"Go back now."
Qiao An replied to Lele's message, casually stuffed the jewelry box into her suit pocket, started the car, and drove towards the Agarwood Apartments.
This afternoon, Du Xiaoruo took the two little ones for a bike ride. There were those little yellow duck boats that you could pedal by the river, and the three of them pedaled around twice. By the time they got home, they were exhausted and so hungry they could have eaten a whole cow.
Du Xiaoruo had no energy to cook, so she ordered some nutritious and light food on a food delivery app. After that, she and the two little ones sprawled on the sofa and waited for the food to arrive.
Since the incident where Qiao Qingchuan broke into the apartment with a knife, the management of Chenxiang Apartment has become much stricter. Now even delivery drivers are not allowed to enter or leave the apartment. Delivery orders are left at the property management office, and the property manager will deliver them upstairs.
Just as the housekeeper picked up the takeout, he saw Qiao An walk in from outside the gate.
"Mr. Qiao," the butler greeted him, handing him the takeout. "Your takeout." It saved him the trouble of making a separate trip.
Qiao An took the insulated bag of takeout, lifted it up to look inside, and saw that quite a lot had been ordered. Shouldn't Lele be posting a message like, "Mom asked if you want to come home for takeout?" Besides, she has to carry the takeout upstairs herself.
Du Xiaoruo still felt a little awkward at the dinner table because of Qiao An's promise to kiss him last night, and ate her meal in silence.
Joan tasted the soup in the small bowl. She had never had this flavor before; it was very fresh. She casually asked,
"What kind of soup is this?"
Du Xiaoruo looked away from her bowl, glanced at the soup Qiao An was drinking, and then took out her phone to specifically check her food delivery history.
"Hmm, it should be chicken and egg soup, with lean pork, clams, and eggs in it. Doesn't it taste good?"
"It's delicious." Qiao An handed a bowl that was still unopened to Du Xiaoruo. "Try it, it's very fresh."
In the live stream room,
Where can I order this chicken and egg soup? I want to try it too. Even CEO Ha officially endorsed it as a delicious soup, so it must be really good.
[Just search for it on a food delivery app. I ordered it before; it was okay, but not particularly delicious. Mr. Ha is just trying to start a conversation.]
[Haha, that's how my parents are when they have a little spat and are trying to make conversation.]
[Once Mr. Ha takes out the necklace, everything will be fine. Great news!]
Lele ate her chicken rice obediently by herself, her big eyes darting back and forth between her parents. When she saw them start talking, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Had they finally made up?
Little Shu chewed on the steamed egg and minced meat in the meatloaf soup, and skillfully lectured in the tone of a kindergarten teacher,
"You two kids, you can't fight anymore. Apologize to each other, and you can still be good friends."
Hearing Xiaoshu's childish words, Qiao An smiled helplessly.
"I'm sorry, Xiaoruo. I didn't think things through yesterday. I hope you don't mind."
It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because as soon as she brought up what happened last night, Du Xiaoruo's face turned red again. She whispered...
"I was wrong too. I shouldn't have bumped your forehead." As she spoke, she glanced at Qiao An's smooth forehead out of the corner of her eye. Fortunately, it was no longer red.
[What? It turns out it wasn't President Ha who bumped into Xiaoruo's forehead, but Xiaoruo who bumped into President Ha's forehead.]
[Huh? Mr. Ha has been the subject of online ridicule all day, and he hasn't even clarified anything. Instead, he's buying Xiaoruo a gift as an apology?]
[But what thoughtless thing did Mr. Ha say? He clearly only said, "I really want to kiss you."]
[Upstairs, saying "I really want to kiss you" is indeed inconsiderate. How are you expecting the girl to respond? You shouldn't have asked; you should have just kissed her.]
Hahaha, I see, I get it now.
"You two shake hands, and you're not allowed to fight anymore." Xiao Shu sat in her high baby chair, looking righteous, as if she had been possessed by a kindergarten teacher.
Qiao An smiled and extended her hand to Du Xiaoruo, jokingly asking, "Little Xiaoruo, are you willing to forgive me?"
