Chapter 301: Who Do You Think You Are
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When she got home, Qiao Yue saw Qiao Xin's family and Tao Xi sitting around the coffee table, glaring at her.
"Fifth young master is back?" Qiao Li spoke first.
Qiao Yue ignored them and went around the living room to go upstairs.
"Stop! You can't even hear your elders talking to you?" Qiao Li stood up, walked up to Qiao Yue and stopped her.
Qiao Li was a little taller than Qiao Yue, but because he hadn't worked out for years, he was as fat as a pig.
"Please get out of the way," Qiao Yue said coldly.
"You b*stard, I was too good tempered to teach you a lesson before. Who said that you can bully Qiao Xin?" Qiao Li held out his hand, ready to slap Qiao Yue in the face.
Qiao Yue grabbed his hand.
Qiao Li hissed. Qiao Yue was so strong that Qiao Li felt like his arm was being crushed.
Qiao Li tried to free his arm from Qiao Yue's grasp, but he failed.
"How can you treat your elders like this?" Qiao Li raised his voice.
He had been unhappy with this non-blood relative for a long time, and now he had a reason to teach him a lesson.
"You live and eat at the Qiao residence yet you caused Qiao Xin to be suspended from school. You're truly heartless, just like your mother. Both trying to hurt the Qiao family!"
"What did you just say?"
Qiao Yue grabbed Qiao Li's collar and lifted him up.
Qiao Li didn't know that Qiao Yue's mother was her Achilles heel. Qiao Yue would fight anyone to death if they mentioned her mother.
"Qiao Yue, what are you doing? Quickly put your third uncle down! This is so unbecoming!" Tao Xi looked at Qiao Yue, afraid that she was going to cripple Qiao Li in the next second.
Recalling how Qiao Yue had beaten Qiao Xin up a few days ago, Tao Xi and the third madam were a little afraid.
Although Qiao Xin wasn't seriously hurt by Qiao Yue's kick, she was in pain for a few days.
Qiao Xin still felt a little pain thinking about it.
Qiao Yue must have learned kung fu before. His punches and kicks were accurate and ruthless, and he could attack a person at places that wouldn't cause fatal injuries.
This boy, Qiao Yue, was really dangerous!
"You've been hurting the Qiao family members since you arrived. I'll tell the old master when he wakes up and ask him to kick you out!" Tao Xi said through gritted teeth.
She had been running the Qiao residence for years and was always considered the manager of the Qiao family. But Qiao Yue had been defying the elders time and time again and had even hurt other children in the family.
Such a person could no longer stay in the Qiao family.
"Sure, you can go and tell Grandpa." Qiao Yue laughed.
Old Master Qiao would never side with them.
When the old master was in a coma, Qiao Yi, Qiao Li, and their dealings with Andy were enough to make them lose their right to the family inheritance, even to be kicked out of the Qiao family.
"Qiao Li, don't tell me you have forgotten what happened to Qiao Yi?"
Since Qiao Li had already disrespected her mother, Qiao Yue didn't want to say another word to him.
"If you insist on antagonizing me, I'll make this public. I'll tell the old master how you and Qiao Xin seduced Trand and colluded with Andy to sell girls."
"You!" Qiao Li was so angry that he couldn't speak.
Qiao Yue saw that Qiao Li had been defeated and threw him to the ground.
The fatty, who weighed a few hundred pounds, fell to the ground with a loud thud. It hurt to just hear the thud.
Qiao Li rubbed his ankle that was hurting from the throw.
"Qiao Yue, you're really something. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you're the old master's favorite. This is the Qiao residence, and you're not a member of the Qiao family!"
Qiao Yue looked at Qiao Li and sneered, "You people have raised your children to bully their classmates... You are not worthy of being part of the Qiao family."
In Qiao Yue's memory, her mother had told her that the Qiao residence was a good place. The people there were filled with a sense of justice, capable and fair. Their family education and values were good too.
But now, it seemed that those were just superficial characteristics.
There were still dishonorable people like Qiao Li in the Qiao family.
Just as Qiao Li and Qiao Yue were arguing, the door to the living room was pushed open and a man in a black suit walked in and looked at the people in the living room.
"Second brother..." Qiao Xin was the first to speak. "I'm about to be expelled because of Qiao Yue. Look."
Qiao Xin show the report of her punishment to Qiao Jing.
The man only glanced differently at the words on the punishment report without saying a word.
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Chapter 302: Remediating the Qiao Family
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Brother, it's all Qiao Yue's fault. I wouldn't have broken the school rules otherwise." Qiao Xin explained anxiously.
They were now in complete fallout with Qiao Yue, so they must get Qiao Jing, who could help them, on their side. Or their future in the Qiao family would be unbearable.
"Qiao Jing, I need to tell you this today. Qiao Yue can't stay in the Qiao family anymore."
Tao Xi grabbed Qiao Jing's arm.
Qiao Jing looked at his mother with a cold expression.
Tao Xi felt that if she hadn't given birth to Qiao Jing, he would have shrugged her off immediately.
This Qiao Yue was so capable. He seemed to have cast a spell on the family, adults and children alike...
