Chapter 31: A Heartfelt Gift to the Person You Cherish
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue followed the girl's line of sight and stared at the cookies for a long time. After a while, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not hungry yet. I don't feel like eating. Thank you."
The girl's eyes turned red, but she pressed on, "Can I make them for you when you want to eat them in future?"
Qiao Yue looked at the girl kindly and replied, "Desserts should be made for those who cherish them. It's not made to fill stomachs, but to convey the maker's feelings, right?"
Many people had noticed what's happening at Qiao Yue's end; they couldn't help but prick up their ears to eavesdrop.
After Qiao Yue said this in a gentle tone, many people in the classroom gasped. Then, the school forum was updated rapidly.
"How can Qiao Yue reject someone so gently? I love him, I love him! I also want to tell him that, even if I am rejected."
"The sister above + 1, see that? Qiao Yue actually has such a gentle side; I thought he was just a handsome bad boy."
"What day is it today? Why are there so many posts about Qiao Yue?"
"Can I ask you something? Did any of you see the video? Why do I feel that the person in the video looks like Qiao Yue?"
"Oh, oh! So, there's someone who agree with me. But the image is too blurry to be certain. Oh right, did the person who post it delete the video? Why can't I find it?"
"Me too! I can't find it anymore. I wanted to save his cool moves, but the video is gone!"
Just as the forum was filled with comments, the bell for the second period rang. The teacher from the previous period entered the classroom with test papers.
The time given to answer the questions was 40 minutes, and the test consists of knowledge points students had learned since entering Harvey.
Qiao Yue opened the paper and glanced through it. The questions were very simple. For her, getting a perfect score was not a problem but Qiao Yue didn't want to be in the limelight again.
After writing all the correct answers on rough paper, Qiao Yue began to write the wrong answers on the actual test paper. She didn't want a high score, just something around the 60-point passing mark.
What Qiao Yue didn't notice was that someone was watching her through the window.
When the period ended, Qiao Yue turned in her test paper and walked out. She only had two classes in the morning and the rest were in the afternoon. As there was still some time before noon, Qiao Yue decided to visit the library at Harvey Academy.
She didn't expect to run into Qiao Yu, who had come out of nowhere. Qiao Yue wanted to run away as soon as she saw him. How could a man be so long-winded? Or was being long-winded part of Qiao Yu's personality?
Qiao Yue didn't stop for him, but Qiao Yu caught up.
"Qiao Yue, why are you walking so fast?"
Hearing his tone, Qiao Yue knew that Qiao Yu was no longer pretending.
"Fourth brother, if there's anything you need, just say it."
"Nothing new. I just wanted to explain to you why I didn't scold Qiao Xin last night."
As if he knew that Qiao Yue wanted to keep a distance from him, he said without giving Qiao Yue a chance to refuse, "You know, in the Qiao family, I can't not care about the feelings of the third family like second brother. My parents are not liked by grandfather. If the third family turns to the first family, my parents will be angry."
"Then why do you care if I'm angry?"
Qiao Yue didn't care about the disputes between the various branches of the Qiao family; she only wondered why Qiao Yu was chasing her down to explain.
"I don't want you to misunderstand me, and I don't want to lose a brother like you."
Seeing that she couldn't get rid of Qiao Yu, Qiao Yue could only patiently wait for him to finish.
It was basically a story about the "neighbor's child", but the person in Quai Yu's family that the Qiao family often compared to was his older brother, Qiao Xuan. Qiao Xuan's appearance, character, and grades were all top-notch, unlike Qiao Yu's fiery temper and troublemaker appearance. So, Qiao Yu often imitated Qiao Xuan subconsciously, and turned into a two-faced person.
And it was Qiao Yu's parents who asked him to be nice to the third family. He could only do as they asked.
After Qiao Yu finished, Qiao Yue had one thought in her heart – perhaps this was the real Qiao Yu.
She patted Qiao Yu's shoulder and asked, "Want to go to the library?"
Seeing that Qiao Yue's attitude towards him had improved, Qiao Yu took things further and said to Qiao Yue pitifully, "I want to go to the boxing club."
"Then you can go!" With that, Qiao Yue left without looking back.
_______________________
Chapter 32: The Person Qiao Jing Hated
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the end, Qiao Yue didn't make it to the library. Instead, she was dragged by Qiao Yu to play basketball.
