Plunder-Chapter 286: Meeting

Auntie Jiang had already arrived at Chu Garden.

The car carrying Zhou Jin’an and Qiao En had just reached the destination when Auntie Jiang was already waiting in the courtyard.

"Yayun, are you alright?"

Auntie Jiang pulled Qiao En’s wrist with concern, examining her carefully.

"I’m fine, Mom."

Qiao En said softly.

Auntie Jiang sighed deeply, then looked at Zhou Jin’an, "Jin’an, Yayun is pregnant now, please be more considerate toward her. I was so worried yesterday, I couldn’t get through on the phone."

"Mom, it’s my fault, my phone is broken, I will buy a new one later."

Qiao En said some words to comfort Auntie Jiang, and she finally felt relieved.

With Auntie Jiang’s arrival, Chu Garden became much livelier.

She had brought Qiqi, a child in the most innocent and joyous stage of life, happily running around the house.

Qiao En leaned on the couch, watching all this, her eyes brimming with sweetness.

A joy of soon becoming a mother welled up in her heart.

"Yayun, tell Mom the truth, what’s really going on between you and Jin’an?"

Once Zhou Jin’an entered the study, Auntie Jiang sat down close to Qiao En.

A mother knows her daughter best.

Qiao En’s character, she knew it the clearest.

Zhou Jin’an and Qiao En had a very good relationship; they hardly ever had serious disagreements, let alone fighting or leaving home.

She wasn’t a capricious person, she wouldn’t do such a thing.

"Mom, really, it’s nothing."

Qiao En didn’t tell the truth.

Auntie Jiang’s eyelids drooped, "I’m your mother, you’re still lying to me?"

Because she was her mother, that’s why Qiao En didn’t want her to worry.

But then, Qiao En remembered what Zheng Gang had said.

He said he wanted to see Jiang Caiyun.

"Mom, do you know a person named Zheng Gang?"

Qiao En asked casually.

Auntie Jiang was holding a cup of tea when her hand paused, almost causing the tea to be spilled.

"Who?"

"Zheng Gang."

Qiao En repeated.

A flicker of astonishment passed through Auntie Jiang’s eyes, and her lips trembled for several moments.

After a short while, her eyes regained composure, "I don’t know him."

Having said that, she pretended to be calm as she placed her cup of tea on the table and stood up, heading toward the kitchen.

The more she tried to conceal, the more Qiao En was convinced that she knew Zheng Gang.

"Mom, didn’t you want to know where I’ve been these past few days? I went to meet a man named Zheng Gang, and moreover, he knows you."

Qiao En didn’t give Auntie Jiang a chance to escape.

As she walked toward the kitchen, Qiao En followed her.

Auntie Jiang fumbled restlessly around in the kitchen.

Qiao En’s words shocked her so much that the spoon in her hand dropped to the floor.

"What... what did you see him for?"

Auntie Jiang’s face turned deathly pale.

"He wants to meet you."

Qiao En stated truthfully.

Auntie Jiang hurried out of the kitchen, "I don’t know any Zheng Gang, and I won’t meet him."

She walked briskly toward the bedroom.

Qiqi, holding a toy, shouted, "Grandma, my ball is out of air."

But Auntie Jiang, as if she hadn’t heard her, went into the bedroom and immediately locked the door behind her.

She was acting very unusually.

Even by dinner time, Auntie Jiang had not come out.

"What’s wrong with Mom?"

Zhou Jin’an asked in surprise.

Qiao En shook her head, "She said she feels a bit unwell."

Qiao En made up an excuse for her.

Zhou Jin’an took out his phone intending to call Dr. Liu, "I’ll call the doctor over to have a look at her."

Qiao En quickly stopped him, "No need, she’s just too tired, she’ll be fine after a sleep."

Auntie Jiang might be all right after a sleep, but Qiao En couldn’t fall asleep at all.

The night felt oppressive; she lay in bed tossing and turning.

A frightening conjecture was forming in her mind, but she dared not face it.

"Haven’t fallen asleep yet?"

Zhou Jin’an noticed after she turned over many times, and he wrapped his arms around Qiao En, his large hand gently patting her shoulder.

"I can’t sleep."

Her heart was burdened with secrets, feeling suffocated.

"I’ll keep you company and talk for a while."

Zhou Jin’an turned on the bedside lamp, leaning against the headboard, and made space for Qiao En to lean into his embrace.

"That Zheng Gang knows my mom."

Qiao En had not intended to tell Zhou Jin’an about this matter yet. But he was her closest person; if she had to hide things from him too, how exhausting would that be?

"How can you tell?"

Zhou Jin’an looked puzzled, and Qiao En recounted her conversation with Zheng Gang and Auntie Jiang’s reaction.

