Chapter 181: The Girl Band
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
KA owned many businesses. Qiao Yue hired capable people to manage each of the different businesses and did not worry about the details.
She had never been fond of the entertainment industry and always left it to her subordinates to manage the entertainment companies. She had also never appeared in any of those companies.
So, how did Jin Lu know that she's the person in charge?
"I was determined so I found out." Jin Lu replied, looking into Qiao Yue's eyes.
At this moment, Jin Lu was no longer the gentle teacher she was just now. Her eyes were sharp, and her hands were clenched tightly.
"What do you want? If you are after resources, you can fight for them yourself. I won't give them to you."
Jin Lu shook her head. "No, I'm not after resources. Do you know why our band took a break?"
Why the band took a break?
"I've been on leave for the past six months, so I'm not sure." Qiao Yue frowned. "What happened?"
"Do you know Qiao Ze? Your brother."
Hearing this, Qiao Yue looked at Jin Lu warily, Qiao Ze's words flashing through her mind.
"There's news recently that Qiao Ze is setting up his own studio. Many artistes with poor resources are trying to get in touch with him. It's the same for our band, UE."
Qiao Yue was shocked. She hadn't come across many people who said that they wanted to jump ship in front of their boss.
"My sister Jin Yan contacted Qiao Ze's staff in October. She went to the studio for an interview a month ago, but she disappeared after that. She had also contacted KA, but I don't know what she told them."
Jin Lu looked Qiao Yue in the eye. "I've tried everything to find my sister, but I couldn't find her. Other than KA and Qiao Ze's studio, I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt my sister."
Qiao Yue's heart skipped a beat. What happened during her time away from KA?
Jin Lu stood up and knelt before Qiao Yue. "Please help us. I was at my wits' end, so I thought of finding you. Please help us. I'm willing... Willing to pay any price."
Qiao Yue rubbed her throbbing glabella.
This matter was more complicated than she had imagined.
"Then tell me first, how did you know my identity?"
Qiao Yue pulled Jin Lu up from the floor and held her shoulders, staring straight into her eyes.
Meanwhile, two boys clenched their fists tightly outside the office windows.
These were the boys who mocked Qiao Yue with Qiao Xin just now. One was Li Rong and the other, Li Cheng. They were brothers and fans of UE.
UE was an alternative band, and its fans were mostly otakus.
These otakus were usually not very satisfied with their own lives and gave their heart and soul to their idols. Although Li Rong and Li Cheng came from well-to-do families, they spent half their pocket money chasing their idols.
They were also crazy about their idols. They would be considered sasaeng fans in the South Korean culture, who stalked their idols, even sneak into their idols' houses.
They also treated their idols as their actual lovers.
These two boys were fans of UE and were famous for being sasaeng fans in the industry.
"I didn't expect this innocent looking Jin Lu to seduce a student."
"Yeah, look at her. She's kneeling before Qiao Yue."
Li Rong grabbed callously at the vines outside the office windows.
"What kind of magic potion did Qiao Yue feed Jin Lu? She couldn't have left the band because of this kid, right?"
Li Cheng's eyes were fixed on Jin Lu and Qiao Yue, who were talking in the office. "I spent so much money on her and attended every single band performance. What right does she have to treat me like this?"
"We spent so much money on her for nothing. What a heartless woman." Li Rong gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Qiao Yue is still more detestable. Don't you know that he's a scumbag?" Li Cheng said viciously.
Watching Jin Lu walk Qiao Yue out, Li Cheng couldn't take it anymore and picked up a brick, ready to teach Qiao Yue a lesson.
Li Rong stopped his brother. "Brother Cheng, if you beat him up, the Qiao family will not let you off."
Li Cheng threw the brick on the ground. "Then, what should we do?"
Li Rong quietly moved closer to Li Cheng and whispered something. Li Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and the two of them looked at each other and laughed.
Li Cheng said, "Sure. Since he dared to be intimate with Jin Lu, we'll let him get kicked out of school."
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Chapter 182: Refuse to Join Forces
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The brothers, Li Rong and Li Cheng, arrived at Qiao Yue's classroom.
