Chapter 123

Chapter 123: The Brief Encounter Between Ji Jiuzhe and Lu Jiazhi

Gu Ning said, “I don’t know why I didn’t turn into a zombie after being bitten. After I woke up, my hair turned like this, and my physical condition improved a lot. My senses became sharper. But what exactly caused the changes in my body, even I am not clear.”

Zhuang Chen was silent for a long time before finally speaking seriously, “Gu Ning, from today onwards, don’t reveal this to anyone. This is a reminder from me as a friend.”

Gu Ning was momentarily stunned, then nodded. She knew the consequences if this matter were exposed.

Returning to her space at night, Gu Ning cautiously looked around and immediately saw a huge black bear sitting with its back to her, seemingly doing something. Gu Ning quietly took two steps forward and suddenly kicked something, causing a light clanging sound. She quickly glanced at the black bear, but it didn’t seem to notice, not even looking her way.

Gu Ning looked down and picked up the object—it was a can of fish. The storage area was several hundred meters away, so how did the can end up here? As she wondered, she noticed the black bear, still with its back to her, sneakily doing something. Feeling less fearful in her own territory, Gu Ning moved slightly and found herself ten meters in front of the bear.

The bear was sitting with its legs spread out, with two small piles in front of it—one of unopened cans and the other of empty cans that had been violently opened. The bear skillfully used its sharp claws to open a can, then brought it to its mouth. Just as it was about to lick the contents, it noticed Gu Ning standing ten meters away. The bear’s body shook, almost dropping the can. It glanced at the two piles, feeling inexplicably guilty, and quickly licked the fish into its mouth, pretending to look around nonchalantly.

Gu Ning looked at the two piles, realizing the bear had moved all the cans here. Although she felt a pang of loss, she couldn’t do much about it. Besides, she was now worth hundreds of millions, enough to buy enough cans to bury the bear.

Gu Ning, regardless of whether the bear understood, said, “Go ahead and eat, just don’t eat people.”

Then she left the space.

It was 7 a.m. in the real world.

Gu Ning washed her face, changed her clothes, and walked out refreshed. She knocked on Ji Jiuzhe’s door next door.

By the floor-to-ceiling window, a cup of steaming tea and some scattered documents were placed. Ji Jiuzhe, wearing black thin-framed glasses, looked less stern and more scholarly.

Ji Jiuzhe said, “Not coming in?”

Gu Ning quickly entered.

Ji Jiuzhe walked towards the window with his long legs, “There’s something urgent in the Capital. You’ll have to return to Jinyong alone.” He paused, then asked, “Is that okay?”

Gu Ning was surprised but said, “Yes, it’s fine.”

Ji Jiuzhe gathered the documents on the table and put them in his bag, then took out his wallet from his coat pocket and handed it to Gu Ning, “There’s not much cash left, but there’s a card inside. There’s an ATM on the first floor; the password is 624918. You can also stay here for a few days. If you need anything, call the number I left for you.”

Gu Ning took the wallet, still processing what was happening.

Then she followed Ji Jiuzhe downstairs.

As they reached the lobby counter to check out Ji Jiuzhe’s room, two people approached.

“Gu Ning.”

Gu Ning was stunned to see the exhausted Lu Jiazhi walking towards her and instinctively asked, “Lu Jiazhi? What are you doing here?” She then looked at Zhang Ji beside him, who had a strange expression.

Zhang Ji said resentfully, “We waited for you all night downstairs.”

Indeed, both Lu Jiazhi and Zhang Ji looked terrible, especially Lu Jiazhi, who had deep fatigue and even red veins in his eyes.

Lu Jiazhi’s gaze shifted to Ji Jiuzhe. Although he had seen Ji Jiuzhe’s back in photos, which already gave off an elite vibe, seeing him in person, Ji Jiuzhe’s natural aura made Lu Jiazhi feel an inexplicable sense of threat. He forced himself to perk up, not wanting to be overshadowed.

To an outsider, if Gu Ning had chosen Ji Jiuzhe over Lu Jiazhi, it would seem entirely natural.

Ji Jiuzhe turned and tapped the front desk, “Please check out room 908.”

Gu Ning looked at him in surprise.

Ji Jiuzhe took out his phone and made a call, “Get me another ticket to the Capital. Same time, same flight. Have the ticket sent to the airport.”

After hanging up, he asked Gu Ning, “Did you leave anything in the room?”

