Chapter 487: 487: Jiang Zhi’s sick and dark transformation, Fang Bao’s indulgent doting (third update)
Qiao Nanchu also noticed, “Sothing’s not right.”
Just now, in the parking lot, Jiang Zhi was smoking.
This was the second ti Qiao Nanchu had seen him smoke; the first was when they were younger, horsing around, and each had taken a few puffs. People like them, with their mixed social circles, mostly smoked, with two exceptions: Xue Bingxue didn’t smoke—he was a “Five Good Youth”—and Jiang Zhi didn’t either. It wasn’t that he couldn’t; he used to need to feign illness, so smoking was out of the question. Not only did he not smoke, but he also always had milk close at hand.
Later, when he got together with Zhou Xufang, milk no longer interested him, thanks to Zhou Xufang.
Now, he had even started smoking.
Qiao Nanchu felt this was not a good developnt, “I thought you didn’t smoke?”
Jiang Zhi didn’t answer.
“When did you pick up the smoking habit?”
He still didn’t answer and said instead, “I’ll transfer all my shares in JC to you.”
Qiao Nanchu couldn’t figure him out, “Why? Are we splitting up?” Could that even be clearly separated? They had never settled accounts.
The car window was open, and Jiang Zhi’s hand holding the cigarette extended outside, where the wind blew away the ashes, “From now on, you take care of the company’s matters. I won’t interfere anymore.”
Watching Jiang Zhi smoke, Qiao Nanchu felt the craving too and found a piece of Nicotine Gum in the car, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth, “You planning to take over the Lu Family?”
Jiang Zhi shook his head, took a drag on the cigarette between his lips, and exhaled the smoke after a mont. His gaze, filtered through the haze of smoke, was sowhat blurred, “The Lu Family has Lu Xinglan and Lu Sheng.”
Such a familiar way of smoking.
Was Zhou Xufang not going to say anything?
“What’s your plan then, going solo?”
“No,” Jiang Zhi said indifferently while smoking, “I’ll stay at ho and keep Zhou Xufang company from now on. We’ve made enough money; there’s no need to waste ti elsewhere.”
Pondering over these words, they were sowhat terrifying.
His current state, ignoring Zhou Xufang’s opinions, was sowhat reminiscent of his past—a lack of interest in anything, simply toying with life. Qiao Nanchu asked, “Not going to make movies either?”
He humd an affirmation, “Lost interest.”
“So, what are you still interested in?”
“Nothing’s interesting.”
These words, didn’t they sound like those of a patient tired of life, contemplating suicide?
Fortunately, Jiang Zhi added, “Apart from Zhou Xufang, everything else is a waste of ti.”
He no longer sounded like a patient yearning for suicide; instead, like a patient, his thoughts were sickly extre.
“Does wasting ti include our current conversation?” Qiao Nanchu asked.
Jiang Zhi did not reply to that question.
He got out of the car, extinguished the half-smoked cigarette, took a trip to the restroom, and when he ca back, Qiao Nanchu could no longer sll the smoke on him, only a faint scent of mouthwash.
Was he afraid of being caught by Zhou Xufang?
At least he still had sothing to fear.
At nine o’clock, Jiang Zhi made the seventeenth call to Zhou Xufang.
“Going to bed?”
“Mhm.”
The atmosphere in the private room was strange; while Jiang Zhi was on the phone, the other three remained silent, drinking their beverages—no, Xue Bingxue was having a drink.
“You go on WeChat, keep the video call on where I can see, then go to sleep,” Jiang Zhi instructed Zhou Xufang.
Zhou Xufang replied, “Okay.”
Qiao Nanchu felt Zhou Xufang was too accommodating to Jiang Zhi, and a word ca to mind: doting.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xufang started a video call with Jiang Zhi, adjusted the angle so that her face was just visible to him.
Then, Zhou Xufang went to sleep while Jiang Zhi sat in the private room, staring at his phone the whole ti. The others lost interest in engaging, and the atmosphere turned even more peculiar.
“Is it very hot?” Xue Bingxue asked Jiang Zhi.
“No.”
But he was sweating and fidgeting restlessly, showing obvious symptoms of anxiety.
Xue Bingxue poured a glass of milk into a tall glass and pushed it toward him, “Have so milk.”
Jiang Zhi looked up, “No thanks.”
In his eyes flashed a subconscious wariness, fleeting in a mont.
Xue Bingxue looked him in the eyes, “I didn’t put poison in it.”
Jiang Zhi denied, “I didn’t say you poisoned it.”
But he was indeed on guard—against everyone.
Xue Bingxue was a doctor with so understanding of psychiatry and asked earnestly, “Tell honestly, do you beco restless and anxious, unable to do anything when you can’t see Zhou Xufang?”
“Mhm.”
