Chapter 3

Before leaving, the driver handed over seventy-five yuan in change: a fifty-yuan note, two ten-yuan notes, and a five-yuan note. The bills were all quite new. Chen Xi neatly organized the money by size and rolled it into a small bundle. When she was about to return it to Zhou Yanzhou, he stood with his hands in his pockets, slightly raising his eyelids and said, “Use it to buy two lollipops, as a gift for meeting me.” His tone was light, as if teasing a cat or dog, lacking any sincerity.

Chen Xi couldn’t quite gauge Zhou Yanzhou’s attitude and silently reminded herself to keep her distance. He was not a good person.

After handing over the documents intact to her uncle-in-law, Chen Xi quietly withdrew, intending to leave, but was called back by him. It was around mealtime, and her uncle-in-law wanted to treat an important client to dinner, inviting Chen Xi to join since it was the weekend—just to get some fresh air.

Xu Jingqian understood his wife well; he knew that whenever Chen Xi had time off, her wife would find all sorts of ways to boss her around, making it hard for her to leave the house and do her own thing. Though he felt sorry for his niece, he dared not plead with his wife, fearing she would return to her parents' home and cause a ruckus, disrupting the entire household.

Chen Xi had little say in her uncle-in-law’s plans. Watching him take out his phone to inform his wife, she stood awkwardly by, her gaze fixed on a green plant on his desk. From the phone, her aunt’s displeased voice leaked out, despite her husband stepping away from the desk and deliberately moving closer to the window. She called Chen Xi all sorts of names—ungrateful, a burden, anything unpleasant.

Chen Xi thought she was used to her aunt’s sharp tongue until, in the next moment, she unexpectedly noticed Zhou Yanzhou, who had been quietly looking down at his phone, suddenly turn it off and stare directly at her with bare, unhidden eyes. The office was surprisingly cramped and quiet, and when their eyes met, Chen Xi felt an intense heat rush to her cheeks, a nameless humiliation spreading deep from her heart.

For the first time, Chen Xi felt a twinge of resentment toward her uncle-in-law’s fear of his wife.

At that moment, she did not understand Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze, stubbornly believing that his feelings toward her contained a kind of sympathy, which she loathed most of all. To her, that meant she was a defenseless weakling.

Years later, when they revisited this scene, Zhou Yanzhou heard Chen Xi’s complaint and couldn’t help but defend himself. Honestly, he just thought the girl’s life was miserable back then.

Seeing the humiliation in Chen Xi’s eyes made Zhou Yanzhou inexplicably uneasy. Instinctively, he averted his gaze and began to examine the office’s decor. It was very old-fashioned, incomparable to the modern buildings in Beijing. The walls were peeling in patches, the paint flaking here and there. The desk against the north wall was aged and outdated, with chipped paint on the corners, looking cheap and unattractive.

Zhou Yanzhou couldn’t understand why he had chosen to leave the United States and come to such a godforsaken place.

Just as regret crept in, his eyes turned right and caught sight of a family photo on the bookshelf behind the desk. The album showed five people in total. Zhou Yanzhou’s gaze immediately landed on the little girl standing front and center.

She stood between a young couple, holding onto her parents’ arms, dressed in a red cotton jacket and black cotton pants, with two braided pigtails tied on her head. Her fair, delicate face bore a red beauty mark, and she smiled brightly at the camera.

With just one glance, Zhou Yanzhou recognized the girl in the photo as the same Chen Xi sitting across the room. Though her heart was full of grievances, her expression feigned indifference, her clear, clean apricot-shaped eyes aimlessly staring at the orchid on the desk.

Following her gaze, Zhou Yanzhou saw nothing unusual—it was just an ordinary butterfly orchid commonly found in offices.

---

Chen Xi sensed a persistent, unmistakable gaze lingering on her, making her uncomfortable. She discreetly slowed her breathing and shifted her head slightly toward the window, silently hoping her uncle-in-law’s call would end soon.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally heard her uncle-in-law’s farewell. She inexplicably exhaled in relief, her stiff shoulders relaxing.

Zhou Yanzhou noticed and smirked meaningfully, as if saying, “This kid’s pretty good at pretending.”

Chen Xi pretended not to notice, looked away, and silently pursed her lips.

—

Chen Xi had always thought Zhou Yanzhou was a spoiled playboy, but unexpectedly, he turned out to be the guest of honor at this dinner.

Leaving the office building, Zhou Yanzhou headed straight to a waiting black luxury van. Chen Xi couldn’t recognize the brand, only noting the driver standing by the door, dressed impeccably in a suit and white gloves, bowing respectfully as he ushered Zhou Yanzhou inside—quite the impressive display.

Once Zhou Yanzhou settled into the back seat, he looked up and saw Chen Xi standing there foolishly. Without hesitation, he called out, “What are you standing for? Get in.”

Before the words had fully landed, he noticed Chen Xi staring at him suspiciously. He laughed good-naturedly and teased, “Afraid I’ll abduct a minor?”

