Luan Qiaoqing got into the car with a wooden face, and the car drove out.
The car belonged to the company, and the driver also belonged to the company, or to be more precise, he was from the logistics team under the Human Resources Department - so the driver knew Minister Luan's temper and the grudge between the two people in the back row very well. He didn't even dare to play a song loudly along the way and pretended to be dead the whole time.
The air in the back seat of the car was exceptionally quiet, almost embarrassingly quiet.
Luan Qiaoqing estimated Qin Lou's temper in her heart and was very sure that her entire journey might be arranged to be with the Tyrannosaurus Rex next to her.
For the sake of his own investigation, he had to temporarily cease fire with this Tyrannosaurus Rex and not interfere with each other - Luan Qiaoqing thought so, and in his heart he worked hard to prepare himself mentally and counsel himself, and finally he was able to open his mouth and try to speak to Chu Xiangbin in a gentle tone.
"Minister Chu."
"Yeah." Chu Xiangbin didn't look up, staring at the work tablet in his hand.
Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth and kept smiling, "What is Minister Chu looking at?"
"The work report they handed in..." Chu Xiangbin stopped talking halfway, and turned to look at Luan Qiaoqing warily, "Why are you so concerned about me all of a sudden? Did you take the wrong medicine?"
No one cares about you.
Luan Qiaoqing cursed in her heart, but kept a gritted smile on her face, "Minister Chu, please don't misunderstand me. I just considered that we will be working together for the next two weeks, and was wondering if you have time so that we can discuss how to reach an agreement in a friendly manner?"
Chu Xiangbin looked at her doubtfully, then lowered his head and said, "I received a business trip notice yesterday, and there are still many things I haven't dealt with. Let's talk later if you have anything to say."
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing almost broke her teeth.
After a few seconds, she wiped her face and said, "Chu Xiangbin, while I'm still talking to you, solve the problem as soon as possible. Don't be so arrogant!"
Chu Xiangbin lowered his head and smiled.
Luan Qiaoqing was still angry and looked at him coldly, "What are you laughing at!"
"This is the normal you. Don't be so coy next time. It makes me uncomfortable." Chu Xiangbin turned off the tablet, put it on the soft table in the middle, and leaned back in the leather seat. "Speak now."
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing stared at him for several seconds, unable to describe what she was saying. "Don't be an M, do you?"
This touched upon the blind spot of someone who was arrogant because of his talent. Chu Xiangbin was rarely stunned. He turned back subconsciously and asked, "What is m?"
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Luan Qiaoqing said in a bad temper: "It means a fool."
Chu Xiangbin sneered and turned back, "Then how can I compare to you?"
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Luan Qiaoqing silently repeated "A great man should not bear grudges against a small man" three times in her heart, and then she thought carefully about the purpose of her trip. Then she patiently lowered her voice and said to Chu Xiangbin, "I don't know what business trip Qin Lou has assigned you, but I have my own private business to attend to this time - so I hope that no matter what joint tasks we are assigned in the future, after we have agreed to them on the surface, we can each do our own work and not disturb each other. What do you think?"
Chu Xiangbin: "What's your personal matter?"
Luan Qiaoqing looked wooden-faced, "This has nothing to do with you, right?"
"What if you go out and kill someone or set something on fire? If I agree to it on your behalf, wouldn't that make me an accomplice?"
"… I'm alive and well, why would I go on a business trip to Country E and kill people and burn things?"
"Who knows? It might be easier to destroy the body abroad." Chu Xiangbin glanced at her. "Besides, Qin Qing is here this time. It's not the first time that you've considered her a thorn in your side. Who in the company doesn't know that? Do you dare to say that you're not here for her this time?"
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing choked.
She really did it for "Qin Qing".
"I'll tell you." Chu Xiangbin sneered and turned back. "If you want to bang your head against the wall, don't drag me along with you."
Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth in anger, "The reason I came out is indeed related to Qin Qing, but it's not what you think!"
"What's that?"
“… I can’t tell you!”
"cut."
Luan Qiaoqing was furious, "Are you going to agree or not?!"
