Chapter 26

Chen Xi faltered for a brief moment. Flustered, she cast a glance at Zhou Yanzhou. Seeing his earnest and solemn expression, she looked away uncomfortably and muttered, "Can I choose not to stay?"

Zhou Yanzhou didn't quite catch her words, but seeing her guilty expression, he could guess what she was thinking. He gave a faint, indifferent smile, swiped the key card to open the door, and stood outside with his hands in his pockets, signaling for Chen Xi to go in first.

Quality comes at a price. Standing in the foyer, Chen Xi took in the magnificently decorated presidential suite, which lacked nothing, and once again marveled at the indulgence of the wealthy. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the bustling, neon-lit Chang'an Avenue; it was said that from here, one could overlook the entire International Trade Center and the television station.

Chen Xi hesitated to step forward, feeling as though taking a single step would change something fundamental. Yet, she couldn't pinpoint what that something was, nor did she dare to dwell on it. She was afraid—afraid that one day, all of this would turn into mere mist and vanish in an instant.

Zhou Yanzhou didn't overthink it. He changed into slippers and carried the suitcase to the center of the living room. Turning back to see Chen Xi standing foolishly in place, he furrowed his brows slightly and called out in a low voice, "What are you thinking about? Come on over."

Chen Xi snapped back to reality. She quickly cast aside those inexplicable thoughts, slipped off her shoes, put on a pair of slippers, and hurried to the floor-to-ceiling windows. With her hands pressed against the glass, she stared unblinkingly at Chang'an Avenue in the distance.

Zhou Yanzhou had long since grown tired of the view. Bored, he slumped onto the sofa, picked up the remote to turn on the TV, chose a random channel, and crossed his arms, closing his eyes to catch up on some sleep.

Everything was novel to Chen Xi. After watching the night view for a while, she took out her phone to take a few photos, only to find that it had already shut down due to a low battery. She pouted in disappointment. She dug the charger out of her suitcase, plugged in her phone, and began to survey the layout of the apartment.

The apartment was vast and airy, spanning about five or six hundred square meters, with a minimalist aesthetic. Chen Xi wondered which room she would sleep in tonight. She wandered around and found a master bedroom and a guest bedroom, both with en-suite bathrooms, though the master bedroom had a better view.

Would Zhou Yanzhou be sleeping here tonight, too?

Chen Xi wanted to take a shower and unpack, but without knowing where she was sleeping, she could only leave her suitcase in the living room. Her body felt sticky and damp from sweat, which she found unbearable. She snuck a glance at the man already fast asleep on the sofa, tiptoed to her suitcase, slowly unzipped it, picked out her undergarments and pajamas, zipped it back up, and walked toward the guest bathroom, hesitating with her pajamas in hand.

The bathroom featured a large bathtub, which Chen Xi loved. Thinking Zhou Yanzhou wouldn't wake up anytime soon, she dropped in a bath bomb provided by the apartment and began to undress while the water filled. Once it was two-thirds full, she untied her bathrobe and stepped barefoot into the tub.

The tub was filled with rose-scented foam. Chen Xi played with the bubbles, rested her head against the edge, and thoroughly enjoyed the luxury of the soak. The bathroom was warm, and steam filled the space, making it feel like a fairyland. Chen Xi’s fair skin felt exceptionally comfortable in the hot water.

Perhaps because she felt so at ease, she shed her usual caution, and her thoughts began to drift, eventually settling on Zhou Yanzhou himself. Slowly, a thin layer of confusion clouded her misty apricot-shaped eyes. Frowning, she muttered, "Who is Guan Yue?"

As if a mental block had been cleared, Chen Xi’s mind was occupied by the name Guan Yue. She began to let her imagination run wild, considering various possibilities. The mystery followed her like a shadow; she felt an urge to jump out of the tub right then and there to ask Zhou Yanzhou who this person was. But recalling the look on his face when he mentioned the name during dinner, she suddenly lost her courage.

It must be a taboo, right?

Perhaps because her mind was cluttered, Chen Xi’s bath, which she had intended to be relaxing, ended abruptly. She climbed out of the tub, dried off with a towel, put on her pajamas, and walked out of the bedroom, feeling distracted.

Zhou Yanzhou was still asleep. Not wanting to wake him and having nothing else to do, Chen Xi took her workbook out of her bag and silently squatted by the coffee table to do her homework. Her mind was not on her work, and she struggled to focus. She read the same function problem several times, but her train of thought was a mess; she couldn't extract any useful information. Perhaps out of sheer frustration, she didn't even realize she had sighed several times.

Zhou Yanzhou was stirred awake. He opened his eyes groggily and caught sight of Chen Xi squatting by the coffee table in her yellow plaid cotton pajamas, her freshly washed hair draped over her shoulders. She was biting the end of her pen, staring at the workbook with a face full of confusion. She seemed to have encountered a difficult problem, as her brows were knitted tight, and she let out an occasional sigh.

Zhou Yanzhou glanced at his watch and realized he had only slept for two hours. The sky had turned dark, and the room was lit by only a small desk lamp, leaving the rest in darkness, though the world outside remained brightly lit. Chen Xi didn't notice the man had woken up until her workbook was snatched away, causing her to look up in surprise.

Zhou Yanzhou took the workbook and rested it on his knees. His gaze fell on the function problem Chen Xi had been pondering. He read the question once, then looked at her tangled expression and asked slowly, "You can't do this one?"