"You've seen what happened. Since Qiao Yue arrived, your grandfather who was about to recover, fell ill again. Because of him, your second uncle had also been kicked out of the house, gone astray and almost went to jail."
"Pfft." Qiao Yue snorted.
"First aunt, you don't have to be so fond of distorting the truth. Qiao Yi, Mahad and Andy's collaboration was already established a few months ago. Second uncle deserves to go to jail, it's not my fault."
Qiao Yue walked up to Tao Xi. "As for why he's gone astray, you really don't know?"
The elders in the Qiao family were responsible for fostering Qiao Yi's greedy personality.
"You're saying that it's our fault?" Qiao Li stood up abruptly but fell to the ground again because of the pain in his foot.
The several hundred-pound fatties fell to the ground again with a loud thud.
Qiao Yue chuckled and looked at Qiao Li disdainfully. "You should get your leg checked out."
"You're too much! Qiao Yue, how can you talk to your third uncle like that!" The third madam stood up as well and glared at Qiao Yue, her usual gentle façade gone. "Qiao Yue, you were the one who pushed your third uncle. I'll call the police and report you for hurting your family. Just wait to be sent back to Nanshan Village!"
"Says who?"
The man's voice was like a stabilizing force, and the whole room fell silent. Everyone looked at Qiao Jing in surprise.
What was this child saying?
Tao Xi looked at her son in shock. She never thought that he would side with Qiao Yue.
"Qiao Yue is not related to you by blood, but Qiao Li is your third uncle."
"Qiao Xin, you'll be punished to clean the ancestral hall for six months. Go to the track tonight and finish an eight-kilometer run. Mother, you've worked hard as the household manager. Please handover your duties temporarily to Qiao Yue."
"What?" Tao Xi exclaimed.
It was fine that she wasn't the household manager, but to hand her power over to Qiao Yue? Wasn't it a blatant slap to her face?
She had been in charge for more than ten years and had never given up her power. Now, she must hand it over to a young man who had not even graduated from college?
"It's almost winter vacation. Let's leave the household management to Qiao Yue and Qiao Ying." Qiao Jing ignored Tao Xi's incredulous look and continued, "Mom, I've booked you a ticket to the Maldives. You can rest there for a week, and we'll have a good chat when you are back."
Tao Xi fell to the ground as if all her strength had been sucked out of her. She never thought that her son would one day ask her to leave the house and give up her right as the household manager.
"Third uncle and third aunt, please stay home this week and recuperate."
"You brat, who gave you the right?" Qiao Li stood up to lunge at Qiao Jing.
However, there seemed to be a sharp pain in his foot and he fell to the ground with a loud cry.
Qiao Yue felt the floor shake where she was standing.
"What right do you have to make such arrangements? Imprisoning your elders, mistreating your sister, and even chasing your own mother out of the house? Just wait for your punishment when the old master wakes up!" Qiao Li shouted as he stared at Qiao Yue resentfully.
"And you, when the old master wakes up, I'll ask him to send you back to Nanshan Village!"
Qiao Yue bent down and whispered something in Qiao Li's ear. Qiao Li's eyes widened. "Don't you dare!"
"Of course, I dare." Qiao Yue stood up and crossed her arms.
"I'm the head of the Qiao family now, of course I have the right." Qiao Jing continued coldly, "Too many things have happened to the Qiao family lately. I'll take this time to remediate the family."
He then looked at Qiao Li trembling on the ground.
Qiao Li shivered under Qiao Jing's gaze.
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Chapter 303: Yin He
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At the track within the Qiao property, Qiao Xin was running in circles.
Her clothes were soaked in sweat, and her legs were sore. Every step she took felt like she was stepping on the edge of a knife.
She had barely completed 3 kilometers, but she felt completely exhausted, like all her strength had been sucked out of her.
Qiao Xin was usually a spoiled child. She was the kind of person who would take sick leave so she could get out of running 800 meters, but she had to run a whole 8 kilometers this time.
"Qiao Yue, you and I are sworn enemies forever! How dare you sow discord between me and second brother this time and make him punish me?"
Qiao Xin clenched her fists.
After she finished the 8 kilometers, she still had to clean the ancestral hall. The Qiao family ancestral hall was a full 100 square meters, and it was filled with ancestral tablets and Buddha statues.
Qiao Xin already found the ancestral hall eerie whenever she had to pay respects there, let alone cleaning it all by herself at night.
A whole 100 square meters... Wouldn't she be spending the whole night with her ancestors and other, possibly evil, ghosts? Qiao Xin shuddered at the thought.
Qiao Xin brought a rag with her to the ancestral hall.
The Qiao family ancestral hall was built of sandalwood; even the floor was made of red sandalwood.
This wood was very delicate, and the floor must be cleaned by hand using a rag while kneeling on the ground.
This work would take a long time and would be very tiring.
Even an experienced servant would feel pain all over their body after cleaning the entire floor.
A pampered young lady like Qiao Xin already felt her back ache and saw stars after she wiped just ten tiles.
"Stupid Qiao Yue. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here."
Qiao Xin massaged her shoulders and looked at the ancestral tablets in front of her. She clasped her hands together and made a wish, "My dear ancestors, please bless me and make Qiao Yue, the b*stard of unknown origin, leave the Qiao family."
