Chapter 79

"How could that be? He said he grew up in the countryside, and I investigated it. Apart from the villa given by Uncle Liu, his only asset is that car. Yunhe Villa is co-owned with others."

"Haha, that makes it even more interesting. Here’s what I’ll do: you set a time, and I’ll meet him with your Uncle Liu. I want to see what kind of person he is. I don’t believe he’s a monkey jumping out of a stone crack like Sun Wukong."

"Really? Aren’t you very busy, sir? Besides, even if he is Sun Wukong, you are the Buddha!" Qiao Yunna didn’t expect her father to be interested in Ding Hao, so she quickly called him.

Ding Hao was sleeping when he received the call. Seeing it was Qiao Yunna, his drowsiness vanished immediately. He didn’t need to know what this young lady was up to.

"Hello, Ding Hao, my father wants to meet you."

Damn, one young lady is enough, and now really meeting the top leader. Ding Hao broke out in a cold sweat, not knowing what this young lady was up to, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

"Hello, hello... Ding Hao, are you listening? Wait at home, I’ll come pick you up."

"Okay." It wasn’t until Qiao Yunna hung up that Ding Hao reacted. He wasn’t nervous the first time he met Liu Yiding, maybe it was a psychological effect; facing someone he had saved, his guard was naturally lower. But after meeting Qiao Yunna, the situation changed. Now, he was about to meet the top leader of Jiangzhe Province, and Ding Hao didn’t know why he was so weak.

Soon, Qiao Yunna’s car arrived. Ding Hao suspected that this young lady had already been on her way when she called him. What was strange was that the black security cars didn’t appear. Clearly, this young lady had already considered him as a bodyguard. Those Audis were probably nearby, Ding Hao consoled himself.

"You don’t need to be nervous. My father just wants to ask you about your situation in person. You saved me, and he wants to thank you in person." Seeing Ding Hao sweating profusely, she reminded him.

Ding Hao didn’t respond. His mind was racing. Secretary Qiao wouldn’t just be expressing gratitude. One Qiao Yunna was already hard to handle, and now adding a provincial party secretary he had never met. This was like a three-judge trial. You say it’s easy, don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. If I’m not nervous, you might suspect I’m an international spy.

Ding Hao thought Qiao Yunna would take him to a coffee shop like last time, but unexpectedly, she drove directly to No. 8, Bao Shi Si Long. What merit did he have to be received at home by a top leader? It seemed that saving these two had a significant impact.

Although Ding Hao had seen this place from a distance before, it was his first time coming. He stood there blankly after getting out of the car, and Qiao Yunna took his hand and led him inside.

From a distance, Ding Hao saw two people sitting in the living room, both in their fifties. The one on the lower seat was Liu Yiding, his teacher for a short time. The other must be Secretary Qiao.

As soon as Ding Hao stepped into the living room, Qiao Siping stood up and walked straight to him, extending his large right hand. Ding Hao quickly reached out to shake it.

"You must be Ding Hao. Thank you for saving General Liu and my daughter. Please sit, please sit."

"Okay." Ding Hao walked to the sofa opposite Liu Yiding but didn’t sit down immediately. These were all high-level figures; there was no place for him to sit. Ding Hao wasn’t stupid.

"Ding Hao, Secretary Qiao asked you to sit, so sit down. We have something to discuss today." Liu Yiding hadn’t seen Ding Hao for a long time. If there was any change in the young man, it was that he seemed a bit more dejected.

Qiao Siping returned to his seat and sized up the young man in front of him, as if trying to see through him. "Sit down, please sit down!"

Ding Hao didn’t dare to look Qiao Siping in the eye and just smiled at Liu Yiding.

"Tea, tea!" Qiao Yunna took the teacups from the tray the servant brought and handed one to Qiao Siping, Liu Yiding, and Ding Hao, then took one for herself and sat down next to Ding Hao.

Liu Yiding saw that Ding Hao was nervous and quickly smiled. "Ding Hao, Secretary Qiao invited you here for nothing important. Relax."

"Yes, young man, don’t be so nervous. They say I’m easier to get along with than Old Liu. You can be friends with Old Liu, so don’t be so stiff with me."

"Um." Ding Hao finally managed to say a word. Then he pretended to take a sip of tea.

"Father, Ding Hao wants to know about Xia Lin." Qiao Yunna knew Ding Hao was very concerned about Xia Lin and saw this as a good breakthrough.

"Oh, Mr. Ding, are you familiar with Xia Lin?"