Du Xiaoruo reached out and grasped his fingertips, suddenly feeling inexplicably moved. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet he kept apologizing and hadn't said a single word of blame to her.
After dinner, everyone snuggled up on the sofa and watched a movie with the kids. Qiao An and the two little ones took a bath together, and the three of them played on the bed for a while. When Du Xiaoru came out of the bath, they were already fast asleep, lying all over the place.
Du Xiaoruo went to the living room, took a can of beer from the refrigerator, and then, remembering that the covered camera in the living room could hear her, she simply went to the balcony, sat cross-legged on the treadmill, and took a big gulp of beer. The cold liquid flowed down her throat and into her stomach, which felt particularly refreshing. At this moment, having a few skewers of fried food would be perfect.
Her mind was in turmoil today. Du Tiancheng had asked her for money before, and Du Xiaoruo hadn't given it to her that time. She thought Du Tiancheng wouldn't let it go so easily, but unexpectedly, Du Tiancheng not only didn't continue to pester her, but also transferred 21 million to the original owner's card this afternoon.
The 20 million was the money for the original owner's marriage agreement with Qiao An, and the other 1 million was money the original owner borrowed from an online loan platform. This money was already paid out by Du Xiaoruo after she received her payment for the Beibei Restaurant program.
Du Xiaoruo didn't believe that Du Tiancheng had suddenly had a change of heart. Hmm... something was definitely amiss.
She had messaged Du Tiancheng to ask why, but he hadn't replied. Du Xiaoru remembered what Chen Ding had said about "Du Tiancheng," and there must be some information she had missed.
Du Xiaoruo specifically checked the censored words in the novel. Many sensitive words are blocked, but apart from special cases, the most frequently blocked words are pornography, gambling, and drugs. So, what exactly is going on with Du Tiancheng?
A layer of fine water droplets seeped out of the beer can, making it feel cool and damp in my hand, which was a bit uncomfortable. Du Xiaoruo casually grabbed a towel that was draped over the treadmill and wrapped it around the can.
“You…that’s my towel.”
A whisper suddenly came from the darkness, startling Du Xiaoruo. Instinctively, she raised the soda can and smashed it hard towards the source of the sound.
While Du Xiaoruo was unilaterally attacking her opponent, she accidentally touched the treadmill switch, causing the treadmill to suddenly start and fling Du Xiaoruo off the machine.
"Ah!" Du Xiaoruo screamed in fright.
When she fell to the ground, she didn't feel the pain she had imagined. Instead, she crashed directly into a warm chest. The other person caught her and was also hit hard, letting out a muffled groan of pain.
Du Xiaoruo used her arms to support herself as she stood up, and the first thing she did was turn on the balcony light switch.
Joan lay half-reclined on the ground, clutching his chest. He looked like he was in real pain. His already pale face was now as white as a fluorescent light overhead, and there was a red mark on his forehead from being hit by a beer can, with beer spilled all over his head and face.
It's even more chaotic than the last stampede.
Qiao An had only one thought in her mind at that moment: she had to break up with Du Xiaoruo today, no matter what. If things continued like this, she would lose her life to Du Xiaoruo sooner or later.
"Qiao An?" Du Xiaoruo exclaimed in surprise, and hurriedly helped her up.
Joan stared at her with her clear, deep blue eyes, gritting her teeth as she uttered, "If you want my life, just say so."
Du Xiaoruo felt a little guilty, but then she thought, "I didn't do it on purpose," straightened her back, and argued her case.
"Wouldn't it be scary if you suddenly appeared in front of me?"
Joan reached up and touched her forehead. Damn it, this head is ruined. Two days of consecutive blows, it's probably made her stupid.
"Did I call that suddenly appearing? I don't know what you were daydreaming about, you didn't even notice me walk in."
Du Xiaoruo thought back and realized that she had indeed been thinking about Du Tiancheng the whole time.
She silently turned off the light, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
Qiao An was completely baffled by her. "Don't think that turning off the lights will make it all go away. I'm telling you... I... want... I want to be with you..."