Although Qiao Xin felt a little scared when she looked at the ancestral tablets, she really hoped that their spirits would help her punish Qiao Yue.
"Haha, Miss Qiao has quite a temper."
Someone walked out from behind a pillar in the hall.
It was a man in a black suit who looked about the same age as Qiao Jing. Unlike Qiao Jing's cold and stern appearance, he looked gentle and had a kind of androgenous beauty.
"Who are you?" Qiao Xin asked.
Since when did the Qiao residence welcome such a guest?
"I'm Qiao Jing's guest. I lost my way and ended up in the ancestral hall. You must be Miss Qiao Xin?" The man chuckled. "You are indeed as beautiful as rumored."
Qiao Xin loved to hear such flattering words. She blushed and looked at him.
"But my fifth brother has caused trouble, and I've been punished to clean the ancestral hall." Qiao Xin continued angrily, "My fifth brother is a b*stard. He's not of Qiao blood yet he's acting like tyrant in our home."
The man just quietly listened to Qiao Xin's complaints.
"I'm sorry for telling you so many bad things about our family."
The man laughed. "I'm willing to listen. I'm also very willing to help Miss Qiao take revenge on your so-called fifth brother."
"What?" Qiao Xin was a little surprised and jumped up from the floor.
At this moment, the family butler entered the ancestral hall.
"Mr. Yin He, you're here." The butler saw the man and quickly walked up.
"The second young master has been looking for you. I didn't expect you to be in the ancestral hall." The butler saw Qiao Xin wiping the floor and quickly explained with embarrassment, "This is the second young miss of the family. She has been punished to clean the ancestral hall because of something she did. Please pardon us."
"It's nothing. When I was young, I have also been punished to clean my family ancestral hall for a whole year because I was naughty." Yin He smiled.
He looked very kind, and he spoke with dignity.
"Second young master Qiao is still waiting for you in the study. Let's bring you over there now."
"Alright." Yin He turned and nodded at Qiao Xin. "See you next time, Miss Qiao Xin."
Qiao Xin clutched her pounding heart and reluctantly watched Yin He leave.
This Mr. Yin He was the son of a prominent family in C-Country. Qiao Xin has seen his name in her father's files. If she could be with this young master Yin, her father should be very happy, right?
Moreover, this Yin He seemed to have something against Qiao Yue and even suggested that he would deal with Qiao Yue someday.
This would be so great. She wouldn't have to fight Qiao Yue alone anymore.
She went back on all fours to wipe the floor, scolding Qiao Yue in her heart as she wiped
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Chapter 304: A Long-Distance Gift
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Meanwhile, Qiao Yue was already back in her room.
She didn't sympathize with the people who were punished today. They had all done something bad and they deserve to suffer the consequences.
When she turned on her computer, she saw that Qiao Jing had already sent her information about housekeeping and financial situation of the family over the past few months.
Qiao Yue skimmed through the information. Although the Qiao household was large, the financial management of it was simple. Tao Xi didn't strictly control their expenses.
The consequence of this was that a lot of expenses seemed to be inflated, and there were likely kickbacks.
Just from the past six months' bills, nearly 100,000 yuan had gone missing. If this had been going on for a while, it wouldn't be difficult to squander away the family fortunes over time.
The money that Qiao Yi and Qiao Li invested in Mahad probably came from these household expenses.
They used money from the family to invest in their illegal business, without any regard for the family reputation.
Qiao Yue sent the household account information and the tutorial she had created for the finance department when she was managing KA to Qiao Ying.
Shortly after, there was a knock on her door.
"Fifth brother, why did you send me these?" Qiao Ying's face was a little flustered. She never thought that she would one day have the right and power to manage the Qiao household.
"Second brother would like us to manage the household while first aunt is on vacation." Qiao Yue explained.
Qiao Ying furrowed her brows when she heard this. Her tiny face was all scrunched up, like she was worried that she wouldn't be able to do the job well.
Qiao Yue reached out and patted Qiao Ying on the head. "These are not difficult. I've also attached a tutorial in my email. I believe that you will do well."
Qiao Ying looked at the tutorial. Each lesson was only about ten minutes long.
It was the most basic finance course, and the contents were very practical. It would basically prepare Qiao Ying for the job she was going to take on.
"Things like finance are a little too difficult for me. I'm afraid I can't do it. Why don't we get fourth brother to manage finances and I'll help with other things..."
"Don't pass it on. It's second brother's wish that you are in charge." Qiao Yue said with a smile.
Although Qiao Ying was a coward, being a coward had its benefits.
Qiao Ying was very cautious in her work. She was good at mathematics and was very meticulous.
Most importantly, she was not a greedy person and was not as ambitious as the two elders. Qiao Yue felt that Qiao Ying was very suitable as the finance manager of the Qiao household.
"Why don't you give it a shot. I'll help you if there's anything you don't understand." Qiao Yue passed the household account book to Qiao Ying.
Qiao Ying nodded. Since Qiao Yue and Qiao Jing both believed in her, she was willing to give it a try.
After Qiao Ying left, Qiao Yue looked through the documents again. There were many things that needed sorting through. There were property and shop rents to be collected, and New Year supplies to be bought.
