It was already hilarious that Joan was hanging on the flagpole like a koala, but then she came along and started bouncing around like a slap in the face, making everyone on and off screen laugh so hard they were practically rolling on the floor.
Only Dean Huang was worried about one thing the whole time—that the precious flagpole might be trampled down by this lecherous fellow.
Finally, under Dean Huang's guidance, Mu Hua and the others managed to get Qiao An down.
To be honest, Joan is really something. This kind of thing would be a major social disaster for anyone else, something that would probably require relocating to another planet to resolve. Yet he casually dusted off his clothes, as if nothing had happened.
Qiao An's consistent principle regarding such matters is: "I'm not embarrassed; it's others who are embarrassed."
Xiaoruo glanced at him, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
Mu Hua patted Qiao An on the shoulder and reminded her with a smile, "He's probably going back to grab his weapons to beat you up."
"Why..." Before Qiao An could finish her sentence, she saw Du Xiaoruo walk out carrying the giant turtle in one hand, which startled Qiao An so much that she jumped back a long way.
"What?" Mu Hua asked.
Xiao Ruo waved the large turtle in her hand at Mu Hua, "Let's release it. If we climb the flagpole again, Dean Huang's high blood pressure will flare up."
The live stream was filled with another round of merciless mockery.
[Hahaha, Mr. Ha, look at our wife, and then look at yourself. You shameful piece of trash.]
[You're not allowed to talk badly about me, Mr. Ha! Ever since Mr. Ha came, the amount of joy this show brings me has skyrocketed.]
The person upstairs is right. My mom says I laugh like a monkey whenever I watch this show.
Mu Hua gave Qiao An a push and pointed towards Xiao Ruo, signaling him to follow.
Seeing her parents about to leave, Lele ran after them, shouting, "I want to go too..."
Fan Yue grabbed Lele by the back of her collar, "No, you don't want to go." She forcibly dragged Lele back to the kitchen.
Even the cameraman who was supposed to be filming was stopped by Mu Hua halfway through, so that the young couple could have some private space to resolve their relationship crisis.
Dean Huang glared at Qiao An with a look of disappointment, then turned to Xiao Ruo and said gently,
“Girl, there’s a stream behind the mountain, let’s put it there.”
Xiao Ru thanked Dean Huang and walked out carrying the big turtle.
Qiao An obediently followed behind her, wanting to get closer but afraid of the turtle in the other's hand, so she could only follow at a distance.
[Haha, that's hilarious! Ha Zong's dejected look is exactly like my son when he does something wrong at school and the teacher asks for his parents to come in.]
[Boss Ha is such a clown, hahaha!]
[I want to know how Ha always manages to be domineering, shrewd, warm, silly, and childish all at once? Are you just stacking buffs here for fun?]
Following the direction pointed out by Dean Huang, we left the orphanage and walked towards the back mountain for a while. Not far away, we saw a stream.
Xiaoruo squatted by the stream, put the net bag containing the turtle on the ground, and awkwardly untied the net bag from the turtle with one hand.
Qiao An hugged a large tree beside the stream, and seeing Xiao Ruo's actions, her whole body resisted.
"Don't take it out... Ah... I'm going to die."
Du Xiaoru ignored him. Was he crazy? Releasing it in a net was worse than just killing it.
After untying the net, Xiaoruo lifted the turtle's shell with one hand and guided it towards the stream.
When Qiao An saw Xiao Ruo touch the turtle with her bare hands, she gasped and unconsciously hugged the tree tightly, wrapping her long legs around it as well, hoping the tree would protect her.
The giant turtle seemed to sense the natural stream. It changed its previous slow pace, quickened its pace, rushed to the bank, and slid into the water, swimming away happily.
Only after the turtle disappeared from sight did Qiao An finally relax completely.
Xiaoruo found a large rock by the stream and sat down. Qiaoan slid down from the tree, glanced over, and then walked over and sat down in the empty spot next to her.
Du Xiaoruo glanced at his cautious demeanor, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Suddenly, she pointed to a spot on the water's surface and shouted,
"That turtle has returned."
"Ah... Help..." Qiao An now has a memory of fear of the word "turtle" and subconsciously hugs Du Xiaoruo, hiding behind her.
