Chapter 741: Jiaojiao 21
The one in the lead, who was a bit sharper, was the first to pull out a cigarette case when he saw Zong Qi stop. "Brother Qi, you’re following the Boss Lady now, so your future is secure. But us... we’re just regular guys who can’t find work."
"The Boss Lady is so capable. Could you ask her for us? See if she can help point us toward a way to make a living?"
Zong Qi frowned. "Miss Chen isn’t part of the underworld."
Li Shun nodded and bowed. "We know, but Miss Chen’s reputation must have spread through the underworld by now. We know she doesn’t like that stuff, but we just want to ask her for a little guidance so we can keep supporting our families without all the fighting and killing."
Zong Qi’s hand paused when he heard that last sentence. He didn’t refuse them outright. "Go on back for now. I’ll ask Miss Chen when I go see her this afternoon."
The other seven underlings immediately beamed with joy. "We’ll be counting on you, Brother Qi! Go well, Brother Qi!"
Zong Qi frowned. ’"Go well"? That sounds a bit inauspicious, doesn’t it?’
He couldn’t be bothered to overthink it. He just hailed a cab and headed straight for the Black Boxing Hall. After hearing Zong Qi’s intention to quit, the owner of the Black Boxing Hall was genuinely regretful. "If you want to quit, I can’t stop you. Which boss are you going to follow now?"
The thought of Chen Jiao brought an involuntary smile to Zong Qi’s face. "Not a boss. I’m an assistant and part-time bodyguard for someone now."
"An assistant? Who’s powerful enough to afford you?" The owner stuck a cigarette in his mouth, his eyes suddenly widening slightly. "It’s not Chen Jiao, is it?"
Zong Qi’s smoking hand paused. "You know her?"
"I didn’t before, but after yesterday, who *doesn’t* know Chen Jiao now?" The owner blew a smoke ring. "I hear Brother Rong and his guys... ended up in a pretty sorry state."
Zong Qi pretended not to pick up on the probing tone in the owner’s voice. "I should get going. Miss Chen is waiting for me to report for duty."
His suspicions confirmed, the owner didn’t say any more. "Well then, I wish you a bright future."
Zong Qi smiled, slinging his single-strap bag over his shoulder. "I’m off."
From the moment she arrived on set that morning, Chen Jiao noticed that everyone in the cast and crew was being incredibly polite to her. The actors she had scenes with, who might have been a bit lax before, were all especially well-behaved and serious on set today.
While Chen Jiao was reading her script, it was completely silent around her; people only dared to watch her from a distance. And when she sensed their gazes and looked up, everyone simultaneously averted their eyes, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Even after the eye-opening experience she’d had with Ye Rong and his men these past few days, Chen Jiao was still a little baffled by this behavior. "What’s... gotten into them?"
Chen Jiao didn’t get it, but Tan You certainly did. Resting her chin on her hand, she sat floating in mid-air opposite Chen Jiao. "Last night, when you were taking care of Ye Rong and his men, all these people were pressed up against your door, listening in."
"More or less all of them have connections to the underworld. Congratulations, my dear Jiaojiao. You’re famous in those circles now."
Chen Jiao blinked, taking several seconds to digest Tan You’s words. Then... she just said, "Oh," and went back to reading her script.
Tan You teased her, "That’s all? Such a flat reaction?"
Chen Jiao turned a page of her script. "It’s better to make a name for myself than to rely on some boss for protection."
Tan You raised an eyebrow. "Look at you, growing up."
"I’ve been with you for almost half a month, Teacher. Of course I have to grow up." Chen Jiao took out a pen and jotted a few notes on her script. "Now that I have a reputation, will things be quieter around me?"
"Of course... not," Tan You said, pausing dramatically. "Do you have any idea how many people in the underworld are curious about you right now? No one will genuinely submit to you. They’ll only be thinking of taking you down and using you as a stepping stone to make a name for themselves."
Chen Jiao’s grip on her pen tightened. She suddenly asked, "If it were you, Teacher, what would you do?"
Tan You just smiled faintly. "Just get it done. It all comes down to who can beat who in the end. They’re just a disorganized mob. They love acting tough and picking fights, but they’re always gambling with other people’s lives. If they had to gamble with their own, they wouldn’t dare."
Chen Jiao understood Tan You’s meaning. "I get it. Like you said, Teacher, if I beat them until they’re scared, they won’t dare to come after me anymore."
"Exactly," Tan You said with a smile. "Go home tonight and keep rolling those pills. With the way things are now, the small batch you’ve prepared definitely won’t be enough."
Chen Jiao gritted her teeth. "Got it. Starting today, I’m going to be armed to the teeth."
Zong Qi arrived at the film set just before lunch. At that moment, Chen Jiao was sitting on a small stool, waiting for the lunch boxes to be distributed. When she saw Zong Qi approaching, she waved him over. "Brother Qi, over here."
Zong Qi came to a stop beside her. "It’s not really appropriate for you to call me Brother Qi."
"What’s not appropriate about it?" Chen Jiao tugged on a corner of Zong Qi’s shirt, pulling him down to sit. "I think it’s perfectly appropriate. If you asked me to just call you by your full name, *that’s* what I’d find inappropriate."
She had no doubt that she could trust Zong Qi, because he was the bodyguard Tan You had recommended. In this world, aside from her own father, the person she trusted most was Tan You.
If it weren’t for her father, how would she have ever met Tan You? Besides, Chen Jiao knew that Tan You meant her no harm, so by extension, she felt a sense of closeness to Zong Qi.
Chen Jiao’s tug on his shirt wasn’t strong, but Zong Qi felt a little dazed. After sitting down next to her, he forced himself to remain calm. "What do you need me to do?"
Chen Jiao pondered for a few seconds. "Hmm... in a bit, I need you to check me out of my hotel, then find a new one with a better reputation. As for tonight, I have something I’ll need you to help me with. Starting tomorrow, aside from when I’m sleeping at night, you’ll be with me all day."
Zong Qi didn’t ask what they would be doing that night. If Chen Jiao told him to follow her, then he would follow. However, thinking back to his conversation with the Black Boxing Hall owner, he still gave her a brief and concise summary.
Chen Jiao had already learned about her current situation from Tan You. "I know. That’s why we need to be fully prepared."
Zong Qi understood. He figured Chen Jiao already had a handle on the situation.
As the two were talking, the script supervisor started distributing the lunch boxes. Seeing Zong Qi next to Chen Jiao, the supervisor paused. "Miss Chen..."
Chen Jiao glanced at Zong Qi. "He’s my assistant. He won’t be eating with the crew today. Just one lunch box for me is fine."
Zong Qi took the hint and stood up. "I’ll go to the hotel and handle the checkout, then?"
Chen Jiao looked up at him, then turned to dig through her large bag. Upon seeing the cash inside, she took out five thousand yuan with a look of unconcealable pain and handed it to Zong Qi. "I said I was hiring you as an assistant. Meals are definitely included."
"From now on, your salary will be paid on the first of every month. I won’t be late with your pay. Take this money for food and booking the hotel."
A hint of a smile flashed in Zong Qi’s eyes as he watched her pained expression. He wasn’t worried about Chen Jiao being unable to pay his salary. ’With her methods, is there any way she *couldn’t* make money?’