Chapter 12
Chapter summary: "God help me, please don't let her boss find out."
After seeing Rong Xiaodan off, the armored truck arrived.
After the armored truck leaves, the surveillance cameras, computers, and fire hydrants must be checked one by one.
Ni Zhenzhen usually takes this opportunity to tidy up, since it's her workplace. In some ways, she spends more time here than at home, so keeping it clean and tidy makes her feel better.
However, today, Ni Zhenzhen tidied up the cables next to the computer again.
While at work, Qian Lina almost tripped over a dangling power line, and the pile of cardboard boxes next to her was always blocking her way, so Ni Zhenzhen moved them to a different place.
After confirming that everything was alright, the two turned off the lights, locked the door, and said goodbye to each other.
When Ni Zhenzhen arrived home, Xu Tianzhou had not yet returned.
Xu Tianzhou has work meals and rarely eats at home. If she's alone, Ni Zhenzhen doesn't really want to cook, especially since she has a multi-million dollar marketing task hanging over her head.
Before today, Ni Zhenzhen still held onto a sliver of hope, firmly believing that as long as she worked hard enough, she would surely be blessed by heaven. However, after today's experience, she realized how naive her thoughts were.
Even without Rong Xiaodan's reminder, she knew very well that compared to the customers at the counter, her classmates from international schools were her best resource.
Unfortunately, Rong Xiaodan only knew one side of the story.
The wealthier a person is, the earlier they will have established partnerships with banks and financial managers. The interests involved are deeply intertwined and are probably not something she can easily shake.
Asking for a little money is fine, but what's the difference between that and begging?
Ni Zhenzhen changed her clothes, washed her face, and then threw herself onto the checkered sofa.
The sound of piano practice coming from next door on time, intermittent like a merciless hand that always grabs your neck just when you're about to take a deep breath. Not long after, the sounds of gunfire from a war drama follow.
Ni Zhenzhen buried her face in her knees, exhausted, and kept comforting herself, "There must be another way."
Xu Tianzhou is finally back.
He complained as soon as he entered the room, "It's so cold."
Ni Zhenzhen also said, "It looks like it's going to snow."
The weather this year is particularly strange. Just a few days ago it was scorching hot, but now the temperature has dropped. The leaves haven't even all fallen yet, but a heavy snow is already quietly brewing.
Ni Zhenzhen quickly found some warm clothes. That's the good thing about the small house—it's easy to find anything. Of course, the disadvantages are also obvious: besides one warm coat for each person, there's not much room for anything else.
The down jacket in Ni Zhenzhen's hand was bought when she was studying abroad. At that time, she had no concept of money. If the same style came in different colors, she would buy them all if she liked them. Now she can't do that anymore. She can't even remember the last time she bought clothes.
Xu Tianzhou was washing up in the bathroom when Ni Zhenzhen quietly ran over and hugged him from behind. After Xu Tianzhou let out a muffled groan, she couldn't stop laughing.
"Hey, let me ask you a question," Ni Zhenzhen teased. "How much money have you saved?"
Xu Tianzhou gave a number.
Ni Zhenzhen nodded, "I'm about the same."
She pressed her face against Xu Tianzhou's broad back, secretly calculating how much she still had to make a down payment on the house, and then inevitably thought about the marketing tasks at the bank.
The director is right, this is indeed a great opportunity to make money, and she must seize it.
Seemingly sensing her unusual behavior, Xu Tianzhou, having finished washing up, took her hand, which was resting in front of him, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Ni Zhenzhen raised her head, her cheeks flushed a faint pink from Xu Tianzhou's body heat.
She pressed her face against Xu Tianzhou's clothes again, her voice soft yet firm, "We'll soon have our own home."
"Really?" Xu Tianzhou looked at himself in the mirror and silently curved the corners of his lips.
The cold wave came suddenly and fiercely. The whole city has not yet officially turned on the heating. The rooms are cold everywhere, except for the blankets, which are still warm.
Just as Ni Zhenzhen was getting into bed and was drifting off to sleep, her phone rang.
Xu Tianzhou, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but frown. Why would someone make a phone call at this time?
Presumably it must be someone very important, Ni Zhenzhen not only immediately crawled out of the covers, but also sat up straight with a tense expression, and her attitude when answering the phone was exceptionally good.
She nodded for a while, then said "no problem" several times.
After hanging up the phone, Ni Zhenzhen showed no displeasure at being disturbed; in fact, she was so excited she almost jumped for joy.
She immediately jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put on her slippers, and hurriedly said, "I need to go out for a bit."
"Go out?" Xu Tianzhou, who had been leaning against the headboard reading a book, suddenly sat up, a hint of surprise showing on his usually expressionless face.
"The customer wants me to go there now to install ETC."
"So late?"
"There's nothing I can do. He usually has to deliver goods, and this is the only time he's free." Ni Zhenzhen glanced at the time and said thankfully, "Luckily, there's still the subway."
What if we come back?
