Chapter 121: Capture The Photo

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Capture The Photo

Cousin Meixia had likely never set foot on an ice rink before, so she would surely be struggling just as much. However, any hopes of shared misery instantly shattered when he looked over and saw Qiao Meixia gliding across the ice with effortless, fluid grace, moving seamlessly without slipping a single time.

"Cousin Meixia... is this seriously not your first time ice skating?!" Jiang Boqin asked, his mouth agape in sheer shock.

"Hmm..." Qiao Meixia gave a simple, subtle nod.

"Ah, no wonder you are so good!" Jiang Fenfang replied in awe.

In truth, while it was not Qiao Meixia’s first time on the ice, it was indeed her first time experiencing a pristine, synthetic commercial rink of this nature. Her prior experience had been forged out of necessity on frozen natural lakes in harsh winter conditions, so the smooth texture under her blades felt somewhat different.

Allowing her body to relax, Qiao Meixia tested out a few intricate turns and manoeuvres, letting herself move freely across the open rink. Before long, her impressive speed and mesmerising precision began drawing admiring glances and hushed praise from the surrounding crowd of skaters.

"Cousin Meixia, you are genuinely amazing out there!" Jiang Boqin praised wholeheartedly.

"Cousin Meixia, have you ever considered training to become a professional figure skater?" Jiang Fenfang asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"No." Qiao Meixia answered flatly.

Her response was swift, direct, and completely devoid of hesitation. She truly harboured zero desire to pursue a career as an athlete. Such a path demanded an absurd investment of time, rigid schedules, and relentless public scrutiny, an environment entirely unsuited to her nature.

"You are still so young, Qiaoqiao. You have plenty of time to ponder what path you wish to walk in the future." Jiang Suhan advised softly, before glancing over at the other two. "And that goes for the two of you as well."

"Understood, Brother Suhan." Jiang Fenfang and Jiang Boqin chimed in obediently.

"Qiaoqiao, even if you decide you don’t want to pursue any conventional career at all, that is completely fine by me." Jiang Suhan added with overwhelming warmth. "I will happily support you. My personal wealth is more than sufficient to ensure you live a comfortable, luxurious life for the rest of your days."

"Wow... Brother Suhan, you dote on Cousin Meixia so much!" Jiang Fenfang gasped playfully. "I want to be a carefree salted fish who gets pampered like that too!"

"Well, you can only afford to live like a salted fish if you have a massive fortune backing you up." Jiang Boqin pointed out dryly.

"I know, I know..." Jiang Fenfang rolled her eyes dramatically. "I certainly can’t count on you for that, even though you are my actual brother. Why couldn’t I have been blessed with an eldest brother like Brother Suhan instead?"

"Hey, don’t blame me! You will have to take up that complaint directly with Mom and Dad." Jiang Boqin retorted with a grin.

"Alright, alright, you two." Jiang Suhan interrupted with a light laugh. "Why don’t we wrap up our session here and go grab some lunch? It’s right around noon. We can always resume playing after we’ve eaten."

"Fantastic idea! I have already burned through all my energy on the rink and desperately need to refuel." Jiang Boqin agreed, rubbing his stomach.

"Fully agreed!" Jiang Fenfang added.

"What do you think, Qiaoqiao?" Jiang Suhan turned to ask his sister.

"Hmm... let’s go." Qiao Meixia replied quietly, finding no reason to decline.

With everyone in agreement, they stepped off the ice, returned their rented skates, and made their way toward one of the top-rated dining establishments inside the shopping complex.

While they were on their way to the restaurant, Qiao Meixia suddenly turned her head sharply, her instincts flaring. She sensed a faint, persistent gaze from behind, as if someone had been secretly snapping photos of them.

"What’s wrong, Qiaoqiao?" Jiang Suhan asked immediately, noticing her abrupt movement.

"Oh, it is nothing." Qiao Meixia replied, giving a light shake of her head after scanning the crowd and spotting nothing out of the ordinary.

Dismissing the thought, they continued heading toward the restaurant.

