Chapter 58: Devotion

"I'll give you money after the entrance exams, and whether I die or live or am poor or blessed in the future has nothing at all to do with you."

Qiao's mother was stunned and her first thought was, "Where did Qiao Lan get so much money? Could it be that, as her son had said, there were really rich boys at school who were after Qiao Lan? Qiao's mother was stunned.

But if there are such students, why are they putting it off until after the GCSEs?

Qiao's mother couldn't figure it out, "Who knows if you're cheating or not, when you go to a foreign university after the entrance exams, where can I find you if I can't find anyone else in a flash?"

"It's okay if you don't, if you push it, maybe I'll leave here one of these days and you'll never find it for the rest of your life."

Qiao's mother was abashed.

If Qiao Lan is forced to run away, where will she go to cry?

And Qiao's mother thought of another possibility.

Qiao's mother now thinks that Qiao Lan must have some other rich student, maybe even richer than Luo Nian's family!

Qiao's mother suddenly felt that Luo Nian was not the only one who could be a good match for Qiao Lan, so she could wait and see.

Qiao's mother returned home satisfied that the matter was finally settled, and in the evening she asked Qiao Yuan who had been chasing Qiao Lan in the first place.

Although Qiao Yuan did not know much about Hao Ying's family, she was the star of the school and had heard a lot about her.

"Anyway, they are very handsome and their family is very rich, and I heard people say that their family is in real estate."

Real Estate!

That's a lot better than opening a hotpot restaurant!

Qiao's mother figured it out and immediately called Qiao's second aunt and asked her to tell Luo Nian not to bother Qiao Lan anymore.

Qiao's second aunt is dumbfounded, how could it be like this in the blink of an eye?

"Lao-san is a quick-tempered man, what if he runs away one day?"

Qiao's mother said, "And I don't think that Luo Nian is too good either, his parents are just a restaurant owner.

Qiao's second aunt is simply furious with Qiao's mother.

Qiao's mother dismissed the matter lightly, but she was the one who had to give Luo Nian an explanation, not Qiao's mother!

Qiao's mother dared not say anything to Luo Nian, but after thinking about it, Qiao's second aunt decided to put all the blame on Qiao Lan.

Qiao's second aunt looked very sorry for Luo Nian and scolded Qiao Lan, saying that Qiao Lan did not agree and that they had already told her many times, but she just did not agree, saying that if she was desperate she would just run away and they would not be able to find her.

Luo Nian has waited for days for good news, but in the end, this is the end. Even if he likes Qiao Lan as much as he does, he is now only angry.

After scolding Qiao Lan, he was still angry and immediately sent a message to the student who had asked for Qiao Lan's phone number.

Qiao Lan had changed her phone number and the number Luo Nian had asked for before was no longer available, so Luo Nian had to ask someone to call again.

I waited and waited, but I still didn't find out.

Qiao Lan's phone number is now known to no one but Tan Mo and Uncle Chan, and Luo Nian is already angry, but now it's even more explosive.

"Fine, fine, fine, just mess with me," Luo Nian said, squeezing his phone with a furious look on his face, not sure if she could afford it!

Even if Luo Nian had the money, it would not be possible for him to enter the school.

He didn't believe that Qiao Lan could stay in school for the rest of her life.

Qiao Lan hasn't really come out yet.

Since deciding to take the money, Qiao Lan has resumed her super-intensive studies in the first year of high school, studying and studying, not to mention the fact that Tan Mo doesn't come to school anymore.

Luo Nian has been squatting in front of the school for two days but has failed to find anyone, hating him with a passion but unable to think of a way out.

Before we could figure out what to do, something happened at Luo Nian's house.

The Food and Drug Administration, which normally doesn't even turn up at this time of year, suddenly inspected and found substandard hygiene materials in the back kitchen.

Every year, many restaurants are found to have substandard hygiene. Generally speaking, as long as the circumstances are not too serious, a fine of a few thousand dollars and eventually tens of thousands of dollars is all that is needed.

So Luo Nian didn't take it seriously at first, but when the final decision on the punishment was made, Luo Nian and his parents were dumbfounded.

The fine was indeed small, but the whole shop was forcibly shut down.

No more letting go.

This was a bolt from the blue for the Luo family.

Qiao's second aunt had never run a hotel before and had followed Qiao's father Qiao's mother from the bottom, watching Qiao's father Qiao's mother cheat and deliberately use bad materials. She was so used to using bad materials that she followed Qiao's father Qiao's mother's example before the new shop opened and was caught red-handed.

The Luo Nian family's home is where the Food and Drug Administration had a hard time finding out-of-specification ingredients, but Qiao's second aunt, for example, has them all over the place.

The branch, which had only been open for a month, was closed down and its licence and business permit were revoked.

But it was Luo Nian's father who was more unlucky, as the shop was owned and operated under his name.

The original shop had managed to get Luo Nian's father out of trouble, only for Qiao's second aunt to pull him straight into hell with a cheating operation.

The two restaurants were shut down outright, the province was directly named and criticised on the news broadcasts, and within days everyone knew that the two hot pot restaurants had failed hygiene and used expired and poor quality ingredients.

