Searching for Treasures in the Clouds

Chapter 417 Zuo Buqiu and Jiang Zaizhou's First Meal

After this "blind date" gathering, Jiang Zaizhou didn't meet any potential partners. Only Zuo Buqiu was grateful to him for predicting the Crazy Horse accident and helping her avoid disaster, and said she wanted to treat him to a meal.

They arranged to eat at a Chinese restaurant today. Jiang Zaizhou had dined at this restaurant before and was quite familiar with its layout, so he quickly found the private room that Zuo Buqiu had reserved.

The moment the door opened, Zuo Buqiu also opened hers, and the two almost bumped into each other. A delicate fragrance enveloped Zuo Buqiu. She looked up at the person in front of her and saw him quickly take a step back, creating distance between them, and the fragrance faded away as well.

"I'm sorry, Miss Zuo, I didn't know you were coming out. I hope I didn't scare you?" Jiang Zaizhou said somewhat awkwardly.

"It's alright, I almost bumped into you too, sorry." Zuo Buqiu had a professional smile on his face.

"Oh, it's nothing, you can come out now." Jiang Zaizhou stepped aside.

"Okay, I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back."

After the two were seated, the dishes that had been pre-ordered were served one after another. Zuo Buqiu took the initiative to start a conversation. She picked up a gift bag from her side and handed it to Jiang Zaizhou, saying, "Mr. Jiang, thank you for your reminder that day. This is a thank-you gift. I hope you like it."

"You're welcome. A horse going mad is no small matter. It's only right and proper to warn someone if something seems amiss." Jiang Zaizhou accepted the gift with both hands.

"I took my horse to a professional veterinary hospital for testing that day. The hospital said the horse had indeed eaten plants containing hallucinogenic substances. They prescribed medication to detoxify it, and it's fine now."

"Oh, as long as the horse is alright." Jiang Zaizhou nodded, and picked up the soup spoon on the table to serve himself some soup. "So... was your little horse deliberately fed by someone, or was it the staff's negligence?"

He served himself a bowl of soup, then extended a hand to Zuo Buqiu and said, "Miss Zuo, would you like some soup? I'll get it for you."

"Thank you." Zuo Buqiu didn't refuse, handed him his bowl, and answered his question. "My horse was maliciously drugged. Someone took advantage of their relationship with the horse farm manager and went in without permission to feed my horse something unclean."

Thinking of the person who drugged the horse, her face darkened. The culprit was none other than her ex-boyfriend, who shamelessly harassed her even after they had broken up, constantly creating "surprises" for her.

Jiang Zaizhou gently placed the soup he had just served in front of Zuo Buqiu and asked, "Have you found the person who poisoned you? This was such a cunning move. If you don't find the culprit, your life will be in danger."

"Found him, I'll deal with him in the next few days."

……

Jiang Zaizhou and Zuo Buqiu had a surprisingly pleasant meal together because they discovered that they liked the same perfume and skincare products from the same brand. They even felt a little reluctant to leave.

After leaving the restaurant, the two became much more familiar with each other, and the invisible barrier from before had almost disappeared.

They stood at the restaurant entrance saying goodbye. Jiang Zaizhou looked around and, seeing no one to meet Zuo Buqiu, asked, "Xiao Zuo, do you want me to take you home?"

"No need, thank you. I'll drive back myself," Zuo Buqiu said with a smile.

"Okay, see you next time if you have the chance. Bye-bye." Jiang Zaizhou waved.

Zuo Buqiu didn't wave, he just nodded, "Okay, bye-bye."

Jiang Zaizhou was in a good mood today, having gotten a few skincare tips from Zuo Buqiu. He hummed a song as he walked towards his car. His mind was full of skincare routines: "First this, then that... hey, how's the technique again?"

Jiang Zaizhou turned around, wanting to ask Zuo Buqiu for clarification, but there was no one behind him; Zuo Buqiu had left. He had a feeling that Zuo Buqiu wouldn't leave so quickly, so he stood there for a moment, then strode towards the corner ahead.

At the corner,

Zuo Buqiu had her mouth tightly covered by a man, and her neck was being strangled. She tried to kick the man's groin with both legs, but she couldn't reach it at all. Instead, she gradually lost strength because she was about to suffocate.

"Zuo Buqiu, I love you so much, how could you leave me?" The man looked at the woman he was holding tightly with a mixture of anger and excitement. "Come home with me, I'll treat you well."

Zuo Buqiu stared at the scene before him with despair. This Chinese restaurant occupied a large area and was positioned as high-end, so its location was relatively remote, and most of the passersby were diners. People would finish their meals and leave immediately; normal people wouldn't come to this corner unless they parked their cars here.

"Stop struggling, Zuo Buqiu, come home with me." The man pressed his head against Zuo Buqiu's face with a fascinated expression.

Zuo Buqiu turned her face away in disgust, but a handkerchief with a strange smell was covered to cover her mouth and nose. Suddenly, everything went black, and she slowly lost consciousness.

In the last moment before she closed her eyes, she vaguely saw a tall figure appear in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Jiang Zaizhou shouted.

Seeing Zuo Buqiu's unconscious state, he didn't think twice and immediately ran to the man and kicked him in the face. The man didn't react for a moment and instinctively let go of Zuo Buqiu, falling to the ground.

Jiang Zaizhou quickly followed up with several more kicks, aiming at his stomach, thighs, and other non-vital areas, until he couldn't stand up.

After that, he quickly picked up Zuo Buqiu and took her to the hospital.

……

When Zuo Buqiu woke up, her head was throbbing with pain. She opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling above her—it was completely not her home. The lingering fear was still vivid in her memory, and she jolted awake. However, she couldn't muster any strength; she could only move slightly with a start, unable to sit up.

"Awake? Are you hungry?" Seeing that she was awake, Yu Ru got up, poured a glass of water and held it in front of her, then reached out to help her sit up.

After drinking some water, Zuo Buqiu leaned against the headboard and looked at Yu Ru, asking, "Yu Ru, how did I get here? Where is this?"

"The hospital. You were drugged, but Jiang Zaizhou arrived in time to save you. He brought you to the hospital immediately and then told me, so I came to take care of you."

"Take care of me?" Zuo Buqiu frowned slightly. "The hospital is full of sick people. You've just recovered, are you alright?"

"It's alright. This is a VIP room, the air is much better." Yu Ru picked up the lunchbox next to her and opened it. "Let's eat first, we'll have to get another injection later, and it might be a little uncomfortable on an empty stomach."

"Yu Ru, thank you. I'll eat by myself." Zuo Buqiu leaned forward to take the lunchbox, but the moment she did, she felt extremely dizzy, almost making her vomit. She had to lean back to her previous position.

"Let me feed you, it'll be more comfortable for you to lean like this." Yu Ru picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of rice, and brought it to Zuo Buqiu's mouth.

"Yu Ru, thank you." Zuo Buqiu looked at the person in front of him gratefully. "You are like a fairy godmother sent to me by heaven. Every time I am weak, you are there to take care of me. I don't know how to repay you. If... one day you encounter difficulties, you must tell me, and I will do my best to help you."

“Okay.” Yu Ru nodded with a smile.

After taking a bite of food, Zuo Buqiu thought of Jiang Zaizhou, "Yu Ru, where is Jiang Zaizhou?"

“He went home. He felt it wasn’t appropriate for a man like him to stay here and watch over you, so he went back.”

"Oh, I see."