Qiao Jin arranged the flowers and showed them to Lu Pingzhang: “Do they look nice?” “ Qiao Jin looked at the vase, searching for the right spot, and finally placed it on the dining table, ”A good mood makes the food taste better.”
Lu Pingzhang sat beside him and read along. After he turned the page, he said, “You’re very busy.”
“A little,” Qiao Jin didn’t look up, “I don’t need to report today’s schedule to you, do I? The people you sent have been following me and even taking secret photos of me.”
As he spoke, he naturally turned the page, his eyes following the text, as if he had anticipated the question and had been waiting for him to speak.
“Bodyguards,” Lu Pingzhang emphasized, “Having bodyguards follow you makes me feel more at ease.”
Qiao Jin opened his mouth but didn’t let him withdraw them. Lu Pingzhang never did anything without a reason; there was always a logic behind his actions. Besides, he was willing to give Lu Pingzhang this sense of security.
Lu Pingzhang was left feeling a bit uncertain by his hesitation: “You eat with friends, and you go to the gym with friends—different friends. You’ve never picked out clothes for me, and you don’t often go out to eat with me.”
Qiao Jin turned his head and looked at him: “Your clothes are all suits and coats, and there are people specifically assigned to pick them out for you. What’s there for me to choose?”
He pressed down on one page of the book to prevent it from flipping back to its original position and patiently explained to him: “You talk about contracts during meals, so I’m not really suitable to attend.”
“You’re certainly suitable to attend. You’re now a major shareholder of the company.” Lu Pingzhang was dissatisfied with this answer: “Besides outerwear, you can choose what to wear underneath, even underwear.”
“I’ve bought them for you before.” Qiao Jin said.
Lu Pingzhang tasted the sweetness of change.
It seemed that as long as he loosened his grip on Qiao Jin, Qiao Jin would adopt a different attitude.
He was no longer restrained and obedient. He would speak his mind, do what he wanted, and dare to act freely on his own turf.
Lu Pingzhang decided to send a generous red envelope to the master who had analyzed his birth chart.
“Do you want to try it again today to see if it fits?” Qiao Jin licked his lips, where a trace of toothpaste foam lingered, leaving a slightly bitter taste.
Lu Pingzhang nearly choked.
Previously, Qiao Jin’s attitude toward such matters was that while he wouldn’t refuse, he also wouldn’t take the initiative.
Immediately afterward, Qiao Jin said, “But this week’s quota is almost used up; there’s only one left.”
Qiao Jin was really struggling lately, so he tried to negotiate with Lu Pingzhang to set a fixed number of times per week. He proposed three times, but Lu Pingzhang was unsatisfied, so they settled on a compromise of five times per week.
Qiao Jin now not only had to work diligently during the day but also had to serve diligently at night.
However, Lu Pingzhang has changed a lot recently, so he doesn’t feel too much psychological pressure.
It’s only Thursday today, and only half of the week has passed, but there’s only one session left.
“There’s a loophole in this rule,” Lu Pingzhang said. “We should change five sessions to five days.”
This was the loophole Qiao Jin had painstakingly discovered, and it couldn’t be changed lightly.
“No changes,” Lu Pingzhang hadn’t even moved yet, and he was already begging for mercy, “Any more and I really can’t handle it.”
He looked at him with pleading eyes: “We signed an agreement, you can’t go back on your word. Mr. Lu is a man of his word, he shouldn’t…”
Lu Pingzhang wasn’t even listening to what he was saying. That rare pleading expression couldn’t soften his heart; it only made him want to inflict pain.
Qiao Jin pushed him forward, gaining a moment to catch his breath: “My book…”
Lu Pingzhang didn’t take his book away arbitrarily; the sudden respect felt utterly out of place.
“Read it,” he said, turning Qiao Jin over and pointing to a line on the open page. He pressed his back and whispered, “Read it out loud for me.”
Fu Linxiao couldn’t resist Qiao Jin’s persistent pleading and ended up visiting Qiao Jin and Lu Pingzhang’s home over the weekend.
He didn’t bring any valuable gifts, mainly because he was worried about Lu Pingzhang’s intimidating and mocking gaze. Qiao Jin took the fruit from his hands and handed him the slippers he had prepared in advance.
“Wear these when you come over in the future,” Qiao Jin said. “They’re new; I just bought them yesterday.”
Fu Linxiao glanced at Lu Pingzhang sitting on the sofa and reasonably suspected he might not have another chance to come.
He cautiously greeted him, “Mr. Lu, good afternoon?”
“Hmm,” Lu Pingzhang replied with a single word, then, noticing Qiao Jin’s glance, added, “Good afternoon.”
Fu Linshao’s expression immediately turned as if he had seen a ghost.
Hearing this address, Fu Linshao was even more shocked.
Lu Pingzhang wasn’t as startled as he was; he picked up the fruit basket and walked toward the kitchen, casually asking, “Are grapes and cherries okay?”
