Chapter 48

Internal disagreements had arisen within the group, and Zhou Yanzhou bore the immense pressure, taking full responsibility for the Sail Hotel.

As the meeting grew so heated that both sides were flushed with anger and eager to fling teacups into each other's faces, the phone lying on Zhou Yanzhou's desk lit up repeatedly.

Catching sight of the caller ID, he ignored everything else, snatched up the phone, and tapped on the message, only to be greeted by a screen full of reproaches and complaints.

At that moment, a wave of fury surged within Zhou Yanzhou. Especially upon seeing the line, "I never want to see you again," a sharp pain clutched at his heart.

Overcome by blinding rage, Zhou Yanzhou with a cold expression typed back a single word—"Fine"—and hurled the phone against the wall.

Everyone in the meeting room was stunned by his sudden and violent action, abruptly cutting off mid-sentence.

The conference room, just moments ago as clamorous as a bustling vegetable market, fell into such a dead silence that the dropping of a single pin could be heard.

Zhou Yanzhou stood up, kicked his chair backward, placed his hands on his hips, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down with a condescending gaze at the bustling traffic along Chang'an Avenue below.

After an indeterminate length of time, Zhou Yanzhou closed his eyelids, announced with a face full of exhaustion, "Meeting adjourned."

In an instant, the people in the conference room scattered like birds and beasts, and the room was soon empty.

Chen Huai looked at Zhou Yanzhou's somewhat disheveled figure, walked up slowly, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Zhou Yanzhou drew a deep breath, turned back to glance sideways at the deeply concerned Chen Huai, and instructed, "Book a flight to Xiping."

Just as the words left his mouth, before Chen Huai could reply, Zhou Yanzhou abruptly changed his mind, "Never mind, go to Shanghai."

"I'll have another chat with that fellow surnamed Sun."

The Sail Hotel had risen from the ground up; the preparations before construction and the arrangements after it began had all been undertaken by Zhou Yanzhou single-handedly. Now that the main structure was complete and the hard-fitting phase was drawing to a close, problems arose just as the soft furnishings were scheduled to enter.

The American supplier responsible for bedding went on strike at the last minute, and the supplier for bathroom fixtures also offered excuses to shirk their obligations. Zhou Yanzhou had planned to officially open for business on the Qixi Festival in 2014, but time was simply running out.

Crucially, the operating license remained perpetually stuck at the higher levels and had not been approved. Zhou Yanzhou had made several trips only to be met with constant evasions.

With this pile of matters accumulating, Zhou Yanzhou felt as though his head were twice its normal size. Coupled with the troublesome Chen Xi, Zhou Yanzhou felt a sense of aversion toward this ambiguous relationship for the very first time.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window of the meeting room, he sank into deep thought for a long while before finally deciding to cut through the tangled knot with a sharp blade and bring this relationship to an end.

That very night, Zhou Yanzhou flew to Shanghai with Chen Huai to discuss cooperation details with President Sun, who supplied the glass windows.

The dinner banquet was scheduled at the Bund. Zhou Yanzhou had someone book a private room at the Peace Hotel, and after waiting in the room for a full hour, President Sun finally made a tardy appearance.

Zhou Yanzhou had extremely high standards for the quality of the hotel's glass windows, and very few suppliers across the country could meet his criteria. He was utterly determined to secure this partnership with President Sun.

This President Sun was on good terms with Guan Yue's father, and had long since coordinated with Old Master Guan behind the scenes. Across three rounds of negotiations, he managed to suppress Zhou Yanzhou at every turn.

Several times Zhou Yanzhou considered leaving, but he was held firmly in check.

It was not that he had never thought of settling for second best, but President Sun's firm was the only one with sufficient inventory that met his specifications.

Zhou Yanzhou did not want the Sail Hotel to become a laughingstock, nor did he want his very first independently completed project to end in such a manner.

As soon as President Sun stepped into the private room, he offered an apology, "I am terribly sorry, President Zhou, something came up at the last minute and I was delayed on the way."

