Lu Pingzhang’s days in the hospital were quite comfortable. Qiao Jin fed him porridge by hand, read to him at noon and in the evening, and almost always granted his every request.
The only downside was that he had to follow medical advice and avoid exercise. Otherwise, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Qiao Jin took a week off work, and Sui Ran called three times a day, checking on Lu Pingzhang while subtly urging him to return to work.
Qiao Jin couldn’t stand the pressure anymore. After staying by Lu Pingzhang’s side at the hospital for a week, he resumed his daily grind as a corporate drone.
Lu Pingzhang was deeply resentful about this. He still couldn’t sit up, and his greatest joy each day was opening his eyes to see Qiao Jin by his bedside. His greatest wish was for Qiao Jin to quit his job.
“…Can’t you quit your job?” Lu Pingzhang asked for the hundredth time. “You’re not short on money now, and there’s so much money at home. Why do you have to go back to work?”
Qiao Jin didn’t respond.
He sat at the desk he had moved in, looked at the company’s financial statements from the past period, and after a moment of thought said, “The accounts don’t match.”
“Hm?” Lu Pingzhang raised an eyebrow.
Qiao Jin scanned it again and confirmed, “There’s a discrepancy of about 7 billion.”
“Seventy billion,” Lu Pingzhang shrugged indifferently, lying comfortably on the bed with his gaze fixed on Qiao Jin’s back. “Old Wang from Xinghui Real Estate lost a ashtray to me, and he still owes me twenty million. I confiscated his three hundred million deposit when we signed the contract. Seventy billion isn’t anything… Could you stop always turning your back on me?”
Qiao Jin turned to face him, his brows slightly furrowed. “What did he lose?”
“Golf. He lost me a ball.”
“Golf,” Qiao Jin repeated, leaning against the desk and asking, “A ashtray worth over 20 million? What kind of ashtray is that? Are you laundering money, Lu Pingzhang?”
Lu Pingzhang liked how Qiao Jin spoke to him like this. He thoroughly enjoyed his current life, so leisurely that every day felt like floating on a cloud in the sky.
Sigh, except for not being able to engage in vigorous exercise.
Qiao Jin waited for his response: “Speak.”
Lu Pingzhang spoke slowly, “It’s from the Ming Dynasty, from the Jun Kiln.”
“Ming Dynasty, Jun Kiln,” Qiao Jin asked in disbelief, “You call this an ashtray?”
Lu Pingzhang remained silent, lowering his eyes as he listened to the reprimand.
Qiao Jin looked at his arm, which was wrapped in a bandage and exposed, and couldn’t help but say, “Is there any illegal trading going on in the company? Tell me the truth. If you end up in trouble again in the future, I won’t bail you out.”
“No,” Lu Pingzhang said politely, sighing, “How could I lie to you? After this incident, I realized that my wife is the one I can rely on.”
The air in the ward was well-ventilated, and the prominent contours on his slender back made it clear what had happened.
Qiao Jin hardened him with just a glance.
Lu Pingzhang had always acted more than he spoke in such matters, but now that his body was incapacitated, he couldn’t even get up to pull Qiao Jin over. He could only say, ” Can you help me with this?”
“Last night we used our hands,” Lu Pingzhang whispered softly while he was in a good mood, “Can we use… hmm?”
Qiao Jin hesitated for a moment: “I didn’t bring any clothes, and I have a meeting at Antarctic Entertainment this afternoon.”
Qiao Jin hesitated, glancing at the time again.
“There’s still time,” Lu Pingzhang said, his gaze growing more bold, as if he wanted to devour him from head to toe, his voice hoarse. “Or you can take off your clothes.”
Qiao Jin sensed the unusually thick atmosphere at that moment, remained silent for a few seconds, then relaxed his brows and agreed, “Then tell me in advance, don’t get it on me.”
Qiao Jin calmly ignored his suggestion and only rolled up his sleeves a bit higher.
Lu Pingzhang was wearing only loose pajama bottoms, the bulge in them resembling a taut tent.
Qiao Jin looked for a moment but hesitated to act.
Lu Pingzhang couldn’t take it anymore and said, “What are you thinking about? Making a wish on it?”
Just the look in his eyes was enough to make Lu Pingzhang unable to bear it, let alone that sentence.
Lu Pingzhang felt like he was about to explode.
Secretary Yin waited outside for a while before the locked door finally opened.
Qiao Jin was neatly dressed, carrying a laptop bag in his hand. As he buttoned his shirt, he stepped out of the door and nodded at him, saying, “I’m going to a meeting at Antarctic Entertainment. Put your things down and come with me.”
He must have just washed his face, looking fresh and clean, with a hint of moisture still in his eyes.
“There’s something to sign,” Secretary Yin gestured toward the documents in his hand.
Qiao Jin had already walked ahead: “Sign it when I get back.”
Secretary Yin hurried into the ward, put down the documents that needed signing, and looked up to see the window open. Lu Pingzhang was wearing a thin nightgown, and the blanket was also pulled back.
“Mr. Lu, aren’t you cold?” Secretary Yin went to close the window.
Lu Pingzhang: “Close it later. Let it air out.”
Secretary Yin nodded and went to cover him with the blanket.
Hou Wude’s verdict came down quickly, not far off from the amount Qiao Jin had demanded that day.
That day, he had driven back to the scene with his phone’s video recording function turned on the entire time. Even Hou Wude found it hard to believe that the quiet phone tucked away in the corner of the steering wheel had recorded everything.
