Chapter 59

Good-looking people have always attracted a lot of attention, and Zhou Chengze had already received a lot of attention from the moment he was interviewed.

Among the people waiting for the elevator were not only Zhou Chengze's fellow interns, but also some of the company's long-time employees.

People not only admire this Ms. Xiang, but are also very curious about her relationship status.

"Did you see that? Just now, President Xiang glanced at that intern several times."

Which intern?

"Who else could it be? It's the most handsome one."

"You mean the one who was directly admitted from Beiyi University?"

"Keep your voice down, the person is right behind you, do you really want them to hear you?"

Upon hearing this, the other person glanced cryptically in Zhou Chengze's direction before quickly turning their head back: "Indeed, he's worthy of President Xiang's attention."

"Speaking of which, did the HR person who hired him hire him because of his looks? Hmm..."

"But I remember that President Xiang also seems to be from Beiyi University. Could it be that you know President Xiang?"

"I don't know, but I really want to see what it's like for President Xiang to fall in love..."

*

Although his colleagues gossiped behind his back, Zhou Chengze wasn't stupid.

His colleagues glanced at him discreetly, and unfamiliar faces would occasionally appear at his workstation to see what he looked like.

Some of his fellow interns even cast envious glances at him during lunch.

Even the leaders directly under the Publicity Department had interviewed him, trying to subtly inquire about his relationship with Xiang Wan.

These rumors were not spread by Zhou Chengze, but he was still somewhat smug about them.

However, he knew that Xiang Wan wouldn't like these things, so he brushed off any indirect inquiries or probing with the word "alumni".

These rumors only circulated within the company on a small scale, so Xiang Wan was not very clear about them.

Another week passed, and on Friday, Xiang Wan spent the entire morning listening to the reports from various department directors. Even during her lunch break, she didn't have much of an appetite and decided to go to the coffee shop on the second floor to buy a cup of coffee and relax a bit.

Today's workload wasn't very heavy, but because she spent all night writing her thesis yesterday, she was feeling a bit down.

When she got to the second floor, she found that the coffee shop was so crowded that there was a long queue.

If she went to queue, the staff would definitely let her buy first. Xiang Wan didn't really want to use such a privilege, so she changed direction and went to the dessert shop across from the coffee shop.

The milk tea at the dessert shop was a bit too sweet, which she didn't really like, so she only ordered a matcha mille-feuille.

There weren't many people in the dessert shop, and her matcha mille-feuille was ready in no time.

"Your dessert has arrived, please enjoy."

"OK, thanks."

The tableware and forks at this shop are very distinctive, and even the interior decoration has a distinctly exotic style.

Although the milk tea here is a bit too rich, the cake is refreshing. The matcha is slightly bitter, but it goes surprisingly well with the rich cream.

Xiang Wan was still savoring the taste of the cake when she sensed a shadow in front of her. She thought it was Secretary Huang returning from her lunch break, but when she looked up, she realized it was Zhou Chengze.

She raised an eyebrow at him, still wondering why he had come, when she noticed the two cups of coffee he had placed on the table: an Americano and an espresso.

"Mr. Xiang, would you mind sharing a table?"

Xiang Wan glanced around; there were plenty of seats available, but he insisted on coming over to share a table. She neither explicitly refused nor agreed to this.

But Zhou Chengze's skin seems to have gotten thicker than in his previous life.

“Since President Xiang hasn’t said anything, I’ll take that as his consent.” With that, he sat down opposite her and pushed one of his espressos toward her, saying, “President Xiang’s favorite espresso.”

Looking at the cup of coffee, Xiang Wan didn't say anything.

Espresso wasn't her favorite coffee in recent years, but rather one of her favorite coffees from her previous life.

Zhou Chengze said this to test her. Perhaps he had another dream and remembered something or a fragment from his past life, so he used coffee as an excuse to test her.

Xiang Wan wasn't one to sit idly by and wait for death. Rather than being tested by others, she preferred to take the initiative. She pushed the espresso back to Zhou Chengze, looking him straight in the eye: "I prefer Americano."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengze paused for a moment, then pushed another Americano to her: "I just bought two, and the other one is an Americano."

"Thank you for the coffee." Xiang Wan didn't refuse again, picked up the Americano, and got up to leave.

As soon as her figure disappeared around the corner, Zhou Chengze looked at the matcha mille-feuille on the table, which she had only taken a bite of, and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

Just as she suspected, he was indeed testing her.

Although Xiang Wan's reaction was unexpected, her denial just now actually confirmed that his guess might be true.

If Xiang Wan had accepted the espresso, he might have thought it was a coincidence. But she not only denied it, but also said she preferred Americano.

Given Xiang Wan's past habit of not talking much to him, this seemed a bit too deliberate. It also led him to a bold conjecture—

Perhaps it really wasn't just a dream, but their past life, or their counterparts in a parallel universe.

As for Xiang Wan, she also remembered those things for some reason. But for some reason, she made a different choice in this life.

Perhaps in their past lives, he might have known her even earlier than Chen Yan.

Xiang Wan's figure had already walked away, but Zhou Chengze did not chase after her.