Friends and family would visit each other and exchange gifts over the New Year. They would need to prepare for that.
Fortunately, Qiao Yue had experience in managing a large company like KA. So, to her, this wasn't a difficult task.
Qiao Yue made a rough plan and set a timetable for herself to deal with these things.
It was already 8 p.m. when she was done. She went to a shelf in her room and opened a gift box, which was sent by Colonel Su from The Custodians.
The packaging wasn't very well done; it was even a little sloppy.
The box inside the wrapping paper was very sturdy though. It wasn't damaged despite rough handling by the courier.
Qiao Yue shook the box, and it made a muffled sound. The box was heavy, and she didn't know what was inside.
When she opened the box, she saw a Custodian bulletproof vest, a pair of motorcycle gloves, and a gun. The empty space within the box was filled with colorfully wrapped fruit-flavored sweets.
Qiao Yue's head was full of question marks.
What kind of packaging style is this? Was "combat girl" the style of The Custodians?
Qiao Yue took out the bulletproof vest and put it on.
The bulletproof vest was just the right size for her, and the motorcycle gloves were also very snug and warm.
She picked up the gun. There was a small "moon" character and a moon engraved on it.
It seemed that Colonel Su had misunderstood and thought that her name was Qiao Yue, with the "moon" character.
However, it was a good gun, a Colt M2000, only slightly worse than the Beretta 92F she often used.
The Custodians were very generous to give her such a big gift.
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Chapter 305: Accompanying Message
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Colt M2000 originated from A-Country. It was one of the best handguns with a recoil recovery rate of one nanosecond.
It was extremely fast and accurate, and its size was comparable to a cell phone. It was the handgun many snipers used for self-defense.
The cost of a Colt M2000 was around 200,000 yuan, which was enough to buy a small car.
The Custodians were indeed generous. It was a very expensive thank you gift.
If she received this, what kind of gifts did they send to Qiao Jing?
Qiao Yue found a letter among the colorfully wrapped sweets. It was written by Colonel Su.
Although Colonel Su was a tough man, his handwriting wasn't illegible. It was neat and the letter looked like it was penned by a scholarly person.
"Hope this letter finds you well. This is Su Xun. Thank you very much for your help during our mission to capture Andy. This is a token of appreciation from The Custodians. We would also like to invite you to help us keep an eye on Andy's subsequent moves. If there is a future operation, we'd graciously ask for your help. Finally, I wish you the best of health and happy reunion with your family over the New Year."
Colonel Su's letter was very direct. He had simply invited Qiao Yue to complete the mission with them.
Qiao Yue did not give up on capturing Andy. She had also asked the people at Yayi to help her keep an eye on Andy.
It was just that Andy seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. There had been no news of him.
Although Qiao Yue was burning with anxiety, she had no other choice.
In contrast, Oswald had appeared twice on the news in D-Country. The first time was when he inherited Andy's position as the heir of the Eugene family, and the second was when he started his search for Andy publicly on the internet.
Qiao Yue read the news on her phone and sighed.
She was tempted to ask the Godfather for help.
The Godfather probably had some means to find and kill Andy, but she had none.
The trust between her and the Godfather had fissured recently, not to mention the whole situation with Oswald.
Qiao Yue turned off her phone and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Suddenly, she thought of an even more urgent matter.
She was supposed to race with Qiao Yu today, but it was already 9 p.m. and Qiao Yu still wasn't home. Could he already be at the motorcycle racetrack?
Qiao Yue quickly changed and jumped down from her window on the second floor. She rushed to the garage, got on the Tomahawk, and sped toward the racetrack.
Meanwhile at the racetrack, Qiao Yu had just finished his tenth lap around the circuit and was sitting on the ground beside the racetrack, adjusting his motorcycle gloves.
Qiao Yue had made an appointment with him to compete here, but she still hadn't arrived. Was she going to stand him up?
A sharp pain came from the wound on his body.
He had just recovered not long ago, so he shouldn't be taking part in this kind of extreme sport. It was too easy to tear the wound open.
However, he didn't really care about that now. After all, he was going to lose all hope about his life. What was a wound?
Now, even Qiao Yue had failed to keep their appointment.
Ha.
He laughed at himself. The only thing people in this world cared about was the gentleness and obedience he had always exhibited. Only Qiao Yue got him, but Qiao Yue didn't seem to want to understand him anymore. No one in the world understood him anymore.
Just as Qiao Yu was packing up to leave the racetrack, a thunderous sound burst into the racetrack.
"I'm sorry I'm late!" When Qiao Yue passed by him, she lifted the face shield on her helmet and smiled at him.
Qiao Yu immediately perked up, got on his motorcycle, and put on his helmet.
The Tomahawk flashed in front of him, and he followed closely behind.
Both of them were experienced racers. This circuit was the venue for this year's MotoGP. It was a challenging circuit but not too difficult for the two of them who had been racing for years.
The two of them chased each other on the track, and the record on the timer was constantly refreshed.
Qiao Yue was slightly ahead of Qiao Yu, and her performance around the bend was better than Qiao Yu's.
Qiao Yue's entire body hugged the motorcycle and the speeding bike lifted her hair. She looked like a falcon swooping on her prey.
