Strike Back, Proud Goddess!

Tang Xi stayed with Qiao Yuxin until five o’clock in the afternoon. When it was time for Tang Xi to leave, Qiao Yuxin wanted to see her off to the gate herself despite Tang Xi’s attempt to stop her. In the end, Qiao Yuxin personally went to escort Tang Xi to the car with a servant in tow. At the gate, Qiao Yuxin took Tang Xi’s hand and said, “Rourou, thank you for coming over to accompany me today. With you around, I felt that time flew today, unlike before when one day seemed like a year.”

Tang Xi smiled as she crouched in front of Qiao Yuxin and replied, “I’ll come over to accompany you again next Saturday.”

Qiao Yuxin nodded in response with a smile. “Okay. What do you like to eat? Tell me, I’ll ask the servants to prepare them in advance.”

“Shrimp in scallion sauce, hairy crab, and Australian lobster,” Xiao Rou said, pre-ordering three dishes without hesitation, and smiled before continuing, “The three dishes are my favorite. I like hairy crab and Australian lobster very much. They taste good.”

As Xiao Rou had been with the Xiao Family for more than a month, Qiao Yuxin wasn’t surprised in the least that Xiao Rou liked to eat these dishes. She smiled and nodded, asking, “What else do you like to eat?”

“Seafood salad.” Tang Xi laughed shyly. “There has to be octopus in it. Fresh octopus tastes great.”

She really liked seafood.

Qiao Yuxin smiled. “Okay. All the seafood I have here is delivered from the sea every morning. I will have the servants prepare them before you come here. It’s a piece of cake for me.”

Tang Xi gave Qiao Yuxin a hug and got up to leave. “Aunt Qiao, I’m so happy to have met you. My stomach is even happier.”

Qiao Yuxin laughed and bid goodbye to Tang Xi reluctantly. “Next weekend, I will ask the driver to pick you up.”

Tang Xi nodded with a smile and got on the car.

Until the car disappeared from sight, Qiao Yuxin didn’t ask the servant to push her in. On the other side of things, the butler called Qiao Liang and reported Qiao Yuxin’s condition today. The old butler said happily, “Young Master, your idea was great! Today, Miss smiled, and very happily at that. She ate twice as much as usual at lunch. She even brewed tea herself to treat that girl, and she asked her to come over again next Saturday.”

On the other side of the call, on a small island near the Pacific Ocean, Qiao Liang was walking by the sea and looking at the wreckage of the plane. He clenched his mobile phone and his voice was low and deep as he asked, “What else?”

The butler’s mild voice sounded from his cell phone. “Miss also asked the girl what she liked to eat, so that she could have servants prepare them in advance next Saturday. Miss looked so vibrant, like she was rejuvenated. Now she is busy preparing the dishes for the girl.”

Qiao Liang crouched down to pick up a piece of debris. The waves rose to wet his sneakers and sweatpants, but he didn’t care at all. He handed the debris over to a staff behind him and asked casually, “What did the girl order?”

The girl did seem to have a lot of influence on her mother. His mother hadn’t cooked any food for several years, yet that girl had conquered his mother in a day.

“Shrimp in scallion sauce, hairy crabs, Australian lobster and seafood salad.” The butler’s answer came from the cell phone along with his laughter. “The girl made a special mention that seafood salad must have the freshest octopus.”

Standing in the seawater, Qiao Liang suddenly couldn’t hear any sounds. He stood on the spot as countless memories flashed through his mind.

“Why do you order shrimp in scallion sauce in a seafood buffet? That dish will only be served in a Chinese restaurant. Don’t you want to eat hairy crabs and Australian lobster?”

“Shrimp is also seafood. I would like to eat shrimp in scallion sauce, and octopus, raw, live, fresh octopus in seafood salad! That’s also delicious!”

“No problem, but we can’t order shrimp in scallion sauce here. Let’s have it in a Chinese restaurant next time.”

“No! Shrimp in scallion sauce must be served with hairy crabs and Australian lobster.”

“Where did you get this recipe?”

“This is my own recipe… Anyway, I’m gonna have shrimp in scallion sauce here, served with hairy crabs and Australian lobster.”

“Alright, I’ll go to the kitchen and talk to the chef to see if they can make one for you. Go over there to order the dishes and wait me for a while.”

“I knew Ah Liang is the best. I’ll find a seat ”

The deep-buried memories were becoming clearer and clearer. Qiao Liang closed his eyes and clasped his hands together firmly. He abruptly hung up the phone and stuffed it into his pocket. What was he thinking?! How could that delicate girl have any connection with her!

Sensing the gloomy aura released by Qiao Liang, the staff members behind him all backed up a step. Suddenly, a man in his twenties ran over and hurriedly said, “Boss, we just got a call from the opposite island. They found Miss Tang’s DNA. Miss Qin has already gone there.”

Qiao Liang’s heart sank and his face turned even darker. “Prepare a boat. Let’s go to that island.”

Standing at the bow of the boat and gazing at the island that was drawing increasingly nearer, Qiao Liang was suddenly seized with a desire to turn back and never go there, so that the woman would stay missing but not dead, so that she might still be alive.

Just then, an elegant and beautiful woman ran over, crying, and as she was about to reach the seashore, she suddenly stumbled and fell down on the beach. She looked up at Qiao Liang tearfully and tried to stand up. She struggled for a while, but couldn’t manage to get on her feet. Standing on the boat, Qiao Liang cast an unfathomable glance at the woman before jumping down onto the beach. Without looking at the woman again, he asked the man, “Where did you find it?”

“Boss, come with me.” The man glanced expressionlessly at the woman before taking Qiao Liang to the other side of the island.

The woman finally stood up after a long struggle and shouted, “Qiao Liang, please take me with you. I want to know about Xixi’s situation, no matter if she is dead or alive!”

Qiao Liang stopped, looked back at the woman with a sneer and said word by word, “You? Why should I?”

The woman suddenly felt cold all over. She opened her mouth to reply, but it was only after quite a while passed that she said, “I am Xixi’s only friend. I have the right to know whether she is alive or not. I have to know it!”

Qiao Liang looked down at the silvery sand under his feet and narrowed his eyes. “Why are you so sure that the person I’m looking for is Tang Xi? What does Tang Xi have to do with me?”

Hearing his words, a gleam of joy flickered across the woman’s eyes despite her looking pale. She said, “I know Xixi’s attitude at that time hurt you, but that’s what Xixi is like, isn’t it? You can’t hate her because she didn’t forgive you. Qiao Liang, put aside your hatred for Xixi and find her, okay?”

The woman felt relieved when she saw that Qiao Liang seemed to have been moved by her words. She carefully walked towards Qiao Liang step by step, stopped before him and said in a low voice, “Qiao Liang, let me find Xixi with you, okay?”