"… "
This time it was Chu Xiangbin's turn to remain silent.
He was silent for a long time, so long that Luan Qiaoqing almost lost her patience, and Chu Xiangbin raised his eyes. He stretched out his hand and pressed, and the soundproof panel between the front and back seats of this special official car slowly stood up.
Luan Qiaoqing looked at him in bewilderment, "Why are you doing this? I didn't say anything that shouldn't be heard by others."
Chu Xiangbin sneered, "I want to kill people and set fire to things, so I can't let him see or hear it, okay?"
"… What are you going to—"
"Do you like Qin Lou so much?"
"—?" Luan Qiaoqing almost choked herself. "Who do I like?"
"Qin Lou."
Luan Qiaoqing's expression suddenly looked as if she had suffered a great insult: "Am I a masochist or is there something stuck in my brain? Why would I like him?!"
Chu Xiangbin paused for a few seconds, his expression changed slightly, "You don't like him?"
"Of course I—" Luan Qiaoqing choked with anger, "No, why should I like him? He is my former future brother-in-law, and I call him brother. Am I crazy?"
Chu Xiangbin nodded. "The whole company thinks so. The gossip about you and Qin Lou is nothing new in the industry. Don't you know that?"
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing had a blank expression.
Seeing through the answer, Chu Xiangbin couldn't help laughing. He turned away and said, "That's really in line with your personality."
Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth, "Get lost. ... Which idiot spread rumors about me like this? Give me their names and I'll beat them to death when I get back."
Chu Xiangbin: "This is why the rumor didn't reach you, you know?"
Luan Qiaoqing frowned, thought for a few seconds in annoyance, and waved her hand, "Forget it, let's talk about this later. Let's get back to what we just discussed - why are you asking me this?"
"Since you don't like Qin Lou, why do you have to be a light bulb when they are on a business trip?"
Selectively ignoring those words that made her teeth hurt, Luan Qiaoqing said with a straight face: "There are some grievances between Qin Qing and I - it has nothing to do with Qin Lou, but I must make it clear. There are so many people in the company, it's not convenient to make it clear, let alone talk about it. It's best to do it outside."
Luan Qiaoqing finished speaking and paused for two seconds, "Is this okay?"
"Yeah." Chu Xiangbin nodded.
Luan Qiaoqing had a stern expression on her face, and glanced at him secretly from the corner of her eyes, "So what do you think of what I just told you?"
Chu Xiangbin: "Pretend to obey but secretly disobey, and do not interfere with each other?"
"You don't have to say it so harshly..."
"Can."
"—So satisfying?" Luan Qiaoqing turned her head unexpectedly and looked at Chu Xiangbin.
Chu Xiangbin smiled and said, "Otherwise, I'll take it back?"
"That's not necessary." Luan Qiaoqing quickly interrupted her. Before turning around, she glanced at Chu Xiangbin uncertainly, "Why do I feel like you're in a good mood?"
Chu Xiangbin has picked up the tablet again.
"You're hallucinating because you took the wrong medicine."
"Pooh."
"… "
In the shadow of the car window, the corners of the man's mouth curled up silently.
Perhaps because the itinerary was arranged in a hurry, there was no time to apply for flight permission for the private jet, and the flights that were available at the right time only had business class and economy class options. Without an exclusive first-class privilege boarding channel, Qin Lou could only squeeze into the VIP lounge of the business class with Song Shu and the other two.
Many business class lounges are membership-based for airlines. You don't necessarily have to buy a business class seat to enjoy VIP lounge access - which also makes the lounge a bit noisy and crowded.
Song Shu sat in the corner with Qin Lou, his brows slightly frowned.
After seeing Luan Qiaoqing and Chu Xiangbin also found their own seats, she moved closer to Qin Lou and asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Qin Lou froze for a few seconds before he seemed to hear Song Shu's voice.
He pursed his lips, and suddenly leaned on Song Shu's shoulder without any warning, "Yeah, headache."
"..." Song Shu was stunned for a moment, but subconsciously reached out to support the man. "Then you—"
Before he could finish his words, a figure walked up to them.
