He stared at Qiao Zhen's face for a long time, then suddenly grabbed Qiao Zhen's neck.

"What are you doing?" Qiao Zhen frowned deeply, looking at Lu Zheng in front of her with a look of fear.

Seeing Lu Zheng's flushed face, Qiao Zhen felt a little scared for a moment.

"I'll say it one last time: don't even think about leaving my side. I have the ability to make you suffer a terrible fate."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhen's face paled, and she ultimately hesitated and didn't dare to speak.

Looking at Lu Zheng in front of her, Qiao Zhen suddenly felt that his face had become very unfamiliar.

After getting off work, Qiao Zhen was walking alone on the street when she suddenly received a call from Gu Xijue: "Are you off work now?"

"I'm logging off," Qiao Zhen replied briefly. The icy wind blew directly onto her, making her feel even more unbearably cold.

"Winter is coming soon, and the weather is already starting to get cold. How about I treat you to hot pot? It'll warm your stomach."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhen wanted to refuse, but when she thought about how much Gu Xijue had helped her without caring about the consequences, she couldn't bring herself to say no.

"Then send me your location."

Not long after, Qiao Zhen arrived at the hot pot restaurant and saw Gu Xijue sitting across the table, greeting her with a smile. Qiao Zhen smiled and smiled.

"I've ordered a few dishes according to your preferences. See if there's anything you'd like to add."

As he spoke, Gu Xijue handed over the menu.

Qiao Zhen nodded, but as she ordered, the image of Lu Zheng choking her couldn't help but surface in her mind.

Thinking of this, Qiao Zhen couldn't help but shudder, and the menu slid to the ground.

"What's wrong with you?" Gu Xijue quickly caught the menu, then noticed Qiao Zhen's pale face and realized something was wrong.

"No, I'm just feeling a little unwell." Qiao Zhen smiled awkwardly; she wasn't going to tell Gu Xijue what had just happened.

Gu Xijue, however, did not budge: "Is that so?"

Qiao Zhen nodded stiffly.

Gu Xijue took everything in, his cold light turning slightly colder. He lowered his eyes, and when he looked up again, his face had changed to a different smile.

He didn't want to tell Qiao Zhen so much beforehand, but Lu Zheng's words and actions towards Qiao Zhen made him realize the danger.

"Zhenzhen, I've recently found out some things about Lu Zheng. Would you like to hear them?"

Upon hearing the name Lu Zheng, Qiao Zhen perked up, but considering that Lu Zheng had been hiding things from her, she nodded and responded.

"Then tell me."

"Actually... Zhenzhen, do you remember when you were in school you lost your phone?"

Hearing this, Qiao Zhen tried hard to recall, and it seemed that she had indeed lost a phone, but she lost the old one when she got a new one, so she didn't think much of it.

"I remember, what happened to that phone?"

Seeing Qiao Zhen's ardent and yearning gaze, Gu Xijue locked his eyes and slowly covered Qiao Zhen's hand with his.

"Zhenzhen, actually, I've always had feelings for you, so I secretly kept your phone. I didn't originally intend to pry into your privacy, but later..."

At this point, Gu Xijue suddenly shut his mouth.

However, this passage contained a tremendous amount of information for Qiao Zhen.

She never expected that Gu Xijue had actually been interested in her during their student days.

"Did you... really like me back then?"

Hearing this, Gu Xijue tightened his grip on Qiao Zhen's hand.

"I was serious, but I was too naive back then and didn't know how to express my feelings, so it was put on hold for so long. But often, the order in which love comes first is that important."

As Qiao Zhen listened to Gu Xijue's words, she felt her heart pounding rapidly, and she was also filled with fear.

She didn't understand why she felt that way, but Gu Xijue's sudden remarks really caught Qiao Zhen off guard.

"I see……"

Qiao Zhen silently withdrew her hand and lowered her head.

Seeing this, Gu Xijue thought that Qiao Zhen was rejecting him, and he grabbed her hand as she stepped back even more anxiously.

"Trust me, Zhenzhen. Even if you still have some lingering issues with President Lu, trust me. I will help you, and I will wait for you."

Hearing this, Qiao Zhen couldn't help but look up and meet Gu Xijue's gaze. Seeing the deep affection in his eyes, Qiao Zhen admitted that she was indeed somewhat moved.

Actually, she had thought about it before, and when Gu Xijue treated her well, she naturally understood his feelings.

However, given her current relationship with Lu Zheng, she is simply not capable of bearing Gu Xijue's love.

"I...I'm afraid I can't handle it."

Hearing Qiao Zhen's words, Gu Xijue did not show any negative emotions. Instead, he continued gently, "It's okay. I already said I believe in you, and I will believe in you for the rest of my life."

"Thank you." Qiao Zhen nodded gratefully.

"And then?" Qiao Zhen suddenly remembered the important matter.

"Then, I found a text message on your phone that you sent after your phone was thrown away."

"It says on it that I will definitely avenge this wrong in the future."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhen felt as if her blood had frozen. She stood there, stunned, pondering the meaning of the text message.

Seeing her like this, Gu Xijue quickly comforted her.

"It's okay, Zhenzhen, I'll always be by your side."

At this point, the waiter had already served all the dishes. Looking at the boiling meat slices in the hot pot, Gu Xijue thoughtfully added a piece for Qiao Zhen.

"Don't be too sad. Eat something to fill your stomach first."

Qiao Zhen nodded stiffly, then mechanically picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a slice of meat, and put it in her mouth to chew.

However, I always felt that this hot pot was a bit bland and tasteless.

She suddenly remembered what Shen Yan had told him before, and her heart skipped a beat.

It turns out that all of this was true.

With all the clues connected, Qiao Zhen felt as if she had fallen into a trap, like a lamb on a chopping board, only to be slaughtered.

“Zhenzhen, I’ve analyzed this text message. Considering your situation, I think it’s most likely Mr. Lu’s doing. But don’t worry, the fact that he’s keeping you around means you’re still useful. He won’t do anything to you.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhen's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She shook her head violently and said, "No... I'm not worried about myself, I'm just worried about my family."

Whatever the crime, the fact that Lu Zheng approached her must mean there was some misunderstanding, but she didn't want this matter to affect the people around her.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xijue fell silent for a moment: "Zhenzhen, how about I visit Qiao's mother and familiarize myself with things on your mother's side? That way, if any problems arise, I can get there as quickly as possible to offer assistance."

Hearing this, Qiao Zhen wanted to refuse again, but looking into Gu Xijue's sincere eyes, she had no other choice but to nod and say, "Okay, thank you."

After a hot pot meal, Qiao Zhen's mind was filled with thoughts of Lu Zheng.

So much so that when she got home and saw Lu Zheng's face, she couldn't help but take a step back.

"Why are you so late today? What were you doing?"