They were not here for Qiao Yue though. They were here for Sun Bin.
Sun Bin had been studying hard lately. He would stay back after school every day to finish his homework for the day.
The two of them saw that Sun Bin was the only person in the classroom, so they walked in and sat down beside him.
Li Rong put his arm around Sun Bin's shoulder. "Sun Bin, you've been working hard recently."
Sun Bin shrug his shoulder to shake off Li Rong's arm. "I'm studying. Don't disturb me."
The three of them knew each other but not well. Sun Bin found it strange that they were putting arms around each other's shoulders.
"You must be very worried about your exam results now. Your parents probably won't let you drop out, right?" Li Rong said.
Sun Bin's parents were people who paid attention to Sun Bin's education. Although they didn't expect Sun Bin to be first in class, they wouldn't let him to drop out of school because of a bet.
Sun Bin looked at the brothers with a frown. "Since you know, then don't disturb my study."
Sun Bin was confident that if he studied hard, he would definitely score better than Qiao Yue.
Even if Qiao Yue studied hard now, his foundation formed at a rural high school wouldn't be as good as his. Moreover, his mother worked in an information technology firm. He had been learning programming since young, so he was confident that he would do better than Qiao Yue.
"We have a way for you to beat Qiao Yue," Li Rong leaned over and said in Sun Bin's ear.
Sun Bin pushed Li Rong away. "I'm not interested. I don't know why you are picking on Qiao Yue but my competition with him has to be fair and square."
Li Cheng put his arm around Sun Bin's shoulder. "Don't be so square. Helping you is helping ourselves."
"Helping yourselves?"
Li Cheng and Li Rong told Sun Bin about what happened between Qiao Yue and Jin Lu.
Sun Bin frowned as he listened. He couldn't believe it. Although everyone said that Qiao Yue was a scumbag, he wouldn't be so crazy as to seduce a teacher.
"I'm not working with you," Sun Bin rejected their invitation firmly.
Li Rong slammed his palm on the table in exasperation. "Don't think that we can't do anything if you don't work with us."
"I want to win the competition fair and square." Sun Bin stood up and looked sharply at both boys. "I'm not joining forces with you."
Li Cheng stood in front of Li Rong. "Stop quarreling, you two. You can decide if you want to work with us after the monthly test."
...
Meanwhile, Qiao Yue had already gone home and it was dinner time.
Today's dishes were more sumptuous than usual. The grandchildren were all seated at the table, but the old master and his sons hadn't arrived.
Qiao Xin rolled her eyes when she saw Qiao Yue. She was still brooding over what happened in the afternoon.
Qiao Yue ignored Qiao Xin's displeasure, checking her phone from time to time for Xiao Jia's response.
On her way home, Qiao Yue had asked YQ to investigate what happened between UE and Qiao Ze's company. It should have been a quick check but Xiao Jia hadn't given her any feedback.
When Qiao Yue got up to get her laptop from upstairs to check things herself, the old master was wheeled downstairs by his sons.
The few of them must have just had a conversation. Qiao Yi and Qiao Li's faces were as black as the bottom of a burnt pot. When they saw Qiao Yue, their expressions got even worse. Qiao Ren, on the other hand, looked normal but when he saw Qiao Yue, his eyes twitched a little.
When the grandchildren saw Old Master Qiao, they all stood up and greeted him.
After Old Master Qiao sat, everyone sat down to eat. Qiao Jing and Qiao Yue naturally took the seats closest to the old master.
Old Master Qiao seemed sprightly and was in a good mood. "How was school today?"
"Not bad." Qiao Yue said as she picked up some food for her grandfather.
Old Master Qiao nodded. "Study hard. Grandpa has a gift for you."
A gift? Qiao Xin was the first one to look at Qiao Yue, her eyes filled with jealousy.
It had only been a few days, and the old master already had a gift for Qiao Yue? And she, his favorite granddaughter had nothing...
"Grandpa, what are you giving fifth brother?" Qiao Xin said in a resentful tone.
"Later, Qiao Jing and Qiao Ze will show you in the garage."
Qiao Jing and Qiao Ze nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Qiao Yue's phone vibrated, and a message popped up.
