Chapter 177  : Hidden Life

Cheng Juan’s phone was locked.

The latest message was on the lock screen page—

It was a message from the bank.

Lu Zhaoying paused for a long time, speechless.

Cheng Juan was leaning on the experiment table and looking at a list in his hand.

Seeing Lu Zhaoying’s reaction, he raised his hand and threw the list onto the table. Then, he picked up the mobile phone and looked at it calmly.

“Young Master Lu, what did you see?” Cheng Mu couldn’t help but ask, curious.

Lu Zhaoying shook his head.

He put his hands on the table and took a sip of mineral water. “Ah, Master Juan, did I mistakenly see a few more zeros?”

The first number was indeed a three, but the following number of zeros was not quite right.

Cheng Juan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the numbers displayed on the phone.

He did not say a word.

“Three million yuan...” Lu Zhaoying banged the mineral water bottle on the table and turned to Cheng Juan. “That’s more than my pocket money from a few years ago!”

Lu Zhaoying’s family was not short of money, but Mother Lu was very strict with his pocket money. Thus, Lu Zhaoying had found ways to freeload off Cheng Juan ever since elementary school to high school.

Lu Zhaoying had once felt like Old Master Cheng’s management methods were problematic. Otherwise, why was it that Cheng Juan’s money never seemed to run out ever since elementary school?

“Three million yuan? How could it be?” Cheng Mu scratched his head and said weakly, “Then it’s probably not from Miss Qin. Otherwise, why would she work part-time in our school doctor’s office?”

She did not only work here but also in the milk tea shop...

Lu Zhaoying did not speak.

Cheng Juan put the phone on the table and picked up the list again.

“No.” Lu Zhaoying sat upright. He was certain he had seen the correct number of zeros on the phone.

Qin Ran had just asked for Cheng Juan’s bank account number.

Lu Zhaoying also had reason to believe that the account number Cheng Juan had given Qin Ran was his private account number.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhaoying glanced at Cheng Juan.

It was indeed strange. He had allowed Qin Ran to enter the school doctor’s office straight away, but what about Master Juan?

Cheng Mu looked at Lu Zhaoying’s reaction and asked carefully, “Young Master Lu, that money...”

Lu Zhaoying took out a cigarette and glanced at him lazily. “What do you think?”

**

On the other side.

The bank manager respectfully sent Qin Hanqiu and Qin Ran out of the VIP reception room.

“Ran Ran, just now...” Qin Hanqiu coughed and couldn’t help but look at the bank manager behind him.

He was standing respectfully at the gate, looking successful in his suit.

He smiled very politely at Qin Hanqiu when their eyes met.

It shocked Qin Hanqiu to the core.

Qin Ran looked at the time on her phone and turned her head. “He’s a banker.”

“Oh.” Qin Hanqiu nodded.

He did not say anything else.

Qin Ran had booked a hotel near the school for them and she brought them over to put their luggage inside.

Then, they found a place to eat. Qin Ran wanted to bring them around First Middle School, but Qin Hanqiu and Zhou Dajian did not agree.

“Ran Ran, did we delay your time this afternoon?” Qin Hanqiu waved his hand immediately. “You didn’t go to class this afternoon, will your teacher scold you?”

“No, he doesn’t care about me.” Qin Ran leaned back on the chair and took a sip from the mineral water bottle.

Qin Hanqiu subconsciously thought that the teachers had given up on her.

Zhou Dajian discernibly averted away from the topic.

The two of them said they did not want to disturb Qin Ran’s study, and only Qin Ling tugged on Qin Ran’s sleeves and wanted to go with her.

Qin Ran told Qin Hanqiu that she would bring Qin Ling back before he went to bed at night.

“Old Qin, we went to the VIP reception desk of the bank in the afternoon, right...” After the two had left, Zhou Dajian turned to Qin Hanqiu. “Where did Ran Ran get so much money from?”

He didn’t know how much money was needed to enter the VIP reception room, but...

It was definitely more than he could imagine.

After all, the staff at the bank had been so enthusiastic.

Qin Hanqiu reached out to open a bottle of beer wordlessly.

“Why are you not smiling? You have such a good daughter, your life will be blissful!” Zhou Dajian stared at Qin Hanqiu’s stony face and almost wanted to hit him. Both of them moved bricks, but why did he suddenly become rich?

