Chapter 156: The Fervent Fandom

Jiang Zao exchanged a glance with Zhou Lichuan and then said, "That settles it. Li Shuan's boyfriend must be Lin Rui. Xiao Bai, find a way to contact Zhao Luyi later and see if you can figure out what Li Shuan is planning for today."

"Got it. I'll send a message now."

Li Baixiu glanced at Zhou Lichuan once more, then turned and left to contact Zhao Luyi.

Zhou Lichuan sighed helplessly, "This kid treats me like a villain."

Jiang Zao tugged at his collar. "Why are you picking a fight with him? You're a grown man."

"A little wolf cub, reckless and heedless when he gets stubborn. Whatever, at least he's on your side. Having a bit of temper is a good thing anyway."

Jiang Zao pulled Zhou Lichuan back as she instructed, "Check up on his little girlfriend for me when we get back. I'm still worried; they're just kids, I don't want him getting hurt."

"Him?" Zhou Lichuan asked in disbelief. "Who has the ability to hurt him?"

"Since when is Xiao Bai so frightening? He's obviously as obedient as can be," Jiang Zao retorted bluntly.

What could she do? Anyone with an ethereal, youthful beauty like Li Baixiu naturally benefited from Jiang Zao's rose-colored glasses.

Besides, the two paintings she had created using him as a reference had already had their exclusive copyrights bought out, earning her a handsome profit.

Speechless, Zhou Lichuan brought these exact words over to the barbecue grill. The three people gathered around chatting and grilling fish all froze, holding back laughter they didn't dare release.

Once they had rested enough, everyone went back to setting up tents. The basic setup was one tent per person, with only Zhou Lichuan and Jiang Zao sharing one.

The men all had long limbs and moved with great efficiency, pitching tents in a flash, hammering down the stakes, and moving on to the next.

Camping is always relaxing and pleasant. With the tents up, everyone gathered in twos and threes to chat and prepare dinner. Shen Mushi and Meng Qiaoyuan gossiped about hospital affairs, while Meng Qiaochong seized a rare opportunity to discuss work with Zhou Lichuan.

Holding a charcoal pencil, Jiang Zao sketched on paper, producing numerous exquisite artworks over the course of the afternoon.

The grilled fish was placed into a foil pan, covered with prepared vegetables, and broth was added to start boiling.

As the fragrant grilled fish was served at the table, Li Baixiu walked over with his hands in his pockets, seating himself gracefully on the stool opposite Jiang Zao.

"It smells amazing. President Meng really has great culinary skills."

Until today, Meng Qiaochong had always been somewhat wary of Li Baixiu. An illegitimate son of a wealthy family, recognized and brought back after reaching adulthood to be trained as the heir, he had marginalized his legitimate older brother to the periphery of the group in just a few months. Coupled with the unprovoked move against him not long ago, which directly resulted in Tan Wenyi's departure.

In truth, he knew that Li Baixiu couldn't be blamed for the situation with Tan Wenyi; Li Baixiu had merely provided an opportunity, not the root cause of the relationship's demise. His internal discomfort was entirely irrational.

Yet someone like this acted like a fully domesticated house dog in front of Jiang Zao, even baring his belly to express loyalty.

Meng Qiaochong reined in his emotions and smiled, accepting Li Baixiu's praise for his cooking.

Amidst the banter, Li Baixiu kept typing on his phone—a lengthy, sprawling message that piqued everyone's curiosity.

Before long, just as Shen Mushi was recounting how a certain professor's surgical gown was so tattered that his pants literally fell down during an operation, Li Baixiu finally tapped out the last line. He adjusted the angle of his phone and placed it right in front of Jiang Zao.

Laughing heartily at the operating room anecdote, Jiang Zao picked up Li Baixiu's phone to read it carefully. Her expression unchanged, she handed the phone to Zhou Lichuan.

Zhou Lichuan was completely different from Jiang Zao.