Song Shu looked up and met Luan Qiaoqing's complicated gaze.
Song Shu raised his lips, an instinctive smile already on his face, "Minister Luan, is there anything?"
Luan Qiaoqing put down the two bottles of mineral water she had taken from the self-service area nearby, handed one to Song Shu, and then said, "He is like this."
Song Shu was stunned, "?"
Luan Qiaoqing took another bottle of water and pointed at Qin Lou who was leaning on Song Shu's shoulder with his eyes closed. "Ever since my sister got into trouble a few years ago, he has been like this every time he enters the airport. I guess it's a type of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)."
Song Shu froze.
Her mind was blank for a few seconds.
Because she instantly understood the part of what Luan Qiaoqing didn't say - when Qin Lou said goodbye to her at the airport, she told him "Crazy, don't be afraid" on the day he left, and how did Crazy respond
He said, "As long as you are here, I am not afraid of anything."
But when he came back, everything was gone.
So the airport became the outbreak point of his PTSD, a place where he would become uneasy, pale, and emotionally agitated whenever he arrived.
"Assistant Qin?"
"!"
Song Shu's fingertips trembled, and she suddenly came back to her senses. She knew that she had lost her composure in the past few seconds, and Luan Qiaoqing was staring at her motionlessly with a thoughtful and complicated look, but those were things that could be dealt with later.
Song Shu directly took the water from Luan Qiaoqing's hand and smiled, "I see, thank you Minister Luan. I will pay attention to it later - you go back, I will take care of it here."
Luan Qiaoqing wanted to ask something else, but finally glanced cautiously at the man with frowned brows on Song Shu's shoulder, then turned away hesitantly.
As soon as Luan Qiaoqing left, Song Shu turned around and reached out to touch Qin Lou's forehead worriedly.
There is a cool feeling in the palm of your hand.
Song Shu's fingers trembled again. She tried her best to calm her voice and smiled, "Qin Lou, why don't we go back? If you want to go out and relax, then we can go somewhere else. We don't have to take a plane."
The person leaning on her shoulder seemed to have fallen asleep, and there was no movement for a long time. When Song Shu was so nervous that she was about to do something, she heard the person beside her ear say in a low and hoarse voice: "No."
"But in your current state, you still have nearly ten hours of flight ahead—"
"… I'm fine." Qin Lou frowned, his voice revealing a bit of unrepressed pain. He stretched out his hands to hug Song Shu, squeezing so hard that his knuckles turned white. "I just need to get used to it."
Song Shu wanted to say something else, but she also knew that as long as Qin Lou was determined, it would be difficult for her to convince him.
Especially given the man's current state, she would feel distressed if he said even one more word.
Song Shu could only suppress his anxiety, and put his arms around Qin Lou soothingly, letting him lie on his side in his arms.
"Then you should have a good rest and stop thinking about it."
"hand… "
"What?"
"Your hand." Qin Lou slowly groped and held her hand. He felt cold from the palm to the knuckles and then to the fingertips.
Luan Qiaoqing said that he was suffering from PTSD, which was not accurate. He also had other concurrent psychological symptoms. Because the hallucinations were so severe that they almost caused him physical pain reactions—even every joint of the hand that was holding Song Shu's seemed to ache when he moved it.
But Qin Lou still gritted his teeth and held on. He didn't even let Song Shu see it, and didn't mention the medicine he had brought with him. He just tried his best to hold her hand and slowly intertwined their fingers.
Then hold it tight.
Qin Lou held her hand in his arms - only in this way could he feel that she was truly beside him. Only in this way could he not drift helplessly like a rootless duckweed in his nightmare.
Holding Song Shu's hand, Qin Lou slowly closed his eyes. His breathing and emotions gradually calmed down...
An hour later, the plane was ready to fly.
When Qin Lou, Song Shu and the other two walked to the boarding gate, there was already a long line outside. Business class passengers did not have to wait or queue, so the four of them checked in and boarded the plane in advance through the VIP channel.
At this time, the economy class had not yet started checking tickets, and the flight attendants standing inside and outside the cabin door smiled kindly and gently. The four of us sat down in the business class.
