Plunder-Chapter 182 There’s Still a Stand-in

In Zhou Jin’an’s world of numbers, 3 was taboo.

Why?

Because at the age of three, he became an orphan with parents.

So, with all numbers related to 3, he maintained an attitude of avoidance.

Every Wednesday, the 3rd, 13th, 23rd, 30th, and 31st of each month, Zhou Jin’an would steer clear of making major decisions on these days.

The hint from An Jinrong made Zhou Jin’an very uncomfortable.

His memory brought him back to the age of three, the time he least wished to revisit.

was just a string of ordinary numbers, but when linked to Zhou Jin’an’s age of three, they became much easier to decode.

If he was willing to remember, that day was the day Mrs. Zhou was driven out of the Zhou family.

That day, he also became an orphan.

The scars hidden deep within his heart were suddenly torn open by An Jinrong.

It hurt, yet he kept it hidden.

"What are you trying to say?"

Zhou Jin’an slightly parted his cool lips.

In An Jinrong’s hawk-like eyes flickered a chill light.

"You’ve guessed the meaning of that string of numbers, haven’t you? So, I won’t beat around the bush. Keep me safe, and I’ll tell you the truth about back then."

For the past twenty years, Mrs. Zhou’s life had been dominated by one thing, seeking justice.

To seek justice, she had spent the better part of her life, nearly sacrificing her happiness, as well as Zhou Jin’an’s, in the process.

Now, she lay unconscious in the hospital bed, and as a dutiful son, if Zhou Jin’an had a way to clear his mother’s name, it would be the best thing possible.

An Jinrong firmly believed that the bait he had thrown was big enough.

But he had underestimated Zhou Jin’an.

He turned around, coldly gazing at An Jinrong.

"No need for you to tell. Sooner or later, I will find out by myself. The mistake you’ve made, just suffer through it on your own."

With that, Zhou Jin’an rose and walked briskly towards the exit.

An Jinrong hadn’t anticipated this turn, and his voice chased after him, "Zhou Jin’an, you’ll regret this. The An family abandoned me; do you think they will abandon you?"

The An family would naturally not give up.

The coveting eyes of An Jinhua, the entanglement of An Kexin, in the end, wasn’t it all for Nanchen?

"We’ll see if they have what it takes."

That night, he went to see Qiao En.

Qiao En was worried about Auntie Jiang; she had called her many times, but that number was now turned off.

She had spent most of her life in Gu Yuan, having never gone anywhere else.

But now, she had vanished.

The people Zhou Jin’an had sent out had not yet sent back any news.

At one in the morning, Qiao En couldn’t sleep, and neither could Zhou Jin’an.

He tossed and turned, his mind in turmoil.

"Would you come with me to the hospital?"

Zhou Jin’an threw back the covers and got out of bed.

"Now?" Qiao En asked with surprise.

Zhou Jin’an nodded.

"Okay."

After a moment’s hesitation, she got up and left with Zhou Jin’an.

In the hospital, as soon as Zhou Jin’an appeared, Aunt Liu immediately came up to meet him.

"Young Master, the Madam moved her fingers today, the doctors say her condition has changed."

"You’ve worked hard, Aunt Liu."

Zhou Jin’an nodded to her.

In the ward, Mrs. Zhou had been lying quietly for nearly a year.

In her slumber, her face looked so peaceful, not at all fierce or resentful.

"Do you hate her?"

Zhou Jin’an asked, standing by Mrs. Zhou’s bed.

Qiao En let out a slight sigh, "I don’t."

Concerning the past, Qiao En had let go.

Weren’t all choices the ones that needed to be made at the moment?

"Do you hate her?"

Qiao En asked back.

Zhou Jin’an’s eyes deepened.

If it weren’t for Mrs. Zhou’s scandalous actions back then, his life would probably have been different. He should have lived in a happy and complete family, his heart wouldn’t carry so much darkness, he would have been more cheerful.

"I have hated, but it’s pointless."

"Today, An Jinrong said he knew the truth about why my mom was expelled from the Zhou family years ago, but I turned down his deal."

"What did he want to get?"

"Freedom. He wanted to trade his life’s freedom, but he doesn’t know that he doesn’t deserve it."

Qiao En fell silent. She stepped forward and gently patted Zhou Jin’an’s back.

Having been Mrs. Zhou’s pawn for three years, she certainly knew that what Mrs. Zhou wanted most was for the truth to come to light.

The decision Zhou Jin’an made was not an easy one.

"You won’t regret it?"

"Never."

As they were speaking, Mrs. Zhou’s fingertips suddenly started trembling again.

"Her fingers moved."

Qiao En was the first to notice and immediately informed Zhou Jin’an.

He stared at the trembling finger, reached out to grasp it, and held it in his palm.

"I will definitely help you investigate the truth and clear your name," he said in a low voice.

Strangely, Mrs. Zhou slowly calmed down again.

When Qiao En was about to leave with Zhou Jin’an, Aunt Liu hadn’t slept and had been guarding the door the whole time.

"Young master, I have something to tell you."

Aunt Liu glanced at Qiao En with her eyes, but she didn’t recognize her.

"Say it right here."

Zhou Jin’an’s brows furrowed slightly.

"She’s no stranger."

Aunt Liu hesitated, then spoke up, "This afternoon, that... that woman came by."

"Which woman?"

Zhou Jin’an was utterly confused.

"The... the bitch."

Aunt Liu blurted out, realizing that Zhou Jin’an disliked these words, she immediately fell silent.

"Are you talking about Qiao En?"

Aunt Liu nodded vigorously, "Yes, that’s her. This afternoon, she came to the hospital, ready to enter the lady’s ward. I happened to be inside, and when she pulled open the door and saw me, she turned and ran." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Zhou Jin’an was shocked, and so was Qiao En standing there.

The two looked at each other.

"Are you sure it was her?"

"Although she was wearing a hat, she wasn’t wearing a mask; I recognized her immediately. If it wasn’t for me in the lady’s ward today, who knows what that bitch would have tried to do to the lady!"

Aunt Liu spoke as if it were the absolute truth.

"Alright, I understand. I will arrange for people to come and take turns guarding."

Zhou Jin’an said these words in front of Aunt Liu and quickly arranged for Cheng Lu to send people over.

"Let’s go."

He didn’t linger any longer and led Qiao En out.

In the elevator, Qiao En looked at Zhou Jin’an: "Aren’t you going to ask me what this is all about?"

They hadn’t been together in the afternoon, and she was a suspect for having been at the hospital.

"I know it wasn’t you," Zhou Jin’an said with certainty, but if it wasn’t Qiao En, who could it be?

"Who do you think it could be?"

The body double was already dead; it was impossible for Chen Yin to find another double in such a short time.

Zhou Jin’an’s eyes darkened; the situation was complex, and guessing was futile. However, given the precedent, Chen Yin should be the prime suspect.

"I will find a way to locate Chen Yin as soon as possible."

By the time the two returned to their place, it was already very late.

After washing up and lying down, Qiao En glanced at her phone before going to sleep.

She unexpectedly saw a strange message.

"Save me!"

The message was unsigned, with just two words followed by an exclamation mark.

Qiao En immediately traced the phone number and called, but the other party did not answer.

"What’s wrong?"

Zhou Jin’an also noticed Qiao En’s unusual behavior.

She showed the text message to Zhou Jin’an.

"I will have Cheng Lu check it."

Zhou Jin’an was about to give instructions, but Qiao En said with certainty, "It’s Chen Yin. She sent me this message. She must be in trouble now."

But what kind of trouble had she encountered?