Su Xue was not pleased, and Han Jiaojiao felt the same discontent.
Beyond the displeasure, there was a more profound sense of suffocation.
Because Su Xue now was not the Su Xue of the past life. Even if Han Jiaojiao harbored endless grievances and hatred, she couldn't vent them on the current Su Xue.
At this time, Su Xue still maintained her kindness and thoughtfulness from her student days, and though somewhat given to comparison and somewhat serious-minded, what teenage girl didn't have some harmless little flaws? Han Jiaojiao felt she had erred in forgetting that people change.
Many had changed after the apocalyptic world; Han Jiaojiao herself had changed as well, but who knew such changes could be so thorough and terrifying? Su Xue had gradually become unrecognizable, and although the two had quarreled many times, Han Jiaojiao naively thought they were still friends. Even if she disagreed with Su Xue's actions, despite countless conflicts, she had never contemplated ending their friendship. Every time she was infuriated by Su Xue, she would console herself after being heartbroken—maybe Su Xue was just under too much pressure; isn't it common for people to become radical and act inappropriately under great fear and pressure?
Until Su Xue sold her! After she had lost her brother and an arm, when she was most helpless and destitute, Su Xue sold her to an old pervert for just thirty Crystal Cores—a true betrayal!
Thirty Crystal Cores, huh… Han Jiaojiao finally realized just how ridiculously foolish she had been.
—She hated Su Xue.
Latter, she avenged her brother, and she had planned to confront Su Xue, but when she heard from others that Su Xue was living poorly, crippled, unable to join any missions, and her house had been reclaimed due to unpaid rent, surviving only on rations... Then Han Jiaojiao thought, perhaps it was not so bad letting her live; it would be too easy on her if she died.
Reborn into another life, Han Jiaojiao could not do anything to the current Su Xue, but the lessons from her past life were deeply etched in her bones. Naturally, she could not greet Su Xue with a smile. From now on, she would treat her as a stranger. Han Jiaojiao thought it best to avoid any interactions, for just seeing that face was enough to disgust anyone. If Su Xue should scheme against her like in the past life, Han Jiaojiao, admitting she was not the forgiving type, would definitely not let her off.
The meteor was now only a day away from arrival, not much time left, but with proper planning, a lot could still be accomplished, Han Jiaojiao did not want to waste time on such trivial characters.
Yesterday, she and her brother had discussed; the variety of supplies needed was vast, and collecting everything in two days was impossible. So their plan was to arrange for two groups to shop simultaneously, one of them tasked with collecting overseas supplies. The expenditure would be substantial, yet worth it, especially for foreign medications and precision equipment which is often not exported, and if exported, only in small quantities.
Han Jiaojiao also planned to fortify the villa and buy some sports equipment to help maintain her physical fitness at home. There were too many servants, all of whom needed to be dismissed, but these matters could wait until she was discharged and back home to discuss with her brother.
The discharge process was quickly completed, and during it, Han Yi took several calls intermittently that seemed to pertain to the progress of the collection of supplies.
Han Jiaojiao was so excited at the thought of the vast amounts of supplies being ready; she leaned on Han Yi's arm, wanting to ask him about it, but due to the presence of people around, she reluctantly held back.
The pair walked out of the hospital, flanked by bodyguards. Although Han Yi's leg injury had scabbed over and healed, the doctor had advised him not to put too much weight on his knee for the next two or three days, so he still needed crutches.
Han Jiaojiao helped him into the car first, then walked around to the other side, getting ready to board herself.
Suddenly, someone called out to her from behind.
"Jiaojiao!"
Han Jiaojiao turned her head and saw, to her surprise, it was Su Xue. She was still here?
Su Xue walked briskly, seemingly in a hurry, but just as she was about to reach Han Jiaojiao, a bodyguard stopped her. A woman with a haggard face was following her.
Han Jiaojiao raised an eyebrow, thinking that Su Xue was like a lingering spirit.
"Jiaojiao, do you know Liu Jing is missing? He hasn't been home for five or six days, and his family is going crazy," Su Xue's brow furrowed slightly, her face full of anxiousness.
Han Jiaojiao answered with an indifferent expression, "Who is Liu Jing? I don't know him."
Su Xue's brow tightened even more. "Jiaojiao, stop joking around, okay? Liu Jing is your brother's bodyguard. Don't you know his whereabouts? He hasn't come home for days, and Sister Hu is about to go mad..."
Han Jiaojiao tilted her head slightly, only then noticing the cowering figure behind Su Xue.
"My brother's bodyguards are dispatched directly from a security company owned by the Han Family. How many people work in a company? Am I supposed to know each one of them?"
Su Xue looked incredulously at Han Jiaojiao, feeling that today's Han Jiaojiao was exceptionally abnormal! Not only was she shocked by Han Jiaojiao's attitude, but she was also stunned by Han Jiaojiao's reference to Han Yi. Ever since she had known Han Jiaojiao, she had never heard Han Jiaojiao call him "brother." In their conversations about Han Yi, she always directly used his name or replaced it with terms like "that person" or "he."
Ignoring her, Han Jiaojiao looked directly at the crying woman behind Su Xue and continued, "Is a few days away from home considered missing? Even if he truly is missing, there are police for that. What use is it to find me? I cannot do the police's job."
The woman, seemingly unable to bear Han Jiaojiao's words, cried even harder.
"Miss Han, I beg you... let my Brother Jing go. He may not have made any great contributions over the years, but he has suffered a lot. Miss Han, I'm begging you..." As she pleaded, she took a couple of steps forward and bent her knees as if to kneel before Han Jiaojiao.
Su Xue bit her lip and quickly pulled her up, rushing at Han Jiaojiao, "Jiaojiao! How can you be so heartless? Do you really want to drive them to their deaths? Their child is still in elementary school. For you, it's just a matter of speaking a few words in front of your brother. Are you really going to watch their family be destroyed by your brother?!"
Seeing Su Xue now, Han Jiaojiao slowly overlapped her with the person from her memories. Her best friend from memory was just like this—full of justice, protective of the weak, with a warm heart...
Han Jiaojiao, not the least bit angry, coldly glanced at the woman they called Sister Hu and then turned her gaze back to Su Xue's face.
"How am I driving them to their deaths? After the shooting in the school auditorium, my brother and I have been recuperating in the hospital. Liu Jing, as my brother's bodyguard, has disappeared without a reason, which is negligence of duty, or maybe, he was taken by the police for questioning, which is his basic duty as a law-abiding citizen. Or perhaps, as you insinuated, whether he's locked up or even killed, you can apply for compensation for work-related injuries from the security company. Rest assured, my brother's company provides insurance for all employees, and the compensation will definitely satisfy you."
Su Xue, red-faced and unable to contain her fury, shouted, "Han Jiaojiao, have you no humanity? Is this about money?! Liu Jing was clearly taken by your brother—"
The woman beside her, extremely frantic, grabbed Su Xue and shook her head desperately, her whole body trembling with fear!
Han Jiaojiao's expression darkened.