Qiao Qiao's heart skipped a beat. She stopped in her tracks and asked uncertainly, "What did you see?"
"You just got out of Young Master Qi's car," Qiao Wei replied truthfully. He then asked, "Why were you with him?"
Just the fact that Qi Yuanyuan had impersonated Yu He and treated people indiscriminately was enough for Qiao Wei to consider the Qi family his sworn enemy. Not to mention that after Yu He exposed Qi Yuanyuan's true colors, the Qi family had tried to suppress Yu Xianyi Clinic both openly and secretly. However, due to the excellent medical skills of Yu He and Granny Yu, the clinic's influence had not been significantly affected.
But when Madam Qi had visited the clinic and sarcastically taunted Grandma Yu, he had even more reason to detest the Qi family. They were one of the four great families, yet they acted so despicably.
Therefore, seeing Qiao Qiao with Qi Suilin, Qiao Wei found it difficult to accept, and his tone became somewhat stern.
"I..." Qiao Qiao bit her lip, feeling guilty and afraid to meet Qiao Wei's eyes. "He was just consulting me about medicinal cuisine."
"How could you consult for them, given how the Qi family treated Yu He and Grandma Yu? How can you betray Yu He and Grandma Yu?" Qiao Wei reprimanded.
Qiao Qiao immediately grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Brother, please don't tell Yu He about this, okay? If she finds out, she'll definitely fire me, and I don't want to be separated from you and Grandma Yu."
Seeing her anxious eyes redden and her expression close to tears, Qiao Wei couldn't bear to scold her any further.
But he also couldn't accept his sister betraying Yu He. He said, "Have you forgotten what Dad and Mom taught us since we were young? We must be loyal and honest, especially to those who have been kind to us."
Qiao Qiao lowered her head, chastened. "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong."
Seeing her so quick to admit her mistake, Qiao Wei didn't feel it was right to blame her further. "You promise not to contact them again, and to work diligently for Yu He. I won't tell her about tonight."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiao felt a pang of resistance. She was even unhappy that she was his biological sister, yet in many situations, Qiao Wei favored and protected Yu He.
But the matter the Qi family had approached her for was something she was quite interested in. However, the conditions she had set for the Qi family were still under consideration. If Yu He found out now, the deal would be off.
To appease her brother and prevent him from reporting this to Yu He, Qiao Qiao immediately raised her hand in a gesture of an oath. "I promise."
Only then did Qiao Wei heave a sigh of relief. "Alright, let's go back. Grandma Yu should be asleep."
***
For the next few days, Yu He accompanied Granny Yu in treating patients during the day and screened the voice of the third person in the recordings at night. However, there was generally no good news, as voices were not as easy to verify and identify as DNA.
In the blink of an eye, it was Sunday.
Yu He finished seeing her morning patients at the clinic. After lunch, she told Granny Yu that she had to go out for a while in the afternoon.
She didn't ask Qiao Wei to drive her and instead booked a car. At ten minutes to two, she arrived at the Qin family's old residence.
This was her second visit since she grew up. The last time was due to Qin Xinhong's matter, and it was rushed. This time, she was there for Qin Yonghao's appointment.
The imposing red-walled, tile-roofed gate overlapped with her childhood memories, feeling so familiar. Yet, returning now, things had changed.
"Who are you? Who are you looking for?" the security guard in the guardhouse at the entrance asked.
Yu He replied, "Yu He, for Qin Yonghao."
Qin Yonghao had previously informed the security guards. Upon hearing her name, the guard immediately opened the gate and let her in.
"Miss Yu, please wait a moment. I'll go and get the car," the guard said.
The Qin residence was vast. It took about forty minutes to walk from the entrance to Qin Yonghao's residence, so usually, people drove directly in. For guests like Yu He who only took a taxi to the entrance, the security office had a spare car for guests.
However, it seemed that all the designated cars were in use today. Yu He waited at the entrance for a while, but the guard had not returned.
The mid-June afternoon sun was quite fierce. Yu He walked into the courtyard. In her memory, there was a pavilion in the garden by the entrance.
"Third Young Master, oh dear, Third Young Master, why are you hiding here playing with mud again? Let go, come back with me. The weather is too hot, don't get heatstroke."
At this moment, a woman's voice caught Yu He's attention. Following the sound, she saw a lean man squatting by a man-made rockery near the pavilion, playing with mud and getting his white shirt and face dirty.
A white-haired amah, Aunt Yao, anxiously took the mud he was about to put in his mouth away. Then, she carefully used a wet wipe she carried to clean the mud from his face and hands and patiently taught him, "Third Young Master, this is mud. You can't eat it."
The man smiled foolishly. "I'm an earthworm. I love eating mud."
Aunt Yao replied, "You're not an earthworm. You're the Third Young Master. Don't eat mud. Eat your meal."
"No, no, Jin Cheng said I'm an earthworm, and I want to eat mud." As he spoke, he grabbed more mud.
Yu He watched, somewhat stunned. She recognized these two: the orphan of the Third Master Qin, Qin Xinyao, and his nanny, Aunt Yao.
Aunt Yao had been with the Qin family for many years. She had been a servant by the Third Master Qin's side. After the Third Master Qin died, the Third Madam passed away not long after. Qin Xinyao had also been severely affected, falling ill and suffering from a high fever that damaged his brain. He had transformed from a lively and cheerful young boy into a simple-minded young master.
When she was still at the Qin family's house back then, Qin Xinyao was the brother who sought her out to play with the most, besides Qin Beiting.
Even though everyone later said that Yu He's adoptive father had killed his father, and the servants from the third branch avoided interacting with the servants from the sixth branch, Qin Xinyao would still visit her when she was ill.
Seeing her once familiar, cheerful cousin like this, she felt a pang of sadness.
Qin Xinyao sensed Yu He's gaze and turned his head to look at her. Their eyes met for a few seconds. Yu He suddenly felt something was amiss from his calm eyes.
Aunt Yao also noticed Yu He. Since Ye Zisu returned to the Qin family, coupled with the "publicity" Ye Zisu had orchestrated with the media, many people in the Qin residence knew that the nameless divine doctor was the fake eldest daughter who had been switched at birth from the sixth branch.
However, she still instinctively called out, "Miss Xinshu?"
Yu He came back to her senses. "Aunt Yao, Brother Xinyao..."
"Wow, your bag is so pretty. Give it to me." Suddenly, Qin Xinyao rushed over and snatched the bag slung over Yu He's shoulder.
Yu He was caught off guard. By the time she reacted, Qin Xinyao had already run dozens of meters away.
The bag contained things like the golden needle pouch given to him by Qin Beiting, and it couldn't be lost. She immediately chased after him.
"Hey, Young Master, hurry and return that! Give it back!" Aunt Yao also went to chase, but she was elderly and couldn't keep up. In the blink of an eye, the two people ahead had disappeared from sight.
Yu He chased Qin Xinyao all the way. Despite his simple-mindedness, he was quick on his feet and had good stamina. Moreover, he was very familiar with the Qin residence and ran towards secluded areas, where no one else could be seen to help stop him.
As Yu He chased, she suddenly realized that Qin Xinyao seemed to be leading her somewhere. Because she had stumbled on a tree earlier and slowed down, he also deliberately slowed his pace, as if waiting for her.
Seeing this, Yu He deliberately stopped.
As expected, Qin Xinyao, who had been running ahead, also stopped and watched her from a distance.