To be honest, Qiao Yu truly deserved his title as the school hunk. He was good looking, good at his studies, and good at sports.
If one only saw Qiao Yu's façade, one would say that he was perfect. This made Qiao Yue wonder about the older brother Qiao Xuan whom Qiao Yu imitated; she was even more curious about the big brother she hadn't met.
After a game of basketball, Qiao Yue went to the rest area to drink some water, and Qiao Yu followed.
Qiao Yue glanced at the arrogant-looking Qiao Yu and asked, "Don't you want to be yourself? I feel tired for you, doing and saying things against your true self."
Qiao Yu chuckled, his eyes flashing with mockery. "Be myself? Then I'd become a piece of trash in future."
Qiao Yue could feel that Qiao Yu was conflicted. He wanted to live a free life but he was bound by the chains of his family.
The breeze brought a refreshing coolness, along with the girls' exclamations from the basketball court. Qiao Yue looked at the time, it was already noon and time for lunch.
"You're always talking about me, what about you? What were your days like before?" Qiao Yu didn't notice Qiao Yue's thoughts and asked.
Qiao Yue's smile froze. "Well, they were just days! After my mother died, I was sent to an orphanage. I returned to the village after I grew up and lived there with the neighbors' support. I could also catch fish and cook simple dishes. I just went with the flow and lived."
Qiao Yue repeated the information to Qiao Yu, but for some reason, she couldn't tell if Qiao Yu's face showed sympathy or heartache.
"When did your mother, my aunt, pass away?"
"I can't remember. I've been in an orphanage since very young."
"Sigh, my aunt is so stubborn. If she was willing to return the things and admit her mistake, maybe you wouldn't have suffered so much. And my aunt wouldn't have died so young." Qiao Yu sighed as he spoke.
"Return the things?"
Qiao Yue frowned. How did she not know that her mother had taken things from the Qiao family? All she had found out about her mother was that she had eloped with a scumbag and was later abandoned.
Qiao Yu saw Qiao Yue's unknowing look and asked in surprise, "Didn't my aunt tell you?"
"I don't know, I have no impression."
"I overheard my parents talking about this a long time ago. They said that they had to get back the things that aunt took, but I might have remembered wrong. Perhaps the person they were talking about wasn't aunt," Qiao Yu said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Qiao Yu's casual words made Qiao Yue suspicious. After she parted with Qiao Yu, she would call Chu Jia and asked her to re-investigate her mother's past. She suspected that her mother's departure from the Qiao family was not as simple as it seemed.
As Qiao Yue kept recalling the bits and pieces of her mother's life, she spent the entire afternoon in a daze.
Just as Qiao Yue was thinking of a reason to leave the Qiao family for a few days, a Lexus LM stopped in front of her.
"Get in the car."
Qiao Jing's cold voice rang in her ears, his tone commanding.
It wasn't until Qiao Yue sat down that she realized that classes had already ended and she was waiting for the Qiao family chauffeur to pick her up. She just got into Qiao Jing's car naturally.
Qiao Yue was puzzled. "Why is second brother here?"
"It's Saturday today," Qiao Jing replied expressionlessly.
Saturday...
Qiao Yue smacked her forehead when she suddenly remembered that today was the day Boss Li would apologize. She didn't expect Qiao Jing to remember it better than her.
Qiao Yue's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. "Second brother, you hate that Boss Li too?"
"Yes." Qiao Jing responded lightly.
Unexpectedly, the assistant spoke at this time, "Not just hate. He hates him very much! That night, Master Jing even told me to mark this Saturday on his calendar and not schedule any work. Yong Master Yue, you have no idea how busy Master Jing is. Because this Saturday was blocked, his work had to be rescheduled to the next available day. He will be busy all of Sunday."
The assistant looked pained as he spoke. He had a good relationship with Qiao Jing and could tell that Qiao Jing treated Qiao Yue in a special way. He couldn't help but complain to Qiao Yue. He really didn't want to do more overtime with his boss.
Qiao Jing glared at his assistant coldly. His assistant immediately shut up and shifted in the driver's seat when he saw Qiao Jing in the rearview mirror.
Qiao Yue didn't expect Qiao Jing to have such strong emotions. He hated someone to the point of clearing his schedule for this person...
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Chapter 33: A Special Mission
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"So, second brother hates evil like sin. I thought that second brother never cared about such things."
Qiao Jing didn't answer and just looked out the window.
