But if she hides something in the cake, Xu Yan will find out and stop her from doing so, because she doesn't want anyone to find out her real birthday.
Zhou Luming sighed softly, looking at the ring with his hand on his forehead. "Sigh—it's so easy to get frustrated when you meet Xu Yan."
She gazed at the iron gate on the rooftop, as if she could see Xu Yan inside the house through it. There was another reason why she was moved here—Zhou Luming wanted to help Xu Yan escape the oppressive and restrictive environment.
Xu Yan's previous home was a suffocating prison, with curtains drawn tight and surveillance cameras everywhere. They even had a security system designed for her. Locking herself in such a cell for so long would inevitably lead to psychological isolation.
Zhou Luming could understand why she did this. Xu Yan witnessed her parents' death in a car accident and had repeatedly experienced danger, which made her distrustful of others, hesitant to make friends, let alone entrust her heart to anyone. Xu Yan was cautious and tried to build a cold, protective shell around herself and the outside world. However, she was essentially a kind person, and therefore, she was constantly conflicted and torn inside.
Zhou Luming wanted to pull Xu Yan out of her predicament, and letting her move into his house was the first step. Renting out the rooftop and renovating it into an open-air restaurant was also intended to help Xu Yan have a broader perspective.
After tidying up the rooftop dining table, Zhou Luming carried the plates back home. Seeing the neatly arranged slippers by the door, Zhou Luming smiled. After changing into the slippers, he saw Xu Yan standing in the living room. Xu Yan said, "I'll wash the dishes."
Zhou Luming said, "We ate together and washed together."
Chapter 72
===================
Xu Yan couldn't refuse Zhou Luming, so she had to let her help with the dishes. The two of them divided the work themselves: Xu Yan rinsed the dishes, and Zhou Luming was responsible for drying and putting them away. Apart from the sound of running water and the clinking of dishes, there was no other sound in the kitchen sink.
Zhou Luming kept glancing at Xu Yan's status, seeing her composed and unwilling to speak, she had to swallow back the words that were on the tip of her tongue several times. Only when the dishes were almost finished washing did she seize the opportunity at the last moment, "Xu Yan, I—"
"I have things to do tomorrow. If there's nothing else, I'll go back to sleep now," Xu Yan interrupted her.
Zhou Luming took the plate, his fingertips brushing against Xu Yan's hand. The two stared at each other, startled, and then recoiled as if electrocuted. Warm-toned light shone on their profiles, and outside the window, instead of a bustling city nightscape, lay a quiet, ordinary alleyway.
"Xu Yan—" Zhou Luming had something to say that was about to burst out. She wanted to tell Xu Yan how she felt and wish her a happy birthday, but she was unsure of Xu Yan's thoughts.
Xu Yan herself is outstanding; she is the heir to a vast fortune, well-educated, and possesses a bright future. Meanwhile, the person bearing the name Zhou Luming is from the very bottom of society, struggling to survive in the darkest corners of this world. If Xu Yan hadn't chosen him to play Zhou Luming, their lives would likely never have intersected.
She will not meet Xu Yan, nor will she live with her, nor will she gradually get to know her or like her.
"I'll leave this to you. Goodnight." Xu Yan dried her hands, walked out of the kitchen, returned to her room, and closed the door.
Zhou Luming stared blankly at the closed door, realizing Xu Yan was refusing her. She gave a self-deprecating laugh. Wishful thinking! A toad trying to eat swan meat? Fairy tales are all lies…
She continued to slowly wipe the last plate in her hand dry.
Snap—
A few drops of water fell onto the already dried plate, but they were quickly wiped dry again and placed neatly with the other plates.
“We should buy a dishwasher.” Zhou Luming took off his rubber gloves, his eyes red, and took out the platinum ring from his pocket. “Washing dishes is really tiring. I need to get a good night’s sleep tonight.”
The next day, when Xu Yan opened the door, she found that Zhou Luming was no longer at home.
A note was stuck on the refrigerator: Xu Yan, I'm going to be the mascot of Shan Hai Catering now.
Xu Yan frowned. They left so early?
