Chapter 111: Dream on

Early in the morning, Lu Fengzhou's phone rang. Qiao Jiu, still half asleep, turned over and pulled the blanket over her head, muttering, "So noisy."

Lu Fengzhou slowly opened his eyes, reached out to gently pat her, then turned his head to grab the phone. He glanced at the caller ID and answered, "Teacher Mu."

Qiao Jiu, still under the blanket, squinted her eyes open and listened, though the muffled voice on the other end was hard to make out. Lu Fengzhou's expression suddenly changed sharply as he heard something serious. "Is the situation critical?" he asked.

After a few more words from the other side, he replied with a short "Okay."

He was silent through most of the call, and Qiao Jiu couldn’t tell what was being said. Nearly half a minute later, Lu Fengzhou’s voice took on a colder tone. "Why go to such lengths again?"

Unable to resist, Qiao Jiu pulled the blanket off her head, feigning a stretch as she turned over.

This time she caught the voice clearly—mostly because the other side was so loud. A woman was crying and calling out, "Azou, I want to see you, I want to see you. Please come back, just come back once, okay?"

It was Song Wan’s voice.

Her cries were heart-wrenching; even without seeing her face, Qiao Jiu could imagine her utterly devastated expression.

Qiao Jiu turned towards Lu Fengzhou and wrapped her arm around his waist.

After a few seconds, as if suddenly roused from sleep, she lifted her head and opened her eyes just as Lu Fengzhou looked down at her, his other arm naturally circling her.

Qiao Jiu wore an innocent expression and said, "Who is it? Calling so early in the morning—too noisy."

The sobbing from the phone stopped immediately as soon as she spoke.

Lu Fengzhou smoothed her tousled hair. "No one. Go back to sleep."

He pulled the blanket back over her and sat up. "I’ll go meet her."

Qiao Jiu murmured, "Okay, I’m still not awake. I’ll sleep a little longer."

She nestled deeper into the covers and closed her eyes.

Lu Fengzhou got out of bed and left the room, closing the door behind him. Qiao Jiu turned over and stretched lazily.

Such a start to the day put her in a good mood.

She hadn’t been lying down long when the door opened again, and Lu Fengzhou came back in and sat at the edge of the bed.

Qiao Jiu waited a moment before opening her eyes, still groggy. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Lu Fengzhou replied.

She seemed to suddenly remember and asked, "Why am I at your place again?"

Lu Fengzhou smiled faintly. "You called me last night after drinking too much."

Qiao Jiu snorted with a hint of self-mockery. "How did I end up calling you?"

He asked, "Why did you go so far to drink? With whom?"

She yawned, "Uncle Liu. He’s going to Shencheng today. We had dinner together last night, got carried away chatting and drank a bit too much."

Lu Fengzhou’s tone was casual. "Liu Changyong?"

After a pause, he added, "I never heard your father mention him before, but at the memorial the other day, it seemed like he was close with your dad."

Qiao Jiu nodded. "They used to be close. My dad started his first business with him. Back then, he came to our house almost every day."

She thought for a moment, sat up, and smoothed her hair. "They hadn’t made much progress yet, but they dreamed big—talking about growing strong together. In the end, they made a pile of money and split. It’s baffling."

She got out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. "The world changes in an instant. No relationship lasts forever."

Lu Fengzhou pondered for a moment, then followed her. After they finished freshening up, Qiao Jiu changed into the same clothes she wore yesterday.

Since Qiao Jiu didn’t live here, there was no full-time maid, only a part-time cleaner.

There was no breakfast made, so the two of them went downstairs together and ate at a nearby breakfast shop. Afterwards, Lu Fengzhou drove Qiao Jiu home so she could change.

He had planned to wait for her and drive her to work, but Qiao Jiu waved him off. "No need. I can take a taxi myself. I’d feel bad bothering you so much."

Lu Fengzhou looked at her and smiled after a moment. "Alright then."

Without another word, he started the car and left.

Qiao Jiu turned and walked into the residential complex, chuckling softly. This guy was sulking again.

If he was upset, her happiness doubled.

...

After changing, she took a taxi to the company. Just as she got out, she heard someone call her.

She looked over, surprised to see Huo Ting.

Huo Ting had probably been waiting a long time. Since her car wasn’t there, she stood by the roadside.

Qiao Jiu stopped, and Huo Ting approached hesitantly.

They used to clash often; whenever Huo Ting saw her, she would instinctively lift her chin.

But this time was different—her face was slightly lowered, full of guilt.

Qiao Jiu could almost guess what it was about, having overheard quite a bit outside Zou Qingqing’s hospital room the other day.

Regarding Zhao Shuo’s incident, Huo Ting must have discussed it privately with Zou Qingqing.

Zou Qingqing was the mastermind, but Huo Ting knew about it and either agreed or made suggestions.

Qiao Jiu gave her a cold look. "I heard you’re getting married. Congratulations."

Huo Ting’s expression changed, clearly embarrassed. She said, "Qiao Jiu, I wasn’t the one who came up with the idea about Zhao Shuo. I just knew and didn’t stop it."

Qiao Jiu blinked. "And then?"

Huo Ting pursed her lips, unwilling to submit in front of her but without any other choice, her whole demeanor was conflicted. "My family arranged it. You know the youngest son of the Hu family, right?"

Qiao Jiu frowned. "Hu Ming?"

Huo Ting said nothing, implicitly admitting it.

Hu Ming’s reputation was poor, almost as bad as Zhao Shuo. When Zhao Shuo ran wild, Hu Ming was often right there with him.

Qiao Jiu nodded, "Your family has quite the taste."

Huo Ting quickly explained, "It was Lu Fengzhou. You can’t not know. He’s getting back at you, forcing my family into this decision."

Qiao Jiu scoffed. "Arranged marriages aren’t allowed anymore. Marriage is free and equal by law."

She added, "If someone’s really forcing you, I advise you to report it to the police."

Huo Ting glared. "Are you joking? How could I report something like that?"

"You’re joking with me," Qiao Jiu’s tone turned icy. "Who you marry is none of my business."

She snorted lightly. "But since your best friend’s with Zhao Shuo, and you’re with Hu Ming, well, a family should stick together."

Huo Ting gritted her teeth, her expression very much like Ding Mei’s—wanting to let her go but not willing to lower her pride. Dream on.

Qiao Jiu turned to enter the company. "You really shouldn’t have come. Good news like this only makes me happy for days."

Huo Ting stood there, unable to hold back. "Qiao Jiu, don’t think Lu Fengzhou stepping up means he still has feelings for you. What he’s doing now is just to keep a good reputation for himself. Because he protects you, many people have changed how they see him. You know that, don’t you?"