Qiao Yu's desire to win was aroused. He held on to the handlebars of his bike and sped up.
The two of them were soon on par.
"Don't lose to me." Qiao Yu finally overtook Qiao Yue at a turn. He lifted his face shield and smiled at Qiao Yue.
Qiao Yue smiled back and the two of them rushed towards the finish line.
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Chapter 306: Your Secret
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue's lap time was faster than Qiao Yu's, but they reached the finish line at almost the same time.
"Here, drink some water."
A bottle of mineral water was thrown into Qiao Yue's hand.
Qiao Yu sat down beside Qiao Yue and opened his bottle of water.
The cold water flowed down his throat, and Qiao Yu felt a long-lost sense of pleasure.
Qiao Yue reached out and grabbed Qiao Yu's bottle. "You're still recuperating. You shouldn't drink such cold water."
Qiao Yu ignored Qiao Yue's dissuasion. He took back the bottle and drank all the water in one gulp. "I know my own body."
Qiao Yue didn't argue with him. The two of them just sat quietly at the racetrack.
Qiao Yu had many questions for Qiao Yue but when he was sitting next to her, he didn't know where to begin. He hoped that Qiao Yue would tell him everything, instead of him questioning her.
"Thank you for saving me at the KTV."
"The people who saved you were The Custodians, not me. You can thank them."
"The Custodians?" Qiao Yu was confused. He didn't know who The Custodians were.
Qiao Yue explained to him what The Custodians were about.
"So, there are so many organizations and things in this world that I don't know about." Qiao Yu shook his head and smiled. "I didn't even know what you and second brother were up to. I'm the only one who's trying to play the role of an obedient child every day. But you guys seem to be hiding everything from me."
Qiao Yu's words were like a child's while throwing a tantrum.
"I know that you can't understand the relationship between us and Andy, but I don't really want to explain it to you."
Qiao Yue had never told anyone about KA or Andy. It was her secret.
Qiao Yu looked at Qiao Yue, knowing that she probably wouldn't explain what went on during this period. He laughed self-deprecatingly. "How about what happened in the Qiao family? I have the right to know that, right?"
"I've let my father down, but I won't regret stopping him from committing a crime." Qiao Yu said.
He knew what his father was doing at the time. He wasn't planning to cover it up, but he wanted to know the reason.
"Second uncle isn't a good businessman, and he has too many ideas. The old master has never been willing to invest in him." Qiao Yue sighed. "That's why he wanted to join hands with people from D-Country in that human trafficking deal. He would make a few million yuan from that deal."
"A few million." Qiao Yu smiled, but his smile was somewhat dismal.
For a few million yuan, his father had ruined the Qiao family aspirations and reputation for so many years.
Qiao Li was really a filial descendant.
"I know you can't accept it, but it's the truth." Qiao Yue reached out and patted Qiao Yu on the shoulder.
"He was also the one who kidnapped us, right?"
The atmosphere turned silent.
After a long time, Qiao Yue finally nodded.
Both of them nearly lost their lives in that kidnapping. But everything was planned by Qiao Yi.
When Qiao Yu heard this, he felt as if his heart had fallen into an ice cellar and a bone-chilling feeling ran up his spine.
"I didn't know that my father would do such a thing. What a disappointment." Qiao Yu shook his head.
"But your father is your father, and you are you." Qiao Yue replied. "The Qiao family doesn't just belong to Qiao Yi. It also belongs to you."
Qiao Yu fell silent.
Qiao Yue was right. Qiao Yi alone couldn't decide what happened to the Qiao family. Neither could he determine Qiao Yu's life.
"I know that you must be feeling very depressed right now. After all, you respect your father a lot and have been living according to his guidance and expectations." Qiao Yue patted Qiao Yu's shoulder. "But you can now try to live your life the way you want."
Most of the younger Qiao's in their generation were very smart and could find their own path. Qiao Yue believed that Qiao Yu could do the same.
Qiao Yu nodded. "Let's have another match, fifth brother."
Qiao Yue nodded and got on to her motorcycle.
The two bikes sped around the circuit; the sound of their engines reverberated throughout the racetrack.
Meanwhile at the Qiao residence, Qiao Jing was chatting with Yin He.
The reason Qiao Jing invited Yin He over was to discuss a project he was planning to do in K-Country.
Qiao Jing was going to take Qiao Yue with him for this project. The old master had asked him to get Qiao Yue up to speed with the family business. This healthcare project would be a great opportunity for Qiao Yue.
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Chapter 307: Resemblance
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Qiao Yue and Qiao Yu arrived home, Qiao Xin was walking out of the ancestral hall.
After running and cleaning the floor, she was completely exhausted and stood panting at the door.
But Qiao Yue and Qiao Yu were standing at the door with bags of desserts and food from a nearby restaurant, as if they were mocking her.
"You guys can still go out and eat? Qiao Yue, you really have no sense of shame."
Qiao Yue was baffled by the scolding and sneered, "You deserve your punishment of cleaning the ancestral hall. What does that have anything to do with me?"
Qiao Yu shielded Qiao Yue to prevent Qiao Xin from hurting her.
"Fourth brother, why are you also protecting this guy?" Qiao Xin was so angry that she threw the rag at Qiao Yu.