In terms of the seating arrangement, Qin Lou and Song Shu sat side by side, Luan Qiaoqing and Chu Xiangbin sat next to each other on the right, with an aisle and another pair of empty seats in the middle.
As soon as they sat down, a flight attendant came over and asked them with a friendly smile if they needed anything to drink.
Song Shu turned around to look at Qin Lou beside him. After coming out of the lounge, he still held her hand tightly without letting go.
"Qin Lou." Song Shu called out softly.
The flight attendant asked worriedly, "Is this gentleman feeling unwell?"
Song Shu looked back and smiled apologetically, "He... didn't get enough rest last night, so no need for drinks. Give me a hot towel."
"Okay, wait a moment."
Soon after, the flight attendant brought back the hot towel Song Shu had requested. Song Shu unfolded the rolled towel, turned sideways and took Qin Lou's hand - after so long, his hand was still cold, as if the chill was seeping out from his body.
Song Shu sighed silently, carefully and cautiously covered the back of his hand with a hot towel, and rubbed it gently.
After the towel cooled down, Song Shu took it away, turned around and prepared to hand it to his side and pull it out onto the open small table.
But before her hand could move a few centimeters away, Qin Lou, who had been lying motionless and letting her toss him around, suddenly opened his eyes and reached out to grab her hand back.
"Don't leave." He spoke in a hoarse and calm voice, pretending to be threatening.
Song Shu was stunned for a moment, then he came back to his senses and didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I'm not leaving, I just want to put this down."
“… That won’t work either.”
"Okay, then I won't let go." Song Shu could only go along with him.
Seeing Song Shu sitting back, Qin Lou's vigilance gradually relaxed, but he was still a little dissatisfied, "I want to lean on you."
Song Shu blinked, "There's really nothing we can do about this."
The business class cabin is a large space for one person, and the armrest between two people is so wide and thick that it can be used as a small table - there is absolutely no room for a person to lie down, not even to rest his head on his shoulders.
Qin Lou looked calmly, obviously realizing this as well.
Seeing him throwing a tantrum like a child, Song Shu felt helpless but wanted to laugh, "Just bear with it for a while, and you'll be fine once you get off the plane, ok?"
Qin Lou huddled in his seat, holding Song Shu's hand tightly, and closed his eyes without saying a word.
The eight or nine-hour journey was long and unbearable.
The time zone of country e happened to be eight or nine hours behind that of China. When the four people finally arrived, the time happened to be the same as when they took off - the sun was hiding behind the dark clouds outside the airport, the sunlight was not strong, and it was indeed noon.
But from a physical point of view, after eight or nine hours of travel, it is almost time for normal rest and sleep. In addition, the fatigue from the journey makes the body even more tired.
Leaving the disembarkation gate, Luan Qiaoqing rubbed her temples as she walked and muttered, "I hate jet lag the most."
Perhaps it was because he was about to leave the airport that Qin Lou regained some energy. At this moment, he even had time to glance at Luan Qiaoqing and asked, "Didn't you insist on coming here?"
Luan Qiaoqing felt guilty and kept silent.
The company had specially arranged two cars to pick up the four of them at the airport. This time, even Luan Qiaoqing was particularly conscious and got into the back car with Chu Xiangbin, who had temporarily reached a friendly agreement.
It wasn't long after they drove out that she realized something was wrong. "Why did we go the other way?"
There was a receptionist sitting in the passenger seat. He turned around and looked at Luan Qiaoqing with a smile on his face. "Minister Luan, Mr. Qin has said that he and Miss Qin have other plans this afternoon."
"What about us??"
"Boss Qin said that Minister Luan and Minister Chu can go back to the hotel and rest. There is still a lot of work to be done in the next two weeks. The time difference between the two of you must be adjusted as soon as possible so as not to affect your work."
“… … ”
In another car.
Qin Lou finally got his wish and lay on Song Shu's lap. He no longer had to endure the torment of the hard, separate seats on an airplane, and his expression was filled with visible joy.
