Chapter 57 Jiang Qingchen

The man seemed to realize that Qiao Jiu had spotted him. He made a show of holding up his phone, snapping photos elsewhere, then quickly turned and left.

Qiao Jiu reflexively stood up, just as the bartender finished mixing a cocktail and pushed it toward her. “Try it,” he said.

She glanced at him. “Wait a moment.”

But when she turned back, in just that brief distraction, the man had vanished.

The bartender noticed nothing. “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Jiu hesitated, then sat down again. “Nothing, perhaps I was mistaken.”

Given the current situation, even if someone really was stalking and photographing her, it was probably orchestrated by Lu Fengzhou.

That man simply couldn’t stand that she had found a new path, so his agitation was understandable.

Having reasoned it out, she let it go. She picked up the cocktail and took a sip.

It was sweet and tart, with a hint of alcohol. She made a small sound of approval. “Not bad, suits my taste.”

The bartender smiled. “As long as you like it.”

Just as he finished speaking, a waiter approached, glancing at Qiao Jiu. “Why aren’t you drinking at your usual table tonight? Free enough to wander over here?”

He was the one who had served her and Liang Xiucheng last time. His tone was anything but friendly, laced with sarcasm.

Qiao Jiu glanced at him but said nothing.

The bartender’s expression turned stern. “Ah Sheng.”

The waiter plopped down onto a nearby high stool, looking at Qiao Jiu. “That guy last time—was he your boyfriend? Looked like you two had a pretty close relationship.”

Qiao Jiu replied, “I wish he were, but the truth is I’m not good enough for him.”

Her words softened the waiter’s attitude slightly. “I thought he was your boyfriend. He seemed pretty wealthy. If he really is, but still lets you work in the kitchen here, you’d better kick him to the curb.”

More customers were arriving outside. A woman came and sat on a high stool, looking at the bartender. “Handsome, do you remember me?”

Qiao Jiu thought for a moment, then downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and pushed the glass toward him. “Looks like you’ll be busy. I’ll take my leave.”

The bartender nodded. “Alright, go get to work.”

As she left, the waiter followed, and the two headed toward the main hall together.

Unable to resist, Qiao Jiu stepped closer to the waiter. “Are you close with him?”

The waiter replied, “You mean Brother Chen? We’ve known each other for years, even before he came here. I was the one who introduced him.”

Qiao Jiu nodded. “He’s good at mixing drinks, pretty handsome too.”

The waiter glanced at her, then suddenly asked, “Do you have his contact information?”

“No,” Qiao Jiu said.

The waiter furrowed his brows, cursing under his breath, though it was unclear at whom. “Useless, really.”

He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her. “This is Brother Chen’s card. His contact info’s on it. The WeChat number is the same. You two are friends now, you ought to have a way to reach him.”

Qiao Jiu took the card and read the name: Jiang Qingchen. She frowned slightly; it felt oddly familiar.

She tucked the card into her pocket. “Thanks.”

The waiter grinned. “Just remember to buy me dinner someday.”

All that for a business card—his appetite was impressive.

Qiao Jiu, as usual, slipped back into the kitchen to steal a moment’s rest. Not long after, another waiter appeared, saying Guan Wei had arrived and was waiting in a private room upstairs, wanting to see her.

She agreed and leisurely wandered upstairs.

Guan Wei was indeed in the private room, not alone, but with Liang Xiujin.

When Qiao Jiu opened the door, she saw Guan Wei sitting in Liang Xiujin’s lap, arms around his neck, their lips nearly touching as they whispered to each other.

She cleared her throat. “If this isn’t a good time, I can come back later.”

Guan Wei, surprisingly shy for once, quickly disentangled herself from Liang Xiujin’s arms. “No, it’s fine, really.”

Qiao Jiu walked over. Once seated, Liang Xiujin spoke first, asking when she would start her new job.

Guan Wei immediately chimed in, “Acheng is reporting in these days too. You two should go together. I’ll let him know, so you’ll have someone to rely on there. If anyone bullies you, just go to Acheng and he’ll stand up for you.”

Qiao Jiu smiled. “I doubt it’ll be necessary.”

Her nature meant she never relied on others for support, before or after marriage, or even after divorce. She handled things herself.

Liang Xiujin said, “There’s nothing important keeping you here. You can leave anytime. Give me a definite date and I’ll arrange for someone in the department to guide you.”

Qiao Jiu considered. “The day after tomorrow, then. I’ll take tomorrow off, and the following day I’ll report in.”

“Perfect,” Guan Wei answered for Liang Xiujin. “The day after tomorrow, I’ll let Acheng know.”

She was all action, immediately pulling out her phone to message Liang Xiucheng.

After a pause, Qiao Jiu suddenly said, “Can you help me check the surveillance footage in the main hall later? I need to look into someone.”

Guan Wei, phone in hand, was surprised. “What happened?”

Qiao Jiu couldn’t quite explain. “Let me check first, then I’ll tell you.”

They discussed her new job a bit more, and once everything was settled, Guan Wei led Qiao Jiu to review the surveillance footage.

The time and location were easy to pinpoint; soon enough, they found the person Qiao Jiu was searching for.

Guan Wei stared at the screen for a few seconds, quickly seeing the issue. “He was filming you.”

Qiao Jiu exhaled slowly. “Seems so.”

After being caught, the man left. His car was parked outside, and the camera captured his license plate.

Guan Wei reacted just as Qiao Jiu had. “He must be sent by Lu Fengzhou, right? He just can’t stand your life isn’t miserable. That man is truly rotten.”

Qiao Jiu hesitated, then pulled out her phone.

Lu Fengzhou’s number was still on her blacklist; she removed it and sent him a message.

He was probably busy and didn’t reply right away.

Guan Wei waited, impatient. “Call him. Ask what he wants. He should know when to quit. Does he really think you’re afraid of him?”

Qiao Jiu glanced at Guan Wei. She was fierce behind his back, but always timid when facing Lu Fengzhou.

She thought for a moment. “Forget it. Nothing substantial has happened anyway.”

Guan Wei wasn’t satisfied. She snatched Qiao Jiu’s phone, which still displayed the message to Lu Fengzhou, and dialed his number.

Despite her bravado, she immediately handed the phone back to Qiao Jiu, wide-eyed. “Ask him what he’s up to!”

Qiao Jiu looked at her, exasperated. “If you’re going to put on a show, at least see it through to the end.”