Chapter 501: Chapter 490: Take Pingping Away Chapter 501: Chapter 490: Take Pingping Away The assistant looked over Qiao Jing’s shoulder and frowned slightly when he couldn’t find Pingping.
“Miss Qiao, hello, my surname is Jiang, you can just call me Jiang Xiong. May I ask if the young master hasn’t come over?”
When Qiao Jing heard Assistant Jiang’s reference to Pingping, she furrowed her brows and got straight to the point:
“Pingping has not agreed to go back with you yet. You can discuss his matters with me; I hope to get all the specific information about Pingping.”
Since Pingping hadn’t returned yet, she did not want to hear others arbitrarily changing his name.
Moreover, the father who didn’t have time to come and pick up his own son had already made a bad impression on her.
Just how big of a company must it be for a father to neglect even his own son?
Assistant Jiang’s face stiffened for a moment, but quickly returned to his previous polite demeanor.
“Miss Qiao, the little master will return with us. Our boss has been looking for him for a long time. The lady got depression after Pingping went missing. Now that we’ve finally found the little master, we’ve come right away to pick him up.”
Qiao Jing’s brows were tightly knit as she sat across from Assistant Jiang, her voice coolly ringing out.
“That’s not what I want to hear. I want to hear how you lost Pingping and why it took until now to find him.”
Based on the timeline, Pingping was now six years old. He had said that as long as he could remember, he had been wandering outside, which likely started around the age of three, wandering for at least three years.
Yet, judging by the clothes and the demeanor of Assistant Jiang and the bodyguards, as well as the expensive car parked outside, they should have had the capability to find Pingping earlier.
So why they only managed to find Pingping now was a point of curiosity for her.
Assistant Jiang did not speak but looked directly into Qiao Jing’s eyes.
The office remained silent, and Teacher Liu felt intimidated by the scene, which resembled a negotiation.
She desperately tried to make herself less conspicuous, shrinking back on the sofa. Then she looked across and saw Qiao Jing facing several people on the other side.
Even with those well-trained bodyguards standing behind Assistant Jiang, Qiao Jing’s presence easily overwhelmed them.
One had to admit… Miss Qiao was not only beautiful, wealthy, and kind, but her presence was also so strong.
She was the very person Teacher Liu dreamed of becoming.
Qiao Jing’s phoenix eyes deepened as her piercing gaze locked onto Assistant Jiang, showing no sign of backing down.
Assistant Jiang felt a chill down his spine under Qiao Jing’s stare but quickly regained his composure, hesitating a long while before he spoke.
“Before this, I already knew that Miss Qiao was the person temporarily taking care of the little master, and that’s why I am about to tell you the following. The little master went missing because the lady took him out and accidentally lost him. We’ve expanded the search to the whole country, focusing on the Nanjiang area. We didn’t expect the little master to be in the capital.”
“We were focusing on a birthmark on the little master’s neck; it’s very distinctive. Eventually, we traced it all the way to the orphanage,” he continued.
Qiao Jing’s frown deepened. The capital was in the North, and Nanjiang in the South, quite a distance apart.
Now she could understand why it took so long to find Pingping—the search was concentrated near Nanjiang, while Pingping was in the capital.
But how did Pingping, having gone missing in Nanjiang, end up all alone in the capital?
This was a question that could only be answered by Pingping himself.
Surprised by the latter part of Assistant Jiang’s explanation, she recalled the birthmark she had seen on Pingping during their last bath, not expecting that they would find him based on that birthmark.
Qiao Jing pursed her red lips, then continued to inquire.
“What is the situation in Pingping’s father’s family? If you don’t explain clearly, I will not let you take Pingping with you.”
She still needed to understand the situation at Pingping’s home; otherwise, she would not feel at ease letting Pingping leave with these people.
Assistant Jiang’s expression stiffened again, and he glanced at Teacher Liu.
Teacher Liu immediately understood Assistant Jiang’s intent and stood up.
“Miss Qiao, I’m going out now.”
Qiao Jing nodded and responded with a “Hmm.”
Only Qiao Jing, Assistant Jiang, and the bodyguard remained in the room.
Assistant Jiang handed a paternity test to Qiao Jing.
“Miss Qiao, actually, I didn’t have to tell you so much because we have already conducted the test, and Pingping is indeed the young master who went missing from our family. We could take the young master home with the paternity test, but our boss said we should be very polite to you.”
Qiao Jing slightly raised her eyebrows, took the paternity test, and carefully examined it, her attention focused on the name of the person tested with Pingping.
She seemed to have heard the name somewhere but just couldn’t remember where.
Someone from Nanjiang, who runs a company, surnamed Li.
A speculation suddenly emerged in her mind.
At this moment, Assistant Jiang spoke again.
“The young master’s father is the boss of the Nanjiang Li Group, and there’s a very important collaboration coming up. That’s why I said the boss doesn’t have the time to come and take the young master home, and the lady of the house can’t come over due to psychological reasons.”
A hint of surprise flashed through Qiao Jing’s eyes.
Pingping’s father is the boss of the Li Group?
Meaning, the collaboration that had been troubling Zhan Qipei for several days was managed by Pingping’s father.
It might be a coincidence, but she wouldn’t allow Pingping to get involved in this matter.
Qiao Jing’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and she handed the paternity test back to Assistant Jiang.
“Pingping might not be able to make a quick decision, and you need to give him some time to think it over seriously.”
What concerned her were the feelings between the two little ones. When she saw Pingping today, she could clearly sense that he was very hesitant in his heart.
Even just now, when he came to the office door, Pingping had planned to come in with her but suddenly decided to go find Anan instead.
She was increasingly worried about how the two little ones were conversing outside, wondering how they were getting along.
Qiao Jing couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up.
“Assistant Jiang, I have to go now. I will reply to you about Pingping’s matter as soon as possible.”
She needed to go out and see how the two little ones were getting along, and whether Anan had been crying.
She also wanted to ask Pingping how he managed to come from Nanjiang to the capital all by himself.
Assistant Jiang frowned, his expression turning somewhat unsightly.
“Miss Qiao, regardless, the young master has to come back with us. He is the boss’s only son, and everyone in the family values him greatly.”
His boss had assigned him the task of bringing the young master back, and if the young master refused to go, it would be difficult for him to explain.
Qiao Jing paused in her steps, turned back to look at Assistant Jiang, and said coldly:
“You should focus on what Pingping thinks, not what you think.”
She now had a rough understanding of Pingping’s family situation and could ensure that they truly valued Pingping and would treat him well in the future, which is why she felt reassured letting Pingping return.
But more importantly, she wanted to hear Pingping’s inner thoughts.