Chapter 95: Who Gave Him the Nerve?

Qiao Jiu threw up her other foot and kicked wildly at Zhao Shuo, using every ounce of strength she had left.

Zhao Shuo lost patience too. Swearing under his breath, he dragged her back and pinned her beneath him again. His grip turned rougher, one hand clamping around her throat, the other yanking at her clothes.

Qiao Jiu could hardly breathe, yet her hands and feet kept struggling.

In the midst of the chaos, a few dull thuds seemed to come from the living room, indistinct and far away.

Then, a few seconds later, the man pressing down on Qiao Jiu was suddenly ripped away.

On instinct, Qiao Jiu rolled to the side and curled up as she sat up.

She saw Lu Fengzhou.

He stood there with a killing aura around him, his expression crueler than Qiao Jiu had ever seen before.

Zhao Shuo did not immediately understand what had happened. He sat up, huffing and puffing.

In two strides, Lu Fengzhou was over him. Grabbing him by the hair, he hauled him upright.

There was nothing handy in the room, so he dragged Zhao Shuo to the wall, shoved his head against it, and slammed him down hard.

"Who gave you the nerve? You dare touch her?"

Bang after bang.

Before Zhao Shuo even had time to react, he went limp.

Qiao Jiu scooted backward in a curled-up huddle until she reached the foot of the bed.

Lu Fengzhou let go, and Zhao Shuo collapsed to the floor like a heap of rotten meat, his face a mangled, bloody ruin.

After a few breaths, Lu Fengzhou finally turned to look at Qiao Jiu.

She was curled into a ball. Her nightgown was torn beyond decency, half her face was swollen, there was blood at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were red.

Lu Fengzhou jolted slightly.

The eldest daughter of the Qiao family had never looked this miserable before, not even back when he had forced her into divorce.

After another few breaths, he walked over, crouched down, and reached out, not knowing where he should dare to touch her.

"Qiao Jiu, I came too late."

Qiao Jiu looked up at him. Her lips were pressed together, tears glimmered in her eyes, but more than fear, there was hatred there.

A few seconds later, she suddenly threw herself at him, pounding and hitting him.

"Why did you come so late? Why did you come so late..."

Lu Fengzhou caught her hands and pulled her into his arms, unable to say a word.

Qiao Jiu struggled and hit him twice more, then burst into tears.

She clutched Lu Fengzhou's collar, her whole body folded into his arms, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath, trembling all over.

"If you had come even a little later, just a little later..."

She could not go on.

Lu Fengzhou pressed his lips together, the darkness in his eyes still burning.

Qiao Jiu kept crying, but at one point, when she turned to glance at Zhao Shuo lying on the floor as though dead, there was no panic or fear in her eyes at all. Only a cold, steady composure.

...

His men came in and dragged Zhao Shuo away.

Lu Fengzhou went to the wardrobe, found some clothes, and came back to dress Qiao Jiu one piece at a time.

There were many marks on her body, likely from Zhao Shuo's grip, and half her face was swollen badly.

Lu Fengzhou took a deep breath. Once he had finished dressing her, he lifted her into his arms and headed outside.

Only then did Qiao Jiu notice that the door had been kicked open from the outside, hanging half off its frame and trembling in place.

All the way downstairs, several cars were waiting below.

Lu Fengzhou carried her into one of them and told the driver, "Drive."

Qiao Jiu shrank into his arms, her body still shaking a little, with the occasional soft sob slipping out.

Lu Fengzhou turned to look out the car window, his gaze dark and complicated.

In the end, the car stopped in the underground parking garage of a villa, and Lu Fengzhou carried her upstairs again.

When they entered, Qiao Jiu glanced around. The house was large, sparsely furnished, and nowhere in sight was there anything that looked like a woman's belonging.

She withdrew her gaze, and Lu Fengzhou carried her into a room and laid her on the bed.

Lu Fengzhou sat by the bedside and stared at her for a long while before saying, "I need to handle something first. Wait for me here."

Qiao Jiu sniffled and nodded carefully. "Okay."

Then Lu Fengzhou added, "I called a doctor. You have injuries, and she'll help you bandage them."

During the struggle with Zhao Shuo, her ankle had struck the corner of the bed and broken the skin, though it was not serious.

Qiao Jiu did not speak. Lu Fengzhou looked at her and, after a moment, let out a faint sigh.

There were people waiting outside. Qiao Jiu heard Lu Fengzhou standing in the hallway, instructing them to take good care of her and saying he would be back soon.

Only after his footsteps faded did she loosen her arms around her knees and lean back against the headboard.

There was no trace of fear left on her face. Only indifference remained.

Not long after, the doctor arrived, a woman. She bandaged Qiao Jiu's ankle, examined the marks on her face and body, and gave her some ointment to apply.

Faced with the doctor, she became that same frightened, fragile little thing again.

She asked softly, "Where is Lu Fengzhou? When will he be back?"

The doctor thought for a moment. "He should be back soon. Wait a little longer."

Qiao Jiu nodded, looking obedient beyond measure.

A few minutes later, a servant brought in food. Since morning, Qiao Jiu had not eaten a thing.

She was indeed hungry, but in her present state, she had to play the part to the end. She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

The servant coaxed her in a low voice, "Miss Qiao, please have a little. The master especially told us to make your favorites."

Qiao Jiu glanced at the dishes on the tray. Rare of him, Lu Fengzhou even remembered what she liked to eat.

Still, she shook her head. This time she said nothing, only pressed her lips together.

The doctor spoke from the side. "Let's wait a bit. She's been frightened. It is normal that she can't eat right now. There's no need to force it."

The servant had no choice but to set the tray down.

Lu Fengzhou came back a little over half an hour later. He had changed clothes and obviously showered as well.

The moment he entered, Qiao Jiu straightened at once, tense from head to toe.

Lu Fengzhou glanced at the tray beside the bed and walked over. "Not to your liking?"

Qiao Jiu shook her head and said nothing.

Lu Fengzhou took her phone from his pocket. "Liang Xiucheng called you just now. I answered and asked for leave on your behalf, but I didn't mention Zhao Shuo. You'll have to decide for yourself whether you want to tell him."

Qiao Jiu took the phone. "And him?"

Lu Fengzhou knew who she meant. "Locked up. He suffered some flesh-and-blood punishment. If you have any ideas, once you've rested a bit, I'll take you there."

Qiao Jiu looked up at him. After a long moment, she said, "Thank you for today."

Lu Fengzhou pressed his lips together, seeming at a loss for words.

After a while, he went out, and Qiao Jiu called Liang Xiucheng.

He was very worried. "Xiao Jiu, what's wrong? Lu Fengzhou answered when I called. He said something happened on your end. What happened?"

Qiao Jiu lowered her gaze and let out a slow sigh.

"It was Zhao Shuo."

...

Lu Fengzhou stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, a cigarette between his lips, staring out at the night.

His brow was furrowed, his eyes dark with conflicting emotions.

He should not have gotten involved. And yet he could not help himself.

In the warehouse just now, he had beaten Zhao Shuo half to death. That bastard had yelled at the top of his lungs, insisting that since they were already divorced, this had nothing to do with him.

Nothing to do with him?

It seemed that way, perhaps.

And yet he had wanted to kill someone.

That fat pig. How dared he? How dare he?

Who gave him the nerve?