Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Yeah, Wei Zihang bought the earliest ticket…” Qiao Sheng paused and then repeated himself.
Xu Yaoguang didn’t put out a card and just held the mouse tightly. “No, the previous sentence.”
Qiao Sheng scratched his head and whispered, “Sister Ran?”
“Yeah,” Xu Yaoguang said.
They finished playing one game.
Instead of starting another round with Qiao Sheng, he pulled open the drawer and took out a black USB stick that had been given to him by the staff at the concert hall last time.
He had hired a technician to look at the monitoring content before, but the path source file was damaged and couldn’t be recovered.
At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, but because of Qiao Sheng’s words, all the details seemed to align now.
Qin Ran…
Xu Yaoguang took a deep breath.
Ten o’clock.
The butler knocked on the door.
“Young Master, should I cancel your flight tomorrow?” He brought supper over and asked lowly as he handed the invitation card to him.
Xu Yaoguang turned off the computer, walked to the dining table, and said without hesitation, “No, the flight goes as usual.”
The butler had already expected this.
He nodded and watched at the side as Xu Yaoguang ate his supper. After struggling for a long while, he finally said hesitantly, “Did Old Master meet a suitable heir in Yun Cheng, so he’s not back yet?”
Xu Yaoguang paused, his eyes drooping. “Who did you hear that from?”
The butler lowered his voice and said, “I guessed it. Everything the Old Master did recently was for an heir, wasn’t it?”
After Xu Yaoguang finished eating, he put down his chopsticks and slowly took a paper towel to wipe his hands. His voice was cold as he said, “This matter will stop here.”
But he didn’t deny it.
The butler’s heart tightened as he took the tray and went out. He stood outside the courtyard door with a faint feeling in his heart that the four quarters of the capital would soon change drastically.
**
The next day.
Qin Ran got up at six in the morning and packed her things.
She tidied the crumpled pieces of paper on the floor and threw them into the trash can.
She wore the same coat and carried her black backpack while holding a white plastic bag full of notebooks.
She opened the door at half-past six and Lu Zhaoying was already waiting outside.
But he was alone.
Lu Zhaoying rarely woke this early and yawned loudly as he held the car key in his hand. “Something cropped up for Master Juan, so he has to stay a few more days. I won’t go back for the time being, so I’ll only send you to the airport.”
He didn’t explain what issues had cropped up and Qin Ran didn’t ask either.
Nobody except Lu Zhaoying knew what time she was leaving.
Master Wei knew she was returning to Yun Cheng today, but he didn’t know the exact time.
Lu Zhaoying yawned again as he watched Qin Ran bring her boarding pass to the boarding gate and prepared to go back for a nap.
Once he got in his car, Jiang Dongye called him.
Lu Zhaoying put on his Bluetooth headset and drove the car slowly.
“She left?” Lu Zhaoying had said in the group chat that he was sending someone off in the morning, so Jiang Dongye knew it was Qin Ran.
Lu Zhaoying responded and suddenly remembered something. “Ouyang Wei’s result is coming out today, right?”
“Cheng Mu and the rest have been discussing it the whole night.” Jiang Dongye wasn’t particularly interested in this. “But that Miss Qin is a little dishonest. Yesterday, Zhang Xiangge said he saw her and her paparazzi friend on the top floor of the clubhouse. But I thought about it and wondered, can paparazzi enter the clubhouse?”
That night, they had been in the Heaven Clubhouse.
It was the most upscale clubhouse in Beijing. Although the boss was unknown, everyone knew that the clubhouse was particularly secretive, and those who wanted to make trouble either disappeared silently or had no context left.
Furthermore, stars would come to this clubhouse as well.
So how could an ordinary paparazzi safely reach the top floor?
Did she think Heaven’s security system and inspection efforts were just for show?
“Paparazzi?” Lu Zhaoying was clever and remembered He Chen, whom Cheng Mu had mentioned before. “Was it the war reporter? She was still at the border a month ago.”
Although Jiang Dongye was quite surprised to hear that she was a war reporter, he could still accept this answer, so he walked into the kitchen and brought out a glass of milk. “She’s better than the ‘showman’, Elder Wei.”
