Chapter 331: Breakdown
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"No, we won't." Qiao Jing patted her hand.
Qiao Yue nodded as she felt inexplicably relieved.
It was fine even if she was trapped here tonight. The Godfather had left her alone in the rainforest and other types of jungles many times before. She had long mastered the skills of surviving in the wild.
The driver fiddled with the bus for a while but still couldn't fix it, and the passengers became anxious.
They were at the top of the mountain, so walking all the way back down wasn't practical. The road was slippery with snow and it's almost night. Who knew if there would be wild beasts in the jungle at night?
Even if they called for cars from Hanshan City, they wouldn't be able to drive up the mountain in daylight.
Qiao Yue glanced at Qiao Jing. "I'll go down and take a look."
Qiao Jing nodded and asked his assistant to follow Qiao Yue down.
Su Yan, the assistant he had brought along this time, had just taken up the job because his usual assistant had a problem with his visa. So, he had specially transferred an experienced person from a branch office to be Qiao Jing's assistant.
Su Yan wasn't bad. She was quick-witted and good at reading people.
Qiao Yue got off the bus and walked to the front of it.
When everyone saw that it was Qiao Yue, they made way for him to walk to the front of the bus.
The hood had already been opened, revealing all sorts of vehicle parts inside. Some parts were already rusty and there was a strong smell of engine oil in the air.
Qiao Yue took a wrench and turned it several times on two of the smoking parts. She then dismantled the parts and found that the circuit inside had been fried.
"These two are fried. Do you have any spares?" Qiao Yue looked at the driver.
The driver looked away guiltily and stuttered, "I don't..."
Most vehicles would have this kind of spare parts, but for some reason, this bus didn't have any. Qiao Yue's eyes swept over the driver coldly.
"How many years have you been working for the Yin family?"
"Five years..."
Five years wasn't a short time, how could this driver be so bad?
"I'll talk to the master of the Yin family. You can't work like this." Qiao Yue said as she observed the driver's expression.
For some reason, the driver didn't look scared. He seemed relieved.
"If there are no spares, we'll have to wait for someone to deliver the parts to us. There should be something like tents in the bus in case of emergency. Please bring them out."
The driver nodded.
The driver and a few male doctors took out a few large tents from the bus. There were even a few heat stoves. It looked like they were set for a camping trip.
Qiao Yue chuckled. "I didn't expect the Yin family's way of welcoming their guests is to leave us camping in the wilderness."
"We didn't expect this to happen either. Besides, we've already prepared some camping equipment. We hope that our distinguished guests from C-Country can bear with it for a little while."
The person-in-charge sent by the Yin family lowered his head and apologized, but he didn't seem sorry.
"It doesn't matter if the Yin family doesn't deal with your dereliction of duty. The Qiao family will take action." A man said coldly.
Qiao Jing put an arm around Qiao Yue's shoulder and stood behind her.
Qiao Yue watched the two men rush to the side of the bus, pretending to help with the tents, and laughed. "It looks like we really can't go down the mountain tonight."
"I'll get someone from Hanshan City to take us away." Qiao Jing took out his phone; he had probably made calls.
Qiao Yue shook her head. "It might be interesting to experience survival in the wild. What do you think, second brother?"
If Qiao Jing wanted to, he could have called a helicopter to take the two of them away.
Qiao Jing didn't welcome the thought of having to stay the night on the mountain. After all, he was used to the warm bed and warm scent of his room at the Qiao residence.
However, when he saw the anticipation in Qiao Yue's eyes, he suddenly looked forward to roughing it out for the night.
"Alright," Qiao Jing said and turned off his phone. "I'll camp with you."
Qiao Yue was stunned. She had just counted the number of tents. It was just enough for two people to a tent, and the number of men and women in the team happened to be even.
She couldn't find a female doctor to bunk with her.
Didn't it mean that she would have to bunk with Qiao Jing?
While Qiao Yue was still pondering over this, Qiao Jing had already started setting up a tent.
"Second brother, do you mean that you and I will bunk together?"
"What's the alternative? Are you going to bunk with those female doctors?" Qiao Jing skillfully set up the tent while he looked at Qiao Yue teasingly.
_________________
Chapter 332: Surviving the Wind
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue was stunned.
Qiao Jing was right, but why did it sound so weird?
Qiao Yue even saw a little teasing in Qiao Jing's expression...?
"Give me a hand." Qiao Jing handed the other end of the tent to Qiao Yue, and the two of them set it up.
It was a small blue tent and he lined it with the two blankets that he had brought with him.
"Come, try it out." Qiao Jing lay down and patted the spot next to him.
Qiao Yue slowly squatted and lay down as well.
It was warm enough inside. The space was tight, which forced them to lay down very close to one another.
Qiao Yue felt her body burn and avoided Qiao Jing's gaze.
"How is it? It's warm enough, I guess."
Qiao Yue nodded and looked up at the sky outside. The sky was a faint crimson, and it was almost nightfall.
"We will be able to see stars here at night."
They were cramped inside the tent, and the lack of space made Qiao Yue speak softly.
Qiao Jing nodded. The sound of clothes rubbing against each other added a bit of intimacy to the tight space.