Qiao Yue noticed that Qiao Jing's assistant was looking at her in the rearview mirror and raised an eyebrow.
"Master Jing only cares about it because of Master Yue!" The assistant muttered under his breath.
Qiao Yue's eyebrows were raised even higher, but the assistant's seat was kicked hard.
Chu Jia was waiting to welcome Qiao Yue in front of the Yayi Club. She had been very happy in the past two days. Not only did the club sign a big contract, but she also heard that Boss Li was not doing well.
There's an auction at the club tonight, followed by a masquerade ball.
Just as Chu Jia had said, Yayi Club was one of KA's untainted businesses. Therefore, even though it was a masquerade ball, people would only get to know each other after they removed their masks; the club would not provide any illegal services.
Qiao Yue and Qiao Jing were escorted to a VIP waiting room when they got out of the car. The auction was scheduled to start at 6 pm. The two of them did their own things in the waiting room; things were harmonious if one ignored Qiao Jing's probing eyes from time to time.
When it was time, Qiao Yue was ready to go to the auction hall with Qiao Jing. But as she casually looked around, she saw Qiao Xin walking into the club holding a man's arm.
Qiao Yue immediately pulled back and closed the door.
Qiao Jing was suddenly knocked into by Qiao Yue; he lost his balance and pressed Qiao Yue against the other side of the door.
"What's wrong?"
As soon as Qiao Jing opened his mouth, Qiao Yue covered it with her hand. The door didn't close tightly, it was left ajar. Qiao Yue looked out through the gap.
Indeed, she wasn't wrong. That person really was Qiao Xin.
Qiao Yue seemed to have seen the man next to Qiao Xin somewhere before, and her sixth sense told her that the man wasn't a good person.
Just as Qiao Yue was trying to recall who this person was, Qiao Jing's eyes were fixed on her.
The two of them were so close that Qiao Jing seemed to be able to smell the faint fragrance on Qiao Yue. His lips were covered by Qiao Yue's warm but slightly rough palm, and his eyes reflected a lover's appearance.
Qiao Yue's skin was delicate, her figure slender, giving off the vibe that she's as weak as water. However, after spending a few days with her, Qiao Jing's impression of Qiao Yue had changed.
Having been in the business world for many years, Qiao Jing had long known how to read people, but he couldn't understand Qiao Yue.
Qiao Yue's entire being seemed to be shrouded in fog. She seemed to be smiling at everyone, but in reality, she didn't care about anyone.
Qiao Jing's lips suddenly let out a hot breath which landed in Qiao Yue's palm.
Qiao Yue's eyes widened. The close distance between them stopped her breathing for a second.
Looking into Qiao Jing's mesmerizing eyes, Qiao Yue's heart skipped a beat and she looked away.
"I saw Qiao Xin." Qiao Yue spoke only after she closed the door tight.
"Qiao Xin? With third uncle and third aunt?" Qiao Jing also looked away and asked.
"No, she's with a man I don't know."
Qiao Jing frowned slightly when he heard this. When he looked at Qiao Yue again, he noticed that her strange expression, so he called the waiter to bring them to their seats.
The two of them arrived at a private room on the second floor. Qiao Jing's eyes scanned the floor below, but he didn't see Qiao Xin.
"You didn't see wrong?"
Qiao Jing was a little confused. He couldn't figure out why Qiao Xin would come to this place.
"I didn't see wrong."
Qiao Yue saw Qiao Xin's face clearly when she walked in with the man. She kept thinking about the man and felt like she had seen him somewhere before.
"Forget it, let's watch the auction first and look for her at the ball."
Despite Qiao Jing's words, his hands weren't idle. He quickly sent a text message to his assistant.
Qiao Yue wasn't idle either. Although she agreed with Qiao Jing, she turned around and asked Chu Jia to meet her.
A few minutes before the auction began, Qiao Yue used the excuse of going to the bathroom and sneaked into Chu Jia's office.
Chu Jia's office was under strict surveillance. Nothing discussed in this room could be leaked.
"Boss, why did you ask to see me in such a hurry?" Chu Jia asked as soon as she arrived at the office.
Qiao Yue, who was sitting in the office chair, slowly raised her eyes. The smile on her face was no longer there.
"What mission did Godfather give you?"
"Boss, what are you saying?" Chu Jia laughed.
"I am not going to repeat myself."
