Chapter 44: The Atmosphere is Fiery and Passionate!

Zhou Mingye had just drunk quite a bit of beer, and he still smelled of alcohol on him. Zhou Shilin smelled it as soon as he approached. He stood in front of the sofa, looking down at Zhou Mingye, who deliberately turned his body to the side to avoid his gaze, much like when a teacher calls on someone to answer a question in school, and everyone avoids eye contact.

Zhou Shilin's gaze swept over the beer cans on the table, and he said in a cool tone, "You've drunk your fill, sung your songs, and cursed at people. Haven't you vented enough?"

Zhou Mingye still turned his face away from him without answering. Zhou Shilin continued, "I called your agent and asked her to come pick you up in person."

Zhou Mingye: "..."

Have some decency!

After Zhou Shilin finished speaking to Zhou Mingye, he looked at Chen Ci next to him. When Chen Ci saw him looking over, she quickly waved her hand to distance herself from the wine on the table: "I didn't drink it, I really didn't drink it, look how sober I am now."

Zhou Shilin said, "When I came in, you were holding a beer."

"..." Chen Ci decided to stick to her guns and said, "Impossible, you must have seen wrong."

Zhou Shilin raised an eyebrow, while Zhou Mingye muttered, "So what if they drink? They're all adults, can't they drink?"

Zhou Shilin glanced over and said, "If you want to drink, drink by yourself. Don't drag her along. Do you know what she's like when she's drunk?"

Chen Ci: "..."

"Don't even think about tarnishing my image!" Chen Ci looked at Zhou Shilin and argued, "My drinking manners are perfectly fine!"

Zhou Shilin responded with a light, deliberate chuckle.

Chen Ci: "..."

Zhou Mingye looked at them, his curiosity piqued: "So what's the heroine like after drinking? Where have you seen her before?"

His words were full of ambiguity, and Shen Ci was worried that her lifelong reputation would be ruined, so she quickly picked up her chopsticks and changed the subject: "No, we've ordered so many dishes, they'll get cold if we don't eat them soon."

Zhou Shilin had never eaten at the Emperor Hotel before. He glanced down at the dishes on the table, his expression clearly showing his disdain: "Is this edible?"

Zhou Mingye was displeased upon hearing this: "Emperor Hotel also has a proper restaurant! The chef they hired is a top-level chef! Are you being polite?!"

Zhou Shilin said, "I think it's rather impolite to serve dishes prepared by a top-tier chef in a KTV private room."

Zhou Mingye: "..."

Zhou Shilin is usually very quiet, but from childhood to adulthood, Zhou Mingye has never won a fight against him.

"...Although, the food is still very delicious." Chen Ci picked up her chopsticks and smiled at Zhou Shilin. "You just got off work, you must be hungry. Sit down and have something to eat."

Knowing Zhou Shilin's personality, he would never eat in such an environment—not to mention the dim lighting and unsuitable tables and chairs, the mere fact that someone nearby would be holding a microphone and occasionally yelling would be enough to deter him. But Chen Ci clearly didn't want to change locations, so Zhou Shilin took off his suit jacket and sat down next to her.

“These bowls and chopsticks are all new.” Chen Ci handed the clean tableware to Zhou Shilin. Zhou Shilin nodded, picked up the disinfectant wipes from the plate and wiped his hands: “If you like the taste here, we can go to the restaurant next time.”

“Okay.” Chen Ci agreed with a smile, while Zhou Mingye next to her scoffed dismissively.

Zhou Shilin ignored him. He tasted the food in his bowl and asked Chen Ci beside him, "Are you free to come over for a casual meal this weekend?"

Chen Ci paused, her chopsticks poised to pick up some food. Zhou Shilin had mentioned this to her before, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon: "Huh? This week?"

"Yes, Mom and Dad are asking again."

"But... but I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to prepare a gift at all." Chen Ci immediately became nervous. Although Zhou Shilin said it was just a casual meal, this was her first time meeting her uncle and aunt, so she definitely couldn't go empty-handed.

Zhou Shilin said, "If that's your concern, don't worry, I'll have Tian Xu prepare it."

