"These pills are top-grade—one million is far too cheap."
"No help for it. I had to buy them through connections, and I couldn't refuse that favor." Tang Yu flashed a smile.
Though he only pocketed a commission of four hundred thousand, the added value these pills brought far exceeded that amount. By using them to grease the wheels, their Tangsen Group would become a supplier to the city hospital next year. Tapping into that network would earn far more than opening three or five pharmacies on the street.
"I see. What about the remaining pills? What's your plan?"
"I'm taking them to auction."
"Auction?"
"Yeah, the Haicheng auction."
Shen Yunyun felt a twinge of displeasure at the mention of Haicheng. Because of the Qiao family, she had come to loathe the very name of the city. Still, she wouldn't stand in Tang Yu's way of going to the Haicheng auction. After all, Haicheng was packed with wealthy elites, and bringing these items there would surely double their value.
"The Haicheng auction is a grand affair. Plenty of bigwigs will show up. Selling the Beauty Pill and the Longevity Pill there will fetch a sky-high price."
"That's true." Shen Yunyun's enthusiasm was lukewarm.
Tang Yu cautiously studied her expression and probed, "You're not coming with me?"
Shen Yunyun shook her head. "Go on your own. I don't want to go to Haicheng, and I definitely don't want to run into the Qiao family."
"Fair enough." Tang Yu knew his lady detested the Qiao family, and he had no fondness for them either.
---
In Haicheng, at the Qiao residence.
Qiao Shiyue's eyes were swollen from crying. "Brother, how could sister do this? How could she stand by and watch an outsider hit you?"
"I'm fine." Qiao Pengyu patiently comforted her.
She sobbed softly, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come back, sister wouldn't have run away, and big brother wouldn't have been beaten."
Qiao Zhenguo's face was grim. "That rebellious daughter is going to drive me to death."
These days, nothing was going right for him. The company was plagued with issues—one problem barely solved before another cropped up. And at home, everything was equally frustrating. That defiant girl had been gone for so long. If word got out, who knew how outsiders would judge the Qiao family? Would they be branded as mistreating an adopted daughter?
Qiao Pengjian was equally irritated. "Yunyun ran off to E City on her own. Could she have already hooked up with that guy?"
"I never thought she'd been pretending to be well-behaved all along, secretly dating behind our backs. Having a sister like that is an embarrassment." Qiao Penghua fumed.
Guo Yuhua rubbed her temples, worn down by days of nightmares. She had lost most of her vitality, looking haggard and utterly uninterested in dealing with these matters.
"If she won't come back, what do I do? Am I supposed to be tormented by these nightmares forever?" Guo Yuhua slumped on the sofa, slurring her words.
"Bear with it a few more days. I've found out that the Haicheng auction will have the Longevity Pill up for sale. Once you take that pill, you'll not only sleep soundly but also enjoy a longer life," Qiao Zhenguo said.
That evening, after his bath, Qiao Zhenguo was heading to the study to sleep. These days, Guo Yuhua couldn't close her eyes at night, which meant he couldn't sleep either, forcing the couple to sleep in separate rooms.
Guo Yuhua suddenly called him back, struggling to open her eyes. "Zhenguo, did we do something wrong?"
Qiao Zhenguo came to the bedside and sat down. "What?"
"Did we make a mistake? Do you remember that blind man we met on the overpass when we went to adopt her back then?"