Chapter 44 - A Day Off

All she knew was that her brother got himself into trouble with some gangsters because of his girlfriend. He was later brought home by their father and their uncle-in-law. In order to keep him out of trouble, their poor mother had to keep a constant eye on him to stop him from going back to N City.

Ye Qiao's mother had told her about the incident in her past life - that her brother had unfortunately caused some serious injuries during a fight, and his girlfriend turned out to be the root of all the troubles.

He then spent the next two years hiding in the house. When he finally pulled himself together for another attempt at life, he was scammed by his former classmates with a fraudulent venture in an illegal pyramid scheme.

Contrary to his devil-may-care attitude, Du Jun seemed a little serious as soon as he mentioned her brother's incident. The trouble that Qiao Tian had got himself into must be quite severe.

"Uncle, I only know that those men involved are from a syndicate," Ye Qiao calmly said. She was not too worried about it. If their father and their uncle-in-law could get him home, she could well do the same.

"The trouble that your brother has got himself into is with the Qinglong Gang, but the one who's injured is merely a leader of a small segment, not someone who's significantly important. My men are still out there looking for him," Du Jun continued.

Damn. Du Jun was surprised by how composed she was. What he said was actually an overstatement. It was not as serious as it seemed, and even if it was, there was nothing that he could not settle.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiao remained quiet for a while, so he assumed that she finally came to her senses.

"Girl, don't be afraid. His safety is guaranteed," he hastily added.

"I'm not afraid. I know where to find him," Ye Qiao finally answered with a smile.

It was Du Jun's turn to be speechless for a moment.

…

Ye Qiao had a good impression of her brother and thought of him as someone smart and brilliant. He was brave and not deterred by danger, but was not one to stir up unwanted troubles. He was daring enough to take the shortcut that was next to a burial ground on his way to school; no one else was as audacious as him. He was just a primary school pupil back then. He had also fought snakes before. With only with hands and a knife, he slashed the snake open and swallowed its gall without hesitation.

Being in the city had truly set him free from all the nuisances. To begin with, he had never come home to see their parents, except for that one time four years ago, where he returned to celebrate the new year.

Eagerly, she pounded on the door. She had been looking for his house all day long but to no avail. Luckily, she caught sight of his clothes at the balcony, which came as a distinct note of reassurance.

It was the same set of uniforms from his former school.

It took a while for someone to finally answer the door. A bald young man appeared before her eyes, but he looked rather dispirited. The stubble on his face was a clear sign that he had not shaved in days. With a black tank top, his well-toned muscles were exposed. "Who are you?"

Her brother had a rebellious spirit, which saddened Ye Qiao to think that after years of miseries, he would finally settle to become a farmer instead.

She went straight into his house without answering him.

"Who are you?" Qiao Tian grasped her by the wrist in a rather rude manner.

"Qiao Tian! I'm Qiao Ye!" Ye Qiao yelled at him.

Perplexed by her sudden exclamation, the girl looked too pretty to be his sister.

"Qiao Ye? My sister? You must be joking." His sister was a chubby little girl as far as he was concerned.

Ye Qiao faked a smile to reveal her signature dimples, and realization dawned on him suddenly.

"Is it really you, Qiao Qiao?" Qiao Tian went ahead to pinch her face, which Ye Qiao did not refuse.

"Silly girl! Your cheeks are no longer chubby!" He missed her chubby cheeks that he used to pinch often.

Ye Qiao was immediately overcome with acute nostalgia from her days spent at home with him. At the same time, she could not help but roll her eyes at him for his remark.

"Why did you come here? Aren't you supposed to be living your comfortable life in J City?" Qiao Tian said while lighting his cigarette.

"Qiao Tian, how accomplished! Who do you think you are? A nobleman with a whole lot of power? You're merely a common man who's finally come to the fore after years of hard work. What gives you the right to act so recklessly?" Ye Qiao said in anger. She needed to teach him a lesson. He did not have the privilege like the boys from the courtyard; every time they made a mess, their families would be there to clean it up.

Without a word, Qiao Tian quietly accepted her criticism.

…

There was a training facility located somewhere in N City.

The soldiers were having their training exercise when two all-terrain vehicles drove past the field. The men watched in admiration, as the vehicles were only reserved for the Special Forces.

The members of the Special Forces were each equipped with a semi-automatic rifle, which was the highest quality of its kind. Insolently, they looked at the soldiers on the ground defiantly.

The Special Forces were said to be here for a friendly match, but knowing how typically arrogant they were, they would most probably end up in an intense rivalry with the soldiers.

As soon as they arrived at the base, Lu Beixiao jumped off from the vehicle and went to see Lao Cai in haste.

"What's the matter?"

"Report. Squadron Leader Cai, I'd like to take the day off!"

A day off? Lao Cai squinted at Lu Beixiao, for he had never requested for a day off before.

"What's the reason?" Lao Cai leaned back on his desk and took a sip of his tea.