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Chapter 183: Car Racing
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue's eyes flickered when she saw the message, but her expression remained still.
"Don't look at your phone during mealtimes. Focus on eating." Old Master Qiao pretended to be angry and said to Qiao Yue.
Qiao Yue turned off her phone, nodded, and happily ate the food that the old master picked up for her.
After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms while Qiao Ze and Qiao Jing took Qiao Yue to the garage.
Although it was called a garage, it was really a parking lot that was dozens of kilometers long. The younger Qiao's loved cars and each of them owned dozens of luxury cars, even supercars. Including the family cars that they were chauffeured in, there were more than four to five hundred cars parked here. The family also had their own security guards and maintenance staff for these vehicles.
"So, Grandpa gave me a car?"
Qiao Jing held out a car key and pressed the button. A Mercedes-Maybach not far away flashed its headlights.
"That one."
The three of them walked to the car. It was a blue Mercedes-Maybach.
Qiao Yue studied the car. It looked like it had been modified for mountain racing.
"What do you think, fifth brother? This car isn't bad, right? I personally found the team who modified it."
Qiao Ze walked to the side of the car and opened the door. "I've specially modified this car's fuel consumption and speed. It can race on icy mountain roads. The suspension has also been modified for off-road racing. It'll be most exciting to race in this car. Fourth brother has asked me many times but I didn't give it to him."
Qiao Yue smiled and nodded. "Thank you, third brother."
Qiao Jing frowned and looked at Qiao Ze. "A modified car like this is not safe on the road."
Qiao Ze shook his head and let out a maniacal laugh. "Of course it's safe. My people are all professionals. If you don't believe me, why don't we have a little race?"
Qiao Yue had only heard from Qiao Yu that Qiao Ze owns a racetrack, but she had never raced with Qiao Ze. This was a good opportunity, and she also needed to discuss something with Qiao Ze.
"Qiao Ze, Grandpa only asked us to give the car to Xiao Yue. There's no need for anything else." Qiao Jing looked at Qiao Ze with a frown. Car racing was not on his list.
"Qiao Yue, are you game?" Qiao Ze ignored Qiao Jing's words and asked Qiao Yue.
"It's already nighttime." Qiao Jing grabbed Qiao Yue's arm.
Qiao Yue looked at him and shook her head slightly. "The racetrack on the nearby mountain should be lit. Don't worry."
As they spoke, Qiao Ze had already started a red Grand Cherokee next to them. The red body of the car glowed in the dark, looking dangerous yet charming, which matched Qiao Ze's temperament.
"Then let's meet at the end of the racetrack, which is at the top of the mountain, east of the city." Qiao Ze closed the car door after he finished speaking.
"Alright," Qiao Yue replied as she got into her car. Seeing that he couldn't stop the two, Qiao Jing opened the door to the front passenger seat and got into Qiao Yue's car.
"Second brother, do you know who's usually in the front passenger seat during a race?"
When racing, the person sitting in the front passenger seat was usually the race queen who's accompanying the driver.
Qiao Jing's face was cold, and he didn't answer Qiao Yue's question. "Come home quickly after the race. Don't let Grandpa worry."
Qiao Yue turned her head in disappointment and started driving. She was hoping to see Qiao Jing's defeated expression.
As the timer began, both cars sped towards the east of the city.
The racetrack was one of Qiao Ze's properties. It was located on Mount Baicheng in the east of the city. The mountainous track had more than a hundred bends and was suitable for motorcycle, car and off-road racing.
Its difficulty level was extremely high, and the track was dangerous. However, there were still many rich kids who went to challenge it.
There was a hairpin turn on the track, which was known as the "Bend of Death". Any slight deviation would cause one to fall off the cliff, and the end of the racetrack was at the top of the mountain.
"This track is very dangerous, be careful." Qiao Jing reminded Qiao Yue. He had once competed here with the brothers of the Qiao family a long time ago.
Qiao Yue had raced on more dangerous racing circuits overseas, so she wasn't worried.
When the staff of the racetrack heard that Qiao Ze was racing, they lit up all the streetlights along the circuit. The streetlights cast a yellow glow on the road, making the track look like a ribbon tied around the mountain.
