Chapter 55 The excitement of All-Star Weekend gradually faded...

The excitement of All-Star Weekend gradually faded, and the end of the year was approaching. Zhao Zhinian's work had noticeably slowed down; Lunar New Year's Eve was on January 22nd, leaving only a few days. At the Yizhan Club, the staff were already restless, and discussions about holiday plans and year-end bonuses filled the corridors.

Zhao Zhinian naturally wanted to go back to Shanghai for the Spring Festival, but the thought of this holiday made her feel a little empty.

My father had called earlier, saying that the overseas project was at a critical stage and that it was highly unlikely he would be able to return to China to reunite with his family this year.

Although her high school friend Lin An'an warmly invited her to her home to celebrate the Lunar New Year together, she thought it over and over and felt it was too much of a disturbance. During the Lunar New Year, she was, after all, an outsider, and it was inevitable that she would feel a little awkward on both sides.

She looked down as she organized the files on her desk, trying to console herself: "The Spring Festival is just one of 365 days."

Moreover, this year is different from previous years. Thinking of this, the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up slightly, after all, she still had to consider Zhou Zekai.

They always meet during the Spring Festival holiday.

Zhao Zhinian's last job before the Lunar New Year was hosting the draw ceremony for the offline challenge. For the CP fans who had been quiet for a long time after the All-Star event, this seemingly insignificant event turned into a long-awaited "after-sales" event.

On the day of the lottery ceremony, Zhao Zhinian wore a simple casual outfit, but the dark green velvet bow in her hair was particularly eye-catching, adding a touch of liveliness and refinement to her.

Soon, sharp-eyed fans recognized it: this was the gift she had asked Zhou Zekai to give to Zhao Zhinian before the All-Star Game. The fan even attached a photo taken when it was finished, and the color, material, style, and many other details matched perfectly.

The only sweet moment during the All-Star game has finally come to a happy ending. CP fans are overjoyed and spreading the news.

"So you guys actually talked and interacted offline!"

"You were acting so polite during the All-Star break, I thought you didn't know me!"

"Fine! You two can love each other secretly and don't care whether we live or die!"

For this draw ceremony, Team Happy's owner, Chen Guo, came alone. Because of her relationship with Yi Zhan, and because Chen Guo had always wanted to get to know Zhao Zhi Nian, the two had already added each other as friends, so they agreed to go to the draw venue together.

This was, after all, just the draw ceremony for the challenge, and the organizers were rather casual about it. Zhao Zhinian was essentially a guest host, bringing her own makeup, hair, and clothing, which is how she got the opportunity to wear the dark green bow that was made by a fan and given to her by Zhou Zekai.

The scene was bustling with excitement. The presence of Sun Xiang and Xiao Shiqin, two All-Star level players from Team Excellent Era, quickly caused a small commotion. Players from other teams swarmed forward to ask for autographs, and the lottery ceremony almost turned into a "Fan Meet and Greet for Excellent Era".

Since there was still time before the show started, Zhao Zhinian, the host, didn't rush to take control of the event. Instead, she chatted with Chen Guo about a recently popular TV series.

Chu Yunxiu recommended this drama to her. Her reason was quite unusual: Chu Yunxiu thought the third male lead looked somewhat like Zhou Zekai, although Zhao Zhinian couldn't see the resemblance no matter how she looked at it—Zhou Zekai wasn't nearly as greasy!

Chu Yunxiu's conversations with her were always like this. Probably because they weren't very familiar with each other yet, they would always have a few awkward exchanges before the conversation would veer off to Zhou Zekai, their gossip-loving intentions practically obvious. However, the drama was indeed well-made, and many people around them were watching it, so she and Chen Guo naturally ended up talking about this topic.

As they were chatting, Sun Xiang, seeing Zhao Zhinian and Chen Guo having such a pleasant conversation, walked over with a hint of provocation: "Oh, so Xingxin isn't good enough, so they're trying to curry favor with the host to get a good draw?"

This statement not only criticizes Happy, but also subtly implies that the league's draw might be unfair. As a professional player, saying such things is really inconsiderate. It's one thing for teams to be at odds with each other, but it shouldn't involve the league.

