Chapter 148: Who Can Spare a Moment from Their Busy Schedule to Patronize Me?
Jiang Licuan left Zhou Fu’s home with satisfaction.
On the way back, he received a call from Jiang Zhaoyu.
“How did the inquiry go?”
Only then did Jiang Licuan remember that he had been sent by Jiang Zhaoyu to ask about Huo Qingyan’s situation.
From the moment he saw Zhou Fu, his mind had been entirely consumed with the idea of getting Zhou Fu to be his assistant, and he had completely forgotten Jiang Zhaoyu’s instructions.
Hearing the silence on the other end of the line, Jiang Zhaoyu understood exactly what had happened.
If he had known, he wouldn’t have sent Jiang Licuan.
Jiang Zhaoyu sighed. “Did Zhou Fu agree to be your assistant?”
That was the only thing on Jiang Licuan’s mind anyway.
Mentioning this, Jiang Licuan got excited.
“He said he’d tell me when he’s rested enough. I think it’s in the bag!”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “Congratulations.”
Jiang Licuan: “Thanks, Big Brother!”
“I still have things to handle. Let’s leave it at that.” He didn’t want to talk to his airhead cousin anymore.
“Goodbye, Big Brother.”
“Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Jiang Zhaoyu called Huo Qingyan.
Knowing that the “Old Six” (Licuan) could be unreliable to this extent, he should have just called Huo Qingyan directly from the start.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is powered off…”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “…”
If he had known calling was useless, he should have just gone to find Huo Qingyan in person.
The news about Huo Qingyan handing the Huo Group over to Bai Mu was spreading like wildfire. It happened so suddenly and was so bizarre that he felt something must have happened to Huo Qingyan.
The Huo family had no one left, and Huo Qingyan didn’t have many friends. Regardless of everything, he was once related to the Jiang family by marriage. If Huo Qingyan needed anything, the Jiang family was still willing to lend a helping hand.
Since the call didn’t go through, Jiang Zhaoyu had to send a message to Huo Qingyan on WeChat.
Jiang Zhaoyu: “Did something happen?”
To Jiang Zhaoyu’s surprise, Huo Qingyan replied instantly: “Thanks for the concern, President Jiang. I’m fine.”
Huo Qingyan: “[Image] Freshly made sweet and sour ribs. Do they look okay?”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “??”
He was worrying about whether something bad had happened to Huo Qingyan, and it turned out the guy was at home cooking ribs!!
Huo Qingyan: “The taste is alright. It’s the recipe Jiang Su gave me. Before, they always turned out bitter. Today I realized I was putting in too much sugar and cooking it too long.”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “Oh.”
Huo Qingyan even started seriously discussing cooking with him.
But he wasn’t very interested.
Huo Qingyan: “Next time you all go to the Qingyang Grand Hotel for a meal, I’ll cook some for you to taste.”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “I don’t like sweet things.”
Huo Qingyan: “That’s fine. I can make salt and pepper ribs; those are savory.”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “I still have matters to attend to. Talk later.”
Huo Qingyan: “Okay, you stay busy, President Jiang. I’m going to research how to make salt and pepper ribs.”
Jiang Zhaoyu: “…”
He hadn’t been hungry, but now he kind of wanted to eat ribs.
Jiang Zhaoyu called his assistant. “Please order me a portion of salt and pepper ribs for dinner.”
Putting down his phone, Jiang Zhaoyu fell into deep thought.
Chatting with Huo Qingyan just now, he didn’t sense anything abnormal about him.
But handing over the company on a silver platter was simply absurd.
He couldn’t figure Huo Qingyan out.
Little Seven (Jiang Su) would definitely understand.
Jiang Zhaoyu prepared to call Jiang Su, but then remembered Jiang Su had gone to the Yasgrug Canyon. He probably hadn’t emerged from the tropical rainforest yet. Ordinary phones had no signal there, only emergency satellite phones.
