Hidden identities of the AI Heiress
Chapter 807 - Chapter 807 Chapter 807 Not a Humiliation but Worse than

Chapter 807: Chapter 807: Not a Humiliation but Worse than Humiliation Chapter 807: Chapter 807: Not a Humiliation but Worse than Humiliation Huo Chi’s deep eyes conveyed a probing intensity, “You’d better not have lied to me.”

Han Luo’s hand, resting by his side, clenched tightly, his voice betrayed his resentment, “Second Young Master, as you know, my greatest wish is to lead the Huo Research Institute to surpass Tianqi.”

Huo Chi didn’t say whether he believed him or not, just stared at him for a while before quickly revealing that reckless and uninhibited smile, “Don’t be nervous, I of course believe you, after all, you were introduced by me.”

Han Luo sighed in relief.

After leaving Tianqi, he went straight to the Huos, and after a period of scrutiny, ultimately chose the unpredictable Huo Chi as his ally.

Sure enough, upon hearing that he had left Tianqi due to unfair treatment, Huo Chi eagerly introduced him to the Huo family’s eldest son, since recruiting someone from Tianqi was also considered an accomplishment.

Once they confirmed his genuine talent, he smoothly entered the Huo Research Institute.

Being brought out by Huo Chi this time was beyond his expectations; if possible, he didn’t want to come back to Yuncheng, afraid that his secrets would be discovered…

But now he was caught between a rock and a hard place, with only two paths to choose from: one was to fully assist Huo Chi in obtaining what he wanted from Tianqi, and the other was to leave the Huo family.

Already seated in such a position, he naturally wasn’t willing to give it up.

Moreover, the AI project, which the Huo family valued the most, was under his management. If successful, he would become renowned and could make those at Tianqi regret how they treated him back then.

Huo Chi swirled the wine in his glass, a mocking smile on his face, “I used to think Tianqi was all about fairness and justice, but it seems that’s not the case. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been suppressed and even had your research results stolen.”

Han Luo laughed awkwardly.

However, Huo Chi seemed struck by a thought and licked the corner of his lips, “Perhaps, we could pull off a big one.”

Knowing that the Second Young Master acted whimsically and had a mercurial temper, Han Luo feared any potential trouble and hurriedly advised, “Second Young Master, the eldest master has already said…”

“Don’t bring him up to me!” Huo Chi said impatiently, “Remember, you are my man, not my brother’s! Besides, haven’t they always considered Tianqi a rival? What I’m doing is for the good of the Huo family.”

Han Luo patiently said, “Second Young Master, our most important task now is to obtain the AI data from Tianqi.”

“Who knows if this information is reliable. It could well be unsubstantiated rumors; otherwise, why wouldn’t they dare accept Young Master’s invitation?” Huo Chi was skeptical, lifting his hand he patted Han Luo’s cheek, his voice quite cold, “What’s this, getting bold, are you daring to defy me now?”

“No, not at all,” Han Luo said, noticing his stubbornness. His lips moved, but ultimately, fear prevailed and he dared not persuade further, instead, he simply asked, “What exactly are you planning to do, Second Young Master? It’s best if you let me in on it so I can be prepared.”

“I need to think about it.” Huo Chi’s gaze settled on Han Luo with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “In any case, there’ll be a use for you. Relax, considering the many years you’ve devoted yourself to the Huo family, I’ll definitely help you get justice.”

Han Luo cursed inwardly. No wonder Huo Chi, after so many years, had only ever been suppressed by the eldest; Instead of focusing on important matters, he would always stir up unnecessary trouble.

As if Yuncheng were like Hong Kong.

…

Qiao Yun stepped out of the private room, leaning against the wall in the corridor, she dialed Li Hanzhou at a leisurely pace to check in.

The call was picked up as soon as it was dialed, as though the person on the other end had been waiting for it. Qiao Yun was taken aback for a moment, a warmth flickered through her otherwise emotionless eyes.

“Finally remembered me?”

The man’s voice was low, laced with teasing laughter as if he were whispering right in her ear, causing Qiao Yun’s ears to itch.

She lifted her hand to touch her earlobe, muttering an apology, “Sorry, I forgot.”

“Hm? Forgot.”

Li Hanzhou on the other side chuckled, then sighed, his words carrying a tinge of reproach, “It seems my place in Professor Qiao’s heart isn’t as high as I imagined.”

“Not at all,” Qiao Yun contradicted him, gently placating, “I’ve never had to report in for safety before, I’m not used to it.”

Where Professor Qiao went, no one dared to inquire, and she didn’t need to inform anyone of her whereabouts, so her lack of response was understandable.

The phone went quiet for a while before Li Hanzhou’s voice came through, deep and enticing, “Then you need to get used to it quickly, from now on no matter where you go, there will be someone thinking of you.”

Qiao Yun pursed her lips, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she softly replied to the person on the other side, “I know.”

She was no longer alone.