As Zhao Zhinian pondered how to respond tactfully, Chen Guo, who was constantly influenced by Ye Xiu and Wei Chen, preemptively spoke up. A composed smile graced her face, but her tone was neither humble nor arrogant: "Does Excellent Era not even know that the draw for later is a guest contest? However, we do want to cultivate a good relationship with the host. After all, Happy also wants to invite Zhinian to be the resident host for next year's home games, just like Yi Zhan. As for Excellent Era… I suppose we won't need that connection, since you'll be continuing to play in the Challenger League next year."

These words struck a nerve with Sun Xiang: he had always looked down on the Challenger Series, and now that he was being implied to have to compete again next year, he was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Shiqin had already realized that Sun Xiang had misspoke, and knew that with Sun Xiang's trash-talking skills, he would not get the upper hand against anyone. He quickly stepped forward to smooth things over and pulled away the still somewhat unconvinced Sun Xiang.

The lottery ceremony concluded smoothly, and Zhao Zhinian and Chen Guo went out for dinner. While Zhao Zhinian was looking for Chen Guo, she saw Sun Xiangmei, as if he hadn't learned his lesson, come to provoke Chen Guo again, only to be countered with a witty retort.

Zhao Zhinian couldn't help but chuckle to himself: The nickname "Erxiang" was indeed well-deserved. It must be tough for Xiao Shiqin to have such a teammate. The manager of Excellent Era must be having a real headache dealing with such a formidable opponent every day.

Two days after the lottery ceremony, everyone from Yizhan went home for the New Year. Lou Guanning, as the boss, was very generous, giving out exceptionally generous year-end bonuses. Zhao Zhinian's slightly lonely mood, which was caused by her father's inability to reunite with his family, was instantly soothed by the power of money, and she felt as if she were basking in a spring breeze.

On the day Zhao Zhinian returned to Shanghai, Zhou Zekai happened to have a business event at an internet cafe and couldn't pick her up from the airport. Fortunately, the Spring Festival holiday wasn't long, and she didn't have much luggage. After arriving in Shanghai in the afternoon, she was in a hurry, so she went straight to the company with her suitcase. She had a company annual meeting that she had to attend that evening.

As working people, it's really hard to refuse the annual party without a legitimate reason.

Fortunately, the e-sports sector is still in its development stage within the company and is not a core business. Furthermore, she has been residing in other cities for the past six months, so she can simply enjoy the food as a spectator. The annual meeting's hosting and performances are mainly handled by the company's leaders and a group of real celebrities from the entertainment industry, as they bring their own fan base and popularity, which is more beneficial for the company's publicity.

Zhou Zekai was somewhat sullen about this. He had originally planned to pick Zhao Zhinian up that evening, but Zhao Zhinian considered that the company's annual meeting would attract a lot of media attention, and that the company had previously considered having her ride on Zhou Zekai's popularity, so she didn't want him to show up, lest it cause any unnecessary trouble.

She repeatedly assured him that she would not drink a drop of alcohol, would go home as soon as possible, and promised to meet him the next day, which Zhou Zekai reluctantly agreed to.

That evening, Zhou Zekai received a message from Zhao Zhinian, complaining that the year-end party dishes were flashy and impractical. Her words were filled with grievance. At that moment, she especially missed the taste of the home-style restaurant near her home. Unfortunately, at this time, the owner was probably already closed for the holidays and had gone home for the New Year.

Upon seeing the message, Zhou Zekai immediately had an idea. He asked his mother to carefully pack several of her signature dishes in an insulated food container, then took the spare key Zhao Zhinian had given him and headed straight for her house.

Although I can't pick her up to avoid troubling her, I can wait for her at home and give her a surprise.

Zhou Zekai did not hide the news of his relationship from his family.

His parents had been worried about his marriage, and Zhou's mother had even caught wind of the situation online and found out about Zhao Zhinian's social media accounts.

