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Qiao's mother opened the thermal box, arranging the dishes on the coffee table as she called for Qiao Tianxin to come eat. Unable to eat herself, she came to the bedside, looking at Qiao Ziyuan with affection.

"Fenpo was right. The copper coin was indeed given by Ah Shui. When Ziyuan was hospitalized, everything had to be removed, but since he wore it every day before he fell into a coma, they left it there."

Finished speaking, Qiao's mother became suspicious. Taking advantage of Fenpo turning away, she whispered, "Miss Chu, should we throw away the copper coin? Is there a problem with it?"

Chu Yuening shook her head. "Throwing it away won't make a difference."

Even if they did discard it.

The concluded pact has taken effect, bound to remain so unless Qiao Ziyuan meets with death.

Fenpo emerged from the bathroom carrying a basin of water, attentively wiping Qiao Ziyuan's face with care. As she looked upon the child she had raised, now reduced to a vegetative state, grief pierced her heart like a knife, and tears trailed down her cheeks.

Chu Yuening inquired, "Fenpo, was your grandson born on the same year, month, day, and even hour as Young Master Qiao?"

"The hour was different." Fenpo paused in her face-wiping, reminiscing. "Ah Shui was born in the Jia hour, a few hours older than Young Master Ziyuan."

With a faint crease forming between Chu Yuening's brows, she suddenly raised an eyebrow. Her gaze shifted back to the unconscious Qiao Ziyuan lying in bed.

Chapter 32

Seeing Chu Yuening's silence, Mother Qiao grew extremely anxious. "So... how is it?"

The outcome had yet to be determined.

Chu Yuening shook her head, releasing her grip on her fingers and lifting the blanket to cover the yellow talisman over Qiao Ziyuan's chest. "Don't let the talisman get wet. You need to take good care of him."

Qiao Tianxin, filled with concern, pressed on. "According to... Master Chu, when do you think Ziyuan will regain consciousness?"

"Make sure to keep an eye on that talisman," Chu Yuening frowned. "If it goes missing, his life will be in great danger."

Observing Qiao Tianxin's renewed distress, Chu Yuening reassured him. "But there's no need to worry too much. As long as the talisman is there, it's only a matter of time before he wakes up."

Qiao Tianxin visibly relaxed, rising to bow respectfully towards Chu Yuening. "Master Chu, I entrust Ziyuan to your care."

If any media journalists were present to witness this scene, they would have been astounded.

The renowned head of the Qiao Corporation actually bowed to a young upstart.

Chu Yuening supported Qiao Tianxin's arm. "Qiao Xing is my friend; there's no need to be so formal."

Qiao Tianxin turned to the still-shaken Qiao Xing and beckoned him over.

Qiao Xing thought Qiao Tianxin was about to scold him again and was ready to make a run for it. To his surprise, Qiao Tianxin patted his shoulder and spoke his first compliment in this period.

"Well done. Big Brother will surely praise you when he wakes up."

—

Chu Yuening left the ward, with Qiao Xing following behind. The two of them exited the hospital together.

Amidst the bustling traffic on the street, a red taxi rushed by almost hitting Qiao Xing. Fortunately, Chu Yuening was quick to react, pulling Qiao Xing back to safety.

The taxi driver rolled down his window and cursed at Qiao Xing, pointing at him. "Bastard, are you blind? You're lucky it was me today; if you get hit by a car another day, no one will even bother to claim your body!"

Qiao Xing seemed somewhat dazed. He was frantically searching for the black aura, completely oblivious to the taxi driver's words. As he searched, he noticed that a black aura was hovering above the taxi driver's head.

He turned to Chu Yuening and inquired, "Is this also the influence of negative energy?"

"In this case, it signifies that he's going to encounter misfortune," Chu Yuening explained, casting a glance at the taxi driver.

The cabbie, upon realizing he was being mocked, grew even angrier. "What are you looking at? Is there something attractive about me?" He warned, "You'd better watch out, young lady. Uncle will show you!"

Chu Yuening waved away the faint scent of alcohol and raised her hand to signal the traffic officer issuing a ticket on the adjacent street. "Officer, someone here is driving under the influence!"

Startled, the taxi driver hastily rolled up his window. "You little...!"

"Better hurry up before Officer gets here," Chu Yuening smiled, waving at him.

The taxi driver stepped on the gas and sped away.

The traffic officer pursued on his motorcycle, "Don't run!"

The siren blared continuously, drawing the attention of many passersby.

Qiao Star was astounded, commenting, "If I could always see them, wouldn't it be easy to tell who's going through misfortune? This ability is quite sharp."

"Dislike it?" Chu Yuening raised her hand to wipe away the cow's tears from his eyelids.

Qiao Star covered his eyes and stepped back hastily, "No, no, no, I still want to see wandering spirits. Please don't remove it."

" Cow's tears only last for a short time, half an hour," Chu Yuening said, seeing that he didn't want her to remove it. She let go of her hand.

"Is there a way to see them forever?" Qiao Star couldn't help but feel disappointed upon learning about the short duration.

"Opening the Third Eye," Chu Yuening replied. "But doing it permanently might be challenging; prolonging the effect is more feasible."

Qiao Star's eyes immediately lit up. "Can you open mine?"

Chu Yuening shook her head. Opening the Third Eye required a significant amount of energy, which she currently lacked. "Let's wait for some time. If you're still interested then."

"Oh right, what's the connection between your family and Fenpo?"

"Fenpo is my father's nanny," Qiao Star explained, sensing the complexity of the situation. "My grandmother passed away after giving birth to my dad. Later on, we had Fenpo, who raised Father, my brother, and me."

"She spends more time at the Qiao family's than she does at her own. She wouldn't harm my brother," Qiao Xing mused, then fell silent again. "Could it really be Brother Shui?"

"Aiyah!"

Before Chu Yuening could respond, Qiao Xing smacked his forehead. "Dad also arranged for a tutor for me. I should head back first."

Before leaving, Qiao Xing scribbled down an address for Chu Yuening.

"I'll leave my brother's matter in your hands."

Chu Yuening assured him that it would be no problem.

A Hummer drove past them and into the hospital. Recognizing the vehicle, Chu Yuening gave it a second glance before searching for the location based on the address provided.

Inside the hospital.

Zhou Fengxu entered the hospital room with a basket of fruit in hand. He first assessed Qiao Ziyuan's condition before passing the basket to Qiao's mother. "Aunt, how is Ziyuan doing?"