After bickering for a while, the two realized that the atmosphere was somewhat ambiguous.
Qiao An wrapped his arms around Xiao Ruo's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. Whether it was intentional or not, his lips brushed lightly against her neck, shoulders, and ears, bringing a ticklish, shivering sensation.
"You... um, sit down, I have something to tell you." Xiaoruo lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fair cheeks and the base of her ears turned red.
Joan, that lecherous fellow, wasn't about to let things go so easily. "Say it like that, I can hear you."
"Qiao Qingmeng might like you."
As soon as Du Xiaoruo finished speaking, she could feel Qiao An behind her stiffen completely.
He released Du Xiaoruo, sat up straight, the playful smile in his eyes vanished, his expression turned icy, and even his tone was as if he had a shard of ice in his mouth.
"Don't make jokes like that again."
Qiao An had never spoken to Du Xiaoruo in this tone before; it seemed she was truly angry this time.
Du Xiaoruo reached out and poked his arm with her finger, gently comforting him.
"I'm not joking, I just have this feeling, and I'm willing to say it out loud, it's better than keeping it to myself, right?"
That short sentence immediately put Qiao An at ease. She was right; the worst thing in a relationship is when two people keep things bottled up inside and are unwilling to talk about them.
"I'm sorry, I yelled at you just now."
Du Xiaoruo's smile widened slightly. "Yes, I forgive you."
She pursed her lips and continued, "If, and I mean if, Qiao Qingmeng really meant that, could we use this psychology of hers to do something?"
"No." Everything related to Kim Hee-jin was Joan's sore spot, and he shook his head in denial. "I don't want to deal with her. Just thinking about her makes me nauseous."
"You don't need to pay attention to her."
Du Xiaoruo patiently explained her plan.
"Just hint at the fact that we're getting married by agreement, give her a little something to look forward to. If she really has feelings for you, guess what her first step will be?"
After listening to Du Xiaoruo's words, Qiao An had detached himself from the matter and was now approaching it with a calm, strategic attitude. He continued Du Xiaoruo's words...
"She will first try to sever our sibling relationship, so that the person hiding behind Jin Xizhen, Qiao Qingchuan and Qiao Qingmeng's biological father, will come to light."
Du Xiaoruo nodded and gave him a thumbs up. It's so much easier talking to smart people.
Joan remained silent for a long while, going over the whole story in her mind, but still asked with some unease,
"If she goes around spreading rumors, our arranged marriage will be exposed. Wouldn't that be bad?"
Du Xiaoru tilted her head and looked at Qiao An, her face full of sincerity, "When did we agree to get married? Did I take your money?"
Qiao An thought about it and realized that Du Xiaoruo had already returned the 20 million yuan from their marriage agreement, and that relationship had ended back then.
Although their marriage of convenience ended, Du Xiaoruo remained by his side. What does this mean? It means that their real love has begun.
Once Qiao Anle figured out the concept, she was so happy that she rolled around on the big rock like a playful little dog.
Du Xiaoruo couldn't bear to look. "Get up! This is so embarrassing! Ugh, you... I don't know you."
Joan rolled over and lay on her side on the large rock, propping her head up with her elbow, a happy and smug smile on her face.
Are we dating?
Du Xiaoruo blushed, too lazy to pay him any attention, and stood up to walk back.
Qiao An got up and followed, recounting her grievances in a long, drawn-out manner, "You took my first kiss, you have to take responsibility for that, right?"
Du Xiaoruo clearly remembered everything; there was no such thing as a first kiss. She had simply revealed her background that day, and the whole story about the first kiss was fabricated by Qiao An herself.
Shameless! How dare you even bring that up?
Du Xiaoruo grew angrier the more she thought about it. She bent down, picked up a small twig, and whipped Qiao An's bottom a few times.
"You still have the nerve to bring up your first kiss? I've already downloaded the anti-fraud app, do you believe me if I accuse you of fraud?"
Qiao An: "...You dare to spank me? You're dead! This is the CEO's butt."
Seeing Qiao An rushing towards her, Du Xiaoruo shouted "Help!" and then ran away like a rabbit fleeing for its life.
Qiao An chased Du Xiaoruo all the way to the orphanage but couldn't catch her. He was panting, his face full of grievance.
