Chapter 105: Focus a Little More

Qiao Jiu was taken out of the bar by Lu Fengzhou, and she fell asleep as soon as she got into the car. She wasn't very skilled at pretending to be drunk and was afraid of overacting and exposing herself. With the alcohol already taking effect, she didn’t care much and simply leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes and drifting off.

She was unaware of everything in between, only waking up when she sensed someone was trying to take off her clothes. Panic surged through her, her mind foggy and confused, and she frantically pushed the person hanging over her. Her emotions flared as she shouted hoarsely, "Get lost! If you dare touch me again, I swear I’ll kill you."

Lu Fengzhou froze for a moment and quickly sat upright. Qiao Jiu rolled to one side and snarled, "You, and Zou Qingqing—you two won’t get away with this."

Lu Fengzhou stood, his gaze fixed solely on her. Qiao Jiu climbed down from the bed, grabbed the ashtray on the nightstand, and charged at him, shouting, "Do you think you can just touch me? You’re pathetic—don’t even think about it..."

But when she got close, her movements suddenly halted. Though her eyes were still clouded, she clearly recognized Lu Fengzhou. He stepped forward and took the ashtray from her hand. "Changing clothes yourself?"

Qiao Jiu glanced around. "Where’s Zhao Shuo? Tell him to get out here and face me."

Lu Fengzhou tucked the hair away from her ear. "Drank that much and still don’t fear the consequences."

He turned to put the ashtray aside, then guided her to the edge of the bed, pressing her shoulders to make her sit. "It’s all over now. Everything is in the past."

Qiao Jiu took a few steadying breaths as clarity slowly returned. She rubbed her forehead weakly. "Sorry, I was confused."

Lu Fengzhou’s hand rested gently atop her head, softly massaging. "It’s okay."

After a while, Qiao Jiu seemed fully awake, looking around. "Is this your place?"

"My room," he replied.

Qiao Jiu then remembered something. "What about Guan Wei? Did you have someone send her home?"

"Mr. Liang should have taken her back. Don’t worry," Lu Fengzhou assured.

Qiao Jiu nodded, hesitating slightly before buttoning up her undone shirt. "It’s late, and I’ve sobered up. I won’t bother you any longer—I’m heading back."

She stood and, missing Lu Fengzhou’s body, moved toward the door. Lu Fengzhou stood still but suddenly reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back. "Qiao Jiu, do the words you said before still count?"

Caught off guard, she blinked. "What words?"

He pulled a card from his pocket, holding it up before her. "You said you’d support me."

***

Guan Wei sat in the car, smoking skillfully, exhaling smoke rings with practiced ease. Liang Xiujin sat beside her, his face tense and silent the entire time.

After finishing her cigarette, Guan Wei stubbed it out and tossed it out the window. Exhaling the last puff, she said, "If you’re going to drive me home, start now. If not, I’ll call a driver myself."

Liang Xiujin seemed unable to endure her nonchalant tone and turned to her. "Don’t you have anything to say to me?"

Guan Wei laughed lightly. "Say what? Or what do you want to hear?"

He took a deep breath. "You’re going on blind dates?"

"Yeah," Guan Wei answered without evasion. "At this age, I’m not in a hurry, but my family is."

Liang Xiujin could no longer hold back and suddenly faced her. "So, what am I to you?"

Guan Wei maintained her indifferent expression, innocence painted clearly on her face. "Liang Xiujin, this isn’t interesting anymore. No one else knows our situation, but you do. Don’t act like I’m the one who’s wronged you."

She exhaled. "I know you never got over Xu Yi. Now that she’s come back to you, I’m willing to let it be. Can’t you just stop before it’s too late?"

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I never considered getting back with her—never."

"Maybe," Guan Wei chuckled softly. "But you can’t ignore her, can you?"

She recalled a recent incident. "Whenever she calls, you drop everything and run to her."

Liang Xiujin thought carefully about which time she meant, then quickly said, "That time she was in trouble—I couldn’t ignore it."

"Right," Guan Wei smiled, calmer than expected. "So from now on, whenever she needs you, you won’t ignore her?"

He was taken aback. Guan Wei chuckled again. "Then just be together already. Don’t drag others into this mess."

She reached for the door handle to get out, but Liang Xiujin had locked it. It wouldn’t open.

Surprised, Guan Wei said, "It’s late, I need to go. Open the door."

Liang Xiujin stared ahead, expression unreadable, then explained, "When we broke up, she tried to make amends, but I didn’t agree. That means there’s no future for us."

He took a deep breath. "At first, when she came back, I ignored it. But she wasn’t well, hospitalized several times. Her family couldn’t control her, so they asked me to calm her down."

Guan Wei responded, "Then you take care of her first. After that, we’ll talk."

Liang Xiujin turned to her. "Do you really have to be like this?"

Guan Wei kept fiddling with the door handle. "Open the door. What you’re telling me now is pointless. Honestly, I don’t want to hear it."

His face stiffened as he stared at her for a moment. Losing patience, he finally unlocked the door.

Guan Wei got out, slammed the door, and started toward her own car. Not far along, Liang Xiujin’s car sped past her.

She smiled lightly. He’s always been temperamental, only gentle and attentive around Xu Yi.

Back in her car, she hesitated before calling Qiao Jiu. The call rang for a long time with no answer, and Guan Wei frowned.

She trusted Lu Fengzhou wouldn’t harm Qiao Jiu, but still felt uneasy.

After about half a minute, she called again. This time, just as the call was about to end automatically, it was answered.

Guan Wei hurriedly said, "Qiao Jiu."

Qiao Jiu’s breathy voice came through, "Speak."

Guan Wei was caught off guard, stammering slightly, "You… you there…?"

Then Lu Fengzhou’s voice came through the phone, "Still answering calls at this hour? Can’t you focus?"

There was a faint rustling sound before the call was abruptly ended.

Guan Wei stared at her phone, bewildered. "What’s going on?"

On the other end, Qiao Jiu bit her lip. "So embarrassing."

Lu Fengzhou buried his head in her collarbone. "What’s embarrassing about it? It’s normal."

Qiao Jiu looked at the ceiling gently swaying above, closing her eyes slowly, her fingers tangled in Lu Fengzhou’s hair.

Amid the confusion and passion, she suddenly whispered, "Lu Fengzhou, you don’t know how much I hate you."