The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 24

Chapter 24: The Ice Queen’s Fierce Love

Xu Zhihong, seemingly finding his daughter’s reaction endearing, chuckled and turned to chat with the other parents in the room.

Within an hour, everyone in the ward, from the doctors and nurses to the visiting families, knew about Xu Zhihong’s successful daughters: one a scholarship student at the prestigious Mingrui, personally recruited by a teacher, the other with a collection of awards, his wife a virtuous woman, and himself a successful businessman, generously providing for his family.

Xu Qiuyi, observing this newly minted image of a devoted husband and father, knew the truth. He had gambled with the leftover money after paying off his debts and had won.

That was the only reason he dared to show his face at the hospital.

The allure of gambling lay in the unpredictable nature of wins and losses. It wasn’t constant loss; it was the intermittent wins, like today, that kept people hooked.

Guan Ruolin, having taken the day off, forgoing triple pay for the holiday, urged Xu Qiuyi to go home and rest. The hospital wasn’t a conducive environment for sleep.

“You have dark circles under your eyes,” she said, her voice filled with concern. “Go home and sleep. I’ll call you if anything happens.”

Xu Zhihong chimed in, “Go on, Qiuyi. Get some rest. I’m here.”

Xu Qiuyi, wanting to say, That’s precisely why I’m worried, knew she was exhausted. She agreed to go home.

Even the healthiest person couldn’t function on two consecutive nights of sleep deprivation. As soon as she got home, she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep, only to be woken by frantic knocking.

“Who is it?” she mumbled, her mind still foggy. Her phone, which had been resting on her chest, slipped and landed on the blanket. She had been on a voice call with Tao Ning, falling asleep mid-conversation.

The phone, having run out of battery, had switched itself off.

The knocking continued, insistent. “Qiuyi! Qiuyi! Wake up! Your mom just called! Zhichun’s condition has worsened! They’re transferring her! Hurry!”

Before the sentence was even finished, Xu Qiuyi flung the door open, her face pale. “Transferring her? Why? What happened?”

Xu Zhihong, startled by her appearance, her face etched with worry, replied anxiously, “Your mom didn’t explain. Just said they were transferring her. Gave me an address, then the line went dead. Come on, let’s go!”

Xu Qiuyi slammed the door in his face, then opened it again a moment later, a card and her phone in hand.

“Which hospital?” she asked, her voice tight.

The sky was overcast, dark clouds gathering in the distance. The air was heavy, humid.

Under the same sky, Tao Ning stood in her garden, a laptop displaying the screensaver resting on a nearby swing, her phone charging.

The gardener, passing by, paused, looking at the sky. Rain’s coming, he thought, mentally adjusting his watering schedule as he headed towards the greenhouse, where the mistress’s prized flowers resided.

It was at this moment that Zhou Tong arrived at the Tao residence, the imposing house that few dared to approach, and found Tao Ning standing amidst the flowers, lost in thought. Taking a deep breath, mentally reviewing her report, she approached.

“Miss Tao,” she said.

Tao Ning didn’t respond. Zhou Tong was about to repeat herself when a faint notification sound came from her pocket.

Tao Ning immediately turned and walked towards the swing. Zhou Tong, hurrying after her, asked, “Miss Tao?”

Tao Ning turned around, her expression suddenly clearing. “Oh, that was your phone. I thought it was mine.”

Zhou Tong smiled politely. “Just a… ringtone-related misunderstanding.”

She was still convinced that Tao Ning’s sudden disinterest in Nangong Yunfei was due to a new romantic interest. Tao Ning’s distraction, her absentmindedness, mirrored her behavior during her previous teenage crushes.

Tao Ning, oblivious to the misunderstanding, gestured for Zhou Tong to sit. A housekeeper materialized, seemingly out of nowhere, carrying coffee and pastries, arranging them on the table with quiet efficiency before disappearing just as discreetly.

“Any progress on what I asked you to investigate?” Tao Ning asked.

Zhou Tong, setting down her coffee cup, replied, “It was well-hidden, but I’ve uncovered some… interesting details. It seems someone went to great lengths to conceal this.”

