Chapter 10: Did They Bully You?

After dinner, it was already late in the evening.

Tan Qingya led Zhou Jianghao to her feet. They had just stepped outside when they spotted a woman standing under the streetlamp, her face etched with panic.

“President Tan!” Lu Ping hurried over in a fluster and hastily explained, “There was a car accident on the road that held me up for a bit. I didn’t mean to be late.”

If she didn’t clear this up, the cooperation between the Lu Family and the Tan Family might fall through.

As she spoke, she pointed toward a car parked not far away. Its front end was badly dented, and blood still stained her forehead. She had clearly rushed over straight from the accident scene.

Only then did Tan Qingya’s expression soften somewhat.

Seeing this, Lu Ping quickly glanced at the woman standing beside Tan Qingya. A flash of admiration crossed her eyes. “This is Miss Zhou?”

“Yes.”

Tan Qingya nodded. She watched a smile bloom instantly across the woman’s disheveled face and suddenly felt a surge of displeasure. She took a small step forward, blocking the woman’s line of sight, and said coolly, “Step aside.”

“President Tan, let me drive Miss Zhou home?” The words tumbled out of Lu Ping’s mouth without a second thought. She had completely forgotten her own bedraggled state.

“Late at night, and you’re going to drive her home?” Tan Qingya arched an eyebrow in a mocking half-smile. Her gaze drifted to the wrecked car. “In that heap of junk you just crashed?”

Lu Ping: “…”

Her face flushed crimson in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, the two women climbed into a car, one after the other, and vanished from sight.

Lu Ping breathed a sigh of relief. But regret soon tinged her expression. She touched the wound on her forehead, a wave of remorse washing over her.

If the Old Madam of the Tan Family hadn’t approached her, would that beautiful woman have become her future wife?

The thought took root and refused to let go. Lu Ping shook her head sharply, forcing it down, and quickly summoned a driver to take her to the hospital.

Over the next few days, company business kept Tan Qingya swamped, so she put Zhou Jianghao’s matters on the back burner for the time being. She simply arranged for several candidates she had vetted to meet with Zhou Jianghao one by one.

Of the four, three seemed quite pleased with Zhou Jianghao. Yet Zhou Jianghao showed no interest whatsoever.

That evening brought a business dinner.

Few in the industry dared refuse her face, but tonight’s host was a real piece of work—a stubborn bully who saw her youth as weakness and tried to push her around. After a few drinks, Tan Qingya’s patience had worn thin. Right on cue, a WeChat call buzzed in.

It was surprisingly from Zhou Jianghao.

“Pre… President Tan.”

Hearing the voice crackle through the phone, Tan Qingya’s lips curved faintly. She hadn’t expected Zhou Jianghao to reach out first.

She scanned the room, her casual demeanor giving way to uncharacteristic focus.

“Miss Zhou.” She lowered her gaze. “Is something the matter?”

“I’m so sorry to bother you like this.” The voice on the other end sounded subdued. “But I really have no other options.”

Hmm, that pitiful tone reminded her even more of the Silly Dog back home. Tan Qingya’s gaze dropped instinctively, her voice softening without her even noticing. “What happened?”

Before Zhou Jianghao could reply, a familiar voice blared from the phone:

“Zhou Jianghao, get out here!”

“You dare throw my Little Aunt in my face? Zhou Jianghao, you’ve got some nerve! Get out here now!”

Tan Qingya’s brows snapped together. That was unmistakably her niece.

Zhou Jianghao’s words came faster now. “Are you at the Jinjiang Club? I think I spotted you earlier. I’m over in Private Room 1109. Your niece Li Zhenyu won’t let me go—I’m hiding in the bathroom. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. Could you come?”

In the background, Li Zhenyu’s curses and kicks against the door echoed loudly.

Tan Qingya’s face turned icy.

She rose to her feet, drawing every eye in the private room. With a furrowed brow, she nodded curtly. “Excuse me, everyone—something urgent has come up.”

As she strode out, she spoke gravely into the phone toward Zhou Jianghao. “Stay put. I’m on my way.”

She didn’t hang up. Instead, she hurried toward Private Room 1109. Luckily, it wasn’t far from her own room. She arrived just as Li Zhenyu kicked the bathroom door open.

“Li Zhenyu.”

The girl was too busy bellowing triumphantly to hear.

Tan Qingya’s expression hardened. She snatched a bottle of wine from a nearby bartender and hurled it over.

Crash! The bottle shattered at Li Zhenyu’s feet, eliciting a piercing shriek from her.

In the ensuing chaos, Tan Qingya’s eyes remained cold. She seized the initiative. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Li… Little Aunt? What are you doing here?” Li Zhenyu finally snapped out of it and stared in bewilderment. Wine stains now splattered her pretty skirt—the bottle had missed her foot by a hair.

The close call left her trembling, legs weak. All her earlier bravado evaporated.

Tan Qingya pressed her lips together at the sight of such cowardice. Bullying the weak and cowering before the strong—how had the Tan Family raised such an embarrassment?

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tan Qingya’s gaze shifted to the splintered door, her tone growing even chillier. “Li Zhenyu, is this how a Tan Family member behaves?”

She stepped forward and extended her hand toward Zhou Jianghao inside.

The gesture caught Zhou Jianghao off guard. Having just exhaled in relief, she blinked in confusion and instinctively handed over the object in her grasp.

The phone screen still glowed with the active call.

Tan Qingya’s eyes flicked across it, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. What was that contact name?

A dog emoji, followed by a simple bracketed label: [Fierce]. This “Fierce” couldn’t possibly refer to her—she was always the caring big sister in Zhou Jianghao’s eyes.

Her thoughts turned to Little Beauty at home. Tan Qingya drew a slow breath. Fine—that Silly Dog was dragging her reputation through the mud now.

She had stared too long. Zhou Jianghao followed her gaze, her face paling as she snatched the phone back.

Tan Qingya’s eyebrow quirked. Not wanting to spook her further, she feigned ignorance—but a spark of mischief ignited. Without a word, she clasped Zhou Jianghao’s wrist.

The skin felt cool and soft, like chilled mochi—surprisingly pleasant. But Zhou Jianghao flinched as if burned and tried to pull away.

Tan Qingya held fast, locking eyes with her steadily.

To her surprise, Zhou Jianghao didn’t flinch or look away. She stared right back. Those usually placid eyes fixed on Tan Qingya stirred an unfamiliar tension in her—the first of its kind.

It felt almost as if Zhou Jianghao were seeing her, truly seeing her, for the first time. Yet Tan Qingya had been raised in luxury; no one had ever dared belittle her.

Zhou Jianghao had never hidden her fear of her.

So why this strange sensation?

Flustered for once, Tan Qingya broke eye contact first. She mulled over that gaze and detected no disgust or aversion. Reassured, she tightened her grip slightly and led Zhou Jianghao out.

Their proximity brought a stronger whiff of alcohol.

Only then did Tan Qingya notice the wine stains soaking Zhou Jianghao’s collar—as if someone had forced drinks down her throat.

Her eyes darkened at the realization. “Did they bully you?”