"It seems that your speculation is very sensible. Hongyan Village is close to Gu Yuan, it wouldn’t be strange for the two of them to know each other."

Zhou Jin’an didn’t think too much about it.

Qiao En shook her head, "They might not just know each other; their relationship might be very close."

This was her conjecture too.

Zhou Jin’an suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "He can’t be your biological father, can he?"

Qiao En didn’t make a sound.

When she acknowledged Auntie Jiang, she hadn’t fantasized about what her biological father would be like.

But she had never imagined she would be related to someone like Zheng Gang.

"My mom refuses to say."

Qiao En sighed helplessly.

"You just mentioned that Zheng Gang wanted to see mom, is it true?"

Zhou Jin’an asked.

Qiao En nodded, "But my mom refused. They must have had some very unpleasant conflict, otherwise they wouldn’t refuse to see each other until death."

"I have an idea."

Zhou Jin’an whispered into Qiao En’s ear.

"Is this alright? Could something go wrong?"

Qiao En asked.

Zhou Jin’an confidently said, "Nothing will go wrong, I’ll plan it carefully."

"Alright, I’ll listen to you this time."

The next morning, Qiao En didn’t get up on time.

After Sister Rong had made breakfast, Qiao En still hadn’t come out of the bedroom.

"Young Madam, breakfast is ready."

Sister Rong knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time.

"Young Madam, I’m coming in."

Sister Rong turned the handle and entered, only to see Qiao En curled up on the bed in discomfort.

Sister Rong was shocked and panicked, "Young Madam, what’s wrong with you?"

"My stomach hurts."

Qiao En said weakly.

"I’m calling the young master."

Sister Rong said, and immediately dialed Zhou Jin’an’s number.

Unexpectedly, his phone was turned off.

Sister Rong then called the company secretary, who replied that Director Zhou was out with a client and not in the office.

"What should we do?"

Sister Rong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Sister Rong, quickly go call my mom."

Qiao En said weakly.

Sister Rong went to get Auntie Jiang, and seeing how much pain Qiao En was in, Auntie Jiang panicked.

"Yayun, don’t be scared, mom is with you, we’ll go to the hospital right now."

Sister Rong called 120, and soon the ambulance arrived, taking Qiao En to Central Hospital.

Outside the emergency room, Sister Rong and Auntie Jiang were anxiously waiting.

Inside the consultation room.

A doctor in a white coat handed a cell phone to Qiao En.

"Young Mrs. Zhou, Director Zhou instructed that once you arrived here, use this cell phone to call him."

Qiao En did as told.

The call was answered immediately, and Zhou Jin’an’s voice came through.

"En’en, Zheng Gang has been secretly brought back to Rong City, he’s at Central Hospital."

He sent the specific ward information to Qiao En.

"Young Mrs. Zhou, leave the rest to us."

The doctor waited until Qiao En hung up the phone before speaking.

"Okay."

Qiao En responded.

About half an hour had passed, and the door to the emergency room swung open.

The doctor appeared, his face grave, "Are you the patient’s family?"

Sister Rong was scared, and Auntie Jiang was very anxious.

Both were asking questions non-stop.

"Doctor, how is our Young Madam doing now?"

"What’s wrong with my daughter?"

Concern led to chaos.

The doctor waved them off, "First go and complete her hospital admission, we’ll discuss other matters after further examinations."

After saying this, he left.

"Auntie Jiang, you accompany the Young Madam to the ward, I’ll go buy some necessities and come back."

Sister Rong rushed off in a fluster.

Qiao En, looking very weak, grabbed Auntie Jiang’s hand and said, "Mom, you go tidy up my ward first, I have another exam to attend. Once you’ve finished, come over to pick me up, okay?"

"Okay."

Auntie Jiang didn’t hesitate, immediately agreeing.

Qiao En sent the specific room number to her.

Auntie Jiang hurried into the elevator, heading straight for the inpatient building, looking for her daughter’s bed according to the information given by Qiao En.

However, she never expected that there would be a patient lying in that ward.

"Sir, you must be mistaken; this is my daughter’s room."

Auntie Jiang spoke up. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Just as her words fell, the man on the bed slowly turned his head and looked steadily at Auntie Jiang.

In his murky eyes lay too many complex emotions.

Auntie Jiang was also stunned.

Time had etched its marks on both of their faces, but the impressions in someone’s eyes could never be erased.

"Caiyun, I never expected that we would see each other again in this life."

Zheng Gang’s emotions were very agitated, his voice shaking, with teary eyes.

Auntie Jiang’s eyes were teary too, without knowing what to say, her hands tightly clasped together.