Chapter 182: You Little Brat
"Sir? Should we follow them?"
"Nonsense, of course we follow." Qiao Yunfeng sat up straight, his eyes locked on the Range Rover ahead. Sure enough, Qiao Xier, Zhang Yang, and the injured Xu Danlu had gotten into the car together. Just as his guard said, the three were practically tangled up together, and Zhang Yang's hand was almost on Qiao Xier's ass. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were heading for a threesome.
As the saying goes, a daughter is her father's lover from a past life. Seeing his daughter being handled by another man like that, Qiao Yunfeng couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
He hadn't spent much time with his daughter growing up—she'd always been with her grandfather. Though he'd tried to make up for it after she grew up, she'd chosen to leave the capital and come to Meining for graduate school.
You just can't keep a grown daughter! Watching the three get into the car, Qiao Yunfeng stared at the Range Rover ahead, refusing to look away.
Meanwhile, in the car ahead, the three of them had settled in. Qiao Xier and Lulu sat together in the back seat, chatting away and leaving Zhang Yang out in the cold.
Zhang Yang couldn't help complaining, "Sister Qiao, what are you doing out here? Isn't the lab super busy?"
If she weren't here, he might have been able to get something going with Lulu by now! Damn it, sis, it's been days since I've had any action. You're really cockblocking me here.
"What are you saying? I'm protecting Lulu! Who knows what this big pervert might do once he's out? The doctor said she's still in recovery—no strenuous activity allowed." Qiao Xier shot Zhang Yang a smug glance.
She then tugged Lulu's hand and asked, "Am I right, Lulu?"
Xu Danlu glanced at Zhang Yang, then at Qiao Xier, and suddenly smiled. "Yangzi, you're too lame."
"What do you mean, I'm too lame?"
"I thought you'd already taken down Sister Qiao, but turns out you haven't." Lulu shot Qiao Xier a playful look.
Then she added softly, "From what I can see, Sister Qiao still looks like a pure virgin."
"Lulu, you're so dead!" Qiao Xier's face turned beet red as she reached out to pinch Xu Danlu's slim waist.
"Ouch, I'm still injured!" Xu Danlu dodged with a sly grin. "Alright, alright, you two will have plenty of chances later. But…"
She paused, turned her head toward the back, and said calmly, "But for now, Yangzi should focus on shaking off that tail behind us."
Zhang Yang froze and glanced at the rearview mirror. Sure enough, a black Hongqi sedan was following them at a steady distance.
"How did you know?" Zhang Yang was impressed by Lulu's sharp eyes. After picking up her and Qiao Xier, his mind had been fully occupied with them—he hadn't even noticed they were being tailed.
"It's nothing. The car's plate says Meining, but I doubt the driver's local. He's almost swerved into other lanes several times. I just kept an eye on it."
Zhang Yang couldn't help but admire her attention to detail, but he frowned. They were in the city—too much traffic to speed up. It'd be hard to shake them off.
"Wenzi and Lao Yi are nearby. I'll have them handle it." Lulu calmly pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and gave a few quick instructions.
Zhang Yang's respect for her grew even more. She'd only been on her own for a short while, and yet she could command people like Lao Yi so effortlessly. He was honestly stunned.
It was near noon—the busiest time of day. The main avenue in front of city hall was jammed with traffic.
Suddenly, at a red light, a loud bang erupted amid the cars.
"Bang!"
"Sir, a tire blew!" The driver of Qiao Yunfeng's car looked miserable as he glanced back at his superior, staring helplessly at the Range Rover disappearing ahead. He slammed the steering wheel hard.
"You're kidding, Lao Cheng, you've been driving for over twenty years…" the guard muttered in disbelief.
"We've been set up," the driver said bitterly after glancing at Qiao Yunfeng's darkened expression. "Sir, I'll get out and check."
Qiao Yunfeng waved dismissively. "You little brat!"
The driver got out, took a quick look, and soon climbed back in. "Sir, we really got played. Those bastards spread a pile of nails—three tires are shot."
Qiao Yunfeng immediately understood. Instead of getting angry, he chuckled. "That rascal's got some skills. They actually spotted our tail."
"What should we do now, sir?"
Qiao Yunfeng closed his eyes, leaned back, and sighed. "Bring me Zhang Yang's file."
The guard quickly handed it over. Qiao Yunfeng flipped through it and then smiled. "Alright. If we can't follow him, we'll just find someone else."
"Sir, where to?"
"Grab a taxi. To Qianshui Street."
"Qianshui Street?"
"Yeah, going to visit an old friend." Qiao Yunfeng folded the file and casually slipped it into his briefcase.
On Qianshui Street, Chen Tianxiong and the doctor had just returned from the construction site when they found three people standing at their door.