"Are we supposed to chop our own firewood and catch our dinner?"
"Yeah, what are we going to eat?"
There were sounds of an argument outside.
Qiao Yue sat up and got out of the tent.
A few doctors were questioning the person in charge sent by the Yin family at the open space where they had set up tents.
The man kept his head down and apologized profusely, but he didn't seem keen to solve the problem at all.
"There isn't much we can do. The driver and I are planning to go hungry tonight. Please understand..."
"Yeah, we're really sorry."
Qiao Yue sighed as she looked at the useless men sent by the Yin family. "Brother, there's really something wrong with the Yin family."
Qiao Jing didn't reply and just stared coldly at the two men.
"Let's go, brother." Qiao Yue pulled Qiao Jing away from the dispute.
They wouldn't be able to find anything to eat if they just quarreled. It was wiser to find some food before dark.
Qiao Yue brought Qiao Jing to a nearby river.
Qiao Jing raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're going into the river to catch fish?"
Seeing the doubt in Qiao Jing's eyes, Qiao Yue chuckled. "Do you think that I've spent those days in Nanshan Village for nothing?"
Qiao Yue wasn't actually telling the truth. She learned how to survive in the wild when she was with the Godfather.
"Be careful." Qiao Jing looked at Qiao Yue with a frown.
"Just watch me." Qiao Yue skillfully took off her coat, rolled up her sleeves and pant legs and walked to the stream. She aimed at the ice with fish below it and started pounding the surface.
Qiao Jing didn't stay idle either. He found fungus and mushrooms under the trees around him. Although it was difficult to tell them apart, he picked them all.
Just as he was picking mushrooms, he found a sleeping rabbit by accident.
The rabbit was about to run away when it saw Qiao Jing, but Qiao Jing caught it. He held the rabbit by its ears and brought it to the stream.
Qiao Yue had already caught more than a dozen fish. She put the fish into a plastic bag she had brought with her and two of them were still alive and kicking.
Looking at the rabbit that Qiao Jing was holding, Qiao Yue had a strange doubt in her heart.
Rabbits in the wild were the most difficult to catch, so how did Qiao Jing manage to catch one?
"There's something wrong with this rabbit's legs..." Qiao Jing explained.
Qiao Jing was a little confused when his eyes met Qiao Yue's. "What's wrong? You want to set it free?"
Qiao Yue shook her head. "I feel like having spicy rabbit head."
She had once eaten a wolf raw when she was thrown into a snowfield to survive. Why would she sympathize with a delicious rabbit?
"Let's take these back."
The two of them carried the rabbit and the fish back to their campsite. The people there had already figured out how they would chop firewood and start a fire.
Qiao Yue pulled Su Yan away when she saw him frowning, trying to light a fire.
"This firewood is soaking wet, how can it be lit? We have to dry it first."
Everyone nodded in realization.
But how could they dry the wood without a fire?
Qiao Yue looked at their bus. "There's heater in the bus."
The driver was a little hesitant when he heard Qiao Yue's words. He looked at the person in charge and frowned. "There's not much gas left in the bus."
"We can't drive down anyway now. We'll just get someone to send some gas over tomorrow." Qiao Yue pushed the two of them away to bring the firewood into the bus.
"You can't do this..." The driver quickly locked the door.
"Why not? Are you going to make me open the door by force?" Qiao Yue frowned as she looked at the driver.
________________
Chapter 333: The Driver
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The driver stammered and could not say a word. He only insisted on not opening the door.
"The Qiao family can well afford a minibus." Qiao Yue said coldly, "Are you forcing me to find flammable materials in your bus?"
The seats in the bus were definitely flammable. If the driver didn't want them to burn wood, Qiao Yue would gladly light a fire using the seats from the bus.
The person in charge sent by the Yin family, Yin Yue, stood in front of Qiao Yue and said, "Would you stop and think for a minute that you are in K-Country and it isn't very polite for you to do this?"
Qiao Yue sneered after hearing Yin Yue's words. She threw the firewood on the ground and walked to the driver.
The driver guiltily hid the car keys in his pocket.
Qiao Yue sneered as she approached the driver.
The driver only felt a pain in his wrist before his whole world was turned upside down and he was pressed to the ground. And then his hands were tied by something.
When the driver's vision cleared, he realized that his hands had been bound using a belt.
Qiao Yue had pulled the belt off him in an instant.
"What are you doing? Is this how you people from C-Country treat us?" The driver shouted.
Qiao Yue waved the car keys in front of him and sneered, "Shut up. Be careful or I'll take off some of your clothes and throw them in the fire later."
Qiao Yue opened the door to the minibus and asked the doctors to bring in the firewood.
The doctors were happy to help Qiao Yue.
Qiao Yue started the engine and heat filled the bus.
The firewood was quickly dried.
The group had already cleared snow off part of the ground in front of their tents and piled firewood on it. As the fire burned, the surrounding tents also became warm.
Qiao Jing and a few male doctors had also finished preparing the ingredients.
As they had no pot in the wild, they could only barbecue their food using sticks.
