"Mom, I'm fine!" Zhou Yuanyuan was a little dazed. Zhou Yuanyuan knew Zhao Yunxiang felt guilty, but she wasn't an ordinary girl. She didn't need to cry when she encountered anything. If she really got angry, she would just hit her. That He Jingjing, sooner or later, she would beat her so hard that she couldn't take care of herself. This was the decision Zhou Yuanyuan had just made on the way home. She couldn't bear to beat Wen Ziqing, but He Jingjing~! If she came up again, she would be looking for death!
Zhou Yuanyuan didn't notice, but once she bumped into Wen Ziqing's situation, she became much more irritable. Xiaoyu noticed but kept silent. Her master had finally made up his mind to dump Wen Ziqing, and Xiaoyu didn't want her master to delay his cultivation for love.
"Yuanyuan, you're back!" Cao Zhizhi saw Zhou Yuanyuan and quickly stood up from the sofa. Zhou Yuanyuan was home, and it was time for him, the "messengers," to leave. With the family reunited, there were bound to be some things that an outsider like him wouldn't be comfortable hearing. But Cao Zhizhi was confident that within a few months, he would become Zhou Yuanyuan's boyfriend, recognized by the Zhou family.
"Cao Zhizhi, why are you here? Where's your friend? Did you leave him at the bar?" Zhou Yuanyuan watched Cao Zhizhi's gleaming gaze fixed on her, and suddenly felt a little annoyed. After two lifetimes combined, Zhou Yuanyuan was already in her forties or fifties, a "woman"—how could she not understand Cao Zhizhi's intentions towards her? Normally, Zhou Yuanyuan wouldn't have said something so embarrassing, but having just been provoked by Wen Ziqing and He Jingjing, Zhou Yuanyuan was definitely not in a good mood towards Cao Zhizhi's attempts to pursue her.
"Are you talking about Xiaojun? He stayed at the bar to clean up the mess for us! He got stopped by the waiter." Cao Zhizhi's smile froze for a moment, then returned to its usual smile. It seemed Wen Ziqing's influence on Zhou Yuanyuan wasn't as minimal as he'd imagined. Was Yuanyuan taking her anger out on him?
"Oh, right, I forgot to pay. Thank you! Cao Yizhi, how much are those drinks? I'll pay you." Zhou Yuanyuan reached for her wallet. After being reminded by Cao Yizhi, Zhou Yuanyuan remembered that she didn't seem to have paid the bill when she ran out of the bar.
"No, no, I'm glad you're back. Uncle and aunt are worried about you. I'm leaving now." Cao Yizhi was a little embarrassed. He mentioned Zhu Xiaojun just to remind Zhou Yuanyuan that he had helped her once. He asked Zhou Yuanyuan for a favor, not to ask Zhou Yuanyuan for wine money. Considering the relationship between their two families, if Cao Yizhi dared to take Zhou Yuanyuan's wine money home today, he would definitely be beaten up by Cao Yunfei tomorrow. Cao Yunfei wanted Cao Yizhi to pursue Zhou Yuanyuan, so how could he allow Cao Yizhi to be so "petty".
Cao left very quickly, without even bothering to exchange a few polite words with Zhou Zhixin and his wife.
Only after watching Cao Yizhi walk out of the Zhou family's courtyard gate in a panic did Zhou Yuanyuan burst out laughing.
"Yuanyuan, you're such a jerk! No matter what, I'm just here to tell you something! A glass of wine isn't worth it." Zhao Yunxiang glared disapprovingly at Zhou Yuanyuan. Don't think she's too dumb to understand Yuanyuan's meaning. Considering the relationship between the Cao and Zhou families, isn't Zhou Yuanyuan asking Cao Yizhi for money for a glass of wine a slap in the face?
"Hehe..." Zhou Yuanyuan smiled, not daring to tell Zhao Yunxiang that it wasn't just one glass of wine, but a whole bunch. She looked at the prices on the drinks menu and realized Cao Yizhi would have to spend at least half a month's salary tonight. When Cao Yizhi placed the order, Zhou Yuanyuan had intended to foot the bill herself; she hadn't thought of taking advantage of him. But who had asked him to "meddle in other people's business"?
Cao had already been scared off by her, so Zhou Yuanyuan wouldn't be honest with Zhao Yunxiang about the number of drinks. Otherwise, she would definitely be nagged by Zhao Yunxiang. It wasn't about the money, but Zhao Yunxiang believed that girls should be quiet and docile. Going to a bar to drink was not something their child should do, not even Zhou Jiasheng, let alone Zhou Yuanyuan.
Luckily, Zhou Yuanyuan knew her limits. Zhao Yunxiang knew she was "out of line" tonight, so she didn't nag too much. But what about Zhou Jiasheng? Zhao Yunxiang wouldn't stop until she'd worn Zhou Jiasheng's ears out. Of course! Zhou Jiasheng wouldn't be as willful as Zhou Yuanyuan, daring to go anywhere. With Zhou Jiasheng's current status, if he wanted to go to a place like a bar where all sorts of people gathered, he would definitely have to clear the area beforehand. Otherwise, if Zhou Jiasheng bumped into something, it would be China's loss.
"Yuanyuan, come here. Daddy has something to tell you." Zhou Zhixin watched Zhao Yunxiang and her daughter interact, his face beaming with smiles. This was the life Zhou Zhixin had longed for in his youth: a family sitting together, chatting casually, without staring at each other's pockets like black-eyed chickens, or even wanting to tear a piece of each other's flesh off. The days of Zhoujia Village, though only a decade ago, had already become a distant past in Zhou Zhixin's heart.
To be honest, after Zhou Zhixin left Zhou Chunping's family, his life became better and better.
"Dad, if you have something to say, just tell me!" Zhou Yuanyuan walked over with a smile and sat down next to Zhou Zhixin. Zhou Zhixin had been busy with work recently, and the family hadn't sat down together for a good chat in over a month.
Zhao Yunxiang also came over and sat next to Zhou Yuanyuan. It was already late, and Zhao Yunxiang had originally wanted Zhou Yuanyuan to go upstairs to sleep, but Zhou Zhixin interrupted her, so Zhao Yunxiang gave up the idea of going upstairs and sat down next to Zhou Yuanyuan.
Zhao Yunxiang and Zhou Zhixin had been married for decades, so they naturally knew what Zhou Zhixin was up to when he called Zhou Yuanyuan. Zhou Zhixin was the happiest person when Zhou Yuanyuan and Wen Ziqing broke off their engagement. After all, Wen Ziqing had been so shameless back then, writing a letter to Zhou Zhixin, who knew nothing about the military, to "claim her sovereignty" right after their engagement! Zhou Zhixin had always been against his daughter's engagement at such a young age, but today, after hearing Cao Zhixin say that Zhou Yuanyuan was excited to see Wen Ziqing, Zhou Zhixin became a little worried. After all, the two children had been childhood sweethearts, and even if they couldn't be relatives, they couldn't be enemies.
Zhao Yunxiang had also observed Zhou Zhixin's treatment of Cao Yizhi. If Cao Yizhi hadn't mentioned the case later, Zhou Zhixin would have probably admired him. Several prominent families in Kyoto had hinted to the Zhou family over the years about wanting to marry Zhou Yuanyuan to their descendants, and Zhao Yunxiang knew that Cao Yizhi was one of these "candidates."
Wen Ziqing has good conditions, but unfortunately he has been missing for three years. Even if he returns to Kyoto, he will have to start many things from scratch. Unlike Cao Yizhi, who follows the path arranged for him by the Cao family, he will definitely make great progress in three years.
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