In Li Hanzhou’s mind, his Professor Qiao really was so sweet that it was heart-wrenching.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.” Qiao Yun did want to chat with Li Hanzhou for a bit longer, but her family was waiting for her, and it would be impolite to talk for too long.

“There is actually one thing.” Li Hanzhou mentioned something serious, “Do you know about the Huo family people in Yuncheng?”

“I know.” Qiao Yun didn’t keep Li Hanzhou in the dark and told him what she had found out recently.

Li Hanzhou was slightly surprised, not expecting that Pei Yao and Huo Research Institute could be connected. He pondered for a moment and provided his analysis, “The people who’ve been contacting you secretly, they’re not coming with good intentions.”

Qiao Yun nodded, and, realizing the man couldn’t see her, she lightly hummed in affirmation.

The Huo family had arrived in Yuncheng and the first to make contact was not the external liaison of the Tianqi Research Institute, but the core researcher Han Wang, either trying to poach staff or spy on something.

There was no sign of sincerity at all.

“Be careful,” Li Hanzhou knew that Qiao Yun was sensible, so he didn’t give her too many warnings.

Qiao Yun hummed in response and talked to Li Hanzhou for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone, experiencing an unusual tinge of reluctance as she did.

It was an emotion that had not appeared before.

It seemed her feelings for Li Hanzhou were evolving anew.

Qiao Yun lightly shook her head and turned to go back to the private room when she saw Su Qingyan coming out.

Su Qingyan looked on with gentle eyes and asked, “All done talking?”

He had previously been hurt by Song Li because of Qiao Yun and owed his life to her, so now, in addition to kinship, he also felt a sense of gratitude toward her.

Which made him warmer than when they had first met.

Because of Ye Miaoshan, Su Qingyan had always been quite phobic around women.

“Yes.” Qiao Yun’s beautiful eyes looked at Su Qingyan, her gaze clear and pure, altogether the epitome of a good student.

Of course, if the emotion at the bottom of her eyes could have been a bit softer and not so indifferent.

Su Qingyan had always been curious about what kind of experiences could make Qiao Yun’s feelings so detached, but compared to their last meeting, she seemed to have a bit more humanity this time.

Su Qingyan smiled, “I haven’t said this to you yet, but congratulations cousin on your great academic achievement.”

Qiao Yun blinked and said indifferently, “We’ve already talked about that.”

“It’s not the same; that was from my father, now it’s me wishing you well.” Su Qingyan felt comfortable talking to Qiao Yun.

Even though she had achieved such outstanding results, she remained humble and steady, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

“Alright, thank you.” Qiao Yun didn’t interact much with Su Qingyan but could feel his sincerity and felt a sense of closeness to this cousin.

Su Qingyan took out his phone and his fingers lightly moved, “I don’t know what to give you, take this money to buy whatever you like. Consider it a reward from me.”

The next second.

Qiao Yun received a transfer.

She was stunned for a moment and looked down, Su Qingyan had transferred her fifty thousand yuan.

Qiao Yun fell silent.

Why was it not just the people from the Lu Family who liked transferring money so carelessly, but the Su Family as well?

Her temples throbbed as she looked up at Su Qingyan, slightly headache-ridden, “I don’t need money, it’s too much.”

To her it wasn’t a lot, but for Su Qingyan, who relied on his own earnings and not his family’s support, it was probably a considerable amount.

Su Qingyan’s fingers paused, thinking that Qiao Yun’s usual allowance wasn’t this much, and she might be frightened by the fifty thousand, he comforted, “I’ve recently done a project with my mentor and got quite a bit, fifty thousand isn’t much. Actually, I should give you more but you’re still young and it’s not good to handle too much money.”

Qiao Yun’s lips twitched slightly.

Her account balance now had countless zeros, and if she told him, she feared it might hit Su Qingyan so hard he’d start to question his life.

Seeing Qiao Yun’s dazed look, Su Qingyan found it quite cute and couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle her hair, “Little sister, just keep it. If it weren’t for your connection, there’s no way I’d be able to join the Tianqi Research Institute at my current age. Once I make more money in the future, I’ll buy you even better gifts.”

He spoke these words with heartfelt sincerity.

Qiao Yun lowered her eyelids and nodded gently.

Su Qingyan laughed, understanding a bit about why Lu Zhanxing was so overprotective of his sister.

“Right,” he lowered his voice, “don’t tell your cousin Qingqing.”

Qiao Yun was somewhat puzzled, “Huh?”

“I only transferred ten thousand to her,” Su Qingyan admitted openly with a bias, “Who told her to only get third place?”

Qiao Yun opened her mouth and obediently said, “That isn’t good.”

Another laugh from Su Qingyan, “There’s nothing wrong with it, this is what you call ‘fortune favors the diligent’.”

…

When Jiang Jing came looking for the private room number given by the private detective, she saw Su Qingyan smiling brightly at Qiao Yun’s eye-catching face.

