He lived in the research institute, so he naturally knew what the small dark room was like.
"Chirp chirp, why do you think Big Brother went to the dark room?"
"Both Bazai and I saw it."
Because Qiuqiu told him so late, Yu An didn't even have time to go to the dark room to check. He rubbed Qiuqiu's head and listened to her recount what she had seen before replying, "Wait for your older brother to come back and check. Don't be afraid, everything will be alright."
That's what she said, but when Qiuqiu hugged him, she was clearly still a little worried.
Yu An spent a few minutes calming down Qiu Qiu before leaving with Xie Chiyuan.
On the way out.
Yu An briefly explained the purpose of the small dark room. He scratched Xie Chiyuan's palm, coaxing both the younger and older children: "Don't keep a long face, I'm fine."
With Qiuqiu starting this up, Xie Chiyuan was finally able to tell Yu An a little about his suspicions about the Secret Shield.
Yu An's reaction was not as unacceptable as Xie Chiyuan had imagined.
He paused for a moment before replying, "I grew up here, and this place feels like home to me. Xie Chiyuan, when we come back again, I'll visit the dark room and other places as well."
"Right now... I don't want to talk about this."
"Okay, that's enough."
Xie Chiyuan rubbed his head and led him to the RV outside. The RV's owner kept glancing at his watch, his expression revealing obvious impatience.
"Mr. Tan."
After Xie Chiyuan came up, he politely said, "Sorry, we were a little delayed."
Tan Zhan didn't exchange pleasantries with him, but simply instructed the driver, "Drive."
Yu An gave Xie Chiyuan the address. After giving the address, Yu An felt that Tan Zhan seemed to raise an eyebrow, whether it was a misperception or not.
The driver continued driving.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Yu An inquired about the driver's salary: "Does your driver take you wherever you want to go? If so... how much does he earn?"
Tan Zhan turned off his computer and, while resting with his eyes closed, recited a number.
That's all.
Yu An said blankly, "It's twice as much as my salary."
Tan Zhan opened his eyes and looked Yu An up and down: "I have a vacant job here. If you're willing, you can come and work for me."
Before Yu An could answer, Xie Chiyuan had already taken action.
He put his arm around Yu An and said calmly, "No need, our An'an won't work for others."
Tan Zhan glanced at him but didn't say anything more.
None of them were talkative people, and they didn't chat much the rest of the way.
Just before arriving at their destination, Xie Chiyuan started to pay Tan Zhan: "Give me Alipay, I don't have any money in my WeChat."
Tan Zhan brought up Alipay.
When Xie Chiyuan paid, he asked, "You don't seem like someone who's short of money. Why are you so obsessed with making money? Do you have a money-making addiction?"
Tan Zhan denied it indifferently: "I don't have that fetish."
Xie Chiyuan: "?"
Tan Zhan continued, "I have a habit of earning money to spend on my wife."
Xie Chiyuan: "..."
grass.
Who are they targeting?
Tan Zhan seemed oblivious to Xie Chiyuan's dark expression, calmly putting the money away.
Whether it was Xie Chiyuan or Yu An, he remained cold and distant, taking every penny he was owed. Whether they would ever meet again was another matter entirely.
"Okay, let's go down."
Yu An pulled Xie Chiyuan's arm and reminded him, "Seven is getting impatient."
They hadn't seen Seven all day. Seven was with Five, and they didn't know what the two little ones were doing.
Goodbye, Mr. Tan.
After Yu An pulled Xie Chiyuan away, he also said goodbye to Tan Zhan.
Tan Zhan got out of the car, intending to get some fresh air.
Yu An was led by Xie Chiyuan, and the two walked forward together. At the very front, Qi Zai, who had been waiting until the grass had withered, finally saw his eldest brother.
He excitedly nudged Wu Zai, reminding him, "Look! Big Brother's back!"
The fifth child stiffened for a moment and looked up at his eldest brother.
Yu An watched Qi Zai rushing towards him from afar, and half of his previous displeasure at facing Ying Jian dissipated.
