Meng Weixi stood there, his face growing darker with each passing moment. It felt as if a bullet had pierced his shoulder, and he felt uncomfortable all over.
At 10 p.m., Zhou Qishen finished his dinner with Chairman Tang of Asia Pacific and drove to Lao Cheng's teahouse. As soon as he entered, neither Gu Heping nor Lao Cheng paid any attention to him. Zhou Qishen loosened his tie, flopped onto the sofa, and went straight to sleep.
Old Cheng lit a cigarette, squinted, and asked, "Boss Zhou seems to be in poor health lately."
Gu Heping chimed in, "How can you not feel insecure when you're constantly fighting with this person and that person?"
Zhou Qishen grabbed a cushion and threw it at his face, "Can't you just shut up?"
Gu Heping turned his head away and laughed, "You're not happy even after I said a few words to you. You're really getting worse as you get older. I've already heard about what happened between you and Meng Weixi this afternoon. There are quite a few people watching you two."
Old Cheng, ever observant: "Does anyone know that the two of them don't get along?"
"There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. I can't guarantee that we can keep quiet about the fight between the two of you last time." Gu Heping was puzzled. "What were you two arguing about today?"
After hearing Zhou Qishen's few words, Lao Cheng was shocked. The ash in his cigarette grew quite long, and he said in a flat voice, "I fucking swear."
Gu Heping burst out laughing: "Aren't you two childish?!"
After mocking and humiliating him enough, Lao Cheng still spoke the truth: "You and Xiao west are divorced. Xiao west doesn't owe you anything. Are you doing this because you're angry with her or because you can't let go of your pride as a man in front of Meng Weixi?"
Zhou Qishen sat on the sofa, scoffing disdainfully, "He's not worthy of a damn thing!"
Old Cheng wouldn't tolerate it, and retorted, "Similarly, Xiao west is a single, free, and wonderful girl now, so your temper tantrum is nothing but a fart."
Gu Heping immediately gave him a thumbs up, "Cheng Ji, just wait and see what happens."
Zhou Qishen wasn't angry at all. He maintained his posture, his face as dark as the deep sea, and his eyes revealed a sense of helplessness.
——
As for Zhao Xiyin, after giving Ni Rui a hard time that day, the girl has become much more well-behaved. She's chatting and laughing with her group of fake girlfriends again, but when she sees Zhao Xiyin, she still dislikes her, but she's also afraid of her. Her arrogance isn't as bad anymore, and she always goes out of her way to avoid her.
This week we've entered the dance learning phase for "Nine Thoughts," and the teachers have changed again, with a noticeably more diverse group of people involved. There are producers, assistant directors, and talent managers—the titles are all incredibly prestigious, and Zhao Xiyin can't remember their faces easily; after a day, no one will recall them.
The glamorous and dazzling circle is inseparable from money and fame, and it's no shortage of handsome men and beautiful women who rush headlong into it. This morning, a man surnamed Qin came in, surrounded by a retinue, and he kept his identity a secret in a mysterious way. He gave some pretentious pointers, using stiff and contrived language, which sounded very mysterious, but had nothing to do with dancing.
Standing in the last row, Zhao Xiyin knew what kind of person this was after listening to just three sentences.
After the instruction was finished, some girls were particularly drawn to it, enthusiastically surrounding him and calling him "Teacher Qin" sweetly and affectionately. Brother Qin's smile was rather cloying. He said, "You all need to perform well. If you do well, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future." He then asked the staff which members of the group were the best performers.
Zhao Xiyin quickly pulled Cen Yue away, leaving them searching for her without success.
In the afternoon, Cen Yue quietly told her, "I saw that a lot of people have added Brother Qin's WeChat account."
Zhao Xiyin glanced sideways, "You added it too?"
“He added me,” Cen Yue said. “He added me.”
Zhao Xiyin said "Oh," and added, "It's nothing, I'll add it then."
Later that evening, the person in charge of logistics called out names and said that these few should stay behind for extra training.
There were only three in total. Cen Yue didn't name names, but Zhao Xiyin was kept behind. The person in charge said with a smile, "You should be happy. Brother Qin asked the teacher to recommend a few people who performed well, and then he will introduce them to the next stage. They will get more screen time during the dance portion of the filming."