Zhou Yanzhou swallowed back the frustration welling in his chest. A cold smile appeared on his face as he maintained his composure and shook hands with President Sun, "You are too polite, President Sun. I haven't been waiting long either."

"My purpose in coming to Shanghai this time is to discuss our previous collaboration. I was wondering if you might show some flexibility on this matter?"

President Sun patted the back of Zhou Yanzhou's hand, laughing heartily, "No rush, no rush. You must be starving after making such a long trip from Beijing. Let's eat and talk as we go."

With that, President Sun released Zhou Yanzhou's hand and looked toward the waiter standing nearby, "Waiter, bring the menu."

Zhou Yanzhou remained silent for two seconds before readily agreeing.

The two men sat facing each other, and Zhou Yanzhou patiently waited as President Sun ordered.

President Sun ordered several signature dishes before sliding the menu over to Zhou Yanzhou, signaling for him to order. Zhou Yanzhou symbolically picked two dishes.

During the wait for the food, Zhou Yanzhou attempted several times to steer the conversation to the main topic, only for President Sun to deftly deflect it. With no outlet for his anger, Zhou Yanzhou could only force polite smiles.

Ever since he was a child, he had never played such a subservient, turtle-like role.

The meal dragged on until past midnight. Round after round of alcohol was consumed, yet Zhou Yanzhou failed to extract a single piece of useful information from President Sun's lips.

Suspecting that Guan Yue's father had exerted considerable influence behind the scenes, Zhou Yanzhou completely lost his initial amiable facade.

As the banquet drew to a close, Zhou Yanzhou walked out of the private room alongside President Sun. Standing outside the Peace Hotel, Zhou Yanzhou looked at the passing traffic and delivered an ultimatum with a stern expression, "President Sun, if you are truly sincere about doing this business, I will certainly accompany you to the end. If you are unwilling, then I won't waste any more breath."

"However, you might not be entirely aware that I happen to be rather petty, and I am quite fond of paying back every single grievance."

Having spoken his piece, Zhou Yanzhou ignored President Sun's blackened, angry countenance, ducked into the car, and sped away into the night, leaving behind a cursing President Sun.

On the way, Chen Huai looked through the rearview mirror at Zhou Yanzhou's gloomy expression and asked with deep concern, "If this business falls through, won't it delay..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Yanzhou interrupted him with a cold laugh, "I'd like to see whether he's really willing to sacrifice such a lucrative piece of meat just to save face."

"Can Guan Wenchuan truly cover the sky with a single hand?"

Chen Huai looked as though he had more to say, but ultimately kept his silence.

Having tossed and turned all day, Zhou Yanzhou was utterly exhausted.

As soon as he returned to his hotel room, Zhou Yanzhou washed up and, doing nothing else, immediately lay down to get some sleep.

Yet once stretched out, sleep eluded him entirely. Chen Xi's stubborn face surfaced out of nowhere in his mind. He tossed and turned, spat out a curse, reached out a long arm to pick up the bedside phone, located Chen Xi's number, and—ignoring the fact that it was already two in the morning—impulsively pressed that string of digits.

To his bewilderment, the earpiece emitted a mechanical female voice: *Hello, the number you have dialed is currently on another call, please try again later.*

Utterly baffled, Zhou Yanzhou dialed four or five more times, only to receive the same busy signal each time.

By the sixth attempt, Zhou Yanzhou hung up, opened WeChat to find Chen Xi's profile, and sent her a message, only for a glaring exclamation mark to appear the moment it was sent.

Only then did he realize he had been blocked.

Fury erupted within Zhou Yanzhou. The newly purchased phone was once again smashed to smithereens by his hand.

Now, sleep was utterly out of the question.

Throwing off the covers, he got out of bed, paced the bedroom twice, turned, walked out, and opened a bottle of red wine.

A glass of wine went down, sending a surge of blood rushing to Zhou Yanzhou's head and leaving an intense, uncomfortable tightness in his chest.

He lit a cigarette, took several heavy drags, and flung himself sprawling across the sofa, his bare feet resting on the carpet as he tilted his head toward the ceiling and slowly exhaled a plume of smoke.

