Chapter 953: Chapter 941: The Bitterness in Zhan Qipei’s Heart
Hearing Su Manhan’s voice, Zhan Nanjing snapped out of her own thoughts.
She quietly glanced at Zhan Qipei beside her, pondered for a moment, and then spoke up, "Mom, you wouldn’t believe it, something incredible happened at our research institute today!"
Su Manhan’s curiosity was instantly piqued by these words, and she eagerly asked, "What incredible thing?"
"Well, it’s like this, Xiao Jing, who is also Third Miss Qiao..."
Just as she spoke, Zhan Nanjing noticed from the corner of her eye that Zhan Qipei’s hand, which was reaching out with chopsticks, paused for a moment.
But it was just a moment; he quickly continued picking up food as if nothing had happened.
Su Manhan, unable to restrain her gossip-loving heart, urgently urged, "Well, what happened? What’s up with Third Miss Qiao?"
Under Su Manhan’s questioning, Zhan Nanjing recounted the whole story in detail.
"It’s like this, Third Miss Qiao came to our research institute for an interview today. Elder Xu personally set the questions for her, and she answered all of them, passing the assessment smoothly!"
"Here’s the key: do you know? She only used a week to learn for this assessment, and in such a short time, she grasped so much relevant knowledge. Isn’t that amazing?"
Su Manhan nodded, "According to what you say, this Third Miss Qiao is indeed quite impressive!"
"I’m not done, here’s the more crucial part!"
Zhan Nanjing continued, "At that time, Elder Xu, seeing her outstanding performance, asked some more advanced questions on the spot. Not only did she answer fluently, but she also offered her unique insights. Elder Xu praised her on the spot as an exceptional agricultural talent and said he had found a treasure!"
After speaking, Zhan Nanjing glanced at Zhan Qipei again and saw that her brother had completely put down his chopsticks and stopped eating.
This reaction was actually just as Zhan Nanjing expected.
She knew that anything bearing the slightest resemblance to her sister-in-law could capture her brother’s attention!
At this moment, Zhan Yuanshan snorted and said, "I thought it was something big, and it’s just this? What’s so surprising about it? She’s your sister-in-law; it’s normal for her to have such skills!"
"I’ve told you a hundred times, yet none of you believed me. She’s skilled in medicine and so talented in agriculture. Who else could she be but your sister-in-law?"
As he finished, Zhan Yuanshan’s tone involuntarily rose, becoming quite emotional.
Because of his words, everyone at the dining table turned their eyes towards Zhan Qipei, each with different and complex expressions.
Under the gaze of Zhan Nanjing and the others, Zhan Qipei slightly lifted his thin lips and said word by word, "She is she, and Qiao Jing is Qiao Jing. No matter how similar, they are not the same person."
After saying this, he put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands, stood up without looking back, and walked straight towards the study.
"Whether you believe it or not, she is Jing Girl!"
Zhan Yuanshan shouted toward Zhan Qipei’s back, then continued, "You’re not allowed to leave. Who let you go? Go find Jing Girl for me right now!"
Zhan Qipei did not stop walking and continued striding forward, clearly unwilling to do as the old man said.
Seeing this, Zhan Yuanshan immediately played his trump card, clutching his chest and coughing loudly, while shouting, "If you don’t go, this old man will cough to death right here today! You just wait to see my corpse... cough cough cough..."
Under the old man’s pressure, Zhan Qipei finally left, feeling helpless.
However, he did not do as the old man said.
After leaving Purple Garden, he took out his phone, made a call, and arranged to meet Lu Zijiao, heading to a bar together.
In the bar.
In a booth near the bar counter, Zhan Qipei and Lu Zijiao sat facing each other, each holding a glass of red wine.
Lu Zijiao took a few sips of wine, then looked up at the silent Zhan Qipei sitting opposite, and curiously asked, "What brings you to want to drink with me today all of a sudden?"
"In recent years, you’ve either been drinking alone or busy with business affairs. It’s been how long since we last got together."
As he said this, Lu Zijiao’s tone was somewhat wistful.
Ever since Qiao Jing went missing in the tsunami, this buddy of his had been either working non-stop or drinking excessively, not to mention giving himself a stomach condition and even having to be hospitalized for surgery recently.
To put it bluntly, it was like he didn’t care about his own life!
Zhan Qipei tilted his head and drank the red wine in his glass in one go.
As soon as he emptied one glass, he immediately refilled it and, swirling the wine in his glass, said with a headache, "It’s because my grandfather keeps giving me difficult tasks."
Hearing this, Lu Zijiao became even more curious and immediately asked, "What’s going on? What kind of difficult task did your old man give you to trouble even President Zhan like this?"
Zhan Qipei pinched his brow with his long fingers, his deep voice full of helplessness, "The old man mistook Third Miss Qiao from the Qiao Family for Qiao Jing and insists on setting the two of us up, wanting me to interact and date her."
In his heart, there was no room for any woman other than Qiao Jing.
But the old man’s illness was like a time bomb. If he didn’t go along a little, he was afraid something bad might happen to him.
In short, he was now caught in a dilemma, trapped with no way forward!
Lu Zijiao slightly raised his eyebrows and confirmed, "The Third Miss Qiao you’re talking about is the one from the Qiao Family in Nandu, the one Master Zhou Fu wants to take as his disciple?"
Zhan Qipei looked up at him, "You know too?"
Lu Zijiao lounged back on the sofa chair, speaking unhurriedly, "Master Zhou Fu taking on a disciple is such big news. I’ve heard about it a bit here and there, but my understanding of Third Miss Qiao mainly comes from my brother."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Qipei couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious, "What does this have to do with your brother?"
Seeing his inquiry, Lu Zijiao enthusiastically recounted, "You wouldn’t know, but just a few days ago, Third Miss Qiao helped my brother resolve a particularly tricky illness. According to my brother, Third Miss Qiao’s medical skills are exceptionally high. My brother even consulted her at the time."
"In any case, Third Miss Qiao’s medical skills are so impressive that even my brother feels inferior to her, which is why she caught his attention."
Zhan Qipei was skeptical, "Are her medical skills really that good?"
"Do you think I would deceive you?"
Lu Zijiao shot back, then said earnestly, "Honestly, I didn’t expect that apart from Qiao Jing, there would be another person so young with such amazing medical skills!"
"So it’s no wonder your family’s old man mistook this Third Miss Qiao for Qiao Jing, because my brother also told me that sometimes when he looks at Third Miss Qiao, he sees a bit of Qiao Jing’s shadow."
Zhan Qipei’s dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, making it hard to discern his current emotions.
After a moment of silence, he again drank the red wine in his glass.