Xue Bingxue continued, “Do you constantly worry about her safety?”
“Mhm.”
“Do you think soone is out to harm her?”
Jiang Zhi replied promptly, “Soone is definitely out to harm her.”
His tone was very certain. He glanced at Zhou Xufang on the phone screen, and the shadows in his eyes slightly dissipated.
Xue Bingxue looked at the fine layer of sweat on his forehead and pressed, “Then who do you think is out to harm Zhou Xufang?”
Without a second thought, Jiang Zhi responded, “It could be anyone.”
Xue Bingxue beca even more certain that there was sothing wrong with Jiang Zhi’s ntal state. The symptoms hadn’t been obvious when he was with Zhou Xufang over the past few days, but now that they were apart, they’d all erged.
Xue Baoyi interjected, “Even ?”
Jiang Zhi didn’t answer but instead asked back, “If Fang Lixiang were arrested, would you betray to save her?”
Xue Baoyi fell silent.
Jiang Zhi answered for him, “You would, just like I would betray you for Zhou Xufang.” He looked at Qiao Nanchu and Xue Bingxue, “You would too.”
This kind of thinking was both extre and sinister, but undeniable.
Qiao Nanchu said earnestly, “Jiang Zhi, see a therapist.”
Jiang Zhi poured the milk from his wineglass into another empty one and uncorked a new bottle of red wine. He poured a glass, swirled it gently, and took a sip, “You think I’m sick?”
“Aren’t you?”
He didn’t care, “So I’m sick, so what?” Just as he put down his glass, Zhou Xufang disappeared from his phone screen.
All of Jiang Zhi’s abnormal symptoms intensified.
He knocked over the wineglass in a frantic scramble, his pupils sharpening, the corners of his eyes reddening, his palms sweating, and he spoke in a rushed and panicked manner, “Xu Fang.”
“Xu Fang.”
Getting no response, Jiang Zhi hurriedly stood up, “Zhou Xufang!” He imdiately called her.
Thank goodness.
She answered, “Jiang Zhi.”
He felt weak in the knees and collapsed back onto the sofa, “Where are you?”
“At ho,” Zhou Xufang replied. “I just went to check the surveillance.”
Jiang Zhi had just breathed a sigh of relief but beca tense again, “What happened?”
“There’s soone downstairs.”
Zhou Xufang was initially planning to move in with her uncle, but Jiang Zhi disagreed. Yuquan Bay was much safer with a complete surveillance system.
“Who is it?”
Gripping his phone tightly, Jiang Zhi’s fingertips reddened.
“It looks like Luo Yinghe.”
Luo Yinghe?
Why go to Yuquan Bay? Why especially now? Who was behind this?
Jiang Zhi’s mind was flooded with countless assumptions, none of them good. He couldn’t sit still any longer, “I’m coming over now, don’t go downstairs.”
There was a mont’s hesitation from Zhou Xufang, “We’re not supposed to see each other.” If he wanted to see her… then just comply with his wishes.
“I won’t see you, I’ll just check things out.”
She hesitated for only a second before yielding to him, “Then drive carefully.”
“Yeah.” Jiang Zhi asked her, “Have Tang Xiang and Wen Baiyang gone to bed?”
“Not yet.”
“Chat with them for a bit, don’t go to bed yet, wait for to arrive.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Nanchu overheard sporadically, still convinced that Zhou Xufang was indulging and complying with Jiang Zhi too much.
Xue Baoyi looked at his uncle.
Xue Bingxue had a grave expression.
Xue Baoyi understood: it was over, Jiang Zhi’s illness wasn’t mild.
He still found it hard to believe. Of all of them, Jiang Zhi had the strongest psyche, naturally clever and quicker-witted; for over twenty years, Jiang Zhi had manipulated others playfully, toying with hearts, lives, and sches. How had he gotten caught up in this? Was it just a trip to Pullman? Moreover, didn’t he beat that father and son? How could a shadow have been left? He felt that Jiang Zhi’s illness was sowhat like persecution paranoia, although not directed at himself, but toward Zhou Xufang.
“Don’t hang up,” Jiang Zhi instructed Zhou Xufang, grabbing his car keys and jacket. He stood up, telling the three people in the private room, “I’m leaving.”
Qiao Nanchu also stood up, “I’ll co with you.”
He declined, “No need.”
Qiao Nanchu, frustrated and anxious, brushed the short hair from his forehead and followed, “In your current state, if sothing really happens, can you handle it calmly?”
He couldn’t.
His calm had been exhausted during his ti at Pullman.
Jiang Zhi stopped at the door, looking back, “Then drive there.”
Xue Bingxue finished the drink in her cup, “Okay.”
Xue Baoyi complained under his breath as he followed, “I must have owed you in my last life.”
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