Chapter 96: Her Destination

At noon, Liang Xiucheng came by with Guan Wei beside him.

Qiao Jiu was sitting on the bed. Hearing the door open, she turned to look.

The instant Guan Wei saw her, she exploded. In two quick strides she rushed over and said, “Was this done by that bastard?”

Qiao Jiu hurriedly pulled her hair forward to cover the half-swollen side of her face. “It’s fine. I’ve already seen a doctor.”

Guan Wei gritted her teeth and turned to glare at Lu Fengzhou, who was standing behind them. “Where is Zhao Shuo? Where is he now? I’m going to kill him.”

Lu Fengzhou’s gaze rested on Qiao Jiu. “He’s barely alive right now. If you go over there, you might really finish him off. Then you’ll be the one facing a murder charge.”

Guan Wei looked ready to jump out of her skin. “How dare that man? Who gave him the guts?”

Qiao Jiu looked up at her and tugged lightly at her sleeve, her voice faint. “It’s fine, really.”

Guan Wei had never seen her like this. When had Qiao Jiu ever not been bursting with energy?

At once, her heart ached. Her eyes turned red. “Where else did that bastard hurt you? Are you injured anywhere else?”

Qiao Jiu let out a breath. “Nothing serious.”

Liang Xiucheng came over as well. Bending down, he lifted a hand and tucked the hair away from her face, studying the half-swollen cheek carefully.

Lu Fengzhou frowned beside them but said nothing.

This time Qiao Jiu did not dodge. The corner of her mouth had been split too, with a bit of dried blood.

Guan Wei drew in a deep breath. “That damned thing really should have been crippled.”

Liang Xiucheng’s expression remained grave. With his thumb, he pressed gently against Qiao Jiu’s cheek. “Does it hurt?”

Qiao Jiu shook her head. “No.”

Liang Xiucheng pushed her hair back into place and straightened up, saying nothing else.

His expression had grown colder than before.

Guan Wei turned to Lu Fengzhou. “What are the Zhao family saying?”

Lu Fengzhou’s tone was flat. “Naturally, they’re begging for mercy.”

But after making such a scene, they had little face left to show, and even their pleas sounded guilty.

As things stood, with Lu Fengzhou still holding Zhao Shuo, they had not even dared to ask him to let the man go.

Guan Wei spat in disgust. “For Zhao Shuo to dare do something like this today, the couple in the Zhao family can’t shirk the blame. They raised their son into a beast; those two old fools aren’t any better.”

Lu Fengzhou said nothing, only looked at Qiao Jiu. She seemed lost in thought, sitting very still, not even moving her eyes.

The servant had said that since being brought here this morning, she had not rested once, and every time the door opened she was still huddled on the bed in the same posture.

Lu Fengzhou gave a soft sigh. “Let’s go talk outside.”

He came over, supported Qiao Jiu by the shoulders, and made her lie down. “Get some rest. After you sleep, you’ll feel better.”

Qiao Jiu looked up at him, her eyes guarded.

Lu Fengzhou applied a little more force with his hand. Qiao Jiu resisted, though not very obviously, and in the end she lay down.

He pulled the quilt up and wrapped her in it. Then he added, “I’ll be right outside.”

Qiao Jiu did not speak. Her eyes were still open.

Lu Fengzhou placed his hand over her eyes, forcing them shut.

When he let go, Qiao Jiu was surprisingly obedient. She really did close her eyes. Guan Wei, watching from the side, felt miserable. Her voice dropped low. “She really was frightened badly.”

Then again, no matter how fierce a woman was, she would still be afraid when something like this happened.

Lu Fengzhou led Liang Xiucheng and Guan Wei out of the room. As he closed the door, he heard Guan Wei ask behind him, “But how did you happen to get there at exactly the right time?”

He turned around and looked at Liang Xiucheng, then said, “Because when it happened, she called me for help.”

...

Qiao Jiu did not sleep. She was not sleepy.

As soon as the door shut, she opened her eyes, sat up, and got out of bed.