By the time the cigarette burned down to the filter, the anger in Zhou Yanzhou's chest had still not dissipated. He clicked his tongue and let out a cynical scoff, "The little wretch has truly no conscience."

Following the monthly exams, Chen Xi had steel-willed her resolve, deleted all of Zhou Yanzhou's contact information, shoved the phone he had given her into a small wooden box in her wardrobe, locked it, and decided to unilaterally cut off all ties with him.

In the beginning, Chen Xi found herself unaccustomed to it. She would often stare blankly, wondering what Zhou Yanzhou was doing and questioning whether she would come to regret her decision.

Later, longing was squeezed aside by sheet after sheet of examination papers and buried beneath endless practice questions, and she gradually grew accustomed to a life without Zhou Yanzhou.

On occasion, her defenses would shatter and she would break down—especially late at night when her hands grew numb from writing English test papers—and she would invariably think of Zhou Yanzhou, lamenting that they had ended without even a dignified farewell.

The second semester of her sophomore year came to a swift close. Throughout this term, Chen Xi had poured her heart and soul entirely into her studies, finally capturing first place in her grade during the final examinations.

With the advent of the senior year approaching, their head teacher used the day of the holiday's commencement to repeatedly and sternly emphasize what lay ahead for them, urging them to make good use of this final pleasant summer vacation to carefully ponder which university they wished to apply to and what major they desired to study.

Zhu Qing wore an expression of bitter anguish as she tugged at her textbooks, turned her head, and grumbled to Chen Xi, "My pleasant summer vacation hasn't even begun, and it's already been ruined by the head teacher."

"I wanted to go on a trip to Qinghai with my parents—I begged them for ages before they finally agreed! But now, after this whole speech, who would dare to play with peace of mind?"

At this, Zhu Qing propped her chin in her hand, stared curiously at the calmly expressive Chen Xi, and asked in bafflement, "Xixi, how can you not be panicked at all?"

"Have you figured out which school you want to apply to?"

"Of course, your grades are so great that any key university in the country is yours to choose from. I'm so envious of you."

Chen Xi lowered her eyelids, her gaze resting on the frontispiece of her math textbook, and replied in a muffled, obscure tone, "I haven't decided yet."

Zhu Qing let out an "ah" and blurted out, "Didn't you want to go to Beijing before? What, you don't want to go anymore?"

At the mention of Beijing, a momentary daze flickered across Chen Xi's face. She gripped her textbook tightly and shook her head with an unchanging expression, "I haven't thought about it yet."

Seeing Chen Xi's lack of enthusiasm, Zhu Qing sighed and remarked with emotion, "If even you haven't figured it out, then I have no idea what to do."

"Take your time, we still have a whole year."

Chen Xi gave a soft hum of agreement, treating it as her response to Zhu Qing's words.

Once the classroom cleaning was finished, the members of the cleaning group impatiently dropped their brooms and mops and headed home. Chen Xi was the last to leave the classroom; she locked the door, dropped the key off at the head teacher's office, and returned to the dorm to pack her things.

Her belongings were sparse, consisting only of her summer homework and two changes of clothes.

With the start of the holiday, the majority of the students had already left the school.

Chen Xi lived on the fifth floor. She packed her things and stepped out, only to find that the fifth floor was completely deserted.

She walked out of the dormitory building unhurriedly and alone, making her way toward the school gate, never expecting to run into Xie Wei, who had returned to pick up some items at the playground.

Following a semester of interacting with each other, Chen Xi and Xie Wei could be considered somewhat familiar.

They had discussed math problems together, done morning exercises side by side, and after physical education class, they would head to the supermarket together to buy water, occasionally chatting about private matters.

Chen Xi had obliquely probed into Xie Wei's relationship with Zhou Yanzhou, but upon hearing the name, Xie Wei had acted as though it were entirely unfamiliar, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to an old acquaintance.

