On the last morning of the live stream from the orphanage, Director Kang appeared in the live stream room with a smile.
The comment section of the live stream,
[Oh no, I have a bad feeling, this live stream is really over.]
[Everyone, please calm down. This part of the live stream about the orphanage is a bonus. I'm already very satisfied that you've watched this far.]
[Yeah, because of the extra episode, we even got to see the famous scene where Qiao An got brutally beaten up by Mu Hua. It was hilarious, and it's still so funny to think about it now.]
[Mr. Ha is really something else. "Come here and kneel down, Daddy wants to ask you something." Hahaha, he deserves to be beaten so badly. I even think Mu Hua didn't get a good beating.]
Director Kang cleared his throat with a smile and announced,
"Everyone, the surveying work at the library is complete, and this season's live broadcast will be paused here. We will be leaving the orphanage one by one today. After breakfast this morning, please go back to your rooms to pack your luggage. At 10:00 a.m., we will all gather on the playground, and the production team will arrange for everyone to return to Wencheng together."
"Everyone, please go back and rest for a few days. We will have a celebration banquet in three days. It's not mandatory, but we hope everyone can attend."
"Finally, thank you all for the laughter and joy you've given us along the way. In particular, thank you to our Boss Ha, who not only didn't take a single penny from the production team, but also provided us with the most laughs."
Qiao An stood under the eaves of the playground, the morning sun shining obliquely on him. Tall and elegant, with a radiant look in his eyes, who could imagine that such a dignified and upright person was chased and beaten up by Mu Hua yesterday? The contrast was simply too cute.
He frowned slightly and turned to look at Du Xiaoruo standing beside him.
"What kind of joke is this? Don't I look like the kind of domineering yet affectionate, wealthy and prestigious CEO?"
Du Xiaoruo opened her mouth in surprise, her face full of concern, "How long have you been in this state of confusion?"
Joan, “…”
In the live stream room,
[Hahaha, I never expected Xiaoruo to be like this! You're amazing! Hahaha.]
[Mr. Ha, your self-perception is a bit off. Believe in yourself; you're the funniest guy.]
[Now that you mention it, it's true. Ha didn't take a single penny from the production team, but he appeared on the show from beginning to end. Hahaha, he definitely made a big contribution.]
Goodbye, my dear Beibei Restaurant, see you at the celebration party!
After Director Kang finished speaking, everyone discussed the upcoming itinerary.
Qiao An made an appointment with the doctor to go for a physical examination with Mu Hua. Du Xiaoruo and Fan Yue helped the children pack their luggage before returning to Wencheng with the rest of the production crew.
Fan Yue gestured towards Mu Hua with her lip, "Why did you agree so easily to accompany President Ha to the medical check-up? Aren't you afraid of trouble?"
Mu Hua put his arm around Qiao An's shoulder, his smile sly.
"Mr. Ha gifted me a full set of high-end medical check-ups, the kind worth five figures. It's not stupid not to take advantage of a good deal."
Du Xiaoruo gave Qiao An a meaningful look. Some people talk as if they are very powerful, but in the end, they can only talk with money.
After saying goodbye to Dean Huang, Mu Hua and Qiao An set off by car.
Qiao An drove the car, with Mu Hua in the passenger seat. As they drove onto the highway, Mu Hua leaned over and turned on the radio, tuning it to the traffic news channel.
The female announcer's intellectual voice came from the speakers.
"The following is a local news report: At 10:35 pm last night, a drunk driver veered a small truck off the mountain road and onto the open-air area of a hillside cafe, seriously injuring a customer whose condition is currently unknown. It is understood that the seriously injured person is the only son of the director of St. John's Private Hospital. The case is currently under police investigation, and our reporter will continue to follow up."
Mu Hua frowned. "The director of Shengjing Private Hospital? Li Zhesheng?"
"You know him?" Qiao An glanced at Mu Hua, then turned back to concentrate on driving.
Mu Hua leaned back in his chair, his expression somewhat complicated, but he seemed relatively calm. "We've had some dealings. Three years ago, I filmed a movie, and there were scenes shot in Shengjing."
Qiao An said, "Shall we go visit them later? It just so happens that the medical check-up center I booked is not far from Shengjing."
Mu Hua shook his head, "We're not even that familiar with each other, there's no need."
Upon arriving at the medical examination center, despite the high price, the experience was excellent. There were no long queues like in traditional hospitals. The center's decor resembled a stylish large coffee shop, and there was a dedicated nanny-like companion throughout the process. The report was available the day after the examination.
After finishing my physical examination, I drove past Shengjing and found that the hospital there had been closed. There were many people gathered at the hospital entrance, and police tape had been put up, so it seemed that the police were investigating there.
Mu Hua pointed to one of the middle-aged men with graying hair and said to Qiao An,
"That's Li Zhesheng."
Qiao An, with an attitude of indifference, turned her head and glanced at him indifferently, but her pupils contracted when she saw the person standing next to Li Zhesheng.
At this moment, Mu Hua also noticed something was amiss. "Isn't that Qiao Qingmeng?"
Although Mu Hua had only met Qiao Qingmeng once at the fashion show in Yingge, Qiao Qingmeng's features were three-tenths similar to Qiao An's, and her gray-blue pupils were also memorable, so Mu Hua recognized her at a glance.
"Strange," Mu Hua muttered, "How come she's with Li Zhesheng?"