The previous probing was already a pleasant surprise. He understood the principle that pushing people too hard could backfire.

Thinking that Xiang Wan was his fiancée in his previous life, and that they might have even been in love, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

He glanced at the matcha mille-feuille on the table, which she had only taken a bite of, then, holding the remaining espresso, walked to the counter to order:

"I'd like a matcha mille-feuille to go, please."

*

Over the next few days, Zhou Chengze kept thinking about how to get Xiang Wan to accept him again.

As for liking someone, he thinks it's best to take it slow; he's not in a hurry.

Moreover, he felt that Awan was still somewhat resistant to him, and that being able to accept him was already a big step forward.

Because of the heavy workload in his first year of university, Zhou Chengze only interned at the company on Fridays a week, spending the rest of his time at school.

That Saturday, he went to the library to borrow a book. He found the book he wanted to borrow by following the call number. Just as he pulled the book off the shelf, he unexpectedly saw Xiang Wan looking for a book through the gap.

Unlike her professional style at the company, she wore a very gentle linen dress today, but her profile was as aloof as ever, like a cold crescent moon, beautiful but unattainable.

Zhou Chengze didn't say anything, just quietly looked at her, wanting her to notice him first, and she did notice him.

Xiang Wan was already used to being stared at, but the feeling of being stared at by someone else was too much like Zhou Chengze, so she followed the gaze and found that it was indeed him.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched him walk towards her, without saying a word.

"Good afternoon, senior sister. May I invite you to play golf tomorrow, Sunday?"

Xiang Wan remained calm upon hearing this, but found it somewhat amusing. It wasn't that she looked down on him, but Zhou Chengze probably didn't even know how to swing a golf club.

But she was getting really annoyed by the countless chance encounters with Zhou Chengze lately. She thought she should talk things out with him this time, so she accepted his invitation without much hesitation.

She knew that Zhou Chengze, who was currently working part-time to support himself, was struggling to make ends meet even with his monthly living expenses. If he were to rent a golf course, he would probably have to work for several more months.

Although Xiang Wan is somewhat aloof and regards money as dirt, she is not completely detached from worldly affairs, and she is not the kind of person who likes to use money to humiliate others' self-esteem.

"See you at Shanshui Manor at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Zhou Chengze was also a smart man. Although he could sense Xiang Wan's subtle rejection of him, the kindness she occasionally revealed through her fingers made him like her even more and couldn't let her go.

"See you tomorrow, senior sister."

Xiang Wan watched his retreating figure as he carried the books out, but said nothing, continuing to look down at her documents.

*

The next morning, at the Xiang family villa.

Xiang Wan woke up and checked her watch; it was only 7 a.m. She went to wash up in her bathrobe, and when she got downstairs, she found that Wang Yidong and Chen Yan were waiting for her to have breakfast.

She was stunned for a moment. Yesterday, Saturday, after finishing her thesis at school, she went back to the company. By the time she returned to the villa, it was already late at night.

Chen Yan and Wang Yidong were already asleep, but how did they know she had returned yesterday?

Although she goes home every weekend, sometimes it gets too late, so she sleeps in the apartment next to the school.

Although Xiang Wan didn't ask, Wang Yidong had already guessed her confusion.

"Aren't you curious how we knew you came back last night?"

"Um."

"Because only you would park your car in the yard with such perfect precision, like someone with OCD."

Xiang Wan glanced at the parking spaces outside the floor-to-ceiling window and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Because the driver had some family matters to attend to yesterday, she drove back by herself. Unexpectedly, they knew she was back just by looking at where she parked her car.

Xiang Wan came down the stairs, and by the time she reached the dining table, Chen Yan had already pulled out a seat for her.

"good morning."

"Good morning."

Wang Yidong brought the perfectly warm seafood porridge from the kitchen and placed it in front of her: "You woke up just in time, it shouldn't be too hot anymore."

Xiang Wan took just one bite and knew it was porridge she had been cooking for hours. She frowned and looked at Wang Yidong, saying, "Anything for breakfast is fine; you don't need to get up so early to cook porridge."

“Okay.” Wang Yidong readily agreed, but Xiang Wan knew that she would definitely make a big fuss about it next time. Even though she only comes back about once a week now, she still acts so extravagantly.

By the time they finished breakfast, it was already 8 o'clock. Driver Uncle Zhang had been waiting outside the courtyard since early morning, just waiting for her to finish breakfast so he could take her to Shanshui Manor.

Xiang Wan wasn't in a hurry because she had arranged to meet Zhou Chengze at 10 a.m. She sat at the tea table drinking tea when Chen Yan came out of the study and sat down opposite her: "What's on your schedule today?"

Xiang Wan looked at Chen Yan's pupils, which turned brownish-red in the sunlight, and seemed lost in thought.

I don't know when it started, but he rarely called her "sister".

She had arranged to play golf with Zhou Chengze today, and when he asked her about it, she didn't hide anything but told him the truth: "I'm going to the estate to play golf."

"With Shen Feiyang and the others?"

"No." Xiang Wan gently blew on her teacup and looked at him slowly. "With Zhou Chengze."