That had been an afternoon bathed in blazing sunlight. After PE class, everyone was left panting and exhausted. Taking advantage of the physical education teacher's inattention, they had all secretly sought shelter to cool off beneath a century-old banyan tree.

Zhu Qing and the female student sitting in front of her had gone to the supermarket to buy ice cream. Chen Xi, having no desire to tag along, found a secluded corner to zone out by herself.

Xie Wei had transferred to Xiping No. 1 High School not long ago, and coupled with the fact that she consistently ranked first in her grade, the girls in the class harbored a certain hostility toward someone who dazzled the moment she appeared, preferring not to include her in their circles.

Chen Xi, bearing no prejudice, had proactively teamed up with her during several PE classes.

Xie Wei cared little for being left out in the cold, yet felt a trace of gratitude toward Chen Xi for extending a helping hand at such a moment.

Having finished her final lap, she walked over panting and sat down beside Chen Xi. Noticing Chen Xi's absent-minded demeanor—with "I have something on my mind" written all over her face—Xie Wei asked with concern, "Your state of mind has seemed a bit off lately."

Chen Xi blinked, pulled herself out of her thoughts, and gazing at the confident and poised Xie Wei, abruptly asked, "Were you under a lot of pressure back at Hefei No. 1 High School?"

Xie Wei nodded and then shook her head, "To say there was no pressure would be a lie, but it wasn't to the point of being unbearable. Originally, I didn't want to transfer, but my dad forced me, saying he couldn't rest easy with me living alone in Hefei."

"After retiring from the military, he worked as a driver for over twenty years. This time, he was suddenly summoned by a distant relative in Beijing to work as a driver, and a single month's salary equals two years of his previous earnings."

"At first, I thought it was a scam, but later I discovered that the family was surnamed Zhou, relatives on my maternal grandmother's side. If you trace it back, the kind that are distantly related by a thousand ties."

"It's said that the boss who hired my father is a famously renowned Peking Opera master in Beijing, and my dad drives for her son."

"I caught a glimpse of him from afar last time—that person is truly strikingly handsome, and extremely modest. His attitude when speaking with my father was very gentle."

"It seems that the Sail Hotel at People's Square was built single-handedly by him; just the structural framework alone cost billions... My dad said he's only twenty-five this year, truly young and accomplished."

Chen Xi listened in silence, without interrupting Xie Wei's narrative.

She thought to herself that had she not known Zhou Yanzhou and been unaware of what he was truly like behind closed doors, she would certainly have been captivated by Xie Wei's words and filled with romantic illusions about him.

Yet once she stepped outside the vicious circle of "Zhou Yanzhou," she realized just how vast the chasm between them truly was.

Xie Wei had not expected to bump into Chen Xi here either. She walked up to Chen Xi with a look of surprise and offered a polite greeting, "You haven't gone back yet?"

Chen Xi shrugged with a helpless expression, "Our group was on cleaning duty, so I had to lock up."

Xie Wei nodded in understanding.

She took a couple of steps forward, then, remembering something, suddenly turned back, "Will you wait a few minutes for me? My dad is waiting outside, shall we walk together?"

Chen Xi already knew that Zhou Yanzhou's current driver was Xie Wei's father, and she also knew that the last time Xie Wei's father had come to pick her up, Zhou Yanzhou had not been in the car. Yet so much time had passed, and she still felt a prickle of discomfort.

Thinking of this, she shook her head in refusal, "No need, I'll take the bus back."

Xie Wei did not press her further and waved goodbye.

Chen Xi nodded, brushed past Xie Wei, and began walking out unhurriedly by herself.

Assuming that this time, too, it would only be Xie Wei's father, Chen Xi caught sight of the Mercedes-Benz with Beijing license plates parked by the school gate. She froze for a split second, then, acting as though nothing were amiss, tightened her grip on her backpack's shoulder straps, bypassed the vehicle nonchalantly, and walked straight ahead.

Before she had taken two steps, a familiar voice called out to her, "Stop right there."

Hearing Zhou Yanzhou's voice, Chen Xi froze in her tracks on the spot. She turned her head and saw Zhou Yanzhou sitting in the back seat, the car window rolled down halfway to reveal the man's gloomy face.