"Yes, Xia Lin and I are neighbors from the same village. We were in the same class from elementary school to high school. Secretary Qiao, do you have any news about Xia Lin?" Ding Hao didn’t hide his relationship with Xia Lin but didn’t need to tell Qiao Siping how close they were. Neighbors and classmates were already a close relationship. Whether you believe it or not, we are close.

"I heard about her occasionally, but Xia Lin’s background might be more complicated than you think. When I go to the capital next time, I’ll try to find out more details for you."

"Thank you, Secretary Qiao." Ding Hao thought Qiao Yunna was deliberately playing hard to get, trying to make him agree to something, but from Qiao Siping’s expression, he might not know much either. It made sense; with so many prominent families, not everyone had to report their private affairs to the provincial party secretary of Jiangzhe.

"Mr. Ding, I believe Xiaona has told you about our thoughts. General Liu and I hope you can better serve the country and the people." Qiao Siping saw the disappointment on Ding Hao’s face and decided to speed things up, directly explaining his intentions.

"Secretary Qiao, I believe serving the country and the people doesn’t have to be in a specific position. Take the incident with Miss Qiao, for example. If my master had treated me as an ordinary Yanlong member, he would have sent me out early, and I wouldn’t have been in Meijiawu..." Ding Hao was not only disappointed but also a bit angry. He thought Qiao Yunna was using Xia Lin as bait to lure him here, and they might not know anything about Xia Lin.

"Ding Hao, Secretary Qiao means that joining the bodyguard team can better serve the country. And you know the situation Secretary Qiao is about to face." Liu Yiding knew Ding Hao might refuse, but he didn’t expect him to refuse so quickly and directly.

"That’s not necessarily true. I did a big thing for the country before joining the organization." Ding Hao heard the warning in Liu Yiding’s words. Although he was prepared, it still made him uncomfortable to hear it from his master. His implication was that he was nothing when he saved Liu Yiding.

"Liu, Ding Hao is right. You and Xiaona were saved by him, and at that time, he didn’t even know what the Yanlong organization was, nor did he know me, Qiao Siping, or you, Liu Yiding."

"But Secretary Liu, I’m thinking of his future. Joining the bodyguard team can ensure his safety and help him find Xia Lin. Serving the country would be a side benefit." Liu Yiding looked at Ding Hao and quickly threw out the bait.

Ding Hao fell silent when he heard this. He knew Liu Yiding wasn’t bluffing. Qiao Yunna had already explained the stakes to him. Qinglong wasn’t Yu Feng, and the woman in disguise wasn’t Zhang Yongwei!

Seeing Ding Hao’s silence, Qiao Siping moved closer to him. "Ding Hao, it’s your choice. We don’t want to force you. But can you tell us what you’re thinking?"

"I have no desires and am used to a free and easy life. I don’t like being forced to do things, and I don’t like people who repay kindness with ingratitude." Ding Hao knew the pressure he faced but still spoke his mind, hoping to make Qiao Siping agree not to monitor or track him.

"Who said we repay kindness with ingratitude? Uncle Liu was just reminding you of your situation. We are not such people. Uncle Liu gave you the villa without a second thought after you saved him. I also transferred you a sum of money after you saved me. We are genuinely concerned about your future. Even if we don’t monitor you, other families will target you. We understand your movements to protect you. Other families will be more cautious when they see our people."

"I, I didn’t mean that..." Ding Hao didn’t expect Qiao Yunna to get so upset. He thought it would be a covert battle, but now it was out in the open.

"Ding Hao, whether you understand or misunderstand, I hope you can give us an answer today."

Liu Yiding had used every method in the past six months to get Ding Hao to join Secretary Qiao’s bodyguard team. But Ding Hao didn’t budge. As the head of the Yanlong organization in East China, his rank was close to that of the Jianye Military Region Commander. The responsibility on his shoulders was immense. If Qiao Siping were to compete for the top position, having someone like Ding Hao by his side would make things much easier.

Of course, the other families in China would also think twice before acting against Ding Hao if they saw him with Qiao Siping. They might even abandon their plans against him.

"Old Liu, Xiaona, let Ding Hao finish what he has to say." Qiao Siping, being the provincial party secretary, knew how to play both the good cop and the bad cop. The previous two had already laid out the stakes clearly. His light addition would help Ding Hao make a decision if he was smart.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Ding Hao stood up. "Secretary Qiao, Master, I, Ding Hao, promise again that I will not be swayed by other families! As a member of Yanlong, I am willing to accept any assignment. But please respect me. I really need some time and space to handle my personal matters!"