She followed the gossip with netizens and was extremely satisfied with this girl. In her opinion, although her son was handsome, he was "silent"; while Zhao Zhinian was exactly the kind of "daughter" she had in mind: beautiful, generous, and well-spoken, perfectly complementing her own quiet and reserved son.

She even went through Zhou Zekai's high school photo album, using a magnifying glass to try and find Zhao Zhinian's figure in those yellowed group photos, wishing she could add to the story of this "from school uniform to wedding dress" romance that was circulating online.

Faced with his mother's intense gossip and repeated questioning calls, Zhou Zekai couldn't handle it and had to admit that he was still "pursuing" her.

When he returned home this time, the first thing his parents did was to pin him down on the sofa and press him for updates. With his ears turning red, he told them the truth: "We're together."

Upon learning that Zhao Zhinian's father was unable to return to China due to an overseas project and that she would be spending the New Year alone in Shanghai, Zhou's mother felt heartbroken and immediately wanted to invite her to their home for the holiday: "It's so lonely being alone during the New Year! You should quickly call Zhinian over!"

Zhou Zekai firmly stopped her, arguing that "the two had just started dating, and this would put pressure on her."

Finally, the mother and son compromised and reached a consensus: Zhou Zekai would become a "heartwarming deliveryman" during the Spring Festival and make more trips.

"You don't need to think about home this Spring Festival. Anyway, you won't be able to say much at home." As she spoke, Zhou's mother carefully packed the freshly stewed soup into a thermos, and then instructed Zhou Zekai: "Your primary task this Spring Festival is to be a good deliveryman, and deliver our family's heartfelt wishes and warmth to Zhi Nian. If your boyfriend doesn't accompany you now, when will he?"

In her heart, whether her son comes home for the reunion dinner or not is not important. Taking good care of her "future daughter-in-law" and helping her son "securely win over" this relationship is the most important thing this Spring Festival.

At that moment, Zhou Zekai stood at Zhao Zhinian's door, carrying a heavy food box, and awkwardly searched for his key. Because he didn't use it often, he even turned it the wrong way the first time. Just as he was about to try again, the door was pulled open from the inside.

There shouldn't be anyone at home at this time.

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor. You could vaguely recognize him from his appearance and features; he was probably Zhao Zhinian's father.

Mr. Zhao originally said he might not be able to come back, but his job was resolved ahead of schedule, so he thought he would secretly come back to give his daughter a surprise.

Thus, the two men, both wanting to surprise Zhao Zhinian, were now locked in a subtle stillness, separated by an open door.

Alarm bells rang in Zhou Zekai's mind; this was an absolutely disastrous start!

Did Zhao's father know about their relationship? It seemed rather abrupt for him to show up at the home of the woman's daughter who lived alone with a key.

The worst part is that he's also someone who's bad at explaining himself.

Zhou Zekai's mind raced. His usual calm, analytical mind, capable of finding a breakthrough even under pressure on the field, was now completely blank. He suddenly felt a pang of envy for Huang Shaotian and desperately wanted to remotely tag Jiang Botao. What should he say in this situation? Waiting online, it's urgent.

The heavy food box in his hands felt like it weighed a ton, containing the warmth carefully prepared by Zhou's mother, as well as his current anxiety that he had nowhere to put.

Finally, it was Zhao's father who broke the silence. His gaze lingered for a moment on the conspicuous insulated food container in Zhou Zekai's hand, his tone calm and emotionless: "Zhou Zekai?"

Although his daughter had never formally introduced herself, Mr. Zhao had been following her activities from abroad and naturally noticed the frequently appearing name. Furthermore, his daughter had previously called to say she wanted to give someone a Yun brand gift for their birthday, and Zhou Zekai's birthday happened to coincide with that. Now, his daughter had even bought it and was showing up at their door with the key. He could now guess the relationship between the young man and his daughter with a high degree of certainty.

"Yes," Zhou Zekai replied almost reflexively, his voice slightly hoarse from nervousness. He immediately added, "Hello, Uncle."

Mr. Zhao nodded slightly and stepped aside to make way: "Come in and let's talk."

