Chapter 18

"So bold, you just followed me like that. Aren't you afraid I have ulterior motives?"

In the cramped elevator, Zhou Yanzhou leaned his shoulder against the wall, arms crossed, observing the changes in Chen Xi's expression with keen interest.

Watching her transition from initial numbness to a blank stare, and finally to a fleeting flash of panic, Zhou Yanzhou smiled with satisfaction. The young girl was putting on too calm a front; she lacked the impulsiveness of youth, which was a bit boring. It was better to see some life in her.

Chen Xi, clutching the wrapper of her candied hawthorn, didn't know how to react to his question. She took a deep breath, looked up to meet his gaze for two seconds, and resigned herself to her fate. "The man is the butcher, and I am the meat. What else can I do?"

Zhou Yanzhou was amused. He gave a light cough and said with mock seriousness, "Let me give you a piece of advice: don't trust just anyone."

As the elevator reached the sixth floor, Chen Xi watched Zhou Yanzhou step out. Pretending not to understand his warning, she whispered, "I trust you."

Zhou Yanzhou's steps faltered. He looked back at the earnest-faced Chen Xi, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Just as he wanted to probe further, Chen Xi averted her gaze, lowered her head, and slowly stepped out of the elevator.

In the quiet hallway, the two walked one after the other. Every now and then, Zhou Yanzhou glanced back at the obedient and gentle girl behind him, feeling as though he were committing the crime of kidnapping a minor.

Walking the path of a criminal? Zhou Yanzhou couldn't help but laugh. Looking at it this way, he really wasn't a good person.

Reaching the suite door, Zhou Yanzhou fished out his key card and swiped it. With a beep, the electronic lock opened. Holding the handle, he looked down at the silent Chen Xi standing beside him and asked unhurriedly, "Dare to come in?"

Chen Xi's expression was unexpectedly calm. She blinked and asked without much emotion, "Why wouldn't I dare?"

Zhou Yanzhou paused, arched an eyebrow, and offered a lighthearted compliment: "Good girl, you’ve got courage."

Chen Xi: "..."

Before entering, Chen Xi had been mentally preparing herself. It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid, but she had no retreat for the moment, and she didn't want to make meaningless choices too early.

However, only after stepping into the room numbered 8666 did she realize Zhou Yanzhou had been teasing her all along. The room was vast and empty, an open-plan apartment of about 140 square meters, consisting of two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The decor leaned toward a Western style, dominated by cool tones: light gray floors, a black sofa, navy blue curtains... even the ornaments felt devoid of emotion.

The living room was enormous, with a floor-to-ceiling window covering the entire west wall. Below lay the People's Square, the colorful neon lights reflecting off the glass, creating a beautiful view. Chen Xi took a rough look at the layout and stood by the entryway, afraid to move.

Back in his space, Zhou Yanzhou relaxed immediately. He bent down to find disposable slippers in the shoe cabinet, took off his six-figure watch and tossed it casually onto the console, then walked familiarly into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and drank more than half of it in one go.

Finishing the water, he remembered he had a guest. He tightened the cap, turned back to check the fridge, and found nothing but alcohol. Frowning, he took an unopened bottle of water and walked out. Seeing Chen Xi standing foolishly by the door, he let out an "Oh," and asked irritably, "Are you going to act as a door god there?"

Chen Xi pursed her lips and whispered, "I didn't change my shoes."

Zhou Yanzhou frowned, reminding her, "There are disposable slippers in the cabinet."

Only then did Chen Xi bend down to open the cabinet and put on a pair. They were far too large, extending well past her feet and hindering her walk. Zhou Yanzhou told her to sit anywhere she liked, then turned and headed into the bedroom, saying he needed a shower—he couldn't stand the smell of food on him.

Chen Xi scanned the living room for a moment, then sat reservedly on the corner of the sofa, turning her head to look out the window, left with nothing to do. She could have turned on the TV to pass the time, but the remote was nowhere to be found. She stood up, searched the area to no avail, and then slowly sat back down.

