Chapter 4
On the way back, her uncle seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
Chen Xi still clutched the jacket that Zhou Yanzhou had left behind, as if holding a burning ember that made her uneasy all over.
Several times she wanted to toss the jacket aside, but each time she was silenced by Zhou Yanzhou’s words at the restaurant entrance.
After several rounds of drinks and as night deepened, Zhou Yanzhou finally lost patience, his eyes signaling the secretary to end the tedious social engagement.
Chen Xi, who had been standing stiffly all evening as mere decoration, finally relaxed a little the moment Zhou Yanzhou spoke.
The people in the private room dispersed like birds and beasts. Chen Xi waited with her uncle to settle the bill before leaving. Midway, realizing Zhou Yanzhou’s jacket was still in her arms, she hurriedly chased after him.
Zhou Yanzhou was standing under a telephone pole by the restaurant, making a call. She caught only his impatient reply: “The person’s dead. What else can I do? Am I supposed to pay with my life?”
Chen Xi did not dare interrupt and quietly waited nearby.
The call was brief; Zhou Yanzhou ended it abruptly. Catching sight of Chen Xi not far off, his lingering resentment seemed to transform into irritation as he snapped, “Got something to say?”
His tone, sharp with a certain harshness, was unpleasant.
Chen Xi, sensitive as she was, immediately sensed his anger at his first word. Feeling oddly implicated, she pressed her lips, then extended the unbranded jacket to him softly, “Your jacket.”
Her voice was gentle, yet the stiffness beneath it was clear.
Zhou Yanzhou hadn’t intended to take it back, but his thoughts shifted lazily as he said, “Wash it clean and return it to me.”
Chen Xi frowned, looking down at the spotless jacket, suspecting he was teasing her deliberately.
Seeing her displeasure, Zhou Yanzhou raised an eyebrow and calmly added, “This jacket costs 160,000 yuan, and it can only be hand-washed.”
Chen Xi clicked her tongue in disbelief, exclaiming, “How much?”
Amused by her genuine expression, Zhou Yanzhou’s frustration lifted, and he took to teasing her: “Tailored by an internationally renowned designer. What do you think it’s worth?”
Chen Xi was stunned, overwhelmed by Zhou Yanzhou’s extravagance.
She couldn’t comprehend how some could own a jacket worth 160,000 yuan while others couldn’t even afford a 300-yuan fee for materials. How magical and surreal this world was.
Zhou Yanzhou, pleased to see her speechless astonishment, climbed into the car with a cheerful mood. Before leaving, he deliberately teased her one last time: “Take good care of it. Don’t lose it.”
Chen Xi stood there, dazed, clutching the jacket as she watched the Beijing-licensed business car disappear down the avenue. Only when her uncle returned from settling the bill did she come back to her senses.
On the way home, after learning what had happened, her uncle sighed three times looking at the jacket in Chen Xi’s arms before warning, “Give the jacket to Aunt Wu to wash. I’ll pay for it later. Don’t meet him again.”
Chen Xi nodded instinctively but thought to herself that this wasn’t something she could decide.
Back home, her aunt and cousin were already asleep. The living room was quiet, and Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief standing by the entrance.
She quietly changed into slippers, tiptoeing and clutching the hot potato jacket as she hurried to her room.
Closing the door softly and turning on the light, her previously dark bedroom instantly brightened, revealing its layout clearly.
The bedroom was small, about twenty square meters, oriented north to south, simply furnished with only a one-and-a-half-meter bed, a small wardrobe, and a modest desk, with no other decorations.
Chen Xi made the most of this space, decorating it just as she liked. Though her uncle’s home was large, this tiny room was the only place truly hers.
Exhausted from the day, Chen Xi carelessly tossed the jacket on the bed and collapsed onto the soft mattress.
After dozing briefly, she suddenly opened her eyes.
She sat up, picked up the jacket, and examined it carefully.
It was a black suit jacket with a subtle pattern, made of fine material that felt soft and comfortable to the touch. Though black, it had a glossy sheen that immediately revealed its nobility.
Tracing the pattern, she absentmindedly lifted the collar and sniffed. A faint woody fragrance wafted into her nose—pleasant, not overpowering—just like its owner.
What perfume was he wearing? Chen Xi wondered.
She hadn’t intended to snoop like a voyeur, but as she rose to fetch a hanger to put the jacket away, she found a wallet in the pocket.
Opening it, her eyes landed on an ID card.
After some hesitation, driven by curiosity, she pulled out the card.
Name: Zhou Yanzhou
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: May 4, 1990
Address: Xicheng District, Beijing
Citizen ID Number: 11010219900504****
Looking at the photo on the ID and comparing it to the Zhou Yanzhou she knew, she noted only a youthful freshness difference, but both were handsome.
Staring for a long while, Chen Xi suddenly realized Zhou Yanzhou was only twenty-four years old—over seven years her senior.
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On the way back to the hotel, Zhou Yanzhou remembered he had left his wallet in the jacket. Although he had time to turn back, the memory of Chen Xi’s misty, apricot-shaped eyes, like a southern June river, made him abandon the thought.
He hadn’t intended to do anything to her—just thought that life was dull, and having someone to pass the time with wasn’t bad.