In truth, Qiao Meixia’s sharp intuition had been entirely correct. There had indeed been someone trailing behind them, snapping photos on a smartphone. That person was none other than Chen Xiaoqing, who just so happened to be visiting the shopping mall with a group of her friends when she unexpectedly spotted Qiao Meixia.

At first, Chen Xiaoqing had assumed Qiao Meixia was roaming around the mall alone. However, upon closer inspection, she was stunned to see several companions walking alongside her. Looking even closer, she instantly recognised the tall, commanding figure of Jiang Suhan, while the other two younger faces were clearly prominent members of the main Jiang family, though she could not quite recall their exact names off the top of her head.

It was obvious that the group had come out together to enjoy a relaxed day of shopping and entertainment. Yet, Jiang Yanna was nowhere to be seen among them.

A cold, malicious smirk spread across Chen Xiaoqing’s lips. She held up her phone, admiring the secretly taken photos. This would make for a truly delicious piece of gossip to share with Jiang Yanna come Monday morning.

...

"You are already preparing to head back?" Old Madam Jiang sighed wistfully, her voice filled with reluctance.

"Hmm... tomorrow is a school day." Qiao Meixia explained softly.

"Fine, fine... but you must promise to come stay with us again this coming weekend." Old Madam Jiang insisted gently.

"If I am not mistaken, the family acknowledgement banquet will likely be held this weekend." Jiang Suhan interjected calmly.

"Is that so?" Old Master Jiang asked, looking over at his eldest grandson.

"Most likely. I still need to confirm the exact schedule with Dad first." Jiang Suhan stated.

"I will give him a call later today to double-check as well." Old Master Jiang added with a firm nod.

"Hmm... sounds great." Jiang Suhan agreed.

"Meixia, please remember to exercise extra caution whenever you are riding that powerful superbike of yours." Old Madam Jiang began instructing her granddaughter fussily, her heart full of grandmotherly concern. "Pay close attention to your surroundings at all times. If you ever spot anything remotely suspicious on the road, do not panic. Just remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible."

"What nonsense are you blabbering about now? Stop trying to jinx my precious granddaughter!" Old Master Jiang scolded his wife playfully.

"I just want to remind her." Old Madam Jiang rolled her eyes.

Turning to his sister, Jiang Suhan added, "As for all the new clothes we purchased today, I will keep them in my car for now. I will carry them up to your room once we both arrive back at the main house."

"Hmm..." Qiao Meixia nodded softly in agreement.

Stepping out onto the driveway, Qiao Meixia swung her leg over her sleek superbike, pulled on her helmet, and buckled it securely. She turned toward her grandparents, offering them a polite, respectful nod before bringing the powerful engine to a deep, roaring hum. With a smooth twist of the throttle, she glided down the winding estate driveway and onto the main road, maintaining her usual crisp, precise riding style.

She was cruising smoothly along the highway when she suddenly noticed a suspicious vehicle parked haphazardly along the shoulder up ahead. Though her sharp eyes registered the strange setup, she had zero intention of slowing her momentum.

Suddenly, two men bolted out from behind the parked vehicle, jumping directly into the centre of her lane with their arms outstretched, clearly attempting to force her into a sudden stop.

Qiao Meixia’s eyes narrowed beneath her dark visor. Recognising their bad intentions in an instant, she did not hit the brakes at all. Instead, she aggressively cranked the throttle to its absolute limit, causing the superbike’s engine to emit a deafening, terrifying roar.

The scam artists standing in the middle of the asphalt were instantly paralysed with sheer horror. Under normal circumstances, any sane driver or rider would panic and slam on the brakes upon seeing pedestrians blocking the road. Yet, this reckless rider was aggressively accelerating directly toward them instead! If that massive, high-speed machine collided with them, they would undoubtedly be crushed to death on the spot.

They had deliberately targeted the high-end superbike earlier, hoping to orchestrate a fake accident and extort a massive sum of money from its wealthy owner. They knew anyone who could afford such a machine was rolling in cash, but they had never anticipated that the rider behind the helmet would be an absolute lunatic willing to run them down!

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