Chapter 46 Fresh Green Tea, Let Me Try It. This guy is her sister's husband. ...
On the executive floor of the Modo Hotel, Zhu Qingzhi and Liu Xiaoning unexpectedly meet.
Liu Xiaoning was still wearing the light and thin dress she wore to the banquet, and was looking down at her light beige flocked clutch bag, searching for something. Zhu Qingzhi immediately spotted the room key that had fallen onto the carpet.
"What a coincidence, Miss Liu." Zhu Qingzhi was in a good mood and greeted her proactively, even bending down to pick up the room key from the ground and handing it over.
Liu Xiaoning clearly hadn't expected to run into her here. After a slight pause, she took the room key and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Zhu Qingzhi smiled and nodded in response. At the same time, she swiped her card and pushed open the door. After almost half of her body was inside, she leaned out again and asked sincerely, "Did Miss Liu finally buy the jewelry set she wanted?"
Liu Xiaoning was about to open the door when she heard this. Her chest heaved noticeably, and the side of her hand holding the bag suddenly bulged, like a pufferfish about to explode.
She then brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across her forehead, and when she looked up again, her smile deepened, and her voice became sweeter: "Thank you for your concern, Miss Zhu. I got it."
Hmm, it seems she wasn't very willing to buy it. But Zhu Qingzhi didn't want to embarrass her, so she changed the subject: "Miss Liu, are you also staying at a hotel?"
"I have something to do around here tomorrow." Liu Xiaoning swiped her room card and opened the door, clearly indicating that she didn't want to talk much.
Zhu Qingzhi was sensible enough to say goodbye to the other person and then closed the door.
*
When Wen Qi arrived, it was not yet late at night, but Zhu Qingzhi was already asleep.
The room was at a comfortable temperature, with only a dim floor lamp on. The light traced a small arc on the floor, outside which was a long, beige plush carpet and long, curly hair with a light sheen.
Zhu Qingzhi curled up in a small nest on the sofa, one hand hanging in the air. When he got closer, he noticed that she was holding a bag of snacks.
Wen Qi's lips curved slightly as he carefully placed the freshly packed hot porridge on the coffee table and bent down to look at her.
Her face was bare of makeup, with a small mole under her eye, making her look charming and lovely. Sometimes she liked to cover it with foundation, afraid that others would think she was easy to bully.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed unconsciously, and Wen Qi immediately held his breath and stepped back.
These days, he spends almost 24 hours a day in a smoke-filled environment. Even with the use of mint leaves to reduce the smell of smoke on his body, it still can't be covered up. In addition, the smell of alcohol on his body is not as strong as before, so the smell of smoke is much more obvious.
Zhu Qingzhi disliked the smell of smoke the most. Although he didn't hate it to the point of being disgusted, and he never criticized others for not smoking, he just didn't like it. He had simply forgotten about it.
Wen Qi took off his coat and went into the bathroom. The bathroom was filled with the light scent of rose dew, the scent of Zhu Qingzhi's usual toiletries, which could wash away all unpleasant smells, including his fatigue from the day.
After tidying himself up, he walked to the sofa, bent down, and gently picked up Zhu Qingzhi. She was lighter than he had imagined; her soft body nestled in his arms, and her hair brushed against his neck, causing a slight tickle.
At first, she seemed a little uncomfortable, mumbled something, and struggled slightly, but then she cooperated. After getting into bed, she still didn't wake up, but she knew to turn over and curl up in the blanket to sleep.
Wen Qi stood by the bed for a moment, his gaze falling on Zhu Qingzhi's lower back. A corner of her pajamas was slightly rolled up, inadvertently revealing a small patch of smooth and delicate skin.
His eyes were deep and dark, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and there seemed to be a hint of red on the tips of his ears. Then he dimmed the bedside lamp, and the warm yellow light immediately softened.
He lifted the covers and lay down, naturally wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. Zhu Qingzhi's body moved almost imperceptibly, as if in an unconscious response, before quickly returning to calm.
But he noticed early on that her earlobes were red.
