Chapter 72 Someone
Liang Xiucheng didn't notice anything off in Qiao Jiu’s tone. His voice was calm, “That’s what I heard, but nothing is confirmed yet.”
He exhaled slowly. “I looked into Zhu Shengren’s case this afternoon. The girl involved was a public relations employee from one of his partner companies. During a dinner, he set her up—got her drunk and took her away.”
The girl was honest and principled; she couldn’t accept what happened to her. Zhu Shengren was influential, so she had nowhere to turn for help or to press charges. The shock was too much, and her mental state deteriorated.
It’s said that when the incident occurred, she was already acting erratically, likely in the midst of an episode.
Qiao Jiu murmured, “That should be taken into account during sentencing, right?”
Liang Xiucheng nodded, “It should be. Considering the circumstances, I doubt the punishment will be too severe.”
Qiao Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
After a pause, she suddenly asked, “Do you know how Zhu Shengren is now? Is he seriously injured?”
Liang Xiucheng’s eyes narrowed slowly. “He was taken to the hospital. He’s not in any real danger, but his lower body is ruined—apparently shredded beyond repair.”
Qiao Jiu pressed her lips together, and after a long moment, said, “Nicely done.”
The topic had been heavy, but her words made Liang Xiucheng laugh outright. “From another angle, it’s actually quite satisfying.”
After waiting a while longer, and seeing Guan Wei sleeping soundly, Qiao Jiu and Liang Xiucheng helped her upstairs to a room.
It was Guan Wei’s designated room, complete with a bed, wardrobe, and private bathroom.
They placed her on the bed, Qiao Jiu helped remove her shoes and tucked her in, then called a staff member to keep an eye out.
Once everything was settled, she and Liang Xiucheng went downstairs together.
Standing in the elevator, Liang Xiucheng said, “I really don’t know what’s going on between my brother and Boss Guan. Anyone can see they’re both irritated after fighting—why can’t they just sit down and talk it out?”
Qiao Jiu stared at the elevator display, and after a while replied, “Because there are feelings involved, it’s easy to act impulsively. Only without emotions can people be truly rational.”
Liang Xiucheng turned to look at her, surprised, yet understanding.
Leaving the bar, they got in the car. Qiao Jiu suddenly asked, “The abandoned factory where Zhu Shengren was found—is that the chemical plant in the east of the city, shut down years ago because of water pollution?”
Liang Xiucheng glanced at her, “You seem quite interested in that factory.”
Qiao Jiu hedged, “Just curious—how did he end up there?”
Liang Xiucheng wasn’t sure, only speculated, “It’s that chemical plant. Nobody goes there, so Zhu Shengren was lucky today. On any other day, even if he screamed himself hoarse inside, no one would have found him—he could have died in there.”
Qiao Jiu looked out the car window. “I see.”
Neither spoke further, and the car drove straight to Qiao Jiu’s place.
After getting out, Qiao Jiu turned to wave at Liang Xiucheng. “Drive safe.”
The window rolled down, and Liang Xiucheng suddenly said, “Nothing like this will happen again.”
Qiao Jiu didn’t immediately understand what he meant. She stared at him for a while before realizing. “It’s fine—he didn’t do anything to me.”
Perhaps Zhu Shengren had certain intentions toward her, but since nothing happened, she saw no reason to scare herself with regrets.
Qiao Jiu turned and went upstairs, changed her clothes, and drew the curtains.
Her gaze drifted downward, taking in the street scene.
Liang Xiucheng’s car was still parked far away, no one visible nearby—unclear if he had left.
She didn’t think much of it, closed the curtains, and returned to bed.
As usual before sleep, she browsed gossip news.
The matter of Song Wan’s temporary withdrawal from the industry was causing an uproar online.
Many speculated why Song Wan would leave at the height of her popularity and attention—was it because her financial backers quit, or was it not a health issue but a psychological one?
She’d been harshly criticized lately; most people wouldn’t endure that.
Of course, some guessed that Song Wan’s departure might really mean she’d achieved success with her benefactor, and no longer needed to be in the spotlight.
They dug up an old emoji reply she’d made in the comments, using it as evidence that her exit might be for a better path, and urged people not to think the worst.
Qiao Jiu read several trending posts, sneered, and turned to the local forum.
On the finance page, she found news related to Zhu Shengren.
He had few scandals—perhaps he was skilled at covering them up.
Most articles focused on his professional achievements; his abilities were undoubtedly impressive.
A small space mentioned his family, his wife described as a capable homemaker, always supporting him.
News always beautifies things.
Qiao Jiu recalled the cold and impatient tone of Zhu Shengren’s wife on the phone that day, and inexplicably thought of herself and Lu Fengzhou.
Appearances can be deceiving, and there are many ways to show it.
Lu Fengzhou hid it well, so much so that outsiders could see her marriage was a ticking time bomb, while she naïvely believed she’d grow old with that man.
...
The next morning, Qiao Jiu rose early, tidied up, and went to the company.
She’d hoped to arrive early enough to catch Liang Xiujin; she wanted to ask about his argument with Guan Wei yesterday and perhaps offer some advice.
But only Liang Xiucheng showed up—Liang Xiujin was nowhere to be found.
Liang Xiucheng had no idea where he’d gone. “He left home early today—maybe he went to see Boss Guan?”
That seemed plausible. Qiao Jiu considered it and didn’t dwell on it.
It was still early, not yet time for work. In her rush to get there, she hadn’t had breakfast, so she hurried downstairs to the café across the street.
But it turned out to be peak hour—the café was packed.
Qiao Jiu had little patience, so she left and looked around.
She remembered a dessert shop a bit farther away, hesitated, then took a cab there.
It wasn’t far—barely a couple of minutes.
The shop wasn’t crowded, and it had what she wanted.
After buying her food, Qiao Jiu stood by the roadside to hail a taxi back to the company. In a moment of distraction, she spotted Liang Xiujin’s car parked nearby.
Someone was in the car.
Qiao Jiu paused, instinctively starting toward the vehicle.
But after a few steps, she stopped. There was more than just Liang Xiujin inside.
A woman sat in the passenger seat, long hair cascading over her shoulders, turned toward Liang Xiujin. Qiao Jiu couldn’t see her face.