Old Cheng laughed along. He had been about to smoke a cigarette and even had it in his mouth when Zhao Zhao glared at him from the stairs, so he obediently took it off and then stuffed it into Gu Heping's mouth.
"So how do you plan to pursue her?"
Zhou Qishen said, "I ordered flowers, and I'll pick her up from the troupe tomorrow."
Gu Heping casually asked, "What kind of flowers did you order?"
"Rose."
"What a beautiful flower!" Gu Heping clapped his hands suddenly. "An aphrodisiac flower!"
Zhou Qishen and Lao Cheng simultaneously smacked the back of his head, yelling, "You're fucking crazy!"
Old Cheng turned back to Zhao Zhao and frowned, "Go upstairs and play for a while, then come down after your brother Ping leaves."
He talks nonsense and corrupts young girls.
The men's tea party didn't end until almost midnight. As they left, Lao Cheng patted Zhou Qishen on the shoulder generously, saying, "If you need any help, just let me know."
Gu Heping chivalrously replied, "Me too."
Zhou Qi glanced at him and said to Lao Cheng, "Let's take him down now, and tomorrow we'll hold a funeral. We'll also notify Xiao west to come and pay her respects at the funeral, creating an opportunity for us to meet."
Gu Heping was so angry he cursed, "Zhou Qishen, you scumbag!"
That night, after Lao Cheng took a shower and went to bed, Zhao Zhao kept pestering him, asking, "Brother Zhou, do you really play doubles?"
Old Cheng almost choked, cursing Gu Heping, the troublemaker, under his breath, "Don't listen to his nonsense."
Zhao Zhao's beautiful eyes darted around twice. "I know."
Old Cheng immediately tensed up, "What have you found out now?"
Zhao Zhao said slyly, "I won't tell you."
Old Cheng felt uneasy. He gently poked her perfectly curved shoulder with his index finger and said helplessly, "Little girl, don't guess."
Zhao Zhao leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and softly asked, "Do you think Sister Xiao west will turn back?"
"I don't know," Old Cheng said. "It depends on how long their relationship lasts. If they can overcome this hurdle, they'll be happily married. If not, their relationship will end here."
——
After finishing up some final work on the project signing, Zhou Qishen had a light lunch with the relevant staff and then held a meeting with middle and senior management in the afternoon before he finally had time to call the female assistant at the front desk.
"Has the stuff arrived?"
"Yes, Mr. Zhou, everything was done according to your requirements."
Zhou Qishen instructed, "Have the driver go to the store to pick up some clothes and find Manager Zou."
He regularly goes to a custom-made clothing studio; their styles are simple, their materials are high-quality, and they perfectly suit his personality. Before leaving get off work, he specially changed into this new outfit: a light gray shirt and a dark gray woolen trench coat, the color transitions were very sophisticated.
Zhou Qishen actually has a very masculine appearance, with almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and handsome lips. His fashion sense has always been good; he doesn't mix and match haphazardly. Before leaving, he tidied himself up in front of the mirror again, feeling that his watch didn't look good, so he took out a Jaeger-LeCoultre winged watch from a drawer full of watch boxes and exchanged it for one.
To match his outfit, he even changed his usual white Range Rover to a dark-colored Cayenne. Zhou Qishen wanted to surprise Zhao Xiyin, so he only texted her when he was near the Workers' Stadium.
The first question: "Is rehearsal over yet?"
Before he could finish typing "Waiting for you downstairs," Zhao Xiyin replied, "Taking leave, not in the group."
What does it mean to be heartbroken? Zhou Ge'er is heartbroken now.
His vision went black for twenty seconds before he came to his senses and asked, "Where?"
This time, Zhao Xiyin did not reply to the message.
——
By six o'clock, it was completely dark.
Through the window, she could see the night sky of Beijing slowly coming back to life, the neon signs of the tall buildings across the street lighting up, their changing colors dazzling. Zhao Xiyin stared at it, her eyes unblinking, until they began to sting and ache, at which point she lowered her head and closed them slightly.
With the light gone from her eyes, her hearing became the primary focus again. All that entered her ears was Ding Yahe's slightly hoarse voice.
"I've said so much to you, did you even hear me?"
Ding Yahe talked until her lips were dry, but Zhao Xiyin didn't respond with a single word. Instead, she asked her, "What did you say?"
Ding Yahe suppressed her temper, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm asking you, why didn't you defend yourself when you knew I was out of my mind? I'm asking you, why didn't you answer my calls these past two days? I'm asking you, why did Xiaorui receive a lawyer's letter?"
Zhao Xiyin remained calm, her eyes like a deep pool. "Why don't you ask how Zhao Wenchun is doing?"
Ding Yahe paused for a moment, then awkwardly turned her head away, her lips pursed downwards. "Alright, how is he?"
Zhao Xiyin calmly replied, "Thank you for showing mercy. I'm not dead yet."
"Zhao Xiyin!" Ding Yahe raised her voice, her tone becoming shrill. "Don't be so sarcastic. I... I was wrong about what happened that day, but I was also confused by anger."
Zhao Xiyin turned her face away, her expression blank.
What is a dead heart? A dead heart is not about arguing over who has more or less, not about picking at each other's teeth, and not about shouting until you're hoarse or fighting until you're bloodied.
Her heart is dead now, right now, in every second of her silence.
Ding Yahe walked up to her, stamping her feet in frustration. "Those news reports were so awful! I was so anxious that I went to Zhao Wenchun to find out the truth. If I didn't care about you, why would I come here to make things difficult?"
Zhao Xiyin nodded. "It was quite unpleasant."