"...Should Assistant Tian prepare this as well?"

"Yes, he's very professional in this area."

"..." That makes sense. Chen Ci thought for a moment and said to Zhou Shilin, "I'll most likely have to work overtime tomorrow, but I'll have more time the day after tomorrow, so I can prepare a bit. Let's do it the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll talk to them."

As soon as Zhou Shilin finished speaking, Zhou Mingye stood up from the sofa: "Wait a minute, what are you talking about? The heroine is going home to have dinner with her parents? You've already progressed to meeting the parents??"

The phrase "meeting the parents" made Chen Ci feel awkward: "It's not really meeting the parents, it's just that there were some... misunderstandings before."

"What misunderstanding?"

Zhou Shilin looked at him: "It's none of your business."

"..." How could this be none of his business? Isn't this about his future sister-in-law?!

"Heroine, I know my brother's appearance is indeed very deceptive, but don't you want to reconsider?" Zhou Mingye earnestly tried to persuade Chen Ci not to jump into this fire pit. "Look at you, you don't even dare to drink in front of him. Won't you be completely controlled by him in the future?"

"...Who said I wouldn't dare?" As if to prove something, Chen Ci swiftly picked up the beer she hadn't finished earlier and chugged down several mouthfuls.

Zhou Shilin: "..."

Are they putting on a show with him?

He took the beer from Chen Ci's hand and put it aside: "You should eat more vegetables."

"Oh." Chen Ci knew when to stop and continued eating the dishes on the table.

A short while later, Zhou Mingye's agent arrived. Upon seeing Zhou Shilin in the private room, she quickly went up to greet him: "I'm so sorry, Mr. Zhou, for causing you trouble this time. We will handle the trending topic matter, please don't worry!"

Zhou Mingye, watching from the sidelines: "..."

Is this still the Sister Huang he knows?

At this moment, he deeply suspected that Zhou Shilin had some kind of buff that made everyone who came near him become a sycophant.

Zhou Shilin himself remained calm and composed: "President Huang, you flatter me. My younger brother usually stays at the company and needs your help."

"Of course, he's one of my artists, I would have taken care of him even if you hadn't asked."

Zhou Shilin nodded and turned to look at Zhou Mingye: "Now that President Huang has arrived, you should go back with her first. You ate so many high-calorie foods and drank alcohol today, so remember to practice more when you get back."

"...Now you're even going to meddle with this?"

Zhou Shilin said, "As the capital behind you, I have the right to demand that you be in your best condition during filming."

Zhou Mingye: "..."

He doesn't seem to mind at all.

"But regarding that male-centric drama they mentioned, I only had a meal with the producer once, and it wasn't confirmed that I would be the lead."

Zhou Shilin chuckled softly, but his words were firm: "It has to be you now. This scolding can't be for nothing."

"..."

At this moment, Zhou Mingye suddenly realized that he had been a bit pretentious before. It felt so good to have someone backing him up.

“Of course, if you don’t act well, you’ll get even more criticism later,” Zhou Shilin added.

"..." Zhou Mingye regained his composure and chuckled at him, "Don't worry, I will definitely amaze all of you!"

He left with his agent full of fighting spirit, a completely different person from when he arrived.

Chen Ci and Zhou Shilin stayed in the private room and ate for a while longer. During the meal, Chen Ci took advantage of Zhou Shilin going out to answer a phone call and drank some more alcohol. When Zhou Shilin returned, he picked up the beer can in front of Chen Ci, weighed it lightly, and looked at her: "I was only gone for a short while, and you drank it all."

"...Well, there wasn't much left to begin with!"

Zhou Shilin put down his beer can and stopped arguing with her about drinking: "Want some more?"

Chen Ci shook her head: "I'm full. Do you want some more?"

"I'm full too, let me take you home."

“Okay.” Chen Ci picked up her things and went out with Zhou Shilin. The driver brought the car over, and Zhou Shilin helped Chen Ci into the car first, then walked around to the other side and bent down to sit in the car.

"I didn't drink too much today," Chen Ci said to Zhou Shilin while fastening her seatbelt. "My alcohol tolerance isn't that bad."