The bedroom door wasn't fully closed, and the sound of running water could be heard. Chen Xi couldn't help but glance over, catching a glimpse of half the bed. A white shirt and a phone were tossed at the foot of it.

With the water still running in the attached bathroom, Chen Xi swallowed nervously at the faint, rhythmic sounds. Perhaps it was the long wait, or the exhaustion from a full day, but drowsiness eventually crept in. She pulled a pillow from the sofa into her arms, and her straight posture slowly slumped.

Zhou Yanzhou, loathing the smell of the meal, spent nearly an hour in the bathroom before coming out. By the time he walked out wearing his bathrobe, Chen Xi was already asleep on the sofa.

Zhou Yanzhou watched the small girl curled up on the sofa for a moment, then moved with deliberate quietness. He walked around the coffee table to a single armchair, sat down with his legs crossed, and rested his arms on the armrests, gazing at her with a gentle expression.

Only upon closer inspection did he notice a tiny black mole at the corner of her right eye. It was said that people with moles at the outer corners of their eyes had troubled love lives and thin bonds with their spouses. Was it possible she was destined for a life of solitude and a poor ending?

At this thought, Zhou Yanzhou frowned repeatedly, muttering to himself, "Nonsense."

The weather wasn't cold, but fearing she might catch a chill, he adjusted the air conditioning with the remote and went into the bedroom to fetch a blanket to cover her. After doing all this, he opened a bottle of red wine and sipped it while replying to messages.

Jiang Chi's new company had opened in Beijing, and he was inviting Zhou Yanzhou to attend the opening ceremony, claiming that since he was a major shareholder, it wouldn't be right for him not to show up. Zhou Yanzhou, finding him troublesome, ignored him. The other party was persistent, insisting that Zhou Yanzhou return to Beijing, promising a "big surprise."

Finally, the man called directly. Fearing he would wake Chen Xi, Zhou Yanzhou hung up immediately. Rejected, the man sent over a dozen question marks, accusing Zhou Yanzhou of being impossible.

Zhou Yanzhou sat with his legs crossed, holding his phone, his peripheral vision landing on the little figure sleeping soundly on the sofa. He replied righteously: "Inconvenient to take calls."

Jiang Chi sent a massive question mark: "Inconvenient??? What are you doing, brother? Don't tell me I'm interrupting your 'good time' in the middle of the night? If that's the case, you should've said so earlier. My apologies, I'm backing off."

Zhou Yanzhou sneered, tossed his phone aside, and ignored Jiang Chi.

Chen Xi woke up in the middle of the night. The main lights were off, leaving only a reading lamp on. The dim, warm light cast over the room created an inexplicably ambiguous atmosphere. Having held one position for too long, her calves were numb, the pain causing her face to contort.

Opening her eyes to find herself in a strange environment, her first reaction was confusion. It wasn't until she heard Zhou Yanzhou's annoying voice that she realized where she was.

The man in the armchair saw her movement, lifted his eyelids, and spoke languidly: "Awake?"

Chen Xi slowly crawled up. Sensing something fall to the floor, she reached out and found it was a blanket. She held onto it and looked up at the man. On the coffee table sat an opened bottle of red wine and a glass. A small amount of crimson liquid remained in the glass, casting a strange, eerie feel in the night.

Chen Xi smelled the alcohol and didn't know how to start a conversation. Zhou Yanzhou was amused by her bewildered appearance. He curled the corners of his mouth and asked, "Want something to eat?"

Chen Xi knelt on the sofa, observing the inscrutable Zhou Yanzhou through the dim light, then looked at the darkened night outside the window. She couldn't help but ask, "What time is it?"

Zhou Yanzhou lifted his chin toward the clock on the wall and replied kindly, "One o'clock."

Chen Xi was surprised and whispered, "Is it that late?"

She reached out to search the sofa for her phone. Upon checking the screen, she saw the battery was at only five percent, and the time was 1:05 AM. She had slept for a long time. Did her uncle and the others notice she hadn't returned? Would they look for her?