Qiao Yue knew that the food barbecued in the wild tasted terrible without seasoning, salt or marination. She sighed as she watched everyone's expectant look.
At this time, Qiao Jing asked Su Yan to take out some spices from his suitcase.
Qiao Yue was shocked. Why hadn't she realized that her second brother was so domesticated?
Qiao Jing rolled his eyes at Qiao Yue. "I brought these for you because I was worried that you wouldn't be used to the food in K-Country."
Seeing Qiao Jing's serious expression, Qiao Yue felt a little touched.
The grilled fish and rabbit were seasoned, and so were the grilled mushrooms. Everyone started eating.
It was already dark, and everyone was wolfing down their dinner in front of the fire. The atmosphere was quite good.
There were even people singing by the fire. It felt like a picnic.
"This feels good. If I lived with the Qiaos, I probably wouldn't experience this kind of life." Qiao Yue sighed.
"Why? Don't you like living with the Qiaos?" Qiao Jing asked.
The Qiaos had everything except freedom. But if she returned to the organization, she would go back to being the person in charge of KA, shoulder many more missions and work hard for the future of the organization. She wasn't looking forward to those things either.
"What about you, brother? Are you happy being part of the Qiao family?"
It didn't matter if Qiao Jing was happy or not. He was a descendant of the Qiao family and was better at business than his older brother, so he was sent to do this kind of thing.
"It isn't really up to me." Qiao Jing sighed.
"What if you had a choice? Would you leave the Qiao family and live a normal life?"
"Why? Are you going to destroy the Qiao family?" Qiao Jing asked with a smile.
Qiao Yue replied jokingly, "Yeah. One day I'll acquire the Qiao family and make all of you beg on the street."
"You wish, kid." Qiao Jing ruffled Qiao Yue's hair.
If the Qiao family was really acquired one day, Qiao Jing would give up everything to take it back.
The Qiao family was not just a gift from his ancestors, but also a responsibility that he had to bear.
Looking at Qiao Yue, Qiao Jing suddenly wondered what he would do if the situation Qiao Yue described really happened.
He didn't really know if Qiao Yue would always stand with him.
Everyone was tired after dinner.
Qiao Jing had already contacted a maintenance team who would come over tomorrow morning to fix the bus.
After everyone learned that they would leave early the next day, they all went back to their tents to sleep.
Qiao Yue was standing outside, fiddling with the fire.
"Fifth brother, aren't you going to sleep?" Qiao Jing asked as he tidied up the tent.
Qiao Yue shook her head. "I don't know if there will be any wild beasts in the forest tonight. I want to keep watch and protect everyone."
________________
Chapter 334: Wolf! Wolf!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Then I'll do it with you." Qiao Jing patted Qiao Yue on the shoulder and sat down.
The fire was stocked with enough firewood to keep it burning all night. Qiao Yue had even set up a rack and used mugs as pots to make flower tea.
Faint fragrance of flower tea permeated the air.
"This is very different from the Qiao residence." Qiao Yue suddenly said.
"How different?"
"You can see stars here." Qiao Yue looked up at the sky.
Air was thin in the mountains and the sky was clear. Stars sparkled big and bright, like gemstones in the sky.
"True. You can't see such bright stars at the Qiao residence."
Qiao Jing took out a coat from the tent and wrapped it around Qiao Yue. "I thought about what you said just now. If it weren't for the Qiao family, I would probably be an ordinary person, clock in and out every day doing the most ordinary job, get married and live a life that's neither good nor bad."
Unfortunately, there was the Qiao family.
"If it weren't for the Qiao family, I would really like to do scientific research or become a traveler." Qiao Yue sighed. "It's a pity that my grades were so bad when I was at Nanshan. I don't think I'll get into any university in this lifetime."
Qiao Jing nudged Qiao Yue's head. "You."
He knew that Qiao Yue's real academic achievements were not as documented.
Qiao Jing had hired many people to investigate Qiao Yue. Although the results were minimal, he could still get a glimpse of Qiao Yue's life in the past few years.
She had many patents for inventions abroad and held an important position at a big company like KA. She was also inextricably linked with an international organization.
However, he didn't want to probe. There was no point in probing. He would wait for the day when Qiao Yue told him.
Before this business trip, he had prepared for Qiao Yue the things that she would need. Every item was prepared according to his own packing list.
He had never been so serious about a girl.
People would call this kind of seriousness love, but Qiao Jing felt that there had to be more profound feelings in this world. His feelings for Qiao Yue could not be described as love.
"Not necessarily. Maybe it's possible if you work hard?" Qiao Jing laughed.
The tea was ready. The two of them took a sip by the fire under the stars.
The tea was sweet and fragrant. Drinking it would warm anyone's heart.
Just as the two of them were enjoying the silence, a strange wolf howl came from the distance.
"What is that?" Qiao Yue stood up and stared at the forest in full alert.
"Awooooooo!"
The sound was far away, as if it was not on this mountain.
"These bonfires easily attract wolves. I didn't think that there would be wolves near Hanshan." Qiao Yue frowned.
Wolves rarely came out of their caves to hunt for food in such cold weather.
Even though the wolves sounded far away, they could be here in a few hours.