Zhou Zekai felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly pulled out the key and then walked into this space, which he had clearly been to before, but now felt completely unfamiliar. The light from the entryway fell on his shoulders, and he took each step with extra caution.

"Sit down." Father Zhao gestured to the sofa in the living room and sat down in the main seat first, his posture calm yet exuding an air of authority.

Zhou Zekai sat down as instructed, his back straight and his hands neatly placed on his knees. His upright posture resembled that of a primary school student waiting for a teacher's reprimand.

Mr. Zhao calmly sized up the young man before him: he was even more upright than in the competition videos and online photos, and his appearance was indeed one in a million. But his mouth, as netizens had said… was even more silent than he had imagined.

A subtle silence fell over the living room, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock.

Seeing Zhou Zekai's nervous expression, Zhao's father's gaze fell on the insulated food box that Zhou Zekai had carefully placed on the coffee table, and he finally broke the silence: "What is this?"

“The food I brought from home,” Zhou Zekai replied immediately. He paused, trying to organize his thoughts, “Chinen said… the food at the company’s annual party wasn’t to his liking, and he wanted to eat home-cooked meals.”

This answer brought a barely perceptible softening to Zhao's father's eyes. He picked up the water glass on the coffee table, took a sip, and asked casually, "You two are friends? Chinen gave you the keys; he trusts you a lot."

Faced with Zhao's father's seemingly casual yet sharp question, Zhou Zekai's ears turned red visibly. He opened his mouth, the words "We're dating" swirling around on his lips several times. He didn't want to lie, yet he worried that it would be abrupt for him to reveal their relationship. After all, he wasn't sure if Zhao Zhinian had already told her father, and letting a father learn about his daughter's relationship from an outsider was ultimately not the most appropriate way.

Finally, he raised his eyes and decided to be honest about his feelings, choosing the simplest and most sincere answer: "I like her."

Mr. Zhao paused slightly, holding his water glass. He hadn't expected such an answer, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, quickly turning into a deeper smile. He put down the glass, looked at the young man before him, whose ears were flushed from his honesty, and finally stopped beating around the bush. He took out another cloud-shaped token and asked to confirm, "Have you seen this before?"

Zhou Zekai nodded and immediately took out his own piece from around his neck: "A gift from Chinen."

The fact that Zhou Zekai wore the pendants on his person reassured Zhao's father. He gazed at the two cloud-shaped pendants side by side on the coffee table, his eyes becoming distant, as if he could see some warm memories through them. After a long while, he slowly spoke: "These cloud pendants were custom-made by her mother and me back then."

His fingertips gently traced the pattern on one of the pieces: "It's not particularly valuable, but it's very meaningful to us."

Although Zhou Zekai already knew the origin of Yunpai, he listened quietly with focused attention.

Although Zhou Zekai already knew the origin of Yunpai, he still sat upright and listened attentively.

“Her mother always liked to joke when she was alive…” Zhao’s father’s voice was filled with tender remembrance, “When Chinen finds the person she wants to spend her life with, she will give these two cloud-shaped plaques to them. Her mother and I had a very good relationship, but times have changed, and I don’t know whether it is good or bad for Chinen to take our generation’s relationship as a reference.”

His gaze fell back on Zhou Zekai, carrying an unspoken meaning: "Chinen gave you one of its pieces; that in itself is an attitude."

"I will treat her well..." Zhou Zekai took a deep breath, wanting to make a solemn promise, but felt that any words seemed pale at this moment.

As if understanding his thoughts, Zhao's father smiled gently and interrupted him: "Don't rush to promise me anything. Relationships are something that develops slowly and steadily. No one can predict the future. I just hope you cherish her feelings. When the relationship encounters difficulties, think about the seriousness you are showing right now. After all, not everyone can gain such trust from the very beginning."

“If…if one day you find that your feelings have changed, please…” Zhao’s father paused, his voice low but clear: “You must return her to us intact. Let’s part amicably. Don’t waste her, don’t let her wither. This is my only request of you.”

Zhou Zekai nodded, his voice not loud, but each word clear: "I will prove my feelings for her."