At this thought, a trace of anxiety finally appeared on her face. She bit her lip, looked at Zhou Yanzhou hesitantly, and asked, "My uncle..."

Zhou Yanzhou understood her meaning instantly. After a moment's hesitation, he told the truth: "They didn't call me."

The hope on Chen Xi's face faded instantly. She clenched her fingers, trying to deceive herself: "They must still be at the hospital taking care of my cousin."

Zhou Yanzhou couldn't stand seeing her so pitiful. He furrowed his brows, his tone becoming involuntarily stern: "Can we not be so narcissistic?"

"Admitting you aren't important isn't something to be ashamed of. What's scary is failing to see your own standing."

At this, Zhou Yanzhou sighed, his tone softening gradually: "If you want people to care about you, you have to be valuable."

"You must know that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"If you want something, you have to fight for it—you have to seize it."

Chen Xi didn't understand why Zhou Yanzhou was telling her this, until much later, when she realized he was teaching her how to survive in this cruel adult world. At that time, he had truly hoped she would have an easier life.

Zhou Yanzhou had kept watch over her for half the night. Seeing her awake now, he set down his glass, stood up, and looked down at her for a moment. "I'm going to sleep now. Entertain yourself."

"If you get tired, sleep in the guest room. If you're hungry, call the front desk and have them send up some food—order whatever you want."

"Also, don't disturb me when you wake up tomorrow. I have a bad temper in the mornings."

Zhou Yanzhou left without giving Chen Xi a chance to react, leaving her stunned. It wasn't until the door slammed shut that she realized what had just happened. She stared blankly at the tightly closed wooden door and swallowed hard. What had he just said?

Chen Xi couldn't fall asleep. Back then, public safety wasn't great, and there were always reports of robberies on the news. She didn't dare go out alone, so she had to stay in the hotel until dawn.

She had just slept, so she wasn't sleepy at all. After sitting on the sofa for a few minutes, she dragged the beanbag chair to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled back the curtains, and pressed her face against the glass, hugging her knees as she quietly watched the night view.

The surrounding buildings had all turned off their lights, save for a tower that remained illuminated. From a distance, it looked like a lighthouse that had appeared by chance in the middle of a boundless ocean at night.

The room was so quiet that Chen Xi could hear her own breathing. She was so bored that she breathed onto the glass and wrote with her index finger. She wrote and erased, wrote and erased, repeating the cycle, and surprisingly, found a bit of amusement in it.

In the middle of the night, Zhou Yanzhou got up for water. On his way back to his room, he noticed a ghostly silhouette by the window. He was startled and immediately turned on the lights to see what was going on, never expecting to lock eyes with a pair of watery, almond-shaped eyes.

Chen Xi hadn't expected Zhou Yanzhou to wake up, and she was startled as well. She awkwardly pulled back her finger, lowered her head with a guilty conscience, and didn't dare look at the visibly annoyed man.

Once Zhou Yanzhou realized who it was, he was almost amused to the point of anger. He put his hands on his waist and asked with a sardonic smile, "Not sleeping this late—planning to play ghost?"

"Do you want me to give you a round of applause for managing to scare me?"

Chen Xi: "..."

Seeing Chen Xi remain silent, Zhou Yanzhou had nowhere to vent his frustration. He kicked the back of the sofa, crossed his arms, and walked over to her. Looking down at her, he asked with exhaustion, "Can't sleep?"

Still half-asleep, his voice was hoarse and inexplicably sexy.

Chen Xi blinked and whispered, "A little."

Zhou Yanzhou lifted his chin, sat down right beside her, and placed a large hand on her waist, his fingertips gently rubbing against her skin as he spoke lazily: "Since you can't sleep, let's do something adults should do."

Chen Xi jumped in fright, instinctively trying to break free, but Zhou Yanzhou pulled her back immediately. He pinned her limbs, leaned over to her neck, and whispered with his hot breath grazing her skin, "Do you believe me if I say I'll take you?"