Jin Jin's car was parked by the roadside at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Yanshu pulled over, rested his elbow on the window, and whistled triumphantly towards Jin Jin.
Jin Jin was both amused and exasperated. He told the driver to drive the car back first, then got out and got into Zhang Yanshu's passenger seat.
The car started moving again, and Jin Jin looked at Zhang Yanshu's profile and said,
"I'm a little worried about you, so I'm waiting here."
Zhang Yanshu drove and grumbled nonchalantly, "What's the point of you waiting here? You might not even know if I get killed up there."
Jin Jin's expression changed slightly. "Don't talk nonsense."
As he spoke, he noticed the jewelry box that had slipped out of his bag, and picked it up to take a look.
Upon opening the jewelry box and seeing the bloody human ear inside, Jin Jin laughed and asked, "Which film crew has this prop from?"
Zhang Yanshu burst into laughter, having been correctly guessed.
"It's a crime drama crew. We'll use it for another day tomorrow. If she still doesn't turn herself in tomorrow, we'll have to find a way to borrow another finger."
Jin Jin picked up the ear and examined it.
"You know what, these ears are pretty realistic. They were quite startling at first glance."
"Huh." Zhang Yanshu sighed in confusion, "Isn't this a right ear? I think I said left ear earlier, tsk, that was a little inaccurate."
Jin Jin was speechless. He carefully put the ear away. "Who would have thought that the famous criminal psychology expert in Wencheng would be involved in such swindling and deception?"
"Xiao Jin, watch your words. What do you mean by 'cheating and deceiving'? I'm just saying 'learning by analogy'." Zhang Yanshu gave him a look.
Jin Jin smiled and shook her head.
After a long while, the smile on Jin Jin's face faded.
“Yanshu, what should we say to Qi Huai? The people I sent out found out that he is a child from a village in Yuanyan, born around the same time as our Qiao An. His family is very poor. I heard that his mother ran away and his father is a gambler. Qiao Rukun bought him with a lot of money.”
As the saying goes, the kindness of raising someone is greater than the kindness of giving birth. After 27 years of being raised, it would be untrue to say there were no feelings involved. But Zhang Yanshu remained as magnanimous as ever. She turned to Jin Jin and said…
“He grew up in luxury, and if you ask him to go back to his village, he won’t be able to get used to it, either psychologically or physically. So, giving him the Jinchan resort project in Yuanyan will save face for him and encourage him to get closer to his hometown, which might help him rediscover some of his simple and honest qualities.”
Jin Jin had always admired Zhang Yanshu's strength; it was as if she had an anchor in her heart that could lead her beyond emotions and directly to the level of problem-solving.
He asked, "After all, you've raised this child for 27 years. Aren't you sad?"
Zhang Yanshu said,
"Before I knew Qiao An's identity, I asked myself every day what I had done wrong to raise such a fool as Jin Qihuai, who is so arrogant, boastful, and complacent. Now I have finally let go of my resentment. It was not my fault, but because of the power of genes. I am so happy that I want to sing a song right now: My child, Zhang Yanshu's child, even if he grows out of the mud, will still be a handsome and unique man."
Zhang Yanshu's open-mindedness influenced Jin Jin's state of mind to some extent; after chatting for a few minutes, he felt much more at ease.
“Then I’ll do as you say. But I don’t think it’s necessary for Joan to meet with them. It would be awkward for both sides. What do you think?”
This time, Zhang Yanshu agreed with Jin Jin's words. Although Fan Yingjiao's act of making Qiao An change her shoes was a bit annoying, Qiao An also took the opportunity to extort more than a billion yuan from them, so they were even. Thinking of the money that Qiao An extorted, Zhang Yanshu felt proud again.
She was always decisive on important matters and easygoing on trivial ones, so she acquiesced to Jin Jin's arrangement. If she didn't want to see him, she wouldn't see him. She would get angry every time she saw that stupid guy.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong!"
Two doorbell rang outside the villa, and the butler opened the door.
Xiao Shu stood outside the door with his schoolbag on his back, bowing respectfully and saying, "Hello, Uncle."
"Oh, is that Xiaoshu? How sweet!" The housekeeper was a fan of [Beibei Restaurant] and knew all the children who appeared on the show.
Mu Hua, carrying a fruit basket, greeted her with a smile, "Is Qiao An home? I made plans with him."
"Yes, yes, yes," the butler hurriedly ushered them into the house.
Today, the outdoor temperature was close to 40 degrees Celsius, and it felt like people were on fire. Stepping into the villa, I instantly felt cool and refreshed.
Mu Hua entered the house, placed the fruit basket on the dining table, and repeatedly exclaimed, "This house is really well designed."
Qiao An walked over, poured Xiao Shu a glass of juice, glanced at the fruit basket Mu Hua had brought, and looked at it with disdain.
"Next time, don't bring Miyazaki mangoes, Roman Ruby grapes, or Yubari melons. What you brought isn't high-class enough."
Mu Hua walked over to the sofa, comfortably slumped into it, completely ignoring Qiao An's sarcastic remarks.