A look of confusion appeared on Qiao An's face. Although he didn't know the relationship between Qiao Qingmeng and Li Zhesheng, he had a feeling that the accident involving Li Zhesheng's son might be related to Qiao Qingmeng.
Shengjing Private Hospital is the hospital where Qiao An had her paternity test done, and the hospital director's son has the power to tamper with paternity tests. Coincidentally, Qiao Qingmeng was also present at the accident scene, making it hard not to connect this accident with Qiao Qingmeng.
After dropping Mu Hua off at home, Qiao An sent a message to Secretary Jin, asking him to investigate the relationship between Qiao Qingmeng and Li Zhesheng.
When Du Xiaoruo and the others returned home, they found the moving company moving their belongings at Chenxiang Apartment. Everything was packed and being delivered to Yingge's villa.
"Madam, Xiao Le."
Suddenly someone called out to them with delight.
Du Xiaoruo looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the round-faced, chubby butler who lived in the villa when she first transmigrated.
"What brings you here?" Du Xiaoruo was quite pleased to run into an old acquaintance.
The portly butler, his face flushed from exhaustion, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and replied in a lighthearted tone,
"Boss Ha has had us invited back. You all needed someone to take care of you when you were in Yingge. It's great that we're all reunited."
No sooner had the butler finished speaking than a lazy voice came from behind him.
"Why are you calling him 'General Manager Ha' too?"
"Mr. Qiao is here?" The butler realized he had misspoke and quickly changed the subject. "I'll go watch them move their things. You two chat, you two chat."
Qiao An turned around and said to Du Xiaoruo and Lele,
"Let's get in the car and go see the new house."
The Rolls-Royce drove all the way to Yingge. When passing Swan Lake, Du Xiaoruo stuck her head out to look. Swan Lake hadn't changed much. The blue sky and clear water were still beautiful. But compared to the liveliness when they were filming the show here, Swan Lake looked much more desolate.
There are no high-rise buildings in the Yingge area, only a high-end villa area developed by Jinchan Group. There are not many houses in the villa area, but each house is very large and there is a great distance between them. Each house has a garden, green trees, and a stream in front of it, as if it has its own small hill.
Du Xiaoruo sighed, "How big is this shared area?"
Qiao An was both amused and exasperated by her. Who would care about the shared cost if they could afford this kind of house?
He explained, “I know you don’t really like having strangers in your house, but this place is remote and the house is big, so someone has to clean and cook. That’s why we called the people from the other side back. They’re all reliable, so don’t worry.”
Du Xiaoruo rested her chin on the car window, enjoying the refreshing air in the lush green neighborhood.
She had no objection to Qiao An's arrangements. Living in a house like this really requires someone to take care of it. If someone insisted on living alone at a time like this, it would be a bit pretentious.
The car stopped in front of a detached villa.
The private garden was filled with a vast expanse of ethereal flowers. Du Xiaoruo recognized some of them, including hydrangeas, Shasta daisies, agapanthus, water lilies, gardenias, and wisteria. Nestled among the towering trees outside the garden, it felt like she had stumbled into Alice's Garden.
The villa's door was wide open, and Lele ran in, shouting.
"I'll go see my room first."
Qiao An called out from behind him, "Third floor."
Lele ran all the way up to the third floor, pushed open a very tall, hidden door, and exclaimed in amazement.
Du Xiaoruo and the others followed Lele up to the third floor. When they saw the scene inside the door, Du Xiaoruo was stunned.
The third floor has an area of nearly 800 square meters. Apart from a normal-sized bedroom and a bathroom, all the partitions in the rest of the space have been removed and opened up into a large open space.
In this huge space, glass display cases were installed on all four walls, displaying Lele's computer, Rubik's Cube, and books. In the center of the space was a minimalist large study desk, where Lele's schoolbag and summer homework had been delivered and were now neatly arranged.
Rather than a bedroom, it feels more like a small science museum. Lele liked the space and kept tinkering with her things after arriving in the room.
Qiao An pointed downstairs to Du Xiaoruo.
"Shall I go see your room?"
The second floor has two separate bedrooms. One has a minimalist black and gray color scheme, while the other is much more girly, with bed sheets and duvet covers in a gentle, sunset-pink hue.
Joanne pointed to the warmly decorated room, "From now on, this will be your own space."
Both of them tacitly accepted this arrangement. Their previous displays of affection on the show, whether for reputation or out of genuine affection, didn't reflect their true selves.
Now that the live stream has ended and they've returned to real life, their relationship can at most be considered ambiguous. Two people who have never even kissed are not suitable to share a bed.
The two rooms, just like their decorating style, are clearly distinct.
Du Xiaoruo looked at the cozy room and said with a touch of melancholy, "Thank you for taking me in."
Qiao An felt a strange melancholy in the atmosphere. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang.
Secretary Jin, [Qiao Qingmeng is Kerr's girlfriend. The two met abroad and maintained a close relationship after returning to China. Kerr is Qiao Qingchuan's attending physician.]
Joanne frowned slightly. [Who is Kerr?]
Secretary Kim, [Lee Cheol-sung's son, the one who was seriously injured, was pronounced dead half an hour ago.]
At that moment, another text message came in on my phone.
JJ, [An, the test results are in. Come to the old house.]
Qiao An noticed that Jin Jin no longer addressed him with the word "Qiao" at this time. He breathed a sigh of relief. Was the nightmare finally coming to an end?
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