He would have to wait until Jiang Su made it out of the rainforest to call.
When Jiang Su made it out of the tropical rainforest, it was 7:00 PM.
The sky was already dim.
Everyone was exhausted and starving.
Jiang Su had a farewell meal with his team members and then went straight back to the hotel to rest.
He took a quick shower and had intended to play on his phone for a while and report his safety to the group chat, but he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
He didn’t know how much time passed before he was groggily engaged by the vibration of his phone.
Jiang Su grabbed the phone with his eyes closed. After unlocking it with his fingerprint, the screen lit up, and only then did Jiang Su open his eyes.
It was 1:00 AM local time, which meant it was still afternoon back in China.
WeChat showed “99+” unread messages.
The pinned family group chat was buzzing with activity.
The group name had been changed to “What Exactly is Wrong with Huo Qingyan”.
Hmm??
Jiang Su sat up, turned on the light, and stared at the phone screen to confirm it three times. The group name was indeed “What Exactly is Wrong with Huo Qingyan”.
Shocked, Jiang Su tapped into the group.
Eldest Brother: “I asked him what was wrong. He said nothing and even sent me a picture of the ribs he cooked.”
Second Sister: “That just sounds abnormal.”
Third Brother: “Let me see the ribs he made.”
Fourth Sister: “I wonder if our little Momo has a half-brother. If he does, I hope he hurries up and comes to steal our family fortune.”
Fifth Sister: “??”
Old Six: “Even Zhou Fu resigned. Huo Qingyan really isn’t managing the Huo Group anymore.”
Jiang Su recognized every word they sent.
But strung together, he couldn’t understand them.
Jiang Su: “I made it out safely!”
Second Sister: “Old Six, is there anyone in your eyes besides Zhou Fu?”
Fifth Sister: “What happened with Old Six and Zhou Fu?”
Eldest Brother: “I still think something is fishy about this Huo Qingyan situation.”
Third Brother: “Isn’t Huo Qingyan a workaholic? How did he manage to hand over the company? Anyway, it’s impossible for me to give up my research.”
Jiang Su: “Is no one going to pay attention to me?”
He had only disappeared for three days. Was his status in the group already lower than Huo Qingyan’s?
Jiang Su sent this message twice before catching their attention.
Old Six: “Hey, Little Seven appeared!”
Fourth Sister: “Little Seven, mwah.”
Second Sister: “Little Seven, mwah.”
Third Brother: “Little Seven, mwah.”
Eldest Brother: “Little Seven, mwah.”
Fifth Sister: “Little Seven, mwah.”
Jiang Su: “If you don’t want to pay attention to me, that’s fine. You don’t have to be so perfunctory.”
Such a uniform formation; it was obviously copy-pasted.
So, they honestly continued chatting about Huo Qingyan.
Jiang Su lurked for a long time and finally understood what had happened.
Huo Zhenheng had an illegitimate son.
Huo Qingyan had acknowledged this half-brother and brought him back to the Huo family.
Huo Qingyan had even handed the entire Huo Group over to this half-brother.
So, here came the question.
Jiang Su: “Who can spare a moment from their busy schedule to patronize me? I want to know who Huo Qingyan’s half-brother is.”
Eldest Brother: “Bai Mu.”
Jiang Su: “Are you guys kidding me??”
Jiang Licuan: “[Screenshot] [Screenshot] [Screenshot] [Screenshot] [Screenshot]”
Jiang Licuan threw five screenshots at him in a row, including netizen comments, news clippings, and trending topic screenshots…
Jiang Su exited WeChat and checked the internet.
It was wall-to-wall news about Huo Qingyan handing full authority of the Huo Group to Bai Mu.
TV dramas wouldn’t dare to write a script like this.
If the next script didn’t have such absurd plotlines, he definitely wouldn’t take it.
Jiang Su reopened WeChat and found Huo Qingyan’s number among the countless unread messages.
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