She tidied herself up and went to meet Old Liu at the pan-fried dumpling shop. Old Liu was going to make his will, and he was worried, so he asked Xu Yan to secretly follow him.
Upon arriving at the Shanghai Will Registry, the staff greeted Xu Yan warmly, saying, "Teacher Xu, why didn't anyone tell me you were coming to provide guidance?"
Xu Yan nodded in acknowledgment, "I'll accompany the client to make the will."
The staff member glanced at Old Liu next to Xu Yan. Seeing his simple clothes and ordinary appearance, they thought that it might be an assistance case that Xu Yan had taken on. In addition to giving free lectures at the will registry, Xu Yan also provided free assistance to testators who were in financial difficulty.
"Then I won't keep you from your work. Here are two meal tickets. You can come to the cafeteria for lunch."
"Thank you." Xu Yan accepted the money. She quite liked the food at the cafeteria.
Old Liu found Xu Yan's photo and introduction among the staff members hanging on the wall of the will registry—a specially appointed consultant of the Shanghai Will Registry. Old Liu was surprised; he didn't know Xu Yan had this other identity. If even the will registry recognized her, Old Liu would no longer doubt her professionalism.
Old Mr. Liu and his caregiver, Mrs. Lin, followed closely behind. Mrs. Lin's son also arrived and went to queue up for a number. While waiting, Mrs. Lin asked Old Mr. Liu why his other children weren't there. Old Mr. Liu calmly replied, "They've all entrusted me with handling everything. Don't worry, I keep my word, and they all agree."
Aunt Lin turned to Xu Yan and asked, "Is everything he said true? Is it legal? He won't go back on his word later, will he?"
Xu Yan said, "They all had notarized power of attorney, so there were no procedural problems."
Old Man Liu glanced at his son with disdain. "People raise children to provide for them in their old age, but my children haven't come home once in years. They don't care about me at all. When I had a stroke, no one came to bring me tea or water or take care of me. What use are you? I'd rather have a dog that at least barks at me. I'm giving the house to Xiaolin now. I won't leave you a single penny!"
Old Liu said, "We didn't expect anything from your house anyway. You can leave it to whoever you want." He looked at Sister Lin and said, "Don't come looking for us when you're kicked out of your home. Let me make this clear from the beginning: if you make a will and leave the house to someone else, then that person can take care of you. We won't have to worry about you anymore."
Old Liu's eyes reddened with anger, "You unfilial wretch, I'll beat you to death!"
They were about to start a fight when Xu Yan said, "It's time to call your number."
The two men surnamed Liu temporarily stopped fighting and went into the office to make their wills.
The will was very simple. Old Liu left the house to Sister Lin, and the main point was that Sister Lin would be responsible for supporting him until his death, after which the house would belong to Sister Lin.
The two made a will in the presence of witnesses at the will center. When asked about the estate administrator, Old Liu suddenly pointed at Xu Yan and said, "I will have her be my estate administrator."
Xu Yan was stunned for a moment, then pointed to herself, "Me?" She had no relationship with Old Man Liu, nor had she discussed it beforehand. She was inexplicably appointed as the administrator of his estate, which also puzzled her.
The staff at the will center reminded her, "This requires Ms. Xu's consent; her fees outside are not low."
Xu Yan had thought the farce was nearing its end, having already fulfilled her obligations to Old Liu out of consideration for the pan-fried buns. However, she never expected to be chosen as the administrator of Old Liu's estate. She glanced at the people sitting there. Aunt Lin was staring at her unwillingly, her son had already stood up to object, and Old Liu said, "Miss Xu, I am already very grateful that you came here with me. You don't need to concern yourself with my family's affairs anymore. The will has been written now, let me take you home."
Old Liu asked blankly, "I've completed the formalities here, so does that mean she doesn't have to worry about what happens next?"
The staff member calmly replied, "Ms. Xu is an external consultant. She is not obligated to act as your estate administrator; that would be an additional charge."
Old Liu's face darkened. "What if something happens to me and there are disputes? I made a will here, so you can't just leave me to fend for myself."
Xu Yan could tell that he was actually worried that Aunt Lin would treat him badly after signing the agreement, but that was between them and had nothing to do with her.
