Chapter 97: Find a Way to Bring Jiang Zao Back to Jingzhou

“What did Li Baixiu want with you?”

Before Zhou Lichuan had even sat down, Jiang Zao had already begun to question him.

Zhou Lichuan gave a faint smile and sat down beside Jiang Zao on the sofa. “It’s about Zhao Luyi. The police have already issued a clear ruling: fifteen days in custody.”

Du Bin had just come out of the kitchen and happened to hear the conversation. He still did not know what had happened that day. This morning, as soon as he got up, he had rushed over to pick up Zhou Jiayan, because Zhou Lichuan was based in Changzhou and there was a great deal of work left behind that needed to be wrapped up. After days of nonstop meetings, Du Bin was somewhat drained.

Seeing the blank look on his face, Zhou Jiayan pulled him aside and quietly explained what had happened over the past two days.

Du Bin was alarmed again and again. “Miss Jiang, even though this didn’t end up causing any real harm, you still need to be careful. There was already that kidnapping incident before; you must pay attention to your safety.”

Jiang Zao waved a hand and said carelessly, “It’s fine. Changzhou has really good security. I also installed round-the-clock monitoring, so nothing will happen.”

Du Bin did not entirely agree. If someone could be abducted even from a heavily guarded hospital, then if someone truly meant to strike, it would be impossible to guard against.

“Miss Jiang, Changzhou is after all not part of the Zhou family’s main territory. Now that you’re pregnant, you really can’t afford to let your guard down. I suggest you go back to Jingzhou.”

Zhou Lichuan lifted his eyes and glanced at Du Bin, thinking, Well done. As expected of the talent he had personally nurtured to take over from Zhou Kuan.

Jiang Zao reined in her expression a little and said awkwardly, “We’ll see. I don’t want to go back yet.”

Zhou Jiayan abandoned Du Bin and sat beside Jiang Zao instead. “Oh, if Jiang Zao doesn’t want to go back, then she doesn’t have to. I think Changzhou is pretty good too—fresh air, beautiful scenery. Isn’t that quite livable? It’s perfect for Jiang Zao to rest and nourish the baby.”

Smiling, Jiang Zao reached out and took Zhou Jiayan’s hand. Only girls truly understood other girls.

Du Bin could not make decisions for Jiang Zao, and even less for Zhou Jiayan, so he could only nod quietly. “Then I’ll go back and arrange for a few rotating bodyguards to come over.”

Zhou Lichuan shot him a sharp look. If bodyguards were arranged, Jiang Zao would have an even better excuse not to go back. When would he ever get to kiss and hold his sweet wife?

Du Bin noticed Zhou Lichuan’s look, but simply averted his eyes as if nothing had happened.

Of course he knew what his boss was thinking, but one could not force a blossom to bloom, nor the moon to descend. Rather than dragging Miss Jiang back to Jingzhou unwillingly, it was better for her to stay safely in Changzhou for now. Pursuing a wife was not something that could be done in a day or two. Why rush?

The fish soup made by Sister Hui was wonderfully fresh and fragrant. Zhou Jiayan drank two large bowls before putting down her chopsticks.

Du Bin promptly handed over a tissue and wiped the soup from the corner of the young lady’s mouth.

Seeing the two of them so tender and affectionate, Jiang Zao glanced at Zhou Lichuan. He was carefully picking the minced garlic out of the dishes.

He still remembered that Jiang Zao did not eat garlic. Heaven knew why Sister Hui had put so much of it into the sautéed mushrooms.

Jiang Zao said calmly, “Pregnancy is really amazing. Things I used to refuse even a single bite of, I now think about every day.”

Zhou Lichuan’s hand trembled. A piece of neatly cut garlic slipped from between his chopsticks and fell steadily onto the tender mushrooms.

Jiang Zao bit back a laugh and turned her head away so he would not see her.

Zhou Jiayan did not know what had happened; she only knew how to disdain her brother.

“Ew, Zhou Lichuan, you’re how old now? You can’t even hold your chopsticks steady.”

