Chapter 55 Boarding

For several days, Qiao Jiu hadn’t seen Lu Fengzhou, but she could more or less guess what was occupying him.

Over these past days, Song Wan’s reputation had been completely turned around, with several respected veterans in the industry stepping forward to speak on her behalf. Since her acting skills weren’t up to par, people simply avoided discussing her talent and instead praised her professionalism, her willingness to endure hardship, and her impeccable manners. When capitalists spoke out, they could still be mocked, but now that those standing up for her were highly esteemed elders of the entertainment world, public skepticism gradually faded away.

It was clear just how many connections Lu Fengzhou had managed to smooth over during this time.

Qiao Jiu set her phone aside, crossed her legs on the sofa, and watched a youth idol drama playing on TV—the very one starring Song Wan. The show was quite popular, with a trending young actor as the male lead; half of the buzz was thanks to his popularity, the other half probably due to Lu Fengzhou’s investment.

To be honest, with Song Wan’s dithering personality, she was perfectly suited to play the long-suffering, downtrodden female lead.

After watching for a while, Qiao Jiu’s phone rang from where she’d left it. She picked it up—an unfamiliar number.

“Hello, who’s this?” she answered.

“Miss Qiao, it’s me.” The voice on the other end was deep.

Qiao Jiu was a bit surprised. “Mr. Liang.”

It was Liang Xiujin.

Liang Xiujin gave a brief hum of acknowledgment. “Are you busy right now, Miss Qiao? Would you be free to meet?”

From his tone, Qiao Jiu could pretty much guess the reason. “I’m not busy.”

Liang Xiujin gave her an address, setting the meeting place.

Qiao Jiu hung up, changed into another outfit, and didn’t rush—she strolled downstairs and took a cab to the address he’d given.

At the café outside Liang’s company, Liang Xiujin was already there when Qiao Jiu arrived. He sat by the window; before she even entered, the two of them spotted each other through the glass.

Liang Xiujin was the steady, calm type—honestly, he and Guan Wei made a rather fitting pair.

Qiao Jiu entered. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all.” Liang Xiujin gestured for her to sit and called over the server.

Qiao Jiu ordered a coffee. When the server left, Liang Xiujin spoke first. “I’ve been meaning to meet with you earlier, but the past couple of days have been so hectic that I only just found a moment of free time today.”

Qiao Jiu got straight to the point. “You want to talk about whether I’ll be joining your company, right?”

Liang Xiujin smiled. “No need to worry, Miss Qiao. I’m not here to stop you—in fact, I’d be glad to have you.”

His words surprised Qiao Jiu. “Did your negotiations with Lu Fengzhou fall through?”

Liang Xiujin chuckled. “No, the contract is already signed.”

He could guess what Qiao Jiu was thinking and explained directly, “I brought up your situation with Mr. Lu. He had no objections. He said that since you two are divorced, there are no more ties between you. Wherever you choose to work or whatever life you lead is none of his concern.”

Qiao Jiu blinked, unable to hide her surprise.

Liang Xiujin went on, “I’d heard a bit about your relationship from Wei, and I thought he’d be reluctant. But clearly, he doesn’t care. Seems we’ve all misunderstood.”

Truthfully, whatever Lu Fengzhou’s attitude, it wouldn’t have affected Qiao Jiu’s decision. She thought for a moment. “I only know how to drink—don’t have any other skills.”

Liang Xiujin nodded. “My mother told me as much.”

He gave her a proper once-over. “You hold your liquor well, Miss Qiao. If you don’t mind, how about starting in the PR department? If you’re not satisfied, I can arrange a transfer.”

Qiao Jiu more or less knew what PR entailed. She considered it and said, “That works.”

Liang Xiujin visibly relaxed. “I can finally give my mother an answer.”

They weren’t close, and with business concluded, their meeting soon ended.

Leaving the café, Qiao Jiu felt an urge to laugh. Her own family used to run a company, and her father once asked if she wanted to take an easy position there, just for appearances. She refused. Now, she was about to become an ordinary employee at someone else’s company—quite an amusing thought.

Standing by the roadside for a while, she’d meant to hail a cab home, but when she turned her head, she spotted the nearby mall.

It was the change of seasons, and the mall was having sales. She hadn’t bought any clothes in a long time. Back when she spent money like water, her closet was filled with outfits whose tags were never even removed—she’d simply hand them off to the family’s housekeeper when she lost interest.

Now, she couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful. Why hadn’t she saved a little nest egg outside, so that after being kicked out, at least her life would be secured?

After a moment’s hesitation, she changed direction and headed for the mall.

She’d been here often in the past and knew exactly which floor specialized in what, so she went straight up the escalator.

After a round on the women’s floor, she bought two sets of clothes. She didn’t need much; that was enough.

Times had changed, after all.

Coming out of the store, Qiao Jiu headed for the elevator. As soon as she reached it, she suddenly spotted a familiar face.

She had no idea what Lu Fengzhou was doing here at this hour.

He was accompanied by his assistant, the two of them deep in conversation, both wearing somewhat serious expressions.

Time seemed to favor men—to Qiao Jiu, looking from a distance, Lu Fengzhou seemed almost unchanged from before their marriage. She, on the other hand, had clearly aged.

In the midst of speaking, Lu Fengzhou looked up and saw Qiao Jiu. It was impossible to tell if he was surprised. His gaze remained cool as he looked away and continued his conversation with the assistant.

Qiao Jiu didn’t think much of it and stepped onto the elevator to go down.

She wandered around the first floor without buying anything, and finally left the mall with her purchases in hand.

There was heavy traffic outside the mall, so getting a cab wasn’t easy.

Qiao Jiu waited for quite a while but didn’t see a single taxi.

Left with no choice, she glanced at the things in her hand—there weren’t many, she could walk a bit.

So she turned toward a side street. She hadn’t gone far when a car pulled up beside her, its horn giving a sharp honk.

Startled, Qiao Jiu took two steps back, eyes wide as she turned to look.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing Lu Fengzhou’s indifferent profile.

He didn’t look at her, but spoke. “Get in.”

Qiao Jiu frowned and refused. “No need, I can catch a cab at the next corner.”

Lu Fengzhou said, “Hurry up, you can’t park here.”

A long line of cars was already backed up behind him, but the drivers were surprisingly patient; no one honked yet.

Qiao Jiu insisted, “Go on, I can get a taxi. I don’t need your help.”

At her words, Lu Fengzhou simply stopped the car with a screech and turned to her. “Are you getting in or not?”

That did it—the drivers behind began to lose patience, their horns blaring one after another.

One especially frustrated driver stuck his head out and shouted at the top of his lungs, “What’s going on up there? Why are we stopped? Are we moving or not? We’re blocked all the way back!”