So he said goodbye to the main characters of the farce in the room and left the Shanghai Will Registry.
Old Liu quickly chased after her, offering to take Xu Yan home. Xu Yan was about to refuse, but then an idea flashed through her mind and she asked, "When are you going to report to work at Shan Hai Catering?"
Zhou Luming used his position for personal gain to arrange a job for Lao Liu. Lao Liu was supposed to go to Shanhai Catering, where Zhou Luming was acting as a mascot.
Xu Yan hadn't seen Zhou Luming all morning, nor had she received any text messages or calls from her. She turned on her phone but found she didn't know what to say, so she silently put it away.
Old Liu, "I'll report for duty this afternoon, but I need to take you home first."
“Take me to Shan Hai Restaurant, I can have lunch there,” Xu Yan said.
Old Liu chuckled, "Alright, you can have dinner with Miss Zhou."
Xu Yan got into the car, but still didn't text Zhou Luming on the way. She was just hungry and going to get lunch; she wasn't specifically looking for Zhou Luming. She realized she still had two meal tickets for the will depository cafeteria in her pocket. If it were before, she would definitely have just eaten at the will depository, but now…
The car was parked in the yard. Xu Yan saw Zhou Luming's car, which was the car provided to her by the Zhou Group, but she said she didn't like it and asked Xu Yan to buy her another one.
After all, Zhou Luming was his savior, so Xu Yan didn't feel any pain when he swiped his card at the dealership. It was just that the car he ordered still needed time to arrive, and he wanted to give Zhou Luming a surprise.
However, before Xu Yan could even get out of the car, he saw Zhou Luming and Wu Fan walk out of the gate. Zhou Luming was wearing a white silk lace shirt and black skinny jeans, with a beige trench coat over them. He was amused by Wu Fan in just a few steps, and the two of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards the car.
Xu Yan quickly told Lao Liu, "Don't tell her I'm here." Then she shrank back and lay down on the back seat.
Old Liu was taken aback, not understanding why Miss Xu suddenly wanted to avoid Miss Zhou, but when Zhou Luming spotted his car and greeted him, he chose to do as Xu Yan instructed.
After getting out of the car, he respectfully greeted Zhou Luming, "Hello, Mr. Zhou, I'm here to report for work."
Zhou Luming's gaze lingered on his van for a moment, but seeing no one, he looked away and said, "Well, just ask Xiao Mo to help you with your onboarding. You'll need to get a smaller car later, as the headquarters parking lot isn't big enough."
"Yes, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Luming turned to Wu Fan and asked, "Where is the exhibition you mentioned? Do I need to make a reservation?"
Wu Fan said, "I needed to buy tickets, but they were sold out several months ago. Coincidentally, I happened to have two tickets."
"Let's go see the exhibition this afternoon, I don't want to go to work."
“Since it’s Mr. Zhou’s order, I can only comply.” Wu Fan glanced at Old Liu, not taking the man seriously. He had come to Shan Hai Catering today to check on Zhou Luming’s situation, but he hadn’t expected Zhou Luming’s attitude to become so ambiguous after seeing him. At first, Wu Fan couldn’t figure out why, only wondering if she had some kind of scheme. But then he thought, he was Xu Lang’s special assistant, and pleasing him was equivalent to pleasing Xu Lang. Zhou Luming needed Xu Lang’s approval to take over Zhou’s Group, so she needed to get close to him.
After figuring out Zhou Luming's intentions, Wu Fan felt relieved. What she feared most was not knowing what the other party wanted. Now that she knew Zhou Luming's purpose, it wouldn't hurt to play emotional games with her.
This woman deceived him years ago, causing his family to be ruined and his life destroyed. Now that they have met again, he wants to "repay" her properly.
Chapter 73
===================
Xu Yan warned herself to stay away from Zhou Luming, but she found she couldn't do it. So, after secretly following Zhou Luming and Wu Fan, she found a reason for herself—because she and Zhou Luming were working together, and she was the one who asked her to risk getting close to Wu Fan, so she couldn't sit idly by and had to keep an eye on her partner's movements and lend a helping hand when necessary.