Xiping was a small county in the southwest, a place Zhou Yanzhou knew nothing about, never even heard of.
After the incident with Guan Yue, his father exploded with rage and gave him two choices: either go to the U.S. to lay low or open a new market in Xiping and achieve some results within three years.
Without a second thought, Zhou Yanzhou chose the latter.
The moment he stepped out of the airport, he regretted it. What a broken place.
Infrastructure was scarce, let alone development; it felt like fleeing from famine.
He spent a week in the hotel swallowing his resentment, but the regret lingered.
Only today did he find this place somewhat interesting.
The next day, Chen Xi handed the jacket to Aunt Wu and paid no further attention. Her uncle never mentioned it either.
However, when Aunt Wu saw the men’s jacket, she asked curiously, “Whose jacket is this?”
Her uncle, holding the cousin and playing a game, glanced at Chen Xi, who was doing homework nearby, and replied calmly, “A client’s.”
Aunt Wu lost interest and switched to gossip: “I heard a big shot came to Xiping, planning to build a grand hotel near People’s Square. The city leaders are watching. Did you know?”
Her uncle frowned, set the cousin down, and asked with an unreadable expression, “Where did you hear that?”
Her aunt, feeling challenged, shot a glare at him, “None of your business.”
Unable to hold back, after a pause, she continued, “I was doing yoga with the wife of the city construction bureau director a couple of days ago. She mentioned it briefly. Said the person was from Beijing.”
“If they really build the hotel, should we buy some land or shops nearby? If it develops later, we could make a lot of money—”
Her uncle frowned, interrupting, “That’s nonsense, don’t bring it up.”
Aunt Wu laughed softly and dropped the subject.
Chen Xi held her pen, staring at a math problem with no inspiration.
Time flew by, and another week passed.
That day, after class, Chen Xi and her deskmate went to a small convenience store near the school gate to choose notebooks, only to unexpectedly run into Zhou Yanzhou at the school entrance.
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He was driving a black Mercedes, parked steadily under a camphor tree by the school gate. The window was rolled down two-thirds, and he sat in the driver’s seat smoking.
Chen Xi hadn’t noticed him at first, only thinking the license plate looked familiar.
Both plates started with “Jing” — Beijing's prefix — which stood out in Xiping, where most plates began with “Xi”.
Her deskmate, a devoted fan of youth novels, immediately grabbed Chen Xi’s arm and imagined a drama.
“The male leads in novels have this kind of license plate. Didn’t expect to see a Beijing plate in this small place like Xiping. Could it be the novel’s male lead chasing love over thousands of miles...”
Chen Xi couldn’t help but smile.
She instinctively looked at the Mercedes but froze when she saw that familiar side profile in the rearview mirror.
Bored, Zhou Yanzhou lay inside the car smoking, shaking off the ash. Watching the neatly uniformed students going in and out of the school gate, he suddenly felt bored.
He had just dined with government officials and leaders, and some matters required his personal attention. After much effort, he had just finalized a preliminary contract.
Taking advantage of the break, he drove to the entrance of Xiping No. 1 High School to wait for someone but saw no one.
Just as he was about to leave after finishing his cigarette, he faintly heard a clear laugh and instinctively looked back.
He saw Chen Xi standing by the wall with a surprised expression, accompanied by a chubby little girl. The contrast between the tall, thin girl and the shorter, plump one made him smile.
This trip was not in vain.
He flicked away the cigarette butt, stepped out, and without thinking called out to Chen Xi, “Come here.”
Chen Xi’s back stiffened. Facing Zhou Yanzhou’s clear intent, she was inexplicably frightened and stepped back two paces.
Her deskmate, seeing Zhou Yanzhou’s deceptively handsome face, grabbed Chen Xi’s arm and shook it excitedly, “Handsome guy! But is he talking to us?”
Chen Xi was speechless.
Zhou Yanzhou frowned at her hesitation, “Don’t recognize me anymore?”
Fearing that more people would gather, Chen Xi quickly made a decision.
She stuffed the newly bought notebook into her deskmate’s arms and whispered, “Zhu Zhu, you go back to class. I’ll be right back.”
Then, she left her deskmate behind and hurried to Zhou Yanzhou, feigning composure as she asked, “What do you want?”
Zhou Yanzhou studied the girl before him carefully. The oversized school uniform oddly suited her slim frame. Her shoulder-length hair was tied back, revealing a smooth, pale forehead.
At fifteen or sixteen, she needed no makeup to display natural beauty. Though her features were still developing, one could see the makings of a beauty.
Leaning casually against the car, hands in pockets, his gaze landed on Chen Xi’s full, rosy lips. A faint smile curved his mouth as he leisurely asked, “Did you see the wallet in the jacket?”
Chen Xi’s heart tightened, and she nervously lowered her head.
Zhou Yanzhou immediately saw through her little thought and asked casually, “You didn’t sneak a peek at my ID, did you?”
Chen Xi’s shoulders trembled as she spoke with difficulty, “The wallet was left at home. Didn’t your uncle give it back to you?”
Zhou Yanzhou smiled for reasons unknown and replied calmly, “He only returned the jacket.”
He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Did you wash the jacket?”
Chen Xi was speechless.