Chapter 19
“Do you believe I’ll deal with you?”
The hot, humid breath brushed against Chen Xi’s cheek, instantly setting her skin aflame, as if burning from within.
She struggled to resist, but Zhou Yanzhou held her firmly in place. In that moment, she truly grasped the vast disparity in strength between men and women.
Zhou Yanzhou had only meant to scare Chen Xi a little, but the joke had gone too far—he had frightened her to tears.
Seeing the young girl’s tears falling one by one, her head bowed in fear, Zhou Yanzhou’s heart stilled like a calm sea. He released his grip, stood up, picked up the cigarette pack from the coffee table, and lit a cigarette with a touch of irritation.
The room was dimly lit, with a few rays of light slipping through the window, making the curled-up Chen Xi seem even more delicate.
After that episode, all desire for sleep vanished from Zhou Yanzhou.
He took a long drag on his cigarette, hands on his hips, standing before Chen Xi, unable to help but defend himself, “Who told you to mess with me in the middle of the night?”
Chen Xi sniffled, lifted her head silently, and stared at Zhou Yanzhou with unwavering eyes.
Defeated by her stubborn gaze, Zhou Yanzhou made a gesture of surrender and spoke gently, “I was just teasing. No matter how beastly I am, I wouldn’t harm a minor.”
Chen Xi looked unconvinced.
She had just felt the man’s forcefulness. If she hadn’t pretended to cry, she might have barely escaped.
Seeing himself cast as a villain beyond redemption in her eyes, Zhou Yanzhou sneered coldly, “Fine, I’m the bad guy, is that it?”
“Just go to sleep already, don’t just squat there.”
With that, he kicked the sofa blocking his way and returned to the bedroom without another word.
His attitude clearly showed he had no patience to coax anyone.
Chen Xi watched his retreating back for two seconds, fearful of a repeat of the previous scene, and obediently went back to the guest room next door.
She made sure to lock the door behind her.
When Zhou Yanzhou came out to pick up the phone he had dropped, he heard the noise and stopped, three dark lines appearing on his forehead.
Too lazy even to pick up the phone, he slammed the door and went back to his room.
Whoever wants to serve this ancestor can do so—but as for him, he was done.
Chen Xi woke up around nine in the morning, sunlight pouring through the window and blinding her eyes.
She frowned, slowly opening her eyes to meet the stark white ceiling.
Memories of last night gradually returned. She sat up quickly, glanced down at the quilt—still wearing the floral dress from yesterday.
She exhaled and slipped on disposable slippers before stepping out of the room.
The living room was empty; no one was there.
The lazy sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, which she moved to last night, remained in place. On the coffee table lay a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
On the sofa was the suit jacket the man had abandoned, and beside it, his phone with the screen dark.
The light had been dim last night, but now the sunlight streaming in revealed that the apartment’s environment and location were far better than she’d imagined—it could be called the finest in Xiping.
Right outside was the city center; drawing the curtains revealed a view of the Monument in People’s Square. Downstairs was the largest mall in Xiping.
Chen Xi glanced at the tightly closed wooden door next door, recalling Zhou Yanzhou’s instructions from last night. She quietly moved the lazy sofa back to its original place, picked up the blanket from the floor, folded it neatly, and placed it on the sofa.
Having done all this, Chen Xi went to the bathroom to wash her face.
There was no spare toothbrush, so she called the front desk to request new toiletries and ordered breakfast.
While waiting, with nothing else to do, Chen Xi wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Aside from water and alcohol, it was empty.
She thought about the man’s private life and pursed her lips disapprovingly.
Bored and unwilling to leave, she had no choice but to find something to occupy herself.
Drawn by the lighter on the coffee table, Chen Xi squatted down and picked it up, examining it carefully.
It was a custom lighter, silver with a rectangular shape, the front featuring a pin-up girl with curly hair and red lips in a voluptuous 1990s style. At the bottom were the engraved letters “zyz.”
Chen Xi instinctively read the letters aloud, slowly savoring their meaning.
She stared at the pin-up girl for a moment, unable to suppress a sneer.
This scene was just witnessed by Zhou Yanzhou, who had woken up and come out for water. He clicked his tongue and teased, “Like it? It’s yours if you want it.”
Chen Xi looked up in surprise and met Zhou Yanzhou’s mischievous eyes. Silently, she put the lighter back and stood up without a word, her gaze fixed intently on him.
Just waking up, Zhou Yanzhou’s hair was tousled, two strands of bangs sticking up comically on his forehead.
He wore a bathrobe loosely tied at the waist, revealing a broad chest and faint traces of abs.
Chen Xi wondered in confusion how such a seemingly ordinary man could enjoy so many privileged resources.
Zhou Yanzhou stretched, hands in his pockets, slippers dragging lazily as he entered the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and gulped down more than half, then twisted the cap back on and tossed it aside.
Still half-asleep, his mind was a bit foggy.
Walking out, he saw the breakfast delivered by the front desk. He glanced at it briefly.
A bowl of red chili wontons, the soup a fiery red, each dumpling drenched in oil, making mouths water.
