Chapter 2146: Well-Prepared

He had already known that he had to catch the morning bus to the capital, but the moment he woke up, it was already half past ten.

So many things had happened to him alone. That was strangely abnormal. Someone in the family must have been playing tricks on him. That was the only logical explanation.

Qiao Dongliang did not want to alert his enemy, but unfortunately, Ding Jiayi had been married to him for decades and was all too familiar with Qiao Dongliang’s routine. In the morning, Qiao Dongliang had bought two bus tickets. Just in case, he had only placed one in his wallet, and that was the one that Ding Jiayi had found.

As for the other ticket and his temporary identity card, Qiao Dongliang had placed them both under his pillow. If Ding Jiayi got hold of those two things, it would be difficult for him to get to the capital. He had no choice but to take such precautions because someone in the family was playing tricks on him.

Thankfully, he had managed to scare Ding Jiayi away and Qiao Dongliang did not have to worry about how to confuse Ding Jiayi.

When Ding Jiayi walked out of her room to wash up, she was taken aback by Qiao Dongliang, who had already finished his breakfast and was about to head out. Ding Jiayi’s expression stiffened. “Why are you up so early today? You woke up even earlier than me. I was wondering what would happen if you overslept again today and whether I should wake you up. I didn’t expect you to be awake already!”

How had he managed to wake up?

Could it be that Old Qiao had developed a resistance to that medicine, just like in television shows? Probably not. She had only given Old Qiao sleeping pills of the same brand twice. Didn’t they say that it wasn’t that easy to develop resistance to drugs? It wasn’t common either. Besides, this was only her second time. Wasn’t it a little too exaggerated?

“Like this?” Qiao Dongliang, who had already gained a clear idea of the entire situation, did not expose Ding Jiayi. What if Ding Jiayi started wailing and kicking up a fuss, making him unable to leave? Qiao Dongliang had already guessed that Ding Jiayi would try all means to prevent him from going to the capital to visit Qiao Nan.

He did not understand Ding Jiayi’s motives, but what he wanted to know was whether Qiao Zijin was involved. Or should he say that Ding Jiayi’s involvement was part of Qiao Zijin’s plan?

“There’s no need to shout at me. I probably had a good rest yesterday, so I was able to wake up early. Actually, I didn’t sleep very soundly last night. I wonder if I was dreaming but I think I heard someone calling my name last night.”

Ding Jiayi, who had a guilty conscience, was unsettled by this comment. “Old Qiao, it’s not good to joke around about such things. Who would wake up in the middle of the night to call out to others? Qiao Nan has gotten married and Zijin went on a holiday. There’re only the two of us left here. Based on what you said, there must be something unclean in our house. It’s an unclean thing calling out to you. Don’t scare me like that! I’m not so brave!”

“Are you really that timid?” Someone as timid as that would dare to commit immoral acts? “Then, leave the lights on when you sleep tonight. Alright. I’ve finished my congee. It’s only six and the bus leaves at half past seven. But it’s better for me to go early and wait at the bus station since the bus won’t wait for me.”

Ding Jiayi tugged on Qiao Dongliang. “Have you brought all your things?”

Qiao Dongliang retracted his arm. “Don’t worry. I’ve brought all my things. I checked several times last night. Be more careful since you’re home alone. Get the neighbors to help you if anything happens. Of course, if you’re scared of being alone at home, you can call Zijin and get her to return to accompany you. Otherwise, you can ask where Zijin has gone to and go on a holiday with her too.”

Ding Jiayi knew that she had to remain calm. Just like the first time, once Qiao Dongliang reached the bus station and realized that his bus ticket was missing, he would naturally return. But it was the second half of the year and not the peak period yet. Ding Jiayi was a little worried that the bus tickets to the capital would not be sold out.

What if Qiao Dongliang managed to buy a bus ticket at the ticketing counter once he realized that he had lost his own?

Ding Jiayi’s head hurt badly and she could not help but wonder if she had bought fake pills. Otherwise, why had the bottle of sleeping pills become ineffective on their second use? She had placed five sleeping pills into the bottle of water just like before. Unless the pills were fake, there was no way Old Qiao would have woken up today. He should have been fast asleep just like the previous day, all the way until the late morning.

If that had been the case, she wouldn’t have been worried about Old Qiao being able to buy a ticket to the capital at the last minute.

Thinking about what Qiao Zijin had told her the previous day, Ding Jiayi held onto Qiao Dongliang once again. “What’s the hurry? It’s only six. Didn’t you say that your bus leaves at half past seven? Even if you’re in a hurry, there’s no need to be in such a rush. You can afford to rest at home for another hour. You’ll still be in time if you leave at seven. You’ll be cold and lonely waiting alone at the bus station. How pointless that would be. Besides, it’s autumn now and it’s cold outside. You’ll be miserable waiting out there in the cold.”

Seven o’clock was the peak hour for office workers. If he met with a traffic jam on the way to the bus station, he would miss the bus too.

Qiao Dongliang flung Ding Jiayi’s arm away once again. “There’s no difference between waiting at home and at the bus station. I’ll feel more secure being early. I’m not Zijin. I don’t need people by my side all the time. What’s wrong with you today? Why are you trying to stop me from leaving? Actually, I was thinking about it before I went to bed last night. I lost my identity card and also overslept. I really wonder if there’s a ghost in our house that’s watching over me all the time and trying to stop me from going to the capital.”

Ding Jiayi might have understood the traffic conditions in Ping Cheng, but Qiao Dongliang was even clearer about that. Seven o’clock was the peak hour. By half past six, those working the morning shift and those who had just finished the night shift would already be on the roads. It was better that he left early, even as early as six, than late, in case he encountered a jam.

Since Ding Jiayi was being so unaware of what she had done, Qiao Dongliang decided to remind her about the ‘good deeds’ she had done over the past few days. Since the previous night, there was no longer the need for Qiao Dongliang to suspect Ding Jiayi. He was sure that the loss of his identity card and his oversleeping were all thanks to Ding Jiayi.

If he did not mention those incidents, Ding Jiayi might very well have forgotten all about them.