0072 81 Suspension Bridge Effect
On duty, Zhou Xiye saw Ai Jianshe wandering aimlessly in the corridor with a teacup as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.
"Happy New Year, Teacher Ai!" Zhou Xiye greeted first. Ai Jianshe put his hands behind his back, nodded, and said, "Happy New Year." He then smacked his cheeks and looked Zhou Xiye up and down. "Why haven't you gained weight over the New Year?"
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "I was busy visiting relatives and friends during the Spring Festival. Teacher Ai, how was your holiday?"
Ai Jianshe frowned. He was a little unaccustomed to Zhou Xiye's sudden politeness. "It's fine... The students will probably be back soon. If anyone needs help, please help them out. I'll just take a look and leave."
Zhou Xiye nodded and went into her office. Before she could even sit down, Ye Rouxin called. She answered, "What is it?"
"Everyone's saying my girlfriend is getting married, but unfortunately, I'm not the groom..."
Zhou Xiye rubbed his temples. He had gotten rid of Yi Chenling last night, so why had Ye Rouxin become so difficult to deal with? "Where are you? I'm on duty today. Do you have time to have lunch together?"
"Tsk... Unfortunately, I am not in the capital."
Listening to Ye Rouxin's words, she could imagine the person opposite her practically squinting with disbelief. "Don't try to fool me. It's just after the New Year, why aren't you in Beijing anymore?"
The person on the other end sighed, "Ye Lifeng kicked me out of the country. It happened yesterday, Beijing time."
"Why?" Zhou Xiye had attended many gatherings yesterday and didn't have time to find out what was going on.
"Who knows...? Maybe they think I went to the Ling family's wedding behind his back..."
Zhou Xiye chuckled, scribbling on the paper with a pen in his hand, occasionally glancing up at the courtyard outside the window. "If you ask me, can't you just have a peaceful life for now? After the New Year, you can do whatever you want. Besides, the Two Sessions are about to start. Even if you're not allowed to stay in Beijing, you won't be kicked out."
"I'm used to it. I'm in Panama now. Is there anything you want? I'll give it to you as a birthday present."
Zhou Xiye thought about it carefully for a moment, "Panama? What are you going there for?"
"Never mind that, just tell me if you want a gift or not?" Ye Rouxin paused. "Does Guixia want one? I don't think you drink coffee very often..."
"To be realistic, I'd be happy if you just gave me a Panama bank account with a few million in it."
Ye Rouxin laughed heartily on the other end of the phone, "How did you know I opened an account for you in Panama? I deposited $1 into your account."
Zhou Xiye sighed, "I hope you have a great time in Panama."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xiye looked down at the scribbles on the paper. After a few seconds, she composed herself, crumpled the scrap paper into a ball, and threw it into the trash can. A few minutes later, Zhou Xiye took out her phone and dialed a number.
When Zhou Qiming received Zhou Xiye's call, he was in the bathroom, flushing the toilet. Holding his phone, he saw the Beijing-marked local number, immediately recognizing it as a call from within the system. He hesitated for a moment, then, without bothering to flush, prepared a smiling expression and answered the phone.
"Hello... This is Zhou Qiming."
The next second, Zhou Xiye's irritating voice came from the other end of the phone, "Zhou Qiming? Are you grinning from ear to ear?"
Zhou Qiming swallowed hard, his smile fading. "Miss Zhou, is there anything I can help you with?"
Are you free tonight? Let's go to Universal Studios, I've never been before.
Zhou Qiming didn't quite understand why Zhou Xiye suddenly asked him out. Wasn't it enough that she used Pei Zhiyu to put him down that night? Zhou Qiming sniffed and smelled a foul odor, then raised his hand and pressed the flush button.
“Ms. Zhou, I think there might be some misunderstanding between us, something I didn’t explain clearly…”
Zhou Xiye immediately interrupted him, "I'll pick you up after get off work tonight. Behave yourself and wait for me at home. I know where you live, where your workplace is, and where your parents live, so don't run away."
Zhou Qiming gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, but his tone remained very polite, "Okay, I'll wait for you at home."
It seems some things need to be said face-to-face… Zhou Qiming walked out of the bathroom and lay down on the bed. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead. He understood—Zhou Xiye was forcing him to buy her! She was someone who knew how to play games and understood subtext; how could she not understand what he meant? Pretending not to understand his refusal was clearly coercion.