Both of them felt like He Chen was too normal compared to Master Wei!
**
Qin Ran’s plane was at nine in the morning and she arrived in Yun Cheng at eleven.
She had just got off the plane when she received Cheng Juan’s phone call.
But it wasn’t a number familiar to Qin Ran.
He asked if she had reached and hung up before he got an answer.
Qin Ran looked down at the strange number in the address book and thought for a long while before deciding not to investigate it.
All the mobility of information was in her hands.
She would know if anyone investigated her.
Last time, Gu Xichi had said that Matthew had her name on the list, but she had assured him otherwise because she hadn’t received any updates that someone was investigating her.
Thus, she had been a little surprised to see her name on Gu Xichi’s list.
It seemed like both Cheng Juan and Lu Zhaoying didn’t intend on investigating her history, but that Zhang Xiangge had a lot of movements after that night.
Qin Ran wasn’t bothered, however. If she didn’t allow it, even Chang Ning wouldn’t be able to obtain her personal information.
Qin Ran didn’t return to school and went to the hospital first.
It was lunchtime and Chen Shulan was eating while leaning on a pillow.
The caregiver moved a chair beside Chen Shulan and watched as she ate.
Qin Ran waved her hand for the caregiver to go out, then sat down on the chair and cut an apple for Chen Shulan.
Chen Shulan didn’t have much energy and moved her spoon very slowly. She looked up and tried not to be obvious as she asked, “What did you tell Master Wei?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it.” Qin Ran lowered her head and played with the fruit knife in her hand before saying casually, “The college entrance examination is next year, there’s no hurry.”
She cut the apples into small pieces.
She put it in Chen Shulan’s hand and then went to get a toothpick to put on it.
“Your aunt hasn’t been here recently.” Chen Shulan ate slowly while frowning. “She has always been proud and never expressed it even if something happened. That year, when your mother took over your little uncle’s matter, she worked three jobs a day rather than accept the money from the insurance.”
“I’ll take a look later when I bring Mu Nan something.” Qin Ran nodded irritably.
“Also,” Chen Shulan spoke slowly again, “Master Wei is a rare good teacher, and Zihang isn’t like Xu Shen…”
Qin Ran pursed her lips.
She felt like Chen Shulan was trying to convey her will.
Qin Ran’s emotions suddenly gathered and she spoke lightly, “I don’t care so much, you can care about it yourself.”
There was nobody else in the ward and the doctor wouldn’t come during this time, so she just leaned against the table and poured out the contents of her backpack on it.
She looked on silently.
Chen Shulan leaned over and saw that the box that Mu Ying had stuffed in was amongst the pile of things on the table.
Qin Ran reached out and picked up the wooden box. She weighed it in her hands and then raised an eyebrow, glancing at her expressionlessly.
Chen Shulan glanced at the very familiar plastic bottle and immediately looked away to eat seriously again, not daring to look at Qin Ran.
Once Chen Shulan looked away, Qin Ran put the wooden box back in her backpack and picked up the plastic bottle.
After thinking for a while, she pursed her lips and unscrewed the cap.
Chen Shulan ate faster when Qin Ran was present.
She finished her lunch in less than half an hour and Qin Ran handed her a cup of warm water. She watched her finish it before helping her organize the lunch box and then ringing the bell for the nurse to bring it out.
“Grandma Chen, you look a lot better now that your granddaughter is here.” The caregiver smiled at Chen Shulan.
She was rather surprised to see Chen Shulan become slightly healthier and rosier. It was no wonder people said that good events could improve one’s mood.
Qin Ran accompanied Chen Shulan all afternoon and just sat by the window reading.
At five o’clock, she took her bag and backpack and left the hospital.
She didn’t take a taxi and waited for bus 623 at the bus stop below the hospital.
It was Wednesday and she had evening self-study.
But Mu Nan generally didn’t attend evening self-study, as it wasn’t compulsory for him. Ning Wei always came back late at night and Mu Nan always helped her prepare meals and fold her clothes.
Mu Ying basically went to evening self-study every night.
