When Teacher Zhao explains things, he is calm and gentle, which is very touching.
Zhao Xiyin smiled and said, "I will seriously consider it."
Zhao Lingxia threw herself into work the day after returning to Beijing, having no time to catch up with her family. Zhao Wenchun called two or three times, inviting her over for dinner, but Zhao Lingxia declined each time. Zhao Wenchun was quite displeased, saying, "Don't you even consider this your home anymore? Do you even remember where I live?"
Zhao Lingxia's tone was always flat and direct: "I really don't remember."
Zhao Wenchun was so angry that she banged the spatula on the table with her other hand, yelling, "If I cook for you again, I'll... I'll... I'll!"
Even the Chinese literature professors are running out of vocabulary; they must be genuinely angry. Zhao Xiyin leaned closer and casually reminded her, "I am the big fat pig."
"Yes, I am the big fat pig!" Only after saying this did Teacher Zhao realize she had been tricked.
Zhao Lingxia was baffled and, not wanting to waste any more time, hung up the phone.
Zhao Xiyin burst into laughter.
Zhao Wenchun, with a stern face, said fiercely, "Wash your hands and eat! After you finish eating, take your aunt's food!"
Tsk, I knew it, there's no kinder old man in the world than Teacher Zhao.
Zhao Xiyin ate a few bites quickly, then took the thermos to the hotel where Zhao Lingxia was staying. She was jet-lagged during the day and only started to adjust in the afternoon. Even in the evening, she was still giving detailed instructions about her work.
"Let's have dinner with Director Xiao. He's from Hunan and loves spicy food, so we have to pick a good place."
"I have read Sun's report. The clauses that need to be deleted are in the email."
"Come with me to the stock exchange at eight o'clock tomorrow. Their chief analyst has released his market forecast for the fourth quarter."
The call finally ended after ten minutes.
Zhao Lingxia glanced at her, "Did you apply the medicine yesterday?"
Zhao Xiyin nodded, "Mm."
She walked over, looked at it carefully again, then looked away and sat down on the sofa.
"I hit you, is it my fault?"
Zhao Xiyin grinned bitterly, "No wonder I dare not say it."
Zhao Lingxia scoffed, "You're best at being all smiles and grins. Come here."
Zhao Xiyin sat down next to her on the sofa, her eyes bright, her thoughts laid bare. Zhao Lingxia shook her head, her tone full of disappointment, "Foolish and simple-minded, you've inherited all of your father's traits. If you had inherited even a fraction of Ding Yahe's mercenary ways, you wouldn't be living like a child."
Zhao Xiyin was unhappy. "I don't want to learn from her at all."
Zhao Lingxia ignored her and leisurely sipped her tea. Then she asked, "In the six months since you returned to Beijing, you've been flirting with Zhou Qishen quite a bit, haven't you?"
Zhao Xiyin sighed, "Auntie, can you please stop mentioning him? I was fine before, but you've made it seem like I care about him so much."
Zhao Lingxia didn't argue or press for answers, but calmly said, "Alright, once I've finished dealing with things here, you can come back to America with me. From now on, we'll be far away from the emperor's reach and won't have to worry about anything anymore."
Zhao Xiyin immediately objected, "I'm not going. I'll stay with my dad."
"So you're not going to spend time with Vivi? How long has it been since you last visited her in America?"
Zhao Xiyin was speechless, her face full of frustration, unable to refute.
Zhao Lingxia was no ordinary person; she was a cunning old fox, with a keen and accurate eye for people. She didn't need to expose them directly; she would just hint at it and leave the deeper meaning for Zhao Xiyin to discover herself. Zhao Xiyin couldn't withstand this kind of interrogation, so she pretended not to understand, casually grabbing Zhao Lingxia's arm and nuzzling her head against her shoulder, "Auntie, I'll stay at the hotel with you tonight."
Zhao Lingxia remained cold and unmoved, asking sarcastically, "Aren't you scared yet?"
Zhao Xiyin immediately withdrew her hand, a look of fear appearing between her brows.
Seeing her cat-like demeanor, Zhao Lingxia's expression softened, and she gently patted her face with her palm, saying, "It's good that you know it hurts. You'll learn your lesson in the future."
Zhao Xiyin's head slumped, and she leaned heavily against her shoulder again.
Zhao Lingxia disliked cloying things and was annoyed and impatient. "Alright, alright, get ready and come shopping with me tonight."
Zhao Lingxia finished all the food in the thermos, sitting elegantly with a reserved expression, but she didn't hold back at all when she put food in her mouth. Zhao Xiyin secretly took a short video and sent it to Zhao Wenchun.
Zhao Wenchun quickly replied: "I knew she would love it, I'll make fish for her tomorrow." He also added five small fish emojis.
Zhao Xiyin thought to herself, "They're both stubborn but soft-hearted; they truly are siblings."
Around 7 a.m., they arrived at The Place, with Zhao Xiyin following behind Zhao Lingxia like a maid. Zhao Lingxia had excellent taste; she didn't buy things indiscriminately, and anything she set her sights on was always a high-priced item. After browsing one floor, she had spent over 200,000 yuan on clothes, and after the driver made two round trips, her hands were now full again.
On the jewelry floor, Zhao Lingxia was trying on a necklace, while Zhao Xiyin browsed around a nearby counter and spotted a trendy brand bracelet. It was platinum, with two thin loops, and the pendant on it was quite unique. Zhao Xiyin tried it on both wrists; she really liked it.
It's a bit pricey at over four thousand.