"No, when other people flirt, it's always a chase, but why is it that when I flirt, I can't catch up no matter what?"
In the live stream room,
[Where did you two go? Why did you say you were flirting? I didn't see anything! Ugh, I'm so mad!]
[Hahaha, you just can't catch up! Did you grow those long legs just for taking pictures? Hahaha, I feel sorry for you and it's hilarious at the same time.]
[Hey, Mr. Ha, if you had even a penny of the airs of a CEO, you wouldn't be called Mr. Ha.]
Du Xiaoruo ran back to the kitchen. As soon as she entered, she saw Mu Hua and the others leisurely eating sunflower seeds and sitting around the table listening to Dean Huang tell interesting stories about the place.
Everyone was sitting in the dining hall, but the sound of clattering spatulas came from the kitchen.
Du Xiaoruo was wondering who was in the kitchen when she saw Secretary Jin wearing an apron, carrying a large plate of delicious-looking braised chicken, and she greeted her.
"The landlady is here? My good-for-nothing son of ours has caused you trouble."
Mu Hua waved his hand, "President Jin, we're all family, no need for formalities. There's no need for any trouble. We all like President Ha very much. Please take him back with you when you leave."
The audience burst into laughter again.
[Boss Ha is so much fun! I wish I had a boss like that—handsome, funny, and I could even yell at him.]
[Anyone who gets to work at Jinse must have saved the galaxy in their past life, right? I heard the work atmosphere at Jinse is very relaxed, and the salary and benefits are quite good.]
[I really feel like I've lost a fortune. I clearly received an offer from Jinse before, and back then Qiao Qingchuan was in charge, but I rejected it without hesitation. Now I can't get in, I'm so angry.]
Secretary Jin was also helpless. Even though he had already left work, Qiao An sent him a message saying that Mu Hua and Fan Yue's cooking was so bad that it had no limits, and that he should come and save him.
Thanks to Secretary Kim's arrival, everyone was finally able to enjoy a delicious meal. There was braised chicken, sweet and sour fish, and soft and sticky osmanthus-flavored lotus root. I wonder where he learned his cooking skills, as he can eat dishes from both the north and south.
Dean Huang was clearly very satisfied with Secretary Kim's cooking skills and discussed it with him.
"Xiao Jin, why don't you stay and help the children cook a few meals? Their lives are already hard enough, we can't let them suffer like this for no reason."
Secretary Kim smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Dean, one of us, Mr. Qiao and I, must stay at the company for work. I'm really sorry."
After Secretary Kim finished speaking, everyone's attention turned to Qiao An, the meaning of which was clear: Qiao An should leave, and Kim should stay.
“Impossible.” Qiao An’s attitude was firm. “I came here to take care of Xiao Ruo.”
Mu Hua wanted to give him a piece of her mind, "What did you take care of him for? You just washed his face, you almost scrubbed off a layer of his skin, what did you take care of?"
Dean Huang raised his hand and slapped him twice. "What are you doing staying here? Staying to climb the flagpole?"
Without making a sound, Qiao An raised her foot and kicked Secretary Jin under the table.
Secretary Kim was internally cursing, but outwardly she was sensible and obedient, firmly refusing, "For working people, work comes first. Never forget your original aspiration and keep moving forward."
"Huh~"
The crowd's scornful murmurs rose and fell.
In the live stream, a message read: "Secretary Kim, if you're being threatened by CEO Ha, just blink. We can't do anything about it, but we'll help you criticize him in the comments."
"never mind."
Dean Huang waved his hand, not pressuring the matter, and changed the subject.
“I made an appointment with an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the county. He is available at 9 pm, so Erha drove with me to take Xiaoruo for bone setting.”
Qiao An corrected, "Old Dean, my name is Qiao An." Calling me "Boss Ha" was barely tolerable, but "Two Ha" was beyond me.
Dean Huang was still angry with him for climbing the flagpole earlier. He heard him, but deliberately ignored him.
Before leaving, Secretary Jin left several stacks of documents with Qiao An, all of which required his review and approval in the next couple of days. Qiao An whispered a few words in his ear, and Secretary Jin nodded in agreement before leaving.
It was still early before 9 o'clock, so Qiao An sat down at an empty dining table, took out the documents, arranged them, and read through them one by one.