"Qiao Xin, what are you doing?" Qiao Yu threw the rag on the floor in disgust and flicked the dirty water off his body.
"Why do all of you take his side? Second brother did that, and so are you. I clearly didn't do anything wrong!"
"You didn't do anything wrong. Why did you bully your classmate? I saw the video."
The school disciplinary committee had already posted the video of Qiao Xin's bullying on the school website. Qiao Yu had personally reviewed and approved the post.
"But these were all forged by Qiao Yue to sow discord! Didn't you realize that since Qiao Yue came here, nothing good has happened to our family?" Qiao Xin questioned.
"That's because there are too many things in our family that need to be changed." Qiao Yu turned and left.
Qiao Xin screamed and shouted behind them.
When the two of them entered the house, Yin He was standing in the living room, ready to leave.
Yin He lowered his head slightly when he saw Qiao Yu and Qiao Yue. "Hello, second young master, fifth young master."
Qiao Yue sized up the man standing in front of her. He was extremely good-looking, and there was a little effeminate charm between his eyes, but his eyes resembled hers. Who was this person?
"This is the sixth young master of the Yin family." Qiao Jing introduced.
The Yin family was an aristocratic family of similar status with the Qiao's. But since the previous family head, Yin Xun, ran away for a woman, the family was in shambles. Fortunately, Yin He was a very capable person, and he saved the Yin family from its mess.
"Hello, Yin He." Qiao Yue reached out and shook hands with the man.
Yin He's smile was gentle. "I think young master Qiao Yue and I look alike. It must be fate."
"You might even be related. Qiao Yue only came back this year. His mother is my grandfather's adopted daughter."
"Other than an uncle who had passed away a long time ago, our family has no relatives. It is probably just fate." Yin He said with a smile. "But I think young master Qiao Yue and I will get along fine. I'll count on young master Qiao Yue for our upcoming project."
"Project?" Qiao Yue asked.
"Go to K-Country with me when the school holidays begin." Qiao Jing said.
At that moment, Qiao Xin walked into the house and was shocked to hear Qiao Jing mention the project in K-Country.
She had heard her father mention this project before. It was supposed to be her father's, but why did Qiao Jing give it to Qiao Yue without saying a word?
Qiao Xin clenched her fists as she watched the four people chatting happily in the living room before she went upstairs.
"And this is?" Yin He looked at Qiao Xin's back and asked.
"She's my sixth sister. She's being punished for doing something bad recently. She's in a bad mood and that's why she's like this."
Yin He's eyes glistened with a hint of playfulness.
The few of them chatted for a while more before Yin He took his leave.
Qiao Yu went back to his room while Qiao Yue followed Qiao Jing to the latter's study. She wanted to ask Qiao Jing what the project was about, why he had to go abroad and take her with him.
Qiao Jing motioned for Qiao Yue to sit when they entered his study.
"I know what you want to ask me. I've already prepared the information for you."
Qiao Jing handed a file to Qiao Yue.
This was a healthcare project with a few million yuan in funds, which was plentiful.
"This project is a collaboration with the Yin family. We'll go to K-Country together for a site visit. There might be some charity activities involved. We'll stay there for a while together."
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Chapter 308: Household Account
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
With Qiao Xin suspended from school indefinitely, Qiao Yue's school life became more pleasant.
She would go to school and play games with Qiao Ying and Qiao Yu every day. When they came home, she would help Qiao Ying with household management.
For a large household like the Qiao's, there were many flaws in its management.
The two of them would often work past midnight. Qiao Yu would bring them delicious supper and they would eat together before going to bed.
Today, Qiao Yue and Qiao Ying were sorting out household procurement over the past few years.
They realized there were many mistakes in their procurement over the past few years.
"Look at this, this pen was logged as a gift, but the invoice didn't match what was in our procurement list. There's a difference of hundreds of thousands of yuan. Where did the money go?"
Qiao Ying pointed at the discrepancies and showed them to Qiao Yue.
Qiao Ying was very smart. She had only been learning for a few days, and she could already spot accounting problems.
Qiao Yue patted Qiao Ying's shoulder. "Good job. You needed my hints in the beginning, but now you can spot the problem on your own."
Qiao Ying scratched her head in embarrassment. "Fifth brother has also worked hard to teach me. If I'm still clueless, I'll be letting fifth brother down."
Qiao Yue looked at the accounting problem Qiao Ying pointed out with a smile. "There's indeed a problem with this. We'll investigate later where the money went."
After Qiao Yue looked through household procurement from the past few years, she realized that Tao Xi had used procurement as cover to siphon off a lot of money to fund Qiao Li and Qiao Yi's business.
Qiao Ying was a little confused because the Qiao family seemed very rich in the past few years, so there was no need to care about a few hundred thousand yuan.
After hearing Qiao Ying's words, Qiao Yue explained, "The Qiao family doesn't need to worry about money now, but if this money is used to fund illegal business, the Qiao family will be held accountable. It won't be good for us."
Qiao Ying nodded, not fully understanding.
Qiao Ying had never cared about what happened at home. Firstly, because her past experience had made her a little fragile. Secondly, because Qiao Li valued Qiao Xin more and spent most of his money grooming Qiao Xin. He hadn't paid much attention to Qiao Ying's development.