Qiao An handed the medical examination report sent from the hospital to Mu Hua.
"Here, the medical examination report. I haven't opened it or looked at it."
Before receiving the medical report, Qiao An had already learned from the hospital that Mu Hua was not seriously ill, and the anxiety she had felt for several days was relieved. Fortunately, he did not have any incurable disease.
Mu Hua opened the file bag, took out the medical examination report inside, looked at it, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"I'm in good health, aren't I?" he boasted. "And you? You don't have any serious illnesses, do you?"
Joan wanted him to get lost.
But the thought of having another task to complete today forced him to swallow his anger.
He sat down next to Mu Hua and asked casually, "Anything planned for tonight? Want to go out for a drink?"
Mu Hua's expression hardened. "What's going on? You've really been diagnosed with a serious illness?"
Qiao An couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up, pointed at the door, and said, "Get out! Get out now! Get out as fast as you can!"
Mu Hua smiled ingratiatingly, "Alright, alright, I'll treat you to drinks tonight."
Just before leaving, Mu Hua called upstairs, "Xiao Shu, your godfather and I are going out for drinks. Be a good girl at home, I'll come pick you up later."
Xiao Shu was visiting Lele's room on the third floor when he saw Lele's science museum and was extremely envious. Hearing the noise, he ran to the corridor and shouted loudly through the gaps in the railing.
"Dad, go in peace. It doesn't matter whether we pick you up or not. I can live in this house for the rest of my life."
"You brat," Mu Hua grumbled as he followed Qiao An out the door.
Qiao An drove around the streets for a while, but couldn't find a bar that satisfied Ha Zuzong among all the bars, so he drove back to the old town of Wencheng.
They encountered traffic jams on the way, and it took almost two hours to finally arrive at the little tavern that Qiao An was satisfied with. Mu Hua was already impatient and almost beat Qiao An up again on the spot.
Fortunately, the tavern had a great ambiance, with soft lighting and someone on stage softly singing an old love song. The pleasant atmosphere soothed Mu Hua's irritability.
The two skipped dinner, ordered some snacks, and some craft beer.
The owner brought over the beer and said to them, "The chef is a little busy today and hasn't arrived at the restaurant yet. You two can have some beer while you wait. I'll bring you some potato chips and preserved plums as a gift."
Mu Hua was already a little hungry, but he couldn't afford to go to another bar, so he agreed.
After drinking half a glass of beer, Mu Hua asked,
"Why did you call me out? You must have something to say to me, right? Go ahead, I'm listening."
Qiao An thought for a moment, not forgetting her mission for the day—to have a good drinking session with Mu Hua and force him to reveal the truth about the entrustment of the orphanage.
But I need to find something to talk about first, otherwise I won't be able to drink. Thinking about all the mess that's happened these past few days, it would be nice to have someone to chat with.
"Mu Hua, I have something to tell you, but don't be scared."
Mu Hua popped a preserved plum into his mouth, quite calmly, "Hmm, tell me, what big scenes haven't I seen before?"
"I am actually the son of Jin Jin and Zhang Yanshu."
Mu Hua had indeed seen a lot, and calmly smiled, "Don't be silly."
Seeing Qiao An's sincere expression, Mu Hua's calm demeanor gradually faded.
"Holy crap, you can't be serious, right?"
He stood up, walked around the small bar twice, then pulled his hair, violently tore at his collar, continued walking around three more times, and went to the restroom to wash his face.
He walked straight up to Joan.
"Really?"
Joan nodded calmly, "Really, please sit down first, you're making me feel awkward."
After Mu Hua sat down, Qiao An explained the whole story to him, including all the people and events involved. Mu Hua was so shocked that he could only keep repeating, "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap."
"Awesome," Mu Hua concluded.
Joan herself thought she was pretty awesome.
Having finished discussing the matter and drinking quite a bit, Qiao An went to the restroom. While washing his hands at the sink, he remembered that it was about time to ask about entrusting his children to someone else.
But as soon as she stepped out of the restroom, the alcohol hit her hard, and Qiao An felt dizzy and disoriented.
He grabbed a passing waiter and asked, "Why is the ceiling spinning?"
The waiter, unfazed, led Joan to his seat.
Mu Hua waved to Qiao An, "Hurry up, the food is finally served, I'm starving."
Qiao An's last thought was of Mu Hua's words, "I'm starving," before she slumped over and fell asleep.
When I woke up again, it was already broad daylight.
Joan lay in bed, looking at the familiar surroundings, but couldn't remember how she got home.
He took a shower, walked out of the room, and met Du Xiaoruo, who had just come out of her room, on the stairs.
The two met mysteriously, like members of an underground organization.
Du Xiaoruo asked softly, "So? Did Mu Hua say anything? Why did he abandon Xiaoshu?"
Qiao An thought carefully, "He said he was getting married for the second time."
Du Xiaoruo, "...You don't want Xiaoshu anymore after your second marriage? What the hell? Are you sure?"
Joan thought for a moment, "That's right, that's exactly what he said, that he's getting married for the second time."
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