Linlang sighed, half-sarcastically, "I'm just not as skilled as them."
Zhuang Qiu smiled, seeing right through the woman's thoughts. The "inferiority in skill" was nothing but sour grapes and resentment. He couldn't be bothered with such petty jealousy. Lin Lang was young, but her methods were ruthless. He'd witnessed it firsthand; back in university, she'd asked him for help with a female classmate. Zhuang Qiu was away on a business trip then, and seeing it wasn't a difficult matter, he made arrangements over the phone.
He would have almost forgotten about it if they hadn't run into each other and chatted a bit today.
Zhuang Qiu, preoccupied with another important matter, asked casually, "Isn't there an actress named Zhao Xiyin in your troupe?"
Lin Lang's expression changed abruptly, and his eyes involuntarily sharpened. "You know my cousin?"
"I guess so." Zhuang Qiu didn't hide his thoughts; they were all written on his face.
Lin Lang, being a shrewd person, immediately understood. She felt a pang of unease; ugh, men really are all despicable. With a smile, she tentatively asked, "How do you know her?"
"She was also at a dinner party."
"You want to pursue her?"
Zhuang Qiu chuckled twice, "It's not that serious yet, but I just want to make friends. But she's not easy to get along with."
Lin Lang waved his hand, "Don't waste your time. You can't win over this woman."
Zhuang Qiu immediately objected, "Is she a fairy or the Queen Mother of the West? Could she be married? Even if she were, the Civil Affairs Bureau handles divorces."
Lin Lang found these words rather sinister, unpleasant, and grating. She turned her head and looked into Zhuang Qiu's eyes, "Do you know Fantian Entertainment?"
Nonsense, one of the top entertainment giants in China, and one of the businesses of the Meng family.
"Then you should also know Meng Weixi, right?" Lin Lang's eyes softened slightly. "The only son of the Meng family, the heir to the family business. Zhao Xiyin dated him for more than two years, and even now, Meng Weixi is still protecting her."
Zhuang Qiu was relieved. No wonder he was unmoved; it turned out he had such a powerful backer.
Lin Lang smiled and said, "But they've already broken up. Hey, cousin, have you heard of someone else? Zhou Qishen from Jingmao Group."
Upon first hearing the name, Zhuang Qiu was shocked.
"He is Zhao Xiyin's ex-husband."
Zhuang Qiu's expression was grim, as if a layer of frost had suddenly formed over it, sending chills down one's spine. Lin Lang felt uneasy and incredulous. "Wait a minute, cousin, you really don't remember Zhao Xiyin at all?"
Zhuang Qiu stared coldly, offering no response.
Lin Lang smiled and said, "Back when I was in college, I asked you to help me find someone to tamper with things, and that was her."
In the end, no matter how far things go, you can't escape these familiar faces and acquaintances.
Zhuang Qiu realized what he meant and thought, "Ah, that's interesting."
As he left the Zhuang family's residence, his secretary called him while he was in the car. Zhuang Qiu didn't hear clearly, "Who? Who did you say returned to the country?"
The secretary repeated it.
Tonight is fucking weird; two women in a row are related to Zhou Qishen. Zhuang Qiu was getting angrier and angrier. Just then, the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid an electric scooter. Zhuang Qiu grabbed his ear and yanked it back hard, cursing with a ferocious expression, "Are you fucking shit?! Can't you drive?!"
Chapter 74 Dreams of a Woman in Her Boudoir (2)
There are less than two weeks left until Chinese New Year.
The end-of-term work has been completed. Zhao Wenchun was originally scheduled to attend two international academic conferences in Guangzhou and Shenzhen with the department, but unfortunately, he was unwell and had to withdraw. Yesterday marked the official start of Professor Zhao's winter break. He's a restless old man, busy with cleaning and tidying up. Don't let his age fool you; he's incredibly meticulous and skilled at housework.
When Zhao Xiyin got up early, she saw a sumptuous breakfast on the table. She clicked her tongue in admiration, "It's winter vacation, and everyone's getting better pay. Teacher Zhao, you should retire and set up a stall at the entrance of our community. Your income won't be less than what you earned as a teacher."
"Where did you learn to be so glib?" Zhao Wenchun asked seriously as he walked out of the kitchen carrying steamed dumplings.
Zhao Xiyin remained calm and composed, and casually dragged the other person into the mess, saying, "Who else? It's him."
"You're even saying bad things about him? Aren't you afraid I'll have a bad impression of him?"
"Ah." Zhao Xiyin patted her head. "I really forgot. Then I take back what I just said. Remember this: Zhou Qishen is mighty and domineering, rich and handsome. He can eat five bowls of rice in one meal and drink ten buckets of water a day."
Zhao Wenchun was amused, "My impression is even worse now."
Zhao Xiyin lowered her head, her lips slightly curved.
Zhao Wenchun casually asked, "Next week is Chinese New Year, where is he going to spend it this year?"
“I don’t know if he’ll stay in Beijing,” Zhao Xiyin said, taking a bite of her dumpling. “But he doesn’t have any relatives in Beijing, just those two close comrades. Gu Heping and Lao Cheng are both from Beijing, so they’ll have to go back to their hometowns. Zhou Qishen will probably go back to Xi’an.”
"Didn't he have a bad relationship with his father?"
“No matter how bad it is, we have to go back. They have a lot of relatives back in their hometown, and their ideas are a bit outdated.” Zhao Xiyin pursed her lips. “He rarely goes back, maybe once a year. If he doesn’t go back for the New Year, there will be a lot of gossip.”
Zhao Xiyin explained it casually, but Zhao Wenchun understood that this was truly a child with a tragic fate. To have reached this point, let alone achieve anything remarkable, many in similar situations would have taken crooked paths and become social scum.
After hesitating for a long time, Teacher Zhao finally relented before Zhao Xiyin finished the last sip of milk, saying, "If you have the chance, ask him if he stays in Beijing and invites someone over to have New Year's Eve dinner together."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiyin immediately looked over with a beaming smile.
Zhao Wenchun felt extremely uncomfortable under the gaze and tried to cover it up by explaining, "It's just an extra pair of chopsticks. I'm not going to add any more food for him. He can eat however he wants. Oh well, say what you want or don't. It's better if you don't come, it'll save me some trouble!"
Zhao Xiyin suppressed a laugh; how could Teacher Zhao be so adorable?
After breakfast, she returned to the dance troupe.
On the way, Zhao Xiyin sent a WeChat message to Zhou Qishen, asking if he had time that evening. There was a movie with good reviews that was released during the Lunar New Year season, and if training ended early, he could catch the 10 p.m. showing in Sanlitun.
More than ten minutes later, Zhou Qishen replied, saying that it probably wouldn't work tonight, as he had some work to take care of.
Zhao Xiyin could understand that men were busy with their careers. She didn't necessarily need someone to accompany her; she could spend time with them whenever she had free time, or visit Li Ran or Xiao Shun. Her own social circle was quite colorful.