Chapter 63: Indifference

Qiao Jiu watched as Lu Fengzhou strode over to the car and reached out to open the door, but then he paused. In fact, Qiao Jiu had already guessed what he was about to do. She had no desire to avoid him, so she stood calmly by the window. Sure enough, in the next second, Lu Fengzhou turned around and looked up at her. The distance between them was considerable, and with the glass window separating them, it was impossible to see each other's expressions clearly. Still, Qiao Jiu lifted her chin ever so slightly, her face set in an expression of mockery and disdain.

Lu Fengzhou stared at her for a moment, then turned away and got into the car. Only when the car started and drove off did Qiao Jiu let out a cold snort. She went to fetch the ointment prescribed by the doctor and applied it to her shoulder in the bathroom, checking her reflection in the mirror. Her shoulder still felt a little sore, but the pain was gone. She moved her arm a couple of times and then recalled the way Song Wan had thrown a fit earlier. Lu Fengzhou had actually sent her away just because of that incident—he really was willing to go through with it.

It hadn’t been necessary, really. Even if he had openly shown favoritism, there was nothing she could do except make a few caustic remarks. After a while, Qiao Jiu sat back down on the sofa, turned on the television, and reached for her phone. Out of habit, she checked the latest entertainment gossip, but there was still little news about Song Wan. So she searched for Song Wan’s account directly and clicked in to take a look.

Just yesterday, Song Wan had posted a selfie—her makeup unchanged as ever, staring wide-eyed into the lens with her lips puckered, exuding the unmistakable air of an internet celebrity. Qiao Jiu glanced at the comments section. Surprisingly, Song Wan had quite a few fans, and the comments were lively. The top comment had racked up the most likes and replies; Qiao Jiu read it carefully, then smiled. The commenter seemed to be one of Song Wan’s little fans, thoroughly familiar with all the rumors about her. The first part of the comment was full of flattery, and at the end, almost as an afterthought, they mentioned Lu Fengzhou—not so much asking a question as rambling, wondering when Song Wan and Lu Fengzhou would finally get together.

For this, Song Wan had personally replied. Although she didn’t directly address the question, she posted a shy emoji. No one was a fool; even just an emoji revealed so much. The comment section erupted in a frenzy.

...

Lu Fengzhou had just gotten back to the office and sat down when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and answered, “Speak.”

The voice on the other end was respectful. “Sir, Miss Song isn’t doing well. She just broke a glass when we weren’t looking and cut her wrist. There was a lot of blood, and she’s refusing to let us dress the wound. Should we take her to the hospital?”

Lu Fengzhou’s brow furrowed. “Is it serious?”

“She’s making quite a fuss and we can’t see how bad the wound is, but there’s a lot of blood,” the subordinate replied, sounding hesitant. “And Miss Song keeps saying she wants to see you.”

Lu Fengzhou’s tone didn’t change. “I’ll have the doctor come over. Keep an eye on her, and if you have to, tie her down.”

It was clear he had no intention of seeing Song Wan. The subordinate quickly agreed.

Lu Fengzhou hung up and immediately called his private doctor, instructing him to tend to Song Wan’s wound. After ending the call, he tossed his phone onto his desk. The desk was piled high with documents. He pulled out a file and had barely begun to read when there was a knock on his office door.

Without looking up, he said, “Come in.”

It was his special assistant, holding a file. “Sir, these are documents for the collaboration with the Liang family. The project manager has been assigned, all the data has been reviewed, and there are no issues. Please take a look.”

Lu Fengzhou took the file but didn’t open it. After a moment of thought, he said, “I’ll be overseeing this project myself. Gather all the files and bring them to me.”

The assistant was a bit surprised. “You’ll be handling it personally? We’ve already assigned a project manager.”

“I know.” With just two sentences, Lu Fengzhou was clearly losing patience. “Just do as I say.”

Sensing his mood, the assistant quickly agreed and left.

Lu Fengzhou took a few deep breaths and resumed reviewing the documents on his desk. About half an hour later, the doctor called to report on Song Wan’s condition. Apparently, Song Wan had intended to cut her wrist but couldn’t bring herself to do it properly out of fear of pain. She avoided the vein and made a shallow, narrow cut nearby. She refused to have it bandaged, so there had been a lot of blood, making it look more frightening than it was. The doctor said he’d taken care of it, but Song Wan’s mental state was unstable—almost manic. The staff had tied her up with cloth strips, but it wasn’t working well. She kept struggling, reopening the wound, and blood continued to flow.

The doctor sounded exasperated. “Mr. Lu, the patient wants to see you. Perhaps you should go comfort her. She can’t go on like this.”

Lu Fengzhou’s expression grew cold, but he couldn’t lose his temper with the doctor. He only replied that he understood. After hanging up, he flung his phone aside and ignored it.

...

Qiao Jiu woke up at dawn, feeling oddly excited—today was her first day at work. She put on new clothes, applied light makeup, and studied herself in the mirror, her mood much improved.

While she was downstairs having breakfast, Liang Xiucheng called. “I’m already downstairs at your place. Are you ready?”

With a carton of milk in hand, Qiao Jiu left the breakfast shop and immediately spotted Liang Xiucheng’s car. She spoke into the phone, “Look in the rearview mirror.”

He must have seen her, for he chuckled, hung up, and got out of the car to approach her. “I got up a bit early today and decided to come over.” He’d already eaten, so he accompanied Qiao Jiu into the breakfast shop to wait for her. Suddenly, he said, “My mom mentioned you again these past couple of days. I really suspect she knew you from before.”

Qiao Jiu raised an eyebrow. “Did you ask her?”

“I did. She said she doesn’t know you,” Liang Xiucheng replied. “But I don’t quite believe her.”

Qiao Jiu also found it unlikely that her personality would appeal to an elder at first glance. For someone to show her kindness on their first meeting, they must have either known her before or heard good things about her. She said nothing more. After breakfast, the two of them drove to Liang’s company.

The receptionist didn’t recognize Qiao Jiu, but she knew Liang Xiucheng and didn’t dare stop them, letting them go straight upstairs.

Liang Xiucheng didn’t take Qiao Jiu to HR for onboarding, but instead led her directly to an office. He must have been there earlier, as he used the internal line to call someone over.

Qiao Jiu was a bit at a loss. “Aren’t I supposed to check in with HR?”

“Just wait here,” Liang Xiucheng said.

Soon, an HR employee arrived with the onboarding application and processed it for Qiao Jiu on the spot. Qiao Jiu glanced at her assigned position and was startled. She looked up at Liang Xiucheng. “Your assistant? I thought I was going to the PR department?”

Liang Xiucheng nodded. “We discussed it again last night. The PR department isn’t really suitable for you right now—there are wolves and tigers out there, and you might not be able to handle it without experience.”

Qiao Jiu pressed her lips together, her heart suddenly full. Other than her father, no one had ever looked after her with such care. Not even Lu Fengzhou.