"Someone is doing this on purpose." Qiao Yue said coldly. "The forest should be very safe this season. I don't know why there would be wolves."
She took out a dagger and held it in her hand.
Qiao Jing glanced at her and also picked up a knife.
"Don't worry. It's less than four hours to dawn. We should be able to make it."
Qiao Yue nodded.
The two of them sat in silence again.
Qiao Yue quietly closed her eyes but remained vigilant. This was the way she would preserve her strength in case of any battle later.
The darkness of the night was slowly lifted, and the sky brightened.
The wolf howls were getting closer. Qiao Yue opened her eyes and looked in its direction.
She gave Qiao Jing a look, and the latter understood.
The two of them slowly hid behind a tree near their campsite.
The bonfire was still burning, and the wolf seemed to be famished as it dashed toward them. They could hear leaves rustling as the wolf moved.
It was now that the sound of the wolf became clear.
The wolf reeked of blood. Qiao Yue and Qiao Jing held their breaths and watched the shrubs sway wildly.
The wolf suddenly appeared at their campsite.
There were all kinds of leftover food from last night on their campsite. The wolf first gobbled up the leftovers, then looked at the surrounding tents.
People in the tents were all fast asleep and did not sense the approaching danger.
Qiao Yue watched the wolf approach a tent and gave Qiao Jing a look.
Qiao Jing nodded. Just as the wolf was about to pounce on the tent, Qiao Yue and Qiao Jing pounced on the wolf at the same time.
________________
Chapter 335: Lin Jie
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In that tent were two girls, both doctors who had followed them to K-Country.
Both doctors were pampered girls with no fighting skills. After being pounced on by the wolf, they could only scream helplessly and struggle.
The struggle excited the hungry wolf even more as it waved its claws wildly, leaving huge scratch marks on the tent.
One of the girls had her arm scratched; there were three terrifying scratches that were still bleeding.
Qiao Yue grabbed the wolf's hind leg and slashed it with her dagger. Blood splattered everywhere. Qiao Yue's eyes were covered in a layer of red and she felt a little dizzy.
Wiping away the blood in her eyes, Qiao Yue forced herself to stay alert.
Qiao Jing put his hand on her waist and helped her up.
"Thank you, second brother." Qiao Yue steadied herself, pulled out her dagger from the wolf's leg and stabbed the back of its neck. The wolf howled and struggled madly, its claws scratching wildly.
People around them were all woken up now. They surrounded the wolf, but most of them didn't dare to get close.
Qiao Jing wasn't shaken off by the wolf's mad struggle. Instead, he grabbed the wolf's front leg and stabbed his knife into it.
Before the wolf could react, Qiao Yue pressed it to the ground.
The two of them worked together. One of them stabbed the wolf's eye, while the other stabbed its heart.
The wolf struggled a few times before it finally stopped.
Qiao Yue looked at the wolf, smelled the blood in the air, and kept seeing red spots.
Blood, it was all blood.
Qiao Jing saw that Qiao Yue's expression didn't look right and reached out to hold her.
Qiao Yue fell backward, her entire body trembling.
"It's all blood, Mom, it's all blood."
"Doctor!" Qiao Jing shouted.
One of the doctors in their entourage came forward to check on Qiao Yue.
"The fifth young master must have been frightened and needs to rest."
"Su Yan, get an RV here." Qiao Jing shouted.
"It's been arranged." Su Yan walked over quickly with a first aid kit.
The RV arrived shortly and Qiao Jing carried Qiao Yue into the vehicle while the rest cleaned up the campsite.
The RV that Su Yan got was probably the most luxurious one in K-Country. There was a big soft bed in it.
Qiao Jing put Qiao Yue on the bed and called in a female doctor.
The female doctor he called was the most outstanding one in the team, Lin Jie.
Lin Jie had just cleaned the blood off her body. The wounds on her arm had been bandaged, and the three bandages with blood stains looked scary.
"Second young master." Lin Jie nodded at Qiao Jing.
"Only you and your teacher know about the fifth young master's condition. Dr. Chang is not here now, so you are in charge of the fifth young master's condition."
Lin Jie nodded. She had treated Qiao Yue with her teacher before, so she knew Qiao Yue's true gender.
"Alright," she replied.
Lin Jie walked up to the bed and Qiao Jing walked out.
Lin Jie undid Qiao Yue's clothes, the bandages on her body and looked at the wounds all over her body.
More wounds had been added to what she had seen before. The wolf had also left bloody marks on Qiao Yue.
Lin Jie's eyes flashed with heartache as she looked at the bloody scratches.
Girls were generally vain. Miss Qiao, how could you do this to your body?
She applied ointment on Qiao Yue's wounds.
Qiao Yue looked heartbreaking. She was covered in wounds, and no one knew what she had gone through.
Li Jie had once studied the wounds on Qiao Yue's body during an operation. There were all kinds of knife wounds, burns, even strangulation marks.
And now, there were injuries from a wolf attack.
After treating the wounds, Lin Jie gave Qiao Yue a tetanus shot.
She then checked Qiao Yue's pulse and other aspects for any problems. When she was done, she walked out of the bedroom and closed the door.
