Zhao Xiyin felt awkward, scratched the tip of her ear, and was about to explain when Zhou Qishen said, "I know."
I knew she did it on purpose, and I knew she didn't want to get entangled with Pang Ce's team.
Zhao Xiyin was stunned for a moment, then just stared at him. As they looked, they both laughed. Zhao Xiyin lowered her head shyly, her long hair falling to cover her cheeks. Zhou Qishen was much taller than her, and from this angle, her nose was pert and her lips were cherry-colored, making her look both sweet and pretty.
He couldn't resist reaching out and gently patting the top of her head. Zhao Xiyin reacted as if electrocuted, reflexively taking a large step back.
Zhou Qi felt a sharp pain in his heart. The warm atmosphere he had just managed to savor had vanished without a trace before he could even appreciate it.
This incident passed quickly, and the next day, the headlines of major mainstream media platforms were all related to the launch of Pang Ce's new work. But strangely, after searching through countless forums, no photos of Zhao Xiyin and Xiao Shun could be found.
Zhou Qishen flew to Shenzhen on a business trip and returned five days later.
The client was incredibly demanding, going to great lengths to please him, attending every dinner and golf outing, and even bringing along countless beautiful girls to karaoke. When the boss got drunk, his vulgar nature was revealed; he insisted on offering the prettiest girl to Zhou Qishen, slyly saying that he'd been training her for half a month and she could do everything, just waiting for Mr. Zhou's approval. Zhou Qishen disliked this whole thing; he found it utterly tiresome.
Back in Beijing, I stood under the clear blue sky and white clouds for a while before I felt better.
In the afternoon, a process meeting was held at the company. Zhou Qishen asked his secretary to cancel his social engagements and went to Lao Cheng's teahouse in the evening.
As usual, Zhou Qishen drank Houkui tea, which was served piping hot. He felt completely refreshed and chatted with Lao Cheng for a while. Lao Cheng said, "I haven't seen Heping these past few days. Where has he been gallivanting off to?"
Zhou Qishen held a cigarette between his fingers. It was a thin, white cigarette without any patterns or markings. He didn't smoke it; he just let it burn.
Old Cheng said, "I'll give him a call."
Before I could even take my phone out, the person arrived.
Zhou Qishen turned his head and glanced at it, then felt something was wrong and glanced at it again.
Old Cheng exclaimed, "Oh, what's with that look on your face? Which den of iniquity are you spending your time in?"
Gu Heping sat down on the sofa and said dejectedly, "Don't even mention it, the old man has put me in solitary confinement."
Old Cheng smiled and said, "Young Master, have you gotten into trouble?"
Gu Heping said, "At the banquet that day, I only stopped Meng Weixi. I was quite polite at the time, and I thought that was the end of it. I never expected that he would complain to my father. Who knows what nasty things he said? My father punished me severely. This disaster came out of nowhere. Who can I complain to?"
Old Cheng had a smile on his face, but his eyes unconsciously glanced towards Zhou Qishen.
Zhou Qishen rested his hand on the side of the cup, his fingertips stroking it almost imperceptibly, one stroke after another, slower and slower.
Gu Heping felt like he was swallowing a bitter pill, feeling wronged and frustrated. He also reminded him, "Meng Weixi is too vengeful. Brother Zhou, you have to be careful."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Qishen swung his teacup and smashed it against the fish tank behind him.
With a loud splash, the tropical fish inside darted about in panic. The glass dome cracked, and water dripped down, gradually forming a continuous stream like a small waterfall.
Zhou Qishen's face was sinister. "Be careful? He has the nerve to tell me to be careful? That Meng fellow better watch out! I'll make sure he pays the price!"
Chapter 7 The Old Testament (3)
Old Testament (3)
Zhou Qishen unleashed a fierce tantrum. This was the culmination of long-accumulated resentment and hatred.
Gu Heping and Lao Cheng dared not utter a word; when it came to matters concerning Zhao Xiyin, comfort and reassurance were never of any use. The name Meng Weixi was a knife stuck in Zhou Qishen's heart; similarly, Zhou Qishen was the biggest obstacle Meng Weixi could never overcome in her life.
Zhou Qishen's eyes were bloodshot, and his face looked as grim as the gloomy sky before a blizzard. He pressed his hand to his forehead, pinched his brow hard, then grabbed his phone and cigarette case and stumbled away.
Without hesitation, Lao Cheng quickly caught up with him, saying, "He can't drive like this, I'll keep an eye on him."
——
On Sunday, Li Ran came to visit Zhao Xiyin at home and was a little surprised to see her jumping around. "Xiao Shun lied to me again. You have no idea how exaggerated he was. He said you fainted on the ground and he almost had to call an ambulance."
Zhao Xiyin made a shushing gesture, glanced at Zhao Wenchun in the kitchen, and said, "Keep your voice down, don't let my dad know. I'm fine, something happened last night, and I don't want to cause any more trouble."
"Understood." Li Ran lowered her head to bite into an apple, her eyes darting around before she looked up tentatively: "Xiao west, have you seen him?"
Zhao Xiyin didn't react for a moment, "Huh? Who?"
“Meng Weixi”.
Li Ran's voice trembled slightly when she said the name. Afterwards, she felt extremely annoyed and quickly ate a small bite of her apple.
Zhao Xiyin paused for a moment, then admitted, "I saw her."
Li Ran looked at her, cautiously waiting for what she would say next.
"How about some braised pork ribs for lunch? Xiao Li, what else would you like to eat? Uncle will make it for you." Zhao Wenchun came out of the kitchen with a cheerful smile.
Li Ran stood up obediently, "I love everything you make."
This interruption caused the answer to vanish like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.
Li Ran stayed at home for most of the day. People with cheerful personalities are always liked by elders. Zhao Wenchun smiled so much that her eye wrinkles deepened. She washed a large basin of cherries for the two children and said, "You two play by yourselves. I still have some materials to finish writing."
After everyone left, Li Ran peeked into the study and asked, "Is Uncle Zhao still working overtime on the weekend?"
"Their department is about to undergo another evaluation, so they've been quite busy lately."
Li Ran understood, "This time it will definitely work."
Zhao Xiyin also felt, "There shouldn't be any problem."
Just then, the phone on the desk rang. Li Ran, who was nearby, reached out and handed it to Zhao Xiyin. Upon seeing the caller ID, she quickly mouthed, "Teacher Dai."
Zhao Xiyin was not surprised and answered the phone after it rang more than a dozen times. Before Dai Yunxin could speak, she took the initiative and complained with a worried look, "Teacher, I'm sorry, I fell hard yesterday and I can't exert any force at all now."