Zhou Qiming had to go and see what Zhou Xiye was up to. Could it be that she had fallen for him? Were those two instances of her deliberately condemning and scolding him all out of affection, to leave a deep impression on him?
Thinking about it that way, it seemed to make sense. Zhou Qiming chuckled, sat up, and walked to the mirror. He looked at his face from right to left. Although he couldn't compare to Pei Zhiyu, he was still quite attractive. Did Zhou Xiye really like this kind of thing?
Zhou Qiming laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.
To be honest, Zhou Xiye didn't understand why Zhou Qiming maintained a strange smile after getting into the car. His voice was gentle, but his behavior was odd. Zhou Xiye drove them to Universal Studios.
She parked the car and entered the park. She stopped when she saw the sign Zhou Xiye often saw in movies.
"What, do you want me to take a picture for you?"
Zhou Xiye shook her head. She rarely had the chance to come to an amusement park, and seeing things she loved as a child made her feel a little sentimental. "No need, let's go ride the pirate ship instead."
Zhou Qiming frowned. "Does Universal Studios have a pirate ship?"
Zhou Xiye strode forward, tossing out, "If I say it's there, then it's there!"
There weren't many people in line, so Zhou Xiye pulled Zhou Qiming to sit at the very back of the pirate ship. "This is the most thrilling spot, just like a roller coaster."
Zhou Qiming was a little nervous. He gripped the grab bar, and the safety equipment in front was lowered, causing the boat to start to rock slightly.
What's the reasoning behind that?
Zhou Xiye said calmly, "The first row of the roller coaster is not exciting at all. The most exciting seats are the last row."
"Really?" Zhou Qiming's hair was ruffled by the wind, and Zhou Xiye nodded firmly, her black hair also flying as the boat rocked. "It's true. By the way, what are your thoughts on our relationship? Do you want to be with me?"
Zhou Qiming pursed his lips, half-closed his eyes, and looked at the raised hull of the ship in front of him. What followed was a feeling of weightlessness that pulled at every cell in his body.
“I’ve thought it over, and I think we’re a perfect match, both in terms of family background and abilities,” Zhou Xiye’s calm voice rang in his ear, her hand gently resting on the back of his hand. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Zhou Qiming couldn't speak; his toes were curled up inside his shoes.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiye raised her hand and turned his head, making him look at her. Zhou Qiming's eyes widened as he looked at Zhou Xiye, whose red lips, black hair, beautiful, clear eyes, high nose bridge, and indescribable charm, gentle yet sharp, were captivating.
The boat was rocking, and as it rocked, Zhou Qiming's heart raced and his breathing became rapid. Zhou Xiye had just drifted into his heart.
"Tell me, are you willing to marry me?"
Zhou Qiming licked his lips. "Ah... Is it a bit too fast to get married all at once? You haven't gotten to know me yet, and I don't know you either. Getting married so casually is irresponsible to both of us."
Zhou Xiye let go of her hand. "How do you know? Shall we go to a hotel later? I'm pretty picky about sex, but otherwise I'm fine."
The sound wasn't too loud or too soft, and the people in front, not caring much, let out two "Awooo—Awooo—" cries.
The boat stopped, and Zhou Qiming stepped off, his legs trembling. Zhou Xiye helped him up and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
"Not bad..." Zhou Qiming took a deep breath. "Let's go, next one..."
"Next, let's go ride the roller coaster."
Zhou Qiming stopped in his tracks. "Miss Zhou, this is Universal Studios."
Zhou Xiye crossed his arms and said, "What's wrong with Universal Studios? Doesn't it have roller coasters? Then it's not a proper amusement park."
"..."
"Shall we go see Harry Potter? Or Transformers?"
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "Roller coaster."
On the roller coaster, Zhou Xiye remained calm, as if he were sitting in a car moving smoothly. "Zhou Qiming, let me make this clear first, I don't like children. If you want children, you can find other women to have them. I don't mind, but the children have to take my surname."
Zhou Qiming felt like vomiting and shook his head.
"Why should I take my surname? I've been so magnanimous, letting you have children with other women, so you should be magnanimous too. Let me decide on this little matter of the child's name. I'm raising your child with other women, so you should give me something in return. I don't want anything else, just let the child take my surname."
