Chapter 122: How to Make Amends

Whatever else could be said about the place Liang Xiucheng arranged for Qiao Jiu, the security was undoubtedly impeccable.

Qiao Jiu sat up in bed, blinking. Her immediate reaction was that Liang Xiucheng had arrived, as he was the only one who knew the door code. She climbed out of bed and hurried to the door, pulling it open with a forceful motion.

The man standing in the living room paused, turning to look at her. "You're awake."

Seeing who it was, Qiao Jiu was startled instead. "How did you get in?" she demanded, her voice a bit too loud.

Lu Fengzhou placed the takeout he had brought onto a plate. "I opened the door and walked in."

Qiao Jiu strode over to the entryway and examined the door panel. "You know the code?"

"I caught a glimpse of it when you opened the door before," Lu Fengzhou said, his tone utterly casual. "Since you’re awake, go wash your face and come eat."

Qiao Jiu glared at him. "How underhanded of you, secretly memorizing the code. Just you wait, I’m changing it later."

Lu Fengzhou didn't seem bothered. "It’s not like you wouldn't let me in if I knocked anyway. Do as you please." He went back to fetch the bowls and chopsticks. "Hurry up, it’s still hot."

Qiao Jiu hummed, acting a bit petulant. "Next time I won't open the door for you, then what will you do?" She turned and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

Lu Fengzhou set the table and walked over, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching her.

As she wiped her face, Qiao Jiu asked, "Is everything handled?"

"Yes," Lu Fengzhou replied.

Qiao Jiu teased, "That’s a surprise. You were always so busy before that you never made it home on time. Why is it that you don't have any evening social engagements now?" Her tone carried a hint of a smile, not a complaint.

Lu Fengzhou exhaled, offering no reply.

Once Qiao Jiu finished washing, they sat down at the dining table. She scanned the food; it was all things she liked. Though she harbored intentions of finding his weakness, she couldn't quite wrap her head at his current behavior. In the past, when she had lost herself and her dignity fawning over him, he had treated her with cold indifference. Now that she occasionally played up her temperament or threw a small fit, his attitude toward her had actually softened. She had no idea what he was playing at.

They ate in silence. Qiao Jiu took the dishes to the kitchen, and upon returning, she saw Lu Fengzhou sitting on the sofa, the television already on. She stopped in her tracks. She couldn't help but make comparisons.

The better Lu Fengzhou treated her now, the more easily she recalled the grievances she had suffered in the past.

Lu Fengzhou looked over and reached out a hand toward her. "Come here."

Qiao Jiu walked over. As she reached him, Lu Fengzhou gripped her wrist, pulled her down beside him with a slight tug, and tucked her into his arms. He leaned in, his chin brushing against her forehead. "What are you thinking about?"

Qiao Jiu wrapped her arms around his waist. "I’m thinking that you’ve changed quite a lot."

Lu Fengzhou paused, letting out what sounded like a sigh. His voice was faint. "We’ll be good from now on. I will make it up to you."

*Make it up to me?* How? Qiao Jiu almost laughed. Did he not realize that some wounds could never be mended? The tactic of hitting someone and then offering a sugar-coated bribe wouldn't even fool a child. Still, she gave a soft "mm" and leaned fully into his embrace.

They stayed huddled together until the sky turned completely dark. Perhaps Lu Fengzhou felt a sense of friction, knowing this was Liang Xiucheng’s property, for he eventually left.

Qiao Jiu walked him to the door and then blocked the lock with her body, truly changing the code right then and there.

Lu Fengzhou chuckled and flicked the back of her head. "Petty."

After changing the code, Qiao Jiu walked with him to the elevator. "Don't come over next time," she joked. "I really won't open the door."

Lu Fengzhou turned to look at her. Qiao Jiu was wearing her pajamas, looking delicate and charming. It seemed as though he had never looked at her this carefully before. In truth, Qiao Jiu was quite pretty; it was just her difficult personality that kept people at a distance. Or perhaps not—Zhao Shuo had mentioned recently that there were quite a few people out there who had their eyes on her.

Seeing that Lu Fengzhou was silent, she glanced at him with a mix of haughtiness and triumph. Lu Fengzhou couldn't help but smile. As the elevator arrived, he patted the top of her head and stepped inside.

Qiao Jiu waved at him from the outside, and Lu Fengzhou nodded. As the elevator doors slowly closed and began to descend, the smile on Qiao Jiu's face vanished instantly. She turned back to her apartment with an indifferent expression. Inside the elevator, Lu Fengzhou, who had just been so tender, also lost his smile. He shoved his hands into his pockets, stared at the electronic screen, and let out a soft breath.

...

As Qiao Jiu entered, she heard her phone ringing on the coffee table and hurried over. It was Guan Wei. The moment she answered, she heard the laughter in her friend's voice. "Qiao Jiu, do you want to come to the bar and grab a drink?"

Qiao Jiu sat on the sofa. "Did you win the lottery? You're so happy."

"I didn't win the lottery," Guan Wei said. "Even if I did, it wouldn't make me this happy—it's not like I'm short on cash." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Actually, it’s nothing major. I just had a heart-to-heart with A-Jin last time, and we made up."

"You made up?" Qiao Jiu paused. It was expected. She could see that Guan Wei’s feelings for Liang Xiujin were far from ordinary; it wasn't easy for her to just let go. It was just like her own past with Lu Fengzhou—back when he treated her like she was nothing, she had still kept fawning over him. No matter how formidable a person was, once they fell into the trap of love, they lost their footing and their principles.

Qiao Jiu headed toward the bedroom. "Is Mr. Liang with you? If he is, I won't come over and play the third wheel."

"He's not. It's just the two of us," Guan Wei said. "I wanted to have a heart-to-heart with you."

Qiao Jiu understood. She assumed Guan Wei was still feeling a bit unsettled and wanted to vent. "Alright," she said. "I'm heading out now. Wait for me."

After hanging up, she quickly changed and hailed a cab to the bar. When she arrived, Guan Wei was alone in the private room, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, likely texting Liang Xiujin, a saccharine smile on her face.

Qiao Jiu walked over and peeked at the phone screen. Guan Wei was startled and quickly covered the phone against her chest.

Qiao Jiu sat down beside her. "Did you make up the night he chased away all those male escorts? He drove off a group of them and then 'compensated' you himself?"

Guan Wei cupped her face in her hands. "That day, he took me to his place, and we happened to run into Xu Yi." At the mention of Xu Yi, Guan Wei’s expression grew complex. "How does she have the nerve? After what she did, if I were her, and things didn't work out with that man later, I wouldn't even stay in Yun City. It's too humiliating. How does she still have the face to come back and look for A-Jin?"

Qiao Jiu thought for a moment. "If Xu Yi is back to pestering Mr. Liang, the Xu family must know. Since we haven't seen them step in to stop her, it just goes to show that Xu Yi’s shamelessness is hereditary. The whole lot of them must be like that."

Just as she finished speaking, Guan Wei’s phone rang. Qiao Jiu glanced at it—it was Liang Xiujin.