Qiao Nian looked at the flas.h.i.+ng red dot on Country M and frowned. Pulling out a chair and sitting down, she pulled out the contact list of her cell phone and scrolled down before calling Jian Jin.
This time, there was someone on the other end.
But they were not answering the phone.
Instead, they hung up on her.
Qiao Nian did not wait any longer. As she called Tian Chen's familiar a.s.sistant, she picked up her bag and started packing.
"h.e.l.lo, Miss Qiao." The a.s.sistant picked up quickly. His voice was fleeting, and it was obvious that he had lost his backbone. His heart was in a mess.
Qiao Nian was concise and asked him directly, "What happened to Lu Zhi?"
* * *
Qiao Nian came down from the second floor.
Qin Si was talking about returning to Beijing when he looked up and saw the man sitting calmly on the sofa with his legs propped up and looking at his cell phone. His eyebrows moved as he asked him, "Master w.a.n.g, Sister Qiao's birthday is coming soon, right? Sister Qiao will be 20 this year. What are your plans?"
Gu San remembered Old Master Ye's instructions. He put down the broom and said to the man, "Old Master said that you both have to go back on Miss Qiao's birthday."
"Elder Ye wants to celebrate Sister Qiao's birthday, right?" Qin Si touched the ear stud on his ear and understood.
Gu San guessed that this was what he meant. "Old Master didn't say, but Miss Qiao's 20th birthday will definitely be a big one."
The two of them spoke one after another. The man leaning against the sofa had an outstanding appearance and was so lazy that he did not even look up.
He seemed to be messaging someone.
"Master w.a.n.g, who are you sending a message to?" Seeing that he did not react for a long time, Qin Si walked over to take a look. "You didn't react when we talked about Sister Qiao…"
He walked behind the man. All he saw was the symbol of an eagle, followed by Ye w.a.n.gchuan's message.
He only saw three words in a flash: [Let go yet?]
"Let go?" Qin Si was stunned for a moment before asking him in a daze, "Let go of what?"
Ye w.a.n.gchuan blocked the screen before he could see more. From the corner of his eye, he saw a reply from the other end.
[We've already released him according to your wishes. We didn't touch him.]
Seeing the answer he wanted, Ye w.a.n.gchuan slowly put away his cell phone and looked up to change the topic. "What did you say to me just now?"
"It's Sister Qiao's 20th birthday." As expected, Qin Si was led by the nose. He came back to his senses and said, "Sister Qiao's 20th birthday is coming soon. Didn't you prepare a gift?"
Ye w.a.n.gchuan was about to speak when he suddenly saw the girl coming down the stairs from the corner of his eye.
The girl was still dressed in a hoodie, but she was wearing a more low-key white T-s.h.i.+rt today. She was also holding a black shoulder bag.
It was different from usual.
Her bag was bulging today. It was obvious that she had packed a lot of things.
Ye w.a.n.gchuan's eyes darkened. He pursed his lips and stood up.
Qiao Nian came down the stairs and saw them. She walked over to the man and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm going out."
"Where are you going?" Ye w.a.n.gchuan went to get his car keys. "I'll send you."
Qiao Nian felt that he might have guessed something. She raised her hand and stopped him. Her head hurt when her dark and clear eyes met his gaze. "There's no need… The place I'm going to isn't nearby."
"What do you mean?" Qin Si interrupted.
Qiao Nian looked at him and then at Ye w.a.n.gchuan. She hesitated before saying, "I'm going out for a while. I'm not sure how many days I'll be gone. I'll be back in two or three days at the earliest. If it's long, it might take a week or ten days to half a month."