Zhou Qiming shook his head again, firstly because he didn't want to listen to Zhou Xiye, and secondly because he refused to agree.
Zhou Xiye looked at him with a smile, "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes!"
After a few seconds, Zhou Xiye continued, "We won't have a wedding, it's unnecessary. Just getting a marriage certificate will suffice. And then, I think, since we're in a partnership, we should each go back to our own homes and visit our own mothers during holidays. I haven't thought about the bride price yet. If I ask for it, it would objectify women; if I don't, your parents will definitely think there's something wrong with me. I'll end up pleasing neither side..."
Zhou Qiming was in a daze as he listened to Zhou Xiye talk about marriage, the wedding, and children... He didn't want his marriage to be decided in less than two minutes, like a rollercoaster ride.
But he really felt unwell. Zhou Qiming threw up as soon as he got off the roller coaster. Zhou Xiye bought two bottles of water and sat on a wooden bench to wait for him. She handed him one bottle and drank the other herself.
After Zhou Qiming finally calmed down a bit, Zhou Xiye looked at him seriously and said, "I think you shouldn't have children in this condition. Your genes are very problematic. Even if my genes are good, it's like the lottery or the stock market of genes. The child you have will definitely hate you."
Zhou Qiming laughed in anger, "Zhou Xiye, are you here to talk about marriage or not?"
Zhou Xiye nodded, "Yes, I am expressing my demands, and you can express your demands too."
Why not have children?
"If you want to have a child, then have one yourself. I'm not stopping you from having one."
"If you didn't give birth to me, where would your children come from?"
"You mean you came to me just to have a child?" Zhou Xiye raised an eyebrow. "Get this straight, if you want to have a child, you're the one begging me to do it, not acting like a big shot. I haven't fallen to the point where I have to beg you to have my child."
"...That's not what I meant. I was just saying, why get married if you're not going to have children?"
Zhou Xiye laughed when he heard this, "You're going on blind dates just to get married and have kids?"
"Otherwise what?"
Zhou Xiye looked at him with disdain, but before she could say anything, her phone rang.
She answered the phone, "Yes, it's me."
A few seconds later, Zhou Xiye glanced at Zhou Qiming, turned around to answer the phone, and asked, "Minister Ye, are you serious?"
"I don't think this is appropriate... I know him, but I don't know him very well..."
Zhou Xiye turned his head to look at Zhou Qiming, and he quickly looked down and took out his phone.
A few seconds later, Zhou Xiye hung up the phone. "It's late, shall we go out for dinner and talk over there?"
"You won't agree to a single one of my conditions?"
Zhou Qiming paused, seemingly amused by Zhou Xiye's words. He walked up to her, looked down at her, and said, "Zhou Xiye, if you set out your conditions, how many men would agree to them? Yes, there's a certain element of mutual benefit involved in our marriage, but you can't step on my head, can you?"
Zhou Xiye smiled at him and said casually, "These kinds of things are about who's stronger and who's weaker. It's either you listen to me or I listen to you. Absolute fairness doesn't exist in a relationship." He stood up and said, "Since that's the case, there's no need for us to continue talking. Let's end it here."
As Zhou Qiming watched Zhou Xiye's retreating figure disappear into the crowd, he suddenly felt absurd. He quickly took a few steps and grabbed her wrist. "You've always been the one making demands about marriage; I haven't brought it up yet."
“This isn’t a negotiation. If you want to marry me, you have to abide by my rules,” Zhou Xiye said, pulling his hand away and waving his phone. “I have someone else.”
The city was stained with ink. Zhou Qiming watched Zhou Xiye leave, his eyes filled with unspeakable anger.
"Zhou Xiye, you'll regret this!"
Zhou Xiye carried him on her back, waving her hand, without stopping.
Wangyue Villa.
The gate opened, and the guard led Zhou Xiye inside. The car stopped in front of an ordinary villa. Before Zhou Xiye could get out of the car, he saw a shadow float out of the house. Zhou Xiye was not surprised to see this person; it was Pei Zhiyu's mother, Pei Weian.
"Xiao Zhou? I've heard of you. You're quite capable and have a good character."
This was the first thing Pei Wei'an said to her, with a smile on his face, but he didn't take Zhou Xiye's outstretched hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
