Chapter 98: You Ruined Her

Lu Fengzhou didn't speak with Liu Changyong for long, barely two minutes in total, before he returned to the car.

Qiao Jiu glanced out the window toward Liu Changyong, who was still standing in the same spot, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips, watching them with an expression that was neither good nor bad, but certainly not unpleasant.

She asked, "What did Uncle Liu say to you?"

Lu Fengzhou answered coolly, "What else could he say? Naturally, he blamed me."

Qiao Jiu smiled faintly at that, turned to look out the window, and said nothing more.

The car pulled away, and the two of them didn't speak again for the rest of the drive.

They returned once more to Lu Fengzhou's residence. As Qiao Jiu got out of the car, she said, "I'm fine now. I’ll look for a place right away and try to move out today."

Lu Fengzhou gazed at her for a couple of seconds, then simply replied, "Alright."

They went up the stairs together. Qiao Jiu returned to her room, closed the door, and leaned against it.

She took out her phone, intending to call Guan Wei, but as she scrolled through her contacts, she hesitated briefly, then changed her mind and dialed Liang Xiucheng instead.

While she was on the phone, she heard sounds outside—Lu Fengzhou must have left.

After the call ended, Qiao Jiu opened the door. The housekeeper saw her and volunteered, "Sir has gone to the company."

Qiao Jiu nodded, "Alright."

Liang Xiucheng was efficient; less than half an hour later, he called back to say the apartment was arranged.

Qiao Jiu hadn’t brought much with her—when Lu Fengzhou helped, he’d only packed two changes of clothes.

She packed up in her room and came out again.

The housekeeper noticed her carrying a bag and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Miss Qiao, are you going out?"

Qiao Jiu responded, "Yes, I found a place to stay. When Lu Fengzhou returns, please tell him I’ve been a bother these past days, and thank him for his help."

The housekeeper quickly said, "Miss Qiao, won’t you call him?"

"No need," Qiao Jiu replied as she headed for the door. "I told him when I got back earlier. He knows."

She went downstairs and out of the complex; Liang Xiucheng’s car was parked by the roadside.

He leaned against the car door, a cigarette between his lips, though unlit.

Qiao Jiu walked over, and he gave her a once-over.

She wore makeup today, so the injuries on her face were not obvious.

He seemed to sigh with relief, opened the car door, and said, "Let’s go."

...

Lu Fengzhou returned home at noon. When he opened the door, only the housekeeper was there.

He paused. "She’s gone?"

The housekeeper hurried to answer, "She left this morning."

Lu Fengzhou nodded, saying nothing more.

The housekeeper had already prepared lunch and quickly went into the kitchen to bring it out, but when she returned, Lu Fengzhou was no longer in the living room.

She hesitated, then went to his room and knocked, "Sir?"

Sure enough, Lu Fengzhou was inside, his voice low, "Don’t mind me."

The housekeeper had intended to call him out for lunch, but hearing this, she swallowed her words.

Lu Fengzhou stayed in his room for over half an hour. When he emerged, his demeanor was as indifferent as ever, and he left immediately.

The housekeeper got up and went to his room. As soon as she opened the door, the smell of smoke was overpowering.

The curtains were still drawn, so she quickly went to open them; several cigarette butts were pressed out on the windowsill.

She sighed. She knew something about Lu Fengzhou and Qiao Jiu’s situation.

Yet the stories of wealthy families always twisted and turned; she couldn’t understand them. She simply wondered how the two had come to this—neither friends nor foes, neither close nor estranged.

Returning to the company before office hours, Lu Fengzhou glanced at the pile of documents before him, but couldn’t focus.

After hesitating for a while, he made a call, instructing someone to look into Qiao Jiu’s whereabouts.

It wasn't a difficult task; within half an hour, his subordinate reported back.

They not only found out where Qiao Jiu was staying, but also who owned the apartment.

Lu Fengzhou hung up, dropped his phone onto the desk with a sharp clack.

Well... so be it.

He spent the afternoon busy at work. When evening came and he left for home, he paused as he started the car.

He hesitated only a few seconds before taking out his phone and calling Qiao Jiu.

She answered quickly, her voice calm and cool, "What is it?"

Lu Fengzhou said, "Do you want to go see Zhao Shuo?"

Qiao Jiu was silent for a few seconds, just as he expected, then replied, "Alright."

Lu Fengzhou drove to wait for her outside her new apartment complex. It wasn’t long before she appeared.

She had changed clothes, her hair was tied up, and she wore makeup, though if one looked closely, half her face was still not quite right.

Her composure had returned, as if she were no longer the frightened, evasive girl of a few days ago.

She got in, buckled her seatbelt, and said, "Let’s go."

But Lu Fengzhou didn’t start the car right away. Instead, he asked, "Liang Xiucheng found your place for you?"

Qiao Jiu lifted her gaze to him, "Yes."

Lu Fengzhou looked away. "He’s quite good to you."

Qiao Jiu smiled, as if she hadn’t noticed the odd note in his voice, "He is. He’s a good person."

Lu Fengzhou pressed his lips together, then floored the accelerator.

Zhao Shuo was being held in a warehouse on the outskirts, guarded by men.

Inside, goods were piled up, with Zhao Shuo hidden behind them.

Qiao Jiu knew Zhao Shuo’s situation might be bad, but seeing him covered in blood, his face unrecognizable, startled her.

She instinctively stepped back, and with Lu Fengzhou behind her, she pressed against his chest.

Lu Fengzhou raised a hand to her shoulder, "He’s not dead."

Zhao Shuo grunted, apparently hearing them, and lifted his head.

He stared at Qiao Jiu for a moment, then turned to Lu Fengzhou, and, realizing words were useless, hardened his attitude. He sneered, then said, "Lu Fengzhou, you're quite amusing. You took her family's fortune, dragged her from the clouds into the mud, and now you stand here protecting her."

He chuckled twice more, "If you hadn’t put her in this state, do you think I’d dare do something like this?"

He looked at Qiao Jiu again, regret tinging his voice, "So close. I was so close to tasting her."

Lu Fengzhou responded with a swift kick, sending Zhao Shuo, seated on a wooden chair, tumbling backward.

Even then, Zhao Shuo didn’t yield; he laughed heartily, "Why are you so furious? Did I say anything untrue?"

After a couple of seconds, he added, "She’s come to this because of you. If she were still Miss Qiao, no one would dare lay a finger on her. You delivered her right into our hands."

He coughed twice, spat a mouthful of blood, and said, "Lu Fengzhou, I’ll tell you the truth: there are plenty of people out there eyeing her. That day, she was dressed to the nines, attracting who knows how many."

His tone grew heavier. "You even issued a ban on her back then. Everyone knows you want her dead. There are countless people wanting to curry favor with you, and with no other way in, she became the breakthrough. So tell me, if something really happened to her, whose fault would it be?"