Zhou Shilin fastened his seatbelt as well, disagreeing: "After all, you have a criminal record."

"..." Actually, she wasn't that drunk last time! She just used her drunkenness to try and take advantage of the situation!

However, Zhou Shilin felt that she was drunk, and it wasn't that she couldn't be drunk.

She pretended that she couldn't fasten her seatbelt and called out to Zhou Shilin, "Zhou Shilin, my eyes seem a little blurry, could you help me fasten my seatbelt?"

The driver in the front seat: "..."

He clearly saw Miss Shen fasten her seatbelt!

Zhou Shilin also looked at the seatbelt around her waist. What seemed like a simple task had become exceptionally complicated in Shen Ci's hands. He silently unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned over to help her.

Chen Ci suddenly reached out and hooked her hand around his tie, gently pulling him closer. A faint smell of alcohol mixed with an unidentifiable floral scent wafted into Zhou Shilin's nostrils. Chen Ci looked up at him, her eyes shining like starlight: "Zhou Shilin, will you still send me flowers next week?"

Zhou Shilin paused, his finger still resting on the seatbelt buckle: "If you like, I can keep giving them to you."

Chen Ci's eyes curved slightly, her fingertips sliding down the tie until they touched the button on his shirt collar, and she said meaningfully, "I like it very much."

Zhou Shilin: "..."

The most embarrassed person at this moment was definitely not Zhou Shilin, but the driver in the front seat.

For the first time, he felt that the widespread adoption of self-driving cars was so urgent.

Chen Ci's hand was still tugging at Zhou Shilin's tie. Zhou Shilin looked up at her slightly flushed cheeks and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily: "Control yourself, there's a driver ahead."

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but Chen Ci was more thick-skinned than usual. She blinked at Zhou Shilin, loosened his tie, and then reached out to touch his hair: "Your hair... seems to be a little longer than before, but it's quite soft and feels very comfortable to touch."

She toyed with Zhou Shilin's hair, her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against his skin, leaving a warm sensation. Zhou Shilin stiffened for a moment, then snapped to his feet, fastened her seatbelt, and sat back in his seat: "Alright, time to go."

"Oh," Chen Ci responded, and didn't cause any more trouble along the way.

The neon lights outside the window flashed by. Chen Ci leaned back in her chair, gazing at the scenery outside, occasionally humming a line from a song she had just sung at the karaoke bar. She seemed to be in a very good mood. Zhou Shilin occasionally glanced at her and could see the faint smile on her lips.

It was almost ten o'clock when they arrived at Chen Ci's apartment building. After the driver parked the car, Zhou Shilin noticed that Chen Ci had fallen asleep with her head tilted to the side. Her breathing was very light, and when Zhou Shilin called her name, she didn't respond.

"..." Zhou Shilin suddenly remembered a saying: You can't wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.

"Chen Ci." He called Chen Ci's name again, but Chen Ci still kept her eyes closed and did not respond. Zhou Shilin looked at her for two seconds, unbuckled his seatbelt, got out of the car, and carried Chen Ci out of the car.

"I'll take her upstairs. Wait here for me for a moment." After instructing the driver, Zhou Shilin carried Chen Ci into the residential area.

Chen Ci leaned against his chest, quickly opened her eyes to glance at him, and then closed them again like a thief.

Following his memory from last time, Zhou Shilin carried Chen Ci all the way to her doorstep.

When they got home, Chen Ci was still pretending to be asleep. Zhou Shilin looked down at her and said, "If you don't wake up, I'll leave you at the door."

These words were like some kind of spell. As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ci yawned and opened her eyes: "Zhou Shilin? Am I home?"

“…His acting isn’t as natural as Zhou Mingye’s. He needs to practice more.” Zhou Shilin said as he carefully put Chen Ci down.

Chen Ci pretended not to understand, pressed the fingerprint lock, and the door beeped twice before opening. She turned her head and asked Zhou Shilin beside her with a smile, "Why don't you come in and have a glass of water? You must be tired after carrying me for so long."

Zhou Shilin turned to look at her: "Are you sure you just want to drink a glass of water?"