She placed a folder on the table. “His name is Lu… goes by ‘Tiger.’ Dropped out of middle school and has been involved in the gambling industry ever since. Started as an enforcer, worked his way up. He’s a significant player now.”

Time had been short, and uncovering this information in a single day hadn’t been easy, especially the parts involving the Nangong family’s secrets.

Tao Ning looked at the documents. “Lu? How did Xu Zhihong get involved with someone at that level? Who introduced them?”

Zhou Tong replied, “No middleman. They met directly. Xu Zhihong was being beaten up after losing all his money, and Tiger happened to be there and… rescued him. They became… acquainted.”

Tao Ning looked up, her eyes narrowed. “A loan shark rescues a gambler out of the goodness of his heart?”

“There has to be a motive,” Zhou Tong said, flipping through the pages, the rustling sound punctuating the air. “I initially thought it was one of his usual tactics, but then I discovered…”

She placed another document on the table. “He’s related to Lu Weiyu. Distant cousins. He also used to be her landlord.”

The Nangong patriarch wasn’t a faithful man. During one of his outings, he had met a waitress who bore a striking resemblance to his first love. Fueled by alcohol, he had seduced her, adding her to his collection of mistresses.

Later, his affections had waned, replaced by a newer, even more similar face.

Lu Weiyu, discovering she was pregnant, had been filled with joy, only to be met with, “I don’t need another child. I’ll give you money. Get rid of it.”

His words had shattered her naivete, but they had also presented an opportunity. She couldn’t give up now. Short-term gains were insignificant compared to her long-term plan. She had disappeared, raising her child alone.

Years later, she had returned, her carefully groomed son in tow, ready to claim her place. If nothing went wrong, she would become the matriarch of the Nangong family.

Zhou Tong didn’t know the details of the future, but she admired Lu Weiyu’s determination and clear vision.

Tao Ning said, “A distant cousin, a former benefactor, now a subordinate, a trusted confidant with intimate knowledge of her past.”

Zhou Tong blinked. “What do you mean, Miss Tao?”

Tao Ning asked, “He works at the Crown Club, right?”

Zhou Tong nodded. “Yes, he’s been there for over a decade. He’s the… unofficial manager. Ruthless and efficient, but loyal. The patriarch trusts him.”

The manager of the Crown Club in Bailu Lane, the place where Xu Qiuyi would be trapped in the original timeline, was indeed this “Tiger.” Later, when he reappeared in Xu Qiuyi’s life, Nangong Yunfei would claim he was Tiger’s twin brother, “Dragon.”

Xu Qiuyi hadn’t said whether she believed him, but she hadn’t questioned it further.

Later in the original timeline, Xu Zhihong would accumulate another three million yuan in gambling debts, having secretly mortgaged their apartment. Zhichun would be kidnapped as leverage. Nangong Yunfei, somehow learning about this, would pay off the debt and rescue Zhichun, who would be on the brink of death.

After that, he would propose to Xu Qiuyi, the chemistry genius becoming the Nangong family’s fiancée, prompting Nurse Liu’s concerned question, “Are you in trouble?”

In the original timeline, it had been a former employer who had lured Xu Qiuyi to the Crown Club with the promise of high-paying work. But now, Xu Qiuyi didn’t need a job.

The pieces were falling into place, revealing a disturbing picture. Tao Ning stood up, picking up her phone. “Uncle Liu, get the car ready.” She couldn’t shake her unease. She needed to see for herself.

Night fell quickly, and the neon lights of Bailu Lane were already on by six o’clock.

“Why are we stopping here?” Xu Qiuyi asked. “We’re not at the hospital yet.”

Xu Zhihong, standing on the sidewalk, the dim light obscuring his expression, said, “There’s a shortcut. Through here. It leads to the south entrance of the Second Provincial Hospital, closer to the inpatient ward. Driving would take longer, especially with the rush hour traffic. We could be stuck for half an hour, even an hour. Come on, let’s go.”

It made sense. Xu Qiuyi looked at the unfamiliar street, a dark, gaping maw.

As darkness deepened, two figures stepped into the neon-lit labyrinth.