Plunder-Chapter 18 - Going Back on Ones Word

Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Going Back on One’s Word

Chapter 18 -18 Going Back on One’s Word

As arranged, Qiao En should have already been in America by now.

Since she hadn’t shown up on time, Mrs. Zhou naturally wouldn’t let the matter rest.

“Qiao En, where are you?”

The moment Mrs. Zhou spoke, she was looking for someone to blame.

For three years, Qiao En had been as docile as a lamb.

When Mrs. Zhou told her to go east, she would never go west.

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But today, she defiantly disobeyed Mrs. Zhou’s orders for the first time.

“Madam, my family has encountered a bit of an emergency. As soon as I handle this, I’ll head to America immediately.”

Mrs. Zhou didn’t want to hear her explanation; she just wanted Qiao En to disappear from Rong City as soon as possible.

“I don’t care what emergency you have, you must leave now!”

Mrs. Zhou raised her voice, clearly angry.

But Qiao En couldn’t leave now. “Madam, give me one week’s time. I’ll definitely leave after a week.”

“Are you trying to bargain with me?” Mrs. Zhou lost her patience and asked harshly.

Offending Mrs. Zhou, Qiao En was in for trouble.

But she couldn’t ignore her own family, Qiao En just couldn’t do it.

“My family needs me right now; I can’t ignore them. Madam, please understand!”

No sooner had Qiao En finished speaking than Mrs. Zhou hung up the phone with a “snap”.

Less than half an hour after the phone call, Qiao De was involved in an accident.

He had a car accident on his way back to school.

The driver responsible for the accident fled the scene, and the surveillance camera at the intersection happened to be broken. He was found by passers-by and was in critical condition when transported to the hospital.

Qiao En received the call from the hospital, her face turning deathly pale from shock.

She hurried to leave the house. Qiao’s mother wasn’t asleep yet and came out of the bedroom when she heard the noise.

“En, where are you going at this hour?”

Qiao En stood in the entrance hall putting on her shoes, her hands shaking, legs trembling.

“Mom.” Qiao En tried to make her voice sound as calm as it had before.

“A friend just broke up and called me, asking if I could keep her company.” She made up an excuse on the spot.

Qiao’s mother didn’t think much of it and just reminded her, “Be careful on the road.”

Qiao En rushed to the hospital looking ragged, and Qiao De was still in the operating room being resuscitated.

She stared at the lit green indicator light, her heart up in her throat.

It wasn’t until dawn that Qiao De was finally brought out of the operating room.

He was covered in injuries, his head wrapped in white bandages, his whole face swollen beyond recognition.

Qiao En couldn’t recognize him at first glance, her tears uncontrollably falling.

“Ah De—”

Qiao En tried to grasp Qiao De’s hand, but his hand was also injured.

His condition was very poor; at the time of the accident, his head had struck the ground violently.

The doctor said that even if the surgery was successful, he might still suffer from complications.

Soon, Qiao De was transferred into the ICU.

One after another, reminders for payment were delivered to Qiao En.

With the driver having fled and the surveillance footage gone, the accident liability was unclear, and all of Qiao De’s treatment expenses had to be paid out of pocket.

It was a huge expense.

And Qiao En was at the end of her rope.

Before going abroad, Mrs. Zhou had given her a card with a sum of money on it as compensation.

Qiao En had not intended to use that money. She thought that when Zhou Jin’an and An Kexin got married, she would use the money from the card as a gift to repay Mrs. Zhou’s kindness.

But now, saving her brother was pressing; she could not worry about that anymore.

Yet when she took the card to the billing department to make a payment, she was told that the card had been frozen.

Qiao En stood dumbfounded for quite a while, her mind racing on how to raise the money.

The two old and dilapidated houses owned by the Qiao family couldn’t be sold; Qiao En couldn’t let her elderly parents become homeless once more.

And the small apartment where she lived was bought in the name of Zhou Jin’an. She had no property deed, so it couldn’t be sold either.

