Chapter 55 Wanting to Eat My Cooking

Chapter 55: There is news about me?

Hearing these words, I froze.

How could this be possible? I had been dead for so many days now, where could anyone possibly find news about me?

I paused for a moment, subconsciously suspecting that Qiao Yanxin might have been deceived.

Yet upon hearing this, Qiao Yanxin appeared exceptionally delighted.

"Where is Yunzhou? Have you seen him? Do I need to go and bring him back?!"

Secretary Zhang's tone on the other end of the line also carried excitement, though unlike Qiao Yanxin, she maintained her professional composure and said, "President Qiao, according to our investigation, during the period when the young master went missing, over forty people disappeared from various provinces simultaneously."

"Among these people, there are both men and women. They were transported abroad via maritime routes. Right now, that ship, along with the people on board, has already arrived abroad. The young master should be on that ship."

Hearing this, Qiao Yanxin's previously excited heart gradually cooled down.

"What do you mean by 'should be'? Is this news still unverified?"

Secretary Zhang replied with a hint of apprehension, "I'm sorry, President Qiao. The overseas telecom fraud syndicates are currently extremely rampant, and their intelligence network is very agile. The moment their whereabouts are discovered, they relocate immediately."

"It's true that they were on that ship initially, but whether they have been relocated by now remains unclear. However, there is a high probability they haven't been moved yet. President Liu said he can help bring the young master back, but the other side has put forward a condition."

"What condition?!" Qiao Yanxin immediately pressed.

"The people over there said that President Qiao, you must go and personally identify him before bringing the young master back. No one else will do."

Qiao Yanxin agreed without hesitation, "Very well, I can go there myself."

Secretary Zhang seemed to heave a sigh of relief before continuing, "By the way, President Liu also mentioned that the young master probably hasn't suffered any severe torture. After these people were deceived and abducted, they took the maritime route because they encountered a tsunami at sea."

"These individuals were only just brought into the industrial park recently. Fortunately, they had just been taken inside when President Liu managed to track them down."

Qiao Yanxin nodded, "Alright, I understand."

"Remember to send some money to President Liu first, and make sure to appease that group of people. Under no circumstances must they be allowed to harm Yunzhou. No matter how much money they ask for, I will pay it. I am leaving immediately."

"Understood, President Qiao. Oh, by the way, if you are setting off for Northern Myanmar, you need to handle the company's affairs first. There is a backlog of tasks in the company that you haven't dealt with yet. You must clear them before you depart this time."

"Fine, I'm heading back to the company right now."

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Yanxin's previously pale complexion regained much of its rosy glow.

Gazing at the clean and tidy bridal chamber, a trace of a smile finally surfaced on her face.

"Yunzhou, I'm coming to take you home."

From somewhere, she retrieved a photo frame containing a picture of the two of us together.

Seeing that photo, I suddenly froze.

In the snapshot, both Qiao Yanxin and I were smiling so broadly our eyes crinkled. Back then, our faces still carried an unmistakable, raw innocence.

Almost at a glance, I recognized that this photograph had been taken when Qiao Yanxin and I were in middle school.

At that time, our relationship hadn't deteriorated to the state it was in now.

Seeing Qiao Yanxin display this photograph, I had no idea what to feel in my heart.

How laughable. Qiao Yanxin must have wanted to find a picture of us when our relationship was good, yet after searching high and low, she ended up pulling out a photograph from our middle school days.

So she knew all along that ever since we entered high school and Gu Tingchu appeared, the two of us had never known harmony again.

By displaying this picture, perhaps deep down she wished to mend our relationship and return to the way we used to be.

Yet Qiao Yanxin, I am already dead. Even if you repent now, it is utterly useless.

Because I am already dead.

Even if she traveled thousands of miles to Northern Myanmar, it would be in vain; she could no longer bring me back.

I could never return.

Perhaps out of an urgent desire to fetch me, Qiao Yanxin cut through the company's affairs with decisive speed.

Yet, whether due to the overwhelming volume of accumulated tasks, as the clock approached ten o'clock, she was still holding a meeting.

Secretary Zhang knocked on the office door, and Qiao Yanxin replied without even lifting her head, "Come in!"

Secretary Zhang brought in a bowl of porridge and some pastries, placing them on Qiao Yanxin's desk.

"President Qiao, you've been busy for so long, please eat at least a little."

"Mm."

Qiao Yanxin nodded and let out a soft sigh.

Staring at the porridge before her, a myriad of thoughts flashed through her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Secretary Zhang felt a twinge of nervousness.

"What's wrong, President Qiao? Is the porridge not to your liking? If so, I can go and buy another portion!"

"No need."

Qiao Yanxin raised a hand to stop her.

"It's not that the porridge doesn't suit my taste. It's just that I suddenly remembered how, whenever I worked overtime at the company in the past, Yunzhou would almost always cook a late-night snack and bring it to me."

"I just suddenly realized it has been a very long time since I last ate a meal prepared by him."

Hearing her mention this, a sense of poignant irony washed over my heart.

Indeed, I used to cook for her frequently.

Clearly, I had my own job, and my daily work was exhausting enough that upon returning home, all I wanted was to collapse onto the bed. Yet, the moment I thought of Qiao Yanxin still working at the company without having eaten, I would grow deeply worried.

In the end, I would always cook a meal myself and deliver it to her.

It wasn't that ordering takeout wasn't an option, but I felt takeout was unsanitary and lacked the nutritional value of what I made with my own hands.

Moreover, because she suffered from chronic gastritis at the time, I incorporated a great deal of medicinal herbs beneficial for stomach health into those meals.

I knew that adding such herbs would inevitably affect the flavor, so I put a tremendous amount of effort into balancing the taste.

At first, Qiao Yanxin would actually eat it. But later on, she threw the meal straight into the trash can right in front of me, turning instead to eat the late-night snack brought by Gu Tingchu.

She told me that the food I cooked tasted so terrible even a dog wouldn't touch it, completely incomparable to what Gu Tingchu made.

I can no longer remember how I walked home that day, only that from then on, I never cooked another single meal for Qiao Yanxin.

Qiao Yanxin kept her head lowered, deep in thought.

After a moment, she spoke up, "I still remember that day. He made me seafood porridge back then. I remember the porridge smelled wonderful, but Gu Tingchu happened to arrive with a late-night snack for me as well. I don't know what came over me at that moment—perhaps my mind suddenly snapped—but I actually threw that porridge straight into the trash can!"

"Perhaps it was because my behavior that day truly broke his heart that he never cooked for me again."

Secretary Zhang was stunned, momentarily at a loss for how to comfort Qiao Yanxin.

After a brief pause, she could only offer a dry reassurance, "It's fine, it's all in the past."

"It's not in the past."

Qiao Yanxin suddenly raised her head, her gaze burning with intensity, "When Yunzhou comes back, he can punish me however he pleases!"