Plunder

"Secretary Qiao, I'm sorry for bothering you so late. Brother An's stomach condition is acting up, what medicine does he normally take? Could I trouble you to bring some over?"

An Kexin spoke very politely, in a scholarly and reasonable manner.

There wasn't a trace of a noble young lady's arrogance or haughtiness about her.

"No trouble at all, I'll bring it right over."

Qiao En replied.

An Kexin sent the address over WeChat.

Qingxiang Pavilion, Room 303.

Upon seeing this address, Qiao En's heart skipped a beat.

That place, Qiao En had been there before with Zhou Jin'an, where the Hunan cuisine was first-class.

Mrs. Zhou was a typical person from Western Hunan, with a strong taste for spiciness.

Zhou Jin'an didn't grow up by Mrs. Zhou's side and preferred a lighter flavor.

Moreover, he had a stomach problem and the doctor had advised avoiding spicy food.

But to accommodate Mrs. Zhou, he never mentioned his inability to eat spicy dishes.

As a result, every time they returned from Qingxiang Pavilion, Qiao En had to prepare stomach medicine for him.

Qiao En bought the medicine and delivered it to the address.

When she entered, Mrs. Zhou's gaze swept over.

Dressed in an emerald-green cheongsam, she looked dignified and luxurious.

Yet her eyes were sharp and worldly, with the same indifference and detachment as Zhou Jin'an.

"Good evening, Mrs. Zhou."

Qiao En, sensible as always, greeted her proactively.

Mrs. Zhou nodded indifferently and withdrew her gaze.

"Secretary Qiao, I really appreciate you coming all this way so late. I should have been the one to buy the medicine, but I didn't know which kind Brother An usually takes, so I had to trouble you."

An Kexin stood up, took the medicine from Qiao En's hands, speaking in a gentle, soft voice, like a feather.

"It's no trouble at all."

Qiao En didn't say much but was proper in her response.

In the private room, there was a resting sofa, and Zhou Jin'an was slumped on the sofa clutching his chest, looking very uncomfortable.

The lighting in the room wasn't bright, and from a distance, Qiao En couldn't make out the expression on his face.

"Secretary Qiao, could you please pour a cup of hot water?"

An Kexin instructed.

She opened the medicine box, took out several pills, and walked towards Zhou Jin'an, twisting her slender waist.

"Brother An, here's your medicine. Take some, and you'll feel better soon."

She naturally wrapped an arm around his neck, trying to feed him the medicine.

But Zhou Jin'an resisted, pushing her away, took the medicine, and put it into his mouth himself.

Qiao En had also brought the water by this time, and as An Kexin took it over, she again tried to help Zhou Jin'an drink it.

He declined, "I can do it myself."

She insisted, "It's my duty to take care of you when you're unwell."

"I just have a stomachache; my hands aren't crippled."

Zhou Jin'an's gaze was as cold as ice, and so was his tone.

Qiao En felt out of place standing there.

"Mrs. Zhou, Director Zhou, Miss An, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Qiao En turned to leave, but An Kexin stopped her.

She stepped forward, took hold of Qiao En's arm, overly affectionate.

"Secretary Qiao, stay and have dinner with us. You've gone to the trouble of delivering the medicine, the meal is simple, don't look down on it."

As she spoke, An Kexin immediately instructed the waiter to add dishes and place settings.

Qiao En didn't understand An Kexin's intention, but she knew that it wasn't appropriate for her, an outsider, to stay in this situation.

"Miss An, I appreciate your kind offer, but I've already eaten."

She insisted on leaving, but An Kexin was persistent in asking her to stay.

Leaning in close, An Kexin whispered into Qiao En's ear, a voice only she could hear, "Brother An is in a bad mood today, help me cheer him up."

Hearing this, Qiao En felt a shiver down her spine, a chill creeping into her heart.

"Miss An, you jest. I am merely Director Zhou's secretary, you are his 'parsley'."

In front of Mrs. Zhou, Qiao En avoided impropriety, but An Kexin refused to give up, shaking Qiao En's arm as if pleading, "Help me."

Mrs. Zhou also spoke up, "Since Kexin has asked you to stay, you might as well stay."

With that, Qiao En no longer had a reason to leave.

She took her seat but felt uneasy, like sitting on pins and needles.

An Kexin picked up her chopsticks and personally served her, "This restaurant's sauce-fried Shun Feng is very good, give it a try."

"Thank you, Miss An."

Qiao En didn't care for pig's ears, but she tried a little anyway.