This was to achieve her initial goal, and had nothing to do with whether she liked Zhou Luming or not.
During Xu Yan's early years, she was under the meticulous protection of her parents. She didn't know why she later secretly changed her surname to Xu, but her parents must have had their reasons. She was once as innocent and carefree as other children, playing with her own friends. But gradually, she found that her friends would often disappear inexplicably, leaving her one by one.
Her parents warned her not to make friends with anyone and not to trust anyone. At first, she argued back, but eventually, she realized that no one was willing to be her friend, so she was always alone. Eventually, she even came to believe that she didn't actually need to make friends.
On the day her parents died, Xu Yan followed them into the emergency room covered in blood. The last thing she saw was her parents' bloodied and mangled faces, and her mother's wrist covered by a white sheet stained with crimson blood.
When I was a child, I didn't understand what death was. Later I learned that it meant never seeing a vibrant face again and never hearing a familiar voice again.
Danger lurks everywhere; never trust anyone, never make friends with anyone—this became Xu Yan's guiding principle. She knew that befriending her would be dangerous, both for her own safety and for the safety of that unfortunate friend.
Even after returning to China and finding someone to replace the dangerous Zhou Luming, Xu Yan's only online friend, Li Li, still passed away. Although it was a suicide due to depression, Xu Yan vaguely felt that there might be other dangers approaching.
She chose to hire Li Ruo, but she was also genuinely worried that Li Ruo's ignorance would put her in greater danger. Not wanting to harm an innocent person, she gradually reminded her, telling her that she was Q and even Zhou Luming, letting her make her own choice—whether to stay or leave was up to her.
Unexpectedly, Li Ruo chose to stay, and...
She was constantly challenging her own reason.
Xu Yan had the driver stop at the museum entrance to pay and get out of the car. Outside the museum, a large banner advertised a special exhibition—a 3D art exhibition. Using 3D technology to recreate scenes from famous paintings, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the artwork, is a very popular exhibition method these days.
Wu Fan led Zhou Luming to scan the tickets and enter the venue.
Xu Yan was turned away at the door and went online to buy tickets, only to find they were sold out. A man then approached her at the door, asking furtively, "Miss, want a ticket?" He was a scalper.
Xu Yan paid a high price for tickets to enter the venue and followed the two from a distance to avoid being noticed.
She was not good at following people and was quite clumsy, often risking being exposed, but she still carefully followed the couple who looked very well-matched.
The overall environment of the special exhibition is very dark. In order to showcase the paintings, especially the atmosphere of one of the starry sky paintings, a large part of the exhibition is like being in the dark. Apart from the green light of the "escape route", only the twinkling stars and the dim yellow moonlight around us provide light.
Zhou Luming and Wu Fan maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far. She wouldn't initiate physical contact, initially thinking it would be okay, but later she found herself genuinely resistant. For a moment, she was confused, because this had never happened before when she was completing a mission. However, after realizing that someone was secretly following her, it was as if an electric shock had struck Zhou Luming's mind, and she instantly understood that it was because she had no one in her heart before, but now she had someone.
With Zhou Luming's alertness and familiarity with Xu Yan, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to spot a clumsy stalker. However, Wu Fan lacked her keen perception, and her mind seemed entirely focused on Zhou Luming, so she failed to notice that someone was actually following her.
The 3D projection technology is indeed advanced, immersing visitors as if they have stepped into the painter's romantic and bold creation. However, when you reach out to touch it, you find that it is just a beam of light.
Zhou Luming recalled the virtual space of the metaverse technology. Unlike that, the exhibition adopted a real-world interaction approach, which was far behind the world technology of the metaverse.
Many young couples came to visit; only young couples would pay such high ticket prices for something so exotic. In the dim light, Zhou Luming spotted a young couple huddled in a corner, being affectionate. He thought to himself that there were cameras everywhere, and they thought their behavior was discreet and exciting, but they didn't know that they were being watched by the surveillance cameras. Perhaps the security guards in the monitoring room were watching the video footage with great interest, treating it as a joke or a short film.