Ni Zhenzhen thought for a moment, "We'll have to take a taxi."
Xu Tianzhou knew this would happen.
He leaned back against the headboard, laughed out loud without restraint, and bluntly asked, "Is your commission enough for a taxi?" How can you do that? You have to pay out of pocket to do a single deal?
Ni Zhenzhen hurriedly threw on her coat and explained as she put on her shoes, "I can't worry about that now. It's not easy to get this business deal, and I already agreed to it."
She turned and opened the door, and a blast of cold air hit her. Despite being mentally prepared, she still couldn't help but shiver.
"You should go to sleep first," Ni Zhenzhen said, leaning over.
"Hey..." Xu Tianzhou wanted to say something, but the door slammed shut, not giving him the chance.
Ni Zhenzhen rushed over in a flurry and then hurried back, arriving half an hour earlier than expected.
The neighbors were all asleep, and the hallway was pitch black.
Ni Zhenzhen went upstairs, carefully opened the door, quickly washed up, and went to the bedroom.
She deliberately didn't turn on the light, but tiptoed closer and then touched it with her hand.
To my surprise, instead of touching the corner of the blanket, I touched a warm and strong hand.
Before she could react, that hand had already gripped hers.
Their fingers were intertwined, and with a pull and a tug, Ni Zhenzhen instinctively gasped as she found herself encircled in Xu Tianzhou's arms.
Ni Zhenzhen found it strange. Xu Tianzhou should have been sleeping on the other side of the bed, so how come he came to this side after only a short while?
Ni Zhenzhen hadn't yet escaped from one quagmire when she unexpectedly stumbled into Xu Tianzhou's deep, cold voice.
"You're back?"
Xu Tianzhou closed his eyes, his chin rubbing back and forth on Ni Zhenzhen's shoulder. She exuded a chill, even the ends of her hair were cold.
Ni Zhenzhen apologized profusely, "Did I wake you up?"
"I'm not asleep."
Xu Tianzhou said this with his eyes still closed.
Since Xu Tianzhou was still awake, Ni Zhenzhen excitedly told him about a strange thing.
"You won't believe it, but when I was coming back, I was supposed to take a taxi, but the app showed it was a Hyundai, and a Mercedes actually came."
Ni Zhenzhen had heard of stories about encountering luxury cars while taking a taxi, but she always thought they were just made-up stories and never imagined that such a thing would actually happen to her.
"Really?" Xu Tianzhou was also quite surprised, but he still didn't open his eyes. Instead, he slowly uttered two words, "Fishing?"
"Fishing?" Ni Zhenzhen didn't understand.
Where are you going fishing so late? Besides, she didn't see any fishing gear.
In a flash, Ni Zhenzhen realized that Xu Tianzhou meant it that way.
Ni Zhenzhen broke free from his embrace, glanced at him sideways, and said with a helpless tone, "The driver is a woman."
"A woman?" Xu Tianzhou opened his eyes, propping his forehead with his hand, looking puzzled. "Didn't you ask her why she drives for a ride-hailing service?"
"I asked." Ni Zhenzhen lay down next to Xu Tianzhou, a comforting warmth washing over her, and she felt sleepy again.
Ni Zhenzhen yawned. "She said the car belongs to the company, and since gas is free, she came out to earn some extra money."
"Is that so?" Xu Tianzhou smiled without any attempt to hide it.
That laugh instantly banished Ni Zhenzhen's sleepiness.
Xu Tianzhou rarely smiled, but this smile was extremely unusual. It was a smile that could tear through the darkness before one's eyes, a smile that could not be described in any language.
In the darkness, Ni Zhenzhen unconsciously paused for a moment. Soon, she heard Xu Tianzhou say jokingly, "Her boss would be furious if he found out."
“Yes, that’s true.” Ni Zhenzhen nodded seriously.
In a way, it helped her, and Ni Zhenzhen was genuinely worried about the other person.
She crossed her arms over her chest, closed her eyes, and solemnly said, "God help me, please don't let her boss know."
Xu Tianzhou laughed even louder.
Ni Zhenzhen was completely confused. "What are you laughing at?"
Xu Tianzhou shook his head, his few words broken as he suppressed a laugh, "N-nothing."
“Oh…” Ni Zhenzhen drawled out the sound.
She sat up abruptly, adopting an interrogative posture, and threatened, "Are you laughing at me for being stupid?"
Xu Tianzhou was about to lose his temper.
Ni Zhenzhen never dreamed that the "ride-hailing driver's" boss not only knew, but that she herself had told him.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Ni Zhenzhen started scratching him all over, while pressing him, "Tell me, is that right?"
Xu Tianzhou couldn't take it anymore. He suddenly hugged Ni Zhenzhen and said in a hoarse voice, "Stop messing around."
Ni Zhenzhen obediently stopped moving.
She was exhausted after a day filled with marketing tasks and running around.
Outside the window, snowflakes drifted down. Ni Zhenzhen closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, while Xu Tianzhou opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, his eyes clear.
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