"Sigh, what else can I do?" Chen Ci blinked innocently. "I can't exactly eat you, can I?"

Zhou Shilin: "..."

The truth is often disguised as a joke.

"Oh, slippers." Chen Ci took out a brand new pair of slippers and placed them in front of Zhou Shilin. "The last pair didn't fit you, so I bought a new pair."

Zhou Shilin looked down at the slippers in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he put on the slippers and went inside with Shen Ci.

"What would you like to drink?" Chen Ci put her bag on the sofa and was actually going to get Zhou Shilin some water. "I have milk and coconut water here. If you want plain water, I can pour it for you."

"Plain water is fine, thank you." Zhou Shilin sat down on the sofa, and Chen Ci quickly poured him a glass of warm water and sat down next to him on the sofa.

Zhou Shilin looked at the water glass in front of him, but didn't reach for it. Seeing that he wasn't drinking, Chen Ci said to him, "Don't worry, it's really just plain water. I didn't add anything."

Zhou Shilin: "..."

He picked up his water glass and took a sip. Chen Ci rested her chin on her hand and sat next to him, watching him. "Zhou Shilin, what do you think our relationship is now?"

Zhou Shilin's eyes flickered. He put down his water glass, turned his head to look at her, and asked, "What do you think our relationship is?"

Chen Ci felt he was cheating: "I was the one who asked you, so you should answer first."

Zhou Shilin paused for a moment, looked at her and said, "I don't invite just anyone to my house to have dinner with my parents."

"Oh..." Chen Ci nodded thoughtfully, "So, who have you invited?"

"If we're not talking about official business, you're the only one."

"So..." Chen Ci slowly leaned closer to him, "Are we dating now?"

As Zhou Shilin watched her get closer and closer, that unidentifiable floral fragrance wafted towards him once again: "Isn't it obvious?"

“Not very obvious, at least like this…” As soon as Shen Ci finished speaking, she tilted her head back and kissed Zhou Shilin’s lips.

It was a very light kiss, sweet and soft, like a feather gently brushing against the heart. Zhou Shilin's body stiffened, his mind went blank for a moment, and when he came to his senses, Chen Ci was already trying to back away. He reached out and held the back of Chen Ci's head, deepening the kiss.

Zhou Shilin's kiss was restrained yet gentle, slowly prying open Chen Ci's lips and teeth, cautiously exploring. Chen Ci's body gradually lost its strength, her fingers unconsciously gripping Zhou Shilin's shirt, and her breathing became erratic.

Today, she just wanted to find an opportunity to kiss Zhou Shilin, since she was going to meet Zhou Shilin's parents the day after tomorrow, and she couldn't have never even kissed him, right?

But now things were getting out of her control. She felt that Zhou Shilin might be right. She was really drunk. Otherwise, how could she be so immersed in this kiss?

She responded to Zhou Shilin's kiss, gently biting his lower lip with her teeth, which elicited a low, hoarse groan from him.

His hand slid down Chen Ci's waist and stopped on the hem of her skirt. His fingertips touched the soft fabric and he could feel her body trembling slightly.

A warm kiss moved from her lips to her chin, then to her neck, leaving a trail of ambiguous marks. Chen Ci rested her head on Zhou Shilin's shoulder, her voice carrying an indescribable emotion: "Zhou Shilin..."

Zhou Shilin paused, looked up at her, her eyes were misty, her cheeks were as red as ripe apples, and her lips were especially moist from the kiss.

Both of their hearts were pounding, reason struggling on the edge of desire. Zhou Shilin slightly distanced himself from Shen Ci, trying to calm himself down.

Seeing this, Chen Ci grabbed his ripped shirt and kissed his lips again.

Zhou Shilin's eyes darkened. He picked up Chen Ci and made her sit on his lap, his arms tightly wrapped around her, kissing her even more deeply than before. Chen Ci ran her fingers through his hair, gently grasping it. Zhou Shilin's hair was indeed very soft, making her reluctant to let go. Just as the atmosphere in the room was about to become even more heated, Chen Ci's phone, which was in her bag, suddenly rang.

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Author's Note: [Huang Xin]