Chapter 106: Denying Responsibility

Qiao Jiu woke up relatively early the next day. Taking advantage of the fact that Lu Fengzhou was still asleep, she packed her things and left immediately.

She took a taxi back to her own place, showered, changed into fresh clothes, and cooked breakfast. She ate at a leisurely pace, and just as she was finishing, Lu Fengzhou called. Qiao Jiu gave a light chuckle, muted the phone, and tossed it aside. After a night of passion, he was probably feeling quite frustrated that she had just "pulled up her pants and refused to acknowledge the debt."

After finishing her meal, she went out and hailed a taxi toward the office. As the cab pulled up, she saw Liang Xiujin and Xu Yi standing at the entrance, talking about something. Xu Yi looked aggrieved.

Qiao Jiu walked over, originally intending to interject, but when she was a few steps away, she heard Liang Xiujin say, "Miss Xu, can't you handle such matters on your own?"

Xu Yi clearly hadn't expected this reaction; her voice dropped significantly. "What's wrong? You've always helped me before."

Liang Xiujin, looking as if he hadn't slept well the night before, raised a hand to rub his brow bone. "Helping you before doesn't mean I have to help you forever. You can't always rely on me whenever you encounter a problem. I have my own life, too."

Qiao Jiu was slightly shocked; she hadn't expected this man's awareness to have improved even a little.

Liang Xiujin continued, "The doctor I introduced you to last time—if nothing else works, go see them. Living like this isn't a solution."

Xu Yi pursed her lips and lowered her gaze.

Liang Xiujin turned slightly and spotted Qiao Jiu at once. "You're here early."

Qiao Jiu had no choice but to walk over. "I slept well last night and woke up early. But, Mr. Liang, you don't look like you rested very well."

Liang Xiujin caught the sarcasm in her tone and looked at her without speaking.

Beside them, Xu Yi saw Qiao Jiu approaching and quickly said, "A-Jin, you're busy, so I won't disturb you. Let's have a meal together when you're finished."

Qiao Jiu glanced at her. This "white lotus" seemed to be of a higher caliber than the typical "green tea," but anyone with eyes could see through the act—though many men's eyes seemed to be mere decorations. After Xu Yi said this, she turned and got into her car.

As the car drove away, Qiao Jiu clicked her tongue. "So touching and delicate. Mr. Liang, you really aren't one to cherish the fairer sex."

Liang Xiujin turned his gaze to Qiao Jiu. "If you want to say something, just say it."

"I don't want to say anything," Qiao Jiu replied. "I have no right to question your private life." She smacked her lips. "I just think that since Miss Xu keeps running over here, she must have feelings for you. I heard you two have a history; you could totally consider rekindling it."

"And you call that not wanting to say anything?" Liang Xiujin began walking toward the office building. "I have no interest in her."

Qiao Jiu hurried after him. "If you're not interested, why don't you reject her more decisively?"

The elevator was just arriving at the ground floor. As they stepped in and the doors closed, Liang Xiujin said, "She's in a fragile state; she shouldn't be provoked."

Qiao Jiu scoffed. "If you don't intend to rekindle things with her, what does her state of mind or whether she can be provoked have to do with you? If some random person on the street who was in a bad state and couldn't be provoked came to you, would you help them too?"

Liang Xiujin pursed his lips and stared at the electronic display, remaining silent, though his expression grew dark.

After getting out of the elevator and returning to the office, Qiao Jiu's phone rang again—it was Lu Fengzhou. She still didn't answer. It was just a night together; there was no need to act as if they had some deep connection.

The morning wasn't busy, and Qiao Jiu didn't have much on her plate. She finished her tasks long before the lunch break. After a moment's hesitation, she got up and went to Liang Xiucheng's office. He was busy working, wearing his glasses, and looking very serious.

He turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Qiao Jiu said, "I'd like to ask for some time off. I have some personal business to attend to."

Liang Xiucheng stared at her. "What personal business?"

Qiao Jiu smiled brightly. "Going to the hospital to see Zou Qingqing."

Liang Xiucheng, who had been stern, clearly relaxed upon hearing this. "I knew you'd eventually find time to go." He glanced at his watch. "I have a lot of work left to finish, otherwise I would have gone with you."

Qiao Jiu quickly said, "It's fine, it's fine. I'm just going to watch the show; I might not even run into her directly."

Liang Xiucheng nodded. "Go then. If you run into any trouble, call me."

Qiao Jiu beamed. "You got it."

She went downstairs, caught a taxi to the hospital, and found the room number Liang Xiucheng had given her. It was past the time for morning rounds and not yet noon, so the corridor was quite quiet.

Qiao Jiu wandered over, but before she even reached the door, she heard Zou Qingqing's whimpering sobs. She paused and quieted her footsteps. When she reached the door and peered through the glass, she was stunned—Lu Fengzhou was standing inside the room.

She took a sharp breath. Why had this guy come?

Aside from Lu Fengzhou, there was also the elder Mr. Zou, who was glaring at Zou Qingqing with a cold face. Zou Qingqing was wearing a hospital gown, her hair disheveled, having lost all her former spirit and looking haggard.

Qiao Jiu certainly couldn't enter in this situation, so she leaned against the wall to eavesdrop. Lu Fengzhou stood with his hands in his pockets, silent from beginning to end.

After Zou Qingqing had cried for a long time, the elder Mr. Zou glanced at Lu Fengzhou. Sensing his impatience, he snapped at her, "Wailing and sniveling! You know nothing but how to cry all day long."

He continued to scold, "How did I raise someone like you? You're capable of doing such dirty things. Have all the manners and shame you learned over the years been fed to the dogs?"

Zou Qingqing looked up at her father. She must have cried for the past two days, as her eyes were red and swollen. She said, "I didn't! I really didn't! Zhao Shuo has always disliked me, and now that this has happened, he's naturally splashing dirty water on me. I didn't say anything to him, I really didn't."

Lu Fengzhou slightly raised his chin and let out a puff of air through his nose.

That single breath made the elder Mr. Zou glare at her again. "At that dinner table, it was obvious Zhao Shuo didn't even recognize Miss Qiao. If you hadn't been wagging your tongue behind the scenes, how would he have known all those things?"

Zou Qingqing wiped her tears, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Why won't you believe me? When Liang Xiucheng came by the other day, I already made it very clear: if I didn't do it, I didn't do it. Now that Mr. Lu is here, I'll say the same thing: I didn't do anything. I don't know why Zhao Shuo went to find Miss Qiao."

Qiao Jiu curled her lip. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't show her face, she would have rushed in and slapped her twice. She didn't know? Yeah, right.

The elder Mr. Zou grumbled a few more curses, then turned to Lu Fengzhou. "Mr. Lu, to be honest, my daughter really isn't that bold. When Mr. Liang came by the other day, she told the same story. I've already beaten her into this state—if she had really done it, she would have confessed by now. Don't you think there might be some misunderstanding? It probably wasn't her."

Lu Fengzhou glanced at the elder Mr. Zou. "Are you stupid, or am I?"

The old man stammered a couple of times, trying to laugh it off. "You can't put it that way."

Lu Fengzhou fixed his gaze on Zou Qingqing. "Do you think that just because you refuse to admit it, I have no way to deal with you?"