Actually, Qiao Yue was just testing her, but from Chu Jia's reaction, she knew that something would happen tonight.
_________________
Chapter 34: For a Different Purpose
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Chu Jia was a little dazed when she saw Qiao Yue's cold face. She hesitated for a few seconds before she said, "Find Beelan Trand and kill him."
The moment Beelan Trand was mentioned, Qiao Yue remembered who this person was. He was one of the most famous drug dealers in D-Country and ran all sorts of illegal businesses. Qiao Yue had met this person at Godfather's place before. Godfather later cut off ties with this person because Qiao Yue disliked such people. Why would Godfather give Chu Jia such a mission now?
Also, didn't Godfather put her in charge of all affairs in Z-Country? Why didn't she know about this?
"I didn't receive Godfather's orders."
Qiao Yue's tone was calm, but Chu Jia shuddered. Although her boss was usually friendly, she was really scary when she was cold, especially when she was angry.
"Boss, Godfather said that you're back with the Qiao family for a break and to fulfill your filial duties, so he asked us not to disturb you."
Chu Jia only hesitated for two seconds before telling Qiao Yue.
"Just like this?"
"Yes, boss. If you don't believe me, you can ask Godfather."
Qiao Yue fell into deep thought after hearing Chu Jia's words. She felt that her return to the Qiao family this time was not as easy as she had imagined.
If the Qiao family disliked her because she might take away some of their inheritance, then what about the things that Qiao Yu said her mother took away and the third family's involvement with drug dealers?
Qiao Yue massaged her temples as she said, "What's the relationship between Qiao Xin and Trand?"
Chu Jia had always been thorough in her work, and she quickly gave an answer to Qiao Yue's question.
"According to our investigation, the third Qiao family purposely got close to Trand. Trand is one of the richest persons in the country. He was attracted to Qiao Xin when they met at a banquet a month ago, and the two have been in contact since."
International drug lord attracted to Qiao Xin? Qiao Yue wanted to laugh when she heard this.
As a notorious drug lord in Country-D, what kind of woman had Trand not toyed with? Given Qiao Xin's intelligence, she probably wouldn't even last one round.
Based on this, Qiao Yue guessed that Trand didn't fancy Qiao Xin but the Qiao family.
Although the Qiao family was one of the top families in Country-Z, there were many similar families internationally. What did Trand see in the Qiao family?
"When was the order given? When do you plan to take action?" Qiao Yue asked.
"The assassination order was issued a week ago. We'll attempt tonight."
"Alright," Qiao Yue responded and left the office.
Qiao Yue pinched her eyebrows. It was probably a coincidence! The Godfather's order came before her bet.
On the way back to the room, Qiao Yue ran into Qiao Jing's assistant, who bade her farewell and then left in a hurry.
When Qiao Yue returned to her seat, the auction had already begun.
Most of the items in this auction were paintings, porcelain, renowned tea and wine, jade, and other antiques. But there's always a pièce de résistance in every auction.
It wasn't until the auction was coming to an end that Qiao Yue heard a winning bid from Private Room 7. That person had bought two diamond necklaces and an ancient painting.
Finally, the pièce de résistance – a 45% stake in Ruiding!
Ruiding wasn't a top company, but they owned a 4D holographic projection technology that many people coveted. If anyone won this auction, they would own a piece of the holographic projection market in future.
Just as Qiao Yue was thinking about whether she should get someone to put in a bid, Private Room 7 had already started bidding. It seemed that Trand wanted to use this technology to break into the Z-Country market.
The price was getting higher and higher, from 50 million to 200 million yuan in just a few minutes. At this time, Qiao Jing also pressed the button beside him, and the voice of the host came from below.
"Room 6, 300 million yuan."
The crowd did not expect the price to increase by 100 million, and mutterings were heard from the hall.
From eight or nine people bidding, it quickly became a bidding war between Qiao Jing and Trand.
Fortunately, Qiao Jing managed to win the bid and bought the shares at 630 million yuan.
Qiao Yue drummed her fingers on the armrest of the sofa and chuckled, "So second brother did not come here because of me, but for a different purpose."
Qiao Jing glanced at Qiao Yue and lowered his eyes. "I heard that Ruiding's shares may be auctioned at Yayi, so I came to take a look."
"Ohhhh!"
Qiao Yue's dragged out her reply, clearly not believing Qiao Jing's words.
