Chapter 56. The company's annual meeting was long and boring. ...
The company's annual meeting was long and boring.
Zhao Zhinian sat in the noisy meeting room, politely socializing with her unfamiliar colleagues, mechanically clapping along with the crowd. The dishes in front of her were exquisite but cold; she took a few bites and quickly lost interest.
She listlessly swiped her phone; her chat with Zhou Zekai was still about her complaining about the company's year-end party food. She couldn't resist sending a few more messages.
"Our big boss actually sang in tune, and it was actually quite good."
"Look at this photo! I didn't expect him to be one of our company's signed artists. It makes me think our company is pretty amazing..."
The message was sent but disappeared without a trace; the "typing..." message never appeared at the top of the screen.
At this time, is he going to eat? Or is he busy with housework? Or is he being bothered by relatives?
She speculated aimlessly, a faint sense of disappointment lingering in her heart. In moments of boredom, the lack of prompt response was particularly bothersome.
She sighed softly, exited the chat, and casually opened Weibo. Her private messages and comments section, aside from a few scattered New Year's greetings, were surprisingly flooded with inquiries about the Honor of Kings All-Star vlog.
"Where's the promised All-Star vlog?!"
"Aren't you going to update us with fun backstage stories from the All-Star Game?"
"If Glory of Kings has it, why shouldn't we?! Quickly bring out my All-Star vlog!"
"I hope Chinen won't stop updating his All-Star vlog just to avoid suspicion!"
"If you don't update, I'll start spreading rumors! What have you been doing behind our backs?!"
Zhao Zhinian looked at these comments and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How could she not want to update?
As is customary, she does update her vlog after major events, sharing interesting stories from both on and off stage.
The delay in this update is due to two reasons. First, with the Spring Festival approaching, the editors at Yizhan Club are overwhelmed with work, not only editing the Yizhan All-Star video but also working on the Yizhan New Year's greeting video. Second, and most importantly, Zhou Zekai appears too frequently in the footage shot by the photographer, almost becoming her "exclusive background."
The editor looked troubled and asked her for advice on what to include. She could only helplessly tell him to "focus on my personal work status as much as possible." After all, updating the vlog was for her personal work summary, and she couldn't let Zhou Zekai steal the show and cause everyone's discussion to shift.
This requirement naturally adds a huge challenge to post-production: it is necessary to maintain the fun of the vlog while carefully selecting and avoiding any shots that might lead to over-interpretation. Some key shots even need to be censored frame by frame in post-production.
With the end of the year approaching, she didn't want her colleague to work overtime, and seeing how busy he was, she couldn't bear to urge him. In the end, she simply waved her hand and postponed it until after the New Year: "I can just cut it casually after the New Year. It doesn't matter if it's a little shorter. Don't worry too much."
She originally thought it was just a minor update delay, but she didn't expect so many people to care.
Little did she know that netizens were less looking forward to the vlog and more eager to find something interesting. The two were as polite as if they were meeting for the first time on stage, but netizens were not convinced that there was absolutely no interaction between them backstage. There hadn't been any online interaction in the past few days, so they were especially looking forward to the All-Star vlog, hoping to find clues that had been secretly recorded by the camera in the nooks and crannies of the vlog.
After finally making it to the end of the annual meeting, Zhao Zhinian dragged her suitcase and walked out of the hotel, exhausted.
The winter evening breeze dispelled the stuffiness in the hotel, but it couldn't dispel the doubt in her mind: Zhou Zekai had indeed been "out of contact" for far too long today. Even if there was a lively dinner at home, surely he wouldn't have a moment to even glance at his phone?
With this lingering unease, she finally arrived back at her apartment building. The elevator slowly ascended, the numbers flashing. She rubbed her stiff shoulders, wanting nothing more than to quickly remove her makeup, shower, and then… perhaps call that “missing” guy again?
But then I thought about it again. It's the Spring Festival holiday, and Zhou Zekai is at home. Although he said he had told his parents about his relationship, wouldn't it be too much of a disturbance if I called him so abruptly, especially if it happened during his family reunion?
With a click, the key turned and the door opened.
The cold, dark living room she had imagined was not there; instead, warm light poured out. And the person standing in the entryway, smiling at her and naturally taking her suitcase, made her eyes widen instantly.
