0071 80 Excellent quality

Unusually, the two entered Zhou Xiye's house one after the other, as usual. The lights came on, they changed their shoes, and they seemed like an ordinary couple returning home. Yi Chenling threw himself onto the sofa, motionless. Zhou Xiye took off his coat and, passing by Yi Chenling, asked, "Beer, juice?"

Plain boiled water.

Zhou Xiye raised his hand and gently patted his face.

Yi Chenling took the water Zhou Xiye handed him, straightened up, and saw that this woman had actually taken a can of beer herself. How infuriating! Drinking outside for business, and then drinking again at home.

Don't you want to sleep with me tonight?

Zhou Xiye put down his beer, rested his elbows on his lap, and turned to look at Yi Chenling. "Something on your mind?"

Yi Chenling pursed his lips, put down his water glass, and mimicked Zhou Xiye's actions, looking into her eyes. "You've actually started to care about things other than my physical body."

Zhou Xiye sighed softly, "You still need to have confidence in yourself. Besides your physical body, you have many other wonderful qualities."

Yi Chenling's eyes lit up. "For example?"

“For example…” Zhou Xiye drawled, his brows furrowing slightly, and leaned back on the sofa under Yi Chenling’s gaze, “For example…”

Yi Chenling placed his hand on her leg, applying slight pressure.

For example, you love your dad very much.

"..."

Yi Chenling rolled his eyes. "I love my dad, that's only natural. Is that some kind of admirable quality?"

Zhou Xiye shook his head, spread his hands and said, "Not necessarily. Look at me, I don't like my dad, I even hate him."

Yi Chenling looked at Zhou Xiye, his gaze shifting from initial incomprehension to calm. "Is he not good to you?"

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "It's hard to say."

Yi Chenling stared at Zhou Xiye, scrutinizing her closely. He looked at her smiling eyes, the curve of her lips, and the furrowed brows she herself might not even be aware of. For some reason, without thinking, he subconsciously raised his hand and smoothed the smile from Zhou Xiye's lips.

"Why are you forcing yourself like this? Your smile looks awful."

Only after he finished speaking did he realize that he was holding Zhou Xiye's face in his hands, his thumbs pressed against the corners of her mouth, and her black hair struggling to escape from between his hands.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Xiye's eyes, and the two of them froze almost simultaneously. Zhou Xiye wanted to push Yi Chenling away, but the next second, Yi Chenling leaned closer to her and pulled her into his arms.

Yi Chenling held her tightly, afraid she would break free. Zhou Xiye's back was stiff, and she pushed against Yi Chenling's chest with her hands, but without much force. A few seconds later, Yi Chenling reached out and touched her back, like petting a kitten. Although he didn't like cats and had never petted one, he felt that the action he was taking now was just like petting a kitten.

"It's okay...it's okay..." Yi Chenling realized he couldn't say anything comforting. "If he's not good to you, then there are so many people in the world who are good to you...like me, for example. I'm so good to you, I let you sleep with me for free, and I was still a virgin when you slept with me...you don't know, I was very picky when I was a virgin, thinking about who I should take my virginity from, and I never thought it would be you..."

Zhou Xiye burst out laughing, and Yi Chenling's chest vibrated in response.

“Actually, if they were strangers, I wouldn’t care,” Zhou Xiye gently pushed Yi Chenling away, faced him, and said frankly, “The reason people care whether their parents love them is because they have always been portrayed as the only group in the world that should love their children unconditionally and naturally. If your parents can’t love you, then who will love you unconditionally?”

Yi Chenling looked at her without saying a word.

"Other people's love needs to be fought for, but their love, perhaps, doesn't need to be fought for."

Hearing this, Yi Chenling frowned and let out a soft sigh. "I don't know what you guys are doing. Tonight, my dad told my mom..." He wanted to talk about leaving the country, but then he thought that a planned departure wouldn't make Zhou Xiye remember him, but a sudden disappearance might leave a tiny bit of a deep impression on her memory.

"...Tell my mom that she's in a dangerous situation. Will you fail?"

"I have no idea."

Yi Chenling nodded thoughtfully. "If only we were enemies. I'd love to see you defeated by me, kneeling and begging for mercy? Or... become my sex slave?"

Zhou Xiye was speechless. How could this person go off on a tangent after only two or three seconds of being serious? Helpless, he turned around, picked up his beer, and took a few sips. Yi Chenling leaned back on the sofa, thought for a moment, and suddenly chuckled, "I thought I was pretty miserable, but seeing you like this makes me feel better."