Zhou Yanzhou didn’t eat spicy food and frowned at the bowl. “Eating this greasy stuff so early?”
Chen Xi, afraid the oil would spill, carefully carried the plate to the dining table.
Facing Zhou Yanzhou’s skepticism, she glanced at him and quietly muttered, “People in Xiping all eat like this.”
Zhou Yanzhou chuckled shortly, pulled out a chair, and sat beside Chen Xi, watching her eat with interest.
Just as Chen Xi scooped up a wonton to eat, sensing Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze, she blew on her spoon and took a small bite.
The soup was scorching hot; she nearly bit her tongue.
Her face flushed red from the heat, she gripped the spoon and dared not eat more.
Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhou half-lidded his eyes and slowly asked, “Is it good?”
Chen Xi remained silent.
Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Zhou Yanzhou stopped teasing and pushed back his chair to return to the room.
Once he left, Chen Xi’s appetite returned fully, and she ate the wontons one by one.
Starving all night, she finished everything.
Satisfied and full, she rubbed her rounded belly and stood, ready to move around.
Just as she stretched, Zhou Yanzhou reappeared from the master bedroom, dressed sharply in a white shirt and trousers, his tie perfectly knotted without a wrinkle, his hair styled with spray, the previously rebellious strands now obediently slicked aside.
The transformation was striking—completely erased the image of the groggy, grumpy man from moments ago, now radiating refined elegance.
Chen Xi was stunned, her hand frozen mid-air before lowering it slowly.
Zhou Yanzhou glanced at the dazed girl standing nearby, then at the neatly cleared dining table. Raising an eyebrow, he asked lightly,
“Are you full?”
Chen Xi bit her lip and stayed silent.
Reaching into his pocket to make a call, Zhou Yanzhou suddenly remembered his phone was missing.
Frowning, he turned to search for it.
After searching for a long time without success, he emerged with a scowl, looking at Chen Xi standing by the window. Instinctively, he asked, “Have you seen my phone?”
Chen Xi hesitated for two seconds, then slowly walked to the sofa, lifted his suit jacket, and pulled his phone out from the gap in the cushions. She handed it to him deliberately slowly.
Zhou Yanzhou was speechless.
Taking the phone, he pressed the power button. Having not been charged overnight, it had automatically shut down.
He clicked his tongue, pulled out the charger, and plugged it in.
Having completed these tasks, Zhou Yanzhou sighed and looked at Chen Xi, who stood by the TV cabinet, posture straight.
She smiled slyly, her small face full of mockery, as if saying, “Seems like your life is a mess too.”
Zhou Yanzhou crossed his legs and patted the spot beside him, inviting Chen Xi to sit.
After a brief hesitation, she obediently sat down next to him.
No sooner had she sat than a large hand grabbed her neck. The next second, the man leaned close to her ear and teased childishly, “Looking down on me?”
Chen Xi, ticklish, kept shrinking away, but he persisted until she begged for mercy.
Chen Xi kept a stiff mouth, closing her eyes to pretend to be at his mercy as he toyed with her.
Gradually, he loosened his grip, letting his hand rest gently on the back of her head, stroking her hair softly. In a low voice, he said, “Such a tough little girl. Why don’t you ever just give in?”
The nickname “little girl” stunned Chen Xi. She instinctively opened her eyes and turned to meet Zhou Yanzhou’s tender gaze.
At that moment, it felt as if she had moved into his eyes.
Her heart pounded wildly, yet she fought to control the strange emotions flooding her body.
Unaware of this, the man’s phone rang, and Zhou Yanzhou released her to answer it.
The voice on the other end was unfamiliar, and his tone shifted to an unusually polite manner.
Normally arrogant on calls, this time he responded earnestly, even discussing breakfast with sincerity.
Chen Xi couldn’t catch the words clearly but recognized a woman’s voice from the occasional syllable.
She dared not make a sound and didn’t want to eavesdrop, so she moved away, idly studying the green plant by the window.
The call lasted no more than two minutes.
Before Chen Xi could divert her gaze from the plant, Zhou Yanzhou had already followed her.
He seemed unusually cheerful today. Breaking from his usual reserve, he spoke about himself: “I’m 25 this year—not exactly young anymore. I haven’t done many things my family’s proud of, but I’ve caused a fair share of trouble.”
“Coming to Xiping was an accident. If it hadn’t been for some hiccups along the way, I probably would never have set foot here in my life.”
Chen Xi’s mood suddenly darkened. She turned her head, looking at Zhou Yanzhou’s unexpected openness with a mixture of suspicion.
Sensing her distrustful gaze, Zhou Yanzhou smiled helplessly.
Then, placing his hands on her shoulders, he pointed toward People’s Square nearby and said, “In half a year, there will be a new sailing hotel here, on par with Passalacqua.”
“From then on, when people talk about landmarks in Xiping, it won’t be the People’s Monument they mention, but my sailing hotel.”
Looking down at Chen Xi’s bewildered face, he asked with a hint of mischief, “Do you believe me?”