The phone screen was still lit, covered with dense text. Zhou Qishen didn't cover it up, letting them see.
The lines were a bit long, so Gu Heping read them aloud, "...Gu Haotian's wicked smile was almost melting Cheng Beibei's heart. You little vixen, woman, do you know you're playing with fire...?"
"Holy crap! Zhou Qishen, what kind of garbage are you looking at?!"
Zhou Qishen remained calm and composed, saying, "Keep your voice down."
Old Cheng was overjoyed. "Brother Zhou, are you alright?"
“I’m tired from work,” Zhou Qishen turned off the screen, “I need to relax a bit.”
Gu Heping made a gesture of banging his head against the wall, "A real CEO reading CEO novels with great interest, you are unique in the world."
Not wanting to miss out on trouble, he secretly sent a WeChat message to Zhao Xiyin, "Xiao west, please save Brother Zhou!"
The reply was swift; Zhao Xiyin said, "This is the bedtime story he tells me every day. Is there a problem?"
Gu Heping was stunned for a while. Oh dear, he had almost forgotten who the husband and wife were.
——
With the year-end approaching, the weather in Beijing has been really bad lately, with strong winds and heavy rain, but no snow. This weather is unpleasant, especially for Zhuangqiu, who I just returned from.
Last night, he went back to the Zhuang family home for a family gathering. Uncles, nephews, aunts, and sisters-in-law all came. The Zhuang family is large and numerous, so naturally, there was a lot of gossip. Although he shares the surname Zhuang, his background is ultimately shameful. Despite their outward politeness, they all looked down on him. Zhuang Qiu knew this perfectly well; otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in Shanghai for two months after returning home, passing by his own house without going in—he simply couldn't bear to endure such unpleasant looks and disdain! He'd amassed some capital through trading international gold futures, and now he felt a bit more confident.
Having finally regained some face, he'd been in a good mood for the past two days. Playing golf in his office, looking at the round, white ball, he suddenly thought of someone. He pressed the intercom to let his secretary in and asked, "How's the inquiry I asked you to do going?"
The secretary, of course, remembered this, and for a moment looked embarrassed. "If you hadn't asked, I was just about to report it to you."
Zhuang Qiu immediately understood the gist of it from the tone: "You disagree?"
"It's not that I disagree," the secretary said, "I just haven't been able to find the right person to contact."
Zhuang Qiu snorted, "Are you kidding me?"
"Really, although this girl acted in the movie, she only had a dance scene and wasn't a real lead. She wasn't signed with any agency, and not many people in the industry know her. Oh, except for Dai Yunxin, I've inquired and she is indeed her real teacher."
Zhuang Qiu scoffed, "What kind of bullshit master is he? Dai Yunxin's own cultural company has plenty of girls like this. It's all a front. She even brings them to meals. Isn't it just a matter of clearly marked prices?"
The secretary hesitated for a moment, "This one really isn't her. She's not signed with Dai Yunxin's company; she's a freelancer. I did a little research, and her father is a university professor. She herself is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy, and she ranked first in both her professional and academic scores when she was admitted. Her academic record is complete."
The fact that he had a completely innocent background suddenly struck a chord with Zhuang Qiu.
He put down his club with interest. "Oh? Such high quality?"
I've seen countless women, both inside and outside the entertainment industry, and I've had my share of flings. Don't be fooled by the glamorous packaging of fourth or fifth-tier female celebrities; it's all an act. You can smell their perfume, but after a few words, their true nature is immediately apparent.
Once, he slept with a talent show contestant who was supposed to be a pure and innocent school beauty. When she took off her makeup, he was almost shocked to death, but his body needed it, so he went along with it. The woman loved to scream, and her affected, immersive expressions made him nauseous, so he simply took some duct tape and taped her mouth shut twice before tearing it off after he had vented his frustration.
"Mr. Zhuang, if you find it troublesome, I can go find Feifei for you." Feifei is a radio host that Zhuang Qiu took a liking to last week. Her voice is as soft and sweet as a nightingale's. According to his secretary, Zhuang Qiu is very satisfied with her.