The rest of the words stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered. If Du Xiaoruo were gone, would life return to its old state, each day a lonely gray? Now, although he occasionally suffered a few blows, at least his days were more colorful.
"No, no," Qiao An shook his head. This was terrifying. This woman was blatantly trying to kill him. He could tell from the moment she stepped on his manhood; she was definitely aiming to make him infertile.
Even though the lights are off now, once your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can see people clearly.
Seeing Qiao An shaking his head and looking melancholy, Du Xiaoruo anxiously picked up the towel in her hand, kindly draped it over his shoulder, and encouraged him.
"Wipe it off yourself, there's...water."
Joan grabbed a towel and wiped the liquid dripping from her forehead. "Don't lie to me, this isn't alcohol."
"Well, thank goodness I didn't get stupid," Du Xiaoru thought to herself.
Joan wiped the wine off her head and face, and the two sat side by side on the treadmill, both with their own worries on their minds.
Du Xiaoruo was stunned for a moment, then took her phone, opened the transfer message, and handed it to Qiao An.
"This is 21 million yuan transferred to me by Du Tiancheng. I don't know why he transferred the money to me. But after thinking about it, you can take the money back."
"Um?"
Qiao An was stunned by her words. Things were not going in the right direction. Was she trying to buy his life with money? That was too disrespectful. Trying to buy his life with 20 million? Who was she insulting?
Du Xiaoruo explained,
“I don’t really need to spend money; I’m eating and dressing well. You’re short of money right now because you’re acquiring shares. I know this money is insignificant compared to what you’re going to do, but it’s better to have some than nothing, right?”
Du Xiaoruo was telling the truth. She was not a materialistic person. In her previous life, she earned a lot of money and enjoyed all the luxuries she could, such as villas, luxury goods, and jewelry. Looking back, she felt it was all rather meaningless and empty.
In this life, Du Xiaoruo has even less reason to spend money. The clothes she wears on the show are all sponsored, and Qiao An provides all the jewelry, bags, and luxury cars.
If we're talking about thinking about the future, with her abilities, she could easily establish herself in this world. Capable people aren't so stingy when it comes to spending money.
Most importantly, Chen Ding asked Du Xiaoruo to clean up this world because she didn't know who would be next. If she owed Qiao An too much, she was afraid she would feel burdened when she took action later.
When Du Xiaoruo said those words, Qiao An's eyes suddenly reddened. She only had 21 million in her account, but she wanted to give it all to him, while he was only thinking about kicking her out.
"I'm no human being," Qiao An thought to herself, reaching out to cover her burning eyes.
Just then, Qiao An's phone rang. He picked it up and turned on the screen; it was a text message from Du Tiancheng.
[Mr. Qiao, I sent you a message but you didn't reply. Did you see it? You said that as long as I return the money to Xiaoruo, you wouldn't tell anyone about my affairs. You have to keep your word.]
The surrounding environment was dark, and since Du Xiaoruo and Qiao An were sitting side by side, they could easily see the text messages on his phone.
It was too late for Qiao An to put it away.
Du Xiaoruo's eyes flickered. "What dirt on Du Tiancheng have you caught?"
Qiao An belatedly put her phone away and hid it behind her back, her tone clearly flustered.
"No, you're mistaken. This... is just a matter between men. You don't need to concern yourself with it."
Du Xiaoruo puffed out her cheeks, glaring angrily at Qiao An like a pufferfish inflating itself.
Qiao An, “...Okay.” He whispered something in her ear, then added, “Don’t worry about it. You’re not a cop. Just get the money back.”
Du Xiaoruo blinked. So that's what ** meant. Then it has to be dealt with. "I'll report him tomorrow."
Joan smiled in the darkness, his eyes filled with a indulgence he himself didn't realize.
The next morning, Du Xiaoruo took her phone into the bathroom and, away from the security camera, made an anonymous tip-off call.
After washing up, Joan emerged from the bathroom, dressed casually, and was leisurely making coffee. The doorbell rang, and Lele went to open it, returning with a bag of breakfast that Joan had ordered from the apartment's dining room using her mobile phone.
