Chapter 116: The Money Tree

Jiang Qingchen stood beside Qiao Jiu and immediately recognized the name displayed on the phone screen. He withdrew his gaze without any reaction.

Qiao Jiu hesitated for a moment before answering the call. "What's up?"

Lu Fengzhou said, "You're not at home."

Qiao Jiu paused, a light laugh in her tone. "Did you come to my place?"

Lu Fengzhou asked, "Where are you?"

Qiao Jiu glanced around. They hadn't gone far after leaving Guan Wei Bar. She said, "Near Guan Wei Bar."

Without a word, Lu Fengzhou hung up.

Having already reported their location to Lu Fengzhou, they couldn’t stray too far. Qiao Jiu and Jiang Qingchen stopped at a nearby bus stop.

At this hour, the buses had stopped running. Jiang Qingchen slipped his hands into his pockets. "Mr. Lu?"

Qiao Jiu exhaled softly. "Yes, it’s him."

Jiang Qingchen waited a moment, then chuckled lightly. "Although I don’t really know why you and Mr. Lu divorced, I’ve heard some rumors. I thought you two had completely severed ties, but now it seems those rumors might not be entirely true."

Qiao Jiu turned to look at him. "The rumors are true."

She crossed her arms and leaned against one of the bus stop's pillars. "There are just some things better left unsaid. Let’s just wait and see."

She didn’t elaborate further, nor could she.

Jiang Qingchen nodded, knowing when to advance and when to retreat, and didn’t press further.

After standing for a while, the two began walking back. Suddenly, Qiao Jiu thought of something and asked, "By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask—are you related to the Jiang family from the east side of the city?"

Jiang Qingchen hesitated, a bit puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

Qiao Jiu smiled. "You just look quite a lot like the young master of the Jiang family."

She had met the young master before—a loafer much like herself, differing only in gender but similar in reputation: someone people rarely spoke well of.

She had always thought Jiang Qingchen’s face was familiar, and only when recalling that scoundrel from the Jiang family did she realize why—they shared many similar features.

Jiang Qingchen smiled. "No relation. The Jiang family is such a prestigious household; if I were connected to them, I wouldn’t be working as a bartender in a bar. They’d be giving me enough to live in luxury with just a little support."

Qiao Jiu nodded. "That makes sense."

They arrived at the bar’s entrance where Jiang Qingchen’s car was parked. Lu Fengzhou hadn’t arrived yet, and Qiao Jiu assumed he would get in and leave directly.

But he didn’t leave. Instead, he stood aside and asked Qiao Jiu, "Are you familiar with the Jiang family?"

Qiao Jiu shook her head. "Not really. When my father was alive, he had some business dealings with the Jiang family, but since he passed, the company has nothing to do with me. I haven’t seen anyone from the Jiang family since."

She clicked her tongue and lowered her voice mischievously, "The Jiang family in the east side caused quite a scandal years ago. They used to be flashy, but after that, they kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public."

Jiang Qingchen responded with a thoughtful "Oh."

As they spoke, Lu Fengzhou’s car suddenly sped over, screeching to a sharp halt nearby.

Qiao Jiu turned her head and saw Lu Fengzhou lowering his window. His gaze wasn’t on her but fixed on Jiang Qingchen.

Jiang Qingchen glanced at Lu Fengzhou and, speaking to Qiao Jiu, said, "Alright, I’ll be going now. Let’s chat when we have time."

Qiao Jiu waved him off. "Be safe on the road."

After Jiang Qingchen left, Qiao Jiu stood hesitating—should she get into Lu Fengzhou’s car or confront him and force him out first?

Before she could decide, a noisy group suddenly poured out of the bar behind her, muttering curses under their breath.

Startled, Qiao Jiu turned to look. The men in front of her were vaguely familiar. They were the same crowd who had come for the male escort auditions earlier. The escorts were followed by several bouncers, clearly being kicked out.

Qiao Jiu blinked and burst into laughter. It seemed Liang Xiu Jin had someone throw them out.

Whether by order or personal disdain, the bouncers treated the group harshly, pushing them out while grumbling about their lack of ambition, how they shamelessly sold themselves for money.

At first, the men held their tongues, but one couldn’t help but retort. Seeing this, others joined in, shouting back insults.

Qiao Jiu loved watching such scenes and stepped closer to get a better look.

But before she could take more steps, a hand reached out, grabbing her collar and pulling her back. "Are you here to help with the auditions?"

Qiao Jiu turned to find Lu Fengzhou behind her, having gotten out of the car unnoticed.

He must have overheard the quarrel between the male escorts and the bouncers. His expression wasn’t overly harsh; in fact, there was a faint smile.

But Qiao Jiu knew him well—when he was furious, this was exactly how he looked.

She chuckled, "Auditions? No, no. I have poor judgment, and almost everyone in Yun City knows this by now. Do you really think Guan Wei would let me help pick out men?"

Lu Fengzhou could clearly hear the sarcasm in her voice but said nothing else, releasing her collar. "Is Liang Xiu Jin upstairs?"

"Of course," Qiao Jiu smiled. "That money-hungry Guan Wei wouldn’t dare kick out her cash cow."

Some of the men looked pretty decent—types favored by wealthy women. With proper training, they could be as reliable as Ru Yue on stage.

The commotion at the entrance grew louder, and more security personnel were called in. The bar had plenty of security, and soon a group arrived; they were far from friendly.

The male escorts appeared intimidated. The situation had escalated, and they felt embarrassed. So, after some more cursing, they each left quietly.

Qiao Jiu was slightly disappointed. "They just yelled face-to-face but didn’t throw a punch. These guys have no guts at all."

Lu Fengzhou exhaled sharply through his nose but said nothing.

Once the men had all left, Qiao Jiu hurried into the bar, eager to see what was happening upstairs.

In the elevator, she realized Lu Fengzhou had followed her. She said nothing, simply pressed the button for the upper floor.

As the elevator doors opened, Guan Wei stormed toward them, furious. Liang Xiu Jin trailed behind, wearing a scowl.

Qiao Jiu was about to step out but stopped herself. "What’s going on here? Looks like your cash cow just got slaughtered."

Guan Wei’s eyes were red; it was unclear whether she was upset over a personal dispute with Liang Xiu Jin or merely heartbroken at the loss of money.

Liang Xiu Jin saw Lu Fengzhou and, despite his sour expression, greeted him, "Mr. Lu."

Lu Fengzhou nodded in acknowledgment.

The elevator descended, and as the doors opened, Guan Wei stomped out without looking back, but not before saying to Qiao Jiu, "I’m in a bad mood tonight, so don’t expect a warm welcome."

Qiao Jiu called out softly, but Guan Wei had already disappeared into the distance.