Chapter 27 Your wife has plans for tonight, maybe around noon. ...

The fact that the main character was there to celebrate the New Year was so incredibly impressive that by the time everyone realized it, Zhu Qingzhi's figure had already blended into the night.

"55555, my wife is so cute!!! I have to post this on my WeChat Moments right now to show off!"

"I could love her for another five hundred years!"

"Isn't my wife cold? She's only wearing so little."

Then someone clicked on Zhu Qingzhi's Weibo and made a sharp, explosive comment: "My wife made this cake for us herself!"

Zhu Qingzhi's latest Weibo post features a selfie of her wearing a chef's hat, with a half-finished cake arranged in the shape of a rose next to her.

"I still have some left to eat, I want to take a few more pictures!" Everyone chimed in, but none of them consciously went downstairs to chase after Zhu Qingzhi.

Amidst the noise, Nuomizhou skillfully opened the chat window with the studio because of a picture that Zhu Qingzhi had recently commented on—a group photo she had taken of her fans downstairs.

A strange thought arose in Nuomizhou's mind, so she directly edited a message and sent it out: 【Did Qingzhi prepare everything herself today?】

Studio: [Yes, but not just today~]

[Are the expenses reimbursed by the studio?]

Studio: [No, Xiao Zhu will reimburse you~]

Nuomizhou felt that she, as the president of the fan club, was really too insensitive. Holding her phone, she didn't know what expression to make to express her feelings.

At that moment, another message popped up on my phone: [Click on the group photo for a surprise!]

I randomly clicked on a picture of the glutinous rice porridge, zoomed in and out several times, but I couldn't find the focus at all. All I could see was the cake that Zhu Qingzhi had made.

"President, I'm so happy!!" The little girl next to her saw that she was a bit stunned and assumed that she was just as overjoyed as the others.

Nuomizhou recognized her immediately as the girl from the entertainment awards ceremony: "Quick, help me see if there's any surprise in the group photo?"

Everyone was looking down, editing their captions to post on social media. The private room was quiet, so everyone heard what Nuomizhou said. They all opened their phone albums at the same time, but there was nothing wrong with taking a group photo.

Nuomizhou had a sudden inspiration and immediately opened the photos taken before the group photo was taken. Finally, in the photo taken at the moment the cake entered the door, she spotted a familiar figure.

Song Yunyou was even more excited than her: "My wife sent us a cake?!"

On New Year's Day, the happiest fan group was undoubtedly "Rose". That night, all major social media platforms were filled with fan-submitted photos.

The most popular post was a Weibo post with three photos titled "May you have this day every year".

One photo shows Zhu Qingzhi intently spreading cream on a cake, her profile visible.

One photo shows her from behind, wearing a uniform, taking pictures of her fans.

One photo shows her standing downstairs, waving goodbye to her fans.

The blogger was also quite funny, only replying to the top comment, "My wife is so cute! So many kisses!" with just one sentence: "My wife."

Upon entering the homepage, fans discovered that the blogger had only posted two Weibo posts in total.

The first post was that amazing picture of "Zhu Qingzhi holding up the trophy"—having such an exclusive first-hand photo definitely shows someone with connections and true love!

So everyone started making jokes and memes in the blogger's replies.

[Your wife is your wife, just post more pictures!]

[You mean your wife? Send me some other pictures.]

[The person upstairs's scheme backfired, blinding me! So even if I showed it to them, I couldn't see it. The blogger isn't at a disadvantage!]

Zhu Qingzhi almost burst out laughing as she read these comments in the car. Indeed, there are always many viewers in real life!

It was just past midnight, and there weren't many people returning home. The journey was relatively smooth. After getting on the ring expressway, Wen Qi drove even faster and arrived home in a short time.

Just as Zhu Qingzhi was about to push open the door and get out of the car, Wen Qi locked it.

"...No way, brother, aren't you always the one in a hurry to get off the bus?" She turned around and gave him a questioning smile.

His cold, hard profile, bathed in the warm glow of the courtyard lights, made him look like a god. Wen Qi rested one hand on the steering wheel, seemingly pondering for a few seconds before reaching into the storage compartment beside him and taking out a blue velvet jewelry box: "I just bought it on a whim, I don't know if you'll like it."

The jewelry box was small and lightweight, and the way it was handed over was casual, as if it hadn't been prepared on purpose.

"You don't need to spend money on any gifts, I really..." Zhu Qingzhi said she didn't need them, but her actions spoke louder than words, especially the moment she opened the jewelry box, her tone suddenly changed, "Thank you, brother!"

What a casual gesture! And that casual gesture is the pair of pink and blue diamond earrings that sold for a whopping 60 million at Sotheby's auction just a few days ago.

Zhu Qingzhi held the earrings, examining them intently in the courtyard light. They were so beautiful! It was absolutely impossible for her to return them now, but she really hadn't prepared a gift for Wen Qi.

It wasn't just because he gave her a gift; based on his actions today, she really should thank him. Besides, verbal thanks are too casual; there needs to be something more substantial. But she had absolutely no preparation whatsoever!

Zhu Qingzhi felt a little guilty, scratched the tip of her nose, and prepared to put on an act: "Are you still busy lately? Will you need to sleep at the company from now on?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just that if you're not too busy, I thought I'd treat you to dinner tomorrow?"

"I have plans for tonight, so how about noon?" she said haltingly and stammeringly, but Wen Qi agreed without hesitation and with ease.