Gu Ning reflexively shook her head, as she habitually stored her belongings in her space.

Ji Jiuzhe said, “Let’s go then. The flight is at 9:30, and it’s half an hour to the airport.”

Huh? Didn’t he say he was going alone?

Zhang Ji suddenly realized something and nudged Lu Jiazhi, then said to Gu Ning, “Gu Ning, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“I’m Gu Ning’s boss, my surname is Ji,” Ji Jiuzhe introduced himself coldly, “We’re heading to the airport now. If there’s nothing urgent, we’ll be on our way.” The last sentence was directed at Gu Ning.

Lu Jiazhi asked Gu Ning, “Is this the parent of your student?”

Before Gu Ning could respond, Ji Jiuzhe said, “The person you’re referring to is my friend. Half a month ago, I was very impressed with Miss Gu, so I poached her from him and hired her as my personal assistant. My apologies, but this is Miss Gu’s working hours. If you have personal matters to discuss, please do so during her private time. Let’s go.” Ji Jiuzhe’s tone was polite but cold, his expression remaining indifferent.

“Sorry,” Gu Ning said to Zhang Ji, completely ignoring Lu Jiazhi, and then followed Ji Jiuzhe.

Outside the hotel, a car arranged by the local Five-Star Brigade was waiting. The two got in and drove off.

Zhang Ji watched the car leave and said to Lu Jiazhi, “Have you ever seen a boss open the car door for an assistant?” He paused, then added, puzzled, “What exactly did you do to hurt Gu Ning? She didn’t seem like she was just throwing a tantrum…” He didn’t finish, but deep down, he believed Lu Jiazhi must have done something to deeply hurt Gu Ning, given how he had seen Gu Ning act around Lu Jiazhi in the past.

“I don’t know,” Lu Jiazhi said, unusually lost in front of Zhang Ji, “I really don’t know what I did wrong. Ever since she came back, everything has changed.”

Zhang Ji couldn’t help but think that when Gu Ning used to revolve around Lu Jiazhi all day, he probably never imagined things would turn out like this. Feeling a bit guilty for thinking this way as Lu Jiazhi’s friend, he shook his head and sighed, “Didn’t you used to say you couldn’t figure out your feelings for Gu Ning? Have you figured it out now?”

Lu Jiazhi remained silent.

Meanwhile, Gu Ning found herself inexplicably following Ji Jiuzhe to the airport and boarding a plane.

Gu Ning handed the wallet back to Ji Jiuzhe, but he didn’t take it, “Keep it for now. You’ll need it in the Capital.”

Gu Ning silently put the wallet away and hesitated before saying, “Thank you for earlier at the hotel, Captain.” She thought she would have to deal with Lu Jiazhi for a while, but Ji Jiuzhe resolved it in just a few words.

Ji Jiuzhe paused while flipping through a book, then said, “You’re welcome.”

The Capital was much colder than Qingping, with a biting wind. Many people stepping off the warm plane shivered from the cold.

Ji Jiuzhe, in his heavy coat, looked very warm, while Gu Ning, in her sportswear, didn’t feel cold. Ji Jiuzhe subtly moved from her right to her left, shielding her from most of the wind.

Gu Ning didn’t notice, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked around. This was her first time in the Capital, and she felt inexplicably excited.

Outside the airport, someone was waiting.

A young man first hugged Ji Jiuzhe, showing they were very familiar, then stepped forward to shake Gu Ning’s hand and handed her a bouquet of flowers, saying, “You must be Gu Ning. Thanks to Yi Shaoqing, you’re quite famous at headquarters now.”

Gu Ning, holding the flowers, was stunned.

The young man realized and slapped his forehead, “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m from the Five-Star Brigade headquarters, my surname is Ji. I’m Ji Jiuzhe’s cousin. You can call me Qige.”

Gu Ning was surprised because the young man looked even younger than Ji Jiuzhe, probably only 24 or 25, but she obediently said, “Qige.” She then smiled, “This is the first time I’ve received flowers. Thank you.”

Now it was Qige’s turn to be surprised, “Really?” He glanced meaningfully at Ji Jiuzhe, who also seemed taken aback. Qige naturally took the flowers from Gu Ning and tossed them into a nearby trash bin, then said to the stunned Gu Ning, “I don’t have the honor of being your first. Let’s save that for some lucky guy.” He then casually said, “My car is parked outside. Let’s go.”

Gu Ning: “…”