In that instant, she froze where she stood.

All thoughts of not disturbing them and just having a peek disappeared without a trace, and a strong sense of jealousy welled up inside her.

Fires of indignation continuously flared in her heart, and she clenched her fists, thinking resentfully.

Didn’t he say he wasn’t interested in finding a girlfriend?

Had no interest in romance, right?

She had been fooled by a ghost!

Jiang Jing felt her love was wasted and was even more jealous of Qiao Yun who could make Su Qingyan reveal such a bright smile.

In the end, she could not contain the fire within her heart and strode over in her high heels.

Su Qingyan never expected someone would suddenly come out of nowhere and grab his hand; he was first startled, and then instinctively moved to protect Qiao Yun behind him.

This action only aggravated Jiang Jing, who looked quite upset and dark-faced as she demanded, “Su Qingyan! You lied to me!”

Upon recognizing Jiang Jing, Su Qingyan’s brows furrowed tightly, “What are you doing?”

Qiao Yun cast a fleeting glance at Jiang Jing then indifferently turned away, with a hint of interest in her eyes, curious to see what Jiang Jing would do.

Jiang Jing bit her lip in grievance, with a spiteful gaze falling on Qiao Yun, she scoffed with a laugh, “What can I do? Why are you so worried, or are you afraid I might do something to her! What is she to you, that you’re protecting her like this!”

Su Qingyan’s face darkened slightly, “I have nothing to say to you.”

Speaking, he turned his head to Qiao Yun and said, “Let’s go inside.”

“Okay,” Qiao Yun nodded.

However, in Jiang Jing’s eyes, Su Qingyan’s action was out of concern that she might do something to Qiao Yun, and she instantly became furious. She immediately blocked Su Qingyan’s path, lifted her head defiantly, and demanded, “Don’t go, explain to me, what is your relationship with her?”

Su Qingyan was somewhat angry and his gaze turned cold, “What my relationship with her is, is none of your business.”

He did not believe Jiang Jing had any right to meddle in his affairs.

Qiao Yun raised an eyebrow and silently stepped back, ready to be a qualified onlooker.

Jiang Jing’s lips trembled, seemingly unable to believe that Su Qingyan could say something like that, “Are you severing ties with me?”

“You’ve got it wrong,” Su Qingyan said indifferently, “There was never a relationship between us in the first place.”

Jiang Jing stared in disbelief, “Is she that good? I’ve liked you since I was young, chased you for so many years, what does she have that I don’t, this person who popped up out of nowhere! Do you know that she’s dating Li Hanzhou?”

“What?” Su Qingyan looked surprised and turned to ask Qiao Yun, “Is that true?”

This was indeed something that had not been communicated to the Su Family in time, and now that it had been pointed out, Qiao Yun calmly nodded, “It’s true, the family knows.”

Su Qingyan thought of Li Hanzhou and frowned again, feeling somewhat uneasy, but since his sister said the family knew, his worrying was needless.

Seeing Su Qingyan’s reaction, Jiang Jing knew he had been deceived by Qiao Yun’s innocent appearance. She immediately looked at Qiao Yun, her eyes filled with scorn, “You already have Young Master Li, why are you still trying to steal him from me, or do you just enjoy the attention? Aren’t you afraid Young Master Li will find out about this and not want you anymore?”

Between the lines, she was insinuating that Qiao Yun was promiscuous.

“Shut up!” Su Qingyan was infuriated by Jiang Jing’s words, his attitude colder than ever before.

Jiang Jing flinched, having never seen such a side of Su Qingyan. Although he had rejected her several times before, he had always been quite gentle.

It was the first time she saw him this angry.

And it was all because of a stranger.

Jiang Jing pressed on aggressively, “What did I say that was wrong? Hasn’t she been seducing you? Otherwise, why would you smile at her so…”

Smile so tenderly!

It was something she simply could not stomach.

“You’re talking nonsense!” Su Qingyan’s expression was extremely ugly, “She is my cousin, why shouldn’t I smile at my cousin?”

Jiang Jing looked stunned, questioning if she had misheard, “Your cousin?”

Su Qingyan held back his anger, “Jiang Jing, you owe my cousin an apology right this minute.”

Jiang Jing looked at Qiao Yun as if she had seen a ghost, still in shock from the realization that ‘the person I saw as a rival, the one I mistakenly thought was the object of Su Qingyan’s affection, is actually his cousin.’

And now she had deeply offended Qiao Yun.

Jiang Jing struggled to accept this truth.

Qiao Yun spoke up, her eyes holding a profound meaning as she sized up Jiang Jing, “You like my brother?”

Su Qingyan’s mood improved somewhat with Qiao Yun referring to him as brother.

Jiang Jing’s lips quivered, but she said nothing.

Qiao Yun didn’t need her answer and simply shook her head at Jiang Jing, a look of disappointment on her face.

It was not humiliating, yet it was more effective than humiliation.