Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 95

“Miss, you haven’t eaten or drunk anything all day. Please have something to eat.”

Qiao Bo’er paced restlessly in the study. Initially, the person she couldn’t reach was Ling Xi, but now it had escalated to Xiao Mo and Su Yunjin being unreachable as well.

Chu Xi, worried about her mood, could only repeatedly urge her to eat but received no response.

“Book a flight. I need to return to Xuan City.”

Qiao Bo’er’s sudden arrangement drew a surprised look from Chu Xi. She stammered, reminding her, “I’m afraid that won’t work. Tomorrow’s meeting is too important; you can’t just leave.”

“What about Qu Ye? Why hasn’t Qu Ye returned yet!” Qiao Bo’er abruptly changed the subject and scolded sharply. Chu Xi dared not speak further, choosing to endure this unjustified outburst.

Qiao Bo’er scrutinised Chu Xi’s outwardly calm face. The study was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Chu Xi tried hard to mask her feelings, but Qiao Bo’er still sensed something amiss: “You… are you hiding something from me?”

“Miss, what could I possibly hide from you?” Stared at by Qiao Bo’er’s cold eyes, Chu Xi felt a chill down her spine and tried to deflect the question with a rhetorical counter-question.

“Alright then. Call Qin Yun for me and tell her I need to speak to her about something.”

Seeing that she couldn’t muddle through, Chu Xi could only take her phone and dial Qin Yun’s number, her heart pounding with anxiety.

After a busy tone, Qin Yun’s voice echoed in the study: “What is it? My darling…”

“It’s me, Qiao Bo’er.”

Hearing the overly calm voice, the person on the phone suddenly fell silent.

“Qin Yun! They are playing games, and you’re joining in? What exactly happened to Ling Xi?!”

Qiao Bo’er’s sharp questioning was like punching water—it caused a splash but ultimately achieved nothing.

“Huh, your question makes no sense to me.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Did the two of you have a fight, or something?” This time, it was Qin Yun who feigned ignorance.

“Don’t lie to me!” No matter what Qin Yun said, Qiao Bo’er only responded with “Don’t lie to me.”

It was a battle of wits, where every word was a puzzle, and only Qin Yun could hold her own against Qiao Bo’er.

“Speak!” Qiao Bo’er could no longer suppress her emotions.

After repeated consideration, Qin Yun decided to continue lying: “I’m entertaining an important guest. What kind of fit are you throwing? If you’re sick, take medicine; if you’re not, go to sleep.”

With that, she callously hung up on Qiao Bo’er.

“Ling Xi is probably busy with work, Miss. I think you’re overthinking things.” Chu Xi boldly fabricated an excuse. Qiao Bo’er shot her a lethal glare, and she immediately fell silent.

“You may leave.”

With Qiao Bo’er’s instruction, Chu Xi could only comply and exit. Once the door was closed, Qiao Bo’er dialled another person’s number.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Tsk, you are something. You don’t contact me for ages and don’t even bother with a greeting, just start by asking where I am. How annoying…”

“This is not the time for jokes. I need your help.”

“I don’t particularly like the word ‘help,’ as it implies free action.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t short-change you.”

“Money makes things easy, then. Tell me, what do you want me to do?”

“I can’t get in touch with Ling Xi. Go find out exactly what happened on her end.”

“Small case, you can count on me.”

Hanging up the phone, a strong sense of unease, like a plastic bag, wrapped around Qiao Bo’er’s face, making her breathing increasingly difficult.

“So you want to earn money from both sides, how do you plan to achieve that?” Qin Yun folded her arms across her chest, her gaze fixed on the television set that Ling Xi had smashed.

The person being questioned leisurely picked her ear and smacked her lips, saying, “That’s easy. First, I help you find out the reason for Ling Xi’s seizure, and then I truthfully tell Qiao Bo’er exactly what happened.”

“You promised me you wouldn’t tell her!” Qin Yun was dissatisfied with Ji Nancen’s answer, frowning and looking at her coldly.

“Hey! Let me finish my sentence. Your ultimate goal in concealing it from Qiao Bo’er is to ensure she attends tomorrow’s important meeting successfully. Once the meeting is over, the purpose of concealing it no longer exists.

We can’t definitively say whether Ling Xi’s drug poisoning was suicide or a seizure. Qiao Bo’er will eventually find out about her hospitalisation. We’re primarily playing for a time difference.”

Listening to Ji Nancen’s babbling, Qin Yun still looked displeased: “Time difference? I don’t understand what you mean.”

“The moment you came out of the hospital, you contacted me first, precisely because you couldn’t handle this yourself. My investigation experience tells me that Ling Xi’s sudden seizure must have an underlying trigger, which is why I asked to meet you at her house.”

With that, Ji Nancen began to search the chaotic living room for evidence to support her hypothesis.

“What are you looking for?” Qin Yun was puzzled, sitting motionless on the sofa.

Ji Nancen pointed to the television and happened to spot a delivery box amidst a pile of broken bottles and jars. This sudden presence caught her attention.

Picking up the express box, she examined it while explaining, “Well, here it is, no effort required. It seems my suspicion was correct.”

She handed the box to Qin Yun and walked to the television set, demonstrating briefly: “Why was the TV smashed? It means Ling Xi saw something before the incident.”

After speaking, Ji Nancen reached out to feel around. Her suspicion was perfectly correct; she felt a USB drive but didn’t pull it out.

