dialed Du Xiaoruo's number. The call connected, but no one answered.
Qiao An's face, which had just calmed down, turned deathly pale again. He turned his head blankly.
"Jin, I can't get through to him on the phone. Is he gone?"
Secretary Kim's lips trembled slightly. A phone call that couldn't be answered meant the person was dead? This was the level of intelligence her boss possessed.
In that instant, Secretary Kim felt that following Qiao An meant her future was extremely bleak.
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