"Dad!" Zhao Zhinian exclaimed, both surprised and delighted, her voice rising several decibels, "Why are you back? Didn't you say you weren't coming back?"
"I have a surprise for you!" Zhao's father took her suitcase, smiled, and stepped aside to let her in: "I had to come back to spend the New Year with you."
However, an even bigger "surprise" was yet to come.
Just as Zhao's father turned to the side, Zhao Zhinian caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the living room: Zhou Zekai was standing awkwardly in the center of the living room, his hands, which were as steady as a rock on the field, seemed to have nowhere to go at this moment.
Her mind raced: Why is Zhou Zekai here? How long has he been here? What did they talk about? She hadn't even mentioned dating to her father yet. Had Zhou Zekai said something he shouldn't have, or deliberately created an awkward silence that made her father think he was difficult to get along with? What if her father had a bad impression of him?
Looking at the complex and ever-changing expressions on her face, Zhou Zekai took a small step forward, his lips moving slightly as if he wanted to explain something, but under the gaze of Zhao's father, he didn't know where to begin.
A series of questions made Zhao Zhinian act faster than she thought. She took a few steps forward and subtly blocked Zhou Zekai's path. She felt that Zhou Zekai was not good at talking, so she would explain it herself. Then she turned back and asked with her eyes: What's going on? What are you doing here?
Zhou Zekai pointed to the conspicuous insulated food container on the coffee table and explained in a low voice, "It's for delivering food."
Zhao Zhinian realized that this was because she had said the food at the annual party was so-so and she wanted to eat home-style dishes, so they sent her food. But in the current situation, was "sending food" still the main point?
Mr. Zhao took in the silent exchange between the two women. Seeing his daughter's obviously protective attitude, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable and annoyed. He still had a warm smile on his face, but his tone was unquestionable: "Xiao Zhou, the food has been delivered, and you've seen Chinen. It's getting late, so you should go back and rest early."
"Huh?" Zhao Zhinian looked at her father in surprise. How could he send someone away as soon as they met?
Although Zhou Zekai was reluctant to part with her, he naturally dared not voice any objections in front of Zhao's father, and immediately nodded obediently, "Okay. Uncle, then I'll be going now." He looked at Zhao Zhinian, his eyes crinkling with a smile, "I'm going back."
Seeing that smile, Zhao Zhinian inexplicably sensed a hint of grievance. The two hadn't even exchanged a single word! And what was going on? She needed to find out before explaining to her father.
On a sudden impulse, she quickly made up an excuse: "You... are you not very familiar with the roads in our neighborhood at night? Dad, I'll walk him to the building and be right back!" Before her father could react, Zhao Zhinian grabbed Zhou Zekai's coat, practically pushed him out the door, and then slammed it shut.
Inside the door, Zhao's father looked at the closed door, shook his head helplessly and chuckled, "Don't you know the way? You can open the door with the key, you should know the way like the back of your hand... Sigh, daughters grow up and leave home."
As soon as she stepped out of the house, Zhao Zhinian blocked Zhou Zekai in the stairwell and began questioning him in a low voice. When she learned that he had bumped into her father while using a key to open the door, she couldn't help but gasp. Now she would have to explain the key incident to her father properly.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhao Zhinian belatedly realized, "But I didn't know my dad would suddenly come back... Sigh, it wouldn't have mattered if you had told me beforehand."
"A surprise." Zhou Zekai honestly explained why he hadn't told them in advance.
"Now the surprise has turned into a shock!" Zhao Zhinian glared at him. "Let's see if you'll pull another surprise attack next time. What else? My dad didn't say anything else, did he? What else did you guys say?"
"Say I like you." Zhou Zekai grinned, appearing remarkably candid.
This abrupt and nonsensical answer made Zhao Zhinian raise her voice instantly: "What?! How did you guys get talking about this?!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the door clicked open. Zhao's father leaned against the doorframe, giving the two men huddled together against the wall a meaningful look: "Why don't you come in and talk?"
"No need, no need!" Zhao Zhinian waved her hands repeatedly, grabbing Zhou Zekai's sleeve and backing towards the elevator: "We'll go downstairs right now, immediately!"
Zhou Zekai took the opportunity to bow obediently again: "Goodbye, Uncle."
