Capítulo 988: Chapter 976: Zhan Qipei Learns About Qiao Jing’s Amnesia
Under the direct gaze of several people, Qiao Jing pressed her lips together and slowly said, “I am indeed suffering from amnesia, and the reason is precisely because I fell into the ocean once, which is very similar to the experience of the Zhan family’s young lady.”
“However, I’ve investigated it myself. The sea area where the Zhan family’s young lady encountered the tsunami is quite far from the beach where my two sisters found me.”
“Even if the sea could carry someone that far, if this person was submerged in water for such a long time and had no survival equipment, how could they possibly survive?”
At this point, Qiao Jing paused, looked at Xu Moqian, and added, “So, your speculation is impossible.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Moqian fell silent, a look of disappointment appearing on his face.
If that were the case, his speculation was indeed impossible…
Not only Xu Moqian, but the others at the table also felt somewhat disappointed.
Seeing the atmosphere suddenly become a bit dreary, Qiao Jing tugged at her lips and changed the subject, “Alright, let’s continue eating.”
After speaking, she picked up her bowl and chopsticks and began eating.
The others, seeing this, also resumed eating.
Although there was a slight interruption in the middle, the dishes were simply too delicious, and in the end, every dish was cleaned off the plates, and not a drop of the herbal chicken soup was left!
After finishing the meal, everyone dispersed.
Xu Moqian said he needed to go back and cool down, to calm his emotions.
The three little ones reluctantly said goodbye to Qiao Jing and boarded the car that came to pick them up, heading back to the Purple Garden.
Qiao Jing, needing to first make a trip to the research institute, told Lu Zijin she’d go to the hospital in the afternoon to help with that case.
Lu Zijin naturally had no objection and left with her brother after saying goodbye.
After taking his brother back to the hospital, Lu Zijiao thought for a moment and then drove to the Zhan Corporation.
Upon arriving at Zhan’s, Lu Zijiao went straight to the CEO’s office.
When he entered, Zhan Qipei was sitting at the desk, holding a file in his hand.
At the sound of movement, Zhan Qipei looked up and, seeing it was Lu Zijiao, quickly drew his gaze back, continuing to go through the document.
Lu Zijiao walked over by himself, sitting down opposite Zhan Qipei across the desk, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Take a guess, where did I just go?”
Zhan Qipei ignored him, not even lifting his eyelids.
Lu Zijiao was long used to his cold demeanor.
After a few seconds, Lu Zijiao shrugged and said, “Alright, I’ll just tell you. My brother and I just went to Third Miss Qiao’s house for dinner. Third Miss Qiao cooked herself, and Xu Moqian was also there.”
“Speaking of which, Xu Moqian used to compete with you for Qiao Jing, and now he’s competing with my brother for this Qiao Jing. How shameless indeed!”
Mentioning Xu Moqian, Lu Zijiao’s tone was a bit disdainful.
However, no matter what he said, Zhan Qipei remained indifferent, utterly disinterested.
Lu Zijiao felt somewhat deflated, knocking on the desk as he looked at Zhan Qipei with a resentful gaze, “Come on, I’ve said so much, at least give me a reaction.”
Only then did Zhan Qipei finally look up at him, his thin lips lifting slightly, “What? Your dad hasn’t assigned you any company tasks lately, has he? That’s why you’re so idle.”
Speaking of company matters, Lu Zijiao’s mood immediately turned more depressed.
He waved his hand and said, “Don’t even mention it. Every time it gives me a headache. My brother, on the other hand, is busy with his hospital stuff all day long, and it seems like I’m destined to inherit this company. I don’t want to manage any company. It’s all about meetings or reviewing documents every day; it’ll drive me crazy!”
With that, Lu Zijiao sighed, conveniently changing the subject, “Forget it, the more we talk about it, the more annoying it gets. Let’s talk about my brother and Third Miss Qiao instead.”
Zhan Qipei closed the file in his hand, picked up another one, and casually replied, “Go talk to someone else about it; I’m not interested.”
“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it!” Lu Zijiao raised an eyebrow meaningfully, “Once I tell you, you’ll definitely be interested!”
Zhan Qipei was too lazy to deal with him, giving him a look for him to interpret himself.
Lu Zijiao didn’t mind, just said mysteriously, “It wasn’t until dinner that I learned Third Miss Qiao fell into the sea four years ago and lost her memory because of it. It was her two sisters who found her on the beach and brought her back…”
Four years ago? Fell into the sea? Found on the beach? Amnesia?
Each of these phrases struck the most sensitive nerve in Zhan Qipei.
He dropped the file in his hand, stood up abruptly, reached over the desk, and grabbed Lu Zijiao’s arm with a penetrating gaze, “What did you say!”
Lu Zijiao was startled by his intense reaction, stuttering a bit, “I, I said… I said you’d be interested, I didn’t expect such a big reaction…”
Zhan Qipei had no patience for Lu Zijiao’s games, interrupting him harshly, “Repeat what you just said, make it clear!”
Seeing him so menacing, as if about to devour someone, Lu Zijiao dared not tease him further and hurriedly said, “Don’t think too much. In fact, the possibility you’re considering now has already been brought up by Xu Moqian at the table just now.”
“At first, it was because Xu Moqian felt that the dishes Third Miss Qiao made tasted a lot like the ones Qiao Jing used to make, so he thought she might be Qiao Jing. At the time, Third Miss Qiao said it was merely a coincidence.”
“Later, Xu Moqian mentioned Third Miss Qiao’s amnesia four years ago. Third Miss Qiao stated she’d investigated it too, saying that the beach where she was found was far from the sea area where Qiao Jing had encountered the tsunami. If she had been carried so far by the sea, she couldn’t possibly still be alive.”
Lu Zijiao briefly recounted the events, then concluded, “In other words, she is not Qiao Jing…”
After hearing that, Zhan Qipei abruptly released Lu Zijiao’s arm, and the hidden trace of hope in his eyes was instantly engulfed by overwhelming disappointment.
He turned his back, silently calming himself.
Seeing Zhan Qipei like this made Lu Zijiao suddenly regretful.
Originally, he just wanted to tease Zhan Qipei, not expecting such a strong reaction, which left him feeling guilty.
After some self-reproach, Lu Zijiao comforted him, “Don’t be too distressed. Even though she isn’t, I believe Qiao Jing is still alive somewhere. We’ll find her someday…”
Zhan Qipei waved to interrupt him, his voice low and hoarse, “I’m fine. You go, I want some quiet.”
Hearing this, Lu Zijiao knew better than to say more and, after glancing at Zhan Qipei’s back, turned to leave.
Only after he left did Zhan Qipei sit back down at his desk, picking up the unfinished file, his expression stone-faced as if nothing had happened.
But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t hard to see the redness at the corners of his eyes, clearly struggling to hold something back…