She was completely powerless to resist: "Fine, then I'll..."

"However, I have a meeting this afternoon, and I only have an hour at noon. I'll talk to my assistant now, and you can come to my company to find me tomorrow, okay?" Wen Qi had already picked up his phone and sent a notification to his assistant.

He'd already made all the arrangements before asking her if she could do it? Just because she can't now doesn't mean she really can't! And of course, she can't back down! She certainly can't refuse.

"OK."

*

After winning the Hai Chao Award, Zhu Qingzhi received several more scripts for big productions. After careful selection, she settled on a period drama adapted from a major IP.

Zhu Qingzhi had just signed the contract today, and the producer took the opportunity to ask her to have lunch together.

Lunch? Although she didn't like eating with producers and investors, she always felt awkward.

She could tell the difference between an awkward and very awkward situation by having dinner with Wen Qi today, but before she could even speak, Yang Qing declined, citing "other work commitments."

After the other party left, Dani carefully reviewed the schedule, thinking she had overlooked it, and asked, "Director Yang, is there anything else scheduled for lunch?"

"It's about the dating reality show." Yang Qing said without changing his expression. "We're planning to put it on the agenda soon, so I arranged to meet with a few directors at noon."

"Oh, okay." Dani suddenly realized, and while packing her things, she said to Zhu Qingzhi, "Then let's go eat together, and then..."

Yang Qing didn't let her finish speaking: "Manager Liang, you'll come with me. After all, it's a film produced by Chaoxing Investment, and Zhu Qingzhi is an observer."

"Oh, okay." Dani immediately forgot all about Zhu Qingzhi. "Then you can make your own arrangements."

Fine, it's just having a meal with Wen Qi, what's wrong with that!

The midday rush hour hadn't even started yet. Even if Zhu Qingzhi dawdled, it was only 11:10 when she arrived at the Wen Group building.

On WeChat, Wen Qi's profile picture has been pinned to the top. This is the second request Wen Qi casually made when she got out of the car after she said "okay" yesterday. What else can we do?

Of course, she said "okay" again.

【I have arrived. 】

She had barely sent the message when she received a reply: "I'm in a meeting. I'll send someone to pick you up."

Zhu Qingzhi felt like she was doing something wrong. In the 25-degree temperature-controlled lobby of the Wen Group, she was wrapped in several layers of clothing. After the receptionist cast countless questioning glances at her, she finally heard a series of hurried footsteps.

"Miss Zhu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." The greeting was not loud, and the young man in a suit greeted her with a smile. He was the same one who had driven to the villa on the hillside to pick up Wen Qi that day. "I am Mr. Wen's assistant, Xiao Ao. Mr. Wen is in a meeting. I will take you upstairs."

Zhu Qingzhi had no time to pay attention to how Xiao Ao addressed her, nor did she notice the shocked expression on the receptionist's face. All she could think about was how incredibly hot it was!

They took a private elevator and traveled smoothly all the way. After exiting the elevator, there was a glass corridor, where they could hear busy phone calls and hurried footsteps.

Zhu Qingzhi didn't dare to look up, because she clearly sensed that the elevator went silent the moment she stepped out.

Xiao Ao, who was leading the way, wasn't much better off. All the eyes that were being cast at him were the prelude to his older siblings pulling his ear and trying to get him to reveal secrets.

He forced himself to remain calm and led Zhu Qingzhi into Wen Qi's office, strictly adhering to the principle of "don't ask what you shouldn't ask." After saying only a few necessary words, he gently closed the door.

Almost the instant Xiao Ao left the house, Zhu Qingzhi threw off her hat, scarf, and coat, her hair a mess, and grabbed a magazine from the table to fan herself frantically.

Then, a paused "Excuse me" seemed to bring time to a standstill.

Xiao Ao never expected that in the less than 30 seconds it took him to go out and come back, this woman had managed to peel the zongzi, a very difficult task.

An unspeakable awkwardness filled the air. It seemed as if a flock of crows flew overhead. Suddenly, Zhu Qingzhi waved her magazine a few times in the air and said, "It looks like there are mosquitoes."

...What a lame excuse, but as a qualified assistant, he has to solve the customer's problem once they have made a request!

Xiao Ao strode to the filing cabinet, opened the door, squatted down, and, under Zhu Qingzhi's watchful gaze, slowly plugged in the electric mosquito repellent.

He breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, but maintained a calm smile on his face as he continued with the procedure: "Miss Zhu, would you like pear juice or orange juice?"

"No need, I'll have some water." Zhu Qingzhi seemed to pause for a few seconds, then lowered her head, twisted open the bottle of mineral water on the table, and brought it to her lips. "When is he coming back?"

Xiao Ao nodded, then glanced at his watch: "The meeting is a bit delayed. President Wen will be up when it's over."

Zhu Qingzhi nodded as well.

Xiao Ao's foot had already moved to the door: "I'll go arrange lunch."

"Okay, okay, thank you for your help, Assistant Xiao." Zhu Qingzhi had already sat down with a bottle of mineral water in her hand.

Xiao Ao's body was already halfway over the door: "It's no trouble at all, Miss Zhu, this is my job."

Zhu Qingzhi gave him a long, respectful look as he walked away, saying, "Okay, okay."

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Author's Note: Kiyoshi [glasses]: I want to escape :)

Wen Qi [clapping]: Well done!

Xiao Ao [shut up]: Okay, okay

The author [laughs loudly]: All this desperate effort to gain attention is for love [winking mischievously].