Qiao Jin tapped Fu Linshao: “Is that okay?”
“Huh? Ah, ah,” Fu Linshao was walking so fast he was about to trip, “Sure, sure… Should I wash them?”
Fu Linxiao felt like he was sitting on pins and needles as he followed Qiao Jin into an empty room, finally exhaling, “I hope I’m not the only guest today?”
Fu Linshao had indeed met him; they were the two giants of the industry, with their chain of buildings stretching from Beijing all the way to Hainan.
“The four of us?” Fu Linshao wanted to turn and leave right then and there. “Why sit together? Stare at each other?”
“We can chat, watch TV.” Qiao Jin remained calm. It was his first time having friends over to his place, and he found it novel and a bit exciting: “We can eat, then play some cards. You like mahjong, don’t you?”
“Play… Alright, let’s play mahjong,” Fu Linshao glanced at the living room and didn’t see Lu Pingzhang’s figure; he must still be washing the fruits. He whispered to Qiao Jin, “Did you train him? What method did you use? That’s pretty impressive.”
A moment later, Lu Pingzhang opened the door and let the late-arriving Bei Kaigen in.
“What’s the occasion?” As soon as Bei Kaigen entered, he saw the blooming lilies on the table. “Whose flowers are these?”
Lu Pingzhang replied, “The flowers are Qiao Jin’s, and the vase is mine.”
Bei Kaiyuan had never thought of him as having such good taste before. After examining the flowers and the vase, he looked at him with a meaningful gaze: “Not bad.”
Lu Pingzhang smiled slightly, gestured for him to sit down, and went back to the kitchen to wash the fruit.
This time, even Bei Kaiyuan was shocked.
“…?” Bei Kaiyuan watched him wash the cherries one by one. Because the sink was low, he had to bend over slightly. “Where’s your housekeeper?”
Bei Kaiyuan was quite relaxed, taking a few in his hand and popping them into his mouth as he asked, “What are we having for dinner tonight? Should I have someone deliver something? Where’s Qiao Jin?”
Bei Kaiyuan sat on the sofa: “Can Qiao Jin cook?”
Lu Pingzhang looked at him for a few seconds. Just as Bei Kaiyuan was about to ask what was wrong, he casually emphasized, “We’ll cook.”
He pointed at Bei Kaiyuan, then at himself: “We.”
Bei Kaiyuan choked, quickly looked around to make sure Qiao Jin wasn’t there, then whispered, “I don’t know how to cook. Damn it, you didn’t tell me in advance…”
Bei Kaiyuan glared at him with a look that said, “Do you even know how?”
Qiao Jin led Fu Linxiao out of the study and saw him sitting on the sofa. He greeted him first: “Mr. Bei has arrived. Good afternoon.”
Fu Linxiao wasn’t as relaxed as him. He put on a professional diplomatic smile and cleared his throat before saying, “Mr. Bei, good afternoon.”
Bei Kaichuan was more casual. He waved his hand and moved over to make room. “Come on, sit down for a bit.”
Qiao Jin didn’t sit between him and Lu Pingzhang, but instead sat on the nearby sofa, while Fu Linxiao sat on the outer edge.
For half a minute, none of the four spoke, and the only sound in the living room was from the television.
Soon, the atmosphere became even more awkward.
The period drama on TV had finished an episode and moved into the closing credits, with the first scene showing a stunning beauty swinging on a swing in a cave with a unique setting.
This beauty was none other than Bai Yuan, who had been dominating the headlines every day recently.
Fu Linxiao: “…”
Bei Kaiyuan: “…”
Lu Pingzhang: “…………”
The group stared at the TV as if they were trying to stare a hole through it.
Qiao Jin, however, remained composed, calmly watching the entire closing credits before turning to look at Lu Pingzhang.
Lu Pingzhang had two sentences prepared to explain, but with two outsiders present, he hesitated to speak directly.
Qiao Jin took it and passed it to Fu Linxiao, who examined the fruit that Lu Pingzhang had washed himself, wondering if recording this would make the headlines.
Bei Kaiyuan turned to Lu Pingzhang and asked, “How’s the case going? With a big star testifying and the pressure from public opinion, can Hou Wude still get away with it?” “
Lu Pingzhang picked up the remote control beside him and silently changed the channel, wanting to change the topic.
He didn’t want Qiao Jin to know too much about the inner workings of the case. He always subconsciously treated him as a simple young man who didn’t know much about the world, and he didn’t want him to see even the slightest bit of the dark things that couldn’t be exposed.
Qiao Jin’s phone vibrated once. He took it out, glanced at it, and put it back on the table.
Lu Pingzhang was about to say something else when Qiao Jin smiled slightly: “Alright, thank you.”
Except for Qiao Jin, the rest were all seasoned card players. Bei Kaiyuan looked at Lu Pingzhang, who in turn looked at Qiao Jin. Qiao Jin, oblivious, nodded and repeated the same two words: “Sure.”
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