However, Qiao Yue wasn't one to get to the bottom of things. She quickly changed the subject and asked, "Are we going to find Qiao Xin or continue to the ball?"
___________________
Chapter 35: The Apology
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Find Qiao Xin for what?" Qiao Jing asked.
"Eh? Isn't she your sister? Aren't you afraid that something might happen to her when she's out with a strange man?"
Qiao Jing looked around the auction hall calmly. "It's none of my business."
Qiao Yue looked at Qiao Jing, her eyes filled with interest.
Although Qiao Jing sided with her when Qiao Xin provoked her, he did not reprimanded Qiao Xin. She thought that it was because Qiao Jing cared about Qiao Xin. She didn't expect Qiao Jing to say such things.
Qiao Yue's focused gaze made Qiao Jing turn around and asked in confusion, "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing. I just feel that second brother is getting more and more good-looking." Qiao Yue's eyes were smiling.
Qiao Yue had a problem. No matter the time and place, she would say whatever that came to her mind when she wanted to tease. For most people, this might come across as being frivolous, even rowdy. But Qiao Yue was good-looking and always smiling, which made it difficult for people to hate her.
But even if it was a convenient excuse, Qiao Jing was indeed the charming handsome type. Compared to Qiao Ze's flamboyance and Qiao Yu's gentleness, Qiao Jing was more like a rare flower in the mountains, making people yearn for him.
Compared to the auction, the ball was more important to Qiao Yue.
When the time came, everyone gathered at the ballroom. The lights in the ballroom dimmed, leaving a single bright beam on the stage.
The emcee went on stage to warm up the crowd. People below stage were all dressed in gorgeous evening attires and exquisite masks; their faces could not be seen.
Qiao Yue scanned the ballroom and found Qiao Xin and that man.
At this moment, the emcee announced that Boss Li had a few words to say to Boss Chu. The guests who had heard the rumors instantly laughed and put on their masks. All the usual politeness went out the window as they said whatever they wanted to say.
"Oh! Is Boss Li going to apologize? Just do it already!"
Everyone laughed even louder when they heard this. Those who were well-informed already knew what had happened the other day.
Boss Li wanted to take advantage of the club in the name of a painting, but in the end, he didn't only fail but was also slapped in the face.
Those who didn't know found out what had happened and then joined in to wait for Boss Li make a fool of himself.
Under the spotlight, Boss Li's bald head shone and his chubby face was covered in sweat. Although he didn't know who's who, he knew that the people standing below stage were all famous from different walks of life. How would he survive in the business world after today?
Boss Li wiped his sweat, stammered for a long time before he said, "I was too rash a few days ago. I'm taking this opportunity to apologize to Boss Chu today. Please forgive me."
Boss Li was planning to slip away after he said that, but he was stopped by a voice.
"What's the hurry, Boss Li? You didn't even explain the reason; Boss Li's apology was insincere! Also, I heard that Boss Li has also agreed to apologize to the waitress. How come I didn't hear that?"
These words came fast, seemingly from a corner of the ballroom. But when everyone looked over, they didn't see anyone.
"That's right! Boss Li, an apology must be sincere, and to my staff too. Boss Li, you won't go back on your word, right?"
Chu Jia walked up the stage and refocused everyone's attention.
On stage, Chu Jia looked alluring in a black fishtail evening dress. Her figure was graceful, and she had a smile on her face.
Boss Li stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Chu Jia. His smile froze.
He walked to Chu Jia's side and whispered, "Boss Chu, we're all businesspeople. If this turned too ugly, we won't be able to do business in future."
To his surprise, Chu Jia did not fall for his trick as she said loudly, "Boss Li knocked into my waitress that day and spilled tea all over his painting, but he blamed my waitress for it and demanded compensation. Later, my conservator-restorer made a bet with Boss Li that if the painting was not repaired, we would pay him double in compensation. If the painting was repaired, Boss Li would apologize to me and the waitress. Are you going back on your word, Boss Li?"
Chu Jia explained everything in a few sentences, sealing off Boss Li's escape route completely.
Boss Li's chubby face was the color of pork liver. He looked at everyone, on and off stage, who were all watching him make a fool of himself, and wished that he could find a hole to hide in. After a long while, he finally said, "Boss Chu, it was my fault the other day. I'm sorry, and to the young lady, I'm sorry!"
Boss Li quickly finished his words and fled the stage.