“Yes,” Secretary Yin followed behind him, wanting to take his bag but dared not reach out. “This will cost a lot of money.”
“If it needs to be spent, then spend it,” Qiao Jin chuckled softly, his eyes still calm. “Your boss Lu Zong spends over 20 million on an ashtray; what’s a little money?”
“…” Secretary Yin had seen countless people and worked under Lu Pingzhang for so many years. He prided himself on his ability to read people, but at this moment, he couldn’t tell whether Qiao Jin was praising the group’s vast resources and promising future or criticizing Lu Pingzhang for being a spendthrift.
The two entered Antarctic Entertainment, where Liu Chengxu was already waiting at the door with the manager from last time. As soon as he saw them, he greeted them enthusiastically: “Mr. Qiao, it’s been a long time. You’re still as charming as ever.”
Qiao Jin shook hands politely and smiled at him with the most common workplace smile: “Mr. Liu, you’re also full of vigor.”
The group walked inside together, and Liu Chengxu said, “Let’s go straight to the conference room. Everything is ready.”
Qiao Jin glanced at the time to make sure he wasn’t late.
Liu Chengxu smiled and explained, “Last time, we disappointed Mr. Qiao, so this time we have to make a good impression.”
Qiao Jin smiled politely, looking very humble.
He had the appearance of an elite and wise man, with every gesture calm and composed.
Liu Chengxu could even praise Lu Pingzhang, but now, facing Qiao Jin, he was afraid of saying too much and hitting a nerve, so he hurriedly led him into the meeting room.
Qiao Jin sat directly in front of the screen, listening to the business manager enthusiastically present the annual project profits.
His phone vibrated. Qiao Jin took it out and glanced at it. It was a message from Lu Pingzhang: “When will you be back?”
Qiao Jin looked at the manager, who was speaking enthusiastically, then lowered his head and replied: “I don’t know.”
Soon, Lu Pingzhang’s message came again: “If you’re not back by 5 PM, I’ll call Liu Chengxu and end the meeting.”
Qiao Jin: “I’ll try my best.”
After sending those four words, he seemed uneasy and added: “Don’t call. If you want to eat something, I’ll bring it back for you.”
Lu Pingzhang naturally didn’t like snacks. Unlike Qiao Jin, who loved food, valued quality of life, and was deeply attached to the mundane world, everything Lu Pingzhang ate was carefully selected by a nutritionist and was very healthy.
Healthy, but not as tasty as unhealthy food.
Lu Pingzhang wasn’t even picky about food.
Ugh, Qiao Jin couldn’t help but think, that’s too extreme.
At noon, he ultimately didn’t act on his plan to “do it himself,” worried that he might not be able to control himself and end up hurting Lu Pingzhang, making his injuries worse.
Lu Pingzhang was very dissatisfied, which proved the saying, “It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality.”
The only desire he had in his entire life was probably just “Qiao Jin.”
Qiao Jin paused for a moment and asked politely, “I’m a bit confused about the accounts of Antarctic Entertainment. Why is this month’s income higher than the total of the previous eleven months?”
Liu Chengxu glanced at Secretary Yin, who was standing behind Qiao Jin, looking even more serious than when he was standing behind Lu Pingzhang.
Qiao Jin didn’t care about his thoughts or gaze: “We’re all on the same team, so I’ll just ask directly. How much did Ruiyi, or rather Lu Zong, give Miss Bai as a retirement fee?”
On the day Bai Yuan issued her accusation against Hou Wude, she also announced her retirement from the entertainment industry.
There’s no way this is straightforward.
Liu Chengxu hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth: “No matter how popular Bai Yuan is as a star, no matter how many shows she films, after deducting taxes and the company’s share, there’s a limit to how much she can earn.”
He held up a few fingers toward Qiao Jin: “We gave her this amount. Even if she films shows for the rest of her life and attends countless banquets, she couldn’t possibly earn this much.”
Qiao Jin nodded in understanding. That was why Antarctic Entertainment had such high profits this month.
It also explained the company’s several billion yuan deficit.
Liu Chengxu sighed: “Give me that amount, and I’ll retire. I’ll buy a small island for the rest of my life, take my wife and children with me, and live a comfortable life.”
Yin’s phone rang. He turned around to answer it, but after taking a few steps, he turned back and handed it to Qiao Jin: “Mr. Qiao, it’s Mr. Lu’s call.”
Qiao Jin glanced at it, and Liu Chengxu hurriedly said, “Answer it quickly, it might be something urgent from Mr. Lu.”
Qiao Jin answered the call, and immediately heard Lu Pingzhang’s slightly annoyed voice: “Why didn’t you answer my call?”
Qiao Jin took out his phone and saw three missed calls: “It was on vibrate, so I didn’t hear it. What’s up?”
Lu Pingzhang wanted to say something about it, but held back, asking stiffly, “The meeting’s over, why aren’t you coming back?”
“I’m on my way,” Qiao Jin, who had been particularly accommodating to the injured patient lately, replied, “I’m about to leave.”
Lu Pingzhang was a bit upset, so Qiao Jin said, “I’ll pick up a poetry collection to read to you tonight.”
Lu Pingzhang paused for a moment, then nodded, “…Alright.”
Qiao Jin hung up the phone and handed it back to Secretary Yin, who had grown accustomed to such things and didn’t show any surprise.
Liu Chengxu, however, felt a pang of regret, thinking to himself that Lu Pingzhang had been very lucky not to have crushed Nanji Entertainment back then.
Leave a Reply