Chapter 26: Father Qiao and Xiaoran

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

On the phone, Father Qiao sensed that his daughter had something to hide. He drove overnight to the capital and found Qiao An’s good friend, Loco, to ask her about Qiao An.

“Loco, my An’an has been acting very strange recently. It’s fine if she hasn’t contacted me for such a long time, but when I called her, it seemed she wanted to say something but hesitated. Coco, you’re the closest to her. You must know what happened to her? Can you tell me?”

Loco looked at Qiao An’s gray-haired father, and she remembered Qiao An’s instructions: Never tell her parents about her jump.

However, in the presence of Father Qiao’s fatherly love, Loco recounted Qiao An’s tragic experience.

“Teacher Qiao, An’an’s life is so tough. She was kidnapped by kidnappers. Not only did Li Zecheng not save her, but he also forced her to jump off a building.”

When Father Qiao heard that his daughter had been betrayed and abandoned by his son-in-law, before she jumped down from the top floor of the ruins in despair. Father Qiao’s body seemed to have been electrocuted, and the veins on his fists bulged. He gritted his teeth and roared, “Li Zecheng, you bastard, I’m going to kill you.”

The matter had blown up. She knelt in front of Mr. Qiao and begged, “Teacher Qiao, I know you feel sorry for An’an, but please protect An’an’s dignity. If you’re so angry, the entire city will know that An’an will become vulnerable in the eyes of others. An’an is so proud. How can she stand being pitied by others?”

Father Qiao had nowhere to vent his anger and stomped his feet anxiously. “Are we going to let Li Zecheng off just like that?”

Loco assured Mr. Qiao, “Teacher Qiao, don’t worry. With me by An’an’s side, she won’t suffer any more losses. An’an has also recognized Li Zecheng’s true colors now. She’s also looking for evidence of Li Zecheng’s adultery in hopes of taking revenge on Li Zecheng and successfully getting a divorce.”

“Teacher Qiao, please endure your grief and indignation. Don’t alert the enemy and disrupt An’an’s plan.”

Mr. Qiao loved his daughter, so he was willing to swallow a stomach full of grievances for Qiao An. He took a long time to digest his emotions, then asked Qiao An sadly, “Which hospital is An’an in? I want to visit her.”

Loco looked troubled. “Teacher Qiao, if you visit An’an, I hope you can do that in secret. Because all along, the thing she’s most worried about is that the two of you will worry about her when you find out.”

Mr. Qiao said with red eyes, “She’s always been a filial child. I was wondering why she didn’t contact me. It turns out that she’s suffering.”

“Coco, take me to see her. I won’t meet her. I just want to sneak a peek at her.”

Loco nodded.

She took Father Qiao to lunch before taking him to the hospital.

“Teacher Qiao, An’an is staying in ward 20 on the fifth floor of the inpatient department. I won’t accompany you up, in case An’an suspects me.”

“Okay.”

When Father Qiao arrived on the fifth floor, he looked at the door number suspiciously, but accidentally bumped into Li Xiaoran. Father Qiao was knocked to the ground, and Li Xiaoran quickly helped him up.

“Uncle, are you alright?” Li Xiaoran asked nervously.

Father Qiao looked up and saw the doctor’s name tag hanging on Li Xiaoran’s chest. His eyes turned red and he grabbed his shoulder angrily. “Your surname is Li? What’s your relationship with the Medicine King Li family?”

Li Xiaoran introduced himself gently and elegantly. “That’s the Li Medicine King Group that my grandfather founded.”

When Father Qiao heard that he was from the Li family, the anger that had been forcefully sealed in his chest erupted again. “Then who is that bastard Li Zecheng to you?”

Li Xiaoran frowned. Although he did not do business in the family group, he had seen many situations where outsiders came to the Li family every few days to cause trouble. Therefore, he was certain that the man before was here about uneven dividends.

Li Xiaoran tactfully reminded Father Qiao, “Li Zecheng is my nephew. Uncle, if my nephew offended you, I’ll apologize to you on his behalf. However, every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt has its debtor. It’s very ungentlemanly of you to come to the hospital to settle scores with me. Please leave immediately.”

Father Qiao was not an unreasonable person. Although he hated the entire Li family, he did not want to embarrass Li Xiaoran. He only glared at him fiercely and shook Li Xiaoran off before walking forward.

However, Li Xiaoran misunderstood him. He was afraid that Father Qiao’s noise in the hospital would affect the patient’s rest, so he immediately grabbed his hand.

“The hospital isn’t a place for riffraff. If you’re visiting, please tell me the name of the patient you’re visiting. If not, please leave immediately.”

Mr. Qiao couldn’t be bothered to talk to Li. He rolled his eyes at him and continued walking.

Li Xiaoran could only instruct the security guard, “Someone, take this uncle away.”

Just like that, Mr. Qiao and the security guard fell out.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Uncle, this is a hospital. Please follow the hospital rules.”

“I’m here to visit.”

“Then what is the ward number of the patient you wish to visit?”

Father Qiao didn’t want to say it again.

He just wanted to sneak a peek at his daughter.

The commotion in the corridor attracted the attention of the patients in the nearby wards, especially Qiao An. When she heard Father Qiao’s voice, she found it familiar. If she listened carefully, she could tell that it was her father’s voice.

Jo Ann’s face fell, and she climbed almost as fast as she could into the wheelchair beside her. Then she wheeled herself out and hurried.

Just inside the doorway, she saw her father, helpless and desperate, pinned down by a couple of security guards. His bloodshot eyes were open as he snarled, “Let me go. I’m here to visit.”

“Let him go,” Qiao An snarled.

Li Xiaoran, who had already left, was stunned when he suddenly heard Qiao An’s hoarse voice behind him.

Turning, he saw Qiao An sliding quickly in her wheelchair toward the old man.

“Dad.” Qiao An and the old man hugged and wept.

Li Xiaoran was petrified.

This old man was actually… Qiao An’s father?

He gritted his teeth secretly, mortified at what he had done.

He immediately doubled back and apologized nervously to Father Qiao. “Uncle, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were Qiao An’s father.”

Qiao An’s heart ached for her father. She glared at Li Xiaoran angrily. “You should go and get your eyes checked.Why were you so muddle-headed as to chase the patient’s family out?”

Li Xiaoran took off his glasses dejectedly. In fact, as a doctor, his eyesight was very healthy. It was just that he had recently discovered a deterioration in his eyesight, so he would wear therapeutic glasses during non-surgical hours.

He hadn’t expected Qiao An to insult him.

He looked at Father Qiao aggrievedly. He was very puzzled. Why didn’t Father Qiao visit her openly? Why did he have to do it sneakily?

No matter what, Li Xiaoran still apologized to Mr. Qiao very generously.

‘I am sorry, Uncle. It was an oversight. I beg your pardon for my rashness.’

Mr. Qiao looked at his name tag and said angrily, “Hmph.”