Chen Tianxiong glanced at them, momentarily stunned. He quietly signaled the doctor to hold the door and invited the visitors inside.
Once inside, he instinctively stood at attention. "Good day, sir!"
The visitor was none other than Qiao Yunfeng—who had been his deputy regimental commander ten years ago.
It was Qiao Yunfeng who had personally selected him for the Special Operations Unit. Qiao had been his benefactor, and the old master of the Qiao family was the commanding officer of that very unit. So of course, Chen knew the Qiao family well.
"Chen Tianxiong, it's been years. Didn't expect to find you here. Heard you've been doing pretty well around these parts," Qiao Yunfeng said with a faint edge in his tone.
Chen Tianxiong blushed and stepped aside. "Yes, sir. Your criticism is justified."
"Alright, I know. You're not in the underworld anymore. You're the head of security at Zhang Yang's Nuwa Company now, right? Then you should know what my relationship with Zhang Yang is?"
"Yes, sir. You're President Zhang's future father-in-law."
"You—" Qiao Yunfeng let out a wry laugh.
"Alright then, tell me. A former Special Forces sergeant like you—how'd you end up being someone's bodyguard? What's so special about this Zhang Yang that you'd work for him?"
"Sir, you came because you're worried about Miss, right? You're here to check out President Zhang, aren't you?"
Qiao Yunfeng snorted. "Check him out? Call it whatever you want. Fine then, tell me—what kind of man is Zhang Yang?"
"President Zhang is righteous, trustworthy, and destined for great things." Chen paused, then added, "And he's deeply in love with Miss. The first time I met him was when she brought him to Qianshui Street just to mess with us…"
He chuckled and motioned for Qiao Yunfeng to sit as he recounted how they first met Zhang Yang.
"Sir, you should've seen it. Surrounded by so many men, Miss didn't know a bit of martial arts but refused to back down. The moment I saw them together, I knew they were meant to be."
After listening for a while, Qiao Yunfeng couldn't help laughing. "So that's how it was, huh? Alright, I get it. But don't tell me that's why you're so loyal to him now?"
"Of course not. One day, President Zhang came to me himself and told me to cut ties with the Bai family. At first, I thought, 'Who the hell do you think you are?' But later, he showed me exactly why he had that right."
Qiao Yunfeng fell silent for a while, nodded, then stood up. At the door, he turned back and looked at Chen Tianxiong. "Are you going to tell Zhang Yang that I came to see you today?"
Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Good. That's what a real soldier does." Qiao Yunfeng thought for a moment, waved his hand, and left without another word.
After they walked out and left Qianshui Street, the guard asked, "Sir, why didn't you stop him from telling Zhang Yang?"
Qiao Yunfeng loosened his collar and smiled. "We're straightforward people. I can't stand two-faced types. Since he's with Zhang Yang now, we've got no right to interfere."
"Besides, if Zhang Yang finds out, so what? It's not like I planned to do anything to him."
"Then where are we headed next, sir? Should we go find Miss?"
"No, there's one more person I need to see." Qiao Yunfeng shook his head. "We're paying Professor Shangguan a visit first."
*****
"Yangzi, I don't think my dad came with good intentions." Back home, Qiao Xier hadn't even taken off her coat yet, her hips barely touching the sofa, when worry filled her face.
The moment Qiao Yunfeng stepped out of the car and looked her way, Qiao Xier had recognized her father instantly.
Clearly, he'd come down specifically because of Zhang Yang—maybe even to break them up.
Xu Danlu couldn't help but grin, glancing between Zhang Yang and Qiao Xier. "Yeah, Sister Qiao, this time your dad might really take you home. Want me to teach you a trick?"
"I'm already worried sick, and you're joking? Judging by that evil grin, it's definitely not a good idea." Qiao Xier pouted and shook her head. "No way."
"Suit yourself, but don't regret it later."
"Fine, fine, Miss Schemer, let's hear it."
"Yangzi, lend me your wallet for a sec." Xu Danlu smiled mischievously at Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang frowned. "What do you need my wallet for?" But he handed it over anyway.
Xu Danlu opened it skillfully, pulled open a hidden pocket, took something out, and handed it to Qiao Xier.
The moment Qiao Xier saw it, she slapped it away. "I knew it—your idea was bound to be terrible!"
Lulu had pulled out a condom—the implication was obvious: just make it official already.
Zhang Yang broke into a cold sweat. It wasn't that Lulu's idea was bad—it was that he couldn't figure out how she knew he had one in his wallet. He'd never bought any! She must've put it there herself. What a perfect wife candidate, huh.
"Sister Qiao, just hear me out," Xu Danlu said with a sly smile, looking entirely too pleased with herself.