"Fifth young... Fifth young master will be fine but he suffered a shock and showed symptoms of palpitations from fear. That's why he fainted."
Palpitations from fear? Qiao Yue, who was not afraid of anything, would be in fear because of a wolf? Qiao Jing was in disbelief.
"What would cause palpitations from fear?"
"Generally, it's the first time that someone has been frightened or they have been frightened by something similar before. When they recall their memories, they will have these symptoms."
Qiao Yue was a strong fighter and had gone through a lot. She wouldn't fall into a state of fear because of a wolf.
It must be the latter case that Lin Jie mentioned.
"Take good care of Qiao Yue. I'll get your teacher to reward you when we get back."
____________________
Chapter 336: Something's Off
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Everything she saw was red, there was blood everywhere.
Her mother was standing at the door, looking at the ruins that had been flattened to the ground. She was at a loss for words and she couldn't speak.
She was also pointing a gun at a strange man.
"Don't hurt my child."
"I'm not going to hurt your child. Why won't you leave with me? What's there to keep you in C-Country? If it's this child, I'll help you get rid of him."
"No," Qiao Qing shouted as she took a step back, protecting the young Qiao Yue behind her.
Qiao Yue squinted hard to see the man's face, but she couldn't.
"That man is so full of himself. He thinks he can give you happiness, but he can't give you anything. Don't you think it's better for you to leave with me?"
"I want to stay." Qiao Qing's voice was cold, without a trace of hesitation.
"You can either get rid of me today or you can leave."
The man across from her seemed to be sighing helplessly. "I can take you away. There's a better life and a more beautiful world waiting for you in D-Country. I don't want you to be with that man and live this kind of life."
"Aren't we living this kind of life because of people like you?" Qiao Qing sneered.
These memories had never appeared in Qiao Yue's mind. What were they?
Qiao Yue felt her head hurt.
The scene before her eyes swiveled and a man's face appeared. He was holding a watch in his hand, and swinging it slowly.
"Forget it all, forget it all."
The last thing Qiao Yue saw was the hands of the watch warping and then she woke up.
The ceiling was white, and the bed was soft.
She had just fainted. Where was she now?
She felt like she was lying in the middle of something moving. Qiao Yue pulled open the curtains and saw the moving scenery of a forest.
She should be on her way down the mountain.
Qiao Yue stood up and realized that all her wounds had been treated.
She checked her undershirt; it had not been touched. Her chest binder was also in place; no one had touched it.
It seemed that only the wounds on her body had been treated. Good. Her secret had not been discovered.
Qiao Yue walked out of the room and saw Qiao Jing on the phone with someone. His brows were tightly knitted, and he looked very upset.
Qiao Yue walked over slowly and sat opposite him, looking at some information on her computer.
It was information about Hanshan City.
Hanshan City had all kinds of mineral mines and a chemical plant. It was probably because of over-mining and killing that God had punished them.
People of Hanshan City were prone to a kind of limb deformity, ranging from walking with a limp to amputations. Children could also be infected by this disease, and they were prone to anemia at a young age.
Some children's wounds would not heal and they would bleed non-stop.
Sometimes, one could hear a child cry one day but not the next. And on the third day, there would be a small coffin at the door of the family home with all four of its corners covered in blood.
It was really God's punishment.
Qiao Jing saw that Qiao Yue was awake and frowned, "Do you feel better?"
"I feel much better. I even had a very long dream, but I can't remember it." Qiao Yue massaged her head. That dream didn't seem to be a pleasant one or she wouldn't have felt so much pain.
"What was your dream about?"
"A lot of scenes in red and nothing else. There was also a watch or something. I can't remember." Qiao Yue shook her head. "It's just a dream."
Qiao Jing stopped talking and showed Qiao Yue the project information.
For this project, they were providing resources such as doctors, medicine, and medical equipment, but the Yin family did not contribute anything useful.
"Why is the Yin family so lax this time? It's not their style at all."
"I just contacted Yin He and he asked us to take charge of the project but didn't answer my question."
Yin He, the man who was like a venomous snake. Qiao Yue's head hurt at the thought of him. She didn't know what he wanted but he gave her the feeling of familiarity and danger.
"Then let's go to Hanshan City first. Since we're already here, let's take things as they are. We also can't go back to S-City now." Qiao Yue stretched lazily.
It was getting dark, and the journey down the mountain would take a few hours. It would be dark when they reached Hanshan City.
Qiao Yue looked at the scenery outside and suddenly felt a little unsettled.
____________
Chapter 337: Taken Away
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was already 7 p.m. when they arrived at Hanshan City. There were no stars in the night sky, only waste gas from the chemical plant.
The waste gas had turned into clouds that hover above Hanshan City and had become a nightmare to the city's residents.
Qiao Yue took another nap in the RV. When she woke up, they had already arrived at the hotel.
Qiao Jing had arranged for Qiao Yue and Lin Jie to stay in nearby rooms so it's more convenient for Lin Jie to care for Qiao Yue.
Qiao Jing took Qiao Yue to Lin Jie's room for another checkup.