"I should be the one thanking you. You have no idea how bad his temper was before you started taking care of Brother An these past few years—"

An Kexin's lips curled into a smile, her eyes filled with affection as she looked towards Zhou Jin'an.

Zhou Jin'an used to be what, Qiao En really did not know.

She was a person who understood propriety; she couldn't chime in on such matters.

"Kexin, from now on, I'll have to trouble you. Jin'an has a foul temper, so you must manage him well. He, ah, needs straightening out!"

Mrs. Zhou's words were loaded with meaning, which Qiao En could detect.

It probably wasn't Zhou Jin'an who needed straightening out, but her, right?

Mrs. Zhou kept serving dishes to An Kexin, and the plate in front of An Kexin was piled up like a small mound.

"Aunt Zhou, you should eat too."

An Kexin's brows and eyes curled with a smile, and she served quite a few dishes to Mrs. Zhou as well.

At the table, the two women, exchanging servings, with Qiao En sitting there as if she were the air itself.

In the lounge area, Zhou Jin'an sat up straight, his gaze coldly sweeping over this way.

Mrs. Zhou shot a cold look his way, "Come and eat if you're feeling better."

Zhou Jin'an stood up, pulling out the chair opposite Qiao En to sit down.

Mrs. Zhou spoke again, "I've consulted a master, and the sixth of next month is an auspicious day. You two hurry up and prepare for the wedding."

Qiao En had just stuffed a piece of Shunfeng chili into her mouth, numbing her tongue with its spiciness.

She wasn't good with spicy food, sharing the same preference as Zhou Jin'an.

As the spiciness spread, tears began to well up.

Qiao En picked up the cup and gulped down the cool boiled water.

"I'll listen to An Ge."

An Kexin's face showed a shy smile, but her eyes sparkled with joy.

In contrast, Zhou Jin'an maintained an indifferent expression.

"No hurry."

He coldly replied.

"You're already twenty-eight, how can you not hurry? Even if you're not in a rush, can't you think about Kexin? She's the same age as you. If you keep delaying, do you know how dangerous it is to have children?"

Mrs. Zhou's words stung, and the air pressure in the room instantly dropped.

An Kexin, skilled at reading the room, immediately stood up and moved closer to Mrs. Zhou, kneading her plump shoulders.

"Aunt Zhou, An Ge and I have just gotten engaged, how about we slow down and get married later?"

Qiao En could tell that she was trying to ease the situation for Zhou Jin'an.

However, unexpectedly, Zhou Jin'an did not give her any face.

"I didn't say I'd marry you."

His words were like a stone causing a thousand ripples, stunning all three women in the room.

An Kexin clearly hadn't expected Zhou Jin'an to be so blunt. Her face changed colors as mist clouded her eyes, and tears began to gather.

Mrs. Zhou's heart ached and she drew An Kexin to her side to comfort her.

"Don't listen to his nonsense, he's just being stubborn today, defying me!"

Mrs. Zhou glared fiercely at Zhou Jin'an, a side glance to Qiao En revealing her unabated fury.

"Don't forget, you're a Zhou."

She was ringing an alarm bell for Zhou Jin'an; in a union of powerful families, benefits are paramount, not feelings.

Zhou Jin'an leaned back against his chair, his expression dark.

He unbuttoned the cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, revealing a trim forearm.

His gaze fell on An Kexin, his eyes mischievous, inscrutable.

"I beg to differ, as I already have someone in mind to marry."

"Who?"

Mrs. Zhou and An Kexin asked in unison.

Zhou Jin'an didn't answer right away. He took out a cigarette and a lighter, his movements practiced yet slow, as he lit a cigarette.

The burning cigarette glowed intermittently, smoke billowing and then dissipating.

His cold gaze swept past An Kexin.

"In any case, it's not you."

An Kexin, unable to save face, fluctuating between pale and flushed, cast a resentful look at Qiao En.

"Is it her?"

Qiao En had hoped to stay out of it, but as the adage goes, when the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer: she found herself drawn in again.

Qiao En stood up in confusion, gesturing with her hands, trying desperately to distance herself from any relationship with Zhou Jin'an.

"Miss An, you've misunderstood, it could never be me."

An Kexin wept, her face streaked with tears, biting her lower lip, enduring yet unwilling.

"An Ge, tell me, is it her or not?"

An Kexin looked at Zhou Jin'an, stubbornly waiting for an answer.

Zhou Jin'an stood up, his expression still somber. He snuffed out the half-smoked cigarette and headed straight for the door.

An Kexin's pressing had touched his raw nerve.

He wouldn't answer.

But his silence plunged Qiao En into an abyss from which there seemed no return.