Chen Xi gave in to his banter, and just as she was about to retort, her uncle-in-law hurriedly called out, “Xi Xi, you’re with me.”

Out of breath, her uncle-in-law caught up and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the Cadillac behind them without explanation.

Chen Xi sensed a complex attitude in her uncle-in-law toward Zhou Yanzhou—respect mixed with caution. More precisely, he didn’t want her to have too much contact with Zhou Yanzhou.

Once inside the car, her uncle-in-law hinted discreetly, “That’s the son of the chairman of the Beijing headquarters. He’s here to gain experience but won’t be staying long. I’ve heard he’s quite wild in Beijing. Stay away from him. People like that aren’t for ordinary folks like us to mess with.”

Though Chen Xi was somewhat naive about certain matters, hearing this and recalling some rumors at school made her nose sting. She sniffed and quietly protested, “Uncle, I’m not that kind of person.”

Xu Jingqian realized she misunderstood and quickly added, “I’m not blaming you. I just worry you might get bullied. At your age, it’s easy to be led astray by bad people.”

The car stopped at the largest restaurant in town. Chen Xi looked up at Xu Jingqian with a smile and solemnly promised, “Don’t worry, Uncle. I won’t. My focus is on studying. Nothing else matters.”

Xu Jingqian suddenly realized she was still a high school student and had nearly pulled her into the adult world. Feeling embarrassed, he rubbed his forehead and said, “It’s my fault for overthinking.”

—

Her uncle-in-law’s assistant had reserved a table in advance. Upon arrival, her uncle-in-law buttoned up his suit and personally opened the door for Zhou Yanzhou. Though his manner was not servile, Chen Xi read the harsh realities of the adult world beneath it.

Her uncle-in-law had graduated from the architecture department at Tsinghua University and worked in Beijing for a few years before returning to Xiping. Now head of the branch office, he still couldn’t escape deference in front of the powerful.

---

Chen Xi looked at her uncle-in-law, who had always guided her forward since childhood, unsure how to feel.

The dinner was ordinary. Her uncle-in-law ordered local specialties from Xiping, worried Zhou Yanzhou might not like them, so he had the chef prepare a few Beijing dishes as well.

Chen Xi sat diagonally across from Zhou Yanzhou, sipping orange juice from a glass as she half-listened to her uncle-in-law and others discussing matters beyond her understanding. After a few sentences, her attention drifted.

The memory of the scene in the car was vivid; even now, bored and wanting to find something to do, she dared not glance toward Zhou Yanzhou.

Zhou Yanzhou, tired of the social niceties at the table, initially made polite remarks but soon disengaged, leaving matters to his secretary—a sharp-minded person brought from Beijing, also acting as a spy for his mother, Teacher Meng.

Unfamiliar with the local environment, the secretary simultaneously poured drinks for Zhou Yanzhou and gathered information on local policies and the real estate industry in Xiping.

Her uncle-in-law mentioned several government officials she had never heard of.

Chen Xi was merely a prop at this banquet. If her uncle-in-law hadn’t insisted on bringing her, she wouldn’t have appeared at all.

Unconsciously, her mind wandered to the upcoming document fees and how she would ask her aunt for the money.

Zhou Yanzhou had little interest in the welcome dinner. He lounged lazily in his seat, replying to messages on his phone. Jiang Chi had opened an entertainment venue in Lijiang and invited Zhou Yanzhou to visit for a few days. Zhou Yanzhou, disinterested, simply replied, “No,” and turned off his phone.

The conversation at the table touched on forbidden topics. After drinking, everyone seemed to collectively forget there was a minor present.

The rowdiest was a branch manager. When a young female server poured his drink, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, taking liberties.

Chen Xi sat beside him. When the server was suddenly pulled in, the bottle’s mouth spilled wine all over Chen Xi.

She wore a white T-shirt that day, and the red wine stain spread from the neckline to her lower abdomen, the wet fabric clinging to her, coldness seeping into her bones.

Her uncle-in-law hadn’t expected this either. He instinctively reached out to pull Chen Xi beside him, but someone beat him to it.

Zhou Yanzhou, who had been playing with his phone, suddenly stood, his eyes cold as they swept over the out-of-control manager. He grabbed his coat, bypassed the large round table, and casually draped the coat over Chen Xi’s shoulders.

The atmosphere shifted abruptly; the lively private room fell silent.

The manager clutching the server froze, glancing nervously at Zhou Yanzhou.

Zhou Yanzhou rested his hand on the back of Chen Xi’s chair, stretched out his long legs, and lazily said, “There’s a minor here, so watch yourselves, everyone.”

The manager was the first to react, hastily releasing the server and nodding cautiously, “Yes, yes.”

Chen Xi was the most shocked. Looking at the coat now draped over her and then at the silent yet imposing man behind her, her heart inexplicably trembled.

Whether it was because of the coat carrying its owner’s scent, or because someone had stood up for her in such an awkward moment, at that instant, she admitted to herself she was utterly bewitched.