Chapter 75: Chapter 70: Professor Qiao’s Trophy is with Qiao Jing
 

As soon as those words were uttered, the scene suddenly heated up.

You looked at me, I looked at you, eyes darting in every direction.

“Where is the person? Where exactly? Who is it?” Zhan Nanqing’s head shook like a rattle-drum as she looked left, right, up, and down.

Finally, she spotted Qiao Jing.

“Where is Professor Qiao? Which one is she?”

“I won’t say,” Qiao Jing replied indifferently.

“Tch! Stingy! I’ll find out myself!” Zhan Nanqing, like everyone else present, began searching around the venue.

Zhan Qipei came over to Qiao Jing, “Did you already know that Professor Qiao wouldn’t come?”

“Before we even entered, I said she wouldn’t show up, but nobody believed me.”

Hearing this, Zhan Nanqing turned around, rolled her eyes at Qiao Jing, and continued searching through the crowd.

Zhan Qipei, however, did not join in the search. He knew that Professor Qiao didn’t want to be discovered and must have hidden herself well; even if he searched, he might not find her.

After the awards ceremony ended, Qiao Jing followed Zhan Qipei and others out of the venue.

“What’s that in your hand?” Zhan Nanqing asked, looking at the box Qiao Jing was holding with curiosity.

“It’s none of your business.”

The box was given to her by Xu Hongzu just a moment ago, containing a trophy.

“How can it be none of my business? You didn’t have it when you went in. You didn’t steal something in there, did you?” Zhan Nanqing grew more suspicious as she spoke.

“Making a scene for no reason.” Qiao Jing glanced at Zhan Nanqing speechlessly and walked toward the car on the roadside, holding the box.

“You’re actually saying I’m making a scene?!” Zhan Nanqing, fuming like a fan blower, stormed after Qiao Jing.

“Apologize to me, you—” Engrossed in catching up to Qiao Jing to confront her, Zhan Nanqing didn’t notice the steps under her feet and tripped, hurtling towards Qiao Jing.

Caught off guard, Qiao Jing reacted quickly but still got knocked down.

“Are you alright?” Zhan Qipei quickly stepped forward to help Qiao Jing up from the ground.

Zhan Nanqing was so furious her eyes nearly popped out, “Brother, I’m your sister!”

Zhan Qipei glanced at Zhan Nanqing for half a second, then his eyes returned to Qiao Jing, checking her over from top to bottom, “Are you hurt? The wound on your leg hasn’t fully healed, did it get aggravated just now?”

Qiao Jing looked down at her knee, feeling a faint stabbing pain.

Honestly, if it weren’t for her injured knee, she could have completely avoided the collision.

Zhan Nanqing grimaced as she got up from the ground, but the next second, her eyes caught the box on the ground. She was determined to see what was inside.

No sooner said than done, Zhan Nanqing quickly opened the box. Upon seeing the trophy inside, her mouth hung open wide enough to fit a goose egg.

No, a goose egg.

“Qiao, Professor Qiao’s trophy!”

What?

Upon hearing this, Zhan Qipei’s gaze immediately shifted from Qiao Jing to the box.

“It really is Professor Qiao’s trophy!” Lou Xinrou jumped over, eyes wide as she stared at the trophy inside the box.

Upon hearing the commotion, Zhan Yao and Su Manhan also came over.

“This, this really is Professor Qiao’s trophy, how did it end up here?”

After saying this, Su Manhan mechanically turned her neck towards Qiao Jing.

Zhan Qipei watched Qiao Jing closely with his dark, inscrutable eyes.

Everyone else was also looking at Qiao Jing.

“I knew it! You stole this trophy, didn’t you?” Zhan Nanqing pointed at Qiao Jing and voiced out.

“What?!” Su Manhan exclaimed excitedly at Qiao Jing, “This trophy was stolen by you? Oh Qiao Jing, have you eaten the hearts of bears and the gall of leopards? How dare you steal Professor Qiao’s trophy? Do you wish to die? If you want to die, go do it yourself! Why drag our Zhan Family into this?”