So even though Song Shu felt a little embarrassed by the glances from the man in the passenger seat whom she had just met today through the rearview mirror from time to time, she still couldn't bear to reject Qin Lou. She just pretended not to notice and turned to stare outside the car.
After watching for a while, Song Shu also found something wrong.
She was silent for a few seconds, then looked down at Qin Lou, who was resting his head on her legs, "Aren't we going directly to the hotel?"
Qin Lou moved, "Let's do one thing first, and then go to the hotel."
"Why not leave it for tomorrow? You're not in good shape today, so go back to the hotel and rest."
"Tomorrow? No." Qin Lou opened his eyes, opened the retractable soundproof panel between the front and back rows, and then sat up reluctantly.
Song Shu glanced at the soundproofing board and asked, "Is it urgent?"
"It's not urgent, but we are." Qin Lou said, "The reason why I scheduled the trip so hastily is that I don't intend to give the senior management of the board of directors or others time to react. They won't have enough time to set up surveillance in a foreign country halfway around the world within two or three days, so they won't be able to grasp our whereabouts in the first two or three days."
Song Shu's eyes gradually tightened, but his tone was helpless, "What exactly are you going to do, Qin Lou."
"… "
Qin Lou was silent for a long time, then asked, "Do you remember that day in the hospital when I told you that I was on a business trip to investigate the drunk driver?"
Song Shu nodded, "I remember."
"I didn't lie to you about that. I did check it out." Qin Lou said, "I have been investigating the accident since I returned to China because I felt that the timing of the accident was too coincidental. It couldn't have been an accident. The results of my investigation also proved my belief."
Qin Lou raised his eyes and looked at Song Shu.
Song Shu naturally knew what he was talking about, "That driver is the victim in the eag debt case."
"Yes, so he was seeking revenge maliciously. He deliberately caused the car accident even though he knew you were Bai Song's daughter." Qin Lou paused. "This is what I found out at the time. I had someone convict him of intentional homicide, but he will not be executed. That would be too easy for him."
Song Shu's heart tightened, "Qin Lou..."
"It's okay." Qin Lou loosened his unconsciously clenched fist and smiled, "It's over, you're back, it doesn't matter to me."
"… "
Song Shu looked at him worriedly.
Qin Lou retracted his gaze, "But I didn't expect that I was deceived after all - for this car accident, they specially prepared a second layer for me that could be checked, and used this layer to hide the third layer."
Song Shu's eyes trembled, "Did you find out who instructed him?"
Qin Lou paused and nodded, "You may be disappointed with the answer."
"..." Song Shu was stunned, then he thought of something and looked outside the car.
Qin Lou sighed, stretched out his hand to pull the person back, and hugged him. "The couple has long been suspected, you must have known it a long time ago. But they are just tools in this case. The evidence I got this time can only convict the two of them at most. If we want to implicate the people behind them, even if we can get the testimony of the couple, there is no way to ensure that those people will be sent to prison."
"But they should know the full list behind this."
"Well, they should know."
Song Shu was silent for a few seconds before asking, "How did you find out about them?"
"That driver was involved in the EAG debt case and lost everything. But not long ago, I investigated his wife who had been divorced and neglected. I found that his children had material conditions far above the average living standard. Then I asked someone to check their bank accounts and found that after the matter was settled, a huge amount of money was transferred into their accounts, which was considered a huge amount for an ordinary family."
Song Shu understood, "Hush money."
"Well, I went to find that account myself and interrogated them. The money was transferred anonymously to that account, and it was covered up by several empty accounts. It took me some effort to trace it back to Qin Fujun."
"… "
Even though he already knew the answer in his mind, Song Shu's eyes still flickered slightly when he heard the name.
After a moment, she looked up and out the window. The car had left the relatively busy airport area and entered the sparsely populated manor area.
"Uncle Yu has tried his best but has not made any progress in this area... Has she been hiding in this place all these years?" Song Shu asked in a trembling voice.
When mentioning this, Qin Lou's eyes darkened slightly.
"I don't know if she is hidden here, but someone must know."
Song Shu was startled and looked back.