He quickly scanned the contents, looking utterly shocked. His eyes flashed with determination as he stared at Jiang Zao and shook his head repeatedly.

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

Jiang Zao smiled. "Someone's trying to make trouble, and Xiao Bai dug up the intel. Nothing major, let's keep eating."

Meng Qiaochong glanced at Li Baixiu, his assessment of the young man's capabilities scaling new heights.

"President Li has impressive methods. You have a boundless future."

Li Baixiu raised his glass in a toast. "President Meng is too kind. There will surely be opportunities for cooperation in the future, and I hope President Meng will go easy on me then."

After Tan Wenyi went abroad, Jiang Zao had spoken with him earnestly. He agreed with Jiang Zao's perspective and promised not to stir up trouble rashly again. If there were opportunities to cooperate with the Meng family later, he wouldn't mind making appropriate concessions—if only to show Jiang Zao that he was truly listening.

Catching Jiang Zao's gaze, Zhou Lichuan also raised his glass, and the exchanging of toasts began.

Aside from Meng Qiaoyuan, no one present had ever actually seen Meng Qiaochong drink. No one expected him to be such a powerhouse, taking down both Zhou Lichuan and Li Baixiu single-handedly.

Li Baixiu was already slumped motionlessly in his chair, and Zhou Lichuan was waving his hands in defeat.

Yet Meng Qiaochong merely had a flushed face, his eyes remaining clear and sharp.

Taking advantage of his professional standing, Shen Mushi refused heavy drinking, but he couldn't withstand the silent pressure of his future brother-in-law. After a few cups, his face also took on an unnatural flush.

With two out of the four men drunk, the dinner successfully concluded.

As the sky grew dark, Meng Qiaochong and Shen Mushi each hauled one of the drunkards, dumping Zhou Lichuan and Li Baixiu back into their tents.

Sister Hui used the light of a small gas stove to brew honey lemon tea, hoping to help sober up the two drunkards.

Jiang Zao walked over to turn off the gas stove and told Sister Hui to head back and rest early.

Since Zhou Lichuan was this drunk, he obviously couldn't share a tent with Jiang Zao anymore. Meng Qiaoyuan generously gave up her tent and shared one with Jiang Zao instead.

The tent was sturdy and spacious. Having not gossiped together in a long time, the two friends had plenty to discuss.

Accompanied by melon seeds and fruit tea, they talked late into the night.

The midnight wind grew somewhat fierce, accompanied by a few drops of spring rain. Fortunately, it didn't last long. By morning, wispy clouds and mists lingered, and the fresh, sweet scent of damp earth and nature rushed into their lungs. Standing outside her tent, Jiang Zao stretched lazily, feeling immensely comfortable.

At the same time, at the foot of the camping mountain, a group of fans carrying fandom merchandise were heading toward the campsite. A procession of over twenty people all wore fiercely enthusiastic expressions on their faces.

Before long, this bustling fan group marched straight into the camping grounds.

Zhou's bodyguards dutifully blocked them at the outer perimeter. Following the commotion, Sister Hui hurried over and, seeing only a single bodyguard, asked with some displeasure, "What's going on? Where's the other one? Why are you out here by yourself?"

The bodyguard looked equally innocent. He and his colleague took shifts resting, but when he woke up today, he couldn't find the other guard who should have been on duty. Before he could make a call to find him, this swarm of fairies had descended upon them.

Sister Hui sighed. Understanding the situation, she quickly hurried in to find Jiang Zao.

Jiang Zao and Meng Qiaoyuan were boiling water, planning to reheat the honey lemon water Sister Hui hadn't finished making the night before to help sober up the drunkards.

Igniting the gas stove, Meng Qiaoyuan complained, "Zhou Lichuan is something else. He doesn't protect you when traveling is already so inconvenient for you, and on top of that, he gets himself drunk. What's wrong with him?"

Jiang Zao listened to her complaints with a smile, offering no rebuttal.