Zhou Xiye gripped the beer bottle, suppressing his anger. After taking a couple more sips, he realized something was wrong. Yi Chenling was acting strangely tonight. Had Yi Shuyuan told them they were in danger? But judging from internal information, Yi Shuyuan had secured his position as governor of the central bank; his performance was outstanding. Barring any fundamental errors, his hold on the governorship was imminent. How could he be in danger?

Although the Ministry of Finance and the People's Bank of China had a heated verbal battle recently, the central bank ultimately had to obey the government's orders, and Yi Shuyuan didn't provoke anyone he shouldn't have. In the current situation, besides Yi Shuyuan, no one else is qualified to be the governor.

Why was Yi Chenling behaving so strangely? Zhou Xiye glanced at Yi Chenling. Since he was interested in his scars, he might as well use them as bait and see how much he could catch.

"Did you know beforehand that I sent my parents to a mental hospital? Don't you think I was cruel and went too far?"

Yi Chenling nodded. "I know you're ruthless, but I like it."

Zhou Xiye put down his drink and leaned against him on the sofa. "Then do you know why? Why I locked them up in a mental hospital?"

“I know a little, but not much. I looked for you everywhere, but they all said you were no longer at the Beijing Liaison Office and told me to look for you elsewhere. I was like a ball being kicked around, and in the end I had no choice but to come to your house to look for you.”

Yi Chenling put his arm around Zhou Xiye's shoulder. "Actually, you don't have to say it if you don't want to. Our carefree relationship of making love is so wonderful."

Zhou Xiye leaned against him and nodded. "Didn't your dad tell you what was discussed at today's meeting?"

“He didn’t say it, he just secretly told my mom that the situation could become critical at any moment…” Yi Chenling sighed, “If only we could always have this kind of sexual relationship, you wouldn’t have to get married, and neither would I…”

Both of them fell silent.

Where are you going?

Zhou Xiye suddenly asked.

Yi Chenling's arm around her shoulder paused. "I didn't say I was leaving."

"Does your dad think he can't hold onto this position? Or is someone trying to frame him?"

Yi Chenling fell silent. Zhou Xiye sat up from his arms, turned to look at him, and said, "You'd better listen to your father and leave with your mother quickly. One wrong step will lead to another."

For a moment, he was confused. "This is my home, the place where I was born and raised. Where do you want me to go? Where do you want me to go?"

Zhou Xiye smiled helplessly, "If you don't leave here, you could lose your life in serious cases. Think about it, which of the richest people on the rich list didn't eventually escape? You might know that the rich list is commonly known as the 'pig-slaughtering list.' Even Pan Shiyi wanted to leave, but it was too late; he was skinned alive before he could escape. As for Jack Ma, he went back to China to distribute his assets... let alone you. Political struggles can't be solved with money; sometimes they can cost you your life."

"It would be worth dying here."

"It is proud to die for one's country, but it is not worth dying in a power struggle."

Yi Chenling didn't understand, "Then what about you? If you lose, if you lose, will you run away?"

Zhou Xiye fell silent, picked up the cigarette case on the coffee table, poured out a cigarette, and lit it.

A bluish mist shrouded her face. After a long while, she said, "If I lose, then I lose. It's worth dying for. It just means I'm not as good at strategy or luck. More importantly, it's something I love. Dying for it is worthwhile for me." Zhou Xiye turned to look at Yi Chenling. "If you love this land, then live well and fight for it. If you hate power struggles, then stay away from them."

Yi Chenling met her gaze. As Zhou Xiye turned her head to knock out cigarette ash, he hugged her from behind, burying his head in her hair, feeling her warmth and scent. "...I heard you're getting married, is that right? Is it with Zhou Pei?"

Zhou Xiye paused in tapping his cigarette ash.

The night was deep, the wind swept through the branches, and the moon hung motionless.

Beneath the withered branches, bright lights cast the shadows of the branches and the man onto the white walls and green tiles, the shadows swaying in the wind.

The footsteps were light and soft as they entered Hanmei Palace. After a few slow steps, the sound disappeared.

"Teacher Hua, we have a guest."

Hua Chunyang held a paintbrush in her hand, her gaze fixed on the shadow on the wall. Dissatisfied with the man's undulating body lines, she threw down the paintbrush and picked up a towel from the table beside her to wipe her hands.

Who's here?

Pei Zhiyu, Pei Xuncheng's grandson and Pei Weian's son.

Hua Chunyang was taken aback for a moment, then a smile spread across his face as he carefully wiped his fingers. "A rare guest."