"Dr. Lin, I'm really okay. I haven't seen a wolf in a long time, so I got a shock. Don't listen to my brother." Qiao Yue made a sad face and said coquettishly to Lin Jie.
She remembered this doctor. Although her and her teacher's medical skills were brilliant, the medicine they prescribed was extremely bitter.
She had eaten a lot of sweets and candied fruits during her recuperation.
"Do you have symptoms like dreaming or hysteria?" Lin Jie ignored Qiao Yue's wheedling and asked in a business-like manner.
"I had a dream, but I can't remember the details..." Qiao Yue tried to recall. "In my dream everything was red, like blood, but I really can't remember."
Qiao Yue frowned as she tried to recall.
"How about dizziness?"
Qiao Yue recalled the moment she felt dizzy after being splashed by the wolf's blood.
Lin Jie frowned. This was very strange. Qiao Yue never had hemophobia.
"Did that scene remind you of something?"
"No." Qiao Yue shook her head. She had never encountered such a scene. "At the end of the dream, I saw something like a watch."
Lin Jie frowned. The appearance of a watch wasn't good.
After all, many people who had been hypnotized would see clocks or watches in their dreams.
She suspected that Qiao Yue had been hypnotized in the past.
"Have you ever undergone any psychological treatment?" Lin Jie probed.
"Are you asking me if I've been hypnotized?" Qiao Yue asked back, looking into Lin Jie's eyes.
Lin Jie nodded solemnly.
"I'm not sure," Qiao Yue replied.
Some of her memories were very fuzzy. Memories from her childhood were not very clear to begin with, so she did not know if they were real.
"You might have been hypnotized to forget to mistake something, but I don't know the details. Perhaps your recent dreams will tell you."
After leaving Lin Jie's room, Qiao Yue also fell into suspicion. In her memory, she had never encountered something like hypnosis.
But she was having doubts now.
Just as she was about to enter her room, she saw Su Yan.
Su Yan was going into Lin Jie's room.
"Su Yan?" Qiao Yue called out.
"Fifth young master." Su Yan seemed shocked.
"Is there anything you need from Dr. Lin?"
Su Yan smiled unnaturally. "I have something to discuss with Dr. Lin. Fifth young master should rest early."
Qiao Yue walked back to her room with questions marks in her head and turned on her computer.
In less than a few minutes, she had hacked into the hotel's system.
Security footages from the hotel appeared before her eyes.
Su Yan also went to a few other doctors' rooms.
And then, he walked up to the rooftop. Qiao Yue switched camera to check the rooftop.
There was a lot of clutter on the rooftop, and Su Yan seemed to be updating someone.
Qiao Yue zoomed in on the camera. She had felt that something was up with Su Yan just now. He was new and he might not have the best intentions.
The camera zoomed in and the person talking to Su Yan was someone she didn't know. He was wearing a red hoodie and had a delicate side profile.
Qiao Yue was disgusted. Wasn't this the person who helped Sun Bin before?
Unfortunately, the hotel's surveillance system didn't record voices, so Qiao Yue could only guess what they were saying by reading their lips.
The two of them seemed to have mentioned her name and even said that she had fainted or something.
Wasn't this her business? Why was this red-clothed person asking about her?
Just as Qiao Yue was waiting for the man in red to say something, the lights in the hotel suddenly went off.
Qiao Yue stood up and looked out the window.
It was pitch-black outside, as if the entire Hanshan City had blacked out and melded with the night sky.
In the pitch-black world, a shiny helicopter took off in the night sky, drawing a beautiful arc in the air.
The helicopter must have taken off from the hotel.
The shiny paint on it seemed to be a few letters.
When it got closer, Qiao Yue could see clearly that the letters on it were the abbreviation of the Eugene family.
____________________
Chapter 338: An Old Acquaintance
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Someone sent by the Eugene family?
Qiao Yue looked at the passing helicopter and frowned. Why did they appear again? It seemed like there was indeed something off with Su Yan.
Qiao Yue felt a chill run down her spine when she recalled what Su Yan had asked her.
Andy must still be alive.
Qiao Yue clenched her fists at the thought of this. She would not let Andy escape again.
The blackout lasted just for a short while. After the power came back, Qiao Yue went to Qiao Jing's room.
Qiao Jing had just taken a shower and was wearing a simple white t-shirt and black pants. His hair hung loosely down his forehead, making him look like an innocent college student.
When the door was opened, Qiao Jing was still drying his hair with a towel. His eyes were glistening, and he looked very seductive.
Qiao Yue felt her face burn for some reason.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Jing let Qiao Yue in. "You don't like the hotel?"
"No, I have something to tell you." Qiao Yue's expression was grave. "Your..." Just as she started her sentence, Qiao Yue shut her mouth and looked around.
She took out her phone, which had been modified to block or search for other signals.
Qiao Yue searched using her phone and found two spy bugs in the room.
One was hidden behind the television, and the other under the bed.
With a frown, Qiao Yue showed Qiao Jing where the two surveillance devices were placed.
Qiao Jing's expression darkened. How audacious of them to install listening decides in his room!
Qiao Yue shook her head and motioned for Qiao Jing to keep quiet. She then took Qiao Jing's hand and wrote the name "Su Yan" on it.
