Chapter 80: Cufflinks

Qiao Jiu turned her head and offered the group a perfunctory smile, saying nothing. The women teased her a bit, but when they received no response, they seemed to lose interest, drained their glasses, and one by one headed to the dance floor.

Once the crowd had dispersed, Jiang Qingchen finally breathed a sigh of relief, his voice low, “At last, some peace.”

Qiao Jiu curled her lips, “Isn’t it nice to be surrounded by so many beautiful women every day?”

“They’re all just here for amusement,” Jiang Qingchen replied, “It’s tiresome.”

He slid the drink he had mixed for Qiao Jiu across the table—a new concoction he'd recently created.

Qiao Jiu had just taken a sip when her phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen: Liang Xiucheng.

She answered, “What is it?”

Liang Xiucheng sounded slightly exasperated, “Are you with Boss Guan?”

Qiao Jiu blinked and quickly cupped her hand around the phone, “No.”

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t. Guan Wei was upstairs sleeping, and she was downstairs drinking—not exactly together.

Liang Xiucheng sighed, apparently not sensing anything amiss, “My brother just called her, said he couldn’t reach her. I tried her too, no answer. Just wanted to check if you were with her.”

Qiao Jiu feigned ignorance, “Is something wrong? Is he looking for her?”

Liang Xiucheng probably hadn’t realized that Guan Wei had taken her belongings back from Liang Xiujin. “Maybe he wants to explain last night’s argument. I’m not sure, didn’t ask for details.”

He muttered, “Forget it, I’ll let him find her himself. It’s either at home or at the bar anyway.”

Qiao Jiu murmured her assent, “It’s their business—let them solve it themselves.”

Not much more was said, and the call ended.

Qiao Jiu set her phone down and tossed back the rest of her drink. “I should go. If someone comes and catches me here, it’ll be trouble.”

After all, it was her boss. If he found her here, she’d never hear the end of it.

Jiang Qingchen nodded, “Alright, it’s getting late. Get some rest.”

Qiao Jiu bid him farewell, left the bar, and took a cab home.

She entered slowly, unlocked the door, and slipped on her slippers. Suddenly, she remembered something and hurriedly looked toward the top of the shoe cabinet.

There were all sorts of odds and ends tossed up there—she rarely paid attention. But with a quick scan, she spotted something that definitely didn’t belong to her.

It was a pair of cufflinks. Qiao Jiu picked them up and examined them—they must belong to Lu Fengzhou.

Truth be told, he’d never undressed at her place; he must have left them on purpose.

He’d come over several times, and she always showed resistance. This guy was preparing for future visits.

A true businessman—eight hundred schemes in his mind.

Qiao Jiu tossed the cufflinks back, walked to the sofa, and took out the invitation Zhou Qingqing had given her.

The engagement party was next week, at Sanxi Restaurant in the city center.

…

The next day, Qiao Jiu arrived at the company. Liang Xiucheng was already there, still no sign of Liang Xiujin.

It wasn’t work hours yet. Qiao Jiu stood in Liang Xiucheng’s office and spoke in a hushed tone, “Did your brother go looking for her yesterday?”

“No,” Liang Xiucheng replied, tidying up the files on his desk. “He seemed anxious, but didn’t go out. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Then, as if reminded of something, he suddenly said, “There’s been new progress on Zhu Shengren’s case since yesterday afternoon.”

Qiao Jiu paused, “What happened?”

Her first instinct, “Did they find the three men who kidnapped him?”

“No, not them,” Liang Xiucheng said. “Those three are hard to track down—the cameras didn’t catch their faces, so it’s tough to identify them. But there’s another development: yesterday, a woman came forward to accuse Zhu Shengren. Her situation was similar to the previous victim, but she provided more information. She claimed Zhu Shengren filmed videos. Yesterday, the police searched the Zhu house.”

Qiao Jiu’s eyes widened, beginning to understand. “They found something?”

Liang Xiucheng nodded, “Yes, right in the drawer of Zhu Shengren’s study. They didn’t even have to search much.”

He exhaled, “Now those three kidnappers aren’t the main issue. The focus has shifted to Zhu Shengren’s trial.”

Qiao Jiu frowned, “He left such important evidence in his drawer? He’s quite bold.”

Liang Xiucheng chuckled, “Who knows if it was him or someone else who put it there?”

Qiao Jiu froze, her first thought was Zhu Shengren’s wife. Zhu Shengren was injured and hospitalized, and his wife seemed unaffected—almost gleeful.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she stabbed him in the back.

What can one say? Just give her a thumbs-up for a job well done.

With that, Qiao Jiu returned to her office. After a while, a colleague entered—the one Liang Xiucheng had assigned to guide her.

As she opened the door, Qiao Jiu happened to glimpse Liang Xiujin passing by through the crack.

Dressed in a sharp suit, looking vigorous—yesterday’s gloom was gone. It seemed Guan Wei’s departure hadn’t affected him much.

All morning, Qiao Jiu followed her colleague, familiarizing herself with work. She listened and took notes in her little notebook.

Just before the end of the day, the office door swung open. Standing at the threshold was Liang Xiujin.

Seeing other colleagues present, he frowned slightly, “Wait for me after work. I have something to ask you.”

Qiao Jiu glanced at him, “If it’s about Guan Wei, I know nothing. Manager Liang already asked me this morning.”

Liang Xiujin paused, his frown deepening. Probably because of the others in the room, he waited a moment and simply said, “Alright, I understand.”

Once the door closed, Qiao Jiu exhaled softly through her nose.

Her kindergarten teacher taught her: handle your own affairs.

When work ended and her colleague left, Qiao Jiu sat in the office, waiting until everything outside was completely quiet. Then she took out her phone and dialed Guan Wei.

Guan Wei answered quickly, her voice normal, “Done with work?”

Qiao Jiu responded, “What are you up to?”

“What am I up to…” Guan Wei sighed, “Shopping. Despite yesterday’s drama, the Zhou and Zhao families’ engagement party will go ahead. I need to buy an outfit—might as well steal her spotlight.”

She seemed to have fully moved on from Liang Xiujin.

After a moment, Guan Wei said, “Do you want to buy something too? Zhou Qingqing invited you; who knows what she’s got planned for you. You should dress up. You’re already prettier than her—if you outdress her, you won’t even have to say a word. Just standing there will make her uncomfortable from head to toe.”

Qiao Jiu wasn’t particularly in the mood, but she couldn’t help worrying about Guan Wei, so she agreed.

She left the office and walked downstairs. Just as she reached the lobby, she spotted a familiar face.

It was Xu Yi.

She hadn’t expected her to track her down here. Standing beside Xu Yi was Liang Xiucheng.

Qiao Jiu hurried over, “Manager Liang.”

Xu Yi turned to look at Qiao Jiu, visibly taken aback.