Zhou Qishen stared at her, "Isn't it meant to be given to people to eat?"
Zhao Xiyin said, "So you just ate it all? Is that how you treat someone as a guest?"
Zhou Qishen was stung; his eyes dimmed instantly, and a chilling smile crept onto his lips. "My darling?"
Zhao Xiyin felt that this person was unreasonable.
Zhou Qishen usually kept his emotions hidden. Having navigated the business world for over a decade, he was adept at maintaining peace and courtesy. It wasn't that he hadn't hurt people, but that was always done behind the scenes. He must have gone mad today; he was completely out of control.
Zhou Qishen tossed the last half of the mousse into the trash can, stood up, and tossed his wallet to Zhao Xiyin. The wallet hit her chest; it didn't hurt, but her heart skipped a beat with the movement.
As Zhou Qishen left, he didn't forget to say goodbye to Zhao Wenchun, his tone so heavy it seemed like he was about to explode, "Uncle Zhao, I'm leaving."
They're gone, really gone.
Li Ran was still quite confused. Looking at the wallet lying half-open on the table, she said, "You really don't want it anymore?"
Zhou Qishen's wallet was a short, brownish-red style, a distinctive and sophisticated color. It contained a small stack of cash, his ID card, and two black cards, nothing else. Even after he left, his lingering presence felt like half the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving everyone feeling oppressed.
Li Ran seemed to feel very apologetic for the trouble she had caused. She pointed to the two black cards and said in a casual tone, "Xiao west, swipe his card, swipe a truckload of cakes, and smear the Zhou family's face with them."
Zhao Xiyin turned around and went back to her bedroom.
Li Ran followed her in and saw her standing by the desk, lost in thought.
Li Ran waved her hand in front of her eyes, "Hey."
Zhao Xiyin turned her head away, without a trace of a smile.
"Xiao west, have you noticed that you two are acting like a married couple arguing?" Li Ran was always outspoken in front of her.
Zhao Xiyin reacted fiercely, "What nonsense are you talking about? What couple quarrel? Didn't you see? He's being unreasonable."
Li Ran smiled, "Still saying it doesn't look like it?"
Zhao Xiyin touched her lips together, making a grand gesture as if she wanted to refute, but in the end, for some reason, she didn't want to say anything at all.
Li Ran, being an observer with a clear perspective, saw everything clearly. She said, "Brother Zhou still loves you."
The word "love" struck Zhao Xiyin like a bomb, delivering a heavy blow. The intense emotions within her vanished like quicksand, leaving only emptiness and not a ripple. Zhao Xiyin lowered her head, her long hair obscuring her face, her long, curled eyelashes casting a faint shadow.
She said, "If he loved me, he wouldn't have disbelieved me in the first place."
Li Ran couldn't stay serious for more than three seconds. Upon hearing this, she immediately showed her chivalrous spirit of standing up for her friend, "That's right, Zhou Gou!"
After Li Ran left, Zhao Xiyin remained in the room without coming out.
Half an hour later, Zhao Wenchun came in, carrying a plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. He said, "I actually left one box of cake. I smeared off the cream for you. Eat it, it won't make you fat. Drink the milk while it's hot."
Zhao Xiyin peeked out from under the covers, her fair face flushed red as if painted with rouge. Her face was red, and her eyes seemed red too.
Zhao Wenchun smiled at his daughter, "It's nothing, it's no big deal. From now on, Dad won't get involved anymore. I won't bring him breakfast, and I won't let him have the chance to bring the thermos over every time. If he comes, I won't open the door for him."
Zhao Xiyin was quite moved; Professor Zhao was so kind.
"Dad respects your choice. Actually, Xiao Meng is quite good too."
Zhao Xiyin realized that her father had misunderstood.
The more she tried to explain, the worse it got. There was no more explanation to be had, but after that night, it seemed as if she and Zhou Qishen had severed all ties, or perhaps it was a cold war of mutual resentment.
——
Monday morning, at the company headquarters building.
The secretary handed Zhou Qishen the documents to be signed, one by one, laid out on the table. After Zhou Qishen finished signing, the secretary reported, "The performance evaluation and settlement meeting and the preliminary review of next year's salary budget plan are at 2 pm, there is a dinner with Chairman Tang of Asia Pacific at 7 pm, and an overseas video conference at 10:30 pm."
Zhou Qishen interrupted, "Is Fantian Entertainment also having a meeting today?"
The secretary nodded: "This is a routine meeting to report on the progress of investment projects. Manager Xing from the investment department attended the previous two meetings."
Zhou Qishen screwed on the pen cap, his expression calm: "The assessment meeting will be rescheduled. I'll attend this one."
The secretariat remained calm, but doubts lingered. While the "Nine Thoughts" film project had been launched, it hadn't yet reached the actual filming stage. Zhou Qishen's time was precious, and logically, he wouldn't waste it here. In the afternoon, they arrived at Fantian Entertainment. The investors were all seated in the conference room, which was initially chaired by one of their deputy managers. However, a few minutes later, Meng Weixi arrived unexpectedly and took over the meeting.
Everyone was surprised; what wind had blown the young master here in person?
The meeting proceeded smoothly and without much substance; there were no major changes or numerical discrepancies, and the project was progressing steadily. In contrast, the simultaneous presence of Zhou Qishen and Meng Weixi was more invigorating than the meeting itself.
Zhou Qishen's secretary, sitting behind him, couldn't quite figure out what his boss was thinking. But he felt the atmosphere was strange. Even though Zhou and Meng didn't exchange a single word, he could still sense that at some point, there was an undercurrent of tension and a sense of impending conflict.
The peace was maintained on the surface until the end of the meeting.
With both gentlemen present, others seized the opportunity, exchanging business cards and engaging in enthusiastic conversation, keeping Zhou Qishen and Meng Weixi constantly occupied. Meng Weixi, displaying the demeanor of a true host, instructed his assistant to refill everyone's tea and offer them snacks.
When it came to Zhou Qishen, this gentleman really gave a few detailed instructions.
Before long, the assistant brought in some things, mostly fruit, but a box of mousse dessert was placed in front of Zhou Qishen. Zhou Qishen could handle any situation with ease, and he didn't need to curry favor with anyone. He simply crossed his legs and began to eat slowly and deliberately.
Meng Weixi glanced at him, her expression inexplicably darkening.
Zhou Qishen ate with elegance, as if to say, "So what if I treat this place like my cafeteria?" After finishing, he wiped his mouth and even politely said to Meng Weixi, "Ms. Meng's cake tastes good."
The implication was clear, and only Meng Weixi understood the hidden meaning in his words. He smiled politely and said, "If President Zhou likes it, I'll have someone pack some for you to take back."
Zhou Qishen raised an eyebrow, a look of pleasure appearing between his brows. "No need. I've already benefited a lot from President Meng's kindness these past few days, I'm already quite smitten."
After saying that, Zhou Qishen patted Meng Weixi on the shoulder, smiled, and left.