At eight o'clock the next day, Zhu Qingzhi crawled out of bed, bleary-eyed, and glanced at the spot beside her, not seeing Wen Qi. She stared blankly for a while before finally getting out of bed and going barefoot into the bathroom.
At 8:20, she finished washing up and was about to have breakfast when she saw several dishes laid out on the table with a thermal mat.
She almost instinctively looked towards the balcony, only to find Wen Qi standing there making a phone call. Because the double-glazed doors provided excellent sound insulation, she hadn't noticed him there.
Wen Qi was dressed much more casually today, wearing a loose gray turtleneck sweater with a white undershirt peeking out from the hem, and matching gray trousers, all loose and baggy.
Under the bright sunshine and cloudless sky, his upright figure, shaped like the wind itself, resembled a Monet painting.
Zhu Qingzhi stared blankly for a long time, so long that the wind blowing on Wen Qi seemed to reach her ears. Then, that tingling, unsettling feeling was brought back to her mind and whipped into a rage.
She usually sleeps very well; no matter how loud the thunder and lightning, or even if she falls off the bed, she can sleep through the night. But yesterday was different.
She woke up almost the moment Wen Qi picked her up, and as for what happened after that... well, there's not much to say, nothing really happened.
Zhu Qingzhi fanned herself haphazardly with her hand, trying to dispel the surging heat in her body. When Wen Qi turned to the side, he happened to see her guilty expression.
"Wasn't the matter in Haicheng resolved yesterday? Why are you only coming back tomorrow? Do you have any other plans for today?" Wen's father's voice sounded noticeably tired on the phone.
"Those people on the board always say I'm a dictator. Why are they unhappy that I'm not home?"
Wen Qi joked with his father, but his eyes were fixed on Zhu Qingzhi. In his sight, she spun around a few times, then picked up a piece of toast from the plate and darted back into her room.
"Don't you know whether they're happy or not? Right now, they're demanding to talk only with you!" The father on the other end of the phone was furious at his dismissive, detached tone. "Come back right now! I'm really fed up with this every day!"
"It's set for tomorrow."
"Eh..."
“I’m with your daughter-in-law now.”
Mr. Wen immediately fell silent. After a muffled thud, Mrs. Wen took the phone, uttered a loud "OK!", and hung up.
Looking down from the 20th floor of the hotel, pedestrians and vehicles were rushing by, but with the New Year approaching, the streets were decorated with festive red, adding a touch of human warmth.
This year will also be their first New Year together.
A secret joy rose in his heart. Wen Qi withdrew his gaze and had just walked into the living room when he heard the doorbell ring. Out of some kind of caution, he did not move. Then he heard the "beep" of the room card being swiped.
"Sis, you're up so early? I thought..." Xiao Zhou's voice trailed off, and her hand gripping the doorknob suddenly went limp. With a bang, the door slammed shut.
Was she still half asleep? Did she mistakenly enter the wrong room? Xiao Zhou glanced at the room key in her hand and dismissed that conclusion. So, the man in front of her must be her sister's husband?
"Hello, I am Wen Qi."
Yes, that conclusion is correct, so her arrival was probably ill-timed. Xiao Zhou belatedly flashed a standard eight-tooth smile: "Hello, I'm your assistant, Xiao Zhou."
Upon hearing the commotion, Zhu Qingzhi abandoned her luggage and rushed out of her room.
Xiao Zhou's unkempt, ear-length hair had several strands sticking outwards, making her look even more adorable. She blinked a few times, her gaze shifting back and forth between Zhu Qingzhi and Wen Qi, before finally managing to stammer out, "I just... came to take a look."
Xiao Zhou is a truly detached person; she speaks and acts in a calm and collected manner. Zhu Qingzhi often feels that Xiao Zhou has no emotional fluctuations, but today she not only sensed it but also decided to pretend not to know.
"Hey sis, I'm off now, ten minutes..." Xiao Zhouren had already opened the door, and even took a moment to glance at her phone before quickly changing her mind, "Twenty minutes is fine too, see you downstairs."
Xiao Zhou left so resolutely, as if staying even a second longer would be torture. For some reason, Zhu Qingzhi found it quite amusing. She remembered seeing a short video that said a low threshold for laughter was a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, and that she was probably not far off.