The others were enjoying the cool air in the courtyard.
Dean Huang glanced into the room and saw the mountain of documents piled on the dining table. He curled his lip and complained, "Even the emperor doesn't review as many memorials as he does."
Mu Hua used a large palm-leaf fan to fan the three little ones on the recliner, explaining with a smile.
"Don't let his seemingly nonchalant demeanor fool you, he's incredibly capable. He manages a large company with tens of thousands of employees. If he were to quit, half of Wencheng's economy would collapse."
"Oh dear!" Dean Huang exclaimed. "Thank goodness I didn't fall off the flagpole today."
At 8:30 p.m., Qiao An drove Xiao Ruo and Dean Huang to the home of the old Chinese medicine doctor he had mentioned. Because the old Chinese medicine doctor did not want to be on camera, the cameraman did not come along.
The roads in the county town were narrow and winding. The Rolls-Royce circled around for a long time before finally stopping in front of a very old residential building.
In the consultation room, the old Chinese medicine doctor touched Xiaoruo's arm and said that the bone was not broken, it was just a twisted tendon, and it would be fine once it was straightened.
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Xiaoruo's arm, and with a click, the treatment was complete.
"Move your arm," the old Chinese medicine doctor said.
Xiaoru moved her arms left and right. Before, she would feel a pulling pain in a tendon whenever she moved them, but now she felt nothing at all, and her arms became as flexible as before.
Dean Huang was very happy to see that Xiaoruo's arm had healed and praised her.
"Old Dr. Li is very skilled. He is not only a first-class orthopedic doctor, but also treats stomachaches, headaches, and neuralgia. People in our county don't like to go to the hospital when they are sick, but Dr. Li's medicine can cure them all."
Old Chinese medicine doctor Li waved his hand and said modestly, "It's no use when there are some disobedient patients. They say they don't want to live in damp places because of knee pain, but they insist on living in leaky houses. If word gets out, people will think that my medical skills are not good."
Dean Huang chuckled awkwardly, "I was just praising you. Why are you criticizing me? We'll be going now if there's nothing else."
Du Xiaoruo suddenly said, "Dr. Li, my husband has a stomach problem, could you take a look at him?"
"Is this the one?" Dr. Li pointed to Qiao An and took out a small pulse pillow from the drawer. "Put your wrist here."
Perhaps Qiao An was pleased to hear Xiao Ruo refer to him as "my husband," because she was very obedient throughout and obediently placed her wrist on the pulse pillow.
Dr. Li placed his fingers on Qiao An's wrist. As time passed, his expression grew serious. The small consultation room was quiet; even breathing could be heard clearly.
It was rare to see Dr. Li looking so serious, and even Dean Huang couldn't help but feel nervous. Could this woman, who was considered a pillar of the nation, have some serious illness?
After more than ten minutes, Dr. Li finally released his grip and asked, "Have you been injured before?"
When Qiao An was a child, she was beaten by Jin Xizhen and Qiao Qingchuan, and suffered many injuries, big and small. She didn't have much hope for this doctor, but she didn't expect that he was actually quite capable.
Dr. Li continued...
"Although these injuries are no longer visible on your skin, the internal wounds haven't healed yet. When you were injured, the blood clots hadn't completely dissipated. Pain indicates blockage, which manifests as physical pain. Based on the location of the blood clots, you're experiencing headaches and stomach aches now, right? Especially headaches, which feel like long needles piercing your skull when they strike."
Du Xiaoruo glanced at Qiao An in surprise. She only knew that he often had stomach aches, but she had never heard him mention headaches before. However, she saw Qiao An nod.
"Yes, it can cause stomach aches and headaches."
Upon hearing his seemingly casual remark, Du Xiaoruo's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
She recalled that in Guishan, in the small courtyard where Han Nianwei lived, Qiao An took off his watch, revealing a hideous scar on his wrist. He had once been driven to the point of wanting to commit suicide.
He was so young then, so small, powerless to resist, and could only endure Kim Hee-jin's abuse. In that hellish manor, he still managed to grow into a kind and resilient person.
Thinking of the suffering he had endured, Du Xiaoruo's nose stung with tears.