After sitting down at the table, Lele and Xiaoshu obediently set out breakfast, while Du Xiaoruo and Qiao An drank coffee and waited patiently for their meal like two old men. Just then, Du Xiaoruo's phone rang again.
She felt a little guilty, fearing that the person who had made the tip-off call earlier was calling back for a follow-up.
Du Xiaoruo put her phone under the table and secretly peeked at it. When she saw that the caller ID was Xia Qingye, she breathed a sigh of relief, put the phone back on the table, and turned on speakerphone.
Xia Qing's energetic voice also came from the speaker.
"Xiaoruo, do you want to play together today? Let's ride our bikes from the river to the orchard to pick watermelons."
Du Xiaoruo looked at the two little ones; they had originally planned to go to the swimming pool today.
"I want to go," Lele raised her hand. "I'll go to the swimming pool next time."
"Where's Xiaoshu?" Du Xiaoruo asked.
Xiao Shu nodded with a smile. She was fine with going anywhere. These past few days had been like being in paradise, and she couldn't be more comfortable.
After asking the two kids, Du Xiaoruo glanced at Qiao An, wondering if she should ask him if he was going, since the two of them had reconciled yesterday.
Qiao pretended to check her schedule on her phone, then reluctantly said, "Let's go together, I happen to have time today."
In the live stream room,
[Oh my, have the young couple made up? Yesterday Xiaoruo ignored Qiaoan, but judging from her eyes now, they're practically smitten.]
Yesterday at the dinner table, the two children shook hands and made up under the guidance of Teacher Xiaoshu.
They're both married, so why don't they seem like an old married couple at all? Their relationship is more naive than my puppy love in elementary school.
After dinner, Qiao An drove the three of them to the starting point of the riverside trail to meet up with Xia Qing and her family.
When they arrived at the rental shop, Du Xiaoruo realized a serious problem: Qiao An and Xia Qing didn't know how to ride an electric bike at all!
It was indeed Du Xiaoruo's oversight just now; electric vehicles are truly incompatible with wealthy people.
Everyone stood at the entrance of the bike rental shop, somewhat at a loss. It was quite far from the fruit picking garden, and cycling would be very tiring.
Xia Qing also suggested, "Why don't we drive there?"
"No." Xiangxiang's eyes welled up with tears. "My brother and Xiaoshu rode on the electric scooter yesterday, and I want to ride it too."
Seeing her daughter's disappointment, Xia Qing gritted her teeth and said, "Then we'll ride our bicycles there."
In the end, Xia Qing rode a bicycle with Xiangxiang, Qiao An rode a bicycle with Xiaoshu, and Du Xiaoruo rode an electric bike with Lele.
Qiao An was fine; being a boy, he had a habit of exercising and didn't find it strenuous. Xia Qing, on the other hand, was panting heavily from exhaustion.
Du Xiaoruo and Lele leisurely and happily enjoyed the scenery along the way. They rode too fast and had to stop to wait for them.
[So, it's always good to have more skills. See, you'll find them useful in crucial moments, won't you?]
[Haha, that makes sense, but who has the money to send their kid to learn to ride an electric scooter?]
They rode their bikes on and off for two hours. Xia Qing couldn't ride anymore at one point, so she swapped children with Qiao An. Then she realized that Xiao Shu, although young, was heavier than she had thought, so she quickly swapped back with him.
At this moment, Mu Hua suddenly appeared in the comment section of the live stream.
Actor Mu Hua: [Xiao Shu, you'd better lose some weight.]
[Hahaha, the most lethal criticism comes from your own father.]
[Mu Hua, if you don't say anything, I'd almost forgotten that Xiao Shu is your son. Look how happy he is at Xiao Ruo's house, he's probably completely forgotten about his old father, hasn't he?]
Actress Mu Hua, [It's a story that brings back so many sad tears.]
The orchard has many fruit trees and is very cool. There are also swings and deck chairs in the courtyard at the entrance of the farmhouse.