Zhan Yao generally did not concern himself with this temporary daughter-in-law’s behavior, but at this moment, Qiao Jing’s actions made his face look particularly unpleasant.

Although their Zhan Family claimed to be the richest in the Imperial Capital, Professor Qiao was the top agricultural magnate of their empire, revered by countless followers, evident by her influence.

If Qiao Jing offended Professor Qiao because of this incident and Professor Qiao went public with her declaration, then their Zhan Family would inevitably be ostracized by the major families, and even if his son was capable, the future development of Zhan Corporation would be arduous and even decline gradually.

“Qiao Jing, go now and return the trophy to Professor Qiao. Say it was you who stole it, and it has nothing to do with our Zhan Family.”

“Yes, hurry up!” Su Manhan added then turned to Zhan Qipei, “Qipei, go and divorce Qiao Jing right now, then call a press conference and publicly declare that you have no further relationship with Qiao Jing.”

Qiao Jing had initially wanted to explain something, but stopped wasting her breath after hearing Su Manhan’s words.

She couldn’t wait to get a divorce and end this ridiculous marriage.

While Qiao Jing was thinking this, Zhan Qipei looked down at her, “Did you really steal this trophy?”

“What if I said I did?” Qiao Jing asked, looking up.

Zhan Qipei squinted his eyes, filled with intelligence, gazing at Qiao Jing, whose eyes were as clean as crystal glass, resembling clear and crisp spring water.

He felt that having such eyes, she couldn’t possibly have done this sneaky deed.

“You didn’t,” Zhan Qipei said with a very firm tone, staring unwaveringly at Qiao Jing.

Qiao Jing slightly frowned.

“You don’t need to lie just to get a divorce from me,” Zhan Qipei accurately guessed Qiao Jing’s subtle hint.

There was a faint disappointment on Qiao Jing’s face, “You do seem to know me well.”

Did he know her? Zhan Qipei continued to stare at Qiao Jing. During their time together, he discovered that Qiao Jing was like a mysterious treasure, the more he dug, the deeper it went, and the deeper he went, he found more surprises.

Even he couldn’t control the idea that arose in his heart, wanting to completely strip away the girl’s disguises, just like peeling an onion.

He was very curious, after stripping off all her disguises, what kind of core would be inside?

“Qipei, don’t be deceived by this girl. If she didn’t steal the trophy, how else did it end up in her hands?” Su Manhan was increasingly seeing Qiao Jing as a seductive fox.

It was obvious; Qiao Jing had stolen the trophy. Yet with just a few words, she made Zhan Qipei believe her lie.

After glancing at Su Manhan, Zhan Qipei’s gaze returned to Qiao Jing.

“Was the trophy given to you by Professor Xu?”

Qiao Jing slightly moved her lips. She had been thinking of not bothering to come up with an excuse, but now Zhan Qipei had given her a good one.

“Yes, Grandpa Xu asked me to hold it for Professor Qiao.”

“Professor Qiao’s trophy, why would she ask you to hold it? You’re just a janitor!” Zhan Nanqing called out unbelievingly.

“I told you, she’s not a janitor,” Zhan Qipei narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhan Nanqing, his eyes carrying a hint of chill.

“I don’t believe it. Just her, a country bumpkin with nothing to offer, working at Professor Qiao’s Research Institute. What else could she do if not janitorial work? Perhaps she works there as a cook?”

Zhan Nanqing felt her guess might be true. Given how delicious Qiao Jing’s cooking was, it was very possible that Qiao Jing had become a member of Professor Qiao’s Research Institute because of her culinary skills.

As Zhan Nanqing was thinking this, she noticed that Zhan Qipei’s gaze was particularly unfriendly.

“Brother, why are you looking at me with such eyes?”

Zhan Qipei narrowed his eyes, “You’re becoming less respectful. What’s wrong with being from the countryside? The term ‘country bumpkin’, although coarse people use it, is it appropriate for you to utter it all the time?”

“I—”

“Moreover, she is far from being worthless. She is a professor at Imperial Capital Academy,” Zhan Qipei interrupted Zhan Nanqing and said.