Chapter 155: Camping Again

Everyone in the tent was almost done eating and drinking, and Sister Hui had left her seat early, sitting on a stool nearby to crochet something.

Li Baixiu and Shen Mushi, a little flushed from the alcohol, stood up intending to grill some food for Meng Qiaochong, but were pushed back down to their seats.

Meng Qiaochong, using Meng Qiaoyuan's bowl, swept through the remaining food on the table.

"I'll grill some fish for you tonight. My grilled fish is actually very good."

Everyone looked at each other, and no one raised any objections.

None of them were particularly picky about food.

Meng Qiaochong ate quietly, suddenly looked up at Jiang Zao, and then cast a profound look at Zhou Lichuan.

He had just seen someone by the stream, someone who might stir up trouble today, though he wasn't sure if he should speak up.

Jiang Zao noticed the change in his expression, the light in her eyes flickering twice. She beckoned Sister Hui over, whispered a few words to her, and Sister Hui nodded and left to handle the task.

In the afternoon, the weather was clear and bright. Zhou Lichuan, in high spirits, sat by the river with Meng Qiaochong to fish, while Jiang Zao and Meng Qiaoyuan walked hand in hand, taking pictures along the way and posting them in the group chat with Zhou Jiayan, gleefully listening to Zhou Jiayan howling on the other end.

"Why does she have so much energy? When I saw her going on vacation a few days ago, it was yachts and beaches, and she even seemed to finalize a few business deals. Being this restless, she truly deserves her youth."

Jiang Zao smiled and slipped her phone back into her pocket: "Xiao Bai plans to start his own business, and Zhou Jiayan hit it off with him immediately. Once she returns from abroad, they'll probably be able to launch the company."

"That's pretty nice too. The youngsters all have their own things to do, which makes me feel old."

"They say even iron trees bloom eventually, so why isn't Shen Mushi in any hurry?" Jiang Zao teased.

Meng Qiaoyuan shrugged: "Is there any use in him being in a hurry? I'm so busy every day I could drop dead, where would I find the time to date? He's quite good, but I feel like something is still missing, though I can't quite put my finger on it."

As they were chatting, Sister Hui walked over from a distance, came up to Jiang Zao, and whispered, "Checked, it's indeed Li Shu'an."

"What's wrong?" Meng Qiaoyuan asked curiously.

Jiang Zao smiled at Sister Hui, and after Sister Hui left, she took Meng Qiaoyuan's hand and continued walking forward.

"Li Shu'an brought Zhao Luoyi over, and that little celebrity is with them too."

Meng Qiaoyuan acted as if facing a formidable enemy, stretching her neck to look around for fear that someone would suddenly appear and upset Jiang Zao's mood.

"How did you know? Did you have someone follow them?"

Jiang Zao shook her head: "I didn't know. Mr. Meng looked a bit unnatural, so I had Sister Hui check who was camping in the area across the river, and that's how we found out. Xiao Bai probably knows a bit more, but since he didn't mention it, it's probably nothing major."

Meng Qiaoyuan's eyes were full of heartache: "Look at you, never letting your mind rest for a single moment, aren't you afraid of tiring yourself out?"

As they strolled, they spotted a litter of newborn rabbits in a nearby farmhouse.

The topic shifted from household trivialities to animals, then to the reindeer fund from a few days ago, and finally back to household trivialities.

Over by the river, Zhou Lichuan was already holding fish, helping Meng Qiaochong prepare for the barbecue.

When Jiang Zao walked over, Zhou Lichuan put down his things and reached out to support her, drawing a burst of laughter from the group.

Meng Qiaochong's technique was very seasoned, and the campsite provided plenty of materials. Everyone gathered around the grill, drinking beer, chatting, and quietly waiting for tonight's feast.

Jiang Zao suddenly poked Zhou Lichuan: "Come with me for a moment."

Hearing this, Zhou Lichuan followed right behind her.

"Li Shu'an is here, on the other side of the river."

Without waiting for Zhou Lichuan to react, Jiang Zao delivered the blow right to his face.

Zhou Lichuan was stunned for a moment: "Ah, right, I heard Meng Qiaochong mention it when we were fishing this afternoon. He even thought I invited her here to pull something behind your back—how could I ever dare?"

Jiang Zao raised an eyebrow: "It's no secret that we came out to play today. Li Shu'an must have caught wind of something to come here, and moreover... she's here for you."

Zhou Lichuan glanced toward the tent, turned back, and wrapped his arm around Jiang Zao's waist: "Good wife, I'm not even close with Li Shu'an. Don't get angry and upset yourself. I promise to stay far away from her and make all her plans fall through."

Jiang Zao pressed her hand against Zhou Lichuan's chest, pushing him a bit further away: "Don't do that. I'm curious what on earth she wants, and whether she has any connection to Lin Rui. Why don't you use your looks and fish out some information for us?"

Zhou Lichuan said pitifully, "Wife... I am your husband, not an intelligence operative..."

Jiang Zao looked into his eyes, which were also beginning to turn watery: "You definitely wouldn't do anything out of line, right?"

Finished speaking, she even gently bit her lower lip.

Zhou Lichuan felt a tightness in his throat at the sight, barely managing to keep his composure.

"Wife, in broad daylight, spare me some face... Alright, alright, whatever you say is fine. I'll figure out a way to show some openings. Let go, you're going to bite it through in a moment."

His large hand pressed gently against her chin, rescuing Jiang Zao's lips from her teeth. Gazing at the sparkling reflection on her half-red lips, he couldn't help but lower his head and capture them.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem—"

Li Baixiu's voice rang out, interrupting the kiss before it could deepen.

Zhou Lichuan straightened up and cast a sidelong glance at him: "Are you asking for a beating?"

"Yes. Come and get it then." Li Baixiu showed no politeness at all.

Zhou Lichuan narrowed his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"Li Shu'an is on the other side, gunning for you, wanting to rekindle our old flame."

Li Baixiu didn't avoid Jiang Zao; of course he knew this wouldn't pose the slightest threat to them now, nor would it affect Jiang Zao in any way. He simply wanted to jab at this man, make him tone it down, and make him behave.

Jiang Zao paid no attention to the flashing daggers in Zhou Lichuan and Li Baixiu's eyes, and asked directly, "Do you know what exactly she wants to do?"

Li Baixiu shook his head: "Zhao Luoyi only said they plan to use that little celebrity to generate attention first, and then shift the focus to the scandal between our President Zhou and Li Shu'an. As for the specific details, she's just waiting for further instructions."

Jiang Zao tugged at the lapel of Zhou Lichuan's shirt, pulling him behind her while signaling him with a look to shut up, then turned back to Li Baixiu: "Did Zhao Luoyi mention anything to you about the relationship between Li Shu'an and Lin Rui? Do they know each other?"

Li Baixiu folded his arms and thought for a moment before saying, "Li Shu'an seems to have a boyfriend. She goes to see him often, but nobody knows who he is, and no one has ever seen him. Oh, right, that guy understands the stock market and even helped analyze stock trades for the Zhao family."

The jewelry company owned by Zhao Luoyi's family had not gone public yet, and they occasionally made some investments under the guise of regular retail investors. When they got involved too deeply in the past and bought some stocks they couldn't unload, Lin Rui had helped analyze them during his free time.

This was merely a tactic used to rope Zhao Luoyi into working for him.