Having not seen him for several months, he appeared to have lost some weight.

Dressed in a silver-gray suit with his hair neatly styled, he was as strikingly handsome as ever.

If one chose to ignore those peach-blossom eyes that looked ready to punish her right on the spot, he seemed no different from before.

Chen Xi's feet felt as though they had been glued to the ground, utterly unable to move.

Her eyelashes trembled as she struggled to react for a moment. The only saving grace was that there were hardly any people around the school gate at this hour; otherwise, she truly could not guarantee how she would manage to salvage the situation.

Seeing Chen Xi standing frozen in place without moving, Zhou Yanzhou spoke up again with a cold expression, "Get in the car."

Chen Xi remained motionless.

Zhou Yanzhou waited for a moment, then pushed open the car door and swung his legs out of the compartment.

With one hand tucked into his pocket, he walked toward Chen Xi unhurriedly.

During this time, Chen Xi considered running, but was halted by a single look from Zhou Yanzhou, "Go ahead and try walking away."

Chen Xi's spine stiffened, not daring to test Zhou Yanzhou's bottom line further.

She nervously pressed her lips together, watching with wide eyes as Zhou Yanzhou closed in on her until he stood directly before her, his tall frame entirely enveloping her.

The sense of oppression was so overwhelming that the strength in Chen Xi's legs nearly failed her, making it hard to stand steady.

Having leisurely finished observing Chen Xi's anxious and uneasy expression, Zhou Yanzhou narrowed his eyes and demanded with a blank face, "You blocked me?"

Chen Xi: "..."

Zhou Yanzhou had not expected Chen Xi to reply anyway. Over the past few months, he had been swamped with work and completely unable to find the time to discipline her. Now that he had finally managed to carve out a single day, he had no intention of letting it go to waste.

He furrowed his brows and looked Chen Xi up and down, noting that she was dressed with her usual simplicity.

A white T-shirt and jeans enveloped her slender frame. Her hair, unawares, had grown down to her waist, tied back loosely with a plain black rubber band. Her palm-sized face was thoroughly bare of makeup, and her bare neck exposed two prominent collarbones.

She had lost weight.

Had she not been eating well at school, or was the academic pressure simply too great?

Zhou Yanzhou frowned, taking the initiative to clear the air, "We haven't seen each other in so long, and you planned to give me the cold shoulder? Or did you genuinely intend to do as you said in that message—decide to cut ties with me forever?"

"Chen Xi, have I treated you poorly? Or are you planning to burn the bridge after crossing it and find someone better?"

"Then you're mistaken. Aside from me, there's probably no other sucker willing to spend the time and effort to keep you amused."

Chen Xi was visibly moved by Zhou Yanzhou's words, a trace of internal struggle surfacing on her face.

Seeing signs of her softening, the corners of Zhou Yanzhou's lips curled into an unreadable smile.

The next second, he reached out and patted Chen Xi's cheek, then leaned down close to her ear, murmuring with gentle seduction, "Do you really plan to make a clean break with me? Can you bear to?"

"Have you forgotten what wish you made on New Year's Eve? Didn't you want to spend every subsequent New Year's Eve with me?"

"Why are you acting up for no reason? Tell me, which part of what I did was wrong?"

The warm breath brushed against Chen Xi's earlobe. Ticklish and weak-limbed, she nearly dropped to her knees. Just as her knees were about to meet the uneven ground, Zhou Yanzhou caught her in his arms with a single pull.

His broad, warm palm imprisoned her slender waist, and his scent completely filled her breathing, leaving Chen Xi gasping for air.

Before she could react, Zhou Yanzhou had already bundled her into the car.

*Thud.* The car door closed, and Zhou Yanzhou's hand came down on the door handle, trapping Chen Xi within his embrace.

Looking down from above at Chen Xi, who had her eyes closed and her shoulders trembling slightly, Zhou Yanzhou asked with lazy nonchalance, "Am I some sort of ferocious beast?"