74: Chapter 74 Accidentally Entering the Imperial Family: The True Noble Male Supporting Character 35

The ginkgo-lined path on campus.

Just as the two were laughing and joking together, a boy suddenly came jogging over.

He was slightly shy, his hands unnaturally behind his back, as if hiding something.

"Hello... Classmate Qiao Chuxia."

The boy's voice carried a hint of nervousness, causing the two who were playing around to stop.

Qiao Chuxia recognized him; he was a classmate from the Department of Economics and Management.

Liu Yiyi immediately caught the scent of gossip, nudging Qiao Chuxia with her elbow, winking and making faces, looking like she was ready to watch a show.

With Liu Yiyi doing that, the boy was clearly even more nervous.

But he still summoned his courage.

"Classmate Qiao Chuxia, I don't know if you have time this weekend? I'd like to take you out for a meal... I..."

He was just about to continue when he heard the vibrating sound of Qiao Chuxia's phone in her hand.

Sure enough, Qiao Chuxia subconsciously tapped open her phone, and there was a new WeChat message on it.

Not knowing what she saw, Qiao Chuxia's eyes instantly lit up.

She could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly said to the two people in front of her:

"Yiyi, I have something to attend to and have to leave first. We'll treat you to a meal another day. Oh right, and this classmate, I suddenly have a very urgent matter, so I'll take my leave first."

Before her words had even faded, she was already like a bird breaking free from its restraints, her long hair flying in the wind as she started to run with big strides.

"Wait, Chuxia, where are you going?"

"The teaching building!"

After running for a while, she turned the corner.

Sure enough, she saw a tall, familiar figure under the teaching building.

He seemed to still be dusty from his travels, but his face held a doting smile, and he saw her from far away.

Meng Zhu had really returned!

Qiao Chuxia cheered and, like a swallow returning to its nest, dove straight into the arms that had already been opened for her.

"Slow down, what are you running for?"

Meng Zhu caught her steadily, tightened his arms, and spun her around in place several times.

"I'm happy, so I want to run!"

"Meng Zhu, didn't you say it would take a few more days? You lied to me again!"

She tilted her head up, her eyes filled only with him, and the smile on her face was brighter than the sunshine.

"I changed some strategies and traded other things to buy time; I wanted to come back sooner."

Meng Zhu lowered his head, his fingertips gently stroking her cheeks, which were flushed from running.

"In the future, let the assistants handle this kind of thing!"

Qiao Chuxia nodded in deep agreement; for the sake of her happiness, Assistant Chen Yuan and the others would just have to suffer a bit.

She wrapped her arms around Meng Zhu's neck.

"I missed you so much!"

Thinking of Liu Yiyi's analysis just now.

Qiao Chuxia didn't care about strategies or anything; she only knew that Meng Zhu had returned early.

So she stood on her tiptoes and quickly planted a kiss on his lips.

Just then.

The male classmate from just a moment ago heard that Qiao Chuxia had an urgent matter and heard her mention going to the teaching building.

Thinking that perhaps he could help, he subconsciously followed along.

However, when he ran panting to the corner of the teaching building, what he saw was such a heartbreaking scene.

The girl was being held and spun around in the arms of a tall, handsome man, laughing happily and innocently.

The kiss on tiptoes was like a heavy hammer blow.

"Clatter."

The rose he had been keeping behind his back, which he hadn't yet managed to give away, fell limply to the ground.

Liu Yiyi followed slowly, first patting the boy on the shoulder sympathetically, then looking at the pair in the distance who were lost in their own world and sickeningly sweet, shaking her head helplessly yet gratified.

She didn't go up to disturb them; anyway, Chuxia had just said she would find time to treat her to a meal.

Meng Zhu had returned from his business trip.

While Qiao Chuxia had been in a pleasant mood recently, walking with a spring in her step, the days at the Qiao Family had been very difficult recently.

In the office of Qiao's Jewelry, smoke filled the air.

