Chapter 137: Good Fun

"Is it fun?"
"Honestly, it is quite fun."
Qiao Jiu reached up to wrap her arms around Lu Fengzhou's neck, her voice honey-sweet. "Are you angry? Why?"
She wore a look of complete innocence, her eyes shimmering with moisture.
Lu Fengzhou gritted his teeth. Not in the mood for a single word, he lowered his head and kissed her.
He wasn't afraid, and neither was Qiao Jiu. They tangled together inside the car; Lu Fengzhou had shed his suit jacket and undone his shirt buttons, while Qiao Jiu was left in nothing but her lingerie.
In the end, it was Lu Fengzhou who regained his composure first, pulling back while still hovering over her.
Qiao Jiu hooked her legs around his waist and rubbed against him slowly. "I thought you were bolder than this."
Lu Fengzhou caught his breath, sat up, and picked up the suit jacket tossed to the side, draping it over Qiao Jiu.
Qiao Jiu rose as well, brushing back her hair. "How long have you been here? Why didn't you call me?"
Lu Fengzhou rolled down the car window. A cool breeze blew in, dissipating the intimate atmosphere that had filled the vehicle.
"I saw you were having a good time," he said.
He likely didn't know how many people were at Guan Wei’s bar tonight, and Qiao Jiu let him continue to misunderstand. "I was having a good time, but if you had told me you were coming, I wouldn't have kept you waiting here. I would have told you to go back first."
Lu Fengzhou frowned, turning to look at her.
Qiao Jiu met his gaze for a moment, then suddenly laughed. She reached out to hook her arm through his, pressing her body against him. "I'm lying. Of course I would have rushed back."
Her words were a mix of truth and lies; it was impossible to tell which was which.
Lu Fengzhou opened the door, stepped out, climbed into the driver's seat, and drove the car into the residential complex's underground parking garage.
After parking, Qiao Jiu got out, already fully dressed. She handed him his suit jacket. "I'm home. Thank you."
Lu Fengzhou didn't take it.
After a few seconds, Qiao Jiu hugged the jacket to her chest and grinned. "Just kidding. Come on, let's go up."
Lu Fengzhou averted his gaze and headed toward the elevator, his brow furrowing deeper with every step.
Once inside the apartment, Qiao Jiu went to change her clothes. When she returned, she said, "I'll just boil some hot water for you. Don't drink tea this late at night."
Lu Fengzhou stood in the living room. "What did you talk about with the Liang couple today?"
Qiao Jiu went into the kitchen, raising her voice. "We talked about a lot. A-Cheng hasn't had any luck with his blind dates, and his mother is quite anxious. She wanted to know why."
She laughed at this. "I couldn't exactly tell her that it was me sabotaging him. I tagged along on his date with that girl; no woman could stand that kind of slight. She backed out the moment she got home and refused to go any further."
Lu Fengzhou turned and walked to the kitchen doorway, watching as Qiao Jiu smiled. "So when Mrs. Liang asked me today, I felt terribly guilty. I didn't dare say a word, so I just kept eating."
She looked up at him. "Did you drink tonight? Do you want me to make you some honey water?"
Lu Fengzhou didn't answer, so Qiao Jiu walked over and leaned in to sniff him. "I can't tell if the smell of alcohol is on you or me. Never mind, I'll make you a cup anyway."
Her behavior made Lu Fengzhou’s brow furrow even more; he couldn't quite put his finger on the stifled feeling in his chest.
The water boiled quickly. She mixed in some cold water and stirred up a cup of honey water.
Qiao Jiu had one for herself and brought another to Lu Fengzhou.
Lu Fengzhou hadn't been drinking, but he took it anyway. He turned, sat on the sofa, and set the cup down.
The water wasn't hot. Qiao Jiu downed half her cup in one go and let out a small burp. "I've got a stomach full of alcohol; it’s finally comfortable to have something warm."
She looked at Lu Fengzhou. "Why aren't you drinking yours?"
Lu Fengzhou didn't look at her, only saying, "I'm thinking about what to do."
His words were cryptic, but Qiao Jiu didn't dwell on them or ask for an explanation. She walked over, sat beside him, and set her cup down. "What’s going on with Ding Mei?"
Lu Fengzhou was startled. "What about her? Did she contact you?"
"Not exactly," Qiao Jiu said. "She sent me a strange message. I suspect something happened to her."
Lu Fengzhou leaned back. "She resigned."
"Resigned?" Qiao Jiu was quite surprised. "Why? Doesn't she like you? She's willing to just quit?"
Seeing Lu Fengzhou staring at her without speaking, she understood what he meant and smiled. "Is it hard to guess? Her feelings for you are written all over her eyes. Besides, if she weren't interested in you, why would she be jumping around trying to defend you in front of me?"
She gave a mocking scoff. "She really has no sense of perspective. She can see you don't care for her, yet she’s still so eager to jump out and prove her loyalty. She’s an even bigger sycophant than I used to be, and at least I managed to get my hands on you."
Lu Fengzhou didn't like hearing her speak with such self-deprecation. "Her resignation was effectively forced by me. I’ve blacklisted her in the industry. Even if she doesn't change cities, she should know to stay out of our way from now on."
Qiao Jiu curled her lip. "Are you addicted to blacklisting people?"
Lu Fengzhou turned his head away, pressing his lips together in silence.
Qiao Jiu waited a moment before inching closer to him, leaning against his shoulder. "But with her gone, will it affect your company? She was there when my father was around and managed to reach the position of department manager; she must be quite capable."
Ding Mei was indeed capable. She was very clever, and while not classically beautiful, she possessed a certain charm that appealed to mature men.
In the past, during business dinners, she could charm men with ease. It could be said that without Ding Mei, many negotiations would have still been finalized, but they would have taken much longer.
"She is capable," Lu Fengzhou said, "but the company wouldn't fall apart without her. She doesn't hold that much influence."
Qiao Jiu rubbed against his arm. "That’s a relief. I never liked her anyway; it’s better that she’s gone."
She took Lu Fengzhou’s hand and interlaced her fingers with his.
They sat in silence for a while until Qiao Jiu began to yawn. "It’s getting late. When are you heading back?"
Lu Fengzhou squeezed her fingers, then pulled his hand away and stood up. Without a word, he walked toward the door.
Qiao Jiu acted as if she hadn't noticed a thing. She saw him to the elevator, still smiling and waving, and waited until the doors closed before stretching and heading back inside.
It wasn't that she couldn't see he was in a bad mood; she saw it clearly and took pleasure in it.
She quite liked this feeling. In the past, she had always been the one under his thumb, her every emotion tied to him.
Finally, there was a sense of having vented her frustrations. While she couldn't make him taste every bit of the grievance she had suffered, seeing him frustrated and unable to speak his mind was enough to make her happy.
...
The next morning, as soon as Qiao Jiu stepped out of the complex, she saw Lu Fengzhou’s car.
She paused for a moment before walking over quickly. "You didn't stay out all night, did you?"
The window was half-open. Lu Fengzhou sat with a cigarette between his fingers, resting on the sill. He glanced at her.
He had changed his clothes. Qiao Jiu smiled brightly and changed her tune. "Coming over so early in the morning? Are you here to drive me to work?"
Lu Fengzhou stubbed out his cigarette. "Liu Changyong is back. He’ll probably ask you to dinner today."