Du Xiaoruo lay sprawled on the recliner, not wanting to move. What was so fun about picking watermelons? Eating watermelons was clearly much more enjoyable.
Lele played in the melon patch for a while, then got a little bored and came out on her own.
He lay down on the recliner next to Du Xiaoruo and saw the electric scooter parked in the yard. Boys naturally like cars and mechanical things, and looking at that little electric scooter, Lele felt a strong urge to get one.
"Mom, can I learn to drive this car?"
"Okay." Du Xiaoruo sat up abruptly. "I'll teach you, but you're not allowed to cry if you fall."
Lele scratched her head a little embarrassedly, "I won't cry."
Wow, I really want a mom like Xiaoruo; she truly encourages her child to explore.
[Most stepmothers wouldn't be as bold as him, because if a child falls, people will assume the stepmother did it on purpose.]
[Holy crap, I almost forgot Xiaoruo is Lele's stepmother! Their interactions look just like a mother and son.]
Lele has a strong learning ability. Du Xiaoruo taught him how to use the electric car, and he was soon able to ride the little electric car around the yard.
Joan was swaying back and forth in the hammock, but when she saw Lele riding her bike, she became a little tempted to join in.
He jumped off the hammock. "Lele, let me try."
This time, without Du Xiaoruo having to lift a finger, Lele started teaching Qiao An how to ride, looking quite professional.
Has Ha unwittingly become Xiaoruo's apprentice's apprentice?
Yes, if we're going by seniority, Mr. Ha should call Xiaoruo "Master" (just kidding).
[Boss Ha: I want to kiss you, but you want to be my advisor?]
Once Qiao An was seated on the electric scooter, Lele rushed over to Du Xiaoruo, and the two of them ran up the steps to stand up, prioritizing their safety.
Qiao An said, "...You two...forget it, that's all the mentality you have."
He turned the handlebars, rode the electric bike out, circled the field twice, and everything seemed normal.
Joan became increasingly smug and rode faster and faster.
"There's a puddle ahead of you," Xiaoruo warned.
Qiao An's mind went blank for a moment, and she subconsciously lifted her feet off the ground, but the electric scooter plunged directly into the puddle, making her fall on her bottom.
[Hahaha, Mr. Ha, why did you step into that puddle? Did you think electric scooters could fly?]
【My happiness today comes from Boss Ha, hahaha! You're supposed to be a powerful CEO, can't you at least be a little more mindful of your image?】
[The idea of a domineering CEO riding an electric scooter is already surreal; what image-conscious CEO would livestream himself riding an electric scooter?]
[Holy crap, everyone hurry and check the news! Du Xiaoruo's brother got caught doing drugs!]
Du Tiancheng was arrested in the morning, and news of his arrest for suspected drug use appeared online in the afternoon. Du Tiancheng isn't in the entertainment industry and doesn't usually generate much buzz, but being Du Xiaoruo's brother changes things up.
Du Xiaoruo became a sensation after participating in "Beibei Restaurant," and her husband is the youngest son of the Qiao family, who has been making headlines recently. Du Tiancheng's incident has suddenly become a hot topic.
[BeiBei Restaurant] is currently live-streaming, and entertainment reporters, like cats smelling meat, are already on their way to the orchard.
The moment the news broke, Qiao An received a call from Secretary Jin.
After hanging up the phone, Qiao An said to Du Xiaoruo, "Secretary Jin is on her way, and the reporters will be here soon. Let's drive away first, and Secretary Jin will stay behind to handle the rest."
There's a heated discussion going on in the live stream right now.
[Beibei Restaurant has stirred up a hornet's nest. The Qiao family's troubles aren't over yet, and now the Du family is in trouble too.]
But Du Tiancheng's incident has nothing to do with Du Xiaoruo, right?
It's okay, this isn't Xiaoruo's fault. It's just that being harassed by entertainment reporters for a while is annoying enough.
When Secretary Jin arrived at the orchard, the reporters hadn't arrived yet. She handed the car keys to Qiao An and told him to take Du Xiaoruo away first.
