Chapter 24 Living Off a Woman

An Changpu ignored Ji Lu's flippant attitude, wearing a stern expression as he looked straight at him. "Don't try to change the subject. First, let's get things straight regarding you and Song Chenglang."

Ji Lu showed clear dissatisfaction with An Changpu's lack of tact. He curled his lip and replied reluctantly, "You guys already know all about what happened between him and me, don't you?! If you didn't, why would you come looking for me?"

"You're the person involved. Are you really unwilling to state the facts in person? Aren't you worried that whispered rumors might have been completely twisted and exaggerated by now?"

"Twisted? How twisted could they get!" Though Ji Lu spoke carelessly, he was likely still somewhat concerned that the scenario An Changpu described might actually have occurred, as he proceeded to give a brief account of how the whole affair began and ended. "My relationship with Song Chenglang is very simple. Ever since he arrived here, he kept poaching my clients. He used some underhanded little tricks to steal my clients away so they would patronize him instead. Before long, he climbed right over my head. Originally, I could let that slide, but even after he became the boss's pet, he kept playing those dirty games with me. That was something I couldn't just stand by and watch. I originally planned to find a few friends to give him a taste of his own medicine, just to let him know what he should and shouldn't do. Who would have guessed that some long-eared gossipy rat would overhear my phone call and rat me out? The boss gave me a warning, so I didn't dare touch him."

His account matched Xiao Yuan's previous statement without a single discrepancy, suggesting a high degree of truthfulness.

"So you never got that grievance out of your system and just kept it bottled up inside?" An Changpu asked.

"Not really. At first, I thought it was way too cheap for that freeloader. But later on, he indeed ended up lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet—he provoked a client's husband. He got a solid beating, right in front of quite a few people at the company. I just happened to be there to witness it, and watching it felt immensely satisfying. My anger was vented right then and there." Ji Lu leaned back triumphantly against the sofa, crossing his legs. Even though Song Chenglang had already met his demise, recalling the incident still made him look somewhat excited and smug.

"Peach-blossom scandal," "freeloader," "a client's husband"—these derogatory terms tumbling from Ji Lu's lips all seemed to point in the very same direction.

"You mean to say that Song Chenglang was having an affair with his client?" Qin Ruonan asked with a guess.

Ji Lu burst out with a sharp laugh. "With as many clients as he had, if he had an affair with every single one of them, I doubt that frail little physique of his could hold up! Whether they actually had an affair or not, I couldn't say for sure. But things were definitely ambiguous between them. That client of his was someone he poached from me, so I know very well. That older sister was a nice person, except she was in her thirties and her husband was always away. Being all alone, she felt quite empty inside. How could someone like that withstand the sweet talk coming out of Song Chenglang's mouth? Although I really looked down on the guy, credit where credit is due: his skill at coaxing women was definitely extraordinary. It's a real shame he didn't go into that specific line of work!"

When he uttered the phrase "that line of work," he blinked with an ambiguous expression.

"You were there on the day it happened. What went down? Tell us the details!" An Changpu ignored his prejudice and personal attacks against Song Chenglang—those were merely Ji Lu venting accumulated resentment from the past, serving only to illustrate just how terrible his relationship with Song Chenglang had been. At the moment, the husband of the client who had just been brought up was far more important.

"What else could it have happened? Have you ever witnessed a catch-in-the-act scene? It was just like that, except it happened in broad daylight, right here in our office. So there weren't any restricted-for-minors spectacles! The client's husband had long suspected something and deliberately came here to demand an explanation from Song Chenglang. As soon as Song Chenglang saw the guy show up at his door, he turned yellow. He put on a totally spineless, pathetic act, trying to explain how innocent and pure he was. He took a couple of kicks from the client's husband and looked like he wanted to dish out a few more, but the security guards stepped in and stopped it."

Judging by his tone, the security guards interrupting a brawl seemed to leave Ji Lu feeling somewhat unsatisfied, wearing a look of lingering eagerness.

"How did the whole thing wrap up in the end?" Qin Ruonan asked.

"Money compensation, what else could it be!"

"The client's husband paid Song Chenglang money?"

"In his dreams! It was our boss who paid money to the client's husband! He claimed that such a misunderstanding happened because his employees didn't handle their work attitude properly, and he hoped the gentleman could be the bigger man, forgive and forget, and not make too big and ugly a fuss. Otherwise, it wouldn't benefit either side. That man was also a reasonable person; once the boss put things that way, he didn't press the matter further. The center refunded all of that client's contract fees and gave him an extra few thousand yuan as an apology fee. Fortunately, our boss isn't stupid either—all those losses were deducted straight from Song Chenglang's paycheck."

"So you're saying it's certain that Song Chenglang and that client had an ambiguous relationship, but whether there was any boundary-crossing behavior remains unconfirmed, is that right?" Qin Ruonan asked to verify Ji Lu's statement.

