NOVPUB
Chapter 211: Chapter 211 Concealment
"Aunt Bai was so harassed by him that she stopped seeing him,"
"Then... why did Han Rui say that you killed him?" Han Jiaojiao asked, puzzled.
The smile faded from Han Yi’s face, "Because... he showed up again later."
Recalling that incident, Han Yi was still somewhat displeased as he spoke in a calm tone, "At that time, Aunt Bai married into the Han Family, and the major media outlets were all watching. That man naturally found out too. He came to Qingjiang City and asked Aunt Bai for money, saying if she didn’t lend it to him, he would sue her in court. Officially, he was your father, and he had the right to reclaim his daughter. Aunt Bai wasn’t afraid of going to court; her adoption procedures were legal, and she knew many excellent lawyers. But once it went to court, you would undoubtedly need to appear. Aunt Bai didn’t want to hurt you, so she lent him the money."
Through Han Yi’s words, Han Jiaojiao had already formed a preliminary impression of this adoptive father she had never met. Greedy, shameless, fond of getting something for nothing...
"Once you lend money, there’s a second and third time. It couldn’t be kept secret forever; both my dad and I found out about it. My dad talked to him in person, hoping to resolve the issue peacefully, but later... I hired someone to kill him."
After Han Yi finished speaking, he quietly watched Han Jiaojiao, trying to read something from her face.
Han Jiaojiao looked at him blankly, not knowing what to say. After a long while, she managed to utter, "Brother, why... didn’t you tell me?"
She had never even met the man; he was like a stranger. So he was dead, so what... it wasn’t a big deal. Although she had been shocked when she first heard the news, she had since regained her composure. Why then was her brother being blackmailed by Han Rui about this?
"Because I was afraid, I was afraid you wouldn’t want anything to do with me anymore." Han Yi’s cool hand rested on her cheek, and he smiled self-deprecatingly, "Although at that time, you hardly wanted anything to do with me..."
Han Jiaojiao smiled awkwardly, pouted, and said, "Can you blame me for that? You were stern with me every day, and I was so scared. How could I dare to approach you?"
Han Yi laughed, tousling her hair and asked, "Why aren’t you afraid now?"
Han Jiaojiao answered proudly, "Because I’ve grown up, and so has my courage!"
Han Yi chuckled softly, pulling her into his embrace, his forehead resting against her brow, "My darling is braver now. From now on, brother won’t hide anything from you, I’ll tell you everything. If you have any problems, you must also tell your brother, okay?"
Han Jiaojiao felt the intensity of Han Yi’s gaze, and with a touch of guilt, she lowered her head, resting it in the crook of his shoulder to hide the desolation on her face, muttering in reply, "Okay, from now on... I’ll tell you everything..."
But brother, just wait a little longer for me... just a little longer... When I’m brave enough, when I’m no longer afraid, I’ll tell you everything; no more secrets...
Han Yi silently held Han Jiaojiao, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The truth was, the story wasn’t complete. Despite deciding to tell her everything, he subconsciously still omitted a part.
In fact, after that man made several scenes at their house, he caught the attention of a reporter who thought this was great material for a news story. The reporter advised the man to escalate the situation. Following the reporter’s suggestion, he brought over the sister and brother-in-law of Han Jiaojiao’s birth mother, and together they demanded tens of millions in compensation from their family.
The reporter had already drafted the news article, framing it as if Bai Yan, married into a prestigious family but tormented by not having her own biological child, clung tightly to her adoptive daughter and prevented the father-daughter recognition and family reunion... Once the article was published, public opinion would likely side with the underprivileged, and Bai Yan would be vilified as the wicked woman who tore another’s family apart. By that time, in court, considering the social impact, there was no guarantee that Han Jiaojiao would be awarded to Bai Yan.
So Han Yi harbored a murderous intent. By then, he had come to realize his feelings for Han Jiaojiao; he just wanted her to grow up gradually. How could he allow his beloved to be snatched away halfway?!
He killed four people: Han Jiaojiao’s adoptive father, the sister and brother-in-law of Han Jiaojiao’s birth mother, and that journalist who was always stirring up trouble.
At the time, he was not mature enough and acted without enough precision. He was quickly discovered by his own father, who was furious and gave him a severe lesson. But then, the father had to clean up his son’s mess to prevent it from being discovered and used against them.
In the end, the Han Chenfeng father and son duo found out.
...
The next day, Han Rui went missing.
It was only after hearing about this that Han Jiaojiao belatedly realized that she and her brother had left Han Rui behind in the forest.
Last night, she had intended to remind Cotton Candy not to eat people indiscriminately. Pepper was always in her backpack, so she wasn’t worried about it, but Cotton Candy had a big appetite... As a result, she forgot her intentions due to the sudden shock of Han Rui’s words. Could it be that he was eaten by... 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Han Jiaojiao heaved a complicated sigh.
Eventually, she pretended to know nothing, joined the others in packing up their hardships, and set off once more.
After descending the mountain, everyone finally saw the long-missed man-made road again. Han Yi took out two off-road vehicles from the space, and everyone hurried to board the vehicles and prepare to leave. At that moment, however, a slight issue arose.
——The rear compartment couldn’t fit the Space-Time Beasts.
It turned out that in the past few days in the mountain, perhaps due to the plentiful food, the Space-Time Beasts had grown significantly in size. But Han Jiaojiao, who was with them all the time, hadn’t noticed this. Now that it was time to get into the vehicles, she suddenly realized that the compartment which previously could fit three Space-Time Beasts could now barely fit one Cotton Candy.
With no other choice, Han Jiaojiao had to ask Xiaogua and Xiaodou to ride in the vehicle driven by Xiao Jian. They weren’t as bulky as Cotton Candy and could fit in if they squeezed together, although several vines still draped over the back of the front seats.
Tian Xinyue was quite frightened and sullenly asked to swap seats with Hao Boming.
Initially, because Han Jiaojiao’s vehicle had a Space-Time Beast in it, Tian Xinyue had taken a seat in Xiao Jian’s vehicle. But now, with Space-Time Beasts in the back compartments of both vehicles... After much thought, Tian Xinyue still felt it was safer to ride in the same vehicle as Han Jiaojiao.
Han Jiaojiao comforted her, "It’s okay, Xiaogua and Xiaodou are well-fed and won’t hurt anyone. It’s just that they might smell a bit because I haven’t brushed their teeth these past few days in the mountain..." As she spoke, she regretfully pulled over a thick vine and caressed it in her hands.
Xiaodou, perhaps having a conditioned response to the word "brush teeth," suddenly unfurled its vine, revealing a bright crimson interior and a dense array of sharp teeth.
Around them, a chorus of gasps could be heard.
Seeing this, Tian Xinyue nearly fainted. She weakly leaned against the car door and called out in an almost faint state, "Jiaojiao..."
In the end, Han Yi, Han Jiaojiao, Yan Xiao, and Tian Xinyue shared one vehicle; Xiao Jian, Yang Qi, Zhou Xiaoliang, and Hao Boming took another.
