They both knew exactly what they wanted to talk about. They weren't discussing it now, fearing it would affect their mood and her performance tomorrow.
Zhou Qishen does know how to cherish women.
As she left, Zhao Xiyin hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Zhou Qishen, I really didn't have any children with you."
Zhou Qishen opened the car door, paused, and didn't turn around.
The white Land Rover's taillights flashed as it drove away and disappeared around the corner.
Zhou Qishen was absolutely certain that he had a son, but not talking about it didn't mean he was giving up. He had a clear sense of priorities; he needed to get his mother back first, and he couldn't let any member of the Zhou family be missing.
Beijing's traffic jams at night are quite spectacular; the traffic near Guang'anmen Bridge was so bad that cars stalled. Zhou Qishen rolled down the window and peeked out; the streets were a sea of cars, so there must have been a rear-end collision.
He rolled up the car window and made a phone call to Gu Heping.
Young Master Gu was arrogant and hung up the first call. Zhou Qishen called three times before he finally answered with pride, "Hey, who are you? You keep bothering your dad."
Zhou Qishen scoffed, "Gu Heping, aren't you being pretentious, acting like a girl?"
"Screw you, I'm still angry!"
"Alright, alright, I was wrong that day. I'll treat you to dinner another day, you can eat whatever you want." Zhou Qishen was magnanimous and didn't dwell on things after his impulsiveness. He could still tell right from wrong. Gu Heping had a bit of a spoiled brat attitude, which was due to his upbringing, but he wasn't a bad person. He might say things that were a bit off-key, but they all made sense and were for Zhou Qishen's own good.
And then there's Lao Cheng. The three of them are all men of principle, true men; they'll back down if you give them a way out. Gu Heping snorted twice, "Next time we play cards, I'll go easy on you, I'll make sure you lose everything."
Zhou Qishen made a lewd joke, "Take my underwear, aren't you afraid of feeling inferior?"
Gu Heping cursed, "Scumbag!"
After a few rounds of banter, the unpleasantness was smoothed over.
Zhou Qishen was in a good mood tonight; everything was going well. When he arrived at the Vanke underground parking lot, his reserved parking space was occupied by a Toyota without license plates. It was late at night, and he was too lazy to call the property management, so he went around to another area to find an empty space.
It was strange; the usually spacious Block B was completely full. Zhou Qishen could only park his car in a corner spot. This parking space was next to a wall, and his Range Rover was too big, so he had to back up twice to get in.
Zhou Qishen got out of the car and walked towards the elevator of his building. It was a quiet night, and the parking lot was dimly lit. After a few steps, a strange feeling of unease rose in Zhou Qishen's heart. He slowed his pace, frowned slightly, and looked to his right following the sound. An empty soda can had rolled to his feet from somewhere.
His sense of danger was extremely keen. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late; a baseball bat came crashing down on his head.
Zhou Qishen instinctively raised his arm to block, and with a loud "bang," the iron struck his bone, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow to his head, but the pain made his lips turn white instantly. He then saw two masked men in black, each wielding a baseball bat, fiercely and ruthlessly attacking him.
Zhou Qishen seized an opening, swiftly and accurately disarming one of the men. His skills hadn't diminished over the years; he quickly grabbed the weapon and swung it at the other man's shoulder. Having a weapon on his side gave him some confidence. Panting, Zhou Qishen pondered how to escape unscathed—
Suddenly, the empty-handed man in black drew a black, curved dagger from his waist.
"Damn!" Zhou Qishen thought to himself that things were going badly. He stopped trying to fight back and, after a few feints, turned and ran to the right. With each stride, he pulled at his old wound, and after a few steps he was drenched in sweat. Zhou Qishen knew he must have been hit. Outnumbered and struggling, he hadn't even had time to feel where he was injured.
The men in black gave chase, then suddenly slowed down. One of them gestured with his eyes, indicating that the direction Zhou Qishen had guided them to was where the cameras were installed. They stopped chasing, deciding to call it quits, and got into the unlicensed Toyota, which roared away through the west gate.
Zhou Qishen stood with his back against the wall, bent over, his right palm dripping blood. Soon, a small pool of blood appeared on the marble floor. He took out his phone from his pocket, tried to catch his breath, and dialed the teahouse's landline.
Zhou Qishen said succinctly, "Old Cheng, come to Fanyue, I've been stabbed."
He thought he had only been cut on the hand by the dagger; the other pains in his body came slowly and numbly, and the bleeding was increasing. Zhou Qishen only felt a chill in his abdomen, and when he looked down, his light-colored trench coat had turned black.
Zhou Qishen was secretly taken to a private hospital overnight. Gu Heping covered it up, and his company only summoned Secretary Xu. He also contacted his second uncle, who worked in the public security system, and immediately launched a small-scale investigation. Old Cheng stood guard outside the emergency operating room, following procedure, signing each form—danger disclosure form, critical illness informed consent form—one by one. He became increasingly agitated, slamming his fist on the table and demanding of the doctor, "Is this ever going to stop?!"
I was scared, truly scared.
In the past, I was young and impulsive, fearless of fate; now, at thirty, I understand the importance of respecting life and death.
Old Cheng's face was grim, but his hands were trembling. He turned his head and said to Gu Heping, "No, I have to call Xiao Zhao over."
Gu Heping exclaimed, "Why are you looking for her?"
"If anything were to happen to him, Xiao Zhao would be the family member he trusts the most."
Gu Heping scoffed, "Don't jinx it!"
After a moment of haste, he himself couldn't type it accurately, and nodded with a complicated expression, agreeing.
Just then, the emergency operating room door opened, and a nurse ran out. "The patient is fine now. The incision wasn't deep, and the bleeding will stop easily. Also, he asked me to pass on a message—don't tell Zhao Xiyin. Is that her name? Don't tell Zhao Xiyin; she has an important exam tomorrow. He also said that anyone who tells her will lose all their brothers."
——
The next day, the warm winter sun streamed into the room through the French windows, the bright morning light slowing down the pace of time.
Everyone changed into their costumes, their makeup was flawless, and their accessories were complete—all according to the standard filming procedure. Cen Yue, wearing the large hairpin, kept shaking her neck and complained, "This is so heavy! When will this be finished?!"
Zhao Xiyin straightened her head, "Can't you even stand this? Once filming officially begins, it'll be like this for over ten hours straight. How will you endure it?"
Cen Yue muttered, "I wasn't interested in this at all; my dad forced me to come."
Zhao Xiyin was both amused and exasperated. "You're the only one in the whole group. Everyone else is vying to get into this movie."
Cen Yue chuckled, "You're one too."
Zhao Xiyin gently pinched the bridge of her nose. "Since you're here, do your best. The result isn't important, but you have to be worthy of the process."
Cen Yue nodded vigorously, "Hurry up and finish dancing, then I want to drink strawberry shaved ice."
Zhao Xiyin was tempted and tilted her head, quickly saying, "Together."
Cen Yue suddenly stopped smiling, gestured towards the front, and whispered, "It's Lin Lang."
Lin Lang was clearly a rising star. Whether it was because of her or because the production team had allowed some media to come to the set, all the cameras were focused on her. Every smile and gesture of Lin Lang was captivating, and every media outlet took good care of her.
Cen Yue was quite unconvinced, "What's wrong with her? The lead dancer spot hasn't even been decided yet, and she already thinks she's the star."