Having just woken up, his voice was low and raspy, sounding incredibly sexy. His clothes were wrinkled, and a few strands of hair at the back of his head stood up stubbornly. Chen Xi looked at the man sitting with his legs crossed, eyes heavy with sleep yet asking her about the problem, and suddenly thought he looked devastatingly handsome.

Seeing Chen Xi kneeling on the floor beneath the coffee table, biting her pen and staring at him in a daze, Zhou Yanzhou furrowed his brows slightly and pointed to the spot beside him, signaling for her to sit over.

Chen Xi understood his gesture and scrambled to get up. However, having squatted for too long, her calves were numb. She moved too quickly and nearly tripped, only to be caught by Zhou Yanzhou.

Caught off guard, she realized she was now sitting on his lap, the workbook crumpled beneath her. Zhou Yanzhou’s hand remained on her waist, his fingers brushing against her skin through the thin fabric. Chen Xi, ticklish, quickly sprang up and sat on the seat next to him, bowing her head, not daring to look at him.

Seeing her intense reaction, Zhou Yanzhou twitched the corner of his mouth and, maintaining his composure, continued the previous topic: "No ideas for this problem?"

Chen Xi’s head was swimming, her heart thumping—she had no capacity for thought. She nodded and shook her head in a daze, then, full of shame, hung her head and muttered, "I forgot how to solve it."

Zhou Yanzhou remained silent for two seconds, then took the pen from her and wrote a few formulas at the top of the page. His handwriting was scrawled yet possessed a distinct style. Chen Xi didn't quite understand, so she pointed to them and asked what they were.

Zhou Yanzhou, resigned, broke the problem down for her. As he explained, Chen Xi listened with extreme focus. She tucked her loose strands of hair behind her ears, revealing two crystal-clear lobes. Having just washed her hair, a faint scent of shampoo drifted through the air, smelling exceptionally pleasant.

Zhou Yanzhou was meticulous in his explanation, pausing for a few seconds at every important point to let Chen Xi digest the information before moving on. In the meantime, he took the opportunity to observe her. The yellow plaid pajamas were a warm color that suited her well. The collar wasn't buttoned to the top, revealing a sliver of her collarbone, which looked quite slender.

Her freshly washed hair was fluffy and smooth, every strand distinct. She wore no makeup, and her skin was fair and delicate, her small, palm-sized face so tender that even the fine fuzz was visible. Her features were exquisite and petite, and her apricot-shaped eyes were always misty, easily drawing one into a clear yet deep whirlpool. And those soft, pink lips—neither thin nor thick, colored like the peach blossoms on a branch in March.

She was such a lovely girl; it was just a pity her fate wasn't as good.

Zhou Yanzhou sighed inwardly and looked down at the girl. She was leaning over the sofa, pen in hand, diligently writing out the function problem. Her handwriting was neat and disciplined, every stroke written with care—the kind of penmanship that examiners loved and felt reassured by.

She wrote until ten o'clock at night. Zhou Yanzhou had long since grown tired. Watching her finish the last line of the paper, he said, his voice heavy with fatigue, "That's enough for today. Go to sleep."

Chen Xi folded the paper and nodded in agreement. Unexpectedly, Zhou Yanzhou left the master bedroom for her, choosing to stay in the guest room instead. Chen Xi stood dazed at the door of the guest room and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure?"

Zhou Yanzhou chuckled and retorted, "Not happy about getting the master bedroom?"

"It’s not often you come to Beijing; I have to take good care of you, don't I?"

Chen Xi was speechless. She blushed, not knowing how to respond. Seeing her shyness, Zhou Yanzhou clarified his intentions: "The view from the master bedroom is quite nice. I’ve grown tired of it long ago; it’s all the same to me where I sleep. You should take a good look."

Only then did Chen Xi understand his reasoning. She dragged her suitcase in and whispered her thanks. Before Zhou Yanzhou could reply, she darted into the master bedroom and slammed the door shut, as if someone were bullying her.

Zhou Yanzhou was both annoyed and amused.

Perhaps it was because the accommodation was too luxurious, but Chen Xi found herself suffering from insomnia. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she picked up her phone, connected to the internet, and decided to check Weibo.

After scrolling through her feed for a while, she suddenly remembered the name Guan Yue and, on a whim, searched for it online. Many results for "Guan Yue" popped up, but none were what she was looking for. Just as she was about to close the page, she spotted a user with the nickname "The Whistleblower."

The user had posted several entries on their homepage, though most had been deleted. One, from a while back, was vague:

*“They say that on the day Guan Yue died, that person was still at a bar on a date with a young model. I don’t know if Guan Yue was just foolish; even though that young master didn't like her, she still did such a stupid thing.”*

Chen Xi was bewildered. Instinctively, she opened the comments section, where several anonymous users were discussing:

*“I heard Guan Yue was a girl from a wealthy family too. Both families were interested in the marriage, but who knew he wouldn't have it?”*

*“Guan Yue died so miserably. I actually liked her daily life posts.”*

*“This should have been scrubbed by now. Isn't the blogger afraid of being banned?”*

*“……”*

Staring at these comments, which seemed a mix of truth and fiction, and recalling Zhou Yanzhou’s reaction, Chen Xi couldn't help but wonder: were they talking about Zhou Yanzhou? Was it because of him that the girl named Guan Yue had done something so foolish?