Ji Lu did not deny that this was his view. "Look, let me put it this way for you: Song Chenglang's ability to sweet-talk women is exceptionally strong, otherwise he wouldn't have poached so many clients from me. And I can guarantee you that he definitely made a tidy profit off those women. Otherwise, how could someone living entirely on a part-time income afford to wear and use cutting-edge, top-tier items every single day?"

An Changpu and Qin Ruonan exchanged glances. Though their expressions remained neutral, inwardly they both found themselves somewhat receptive to Ji Lu's judgment. Although Ji Lu held a preemptive prejudice and hostility toward Song Chenglang, his assertions were not mere smear tactics or groundless slanders. Song Chenglang's newly purchased apartment and the irregular, large cash deposits in his account cast an opaque fog of mystery over the true sources of his income and living expenses.

"That's a pretty heavy label to pin on someone—'freeloader'..." An Changpu muttered deliberately in a seemingly disapproving, self-talk sort of tone.

"As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire. Some people around here actually saw female clients frequently bringing him gifts, treating him to food and drinks. Oh, and there was one time—a receptionist girl at our place was asked by a customer to hand over a nicely wrapped gift box to Song Chenglang. Song Chenglang probably didn't know what was inside, and he arrogantly unboxed it right there at the front desk. Guess what was inside? A box of designer boxer briefs! It turned the little receptionist's face completely red, and he felt so guilty he immediately grabbed the box and bolted! You tell me, for no apparent reason, why would a woman buy underwear for a nutrition consultant? Anyone who claims there's nothing fishy going on here and that it's purely a normal friendly gesture is simply deceiving themselves!" To prove that his views were not merely subjective bias, Ji Lu specifically brought up this incident as an example.

His words, especially the final sentence, struck a chord deep inside Qin Ruonan's heart like a small bell ringing.

Indeed, when a man and a woman go to the movies, and the woman hooks her arm through the man's elbow—explaining that away as a completely innocent, daylight friendship behavior in the twenty-first century was truly deceiving oneself.

Qin Ruonan lifted her gaze to look at Ji Lu, then recalled the name Tao Yinyin appearing on Ji Lu's client list, and a sudden, small suspicion bloomed in her mind.

"What is the name of the client who was confronted by her husband alongside Song Chenglang, and what does she do for a living? Also, do you know her husband?" After hearing Ji Lu's corroborating evidence about Song Chenglang taking advantage of women and freeloading, An Changpu inquired about the personal information of the female protagonist and her husband from that peach-blossom scandal.

Ji Lu recalled slightly and said, "I don't know her husband. I only know her. Her name is Mao Xinying. She's self-employed and her family owns a supermarket."

With that, he added as if to boast about himself, "Mao Xinying had been my client up until then, for nearly two years, and not a single person ever gossiped about me and her. Her husband never came to pick a fight either. Yet, she barely lasted less than a year under Song Chenglang before her husband showed up at the door to beat him. Wouldn't you say that alone explains a lot?"

An Changpu gave a soft chuckle and did not respond to his self-praise.

Having clarified Mao Xinying's personal background and supermarket address, An Changpu prepared to leave. Before departing, Qin Ruonan asked him to go start the car first because she had a few more things to attend to. An Changpu suspected nothing and headed outside alone, while Qin Ruonan called out to Ji Lu, who was preparing to leave under the assumption that everything was settled.

"What else is there? If there's anything else you need me to clarify, I think I've made everything crystal clear already!" Ji Lu showed some displeasure at being called back, and without waiting for Qin Ruonan to speak, he impatiently laid down a condition. "And if you guys still suspect me, go investigate, but can you stop coming to me? Words can destroy a person. It wasn't easy for me to reach this level in this industry and at this body-sculpting center. Don't sabotage me!"

"We know what we're doing. I stopped you because I want to ask you about a personal matter." Qin Ruonan paused, suppressing a fleeting moment of hesitation, and asked Ji Lu, "Do you know Tao Yinyin?"

"I know her. Isn't she just a woman who came here looking for me as her consultant? She hasn't been around for a while," Ji Lu answered indifferently, then asked casually, "Why? A friend of yours?"

"Did she come here frequently before? She isn't even fat; why would she come to a place like this?" Qin Ruonan no longer cared whether her questions sounded reasonable; she only wanted to verify whether her suspicion was right or wrong.

"You think all the women who come here actually come to lose weight?!" Ji Lu looked at her with amusement and pointed at the tip of his nose. "Some people come here for the people! Oh, right, since you happen to be her friend, please do me a favor and tell her: whether she wants to come or not is up to her, but she should stop playing that hard-to-get game with me. I don't have the spare time to humor her!"

With that, he turned and walked away, his steps rather hurried, as if he feared Qin Ruonan might pull him back again.