Chapter 93: The First Signs of Li Baixiu's Hidden Edge

Following behind Zhou Lichuan, Zhao Luyi could hardly contain her excitement.

What she saw was the broad line of his shoulders and back, the proud taper of his waist, and the custom-made suit that cloaked him from head to toe, its hidden refinement revealed only in the details, endlessly magnifying the allure of the man himself.

Thinking of what her father had said—that this man had already counted her among the candidates for a marriage alliance—she felt a thrill she could not quite suppress. That ill-mannered Jiang Zao would surely be cast aside before long; by then, once the child was taken back into the Zhou family, the woman would not dare cause trouble for the sake of the child.

While she was lost in such thoughts, Zhou Lichuan stopped at the entrance and seemed to gather himself for something.

He shut the building door with a soft click, his expression turning unsparing. The chill in his eyes seemed to solidify, eager to tear the person before him apart limb by limb.

“Miss Zhao, you should be grateful that nothing happened to Jiang Zao today. You should also be grateful that I do not strike women.”

His gaze was frostbitten, making Zhao Luyi tremble all at once.

“Lichuan... what do you mean? Didn’t you already choose me as your marriage partner?”

Zhou Lichuan narrowed his eyes. “Why would I choose you? My wife is still carrying my child. Did you not see that?”

His look made fear creep up Zhao Luyi’s spine. “You took my file before, didn’t you? Wasn’t that because you had taken a liking to my family and wanted a marriage alliance? Clearly... clearly, at that banquet before, you were pleased with me too. Didn’t my father even come to you to propose the match?”

Zhou Lichuan stood where he was and looked at her with icy indifference. “You are thinking too much, Miss Zhao. Breaking into a private residence is illegal, and I will hold you accountable according to the law. If my wife suffers any physical discomfort in the near future, I will pursue this matter to the end. Since you have the time, you may as well go back and ask your father whether the company still wants to keep itself.”

The raw spring cold cut deep. Zhao Luyi shivered violently. Impossible... How could this be... How could it turn out like this...

The confidence nurtured by wealth and status would not let her believe that Zhou Lichuan would choose a lowly woman like Jiang Zao over someone of her own noble birth. She still tried to cling to the man who could lift her across class in a single step.

“L-Lichuan... President Zhou... since we have already come this far, and since a marriage alliance is inevitable anyway, why not consider me? My family’s jewelry business has developed quite well over the past two years. I heard the Zhou family’s mine is ready to begin extraction. We can provide the latest technology; cooperation that benefits both sides would hardly be a bad thing.”

The more she spoke, the more confident she became, as though she had already seen herself marrying into the Zhou family.

With one hand in his pocket, Zhou Lichuan relied on the courtesy etched into his bones to keep from turning and leaving at once. Instead, he remained and laid bare the merciless truth. “As for the problems in your family company’s management, you may go back and discuss them with your mother. My wife is pregnant and it is inconvenient for her. If I hear that you have come looking for trouble again, I guarantee your family will have no place to survive in Beijing.”

The moment he finished speaking, Zhao Luyi’s mind had not yet fully caught up when a high-performance sports car roared into the residential complex and, with a sharp, graceful drift, stopped in an empty parking space.

Zhou Jiayan and Li Baixiu had been discussing work together. Hearing the call Jiang Zao made, they hurried over by car. Seeing the two people confronting each other at the entrance, Zhou Jiayan’s face darkened like charcoal.

“Zhou Lichuan, what are you talking to her about? Where is Jiang Zao?”

Zhou Lichuan paid no heed to Zhou Jiayan’s rudeness and lifted his chin slightly. “Upstairs. Go and check on her quickly. She won’t let me into the apartment.”

Zhou Jiayan shot him a glare and muttered under his breath, “Serves you right.” Then he ran upstairs.

Li Baixiu parked the car and came over, looking Zhao Luyi up and down. He memorized her pale face without missing a single detail.

“President Zhou, do you need help?”

Zhou Lichuan glanced at him. “Windward Jewelry. The rest is up to you.”

With that, he stepped into Zhou Jiayan’s footprints and climbed the stairs one step at a time.

If Zhao Luyi’s wariness in front of Zhou Lichuan had been fear that he would strike at her family, then in front of Li Baixiu, what remained was only an instinctive dread.

Yes.

Dread.

Li Baixiu stood where Zhou Lichuan had just been, his upright figure looking down upon Zhao Luyi from above. In his eyes, as though she were nothing more than refuse, there was a grim, deathly chill.

“Miss Zhao, is it? Room 1402 at the Haitang Hotel branch in Changzhou, license plate M9081, last four digits of the phone number 3376... The person who gave you information in Changzhou was a young lady from another conglomerate whom you met at the banquet.”

Zhao Luyi retreated again and again. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Li Baixiu let out a cold laugh. “We live in a society ruled by law. What could I possibly do? A few words of provocation, and you were willing to let someone use you as a weapon. If anything, I should be asking what you thought you were doing.”

A thought flashed through Zhao Luyi’s mind, and then she shook her head frantically. “No! She has someone else she likes! It’s not at all...”

Suddenly she recalled the entirety of her actions, and at last, in some forgotten corner of memory, she found a trace of something unusual...

The police car pulled in nearby with its siren wailing. When the officer came before Li Baixiu and saw the grim expression on his face, he immediately asked with caution, “What happened? Someone broke into a private residence. Was it you who called the police?”

Li Baixiu withdrew his gaze and replied respectfully, “Yes, us. Third floor, Apartment 301. Thank you for your trouble, officer.”

In an instant, he transformed into the warm, innocent image of a university student, the change so seamless that even the police were briefly taken aback.

Li Baixiu went on, “The person who broke in was this young lady. My sister is pregnant and was frightened. Please be gentle when you go inside. I’m afraid she’ll be upset again if she is startled.”

The officer glanced at Zhao Luyi. She, who should have been afraid of the police, was now clinging to them as if they were a lifeline, pressing herself against the officer’s uniform and avoiding Li Baixiu’s gaze with all her strength.

Li Baixiu was terrifying. That look just now had been as though he meant to tear her into eight pieces. Who was he? What did he do? How could someone so young possess such an overpowering presence?

Another officer came over and, together with Li Baixiu, escorted Zhao Luyi upstairs.

Since all relevant parties were present, they first sorted out the matter before taking it back to the station, so they would not have to make needless trips.

Jiang Zao sat on the sofa and answered the police questions calmly. When asked whether there had been any property damage, she looked a little guilty and glanced at the cabinet where the porcelain vase had been placed.

“No. I was only a little frightened. Nothing else happened.”

The officers nodded and wrote down the details in their report.

After finishing their questions, the police stood to leave. Before they went, they did not forget to remind Jiang Zao and Sister Hui not to open the door to strangers and, if possible, to install round-the-clock surveillance.

Li Baixiu immediately found himself a task. “I’ll go buy the equipment right now and have it installed today.”

Then he went downstairs together with the police. Only after seeing Zhao Luyi being put into the police car with his own eyes did he start his car to buy the surveillance cameras.