Zhao Xiyin didn't say anything, but the other two seemed quite happy.
The person in charge said, "Please tidy up. There's no need to change your clothes. A car will pick you up in ten minutes. Don't be shy when you arrive. Just answer any questions."
——
At Terminal 3 in the evening, the driver picked up Zhou Qishen and rushed to his destination without stopping.
In just a short time, Zhou Qishen received three phone calls. One was from his secretary asking about his schedule, another was from a fund manager reporting on work progress, and the third was from his hometown in Xi'an. A dozen minutes later, the calls ended, and his temples throbbed with exhaustion.
Zhou Qishen's daily round trip between Beijing and Shanghai was not part of his usual schedule, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he had no choice but to make the trip himself. He had a deep connection with Tang Qichen of Shanghai Asia Investment Holdings; the two companies had been doing business together for many years and were on good terms. Tang Qichen called Zhou Qishen yesterday to discuss a…family matter.
To Zhou Qishen, it was a shameful affair.
His comrade's younger brother, a rich second-generation heir who didn't know his place, boldly pursued a woman. This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but the issue was that this woman was none other than Tang Qichen's wife, Wen Yining.
Zhou Qishen's comrade-in-arms sacrificed his life ten years ago while on a flight mission. Before his death, his biggest worry was his younger brother. Zhou Qishen was a man of great loyalty and affection, and out of love for his brother, he had entrusted him with many favors even though he was no longer in Shanghai. Although his brother was a playboy, he respected Zhou Qishen immensely.
Although Tang Qichen's phone call was polite, he was actually furious. Zhou Qishen didn't delay; he flew to Shanghai that very day, hosted a banquet for the Tang couple, and also called over his troublemaking brother. The brother looked completely bewildered. Zhou Qishen stood up, kicked him twice until he was kneeling on the ground, and then said to Tang Qichen calmly, "Chairman Tang, I'm sorry, it's my fault for not disciplining him properly."
These two kicks were a declaration of intent; Zhou Qishen, putting righteousness before family, gave an explanation.
There's a banquet at 7 PM. Weighing the pros and cons, there are some occasions he still has to attend. Zhou Qishen glanced at the time; he was pressed for time.
Later, his secretary called again. Zhou Qishen was exhausted after a long day and in a bad mood. "Are you ever going to stop? Do you want me to ride a rocket?"
The secretary told him, "No, Mr. Zhou, I just wanted to report to you... I saw Xiao Zhao."
Zhao Xiyin was truly helpless. After hearing the person in charge's words in the training room, she genuinely thought she was just going to meet some relevant staff. Later, she realized that all that sanctimonious talk was just a ploy to find a few pretty girls to make an impression.
Zhao Xiyin had encountered similar situations before. During her senior year of high school, while taking her professional exams and attending training classes, she encountered many perverts after school who would drive up in luxury cars and approach young girls, saying with yellow teeth and foul mouths, "Little sister, want to have dinner together? I'll buy you a bag, okay?"
Zhao Xiyin tried to avoid him, but when Zhao Wenchun found out, he started picking her up from school every day. Zhao Wenchun, a refined-looking man with glasses perched on his nose, held a fierce-looking bamboo stick in his hand, protecting his daughter fiercely.
Zhao Xiyin sat properly in her chair. The other two group members, on the other hand, were chatting happily with the guests at the table. The middle-aged man, in his forties, was talkative, spouting outdated internet jokes like "Grandpa Xiaoming lives to be a hundred" and "feeling blue and sad." He thought he was quite trendy, and the people around him were all in agreement.
Zhao Xiyin also laughed, but it was an awkward laugh.
She could understand this kind of social interaction. It involved various connections and mutual assistance. They weren't the main characters, but being in the thick of it, they sometimes felt pressured into it. Like when you first start working, your boss might ask you to attend a social event after get off work, where you're expected to drink juice instead of alcohol, just to save face.
Zhao Xiyin looked down at her phone and sent a WeChat message to Cen Yue: "I've discovered that this logistics manager is really cunning. He's vague about everything I ask, but then he brings a whole carload of people over for dinner."
Cen Yue sent an emoji: "He's a piece of stinky poop."