Qiao En returned to the apartment and sold all the jewelry, bags, and anything else Zhou Jin’an had given her over the years that could be sold.

However, it was like pouring a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood.

The money was simply not enough.

In her most desperate moments, she had considered seeking help from Zhou Jin’an.

But Chen Yin told her that Zhou Jin’an had gone on a business trip and was not in Rong City.

Procrastinating until the last moment, Qiao En decided to approach Mrs. Zhou.

At the entrance of the Zhou family’s large courtyard, Qiao En pleaded with the butler to pass on a message, but Mrs. Zhou became angry, and she refused to see Qiao En no matter what.

Standing under the scorching sun at the entrance of the Zhou family’s courtyard for two hours, Qiao En didn’t wait for Mrs. Zhou’s anger to subside, but unexpectedly saw An Kexin appear.

An Kexin alighted from the car, twisting her slender waist, with every lift of her hand and foot exuding a nobility and elegance.

She glanced at Qiao En casually and pretended to be surprised, “Weren’t you supposed to be studying abroad? Why are you here again?”

Qiao En hadn’t slept all night and looked haggard.

She parted her cracked lips, “I want to see Mrs. Zhou.”

An Kexin’s mouth tugged at the corners in a fleeting sneer, turning to the butler, she said, “Didn’t you tell Aunt Zhou that Secretary Qiao was here?”

The butler stood at the entrance of the courtyard, showing utmost respect.

“Miss An, the lady has said no visitors.”

An Kexin exhaled softly and approached Qiao En with a gentle reminder, “Secretary Qiao, Aunt Zhou is not feeling well… perhaps you should come back another day.”

Qiao En didn’t say a word, and she didn’t leave.

An Kexin lowered her voice a bit more, “Or… let me go in and talk for you. Wait for my news.”

She appeared very eager to help.

Qiao En knew An Kexin was not an easy person to deal with; she was not that kind-hearted.

But now, grasping at straws, she could only choose to trust her.

“Thank you, Miss An.”

An Kexin offered a faint smile and followed the butler inside the gate.

Qiao En waited until nightfall.

It wasn’t until after eight o’clock at night that An Kexin finally came out.

Seeing Qiao En still waiting, she repeatedly apologized.

“Sorry, Secretary Qiao, Aunt Zhou has a migraine and she’s truly suffering. I didn’t dare to mention it to her. If you have anything urgent, tell me, and I will give my utmost help.”

Qiao En knew all too well that seeking help from An Kexin was like digging her own grave.

“Thanks, Miss An. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”

An Kexin was someone she couldn’t afford to provoke, and she must keep her distance.

However, no sooner had Qiao En returned to the hospital than a nurse came to find her.

“Ms. Qiao, quite a few people have come to your brother’s hospital room. You’d better go and see.”

Qiao En realized something was bad and hurried over as fast as she could.

It was the same group of debt collectors again.

They were blocking the entrance to Qiao De’s hospital room, preventing the medical staff from entering.

“Are you going back on your word?”

Qiao En hadn’t expected these people to be so shameless.

The leader crossed his arms and let out bursts of cold laughter.

“We can’t all be as noble as you are. We make our living this way. If he dies, who’s going to settle the debt?”

He gave her a sideways glance, with a look of a ruffian.

“I said I would pay it back.”

Qiao En’s words still carried determination.

“You’ll pay it back? With what? Your pretty little face doesn’t look bad at all. How about this, I introduce you to a way to make quick money. If you’re lucky, get a wealthy man, and we can wipe this debt clean immediately.”

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Qiao En’s face.

She instinctively stepped back, only to find herself bumping into someone else’s arms.

“Damn, that’s quite the catch!”

Before the words were fully out, Qiao En was molested; someone grabbed her buttocks.

Outnumbered and alone, Qiao En was no match for them.

But just when she was in her toughest moment, a voice of justice rang out.

“Stop it!”