Chapter 3 Leave Her Face Intact

Guan Wei looked at Qiao Jiu as if seeing her savior and hurriedly called out, "Jiu, you’re here."

Qiao Jiu glanced at the person kneeling on the floor and instantly understood what was going on—it was Ruyue.

Guan Wei turned to Lu Fengzhou. "Mr. Lu, what happened today was my staff’s fault. They broke the rules, and I’ll make sure they’re punished. Or, if you have a particular outcome in mind, let’s discuss it. I’ll do my best to satisfy you. But could you leave this person to me?"

Lu Fengzhou cast a look at Qiao Jiu. "Pleading for her?"

Qiao Jiu wasn’t so bold. She had no deep history with Lu Fengzhou; otherwise, she wouldn’t have landed in this predicament. She replied, "You can just assume I’m here for the spectacle."

If Ruyue hadn’t drugged her, she wouldn’t have just suffered through that ordeal.

Guan Wei shot Qiao Jiu a sidelong glance, her brows knitting together.

Qiao Jiu ignored her, scanning the room before finding a spot to sit. The drug was potent—her whole body felt unwell.

Lu Fengzhou let out a cold laugh, rising slowly from the sofa and strolling toward Ruyue.

Frightened, Ruyue shuffled backward on her knees. "Mr. Lu, I was wrong, I’m sorry, please let me off this time. I’ll never do it again."

Tears streamed down her face. Even with her makeup ruined, her beauty was striking, making her look all the more pitiable as she cried.

Guan Wei didn’t dare intervene, resorting instead to shooting pleading looks at Qiao Jiu.

Qiao Jiu acted as if she hadn’t noticed. This whole scene was unnecessary—did they really think that after a night with Lu Fengzhou, the revolutionary camaraderie would be restored?

Lu Fengzhou stopped before Ruyue. She hung her head, her body visibly trembling.

He asked, "How much of that drug do you have left?"

Ruyue was momentarily stunned. "Not much."

"Bring it here," he commanded.

She blinked, quickly replied in the affirmative, got to her feet, and hurried out of the room, head bowed.

Once Ruyue was gone, Guan Wei finally spoke. "Mr. Lu, to be honest, Ruyue is a real moneymaker for my place. Could you do me this favor? If you must, vent your anger by roughing her up, but please, spare her face."

Lu Fengzhou ignored her and instead turned to Qiao Jiu. "If you’re not here to plead for mercy, then why did you come?"

Qiao Jiu answered, "I work here. I heard a commotion and came to check it out."

Lu Fengzhou gave a short laugh. "Still thinking about work even in times like this? You’re a model employee."

He added, "If you’d shown this much responsibility before, the company wouldn’t have needed an outsider like me to take over."

How he could say such things was beyond her. Qiao Jiu smiled. "It had nothing to do with my sense of responsibility—mainly, my judgment was poor when it came to people."

Lu Fengzhou looked at her, his expression unreadable.

Ruyue soon returned, holding a small packet of pills, which she handed over to Lu Fengzhou with great care. She hurried to explain, "This isn’t anything too strong, Mr. Lu. I know I was wrong and I’ll never do it again. This drug isn’t very harmful—sometimes we even take it ourselves."

Whatever mental preparation she’d done outside had clearly worked; her whole demeanor was different now, even her voice softer.

Lu Fengzhou opened the packet, poured the pills into his palm. "Not very harmful, you say?"

With that, he beckoned Guan Wei over.

"Mr. Lu?" Guan Wei was confused.

He handed her the pills. "Give them to her."

Guan Wei froze. "All of them?"

Lu Fengzhou replied, "I’ll do you a favor and let her keep her face."