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Chapter 150: Chapter 150 Rumors and Gossip
The Hourly Beast had been frolicking outside all day until the sun started to set, and only then did Han Yi and the others drive slowly back to the base.
Fortunately, the security checkpoint’s devices couldn’t detect the anomaly in the back of the vehicle, allowing them to drive brazenly into the base. Not only were the electronic devices unable to detect the Space-Time Beast, but it also seemed to have a natural barrier against Mental Searches, making it undetectable to Superpower Users as well.
Every entry and exit from the base inevitably involved a physical examination. Han Jiaojiao wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but while waiting for the examination results, she faintly felt that people were sizing her up.
It wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened, but previously, Han Yi, Yan Xiao, and a few others attracted more attention, and few people noticed her.
Something felt odd to Han Jiaojiao, but she didn’t think too much of it and returned to the vehicle with her blood test report to join her companions.
When they arrived home, Xiao Jian and Heizi, along with other brothers, came to meet them. — Zhu Changfu and his underlings had officially moved in a few days ago, becoming one of them.
Xiao Jian approached Han Yi and whispered something to him as they got out of the car, Han Jiaojiao went directly to the back of the van to move the flower pots and didn’t hear them, but she noticed Xiao Jian’s glance flicker towards her momentarily.
Perhaps it was just her perception.
Xiaogua and Xiaodou immediately jumped down when the van doors opened, sensibly climbing back up to the rooftop. Cotton Candy, though lazier, also knew it was time to head home and slowly lumbered out, leisurely climbing upstairs. Han Jiaojiao carried Pepper’s flower pot and followed Cotton Candy up.
The third-floor terrace had changed drastically from before. — A thick layer of sand covered the concrete slabs, the original brick boundaries were gone, replaced by a concrete brick-built rectangular pool, and the storage had been modified; the door was removed and several thick hemp ropes hung crisscross inside, convenient for swinging during their playtime.
They crawled into the storage room to rest as soon as they returned to the rooftop. Han Jiaojiao carefully placed the flower pot on the sand beside the pool, gently touched Pepper’s little sepals, and then stood up to slowly descend the stairs.
Downstairs, everyone gathered together, speaking in low voices with tense tones. The moment Han Jiaojiao came down, their conversation halted.
Confused, Han Jiaojiao looked at them, blinked, and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Why did the conversation stop abruptly when she came down?
Everyone looked at each other, but none spoke.
Han Yi slightly raised an eyebrow, his expression inscrutable, and said with a light smile, "It’s nothing. Go wash your hands, and then come have dinner."
"Oh..."
Seeing Han Jiaojiao enter the kitchen to wash her hands, Xiao Jian couldn’t help but lower his voice, "Brother Han, it’s probably best to inform her, to prepare her mentally."
"Damn it! Whoever has the foul mouth, if I find out..." Yan Xiao slammed his hand down on the arm of the sofa, his voice muffled.
Han Yi’s expression remained dark; only those who knew him well could discern the restrained fury in his eyes.
"Go check," he said coldly, "the base doesn’t have that many people; it shouldn’t take many days to find out who’s causing trouble."
A sinister smile flitted across Lu Changyuan’s face, "Indeed, even back then, spreading rumors on the internet could be traced, much less now when we only rely on word of mouth. It won’t take many days to get results."
Usually, Zhou Yan didn’t speak much when everyone gathered, but since this issue was too frustrating, he couldn’t help but say in a low voice, "I’m just worried... that by the time we figure it out, the rumor will have already spread throughout the base."
Xiao Jian nodded, "Although it won’t cause us any substantial harm, it still doesn’t feel right. We can’t just let this go."
"Let Yang Qi and Zhou Xiaoliang handle the investigation of this matter," Lu Changyuan said, looking at Han Yi, suggesting, "They’ve just moved in and are looking for an opportunity to show their loyalty."
At that moment, Han Jiaojiao walked out with two dishes; Yu Wanxi had cooked plenty, so it was just nice for her to help serve after washing her hands.
Han Yi then dropped the subject and said, "Let’s arrange it that way and eat first."
Hearing this, everyone headed to the kitchen to fetch dishes, grab chopsticks, serve rice, and move chairs...
At the dinner table, Han Jiaojiao picked up a lotus root sandwich and gently blew on it before placing it in Han Yi’s bowl, "Brother, try this, eggplant stuffed lotus root. I only mentioned it once to sister Yu, and she really made it. It tastes amazing!"
Han Yi’s stern face relaxed slightly, and a faint smile appeared as he said, "Okay, I’ll try it."
—The outer skin was crispy, the lotus slices were crunchy, and the eggplant in the middle was soft, glutinous, and slightly sweet.
Looking at Han Jiaojiao’s bright, sparkling eyes, Han Yi felt his cold heart soften a bit.
"Hmm, it’s very tasty," he thought deeply, but actually the food felt like chewing wax, yet he didn’t want to disappoint her.
Xiao Jian had just said that the rumors wouldn’t cause them any real harm. He felt otherwise. He had finally, just finally, managed to keep her by his side, and if these rumors drove her away from him, he couldn’t accept it.
Han Jiaojiao’s home training was very strict. Bai Yan, being a celebrity, had never spilled any negative news before. How could she tolerate her daughter being associated with such rumors?
The only time Bai Yan ever burst into negative news in her life was probably when she married Han Chenjing. Under the reporters’ pens, she went from a self-respecting artist to a vain woman, and the orphans Bai Yan adopted from the disaster area suddenly became suspected illegitimate children of the Han family.
—A multitude of mouths can melt metal, was Bai Yan’s earnest teaching to Han Jiaojiao, who, influenced by this from a young age, had always been very careful about her reputation.
It wasn’t that Han Jiaojiao was overly sensitive and couldn’t handle criticism; rather, the teachings from her youth made her more concerned about her reputation than any other woman.
After dinner, night fell.
After taking a bath, Han Yi returned to his room and saw Han Jiaojiao sitting on the edge of the bed clipping her toenails, her feet small and exquisite, her toes round and delicate, leading up to her tender and smooth insteps and beautifully slender ankles...
"Brother," Han Jiaojiao called out cheerfully, her freshly clipped toes playfully stretching and then withdrawing back under the thin blanket.
Han Yi walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling out her petit feet onto his lap, and began to gently massage them.
Han Jiaojiao laughed and tried to squirm away, "That tickles."
"Baby, brother has something to tell you," Han Yi’s voice was husky.
"Mmm, go ahead, brother," Han Jiaojiao was not surprised. Since she came back, she sensed something was off with everyone and figured they were keeping something from her.
"Lately, there have been some unpleasant rumors floating around the base—about us," Han Yi didn’t want to say it, but if she was going to find out eventually, it was better for her to hear it from him.
Han Jiaojiao looked at Han Yi, puzzled.—What kind of rumors could there be about her and her brother? They hadn’t done anything inappropriate recently. Even their missions were low-profile, and moreover, Qin Wenhao was the most talked-about person in the base right now; if there were rumors, it should involve Qin Wenhao.
Han Yi gazed at her and said, "There are people in the base spreading rumors that we siblings are committing incest."