Xia Qing also learned about Du Tiancheng's situation, and she took the initiative to suggest...
“You must have a lot going on over there these next few days. The two kids can come to my house first, and I’ll come back to pick them up once things are settled.”
Du Xiaoruo looked at Qiao An. Lele was his son, and it was up to him to decide where he went.
Qiao An nodded, "Alright, I'll go pick them up once things have calmed down. I'll call Mu Hua later."
In the live stream room,
Actress Mu Hua: [No need to call, I know. I'm very relieved that Xiao Shu is with Qing Ye. You all go and take care of your business.]
[Haha, Mu Hua, why are you still watching the live stream? Didn't you go to work out of town? Don't slack off.]
Once inside the car, Du Xiaoruo finally took out her phone. She hadn't checked it all day because she was outdoors, and only now did she notice several missed calls, all from the original owner's mother.
Just as she was hesitating whether to call back, her phone suddenly rang like it had come back to life. Du Xiaoruo was startled and dropped the phone under her seat.
Joan glanced down and saw that the caller ID showed "Mom".
“She’s Du Tiancheng’s mother.” Du Xiaoruo explained subconsciously, only to realize afterward that it would have been better not to explain at all, as the title “Du Tiancheng’s mother” sounded incredibly awkward.
Fortunately, Qiao An's phone rang at that moment. He didn't dwell on the awkward way he was addressed, but instead reached out, grabbed the Bluetooth headset, put it on, and pressed the answer button.
I don't know what they said on the other end, but I heard Qiao An say "hmm" and then, "I'm coming over now."
Du Xiaoruo bent down to pick up the phone, but the original owner's mother had already hung up.
"Let's forget about Du Tiancheng's mother for now." Qiao An turned the steering wheel around. "You and I will go home first."
The home that Qiao An was referring to was not the Agarwood Apartment where they were currently living, but the Qiao family's villa.
The security guards at the resort recognized Qiao An's car, and they passed through the gate at the foot of the mountain without any problems. The car drove up the winding mountain road, past the private golf course, but instead of going to the Fengyue Tower where they had stayed before, they drove directly to the main building where Jin Xizhen was staying.
Qiao An parked his car under a large, secluded tree behind the main building. After getting out of the car, he looked up at the two-meter-high wall. The wall was quite smooth, and he couldn't find any place to grab onto.
"Do you want to climb up?" Du Xiaoruo asked softly, standing behind Qiao An.
"Hmm." Joan reached out and touched the smooth surface of the stone wall. "Although it's quite difficult, I practice regularly..."
Before he could finish speaking, Du Xiaoruo climbed up a large tree next to her and slid down the canopy to the stone wall.
"Are you a monkey?"
Despite her complaints, Qiao An's body language betrayed her, and she climbed the stone wall using Du Xiaoruo's plan.
Seeing him climb up, Du Xiaoruo leaped down the stone wall and landed lightly on the grass below.
"Are you a monkey?" Qiao An complained again, feeling that he needed to complain twice to express his shock.
Du Xiaoruo turned around and asked, "Aren't you scared to jump? Do you want me to catch you?" As she spoke, she even assumed a horse stance, looking quite professional.
Qiao An rubbed her forehead. "Get out of my way."
He originally wanted to leap onto the grass in a dashing manner like Du Xiaoruo, but after measuring the height with his naked eye, he decided to climb down the pile of firewood behind the stone wall instead. Although his posture was a bit cowardly, at least it was safe.
Du Xiaoruo followed Qiao An around the backyard corridor and hid in a corner by the back window of the living room, where she heard arguing.
Qiao An took out her phone, first put it on silent, then turned on the record button, and slid the phone into the room through the gap in the glass.
When Du Xiaoru saw this, she quickly silenced her phone. Although she didn't know what Qiao An was up to, it was clearly something clandestine. If Du Tiancheng's mother called at this time, it would be a disaster.
The arguing inside the house was louder than before, reaching Du Xiaoruo's ears clearly. After listening for a few moments, a look of shock gradually appeared on Du Xiaoruo's face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