Su Yan?
He was the most likely person to have placed these bugs in Qiao Jing's room because his room would have been carefully inspected by his assistant. There was no way there would be things like listening devices.
Now that his room had been bugged, it could only be Su Yan, who was his assistant, an insider.
Qiao Jing nodded and mouthed to Qiao Yue, "I'll keep a close eye."
Qiao Yue reached out and wrote Andy's name on Qiao Jing's hand.
Qiao Jing's eyes darkened.
Qiao Jing had been looking for Andy since he escaped, but Andy seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.
Meanwhile, Oswald, from the younger generation of the Eugene family, seemed to be on a path to become the next political figure. It was unknown whether Oswald would find his uncle in future.
What happened last time was not the end of their confrontation, but the beginning.
The two of them exchanged a look and Qiao Yue understood what Qiao Jing meant.
If Su Yan was really connected to the Eugene family, they couldn't fire him or send him back to the country or their enemy would be tipped off. It was better to use this time to observe Su Yan so they could figure out what the Eugene family was up to.
The charity event at Hanshan City was focused on sick children at a welfare home.
Early the next morning, Qiao Yue got in the car and went to the welfare home with Qiao Jing.
The welfare home was filled with sick children with all kinds of bruises on their bodies. A few of them had flushed faces, obviously from fever.
The director of the welfare home explained, "These children are all sick, but our home doesn't have sufficient facilities or funds to pay for all their treatments, so we hope that everyone can help."
"This time, we've brought with us the latest medicine developed by the Qiao Corporation. It's already passed clinical trials, but it isn't made available on the market yet. We would like to try it out here." Qiao Jing said to the director.
The doctors moved the advanced equipment and medicine into the small courtyard. The children looked with curiosity at the large boxes that were brought in.
Qiao Yue also looked at the children. They were all very young. They had been sick since young and had been abandoned by their families. Qiao Yue felt a little depressed.
"Big brother, are you here to treat us?" One of the children walked up to Qiao Yue, pulled on his pants, and asked.
Qiao Yue nodded. "Yes. With our medicine, you'll be fine soon."
Qiao Yue squatted and touched the little girl's hair. She was so thin that she looked unhealthy, and there were all kinds of bruises on her body.
Those bruises were not caused by being hit, but by bumping into things by accident, causing their blood capillaries to burst.
_______________________
Chapter 339: The Evil Director
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Qiao Yue's felt pressure building behind her eyes when she looked at the bruises on the little girl.
The disease these children were suffering from definitely had something to do with the chemical plant. But the chemical plant was the economic lifeline of Hanshan City.
Due to incorrect development in the early years, radiation from the chemical plant had always exceeded the safety standards. There were many other poor children like this girl.
"You'll get better. We brought a lot of medicine for you." Qiao Yue patted the little girl's head.
"Big brother, do you want to know a secret?"
Qiao Yue nodded.
The little girl moved closer to her and whispered a few words. Qiao Yue frowned. "How did you know?"
"I've been to the director's room before and saw it in the secret chamber." When the little girl said this, she grabbed the hem of her skirt subconsciously with panic in her eyes.
"Is what the director did very bad? Can you make him leave?" The little girl blinked and asked.
Qiao Yue was about to say something when the director, Lin Hui, walked over. The little girl quickly hid behind a wall when she saw him.
"Fifth young master, I've heard a lot about you." The welfare home director extended his hand to Qiao Yue. "I just saw you talking to Linlin, where did the child disappear to so quickly?"
Lin Hui was a middle-aged man in his forties. He had a big belly and was bald on top of his head. He looked like a dirty old man.
"Thank you for helping our welfare home. We are always underfunded. I sometimes have to pay out of my own pocket to take care of these children."
Qiao Yue smiled. "Director Lin is an upright person. I'm very impressed. We will do our best to help these children."
Lin Hui nodded. "I've prepared a welcome dinner tonight. I hope the two young masters can join us. I've also asked the children to prepare a performance. I hope the two of you will like it."
"We will. These children's performance would definitely be very good."
"But young master, I still want to remind you that the children here are all very smart. Some of them may have poor backgrounds, but they have a habit of lying and hurting their classmates. Like Linlin whom you just met. I'm quite worried."
"Thank you for your reminder," Qiao Yue replied with a smile. "I will be careful."
After Qiao Yue saw the director off, she squatted and looked at Linlin.
"Tell me, other than what you told me, what other secrets does the director have?"
The little girl clutched the hem of her dress, her body trembling slightly. "Big brother, can I tell you? The director said we can't tell anyone."
Qiao Yue nodded. "I won't tell him. If the director did something wrong, I'll make him leave."
The little girl moved closer to Qiao Yue and then gently lifted her skirt.
Qiao Yue almost vomited when she saw what was in front of her.
This little girl, who was not even ten years old, had contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
Thinking back to what the director had just said, he must have done something that only animals would do to these poor children.
Qiao Yue clenched her fists at the thought of this. "Are you the only one with this condition, or are there others with the same condition?"
"This happened to a few other younger sisters too. They were also brought to the director's office. There was also an older sister called Chengcheng, but she disappeared after she went there."