The hotel's reputation was damaged by the shutdown and it faced only one outcome afterwards, bankruptcy.

Luo Nian, who drives a small luxury car every day and thinks he can go to heaven, has not had time to clean up after Qiao Lan, but his family is suddenly in a financial crisis and he can no longer care about Qiao Lan.

And Luo Nian has a vague feeling that it's not that simple.

Luo Nian's father seems to have aged a few years recently and asks Luo Nian's mother and Luo Nian every day if they've messed with someone outside the house.

The sudden inspection, the strict penalties and the media campaign that followed immediately afterwards, the sequence of operations was almost as if it had been premeditated.

Luo Nian was in a cold sweat, and although he didn't want to believe it, he couldn't help but think of Qiao Lan.

The only person he should not offend is Qiao Lan.

But I couldn't figure out how Qiao Lan could have gotten so good at it.

The Luo Nian family is in a sad state, and Qiao's second aunt is too scared to leave the house.

The company's business licence would not have been revoked if it were not for Qiao's second aunt, who in fact pulled Luo Nian's father directly into the water.

Qiao's second aunt has ruined the new shop that Qiao's second son-in-law had invested so much in, and her husband has lost millions of dollars, and she has also made enemies with the Luo Nian family.

Qiao's second aunt is the only one who knows how to read and write, but she still wants to be a hero...

The more they talked, the angrier they became, and finally they just moved on.

The son, not yet two years old, cried out, but Qiao's second son-in-law never wanted to see Qiao's second aunt again and went away that night and did not come home for many days afterwards.

Qiao Lan had no idea what was going on and only found out that something had happened to Luo Nian's family when Uncle Chan came to pick her up again.

Qiao Lan subconsciously looked at Tan Mo's face, who said, "Luo Nian's restaurant is not up to standard, it was reported in the news some time ago."

"So," Qiao Lan thought no more about it, for Luo Nian had deserved what had happened to her anyway.

Tan Mo finally took care of everything for Qiao Lan, even arranging for someone to look after her, and after everything was taken care of, he sat on the sofa with Qiao Lan and watched a movie together.

Towards the end of the film, Tan Mo suddenly said, "I'm going to be away for a while."

Qiao Lan's gaze lingered as she watched the television.

Tan Mo had been absent from school for almost twenty days recently and she was sensitive to what was about to happen.

Take this quote from Tan Mo for example.

When Tan Mo said he would be away for a while, people would have thought that he might be away for a few days or ten, but Qiao Lan had a vague feeling that this was not the case.

She paused for a long moment before saying, "How long."

"It could be soon," Tan Mo said, adding after a moment's silence, "or it could be a long time."

If even the best hospitals can't cure his leg and he still can't stand up, it will be back soon.

If there is any chance of saving his leg, it will be a long rehab, so it will take a long time.

Tan Mo didn't want to tell Qiao Lan that he was there to get his leg fixed, because even he didn't know what he was in for.

Maybe it's hope, maybe it's despair.

It was an unknown and cruel trial.

That's why he didn't want to tell Qiao Lan, so that she wouldn't know, so that there would be one less worry and perhaps one less disappointment.

Not telling Qiao Lan that if it was untreatable, a trip there and back soon after would be nothing more than a small parting of ways for Qiao Lan.

But if it's treatable, if it's really possible to stand up...

Tan Mo's heart beats faster than ever.

If he could stand up, it would be the biggest surprise he could give to Qiao Lan.

Tan Mo doesn't say anything, and Qiao Lan doesn't ask either, his voice laced with a bit of loss that he doesn't even notice.

"Where to go."

"America."

"When are you leaving?"

"After the New Year."

Stay with you through the New Year.

Qiao Lan no longer has a home or family, she has made this place a home and Tan Mo does not want to leave Qiao Lan alone on the day when everyone is reunited.

On the day of the New Year, what should have been a joyous celebration of the New Year became slightly depressing.

Qiao Lan rubbed his sore eyes, unable to stop the drowsiness, and closed them at some point to sleep.

The young girl was curled up against the sofa, breathing steadily, but she still hadn't gone back to her room.

She would have liked to stay with Tan Mo for one more night before he left.

The sound of the television faded and Tan Mo muted it with the remote control. He looked sideways at the girl who was already asleep, his gaze falling on her long, slender eyelashes, her rosy lips, and only after a long moment did he slowly fall on her right hand, which was casually resting on a pillow.

If he could have stood up, he could have carried her in, but under the present he still couldn't do it.

Tan Mo took a deep breath and the hand that turned the wheelchair trembled but did not resist moving closer.

The wheelchair whisked to the floor with a slight rattle and Tan Mo, as if startled by the sound, stiffened to a halt.

Qiao Lan did not wake up, still sleeping peacefully.

Tan Mo looked at her in silence, from a distance he had never been before, so close that he could hear Qiao Lan's breathing, his throat tightened as he gazed at Qiao Lan's sleeping face, and with all the strength and courage of his life, he slowly leaned down.

His trembling lips stopped just two fingers away from Qiao Lan's, and after a long moment he carefully took Qiao Lan's hand, lowered his head and reverently planted his lips on her cold fingers.