She walked to the window and looked outside. The floor was high enough to make her feel slightly dizzy.

But the weather was good today, and her mood improved quite a bit along with it.

She did not care much about Zhao Shuo’s fate. What she cared about was where she would go next.

She stood by the window for a while before hearing the sound of the door handle turning.

Qiao Jiu turned around. It was Lu Fengzhou opening the door.

Seeing her standing by the window, he froze for a moment, then frowned slightly. “Why are you up? Didn’t I tell you to rest?”

Qiao Jiu asked, “Where is Guan Wei?”

Lu Fengzhou said, “She left.”

“Left?” She exhaled softly. “I had intended to leave with them.”

Lu Fengzhou’s expression paused. “You can’t stay where you were. Stay here for now.”

“No need,” Qiao Jiu said. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

Lu Fengzhou’s expression was calm. “It’s not trouble. Just a small favor.”

After a brief pause, he changed the subject. “You haven’t eaten anything all day. The kitchen made some food. Since you’re not sleeping, come out and eat something.”

Qiao Jiu was so hungry she felt a little weak. After a slight hesitation, she did not refuse this time.

Sitting down in the dining room, she watched a servant bring over a bowl of rice porridge, with lean meat added to it, cooked until soft and tender.

Just as Qiao Jiu picked up her spoon, the phone left in the bedroom rang. Lu Fengzhou stood up. “I’ll get it for you.”

He went into the room, and it was quite a while before he came back out. By then, the ringtone had already stopped.

He placed the phone on the table and said, “Unknown number.”

Qiao Jiu glanced at it. It really was an unfamiliar number, but the caller was in Shen City. No need to think twice; it had to be Liu Changyong.

She gave a quiet “Mm,” and before she could say anything else, the phone rang again. It was still Liu Changyong calling.

Qiao Jiu did not avoid Lu Fengzhou. She answered and greeted him, “Uncle Liu.”

Liu Changyong did not know what had happened on her side. His tone was as kindly as ever. “Little Jiu, you didn’t go to work today?”

Qiao Jiu responded with an “Mm.” “Something came up today, so I took the day off.”

Liu Changyong said, “I don’t have anything important. I just wanted to pay respects to your father. I was wondering when you’d have time to take me there.”

Qiao Jiu said directly, “Whenever you’re free, I’m available.”

Liu Changyong thought for a moment. “Would tomorrow work?”

There was no reason it wouldn’t. Qiao Jiu said yes. “Then let’s be in touch tomorrow.”

They did not speak further. After the call ended, Qiao Jiu looked up and found Lu Fengzhou staring straight at her.

She blinked, wearing an innocent look. “What is it?”

Lu Fengzhou seemed to realize his gaze had not been pleasant and that he might have frightened her. He immediately softened his expression. “Uncle Liu? Which Uncle Liu?”

Qiao Jiu lowered her eyes. “A friend of my father’s from when he was young. He left Yun City many years ago and only came back yesterday. You’ve never met him.”

Lu Fengzhou nodded. “You’re going to pay respects to your father tomorrow?”

Qiao Jiu said yes. Lu Fengzhou said nothing more, only his expression dimmed slightly.

After dinner, Qiao Jiu looked a little better. Lu Fengzhou led her to the sofa and sat her down, then applied ointment for her.

The swelling on her face had gone down a little, but Zhao Shuo had struck with enough force that it looked as though bruising would bloom later.

The ointment was cool and did not actually hurt, but when Lu Fengzhou put it on, Qiao Jiu still deliberately flinched away twice.

His expression was not pleasant, but his voice remained gentle. “Does it hurt?”

Qiao Jiu spoke very softly. “A little.”

Lu Fengzhou’s movements became lighter. “He knocks on the door and you just open it? Are you stupid?”

At first Qiao Jiu pressed her lips together and said nothing. Later, as if somewhat unwilling to accept that, she glanced at him. “I thought it was you.”

Lu Fengzhou’s hand froze at once.