Pregnant After Healing the Alpha

Chapter 717: Chapter 706 She Knows Who It Is

After hearing Zhan Kaiyang’s words, Zhan Nan looked at him with a puzzled face.

"Grandpa, what are you talking about?"

Zhan Bei, very dissatisfied, glared at the kneeling staff members and cursed "useless wretches" before choosing to remain silent.

Zhan Kaiyang let out a cold laugh and turned to Zhan Nan and Zhan Bei.

"Xiao Nan, Xiao Bei, it seems this won’t work out. This staff member was sent by Zhan Yuanshan! He lied to me before, saying Qiao Jing was Professor Qiao, and in order to make me believe it, he staged this play, intending to make me take his words for truth, so I wouldn’t lay a hand on Qiao Jing."

How could he possibly be unaware of Zhan Yuanshan’s intentions? They were nothing more than to give him the illusion that Qiao Jing really was Professor Qiao, tricking him into not daring to make a move!

If he hadn’t suddenly recalled this detail, he might well have been deceived, yet... unexpectedly, his brother went to such lengths to protect Qiao Jing, even bothering to put on such an act.

On hearing this, Zhan Nan and Zhan Bei were stunned.

Zhan Bei, somewhat unwilling to accept this, asked:

"Grandpa, what do we do now? Is the matter just going to be left like this?"

Zhan Yuanshan nodded his head and glanced in Qiao Jing’s direction.

"For now, it can only be this way. Let’s head back first. But I promise you, I won’t let Qiao Jing off so easily. I’ll find another opportunity!"

If they didn’t go back now, the next developments might become very troublesome.

Since there was now a staff member to serve as the scapegoat, there was no need for them to stay any longer; they would have to look for another chance.

Discontent was written all over the faces of Zhan Nan and Zhan Bei; they glared fiercely at Qiao Jing and clenched their fists tightly.

Then, grinding their teeth, they said, "Fine, but next time, we absolutely cannot let Qiao Jing off!"

Zhan Nan cursed blatantly and left with Zhan Kaiyang.

Last time, he was beaten so badly, first dislocating his wrist, then being unable to walk from leg injuries; he had experienced the life of a disabled person.

If he were to let Qiao Jing off just like that, he would never be content!

Their departure did not attract the attention of the others, as everyone’s attention was currently on the staff member.

Professor Xu’s face turned red with anger, as he pointed at the staff member’s nose and shouted:

"What do you mean by ’a certain gentleman’? Who is it exactly? At a time like this, you’re still covering for them? You really have the audacity to steal such important data from the institute!"

After rattling off this string of words, Professor Xu paused and took a few deep breaths before continuing:

"I remember you haven’t been working at the institute for long, so what’s the meaning of pulling a stunt like this now? Spill the beans immediately about who put you up to this!"

The staff member, scolded by Professor Xu, didn’t dare to speak and could only kneel with his head down.

He stammered: noveldrama

"I... Professor Xu, I didn’t mean to steal, it was just that person who told me he wanted to frame someone and needed the data for a bit of help. He promised not to open the data or hide it, that’s why I agreed..."

If it wasn’t for the necessity, he still wouldn’t dare to reveal Zhan Kaiyang’s name; otherwise, he would lose not only his job but also a substantial compensation.

He had thought he was merely framing an ordinary employee, in which case he could continue working and receive the compensation. He never imagined that the so-called ordinary employee would turn out to be Professor Qiao!

Professor Xu, furious, slammed his hand on the table, making a loud "bang!"

"You still refuse to give up that person’s name?!"

The staff member trembled all over, still stammering as he began to speak.

"I... Professor Xu... it’s—"

He couldn’t finish his sentence before Qiao Jing cut him off.

"No need to say it, I know who it is."

As the kneeling staff member heard these words, his body stopped shaking, and he looked up at the towering Qiao Jing.

When their eyes met, and he felt Qiao Jing’s scrutinizing gaze, he heard a voice rising from the depths of his heart, urging him to tell the truth.

He experienced two different sensations when facing Qiao Jing and Xu Hongzu, with the former instilling a sense of awe that welled up from his heart. Just one look from her was enough to make him want to spill all the truth.

The staff member gritted his teeth and ultimately decided to come clean; he opened his mouth to speak:

"It’s—"

Qiao Jing didn’t pay any attention to the staff member, but stood up straight and glanced over the other staff present.

"Everyone, please sit down and eat, it’s all right now."

Hearing Qiao Jing’s words, the other staff members breathed a sigh of relief, returned to their seats, and started eating.

Qiao Jing sat back in her chair, arms crossed, her face emotionless and inscrutable.

"How much money did Zhan Kaiyang give you? Enough to make you abandon your job at the research institute?"

If she were in this staff member’s shoes, she would not hesitate to choose the stable job at the research institute.

As Qiao Jing accurately uttered the name of the person pulling the strings behind the scenes, the staff member’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"How... how did you know?"

After he spoke, he hung his head in self-reproach.

"I thought he only wanted to set up a regular employee, so I just helped him steal it. Because... he gave me five hundred thousand, and if the plan succeeded, he would give me the other half. I never expected it to be exposed; if it hadn’t been, I would have had it all."

After hearing the staff member’s explanation, Qiao Jing’s pupils darkened, and she said coolly:

"There are not so many perfect outcomes in the world. Go settle this month’s pay and leave the research institute."

Knowing full well the problem was entirely his fault and having received his punishment, the staff member dared not say more, scrambling to stand up.

He slapped himself hard and quickly left the banquet.

Having dealt with the matter, Qiao Jing picked up her chopsticks, ready to eat.

Zhan Nanqing couldn’t even care about her food, walking straight up to Qiao Jing and muttering:

"I knew Second Grandpa and his people weren’t here for anything good, and sure enough, this was all their doing! I’ll tell Grandpa and the others when we get back!"

Qiao Jing glanced at Zhan Nanqing, frowning slightly.

"Go back to your meal. There’s no need to tell them about this."

Zhan Qipei and the others were already at odds with Zhan Kaiyang’s side, and if this were added to the mix, it would undoubtedly make matters worse.

Although the issues indeed stemmed from Zhan Kaiyang and his group, she didn’t want the relationships within the Zhan Family to become even more strained on her account.

After all, she was uncertain if she would stay with the Zhan Family in the future; if she left, it wouldn’t be good for the families to remain so bitterly estranged.