Qiao Zhenghong's complexion was haggard, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts.

"Another one... and another one!"

He slammed the document onto the desk hard, making a dull thud.

Just a moment ago, he had discovered that the jade supplier he had been working with for nearly ten years had actually already completely cut ties with him.

He finally realized the problem.

Ever since Canxing Jewelry was acquired, the entire jewelry market had been squeezed.

The other party's strength was too great, and he had originally tried to avoid their sharp edge.

But now, every single thing was proving that Canxing was specifically targeting the Qiao Family.

Upstream suppliers, sales channels, designers, and even skilled craftsmen—every aspect was being besieged.

It was just like a frog in boiling water; he was only just now truly realizing it.

In the past two days, Qiao Zhenghong had gone to investigate the boss behind Canxing Jewelry, but he hadn't found anything.

Those suppliers and distributors, as soon as anyone mentioned the boss of Canxing, would immediately become secretive and refuse to speak about it.

Yesterday, he pulled a massive favor to contact the most veteran raw stone supplier in the Southwest.

On the phone, after the other party heard his purpose, he just let out a long sigh and said in a cautionary tone:

"Old Qiao, I can't say anything, but this person is someone you cannot afford to offend; pray for your own good!"

This was also an answer.

It poured over Qiao Zhenghong from head to toe, leaving him completely disheartened.

In desperation, a crazy idea arose.

Returning to the Qiao Family study.

Qiao Zhenghong looked at Qiao Yuze and, in a deep voice, laid out the company's current predicament.

"Dad, what do we do now?"

Qiao Yuze frowned; clearly, he had no solution either.

"We need a backer to keep us from dying."

A sharp light flashed in Qiao Zhenghong's eyes.

"Chu Yunting."

"Chu Yunting?"

"Yes!"

Qiao Zhenghong stood up and paced back and forth in the study.

"There is no backer greater than the Meng Family. Chu Yunting's mother is Meng Wanjun. As long as Qiao Chuxia and Chu Yunting enter a marriage alliance, no one will be able to do anything to the Qiao Family."

"But Dad, Qiao Chuxia won't be willing."

"She dares not?"

"Drag her back, lock her up for ten or fifteen days, and see if she still dares to be willful!!"

Qiao Zhenghong's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness.

"This..."

Qiao Yuze furrowed his brows, wanting to say something but stopping.

Qiao Zhenghong glanced at him sideways.

"What are you afraid of?"

"In the past, she could be willful because the people she was hooking up with were likely people we couldn't afford to offend."

"But now it's different. No matter who she's hooking up with, they would absolutely not dare to act presumptuously in front of Meng Wanjun."

Qiao Yuze nodded in sudden realization.

Qiao Zhenghong deliberated to himself once more; the more he reviewed it, the more feasible it seemed, and he finally made up his mind.

"This is our only way out. I'll leave this matter to you. Tomorrow, I'm inviting Chu Yunting to be a guest at our home. You mobilize everyone and, at any cost, drag Qiao Chuxia back to me—tie her up and bring her back if you have to. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Qiao Yuze could still handle this small matter.

Qiao Chuxia had recently returned to school for classes; he knew this.

Even if that wild man had equipped her with bodyguards, he wasn't afraid.

As long as there were enough people, dragging her back wouldn't be a problem.

As for after catching her, once the wild man learned it was a marriage alliance with Meng Wanjun's son, presumably that wild man would know when to retreat.

Next, with Chu Yunting's help, the Qiao Family's predicament would naturally be resolved.

Even if it was equivalent to selling his daughter, helping once would be enough.

As long as they got through this time, the Qiao Family would be able to recover. Besides, blood is thicker than water; it wasn't like there wouldn't be a chance to repair the relationship with Qiao Chuxia in the future.

In Qiao Yuze's view, letting Qiao Chuxia enter a marriage alliance with Chu Yunting was also for her own good.

Could she be a mistress her whole life?

Sooner or later, Qiao Chuxia would understand that everything her family did was right.