Plunder
Chapter 85 - 85 85 Pregnancy Makes You Dumb for Three Years

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Pregnancy Makes You Dumb for Three Years Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Pregnancy Makes You Dumb for Three Years “Ah De, listen to me, give me the concert ticket first.”

Qiao En reached out to take the ticket from Qiao De.

Qiao De, looking puzzled, clutched the ticket and refused to give it up.

“Sis, what’s going on? You already gave me the ticket, why do you want it back?”

Seeing Jay Chou live in concert had always been his dream. Moreover, the concert was in Rong City, a rare opportunity that he couldn’t afford to miss.

Furthermore, when he had received the ticket the previous night, he had shared the good news with his dormitory friends. They had purchased their tickets and planned to go together.

“Ah De, I promise I will buy you another one in the future.”

Qiao En’s hand was still extended.

“Do you know how hard it was to get this ticket? He won’t be performing in Rong City again.”

Qiao De stared stubbornly at Qiao En, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Ah De, I’m sorry.”

Qiao En was unyielding.

Latterly, Qiao De, as if in defiance, threw the ticket at Qiao En. He grabbed the blanket and covered his head, sobbing loudly.

Qiao En wanted to comfort him, but she swallowed her words before they could come out.

She knew the truth, but Qiao De didn’t.

The whole matter was too complicated, and she didn’t know how to explain it to Qiao De. All she knew was that she couldn’t keep the ticket.

After thinking about it, Qiao En sent the ticket by express mail to An Corporation, addressed to Yao Jian.

He had connections with Su Nian, and receiving the package would surely make him understand her intentions.

Qiao En wanted Su Nian to come forward voluntarily.

Only when everyone was out in the open could she figure out what to do next.

Just after she had sent off the express, she received a call from a nurse.

“Miss Qiao, your brother is insisting on being discharged from the hospital.”

Qiao En hurried upstairs, where Qiao De had already packed his belongings. Limping on one leg, he stubbornly dragged his belongings out the door.

“Ah De, stop making a fuss, your leg isn’t healed yet.”

Qiao En went over to stop him. She snatched the bag from his hand. Unable to wrest it back, Qiao De simply let go.

“I know whether I’m well or not. The doctors have said there’s nothing seriously wrong with me. I want to be discharged, I want to go back to school.”

Not even twenty years old, Qiao De was still childlike in nature. Qiao En had taken his concert ticket, and in a fit of pique, he responded in this petulant manner.

But Qiao En, unlike before, did not try to coax or persuade him with patience.

“Fine, I’ll go get you discharged.”

Qiao En, unusually calm, swiftly arranged the discharge procedures for Qiao De.

Carrying his belongings, she led the way, and Qiao De followed behind, limping. Neither spoke a word.

The midday sun was intense, shrinking their high and low figures into equally sized, blurry shadows.

At the hospital entrance.

Qiao En called a taxi for Qiao De, putting all his items in the trunk. Qiao De dived into the car, turning his head away, without speaking a word to Qiao En throughout.

She had paid his three million yuan high-interest loan, solved such a huge problem for him, and took great pains to care for him for so long, yet none of this compared to the significance of a concert ticket in his heart.

Familial affection provides warmth, but at times, it also brings coldness.

After seeing Qiao De off, Qiao En went to visit their father.

The doctor came for a consultation. Their father was recovering well, and he only needed regular hospital check-ups in the future. The doctor suggested that he could be discharged now.

“Thank you… Thank you…”

Their father stammered, incessantly thanking the doctor.

A smile finally appeared on their mother’s face; she busied herself gathering items around the room, with Qiao En also pitching in to pack.

Suddenly, Qiao En found two boxes of high-end bird’s nest among the items her mother was packing.

“Mom, who sent these bird’s nests?”

Qiao En asked curiously.

While tidying up, Qiao’s mother responded, “Weren’t these the ones you brought yesterday? You even mentioned they were from a former colleague of yours, have you forgotten so soon? Oh, my dear, your colleagues are such nice people. Your dad will be discharged from the hospital soon; why don’t you invite them over sometime? I’ll cook something delicious for them.”

“Yesterday? When yesterday?”

Qiao En asked suspiciously.

Qiao’s mother stopped her chores, looking at Qiao En with concern.

A mother’s brain during pregnancy could be forgetful, and Qiao En had just become pregnant. Could she really have forgotten?

“Last night, you mentioned you bumped into a few colleagues at the hospital entrance and had dinner together. You even packed some roast duck for your dad—look, he hasn’t even finished it yet!”

Qiao’s mother pointed towards the takeout box on the bedside table.

Yangchun Pavilion.

Qiao En recognized the logo immediately.

“Mom, I need to step out for a bit.”

Qiao En dropped what she was holding and hurriedly left the hospital room.

Yangchun Pavilion wasn’t far from the hospital; Qiao En almost ran there.

It was the afternoon, and the restaurant was empty except for a few helpers gathered playing cards.

“Lunchtime is over.”

Seeing her come in, one of the helpers waved her off.

But Qiao En didn’t stop; she headed straight for the cashier.

“Hello, my family member is missing, she was here last night. May I check the surveillance footage?”

At the cashier, a plump auntie was busy scrolling through videos on her phone and dismissed Qiao En without even looking up.

“No,” she bluntly refused.

Qiao En was smart; she knew it wouldn’t be easy to simply ask to view the surveillance.

However, in this world, there was always a way to get from “no” to “yes.”

Having spent three years alongside Zhou Jin’an, she had learned quite a few ways to find alternatives.

“I see, could I use your restroom then?”

Qiao En clutched her stomach, miming reaching for a tissue, but smoothly slipped five pre-prepared red bills into the auntie’s pocket without a sound.

Qiao En had her ways, and the other party was cooperative.

She glanced around, deliberately raising her voice, “The restroom is at the back, but don’t make it a habit.”

Saying so, she stood up and led Qiao En towards the back.

Inside the storeroom, a computer monitor was on; she opened the door slightly and whispered to Qiao En, “Ten minutes, make it quick.”

“Thank you.”

Qiao En gratefully slipped in.

She gripped the mouse and quickly scrolled through the footage to last night’s timing, dragging the cursor to locate the woman.

Yangchun Pavilion was bustling at night, filled with people coming and going.

Qiao En’s eyes almost touched the screen as she meticulously searched the footage.

Suddenly, a familiar figure entered her view.

There she was.

Despite wearing a mask, Qiao En recognized her instantly.

She was dressed in a white dress identical to Qiao En’s, carrying the two boxes of bird’s nest for Qiao’s father.

She hadn’t dined there but had just taken the food and left.

However, just as she was about to leave Yangchun Pavilion, she suddenly turned back, removed her mask and, facing the camera, made a “V” gesture with her fingers.