Qin Yun looked at the sender’s address on the express box, momentarily lost in thought: “Sent from Florence…”

Ji Nancen didn’t respond but picked up the remote control from the floor.

Attempting to turn it on, the television surprisingly powered up quickly. She couldn’t help but joke, “This television brand is quite good; it can withstand a beating.”

Just as she was jesting, Ji Nancen played the video. She walked over and sat beside Qin Yun, as if waiting for a movie to start.

Qiao Di’s figure reappeared, and the expressions on Ji Nancen’s and Qin Yun’s faces gradually turned grim.

Through the broken screen, Qiao Di’s face looked even more like a demon. After the video ended, both fell silent.

After a moment of quiet, Qin Yun exclaimed angrily, “That damned thing, haunting us!”

“How could this happen? Didn’t he die? How is he still pulling a stunt like this?” Ji Nancen also couldn’t figure out Qiao Di’s scheme, feeling distressed and confused.

Qin Yun didn’t know how to explain this matter to Qiao Bo’er either. Ji Nancen was still trying to rationalise the sequence of events: “Wait, let me gather my thoughts.

Hiss… The sequence of events is… Ling Xi suddenly received this express delivery. She saw the Florence address and thought it was a gift from Qiao Bo’er. The box contained a USB drive, so she plugged it into the TV to watch it.

The result was Qiao Di’s “surprise,” detailing how he caused the deaths of Ling Xi’s parents, followed by a round of psychological manipulation, instigating discord between her and Qiao Bo’er?

Ling Xi was successfully brainwashed, had a seizure, smashed up the living room, and then, unable to cope, attempted suicide by taking pills?”

“The sequence isn’t the point. The point is that Ling Xi now knows the real reason for her parents’ death, and the problem still lies with Bo’er. Qiao Di clearly wanted to break up their relationship.”

Hearing Qin Yun’s words, Ji Nancen couldn’t help but complain: “Honestly, Qiao Bo’er should have just used her mouth and said what needed to be said earlier. Hiding things only leads to deeper misunderstandings. Now look, Qiao Di is dead, but he can still take advantage of the situation. Fifty percent of the reason is her own making.”

Ji Nancen walked to the TV, pulled out the USB drive, and tossed it into Qin Yun’s lap: “But speaking of which, we can’t help with matters of the heart. Especially with this kind of old trauma; if Ling Xi can’t heal and let go, no one can help her. You should advise Qiao Bo’er to hurry back once her work is done. Ling Xi needs her—that’s my advice. Otherwise, get ready for a breakup!”

“You talk nonsense. You’re so annoying!”

Ji Nancen didn’t get angry at Qin Yun’s complaints. Thick-skinned, she pulled out a QR code for payment: “Come on, payment. I’ll give you a crushed-bone-breaking friendship price.”

To expedite her return to Xuan City, Qiao Bo’er disregarded all objections and forcibly moved up the handover ceremony for the Qiao Serse Family Group by two hours.

Sitting in the luxurious conference hall, she accepted the applause and welcome of the crowd, but at the last moment, she cancelled the scheduled reception dinner.

This decision was undoubtedly offensive.

After all, with the family’s extensive business interests, the transition period necessitated maintaining relationships with numerous partners. Cancelling the dinner was not only abrupt but also seemed unreasonable.

Yet, no one could override Qiao Bo’er’s insistence. The responsible executive among the senior management repeatedly tried to persuade her, but to no avail, and they ultimately had to agree to her decision.

Standing outside the door, Qu Ye had known about the USB drive since yesterday. Suppressing the information made him appear entirely anxious and apprehensive.

Chu Xi stepped out of the conference hall first. Qu Ye shot her a look of distress and whispered, “I waited until now to report the situation to Miss; she won’t eat me alive, will she?”

“Miss has already booked a flight back to Xuan City. Don’t say anything, don’t say anything even if it kills you.” Chu Xi insisted on concealment. This was what Qin Yun had instructed: the progress of the handover ceremony couldn’t be jeopardised. She felt helpless.

“Are you sure?”

“Miss hasn’t slept for a whole day and night, and she hasn’t eaten or drunk anything. If you tell her now, it will only make her more anxious. What if she has a seizure?”

“But…” Just as Qu Ye was struggling, Qiao Bo’er walked out.

“Qu Ye, did you find anything regarding the matter I asked you to investigate?” Qiao Bo’er’s question made Qu Ye tremble. He shook his head awkwardly, his ability to lie being less than convincing.

“Uh… that lawyer is quite principled; he wouldn’t talk even for money… Sorry, it’s my fault for not handling the matter properly.”

Qiao Bo’er looked exhausted and didn’t have the energy to scold him. She checked the time: “Forget it. It’s almost time to leave. Let’s go.”

“Oh… alright…” Qu Ye’s uneasy look was not lost on Qiao Bo’er. But not wanting to delay their departure, she walked forward without a word.

The three hurried to the parking lot. Qiao Bo’er sat in the car, closing her eyes to rest.

Chu Xi and Qu Ye were terrified of saying anything extra that might arouse Qiao Bo’er’s suspicion and could only endure the suffocating low pressure inside the car.

“I know you are all hiding things from me, and I also know that something must have happened to Ling Xi. We’ll settle accounts slowly after we return to Xuan City.”

As expected, they couldn’t escape Qiao Bo’er’s keen eye.

Hearing the cold, threatening tone, Qu Ye and Chu Xi still dared not speak, only painfully enduring the suffocating atmosphere in the car.

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