Qiao Youning saw the young man brought into the ward and imdiately perked up, her eyes blazing.
It was him! He was the man Ning Guiwan had toyed with and then discarded! Her fifth brother hadn’t believed what she said. But now, with the person right here as proof, let’s see if Fifth Brother would still side with that wicked woman!
In the ward, Quan Yu and Qiao Yishen were both present. Quan Yu sat on a chair beside the hospital bed, a laptop resting on his legs. Qiao Yishen leaned against the foot railing of the companion bed, his legs crossed and his arm propped on the rail, a faint smile on his lips.
Qiao Youning’s heart pounded tumultuously, barely containing her excitent as she clenched her fists tightly, waiting for Ning Guiwan’s indiscretions to be exposed.
Ning Guiwan’s brow was slightly furrowed, her makeup-free face sickly pale.
"Speak," Qiao Yishen said in a leisurely tone.
"Speak? Speak about what?" The youth standing in the middle of the ward tried to appear calm, but his trembling legs betrayed his nervousness.
He had been enjoying himself gambling with the money when several people suddenly barged in and captured him. He had tried to resist, but it was clear his captors were well-trained, and he stood no chance against them.
Seeing the girl on the hospital bed, he began to guess why he had been brought here.
But he hadn’t done anything excessive. With this thought, he felt sowhat emboldened. He hadn’t done anything, so these people couldn’t do anything to him.
However, the ntal fortitude he had prepared collapsed in an instant when he t the gaze of the silent man beside the bed. The n who had seized him had looked fierce and frightening, but this quiet man seed even more terrifying.
He recalled a rather inappropriate saying: a barking dog never bites... What kind of crappy taphor is that?
"Ladies and gentlen, I don’t know any of you. Why did you kidnap ?" He put on an innocent face. "Is there so kind of misunderstanding? We live in a society under the rule of law. Don’t do anything rash..."
Qiao Youning thought he was afraid to speak. Her fifth brother’s and Second Brother Quan’s n indeed didn’t look like good people.
"Don’t be scared," she stepped forward, speaking righteously to the young man. "Just tell us what happened; no one will do anything to you."
As she spoke, Qiao Youning cast a glance at Ning Guiwan.
The re thought of tearing away this woman’s beautiful facade to reveal her disgusting true self made her blood boil with excitent.
What have I experienced? The youth thought the girl in front of him might be crazy.
"I heard it all!" Qiao Youning, angered by the man’s cowardice, pointed at Ning Guiwan. "I saw you kneel down and beg her not to leave you! She was your girlfriend, despised you for being poor, played with you, and then dumped you, didn’t she?"
The youth glanced at Ning Guiwan, then quickly looked away. "Miss, please don’t fra . I don’t even know her. How could she possibly be my girlfriend?"
Qiao Youning was taken aback. "You’re lying! It was definitely you last night! I couldn’t possibly have mistaken soone else!"
"Youning, you’ve said enough," Qiao Yishen looked at his sister with so disappointnt.
"Fifth Brother, I’m not lying to you! I really saw him crying and begging, pleading with Ning Guiwan not to leave him! I haven’t lied to you..." Qiao Youning thought the disappointnt in her fifth brother’s eyes was because she had lied. But she hadn’t! She had really seen it...
Realizing sothing, she turned her head and glared fiercely at Ning Guiwan. "It was you! You definitely threatened him! That’s why he doesn’t dare to speak the truth..."
"Enough, Youning!" Qiao Yishen ran out of patience.
"Fifth Brother..." Qiao Youning’s face flushed with anger. "He’s lying!"
Qiao Yishen didn’t bother with her anymore and extended his right hand toward his subordinates. One of them imdiately handed him a docunt. The corners of Qiao Yishen’s mouth still held a smile, but his eyes were frosty as he calmly read from the paper, "Qian Lucheng, born January 23, 1991, in Henan Province..."
The docunt detailed the house number right down to the village. It was an extrely remote mountain village.
Qiao Yishen’s voice wasn’t loud, but it still made the youth’s forehead break out in sweat.
Who exactly were these people? They had dug up his entire family background! What ordinary person could uncover soone’s past so quickly? Had he offended soone he shouldn’t have...?
After Qiao Yishen finished reading, he looked at Qian Lucheng. "Now, do you rember anything you want to say?"
Qian Lucheng trembled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I... I..."
Ning Guiwan had already guessed his identity when Qiao Yishen ntioned the youth’s surna and place of origin. Ning Honghua and Yun Shu ca from that place, and Chen Bingde had a brother-in-law nad Qian.
"You are Ning Rongyue’s cousin," Ning Guiwan stated with certainty.
Qian Lucheng’s knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a THUD. For a hundred thousand yuan, who on earth had he provoked? He internally cursed Ning Rongyue again and again for setting him up!
Ning Guiwan glanced at Qiao Youning, whose face still held traces of righteous indignation, and understood. "You heard him talking to and thought I had played with his emotions, and feared I would do the sa to your Second Brother Lu, so you attacked ?"