At the end of the ribbon was a white stone carving, which looked like Ophanim in the Bible. It looked like an eye wrapped in gears. It was also lit up, as if it was watching the three brothers who were coming.
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Chapter 184: Bend of Death
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The two cars soon arrived at the starting line of the racetrack. Unlike from a distance, the mountain track looked high up in the clouds up close. The turns also looked treacherous, with the danger of falling off the cliff at any time.
Although the track was lit, the trees that were all around them looked dark and a little scary.
"Be careful," Qiao Jing said.
"Will do," Qiao Yue smiled.
She had participated in similar underground racing when she was abroad. At that time, it was a territory fight between two gangs. Her opponents were desperadoes trying to expand the local red-light district and their illegal businesses abusing women.
To protect safety of the neighborhood, Qiao Yue drove at 180 miles per hour during the race, leaving the cars behind to sigh at her exhaust.
At the finish line, due to the overused tires, she almost became scraps with the car. Luckily, she managed to jump out at the last second before the car exploded.
Since then, she became a legend in local underground racing.
Although Qiao Yue had never driven on Qiao Ze's refurbished track, she had seen the topographic map.
She had a good memory and computational power. Even if she had not travelled the road before, she could predict the speed at which she could safely pass each curve.
The two cars got on the track at the same time. There were four lanes on this track, so four cars were allowed to race at any one time.
Qiao Ze and Qiao Yue's cars occupied the two middle lanes.
The two cars were almost on the same level, and it was hard to tell whose was better.
"It looks like this race is going to be a draw," Qiao Jing said.
Qiao Yue smiled and looked at the mountain road in front of her with squinted eyes. "Not necessarily. This is just the beginning."
"Why the sudden competition?" Qiao Jing asked, frowning.
"Because third brother has a secret he hasn't told me."
"A secret?" Qiao Jing frowned. He was a little uncomfortable when he heard this. When did Qiao Yue and Qiao Ze become so close that she even had to know Qiao Ze's secret?
"I also have a secret that I haven't told you," Qiao Jing said unhurriedly.
Qiao Yue burst into laughter. Why did Qiao Jing's words sound so childish? "If you'd like to, we can also have a race."
There was a sharp turn in front. Qiao Yue didn't turn the steering wheel. Instead, she drove straight, and in front of them was a cliff.
"Be careful!"
When the front of the car was about to touch the guardrail at the edge of the cliff, Qiao Yue turned the steering wheel and steered the car in the right direction. She then stepped on the gas and the car sped forward, overtaking Qiao Ze's by half a car.
"Second brother, I've already said that this is just the beginning."
An hour ago...
YQ sent the information about Jin Lu and her sister to Qiao Yue. Jin Lu's sister was last seen at a KTV. YQ had hacked into the KTV's systems and saw the surveillance footage from that day.
The girl named Jin Yan didn't come out of the private room they were in. Instead, a few people came out of the room with a huge gunny sack and left through the back door.
If he guessed right, it should be Jin Yan in that gunny sack.
Not long after, Qiao Ze brought his men to the KTV and seemed to have said something to the host in the private room.
The KTV was Qiao Ze's property.
A place like a KTV had always been a breeding ground for all kinds of illegal activities. However, it's very difficult to do anything illegal here without permission from the KTV staff.
Qiao Ze must have known about Jin Yan, but why did he acquiesce to this kind of behavior?
He had just said a few days ago that he would not get involved in his father's illegal activities. In the blink of an eye, he seemed to be breaking the law on his own property.
Qiao Yue maintained her speed that was one car ahead of Qiao Ze.
Qiao Ze rolled down his car window. Qiao Jing saw it and did the same.
The mountain breeze came in and blew Qiao Yue's bangs, revealing her bright eyes.
Qiao Jing stared at her in a daze, feeling a little awkward as he related the moment to the hug that Qiao Yue pushed away yesterday.
"Not bad, fifth brother. However, I'm going to overtake you soon."
Qiao Ze's voice was heard, in his usual rebellious tone.