No wonder Qin Ran had gone upstairs in Yun Ding Hotel just now.

“I’m not worthy of a blissful life.” Qin Hanqiu poured himself a glass of beer and smiled bitterly. “I basically did not care about Ran Ran since she was young.”

The most important thing was that Qin Yu would cry every time they got in a conflict.

He and Ning Qing had said this to Qin Ran the most: [You’re the older sister, why can’t you just yield to your little sister?]

At that time, Ning Qing had been very utilitarian, and Qin Hanqiu had worked several jobs in a day and was too tired to put effort into the two sisters’ fight.

Qin Yu always said good things to him every night... so much so that he had always preferred her.

He was not close to Qin Ran.

Qin Hanqiu thought about how Qin Ran had not avoided him in front of her students last time...

At that time, Qin Hanqiu had realized that some things need not be spoken.

“Old Zhou, what do you think I was thinking back then? They’re all humans, why should Ran Ran always yield to Yu’er?” Qin Hanqiu took another sip of beer. His eyes were red as he continued, “Just because she’s one year older?”

Zhou Dajian handed him the napkin on the table and nodded in understanding. “Have you not heard the old man’s words? The crying child gets the candy, do you not understand?”

**

Over here, Qin Ran didn’t go to self-study in the evening.

She took Qin Ling to the school doctor’s office.

Inside the school’s medical office.

When Lu Zhaoying saw Qin Ran coming up, he stared at her faintly.

Cheng Mu habitually picked up the teapot before seeing Qin Ling. “Miss Qin, who’s this?”

“Qin Ling, my brother.” Qin Ran patted Qin Ling’s head and threw a book onto the table. “Go read.”

Qin Ling sat silently at the table and picked up the book.

He lowered his head and seemed a little lonely and gloomy.

“Oh, your brother.” Lu Zhaoying looked away from Qin Ran and stared at Qin Ling. He touched his ear studs and called very amiably, “Hello, little brother. You can call me Bro...”

Qin Ling looked up.

The word “Brother” had yet to come out.

Lu Zhaoying’s voice was stuck in mid-air.

Qin Ling lowered his head again and continued to turn the pages.

Cheng Mu put the tea he had made for Qin Ran on the table and saw that the book Qin Ling was reading was the foreign language book that Qin Ran often read. He was speechless.

Little brother, do you even understand it?

“No, Qin Ran, your brother and I are fated!” Lu Zhaoying reacted from his crash.

He momentarily forgot about Qin Ran’s three million yuan and walked around Qin Ling several times. “I think he’s very familiar!”

Cheng Juan sat on the sofa, watching an anatomy video on the computer.

After hearing this, he looked up with a cup in his hand and said, “I also said he looked very familiar.”

Qin Ran was too lazy to go to evening self-study and did not want to practice her writing.

She just sat casually on the sofa, and Cheng Juan also generously let her stay there.

Cheng Juan cleared his throat, looked at Qin Ran, and said calmly, “He said you looked like his mother. Aunt Lu gave birth to him late and is only fifty-three this year.”

Lu Zhaoying stared at Cheng Juan in disbelief. Was he still a brother?!

Why did he expose him?

Qin Ran stared blankly at Lu Zhaoying and looked down to play on her phone.

She sent a message to Yan Xi.

[Do you know Li Shuangning?]

**

The Devil Capital.

Yan Xi’s eyes were red and there was a pile of scraps around him.

It was all the lyrics he had written.

His phone rang with the special ring tone and he quickly threw away his pen and found the phone on the messy table. He saw the WeChat message at first glance.

“Who is Li Shuangning?” He leaned back in his chair and asked his manager, reaching out to knock on the table.

As soon as the manager saw Yan Xi’s posture, he knew that it was the great master who had sent him a WeChat, so he said in amusement, “Yan Xi, have you forgotten that you have come to Beijing for tomorrow’s album? Li Shuangning is playing a supporting role in your music video.”

“Oh.” Yan Xi glanced at the WeChat and said very lightly, “Change her.”

After so many years since his debut, Yan Xi basically worked hard and focused on his music. He rarely cared about the entertainment industry. This was the first time he had made such a request.