So, it wasn't just one child, but also a missing child. This director was really evil.
"Let's go. I'll take you to get treated."
Qiao Yue brought Linlin to Lin Jie. "Lin Jie, can you help me check on this little girl's condition, please?"
"I'm... A little busy here..." Lin Jie was about to treat the next child when she suddenly looked in the direction Qiao Yue was pointing.
Lin Jie's expression suddenly became serious. She had worked in the pediatrics department for a while, so she could guess what had happened.
Lin Jie pulled Linlin into a separate consultation room.
Linlin was very well-behaved and did not resist the inspection.
"I'll leave." Qiao Yue stood outside the curtain.
After a while, Lin Jie's sigh could be heard from behind the curtain.
Qiao Yue felt like she had been punched in the gut. She could guess what had happened but without professional equipment, she still had a glimmer of hope.
Lin Jie walked out of the curtain and shook her head. "Is it what I think it is?"
Lin Jie nodded. "She must have contracted it a long time ago. We can't rule out the possibility of syphilitic heart disease and other syphilis-related symptoms. Even if we start treatment now, she might still die. Moreover, this child already has a blood disease."
____________________
Chapter 340: The Welcome Dinner
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"It's not just Linlin. There are many other children here with the same condition."
Qiao Yue's words made Lin Jie widen her eyes.
Lin Jie had encountered a similar situation before, so she immediately understood what Qiao Yue was trying to say.
If a child in an orphanage like this was infected with this disease, the biggest suspect could only be the person in charge, the director.
"This girl also told me that the director had secretly pocketed medicine for the blood disease. They were meant for the children, but the director had probably sold them."
Lin Jie frowned.
This kind of medicine for blood diseases was not cheap in C-Country. It's a huge expenditure when it came to Hanshan City.
If he were to sell this medicine, he could buy a few houses with sea view.
"This director really deserves to die. Has the fifth young master thought of any way to bring him down?" Lin Jie asked.
Qiao Yue frowned. She had thought of a way, but it might cause trouble.
"Lin Jie, take a few female doctors with you to examine each child and find out how many children are suffering from the same sexually transmitted disease. Give me a list of medicine and equipment you'll need. I will deal with the director."
Lin Jie nodded and immediately went to organize things.
Qiao Yue took out her phone and sent a message to Chu Jia.
"Help me look into the transaction records in Hanshan City for blood disease drugs. See if there are any transaction records under the name of Lin Hui."
"Okay."
Chu Jia replied quickly.
There were no transaction records under Lin Hui's name, but there were many transaction records for blood disease drugs under his wife's name.
"But boss, this Zhang Yan is no simpleton either. She owns a pharmaceutical company. It's not impossible to say that those drugs came from her company."
"What about real estate?"
"Zhang Yan has properties in both D-Country and C-County, but she doesn't have any here."
D-Country and C-Country were much more developed than K-Country. The real estate prices were also much more expensive than in K-Country. If she did not own properties in K-Country but in other countries, it meant that Zhang Yan was deliberately hiding her wealth.
This husband-and-wife team were true demons.
Very soon, Qiao Yue met the demon couple at the welcome dinner organized by Lin Hui.
Zhang Yan was a fashionably dressed middle-aged woman. She wore an expensive mink coat, and her hair was held up neatly into a top knot secured with two gold hairpins.
The food on the table was also quite exquisite, completely different from the food the children in the welfare home had.
"You must be the fifth young master of the Qiao family. Welcome to Hanshan City. I heard that you were trapped in the snow yesterday. I'm really sorry. I should have gone to pick you up, but I was busy with my company. Otherwise, I would have gone."
Qiao Yue sized up Zhang Yan with cold eyes.
She was very kind when she spoke, and even served them food. "I'm running a pharmaceutical company now, and some of the medicine is for the children. But I'll be honest with you, I don't like my husband doing charity work. I'm a businesswoman."
She paused. "These children are like bottomless pits. They never stop. A lot of the money I earn has been used to treat the children's illnesses. My husband and I don't even have our own house in Hanshan."
This sentence further confirmed Qiao Yue's suspicion.
She saw that Qiao Jing was frowning as well.
"But the children are all very cute."
"Yeah, but because of these children, Lin Hui and I haven't had our own kids yet." Zhang Yan looked at Qiao Jing. "Young masters Qiao, if you're interested, we can talk about cooperation. I know that the Qiaos also own a pharmaceutical company. We can grow our businesses together."
"We are not in the market for a partner now." Qiao Yue said.
Qiao Jing looked at Qiao Yue, not understanding why she suddenly spoke.
Qiao Yue had never interfered with the family business.
For Qiao Yue to reject Zhang Yan so directly, there must be some kind of grudge between them.
"But Mrs. Lin, I do have something that I would like you to hear."
Qiao Yue took out her phone. Voices of children were playing on her phone, but after being put through a voice changer.
"The director would do those things to me like the uncles and aunties do on TV. He would kiss me on the lips and there."
"After the director took sister Chengcheng away, she never returned."
Zhang Yan's expression suddenly changed. She looked at Lin Hui sharply and said, "What is this?"
______________________