Looking at Qiao Ying's careful expression, Qiao Yue felt a little sad. If it weren't for Qiao Li's eagerness to succeed, his two daughters would have good lives and bright futures.
Unfortunately, Qiao Xin was unruly and domineering now while Qiao Ying was overly cautious.
"You've been learning well, don't worry. I'll let you handle this year's procurement."
Qiao Ying opened her mouth wide in shock when she heard this.
The New Year procurement list was already very long and required her to apply everything that she had learned.
But managing all procurement for the year would be even more challenging. This was something that her mother and Tao Xi had worked on together before. And it was now on her alone.
"I... Will I be able to handle it? I've just started to manage these things." Qiao Ying was a little hesitant.
She didn't know if she could do a good job.
"Don't worry, it's not that difficult." Qiao Yu pushed the door open and entered. "If you need any help, I'll help you." Qiao Yu ruffled Qiao Ying's hair.
Among the younger sisters in the family, Qiao Yu liked Qiao Ying more.
If Qiao Li and his wife hadn't been negligent back then, that incident would have never happened.
"Thanks. I will do my best." Qiao Ying turned on her computer as she spoke. "This is the New Year procurement list I've prepared. Fifth brother, please take a look."
Qiao Yue took Qiao Ying's laptop and started reading the list while eating the snacks that Qiao Yu brought.
Qiao Ying's list was very detailed. It even included which store to buy which things from and what discounts to use. Based on Qiao Ying's plan, they would end up below budget for the New Year purchases.
"Well done." Qiao Yue patted Qiao Ying's head.
Qiao Ying smiled in embarrassment.
Qiao Yue picked up a cookie and handed it to Qiao Ying. "Eat this. Give yourself a little reward."
Qiao Ying shook her head. "Fifth brother, there's a final exam tomorrow morning. I can't eat anything, or I'll be so nervous that I'll throw up tomorrow."
Qiao Yu and Qiao Yue sighed almost at the same time.
It seemed that Qiao Ying's affliction could not be cured.
Qiao Yue handed the cookie to Qiao Ying. "I'll help you settle things tomorrow morning. Eat first."
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Chapter 309: Qiao Xin's Dropout
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Ying took the cookie from Qiao Yue and put it in her mouth.
At the same time, her stomach growled.
"Don't tell me you skipped dinner, just like before?" Qiao Yu asked.
Qiao Ying nodded. Every time before an exam, Qiao Ying would try not to eat.
And because of that, she often feel faint from hunger during exam, and would lose ten points or more on her paper.
But if she ate, she would throw up in the examination hall due to nervousness.
Although she knew that skipping dinner was not really a solution, Qiao Ying could not think of any other way.
That incident from the past followed her everywhere like a shadow, never to be forgotten. Qiao Ying sighed.
"I have a way to help you tomorrow. Don't worry." Qiao Yue smiled at Qiao Ying. "Rest assured."
The three of them ate snacks for a while more before returning to their bedrooms to sleep.
As soon as Qiao Ying returned to her room, the notebook in her hand was inexplicably snatched.
"You've finished studying. Let me see what you've learned." Qiao Xin chewed on a bubble gum as she flipped through Qiao Ying's notebook with disdain.
It contained notes that Qiao Ying had taken while she was studying financial management.
Qiao Xin flipped through her notebook harshly, without any respect for Qiao Ying's hard work.
"Sister, please stop..." Qiao Ying protested softly but didn't reach out to stop Qiao Xin.
Qiao Xin was always overbearing, and their parents loved her more. In the past when the two sisters fought, their parents would always side with Qiao Xin.
Qiao Ying could only silently pray that Qiao Xin wouldn't destroy her notebook.
"What are all these things? Aren't these things that first aunt used to manage? How is it your turn now?" Qiao Xin looked at Qiao Ying unhappily. "Don't think that you'll be better off just because you cozy up to Qiao Yue. Who the hell is Qiao Yue? Hmph! It's just a moment of negligence on my part. When I go back to school, I'll make sure that he pays!"
"You were suspended from school for bullying. How can you return so easily..." Qiao Ying said softly.
Qiao Xin still didn't know that when she was given the punishment notice that day, the school had already broadcasted her matter to the public.
At the same time, many students and parents of the school also received an anonymous email.
The email contained evidence of Qiao Xin bullying Hong Ning, and this evidence had become the talk of the town among students and parents.
Everyone was worried that their children would be bullied by Qiao Xin, so they jointly requested for Qiao Xin to be expelled.
If it weren't because of the principal's inability to reach Qiao Jing, Qiao Xin would have been expelled by now.
"What did you just say?" Qiao Xin grabbed Qiao Ying's hair and asked loudly. "How do you know that I won't return to school?"
"Just read the school forum." Qiao Ying pulled her hair back from Qiao Xin's grasp.
Qiao Xin was so forceful that she had already broken strands of Qiao Ying's hair.
The first post on the forum was evidence of Qiao Xin bullying her classmate.
"Violent girl, please get out of school."
Qiao Xin's expression got increasingly uglier as she read the discussion thread on her phone.
"Qiao Xin is really too arrogant. I heard that her brother reported her because he couldn't stand her. Otherwise, she would still be in the same school as us, which is too scary."
