Chapter 2: They Are Tainted

Qiao Jiu felt no embarrassment; after two years of marriage, they’d done everything together—there was no room for pretenses. Propping herself up on Lu Fengzhou’s leg, she tried to stand. “Another drink?”

Lu Fengzhou didn’t answer. Instead, he gripped the back of her neck and pulled her down toward him again.

He must have drunk quite a bit earlier—his body reeked of alcohol, mingled with the cheap scent of inferior perfume. “Did you do this on purpose?”

Qiao Jiu frowned. “You’re blaming this on me? Are you even up for it?”

“Up for it?” Lu Fengzhou let out a low, derisive laugh. “Don’t you know better than anyone whether I am or not?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he tightened his grip on her and shifted his body, pinning Qiao Jiu beneath him on the sofa.

Qiao Jiu was startled. Lu Fengzhou was always so proper, never one for teasing talk in bed. The sofa was small; their bodies pressed together, and it was clear Lu Fengzhou was already aroused.

She braced her hand against his chest, but couldn’t help recalling the scene she’d witnessed in the private room earlier.

The woman who’d been in Lu Fengzhou’s arms was someone she knew—Ruyue, one of Madam Qin’s girls, the top earner among all the hostesses every month.

She would never have guessed Lu Fengzhou was one of her clients.

A sour feeling twisted in Qiao Jiu’s chest—not out of jealousy, but because Lu Fengzhou had taken every last bit of her fortune, and now the money he was spending on other women was technically all hers.

She asked, “Did someone drug you?”

Those hostesses were full of tricks, always looking to score big with some wealthy patron—a little scheming was par for the course.

Lu Fengzhou didn’t deny it. Instead, his mouth found her neck, biting and nipping. “So, what do you think? Isn’t it a coincidence?”

Qiao Jiu took a breath. “I could find you another girl.”

Lu Fengzhou’s voice was hoarse and indistinct. “They’re filthy.”

Then he added, “Guan Wei is bold, too.”

Just those few words dissolved all of Qiao Jiu’s resistance.

When they’d divorced, Lu Fengzhou had blacklisted her in every circle, leaving her no way out. Guan Wei keeping her on at the bar had been an act of defiance against him.

The private room door wasn’t locked—Qiao Jiu knew no one would come in. At first, her body was tense, but soon she couldn’t help but relax under his touch.

As the world spun around her, memories of the past flooded back: Lu Fengzhou had started out as a bodyguard for her father. With that face of his, he’d caught her eye. A reckless gaze could ruin a life—if she hadn’t been seduced by appearances, she’d have played her hand right, instead of winding up in shambles.

…

The fevered moment ebbed away.

Qiao Jiu reached for Lu Fengzhou’s suit pants, fished out his cigarette case, and lit one.

Lu Fengzhou made a call, and before long, there was a knock at the door.

Unhurried, Qiao Jiu slipped on Lu Fengzhou’s shirt and walked to the window, her back to the door.

Someone brought Lu Fengzhou a change of clothes and left immediately.

Turning around, Qiao Jiu noticed the delivery was only for him, but she didn’t mind. “Don’t make things hard for her.”

Lu Fengzhou’s tone was cool. “Funny, I seem to remember you and Guan Wei didn’t get along.”

That much was true. They’d almost come to blows before, but at her lowest point, only Guan Wei had kept her on. Even if it was partly to humiliate her, the fact remained—it had been a help.

Lu Fengzhou finished dressing and, as he reached the door, remarked, “You did well just now.”

He didn’t say more, but Qiao Jiu understood—he was letting Guan Wei off the hook.

Relieved, she plopped down on the sofa.

After a while, the door opened again. This time, it was Guan Wei.

“Has he gone?” she asked.

Qiao Jiu stubbed out her cigarette. “Just left.”

Guan Wei sighed, her usual sharpness gone, and handed Qiao Jiu a change of clothes.

As Qiao Jiu changed, Guan Wei said, “Even if Lu Fengzhou really wanted to make things difficult for me, I wouldn’t be afraid. You didn’t have to do that.”

Qiao Jiu snorted. “Weren’t you the one who was scared out of her wits just now?”

Guan Wei glared. “No wonder Lu Fengzhou dumped you. With that mouth of yours, if I were a man, I wouldn’t want you either.”

Qiao Jiu wasn’t in the mood to argue. She finished dressing and left the bar.

But halfway through her taxi ride, Guan Wei called.

Qiao Jiu answered, “What is it?”

Guan Wei sounded flustered. “Qiao Jiu, have you left? You need to come back. Something’s happened.”

“What is it?” Qiao Jiu asked.

“It’s not something I can say over the phone. Just come, please—I need your help.”

The line went dead before she could protest. Bewildered, Qiao Jiu hesitated, phone in hand, but finally asked the driver to turn around.

The floor manager was waiting for her at the entrance and hurried over when he saw her. “This way.”

He led her upstairs, to the business section. In another private room, the door swung open, and she saw Lu Fengzhou at a glance.

He sat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, his expression unreadable. In front of him stood Guan Wei, and on the floor, someone was kneeling.