To everyone's surprise, Zhuang Qiu waved his hand and refused, saying, "What's the trouble? Just order me a bouquet of flowers and send it to the dance troupe."
A large bouquet of roses, as red as the sun, with dewdrops still clinging to the petals. Zhao Xiyin arrived early in the morning, and the flower delivery person had been waiting for a long time. The group members joked, "Xiyin, is that your boyfriend?"
Zhao Xiyin glanced at the card; it was unsigned, and she didn't know who sent it, so she assumed it was from Zhou Qishen for the time being. However, the rose packaging was rather tacky, not quite Zhou Qishen's taste. Just as she was guessing, her phone rang.
She didn't recognize Zhuang Qiu's voice at first, and asked inexplicably, "Who are you?"
Zhuang Qiu wasn't annoyed. He said that he had met her at the last dinner party and asked if she had time to have dinner together.
Zhao Xiyin remembered and understood. "I'm sorry, I'm busy with rehearsals these days. I won't take up any more of your time." She rejected him decisively with just one sentence.
Zhuang Qiu was met with a firm rebuff. He thought to himself, "This woman is really stubborn. She speaks so bluntly. Doesn't she think about leaving herself an out, so we can meet again in the future?" He was a cunning man; the colder the person, the more passionate he became. He really didn't believe it.
Zhuang Qiu called his secretary and asked lazily, "Dai Yunxin is currently trying to attract investment for her own film. Keep an eye on her and try to get in touch with her."
——
Zhao Xiyin has been practicing dance in the mornings, attending various professional classes in the afternoons, and occasionally staying for meetings with the film crew in the evenings. Su Ying's joining the troupe is scheduled for next week, and Zhao Xiyin is determined and unwilling to admit defeat.
In a sense, Su Ying ignited her competitive spirit.
She was exceptionally attentive in class and spent her free time studying scripts. Zhou Qishen, mindful of Zhao Wenchun, didn't want to risk upsetting the parents by doing something that would annoy them. Her relationship with Zhao Xiyin after their reconciliation seemed calm on the surface, but it was actually a tacit understanding, very solid and reliable.
With the Lunar New Year just a month away, Zhou Qishen is extremely busy. He's busy wrapping up the year, working on the annual report, handling various audits, and also receiving invitations from government agencies and media outlets, which Secretary Xu carefully selects to attend one or two important ones.
Despite his busy schedule, Zhou Qishen didn't forget to flirt with Zhao Xiyin. He actually read a lot of novel recommendations on Sina Weibo, like the male protagonist drawing 800cc of the female protagonist's blood to cure his "white moonlight" (his unrequited love interest), or the husband not touching his wife even once after three years of marriage. Zhou Qishen even took a screenshot and sent it to Zhao Xiyin—
"He must have a functional defect."
Zhao Xiyin replied with a question mark, "Why don't you work and earn money all day, instead of researching this kind of thing?"
Zhou Qishen didn't mince words; he acted decisively, transferring the money to her ten times over 20,000 yuan until his daily limit was used up. That evening, he told Zhao Xiyin a story right on time, "This one today? 'The Domineering Prince's Charming Chef'?"
The content is inappropriate, but the man's voice is truly beautiful, deep and resonant, like a musical string, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
"Gu Batian pinned Cheng Xiaojiao against the wall and kissed her, then undressed himself and gave a wicked smile, 'Are you satisfied with what you saw? Their clothes were completely removed...'" Zhou Qishen deliberately lowered his voice and paused for a moment.
Zhao Xiyin tugged at the bed sheet, her breath growing warmer. "Hmm?"
Zhou Qishen said, "Alright, that concludes today's story."
Zhao Xiyin was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant and said with a mix of reproach and anger, "You bastard."
Zhou Qishen chuckled softly, then said, "Don't be impatient. Next time we meet, we'll talk slowly and thoroughly. If you have any questions, Teacher Zhou can demonstrate and do it himself."
Zhao Xiyin immediately blacklisted him.