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Chapter 185: A Long Chat
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue paid no attention to Qiao Ze. She floored the accelerator and overtook Qiao Ze by a whole car.
At this time, they were already halfway through the racetrack and the last place to overtake was at the hairpin turn ahead.
There was a cliff between the two ends of the pin. If the car had enough power, it could jump the cliff to the other end of the pin. There was even a ramp built specially for that purpose.
However, no one had ever used that ramp. After all, if one went too far, they could fall off the mountain altogether. No one would kid around with their lives.
When they were near the "Bend of Death", Qiao Ze suddenly accelerated, and the two cars were tied.
Qiao Yue also sped up and rushed up ramp ahead of Qiao Ze. The momentum of the car helped her jump the cliff.
Even though Qiao Jing was experienced and knowledgeable, he was still a little frightened. Qiao Yue was crazier than he had imagined.
However, to his surprise, Qiao Ze did not go up the ramp. Instead, he went up one end of the pin and drove in reverse into the other end.
Reversing the car saved time for the turn, and the two cars were tied again.
One of them jumped the cliff, while the other drove in reverse at the last turn of the racetrack. Both were daredevils.
Both cars rushed toward the finish line where the statue of an Ophanim watched them quietly. The statue's large eye seemed to come alive in the darkness, its gaze merciful as it watched all good and evil.
When the two cars were about two hundred meters away from the statue, Qiao Ze overtook Qiao Yue and drove face to face with her car, the fronts of their cars almost kissing.
Qiao Ze laughed maniacally through his car window.
Qiao Yue changed lanes and Qiao Ze followed suit. However, Qiao Yue did not continue to drive forward. Instead, she turned her car sideways and blocked Qiao Ze. Qiao Ze had no choice but to turn the car around. This time, Qiao Yue was in front.
Qiao Yue was the first to reach the finish line.
The three of them got out of their cars. Qiao Ze took out cans of beer from his car and threw one at each of them.
The statue of the Ophanim looked even bigger from here. Its huge pupil faced them, casting a compassionate and cold gaze at the three of them.
"Third brother, why is there a statue of an Ophanim at the end of this racetrack?"
Qiao Yue broke the silence.
"Ophanim upholds justice for the world..." Qiao Ze opened his can of beer with a loud bang and took a swig of the bitter liquid.
Ophanim was the third or fourth angel in the Bible, in charge of upholding justice for the world.
"The Ophanim doesn't actually have a physical existence. He doesn't care about material things or the mortal world. He only cares about things that are unfair and unjust. He is the chariot of God." Qiao Ze said.
"That's meaningful." Qiao Yue nodded.
The night breeze blew past them, and the night became still again.
"Third brother, did you bring me here in hopes that I would judge you, or do you want to tell me something?"
Qiao Yue looked into Qiao Ze's eyes and asked.
"So, you already know." Qiao Ze smiled bitterly. "I thought you would believe what I said yesterday."
"I believe you didn't do those things. But could you explain to me what happened to Jin Yan, please?" Qiao Yue said.
"What is this?" Qiao Jing frowned. He couldn't stand the two of them talking in riddles. It didn't feel good to be kept in the dark. "Qiao Ze, what have you done with your father behind my back?"
Qiao Ze smiled. "If I told you that I have no part in those things, will you believe me, second brother?"
Qiao Ze's "second brother" didn't contain his usual sarcastic or mocking tone. Instead, he sounded serious.
"As long as you didn't do anything that goes against the Qiao family rules, I'll believe you." Qiao Jing replied coldly.
The two brothers had never had such a conversation before. Usually, they would either mock or ignore each other. This was the first time they had a serious talk.
"I didn't do it. If you need evidence, I can give it to you." Qiao Ze looked at Qiao Yue and said.
"I don't have Jin Yan. I also just found out that Qiao Yi was using my KTV to do that kind of thing. He's also in cahoots with my manager, using my studio to recruit the girls they need."
Qiao Yue was quiet.
Although Qiao Ze was mostly unrestrained, he's rather serious about his career. He had probably spent a lot of time and effort to set up his studio but Qiao Yi actually used it to recruit female students.
This was equivalent using Qiao Ze's precious career to hold him hostage.
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