Chapter 25: You’re Quite Capable
Liang Xiu-jin’s call came through just as Guan Wei and Qiao Jiu were enjoying their drinks.
Guan Wei let out a drunken hiccup and flashed her phone screen at Qiao Jiu. “He’s calling. I bet that woman’s gone now.”
She answered the phone. “What do you want?”
Liang Xiu-jin said something that Qiao Jiu couldn’t hear, but Guan Wei paused, startled. “They’re all gone?”
She tutted, “Such a loving couple, those two scoundrels.”
After a few seconds, she added, “Fine, I’ll head up now.”
She hung up, poured herself another drink, and clinked her glass against Qiao Jiu’s. “I’m going up to see what that woman talked about with them. If anything’s off, I’ll let you know right away.”
Qiao Jiu laughed. “What could possibly be off?”
Even if something was, what did it have to do with her?
Guan Wei downed her drink in one gulp, slammed the glass on the table, stood, and flicked her hair. “You guys keep drinking, this round’s on me.”
With that, she marched upstairs with a swagger.
Liang Xiu-cheng chuckled, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think she’s off to catch someone in the act.”
Qiao Jiu picked up her glass and took a sip. After a moment’s thought, she brought up another topic. “Didn’t your brother plan to get engaged to Miss Xu, the third daughter? How come he’s with Guan Wei now?”
Liang Xiu-cheng slowly shook his head. “I’m not quite sure myself. I was abroad at the time, called home to ask, but no one would say anything. I have no idea what happened.”
Qiao Jiu looked at Liang Xiu-cheng, hesitated, as if there was something more she wanted to say, but kept it to herself.
The two sat together, exchanging drinks for a while, until Liang Xiu-cheng’s phone rang again—it was Liang Xiu-jin.
Liang Xiu-cheng answered, replied with a single “mm,” and said he understood.
After hanging up, he spoke, “Qiao Jiu, I need to go upstairs for a bit. I’ll be back as soon as I can. My brother needs something.”
Qiao Jiu nodded twice. “Go ahead. I’ll have to get back to the kitchen soon myself—it’s time to clock in.”
She worked here, after all. The waiters and bartenders all knew her, so nothing could happen.
Still, Liang Xiu-cheng added, “You’ve been drinking. I’ll take you home tonight.”
Qiao Jiu didn’t answer directly. “As if you haven’t been drinking yourself.”
Liang Xiu-cheng stood and left, and Qiao Jiu finished her drink, then got up as well.
She’d always been a good drinker—by rights, this little bit shouldn’t have made her drunk. Yet when she took a few steps, her head began to buzz.
She raised her hand and knocked it against her temple, muttering, “Bad moods do make the alcohol hit harder.”
She stopped and leaned on the sofa of a private booth, trying to catch her breath.
But before she could, someone suddenly came up behind her, slipped an arm around her shoulders, half pulled her into his embrace, and strode with her toward the main hall.
Qiao Jiu gasped, startled. “Who are you? Let go!”
The person didn’t respond, walking swiftly. Qiao Jiu, dizzy and disoriented, stumbled along as he led her out of the bar.
Outside, the cool night air cleared her head a little, and the man slowed his pace.
Qiao Jiu finally managed to turn and look at him, then frowned. “Lu Feng-zhou?”
Afraid she was seeing things, she stood on tiptoe for a closer look. “Didn’t you leave?”
Lu Feng-zhou looked at her, his expression no better than hers. “I never expected you’d have so much nerve.”
Qiao Jiu didn’t know what he meant by “nerve,” but let out a dry laugh. “Of course. Back then, you wouldn’t give me the time of day, yet in the end you still married me.”