**
After Qin Ran left, Chen Shulan opened her eyes and sighed.
Then, she picked up her phone and called Master Wei.
“Master Wei, did you want to tell me something when you came to find me last time?” Chen Shulan sat up on the bed and coughed, her energy lower than usual.
Master Wei held his phone and walked outside. “Hello, I didn’t have any other meaning by calling you. I just wanted to ask if Ran Ran’s music scores are still with you?”
“Yes.” Chen Shulan raised an eyebrow and remembered how serious Master Wei had looked at the music scores. She chuckled and said, “I kept them properly for her, but… what happened?”
Wei Lin knew that Chen Shulan wasn’t a simple person when he first saw her.
But he didn’t expect her to be so keen.
He didn’t dare say more and hung up the phone after saying a few perfunctory words to her.
Chen Shulan’s eyes deepened.
She leaned against the bed, her eyes flickering for a long while as she coughed into her hands.
**
At little aunt’s house.
Mu Nan opened the door expressionlessly and then went back to the kitchen.
A minute later, he came out with a knife again, his expression cold. “Have you eaten?”
“No.” Qin Ran put her plastic bag on the table, dragged out a chair, and propped her legs up.
Mu Nan always cooked fast.
Qin Ran realized he only served two portions.
“Little aunt isn’t coming back tonight?” Qin Ran squinted slightly as she held the chopsticks.
Mu Nan sat to the side and said in an indifferent voice, “She works the night shift and will come back tomorrow morning.”
Ning Wei had always been hardworking, so Qin Ran had been secretly looking around for several enterprises that would give her a salary of 20,000 yuan, but she refused to go.
In the end, Qin Ran had no other choice but to bring them things to put at home.
Qin Ran pursed her lips and lowered her head silently.
The Ning family was full of stubborn people.
“Mu Ying isn’t coming back either?” Qin Ran looked up and asked absentmindedly.
“She went to Beijing. Aunt called her yesterday and asked her to go to Beijing to attend the apprenticeship banquet. Mom isn’t going, so she let her go instead.” Mu Nan took two bites and put down the bowl.
He didn’t look at Qin Ran from beginning to end.
However, Qin Ran didn’t notice and just put her hand on the table, sitting boldly as her mind wandered.
Even if Ning Wei didn’t plan on going, she wouldn’t have let Mu Ying go either.
This was strange.
After eating, Qin Ran threw the notebook from Song Luting to Mu Nan.
“You met Brother Song?” Mu Nan’s expression changed.
“Yeah.” Qin Ran went to the washroom to take a shower and took her black backpack. “Study well, Beijing University is waiting for you.”
Mu Nan glanced at her. “You got zero for Physics.”
Qin Ran was speechless.
She thought about how Mu Nan was still the same and just carried her backpack behind her silently and opened the door directly to leave.
Once Qin Ran left, Mu Nan relaxed.
He put the notebook to one side and then went to the kitchen to get a thermos bowl. He filled it with rice and a little soup and took the bus to a small hospital.
His face was somber and his eyes dark.
It was the city, after all, so he was still nervous no matter which hospital bed it was.
Mu Nan found Ning Wei on the hospital bed in the corridor.
She had a plaster cast on her left leg that had to continue being treated and also obvious bloodstains on it.
Mu Nan stood at the end of the corridor and clenched his hands before walking slowly over to the bed.
“I’m going to borrow money from Aunt.” Mu Nan sat next to the hospital bed and lowered his eyebrows, his voice emotionless.
Ning Wei’s face was pale and the wrinkles around her eyes were very obvious. She pursed her lips and said, “Mu Nan, you’re not allowed to!”
“Okay, I won’t.” Mu Nan nodded. “Cousin came over tonight, I think she’s already suspicious.”
After hearing this, Ning Wei’s fingers tightened. “You must conceal this matter and not let Ran Ran know! At that time, because of Mingyue, she almost killed Xu Shen. If she knows about what happened to me, she definitely won’t be able to bear it, especially with her temper. Our factory director isn’t the Xu family, what if he sends Ran Ran to prison with his network?!”