"Big brother!"
"Why."
Yu An responded and quickened his pace.
Tan Zhan behind him: "?"
Chapter 117
Yu An quickly went to meet them. He saw that only Qi Zai was coming over. Looking at the tiger cubs standing in place, he understood something.
"Big brother, why are you back so late?"
Qi Zai was very dissatisfied. He complained to Yu An, "Next time you go out, you can take me with you. Otherwise, I'll think you don't want me anymore."
Yu An pinched his cheek, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "How could I possibly not want you?"
His children are all his precious children. Even if some of them go through a rebellious phase, it's okay.
"Next time we go out, we'll definitely take you with us." Yu An comforted the little one, then asked, "Have you seen Ying Jian? Is he still there?"
He went to find you.
Seven recalled, "He went there a long time ago, but you didn't say you wanted to look for him."
Yu An didn't tell Qi Zai beforehand because she was afraid that Qi Zai would be discovered when she went to keep an eye on Ying Jian. They already knew that Ying Jian was not a good person, and if he were to harm their left-behind child, Yu An wasn't 100% sure that the child would be safe.
"I know where Ying Jian is."
Wu Zai, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly interjected. He looked up at Yu An, then looked away again: "Big brother, are you... are you going to find him?"
Yu An naturally knew that Wu Zai would know Ying Jian's whereabouts.
Song Jun told him that Ying Jian had a partnership with the Eastern District, and that both Wu Zai and Da Zai were from the Eastern District. It's very likely that the existence of these two kids was a trace of this partnership.
Now that I see it, it's indeed the case.
After Wu Zai finished speaking, he didn't receive a reply from his eldest brother. He looked up again and hesitantly called out, "Big Brother?"
Yu An hummed in agreement.
He walked over, and in the past, he would have casually patted the tiger cub's head. After all, like Qiuqiu, he loved fluffy things.
But this time, he didn't touch it.
"Where did Ying Jian go? We need to find him now," Yu An asked directly.
The tiger cub keenly sensed his older brother's unusual behavior, and his heart sank. From his older brother's social media posts to his brother no longer touching his head...
My brother must have found out something.
"Come with me."
At this moment, Tiger Cub's mind was also a bit of a mess. He couldn't care less about the big picture, nor about Shan and Big Cub's plans. He just bent down and let his older brother sit down: "I'll take you there."
Tiger Cub originally wanted to carry Yu An on his back.
But there were too many people and not enough seats. Xie Chiyuan brought out his motorcycle again. Yu An wanted to ride the motorcycle, and Qi Zai, following his older brother, also wanted to ride it.
The five kids who were suddenly free: "?"
Okay, that saves him the trouble.
"Big brother. I can sit behind you." Seven Kid found himself a seat, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Sister-in-law, can I ride your motorcycle for a bit later?"
No boy can resist a cool motorcycle, not even Seven.
He had wanted to try this for a long time, but he had never had the chance before!
Xie Chiyuan thought about how excited Yu An was to ride, and then looked at another excited little one. The two, one big and one small, actually looked quite alike.
Fifth Brother led the way, while Seventh Brother hopped on a seat.
Before they even entered their home, a campervan pulled up in front of them just as they were about to leave.
Yu An saw the RV: "?"
Why?
Did you not pay enough money earlier?
When Qi Zai saw the RV, his first reaction was to run. But when he looked up and saw Yu An and Xie Chiyuan, he quickly changed his route and hid behind Xie Chiyuan.
His sister-in-law is strong and can protect him.
"Sister-in-law."
Seven, hiding behind Xie Chiyuan, called out "Sister-in-law" with more sincerity than ever before. He grabbed Xie Chiyuan's clothes and whispered, "Someone's coming to arrest me! You'd better chase him away."
Xie Chiyuan was stunned.
Before they left, Tan Zhan, whom they had just met, got out of the car.
Why are you here?
Yu An was puzzled: "We didn't order a car this time; we have our own motorcycle."