Chapter 124: An In-depth Conversation Regarding Lin Rui

That evening, when Li Baixiu came over for dinner, Zhou Lichuan learned the sequence of events from Jiang Zao. Gritting his teeth in fury, he grabbed Li Baixiu by the collar and dragged him out to the front lawn for a "sparring session."

Jiang Zao sat on a swing with a plate of sliced fruit, watching the fight and cheering them on from time to time.

The spectacle ended with Li Baixiu bruised and conceding defeat. He knew he was in the wrong and had intentionally held back, so the scene looked exactly like a brother-in-law teaching a reckless younger brother a lesson—both comical and lively.

Of course, that was only the perspective of the bystander, Jiang Zao. As for what the two participants were thinking, that was none of her concern.

A few days later, news arrived from the Meng family: the Li family’s hotel would retain its original design, and Meng Qiaochong would remain in charge of the design and construction. Tan Wenyi had officially broken up with Meng Qiaochong. Treating the project as purely professional, she left the second-in-command of her design team to oversee the progress while she packed her bags to head abroad for a design competition.

Before leaving the country, Tan Wenyi used the excuse of taking one last look at the progress of the Tingshan Villa garden to find Jiang Zao and chat for a long while.

Jiang Zao remained neutral on the matter. She did not make things difficult for Tan Wenyi just because she was close friends with Meng Qiaoyuan, nor did she defend her in front of the Meng family out of admiration for her decisive nature.

The two talked for a long time, and it was only when Zhou Lichuan returned from working overtime that Tan Wenyi finally rose to leave.

"What did you two talk about?" Zhou Lichuan asked casually.

Jiang Zao chuckled. "She came to thank me for handling Li Baixiu for her, and she mentioned her amicable breakup with Meng Qiaochong. If everything goes well with the competition abroad, she probably won't be back for a few years."

Zhou Lichuan changed out of his business suit into casual wear and held onto Jiang Zao, refusing to let go. "You’ve worked hard today, Zaozao. Let me take you out to eat."

"What are we eating?" Jiang Zao asked.

Zhou Lichuan said, "Zhou Jiayan and Du Bin found a fantastic private kitchen. They serve sea urchin siu mai that are wrapped and steamed to order. I’ve already booked a table—do me the honor, Miss Jiang?"

Jiang Zao had been feeling a bit bored at home, so she readily agreed.

The sea urchin siu mai were indeed fresh and delicious. After the meal, the two took a walk along the river to digest, feeling the brief comfort of the spring breeze brushing against their faces.

"Actually... Tan Wenyi asked me a question."

Zhou Lichuan looked down at Jiang Zao, his eyes filled with warmth and a smile. "What did she ask you?"

"Why I haven't mentioned marrying you, even though I'm already six months pregnant."

Zhou Lichuan looked at the streetlamps along the river, a hint of melancholy in his expression. "I’ve wanted to marry you for ages, but you never give an inch—what can I do? In your world, everything is more important than me: painting is important, playing games is important, hanging out with Zhou Jiayan and Meng Qiaoyuan is important, even soothing Li Baixiu is important. I’m always at the bottom of the list. How could I dare to make any demands?"

Jiang Zao looked away, finding his reaction amusing.

Zhou Lichuan, however, sounded increasingly aggrieved. "I’ve already been sentenced to death in your eyes; the last thing you fear is leaving me, so how could I dare demand anything of you? You’re neither soft nor hard, and you don’t listen to reason. I’ve lived this long and never encountered anything so difficult to handle."

Jiang Zao stopped walking and leaned against the railing by the river. Zhou Lichuan hurriedly reached out to catch her, terrified she might lose her balance and fall.

Placing her hand on his, Jiang Zao said in a low voice, "You’ve been working more and more overtime lately. Zhou Kuan is stirring up trouble again, isn't he?"

Zhou Lichuan was surprised by the shift in topic. He glanced around to ensure they were alone and nodded honestly.

Jiang Zao continued, "After the last two incidents, Zhou Kuan knows that minor schemes can't bring you down. And with Lin Rui by his side, the next move is bound to be a major one."

"Are you trying to talk to me about Lin Rui, Zaozao?"

Zhou Lichuan was surprisingly sharp, pinpointing the focus of her words immediately.

Jiang Zao smiled faintly. "Can we talk about him?"

Zhou Lichuan leaned against a nearby pillar, gazing at Jiang Zao under the lamplight. "I’ve been waiting for you to bring this up, but I’ve also been a bit afraid, not knowing what you might say."

Jiang Zao’s eyes fell to the stone pavement as she spoke slowly. "You warned Meng Qiaoyuan early on that Lin Rui was a lecher. I noticed some issues back then, and later, when the domestic help at the villa found some things in Lin Rui’s old room, I understood why he hated you so much, and why he hated me too... What about you? When did you find out?"

Zhou Lichuan looked down at the same paving stone as Jiang Zao. "The day I woke up after being attacked and injured, he thought I was asleep, but I was just resting my eyes... It was then that I realized the person betraying me from within was him."

Jiang Zao thought about the timeline and suddenly asked, "So, the reason you agreed to send me to Tingshan Villa was because you wanted to use me to deal with Lin Rui?"

She had been wary and guarded against Lin Rui from the moment she arrived at Zhou Lichuan's side; now that she thought about it, it had all been guided by Zhou Lichuan.

Zhou Lichuan nodded slowly, candidly admitting to her suspicion.

"I never owed him anything. Not in money, not in career. I never wronged him. When I confronted him after his first arrest, he was only telling half-truths. I didn't understand his betrayal, and I didn't want to hear his twisted perspective. Zaozao, I never thought of Lin Rui in that way. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you," Jiang Zao said without hesitation. "We’ve shared a bed for so long, and the baby is almost here—what else is there to doubt? Of course, I know your orientation is fine; it's Lin Rui who has the problem. Even Shen Mushi said he swings both ways, sleeping behind your back with those young stars, big influencers, and even people in the company who wanted to climb the ladder through you. He’s blocked off all your potential suitors for years."

Zhou Lichuan rubbed his forehead. "That... I only found out after Shen Mushi’s investigation. I always thought he was just a lecher. Men, at their core, are animals; I don't care how rotten he is, as long as he completes his duties, I don't care whose bed he wakes up in."

Jiang Zao laughed softly. "But he wants to wake up in yours."

Zhou Lichuan's face darkened. "Zaozao, I’m not joking. This might look like I’m discarding the worker once the job is done, but if you look closely, he was the one who betrayed me first. I know he’s just venting his anger, wanting me to pay attention to him, but among the thousands of employees in my group, he is no different from the rest."

The spring breeze ruffled Jiang Zao's hair, leaving her locks a bit messy. She straightened up, no longer leaning against the railing, and began walking toward the car parked nearby.

Zhou Lichuan followed closely behind, hearing her voice drift through the wind.

"I know how ruthless, decisive, arrogant, and cold you can be. Let's stop talking about Lin Rui from here on out. Don't discuss him again. I don't like him—he’s sinister, cunning, and unscrupulous..."

Jiang Zao suddenly stopped and turned to look into Zhou Lichuan’s eyes. "In a sense, you two are the same kind of person. You love to the point of wanting someone to live, and hate to the point of wanting them dead. The only reason he’s been safe until now is simply because you never cared about him at all."