Chapter 23: Liu Qingmei Remains the Prime Suspect

"Mr. Qin." Liu Qingmei stepped forward and came to a stop beside Qin Qiuhong.

Qin Qiuhong glanced at her and recognized her as someone who often accompanied An Xingcai for golf. He asked casually, "Has An Xingcai made any new friends recently, or brought anyone else to the course?"

Hearing his description, the first person who came to Liu Qingmei's mind was Zhizhi.

But she quickly suppressed that thought.

She was nothing more than a temptress; how could she possibly be considered a friend of the young master? As for whether she was brought to the course by the young master, that didn't count either; she was originally a part-time staff member at the club, and accompanying the young master was simply part of her job.

Liu Qingmei shook her head. "No."

No?

He had thought there might actually be something going on, which was why An Xingcai had been so flustered. It seemed he had overthought it.

"I see."

Seeing that his business partner had arrived, Qin Qiuhong put the matter aside and led his guest onto the course.

Qin Qiuhong was not accustomed to having people hovering around him, so after watching him leave, Liu Qingmei returned to her original spot.

The others gathered together to chat.

"Mr. Qin is just so handsome. Young and successful, and there are hardly any scandals about him. I really wish I could be his girlfriend."

"Save it. There are plenty of people who want to be Mr. Qin's girlfriend. What kind of credentials do you have to make him notice you?"

"Can't I just imagine it? Why are you so worked up? Don't tell me you’ve never thought about it yourself?"

Liu Qingmei walked over and sneered, "Mr. Qin is not someone you can reach for. Whoever enters the Qin family must be a match in status and background. People like you and me simply don't qualify."

"Sister Qing is right."

Liu Qingmei picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

Although she said that, her eyes revealed a deep sense of unwillingness.

"Let's go," Liu Qingmei said, putting down her teacup. "Let's go see how Jiajia is doing with her training. I gave her the whole afternoon, and I have no idea if she's made any progress."

...

Ning Huaizhi had originally thought that since An Xingcai wouldn't be coming in the afternoon, she would have time to teach Zhou Jiajia.

However, she hadn't expected a group of young ladies to arrive at the course in the afternoon, who specifically requested her as their caddy.

Even when Liu Qingmei stepped in to suggest someone else, the young ladies insisted on having Ning Huaizhi.

Since a guest required her service, Ning Huaizhi could not refuse.

She assisted the guests while keeping Zhou Jiajia on her mind.

For some reason, she had a very bad premonition.

By dusk, before the young lady left, she gave her a generous tip and showered her with praise.

"I'm very satisfied with you. When I come back next time, I want you to accompany me again."

"Thank you for the compliment. I am only at the course on weekends, but you are welcome to come anytime."

Ning Huaizhi replied distractedly. Once the young lady left, she immediately went to look for Zhou Jiajia.

But after searching the area, she couldn't find her anywhere.

Seeing the sky growing darker and recalling Zhou Jiajia's state that morning, Ning Huaizhi grew increasingly anxious.

What on earth was going on?

"Zhizhi, who are you looking for?" Liu Qingmei appeared out of nowhere, arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the wall.

"Have you seen Jiajia? Her mood was a bit off this morning, and I'm worried about her."

"I think she went back to the dormitory. As for the reason, I don't know. You could go ask her. She's still young and perhaps can't handle things as well as others; you should try to comfort her."

The words sounded caring, but to Ning Huaizhi, they felt strange.

She couldn't jump to conclusions so quickly; she had to find her first.

"Thank you, I'll go check."

After saying this, Ning Huaizhi turned quickly and headed toward the dormitory.

The orange-red light was swallowed by the horizon, the view gradually grew dim, and the surroundings were silent.

When Ning Huaizhi pushed open the dormitory door, a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes.

The room lights were off; Jiajia was likely not here.

She reached out with her right hand to flip the light switch, and as she was about to pull out her phone to message Zhou Jiajia, she caught sight of someone by the door and was nearly startled.

"Jiajia, why are you here? Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Zhou Jiajia was sitting on the floor, legs curled up, her eyes staring blankly at her knees. She didn't react even when she heard Ning Huaizhi’s voice.

Seeing her like this, Ning Huaizhi knew she wouldn't come to her senses for a while, so she didn't press her.

She put her bag on the table, closed the door, and then sat down next to Zhou Jiajia, watching her quietly.

Only then did Zhou Jiajia move her eyes. "Huaizhi, why are you back?"

"Are you sick? Look outside, it's already dark. I'm off work, so of course I'd come back. It's getting late, shall we go get dinner? Do you want to eat at the cafeteria, or should I bring something back for you?"

Zhou Jiajia didn't speak.

Ning Huaizhi didn't know what had happened to her, so she could only ask patiently. After waiting for a long time without a response, she felt a bit troubled.

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I'll go to the cafeteria first. What do you want to eat? Or should I just pick something for you?"

This also received no response.

There was nothing she could do, so Ning Huaizhi went to the cafeteria alone. When she returned with food, Zhou Jiajia was already lying on her bed.

Noticing that her mood had improved slightly, Ning Huaizhi called her down to eat.

Compared to her usual appetite, Zhou Jiajia clearly didn't eat much today.

But as long as she was willing to eat, Ning Huaizhi tried to comfort herself.

Sunday morning was relatively quiet. Ning Huaizhi had nothing to do, so she stayed by Zhou Jiajia's side.

Liu Qingmei kept glancing toward the entrance, looking quite puzzled.

"Is the young master not coming today? He clearly said before that he would be here both days this weekend."

"Maybe something came up last minute," someone next to her said, propping up her chin. "If the young master isn't coming, stop waiting."

"No, maybe the young master was just delayed. I'll wait a bit longer; I'm sure he'll show up."

Ning Huaizhi's gaze shifted between them.

Zhou Jiajia wouldn't say anything, but her deep sorrow had to be connected to these people.

When she came from school on Friday, Zhou Jiajia had been lively and cheerful. What could have caused such a drastic change in just one day?

Looking at their interactions, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

This Liu Qingmei seemed to be the "big sister" figure; everyone else listened to her, and those around her treated her with a hint of flattery.

The others were either close to Liu Qingmei, acting as her little followers, or were indifferent, focused solely on doing their jobs.

From this perspective, Jiajia's problem most likely stemmed from Liu Qingmei.

Ning Huaizhi narrowed her eyes slightly, observing Liu Qingmei carefully, as if trying to see right through her to the bone.