“Ok.” His manager nodded. With Yan Xi’s top-tier status, it was nothing strange to change a third-tier star.

He guessed that the third-tier star had probably offended the great master.

On the other side.

After finally finding Dream Heart, Li Shuangning and her team went back to the hotel in Devil City.

She was holding Yan Xi’s team script in her hand and reciting it when she was informed by the team that she did not need to continue anymore.

“Why?” Li Qiu was stunned and stared at Yan Xi’s team. “But we already signed the agreement?”

Yan Xi was a rare celebrity in the entertainment industry, but he did not appear on variety shows nor shoot any television dramas. Not only that, but he did not have any scandals either.

His popularity was entirely dependent on his music!

All the hot searches had been given by his fans.

Anyone who could be connected to him would easily attain a favorable impression, and each of his albums would sell well.

Li Shuangning had surmounted all difficulties to reach this point, but she did not expect to be directly given a pass by Yan Xi’s team!

The person said apologetically, “We will double the breach of the contract fee.”

At this time, it did not matter how high the fee was.

News of Li Shuangning playing in Yan Xi’s music video had already been released. If she was changed out now, with Yan Xi’s good reputation in the circle, the netizens would only curse at her!

Li Qiu was extremely anxious.

“You guys should think carefully about who you have offended recently,” the person said lightly before leaving.

Offended someone?

Li Shuangning’s brain buzzed and she could only think of the incident with the Dream Heart in the afternoon.

“That child’s sister seemed to know people from Yunguang Consortium...” Li Shuangning didn’t go to the lounge, but Li Qiu knew about this.

Neither of them expected that Li Shuangning’s establishment in the entertainment industry would collapse entirely just because of a child.

If there was a time machine, even if she would really lose the Dream Heart, Li Qiu would not be so dogmatic!

Now, not only did she offend a big character without knowing it, but she had also lost Yan Xi’s cooperation. Li Qiu simply felt like her heart was bleeding.

She immediately made a decision. “Let’s go back to Yun Cheng!”

**

Qin Ran chatted with Yan Xi for a while before closing the chat page.

Gu Xichi had also returned to Devil City.

He did not go anywhere else and went directly to the laboratory to conduct tests using his equipment, even forgoing eating.

He had done it once in Yun Cheng, and Cheng Juan had perfected his results.

He was so serious about this not because this was Qin Ran’s grandma, but because he was a medical madman himself.

He sent the report he received to Qin Ran and said—

[Show it to Cheng Juan!]

[Hurry! I’m in a hurry!]

He sounded quite urgent.

Qin Ran glanced at the document he sent. It had records of Gu Xichi’s laboratory instrument and were in a messy pile.

She pursed her lips and glanced at Cheng Juan.

Cheng Juan held a blanket and was watching a video somewhat sleepily. However, he noticed her staring at him and handed the blanket in his hand over to her casually. “Are you cold?”

Qin Ran thanked him and only looked up when the blanket was wrapped around her body. “Oh, no, I wanted to show you something. Wait, I’ll send it to you.”

Cheng Mu sat next to Qin Ling, looking at this scene blankly. Then, he took out his phone and sent a message to Cheng Jin: [I want to poke my eyes out.]

Cheng Juan glanced at his phone and saw the file Qin Ran sent him. He clicked on it and asked lightly, “What is it?”

“It’s a medical document.” Qin Ran looked at him.

“Oh.” Cheng Juan nodded, then forwarded it to Lu Zhaoying. “Print it for me.”

There was a printer on Lu Zhaoying’s daily consultation table.

He printed the documents patiently.

While it was printing, he turned and tried to chat with Qin Ling while standing sideways.

There were ten documents in total, and they were printed very quickly.

Lu Zhaoying saw that it was done and went over to hand it to Cheng Juan. “Qin Ran, what kind of medical documents did you have to show Master Juan?”

He flipped through it casually as he walked over.

As soon as he looked down, he saw the word “Gu” on the title page.

And in Devil City, Gu Xichi was sitting in front of the laboratory computer with a bucket of instant noodles, waiting for Qin Ran’s results.

He took a bite of noodles and suddenly felt like something was wrong. Stiffly, he turned to glance at the computer.