Zhou Lichuan shot her a glare but said nothing.

He truly felt defeated.

Only then did he realize how much he had missed, how he had missed the period when Jiang Zao had been at her saddest. The vast changes of those months were something he could never catch up to. No matter how much he tried to make up for it, he could never fill the empty space left by that time.

After dinner, Zhou Jiayan dragged Jiang Zao along to see the stray cat shelter that the property management downstairs had set up in the community garden. Du Bin and Zhou Lichuan walked behind them, watching over them, afraid that any untamed stray might injure one of them.

The two girls in front chattered away, discussing how the tabby was the mother of the orange cat, how the black cat was the elder brother of the white cat, while all the complicated kinship relations had been completely erased by the community’s stray animal sterilization campaign.

Du Bin slowed his steps and looked at Zhou Lichuan. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

Zhou Lichuan’s eyes could not tear themselves away from Jiang Zao’s long hair. He looked absent-minded, with not the slightest trace of seriousness about discussing business.

“Lin Rui is in Changzhou.”

Du Bin’s eyes widened. “What?”

He reached out and grabbed Zhou Lichuan’s arm, staring at him in shock. “You’re only telling me this now about something so important?”

Only then did Zhou Lichuan finally pull his gaze away from Jiang Zao. “I only found out today too. That little friend of Li Baixiu’s really is impressive. He has all sorts of connections the police would never think of. Finding Lin Rui was entirely his first contribution.”

Du Bin’s impression of Li Baixiu was still stuck from the New Year period, when he and Zhou Jiayan had gone to the Li family to make a scene. Li Baixiu, sitting in a corner and being looked down upon, did not seem at all like someone sharp, decisive, and deeply shrewd.

“I haven’t had much contact with him. If he can be trusted, having someone like that around would make a lot of things much easier.”

Zhou Lichuan slipped his hands into his pockets and lowered his voice. “That’s why Jiang Zao has to stay by my side. Otherwise I can’t rest easy. She’s still carrying a child. If anything goes even slightly wrong, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

Du Bin let out a long sigh. “Sigh. That’s true enough, but Miss Jiang’s knot of worry still hasn’t been untied. I’m afraid it won’t be easy.”

Zhou Lichuan said, “Even if it’s hard, we still have to find a way. We can’t let Jiang Zao know about Lin Rui, and we can’t let her be wronged either. We really do need to think this through carefully.”

Du Bin was truly at his wit’s end. What a mess this all was.

Zhou Lichuan had all but abandoned the company’s affairs, Jiang Zao was pregnant and angry with him, Zhou Jiayan kept causing trouble whenever she felt like it, and back home his mother had recently fallen ill.

If only he could split himself into multiple bodies. Just like Naruto.

Perhaps heaven was benevolent and could not bear to see such a favored son trapped by endless trivialities, for it sent an opportunity at just the right moment.

But this opportunity was one that no one wanted to happen.

Du Bin included.

...

The Affiliated Hospital of Jingzhou Medical University.

Meng Qiaoyuan was once again assigned to an emergency night shift.

She could have spared herself such exhausting late nights, but for some reason, these days even when she closed her eyes, it was difficult to sleep soundly. She tossed and turned all night, and it was more draining than work itself.

So she simply took on a few more night shifts. Maybe after some time, things would improve.

That night was exceptionally quiet, so quiet it was as if the world had finally found peace and illness had vanished from it. Throughout the entire night, there was only one patient with a minor injury from a slip and fall, and no one else.

The emergency nurse, Zeng Yingying, was sprawled beside Meng Qiaoyuan, playing a matching game on her phone while chatting idly with her from time to time.

Meng Qiaoyuan was reading资料 and preparing her thesis, juggling multiple tasks at once, and still had time to reply to Jiang Zao on WeChat, reassuring her that she was too busy to come to Changzhou and see her.

Then a delivery rider parked at the hospital entrance and carried a bag of snacks into the emergency lobby.

“Miss Zeng Yingying, ending in 2426, you have a delivery.”