Chapter 860 Almost Fell into a Trap 깊 "Lightweight, but also delicate. You need to fill it with good gas, and you have to be extra careful with the chassis on bad roads."

As Lu Qingyang was speaking, there happened to be a small pothole ahead. He slowed down in advance and carefully went around it. "Look, I'm taking such good care of you."

The two chatted as they drove to a relatively quiet riverbank road outside the city.

Lu Qingyang parked the car under the shade of a tree, and the two of them got out of the car to get some fresh air.

Just then, a 212 jeep came chugging towards us at a slow speed.

The car noticeably slowed down as it passed them.

The passenger window of the jeep rolled down, and a middle-aged man in an old military uniform leaned out. He glanced at Lu Qingyang several times, his gaze lingering particularly long on the Crown.

Lu Qingyang's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm as he nodded slightly in that direction.

The jeep then accelerated and drove away again.

"You know him?" Zhao Rui asked.

“I don’t know him.” Lu Qingyang opened the car door. “But driving this car makes it easier for people to recognize me. Let’s go back to the city. I’ll treat you to the new fish head casserole at Xinweiju.”

On the way back, Zhao Rui was noticeably more relaxed and began to study the car radio with great interest, tuning in to the stations, from which came out muffled opera sounds.

"Whenever something happens to me, I'll get one too."

Lu Qingyang said with a smile, "You're quite capable now."

...

A few days later, he drove to Jinling to meet Zhou Fang.

The negotiations were held at a newly opened hotel catering to foreign guests.

Mr. Wang, the beverage distributor, was a shrewd man in his early forties with a ruddy complexion. He was waiting early in a well-decorated private room.

Seeing Lu Qingyang and Zhou Fang, they were overly enthusiastic, shaking hands with such force that it seemed as if they were trying to prove something.

The dishes were extremely plentiful, and the wine was also a rare find in the region.

After a few drinks to start the conversation, Boss Wang clapped his hands, and the door to the private room opened. Two stylish young women entered, wearing the most fashionable dresses of the time, their faces adorned with well-trained, sweet smiles.

"Mr. Lu, Secretary Zhou, it must be tiring to discuss business. Let our company's Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang have a few drinks with you to help you relax," Mr. Wang said with a smile.

The two girls naturally sat down next to Lu Qingyang and Zhou Fang, offering a string of toasts and their hands also tried to reach out to their arms.

Lu Qingyang frowned slightly, subtly shifting his body to the side, holding the wine glass in his hand, and lightly touching his lips to it.

Zhou Fang was young and inexperienced, and with the gentle persuasion of the girl Xiao Li and the encouragement of Boss Wang, his face turned red after a few drinks, and he became more talkative.

Lu Qingyang excused himself to go to the restroom and temporarily left the table.

As he walked out of the private room and through the carpeted corridor, nearing the restroom, he vaguely heard a low voice coming from behind the half-open door of the fire escape next door, which sounded like Boss Wang.

"...That guy surnamed Lu seems impervious to reason...You two should put more effort into him, especially that young man he brought; he looks easy to handle...If you want to take one of them down, leave some for him...and the future purchase price—isn't that up to you to decide?"

Another female voice chuckled sweetly, "Don't worry, Mr. Wang, Little Li is very capable."

Lu Qingyang's eyes turned cold, and he completely lost interest in returning to the private room.

He originally felt that this way of hospitality was improper, and now he is even more certain that the other party had ill intentions.

He turned back, but instead of entering the private room, he stood at the door and winked at Zhou Fang, whose face was already flushed.

Although Zhou Fang was a little dizzy, seeing Lu Qingyang's serious expression and gesture, she snapped out of her daze and sobered up a bit.

He made an excuse that he had spilled alcohol on himself and needed to clean it up, and came out with them.

The two corridors meet at the corner.

"How do I get Qingyang?"

"This cooperation won't go through, and something doesn't feel right either," Lu Qingyang said succinctly. "We have to leave now."

"Huh? Then..." Zhou Fang turned around and glanced in the direction of the private room.

"Don't go back." Lu Qingyang pulled him back and quickly surveyed the surroundings.

Their private room was on the second floor.

There was a window at the end of the corridor, leading to a dimly lit back alley, with what appeared to be some junk piled up downstairs.

"Climb out the window," Lu Qingyang decided immediately.

Zhou Fang was startled, but seeing Lu Qingyang's unquestionable expression, she gritted her teeth.

Fortunately, the building wasn't very tall. Lu Qingyang nimbly climbed over the wall, stepped onto the old wooden crates piled up below, and then helped the somewhat clumsy Zhou Fang.

The two jumped off the box and quickly disappeared into the dark alley.

They only stopped to catch their breath after walking two blocks and confirming that no one was following them.

Zhou Fang sobered up completely. A gust of night wind blew, and she shivered, unsure whether it was from the cold or from lingering fear.

"Oh my god..." Zhou Fangxin said, still shaken, "That woman... she was so aggressive in getting me drunk, I almost..."

"In this situation, don't touch the food that's brought to you with a single finger."

Lu Qingyang brushed the dust off his suit jacket, his tone indifferent yet cold and hard, "It's not clean at all. Don't even think about touching it; just getting the wine they poured on your lips feels disgusting."

Zhou Fang recalled how the girl had almost leaned against him at the table, and then thought about the words he had overheard, and felt a wave of nausea. "You're the one who's so perceptive. So... what about this matter of principle?"

“Huang.” Lu Qingyang said decisively, “Business can be done, but crooked methods won’t work. Go back and investigate, and find other channels.”

Zhou Fang touched his still slightly flushed face, clicked his tongue, and muttered with a mixture of lingering fear and regret, "But to be honest, those two girls... were really hot, and they were dressed very fashionably."

Lu Qingyang was picking at noodles when he heard this, he paused for a moment, looked up at Zhou Fang with a probing look in his eyes.

Zhou Fang didn't notice and continued along her train of thought: "Actually, I think... well, I prefer girls who are more innocent and pure."

After he finished speaking, he scratched his head a little embarrassedly and smiled.

Lu Qingyang put down his chopsticks, took out a rough napkin to wipe his mouth, but it made Zhou Fang's smile freeze.

"Ah Fang, your sister-in-law is at home, taking care of the children and managing your little family. She's not exactly innocent, and her life has nothing to do with you. Don't get any ideas you shouldn't have."

The heat on Zhou Fang's face vanished instantly, he sobered up completely, and even broke out in a cold sweat on his back.

He quickly waved his hand and said hastily, "Where do you think you're going? I was just saying it offhand."

Lu Qingyang stared at him for a few seconds, making Zhou Fang's scalp tingle, before slowly withdrawing his gaze. His tone softened, but his words remained harsh: "It's best if you haven't had any designs on him. Fang, we've made something of ourselves now. The outside world is full of temptations, but there are certain lines you can't cross. If you do, your family will fall apart, and your heart will be tainted. You'll not only be letting down your sister-in-law, but also letting down your own initial intentions."

He picked up his chopsticks again, stirred the noodle soup in his bowl, and seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to Zhou Fang: "When looking for a partner, it's more important to find someone stable and long-lasting than someone who's just infatuated. Who knows what's inside those glamorous-looking women out there? Today they might be drinking with you for money or something else, but tomorrow they might sell you out for something else. We business people need to be discerning and have a firm heart."

"Qingyang, don't worry."

Zhou Fang seemed a little guilty when he said this.