Once downstairs, a gust of night wind made Zhao Zhinian shiver, but she calmed down considerably and decided not to press the matter further: "You can go back now. I still need to go upstairs and explain to my dad."
Zhou Zekai looked at her, feeling that it was his rash arrival that had put her in this situation. His eyes were filled with apology as he weakly apologized, "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for," Zhao Zhinian quickly comforted him. "We're together now. I was going to tell my dad, but he's been abroad and said he wouldn't be coming back this year. I didn't expect him to suddenly come back..."
Her voice trailed off, a pang of guilt rising within her: Zhou Zekai had told his family about their relationship long ago, but she had kept it a secret because she felt the relationship was still insecure and her father was far away overseas. Could this discrepancy make him think… she was leaving herself an escape route?
Zhou Zekai, however, seemed to be able to see through her thoughts and said softly, "I know, there's no rush."
These considerate and understanding words instantly soothed all of Zhao Zhinian's unease and anxiety, and her heart warmed: "Then I'll go up?"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Zekai suddenly reached out and gently pulled her back, drawing her into his arms. The action was so fast and sudden that Zhao Zhinian didn't even have time to react. She only felt a warm and firm embrace enveloping her, followed by a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Zhao Zhinian froze instantly, her mind going blank for a second. Then, her cheeks flushed crimson at a visible speed, even her ears turning red. She abruptly lifted her head from his embrace, both embarrassed and annoyed, and frantically pushed him away: "I told you not to do surprise attacks!"
This person is really pushing their luck! Even though it's downstairs in my own building and it's late at night, what if someone sees me?
Zhou Zekai himself was actually a little nervous, his ears turning red, but when he saw her blushing so much that even her neck turned red, he found her adorable, and his nervousness turned into a smile. He pursed his lips and gave a very “reasonable” explanation: “It’s what I owed you before.”
This refers to the hug the two shared in Beijing after the All-Star Game ended.
Zhao Zhinian was still immersed in the lingering warmth of the touch on her forehead and the overwhelming shyness. Her thoughts were a little sluggish, and she subconsciously pointed to her forehead, her voice trembling slightly: "Then... what about this?" A hug was owed, but what about a kiss on the forehead?
Zhou Zekai looked at her watery eyes and flushed cheeks, tilted his head slightly, and seemed to think seriously for a second before giving Zhao Zhinian an answer that left her speechless: "Interest."
Zhao Zhinian was utterly impressed by his "shameless" theories. This guy was usually quiet, but how could he come up with such a string of twisted logics on this kind of matter!
Does Honor really only have four "hearts"?
She retorted, embarrassed and annoyed, "You still owe me!" Zhou Zekai had "advance" his hug before, and the two of them were clearly indebted to each other last time! Why is she the only one passively paying interest now!
“You’ll also collect interest.” Zhou Zekai readily agreed, his eyes even carrying a hint of encouragement and expectation, as if to say, “I’m always here for you.”
In this kind of situation, it seems like the person with thinner skin is the one who suffers!
Zhao Zhinian was caught off guard by his counterattack and felt that if she stayed any longer, she didn't know what he would "scam" out of her with his loan shark-like calculations. So she quickly reached out and pushed him away: "I don't want to! You should leave now!"
She didn't use much force, and Zhou Zekai took a small step back following her momentum. Looking at her flustered yet trying-to-remain calm appearance, he could no longer hide the smile in his eyes.
"I'm leaving." He stopped teasing her, afraid of really pissing her off, and unconsciously softened his voice: "It's cold outside, go back inside."
Zhao Zhinian nodded haphazardly, her gaze darting around, not daring to look at him again. She turned around and almost ran into the building entrance.
Only after running into the elevator and leaning against the cold wall did Zhao Zhinian finally let out a long sigh of relief. She reached out and touched her still slightly flushed cheeks and her forehead, which still felt soft to the touch. She felt both annoyed and overwhelmed with sweetness. She couldn't help but pat her cheeks. Her father was at home, and she had to quickly regain her composure and explain their relationship and the key she had given him. She couldn't let her father have any bad impression of Zhou Zekai.
"What interest... what nonsense!" she muttered under her breath. Zhou Zekai has changed! Just a few days ago, she had told Chu Yunxiu that Zhou Zekai was nothing like the character in the drama, that he didn't have so many ulterior motives!
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