Chapter 17: Mistaking Qiao Jing for a Cleaner, The Big Twist

Just now, she had seen Qiao Jing coming out of the research institute with her own eyes, which belonged to the agriculturist, Professor Qiao!

Suddenly, Zhan Nanqing remembered the day a while back when she and her mom had picked up Qiao Jing.

Qiao Jing had made a phone call, telling someone to look after those corns and had mentioned something about boosting agricultural development to new heights once successful.

Qiao Jing shared the same surname as Professor Qiao. Could there really be some connection between them?

Impossible, right? If Qiao Jing really had a connection to Professor Qiao, then why hadn't she mentioned a word about it?

If she had said something, then her status in the Zhan Family would have been different.

So Qiao Jing definitely had no relationship with Professor Qiao!

When Zhan Nanqing reached this conclusion, her gaze fell on the garbage bag that Qiao Jing was holding.

"I get it now, you're a janitor here, aren't you?"

Zhan Nanqing looked at Qiao Jing with disdain and said.

Qiao Jing looked down at the garbage bag in her hand, just a moment ago, she had seen that it was full and had casually decided to take it out to throw away, but Zhan Nanqing had misunderstood her for a janitor.

A misunderstanding was fine; it saved her the hassle of explaining.

Lou Xinrou curled her lips disdainfully, thinking that a country girl who was also a janitor didn't deserve to be her rival in love.

Inside the research institute, Xu Moqian saw everything and took out his phone to make a call.

"Manager Lou, I saw your niece bullying Sister Jing..."

After watching Qiao Jing leave in a taxi, Zhan Nanqing and Lou Xinrou scoffed in disdain in unison.

"Masquerading as what! A country bumpkin thinking she is all that just because she works at Professor Qiao's Research Institute? She's just a janitor! You're different, Xinrou. Your Second Uncle is the manager of the research institute. When you see your Second Uncle later, have him fire Qiao Jing! Once she loses her job, we'll see if she can continue to put on airs!"

Lou Xinrou thought exactly the same, even drafting in her mind the scene of Qiao Jing being fired by the lab, begging her for mercy with a face no longer cool and indifferent but crying. Then she'd make a condition for Qiao Jing to stay away from her Brother Pei.

"Xinrou, let's not bother with her and go inside," Zhan Nanqing said, linking arms with Lou Xinrou and walking toward the research institute.

But as soon as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by the security guard.

"This is Professor Qiao's Research Institute; no entry for non-staff members."

"Hey! Are you blind? Xinrou has been here several times before, and you never stopped her. What's wrong with you now, got an issue?" Zhan Nanqing flared up in anger.

Lou Xinrou was utterly confused as she looked at the security guard. He wasn't new; she had seen him several times before and he shouldn't fail to recognize her.

"I said no entry, means no entry!" The security guard kept a stern face and continued to block Lou Xinrou and Zhan Nanqing.

Zhan Nanqing put her hands on her hips, "You've got some nerve! Daring to block us, do you not know who she is? Her Second Uncle is the manager of this research institute! Who gave you the guts to block us?"

"I did!" Accompanied by this deep voice, a man in the research institute's uniform came out.

"Second Uncle!" Lou Xinrou called out to the middle-aged man.

Manager Lou glared at Lou Xinrou impatiently, "Go home! And don't come back!"

This girl, she sure had the nerve! Daring to cause trouble for Professor Qiao! He had almost lost this great job because of her.

Startled by Manager Lou's shout, Lou Xinrou was dumbfounded.

Ever since she was a child, her Second Uncle doted on her more than her own father and had never shouted at her before.

"Second Uncle, what happened?"

"You still have the nerve to ask me? You—" Manager Lou looked at Lou Xinrou indignantly, wishing he could let her know whom she had just offended if not for the inconvenience of disclosing Qiao Jing's identity.

"I don't feel like explaining to you. Go back now, and don't show up here again!"

Lou Xinrou had tears in her eyes out of urgency; she could sense that her Second Uncle was angry, but she hadn't done anything wrong.

Zhan Nanqing couldn't watch anymore, "Second Uncle Lou, how can you be like this? Xinrou especially cooked soup to come see you, and she's just been bullied by that country girl, Qiao Jing, who is arrogant, crude, and disgusting! Second Uncle Lou, she just works as a janitor in the institute, please fire her!"

Zhan Nanqing was too wrapped up in saying her piece to notice the shock and anger flitting across Manager Lou's face.

"All of you, leave! The next time any of you dares to come, I'll have you thrown out! Especially you, Zhan Nanqing. Don't think that just because you are the young miss of the Zhan Family I wouldn't dare to do anything to you! Humph!"

Manager Lou was so angry his mustache almost twisted. Qiao Jing wasn't just his immediate superior, but also the person he admired the most in his life. To hear someone berate Qiao Jing right in front of him was unbearable!

He, because of Lou Xinrou, had tolerated so much. If Xu Hongzu had heard what had been said just now, this matter surely wouldn't have ended so simply.

Manager Lou stormed back into the research institute, and before entering, he repeatedly instructed the security guard to definitely not let them in.

Zhan Nanqing and Lou Xinrou stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the closed doors of the research institute, utterly bewildered.

As night fell and the city lights came on,

Zhan Qipei returned to Purple Garden only to find Qiao Jing's shoes still absent from the shoe cabinet, and his face instantly frosted over.

It seemed she had chosen to run wild outside and not come back!

Thinking this, Zhan Qipei felt an indefinable mix of suffocation and anger.

Just then, he saw a green taxi pull up.

Was it her returning?