"Yeah, who knows if she'll bully us one day? She has her family to back her up, so she's especially outrageous."
"Support Qiao Xin's expulsion from school. Those who support us, please cast your vote in our poll."
Qiao Xin clicked on the link to the polling site. There were already more than 1,500 people who voted to expel her from Harvey. It should be mentioned that there were only 2,000 people in the entire Harvey Academy.
Qiao Xin clenched her phone tightly. "You people are just taking advantage of the situation. What do you know, what do you know!"
Qiao Xin couldn't stay calm anymore when the screen was full of people voting to have her expelled. She wished that she could rush through the screen and beat all those people to death.
"Don't tell me you also voted to expel me? Qiao Ying, you've been jealous of me since young and even tried to make things difficult for me. Now you've ganged up with that b*stard Qiao Yue to humiliate me. You really don't know what's good for you!"
Qiao Xin reached out and grabbed Qiao Ying's hair again. Qiao Ying couldn't avoid her in time and was ruthlessly thrown against the wall.
Qiao Xin used a lot of strength, making Qiao Ying cough a few times as she was pressed against the wall.
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Chapter 310: Threat
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"What are you arguing about in the middle of the night?" The third madam walked over from the next room.
Qiao Li and his wife, Qiao Xin and Qiao Ying lived on the same floor, so the third madam could hear everything that happened here.
"My precious, what's the fuss about so late at night?" The third madam walked up to Qiao Xin and stroked her head.
Qiao Ying stood by the wall, hands covering her injured ribs, but the third madam didn't even look at her.
Qiao Ying felt heartbroken.
"I don't know who it is, but they instigated my dropout. I don't know who sent this anonymous email."
Qiao Xin handed her phone to the third madam.
Reading comments about Qiao Xin's dropout, the third madam's expression gradually turned ugly.
"It must be Qiao Yue." The third madam handed the phone back to Qiao Xin. "But I also find it strange. How did Qiao Yue know that you bullied Hong Ning?"
Qiao Xin felt a little guilty and didn't tell the third madam that she had brought the Li brothers to the red-light district to buy Hong Ning.
The third madam's suspicious eyes looked Qiao Ying up and down.
"Were you with Qiao Ying when you and the others bullied that girl?"
Qiao Ying and Qiao Xin were in the same class. Because Qiao Xin felt that she was better than Qiao Ying in every way, she made her sister follow her everywhere as her foil.
When the bullying happened, Qiao Ying was standing in a corner, not daring to speak or protest.
Qiao Xin would sometimes bully Qiao Ying too with her friends.
"It must be you, right? Didn't you follow me the last time?" Qiao Xin closed in on Qiao Ying and grabbed Qiao Ying's hair, pulling it even harder than the previous times.
Qiao Ying felt a sharp pain in her scalp, as if her entire scalp was being pulled off.
Qiao Ying curled up and covered her head; she didn't dare to look at Qiao Xin or call for help.
It had been like this countless times before. If the other people in the family found out that Qiao Xin was bullying her, she would be bullied even more.
"Alright, Qiao Xin, don't be in a hurry to hit Qiao Ying. What are these?"
The third madam noticed the account books scattered all over the floor.
She saw a few accounts that they had previously tampered with.
If Qiao Yue found out that she and the first madam had tampered with the household accounts, they would be finished.
Qiao Yue would definitely tell the old master, who hated nothing more than people who did dirty things at home. When the time came, they would probably have to beg for forgiveness together.
Moreover, Tao Xi's involvement had always been hidden from Qiao Ren.
If Tao Xi's tampering with the accounts was found out, Qiao Ren would have a good reason to divorce her.
The third madam placed the account books in front of Qiao Ying. "You're now in charge of the accounts?"
Qiao Ying nodded, crying.
"Qiao Ying, we're a family, you understand? If you do something with the accounts and let Qiao Yue find out about us, our family will be kicked out."
Qiao Ying shuddered as she looked at the third madam who had suddenly become very gentle.
Although this person was her mother, Qiao Ying had always lived in the shadow that this family had cast over her.
She didn't know why her parents doted on Qiao Xin but not her, even though they were both their daughters. They even bullied and insulted her sometimes.
"These account books would decide if we can continue to stay in the Qiao family, do you understand?" The third madam walked closer to Qiao Ying and stroked her head. "It's your sister's fault just now. She shouldn't have hit you. But Mom hopes that you won't do anything stupid with these account books."
Qiao Ying raised her head slowly when she heard this.
The third madam looked at her tenderly and spoke to her in a gentle voice that she had never heard before.
Qiao Ying's tears rolled down her face.
"You know that your fifth brother is an outsider no matter what. You should stand together with your family, yeah?"
Qiao Ying suddenly felt sick in her stomach. She hurriedly stood up, rushed to the bathroom, and vomited.
Qiao Xin and the third madam stood outside with disgusted expressions. They listened to Qiao Ying's painful cries, but neither of them moved.
Although Qiao Xin didn't understand accounting, she could tell from her mother's tone that it was something very important.
"Mom, we can't let Qiao Ying hang out with fifth brother anymore." Qiao Xin clenched her fists.
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