Next, she and Wen Qi tacitly skipped over what happened last night, chatted casually about everyday matters, and then prepared to set off.
Wen Qi was still in the room doing the final checks when Zhu Qingzhi came out first and waited for him, leaning against the wall of the corridor.
Suddenly a voice broke the silence: "Good morning, Miss Zhu."
It was Liu Xiaoning. She wasn't wearing heavy makeup today, and she had changed into a light pink off-the-shoulder knit dress, which made her look much softer.
Hearing her greet her, Zhu Qingzhi was taken aback for a moment: "Good morning."
"Wait for your assistant to carry your suitcase?" Liu Xiaoning looked her up and down several times, even glancing into the room, before kindly asking, "Do you need my help?"
Zhu Qingzhi could distinguish between well-intentioned help and sarcastic remarks. Liu Xiaoning's words were all veiled criticism that she was pretentious and couldn't endure hardship. However, the incident in the FTYL corridor had taught her a lesson, so she didn't want to have a conflict with Liu Xiaoning for the time being.
Zhu Qingzhi shook her head: "It's no trouble for Miss Liu."
"It's no trouble at all."
...Then do something! What's the use of just standing there and talking?
Zhu Qingzhi's patience threshold has never been high, and it was early in the morning, so once she started talking, it was hard to stop.
But now she couldn't hold back any longer: "Miss Liu, you're applying for the position of my assistant through competitive selection? Salary and benefits are negotiable, but I know that people like you who are not short of money usually regard money as dirt and pursue the realization of life's value. But I am truly sincere, so Miss Liu, please name your price."
Liu Xiaoning glared at her coldly: "You..."
Zhu Qingzhi, a master of arguing, interrupted the spellcasting by holding up a single finger: "One? One yuan? Huh? That's not very nice. Sigh, Miss Liu is truly extraordinary; I admire her immensely!"
"Miss Liu is straightforward, and I won't be coy either. I've given you the one yuan. Are you going to start today? Or do you want to back out now?"
"Well, since no agreement was signed, if Miss Liu really wants to go back on her word, I'll accept it."
Zhu Qingzhi kept speaking, and the static electricity from the knife cut Liu Xiaoning made caused each hair to curl upwards distinctly.
What was in front of her wasn't a person at all; it was clearly a machine gun! Liu Xiaoning wished she could sew her mouth shut right then and there and then cover it with two layers of cement!
Last night, she used her connections to snag the purchase rights for LR, but she never expected that the necklace wouldn't be sold separately; the set would cost nearly 20 million.
Although she is the daughter of the Liu family and is usually pampered by her father, why would she ask to buy 20 million yuan worth of jewelry as soon as she returned to the country? How can she live her life after that?
But if she lost face as soon as she returned to the country, the Liu family wouldn't let her off easily. So, with no other choice, she borrowed money.
I was already in a bad mood, and it took me a whole night to calm down before I felt a little better. But this morning, even though it was a bright and sunny spring day, this little girl still ruined my mood.
So what if she's the daughter of the Zhu family? So what if she's Wen Qi's wife? If this matter really blows up today, at most she'll just be accused of having a bad tone, but the one who'll be the first to lose her temper is Zhu Qingzhi!
"Miss Zhu has a sharp tongue; perhaps she should consider switching careers to become a storyteller?"
"It's pointless. It's just one-sided suppression. There's no sense of accomplishment at all," Zhu Qingzhi shrugged, deciding not to pay any attention to her.
Seeing that she remained silent and even lowered her head to pick at her nails, Liu Xiaoning naturally assumed that she had the upper hand. "I heard that a new story also happened in the 'Yunshuiyao' crew a few days ago. I wonder if it's also related to Miss Zhu's mouth?"
That's interesting.
Zhu Qingzhi raised her eyes and glanced at Liu Xiaoning.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Kiyoshi [question mark]: [pity][splitting]
Wen Qi [kiss]: [kiss][kiss][kiss]
Xiao Zhou [Let me see]: [Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds]
Liu Xiaoning [angry]: ...
Ah Mei: Daily begging [empty bowl][empty bowl][empty bowl]
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