"This doesn't suit your style." Zhao Lingxia walked over and gave her a cold look.
Zhao Xiyin twirled her wrist; her skin was fair, her wrist slender, and the veins were a faint bluish hue. The small bells on her bracelet tinkled crisply with her movements. She was reluctant to take it off.
"What kind of taste do you have?" Zhao Lingxia didn't waste time arguing with her, turned around and walked away. After a few steps, she called out, "Zhao Xiyin."
Zhao Xiyin was truly reluctant to part with her beloved, but she couldn't resist her aunt's displeasure and had no choice but to give up, looking back every few steps.
After two hours of shopping, Zhao Xiyin was almost exhausted, while Zhao Lingxia, in her ten-centimeter stilettos, didn't even break a sweat. Later, when they went to buy bags, Zhao Xiyin collapsed onto the sofa, completely motionless. Zhao Lingxia tried on several new styles, examining them closely in the mirror, saying, "Buying things that don't suit you is a waste."
Zhao Xiyin looked wilted like a deflated eggplant, with a hint of sullenness in her voice, "I don't have any money to buy it either."
The price is indeed too high.
Zhao Lingxia coldly said, "That's why I told you to cut your losses in time, stop living a muddled life, and be self-reliant, which is better than anything else."
Here we go again. Zhao Xiyin turned her face away, silently protesting.
Zhao Lingxia glanced at a spot in the mirror, revealing the scene behind her. A figure that had been following them for two hours suddenly vanished from the wall behind the store. Zhao Lingxia sneered; no wonder she was a soldier, her counter-surveillance awareness was quite strong.
At 10 p.m., Zhao Xiyin got off the car at the entrance of the residential area, and Zhao Lingxia went back to the hotel.
The sky was high and clear, and she could see the bright moon shining in the sky. It was cold, so Zhao Xiyin hugged herself and walked inside with her head down.
"Xiaoxi."
Zhao Xiyin froze, paused for two seconds, and slowly walked back the path she had already walked. She turned her head and saw Zhou Qishen standing by the roadside in all black. The sycamore trees blocked the already dim light, and he seemed to blend into the night. From this angle, only his eyes were slightly bright.
Zhao Xiyin glanced at him, then slowly lowered her head, and the two walked slowly, one in front of the other.
Zhou Qishen looked at her face and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Zhao Xiyin shook her head.
"Did you apply the medicine?"
She nodded.
Then the two fell silent.
Zhou Qishen looked up at the moon in the sky. Was the moonlight too cold? Every step he took felt unsteady. The autumn wind entered his feet and rushed straight to his limbs and bones, causing a dull pain like being cut by a dull knife.
“The caregiver at the hospital that day was hired by Gu Heping. I didn’t have her do anything except for the check-up,” Zhou Qishen explained one by one. “When I was on the phone, I was just focused on the conversation.”
After saying most of what had happened, Zhao Xiyin remained indifferent.
Zhou Qishen suddenly stopped talking.
As they approached the stairwell, Zhou Qishen gently grabbed her hand and quickly slipped something into her palm. The icy touch scraped against her skin, and Zhao Xiyin instinctively tightened her grip. Zhou Qishen released her hand in an instant, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Zhao Xiyin then opened her palm, looked down, and was stunned.
The platinum bracelet she had just picked out at the counter was now lying peacefully and obediently in her palm.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, causing the little bells on them to ring. It was a delicate, melodious sound, yet it felt like a stampede of horses trampling through her heart, or a dying warrior waving his flag and shouting.
Chapter 45 Tonight's Dream is Cold (2)
Two days later, Gu Heping went to Zhou Qishen's office and threw a stack of documents on his desk, saying, "I've taken care of everything for you."
Zhou Qishen closed the futures trading terminal, opened the file bag, glanced at it briefly, and put it in the drawer. He said expressionlessly, "Please thank your second brother for me. Tell him that the infrastructure part of the Minghu Garden plot has been given to him."
Gu Heping clicked his tongue in amazement, "Such a big piece of fatty meat, are you really willing to give it to my second brother?"
Zhou Qishen hummed in agreement, "I won't treat him unfairly."
"It was just a small favor for him, there's no need for such a big return gift."
"I owe him a favor today, so I'll reciprocate. He'll remember most of it."
Gu Heping laughed and said, "You old fox, you know my brother's temperament perfectly. Brother Zhou, how can you be so cunning?"
Zhou Qi scoffed coldly, "Don't worry, you'll get your share of the benefits too. Go get some wine from Xiao Liu sometime; I took a picture of that bottle you've been eyeing."
Gu Heping immediately beamed, "You always hit the nail on the head. I can't call you Brother Zhou anymore, I have to call you Zhou..."
Zhou Qishen said calmly, "Call me Dad."
"Damn it, get lost!" Gu Heping roared.
Zhou Qishen smiled, his eyebrows relaxed slightly, and leaned back in his chair, raising his hand to rub his temples.
"You went to so much trouble to persuade Director Zou and help Aunt Zhao get through the China Securities Regulatory Commission hurdle. What were you after?" Gu Heping didn't really agree with Zhou Qishen's approach. "To put it bluntly, her aunt has a deep prejudice against you. She might not appreciate all that you've done. Besides, Zhao Lingxia is quite well-known in Chinatown. For a woman to do this much, she's a seasoned veteran. She knows your weaknesses, doesn't say it outright, but makes you willingly pave the way for her."
Business people are ruthless and cutthroat; sometimes, women are even more heartless than men.