Qiao Youning’s expression faltered. This man was actually Sister Rongyue’s cousin? She vaguely sensed sothing but refused to believe it. So what if he was Sister Rongyue’s cousin? Did that an this wasn’t Sister Rongyue’s fault? This only further proved how vile Ning Guiwan was! To think she’d do such a thing to Sister Rongyue’s cousin—soone she should also address as ’cousin’!
"So what if it is?" Qiao Youning argued. "I just want to protect Second Brother Lu! I can’t let you hurt him!"
Ning Guiwan listened and chuckled softly.
Ning Rongyue had thoroughly figured out this pampered young lady’s character. She’d laid such a clever trap, manipulating soone into being her unwitting executioner with just a few words. That truly was a skill.
"What are you laughing at?" The smile on Ning Guiwan’s lips was interpreted as mockery by Qiao Youning. "You... you kind of woman..."
"Youning!" Qiao Yishen interrupted his sister’s tactless words. He had left her here hoping she would see clearly what kind of scheming person her ’Sister Rongyue’ actually was. He hadn’t expected her to be so stubborn.
Qiao Yishen glanced at Quan Yu, who had been silent the whole ti. The computer had been placed beside the bed. Quan Yu’s long fingers were leisurely rolling a cigarette, his face calm, but Qiao Yishen knew his patience was nearly exhausted.
Suddenly, he felt keeping Qiao Youning here to "atone" was a mistake. He feared that not only had they not gained forgiveness, but they had also deepened the conflict.
He rubbed his hair in irritation and gave one of his subordinates a look. The man imdiately understood, stepped forward, grabbed Qian Lucheng by the collar, and punched him square in the face.
"Are you going to talk or not?"
Half of Qian Lucheng’s face went numb. These people were too arrogant! This was a hospital, a public place, and they dared to hit soone!
"Help—"
Before he could scream for help, another punch landed, nearly knocking him unconscious, stars bursting before his eyes.
"If you don’t talk, we’ll find a quiet place and have a nice long ’chat’." The man gripping his collar stared at him ominously, his eyes seething with a bloodthirsty intent.
For a mont, Qian Lucheng had the illusion that if he continued to be stubborn, he might actually et his end here today...
"I... I’ll talk..."
By nine-thirty, the assorted crowd had left. Only Ning Guiwan and Quan Yu remained in the ward, with his bodyguards standing guard outside the tightly closed door.
"Were you frightened?" Quan Yu passed her a cup of hot water.
Ning Guiwan drew her gaze back from the void, focusing on Quan Yu’s face. Under the lamp, the man wore a white shirt, his features handso, exuding a lofty detachnt.
She took the water, feeling its comforting warmth. She slowly shook her head, a faint smile playing on her pale lips. "You covered my eyes, rember? I didn’t see anything. How could I be scared?"
Besides, she had witnessed far more grueso scenes.
"You and Mr. Qiao..." Ning Guiwan looked at Quan Yu, her gaze even. "You don’t have to offend your good friend for my sake. I can handle this myself."
After Qian Lucheng confessed, Qiao Youning seed devastated. She emotionally claid that Qian Lucheng had been coerced by Ning Guiwan to slander Ning Rongyue. Qiao Yishen slapped her.
Qiao Youning stared at her fifth brother for a full minute, tears streaming down her face. Finally, she covered her face and ran out, looking heartbroken.
Qiao Yishen apologized to Ning Guiwan on behalf of his sister. The Qiao Family was an influential powerhouse in Shencheng. Outside, people respectfully addressed him as Fifth Master Qiao. Yet, he was now apologizing so humbly to Ning Guiwan, clearly out of consideration for Quan Yu.
Ning Guiwan wanted to give the Qiao Group face, but Quan Yu directly issued an order to expel them: "Enough. What needs to be settled will be settled."
When Qiao Yishen left, his expression was not pleasant. It was unclear whether he was more angered by his sister’s mindlessness or his friend’s ruthlessness.
"You got hurt right under my nose. I already feel incredibly guilty for not protecting you well enough. If I let you handle this yourself, are you trying to make die of self-reproach?"
The man sat down beside the bed, his hands resting on the quilt on either side of Ning Guiwan’s legs, his broad fra leaning in slightly towards her. He was very close; his breath seed to ghost over her face.
Ning Guiwan leaned back slightly, taking a sip of water to mask the unease stirring within her. Her gaze inadvertently fell on his chest. His movent had pulled his shirt taut, revealing well-defined muscles. He must exercise regularly... She averted her gaze and took another sip of water.
"Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?"
Ning Guiwan lowered her eyes, ostensibly looking at the pristine white quilt, but her gaze unintentionally strayed to Quan Yu’s legs...
"It is," Quan Yu said, his gaze focused. "I promised to protect you well, but it seems I haven’t done a very good job of it."
Hearing this, Ning Guiwan paused and looked up at him. "Who did you promise?"
The girl’s eyes were beautiful. Filled with doubt, they revealed a certain innocence and clarity. Her lips were moist from the water she had just drunk.
Quan Yu gazed at her and slowly leaned down.
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