Her gaze met the ferocious emotions in Qin Lou's eyes.
From it, Song Shu could see pain, anger, powerlessness, regret, guilt...all kinds of emotions.
Song Shu was in a daze for a moment, then he understood the purpose of this journey.
After a long silence, she reached out and held Qin Lou's hand.
"I said, this matter has nothing to do with you. I don't blame you. Even if my mother were still alive, she wouldn't blame you."
"… "
Qin Lou held Song Shu's hand and slowly tightened it.
After driving for several hours, we found that the suburbs of Country E were even more sparsely populated than in China. Apart from some convenience stores and gas stations, there were almost no people along the way.
In the second half, there were only large flower fields and manors, with scattered European-style buildings dotted on the distant horizon.
On one hand, Song Shu was suffering from physical fatigue and the drowsiness brought about by her biological clock, and on the other hand, the truth that she had been searching for for many years was about to unfold before her eyes. It was like being in a world of ice and fire, with the alternation of cold and heat torturing her and making her feel excited and uneasy even on the edge of drowsiness.
After this torture lasted for a long time, the car finally took them down to a narrower road leading to a private estate.
After driving for another ten minutes, the car drove into a manor.
The manor is planted with many domestic plant varieties that are rarely seen in Country E. The style is very different from the ones we came here from.
Song Shu perked up, knowing that their destination was approaching.
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a European-style building.
Song Shu and Qin Lou got out of the car one after another and entered the building under the guidance of a blond-haired and blue-eyed foreign butler.
Walk through the entrance hall, around the long hall, and enter the main hall.
Song Shu and Qin Lou stopped before stepping onto the steps leading to the main hall. The butler in front of them took a few steps forward and walked to the sofa opposite the empty fireplace.
"Mr. Qin," the butler said in fluent Chinese, but his tone was a little strange, "your grandson is here."
"… "
The newspaper held by someone on the sofa shook, and after a few seconds it was slowly placed on the table.
"I thought you were never going to come see an old man like me again in your lifetime."
The person on the sofa stood up and turned around.
"What made you suddenly think of..."
The voice stopped abruptly.
Staring at the girl standing next to Qin Lou, Qin Liang's pretended calmness collapsed, and he opened his eyes wide—
“Who are you!?”
The author has something to say: Recommend an article: Gravitation by Mr. Stone
(Full text archived)
1.
On Yan'er's coming-of-age ceremony, her classmate Xiao Lin gave her a red dress.
She took off her baggy school uniform, revealing a pair of slender white legs wearing unfamiliar high heels.
She staggered and nearly fell into his arms.
When she raised her eyes, she found Xiao Lin staring at her, her throat rolling.
"Does it look good?" she asked.
Xiao Lin turned his head: "It's just so-so."
One day eight years later, Xiao Lin suddenly said that he wanted to see her wearing that red dress.
Yan'er: "Didn't you say it was just so-so?"
Xiao Lin smiled and kissed her: "I mean the skirt is just average, not as pretty as yours."
2.
Yan'er had an unrequited love in high school that ended in failure.
When Xiao Lin asked casually, Yan'er smiled and said: I let it go a long time ago. Who would be stupid enough to think about someone for seven or eight years
Xiao Lin was silent for a moment, then replied, "Me."
The protagonist was a proud little wolf eight years ago, and a loyal wolfdog eight years later.
The heroine turned black and white eight years ago, and turned white and black eight years later
I have seen your most beautiful soul. Even if we stumble, twist and turn, and experience many changes, my heart will still beat fast when we meet again.
This is gravity.
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2019-12-23 10:27:42~2019-12-24 10:58:33~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the grenade: 1 person was killed;
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: 1 for Kayla's Sky;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Sui Yi, Peach Soda, Daxunhua with Dreams 10 bottles; This Book Comes Back Late 5 bottles; 27139591 3 bottles; Xiaohu Loves Fried Chicken, Hai You Zhou Ke Du. , 23130069 2 bottles; yoyo, whispers. Wanyin, Cat Who Loves Crabs, Youyi, 38850765, Cindy 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!