Dr. Li touched around his temples, pressed a few times, and asked...
"What happened to these injuries? It doesn't look like you were hit by a heavy object. If it were, you would be dead by now."
Qiao An glanced at Xiao Ruo, then turned back and answered calmly.
"Someone pierced my skull with a silver needle. It stopped after it hit the skull. It wasn't fatal, but it was... a bit painful."
With a doctor's heart full of compassion, even just listening to his calm description made Dr. Li's throat tighten. He waved to Dean Huang and the others.
"Please wait outside, I'm about to administer acupuncture."
Upon hearing about acupuncture, Du Xiaoruo remembered Qiao An's fear of needles and quickly told Dr. Li, "I want to stay and keep him company."
Dr. Li got up to get his tools. "I need to take off my clothes to perform acupuncture. It might be inconvenient for you to stay here."
“It’s convenient for me, we’re husband and wife,” Du Xiaoruo said hurriedly.
Qiao An pulled Du Xiaoruo up, pushed her out the door, and pressed her down onto the sofa.
"Don't even think about taking advantage of me. With a figure like mine, I can't let people see it for nothing. You just wait here."
After speaking, Qiao An went into the consultation room and locked the door.
Du Xiaoruo couldn't sit still. She stood up and paced back and forth at the door, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Her nose turned red from crying, and her hands and feet became numb afterward.
Dean Huang pulled Du Xiaoruo to sit down on the sofa, tore off a tissue and handed it to her, "Wipe yourself off. If others see you like this, they'll think Dr. Li caused some kind of medical accident."
Du Xiaoruo was amused by Dean Huang and laughed and cried at the same time. She didn't even know what she was doing. Her mind was all confused.
Dean Huang stared at the closed consultation room door, as if speaking to Du Xiaoruo, or perhaps to himself.
"All human suffering is a form of spiritual practice."
The treatment lasted almost two hours. Dean Huang was worried about the children in the orphanage and didn't want them to sleep well, so he walked back first. When Qiao An finished her treatment, only Du Xiaoruo was left sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, staring blankly at the door of the clinic.
Seeing Qiao An come out, Du Xiaoruo nimbly flipped herself to her feet and rushed over to look Qiao An up and down.
"It's okay," Qiao An said, patting her head twice to comfort her.
Du Xiaoruo looked him over and saw that he did look quite well. However, when Dr. Li came out of the consultation room, he looked like he had lost his soul, his face was pale and his steps were unsteady.
Dr. Li gave them a few words of advice: "Go home and drink some goji berry water to replenish your energy. Come back at 9 o'clock tomorrow, and come for three consecutive days."
After giving the medical instructions, Dr. Li wearily pushed open the door to another room and went inside, ignoring them completely.
Du Xiaoruo's arm had healed, so she let Qiao An sit in the passenger seat while she drove.
The streets in this county town are already narrow, and now that everyone's economy has improved, almost every household has bought a car. Even this late, the roads are still completely congested.
The rows of cars were moving slowly along the road, which was already easy to make people irritable, and then a Wuling car cut in line.
Du Xiaoru rolled down the car window, stuck her head out, and shouted angrily.
"Are you in a hurry to be reincarnated?"
Still not satisfied with cursing, he jerked the steering wheel, floored the gas pedal, overtook the car that cut in line, and then drifted right in front of it.
The Wuling van driver was also startled, realizing he had really messed with someone. He had encountered a woman with a bad temper, and what's worse, she was driving a luxury car. Even a minor scratch on her car would be enough to keep him busy for half a year.
If you can't afford to mess with them, quickly hide to the side.
Qiao An had always known Du Xiaoruo as a gentle, blushing little white rabbit, and had never seen her like this fiery little firecracker before. She silently tightened her seatbelt.
After overtaking the car, Du Xiaoruo was still not satisfied and punched the steering wheel.
"Smash Kim Hee-jin's head!"
Qiao An couldn't help but want to laugh, but she was afraid that her laughter would further anger her, so she forced back her smile and kindly reminded her...
"This steering wheel is very expensive..."
Du Xiaoruo turned her head fiercely, as if she wanted to stab someone.
Joan immediately changed her tune, "No matter how expensive the steering wheel is, it's not as precious as your hands. Don't hurt them."
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