Chapter 125 - 125 Favoritism

125 Favoritism

“Master Jing, are you heading home now, or will you stay in the hospital?” Qiao Jing’s assistant asked.

“The hospital. I’ll bring Xiao Yue home after the checkup tomorrow.”

“Yes, Master Jing.”

On the third day at the hospital, Qiao Yue woke up early and was dragged by Zhou Lan for a physical examination. Seeing as Shi Tou and the others were coming, she had to send Qiao Jing away. She called for Qiao Jing, who arranged a full-body examination only after Shi Tou and his crew left. Before she knew it, the sun had travelled from east to west, setting over the horizon.

Just as Qiao Yue was about to go to bed, Qiao Jing’s assistant entered the room and began packing their things. He informed Qiao Yue that Qiao Jing had arranged for her to return home to rest.

While the Qiao family did have a doctor on retainer, there was no need for her to head home so soon! This development elicited a curse from Qiao Yue.

When Qiao Yue and Qiao Jing arrived home, they saw Qiao Ying, Qiao Xin, the Eldest Madam, and the Third Madam eating dinner. The Eldest Madam quickly invited her son to join them, asking the housekeeper to prepare another cutlery for him. The Third Madam readily agreed with her counterpart. Both of them treated Qiao Yue as if she were invisible. Fortunately, Qiao Ying was still at the table. After greeting Qiao Jing, she asked how Qiao Yue was.

“How are you?” Qiao Ying asked with concern.

Qiao Yue smiled at her. “It’s nothing serious. I need to rest at home for a while, that’s all.”

“You don’t have the ability, yet you still tried playing the hero. You’re a disgrace to the Qiao family.”

Despite her best efforts, Qiao Xin could not keep her mouth shut for her life, but as long as she did not cross her bottom line, Qiao Yue was prepared to ignore her. Arguing or getting into a scuffle over a few words was too much trouble.

Qiao Jing pushed Qiao Yue along, but not before glaring at Qiao Xin. Sensing Qiao Jing’s gaze, Qiao Xin shrank in on herself, unwilling to provoke him over Qiao Yue.

Qiao Xin still remembered her lesson. Her present outburst resulted from constantly hearing her classmates talk about Qiao Yue over the past two days. Despite being absent, Qiao Yue was the centre of attention, which made Qiao Xin unhappy.

Qiao Jing turned to the Eldest Madam. “Mother, I’ve eaten with Xiao Yue. Please continue without me.”

Qiao Jing had not bothered to acknowledge the Third Madam from start to finish.

He had always felt something was off with the third branch of their family, and that feeling grew more pronounced when he visited the Old Master in S Country. Unfortunately, his digging had turned up nothing, or he would have taken action against them sooner.

The Eldest Madam knew it would be pointless for her to press the issue from the cold, indifferent attitude her son bore. Since there was no persuading him, she would let him do as he wished, praying he knew what he was doing.

The Eldest Madam heaved a deep sigh once Qiao Jing and Qiao Yue vanished upstairs.

Her marriage with Qiao Jing’s father was purely for business purposes. The first three years of their marriage had been some of the best years of her life. She had a good husband and two wonderful sons, Qiao Xuan and Qiao Jing. However, as her family fell from grace, her husband stopped returning home as often, forcing the Eldest Madam to chase him abroad to keep an eye on him.

With neither of their parents around, Qiao Xuan and Qiao Jing were raised by Old Man Qiao. When she realised her mistake, her two children had already grown up, leading their own lives. It was too late for her to fix their relationship.

The Third Madam could tell the Eldest Madam was at a loss, so she caught the latter’s eye and whispered in her ear.

“What do you think?” The Third Madam asked, to which the Eldest Madam frowned.

“Sister-in-law, if you want to improve your relationship with Xiao Jing, you must do something!” The Third Madam pushed, appearing harmless with the gentle smile she wore.

The Eldest Madam continued frowning, lost in thought. She was troubled by the Third Madam’s suggestion but did not wish to scorn her counterpart’s advice, so she neither agreed nor refused.

Meanwhile, Qiao Jing pushed Qiao Yue upstairs. Like Qiao Yu, Qiao Yue was in a wheelchair for convenience.

Qiao Yue looked up at Qiao Jing. She had seen the warning look Qiao Jing had shot her just now. Qiao Yue had always been curious why Qiao Jing treated her better than Qiao Xin, whom he had grown up with. Curiosity got the better of her, and she asked the question weighing on her mind.

“Brother, why are you nicer to me than Qiao Xin? Didn’t you two grow up together?” Qiao Yue asked. She was not trying to sow discord; she was merely curious.

Qiao Jing paused as he closed the door, answering Qiao Yue’s question.

“Qiao Xin has a vicious heart, which gives her all sorts of ideas, some more awful than the last. She inherited it from her mother…” Qiao Jing said.

Qiao Yue did not expect such a forthright answer or a quick assessment of Qiao Xin’s character.

Qiao Yue mulled over Qiao Jing’s words and nodded. Qiao Jing was right. Qiao Xin’s black heart was not as simple as being spoiled by the family. She had total disregard for life.

The most memorable example was when she arrived at the Qiao family, where Qiao Xin released a pack of snow wolves to maul her. No matter which side the bread was buttered, it was not something an ordinary person would do.