Chapter 043
Yan Xi rolled her eyes in her heart.
"What are you thinking about? I just want Zhou Yanci to drink more and not stay up late to work overtime!"
【oh……】
The system was unhappy, yet doubtful, [Is this really the case? ]
"Of course!" Yan Xi said sternly, "A pure and kind person like me would burn incense and pray to Buddha if I stepped on an ant to death. How could I do such a bad thing?"
System: ???
【I don't believe you! 】
Although she said that, Yan Xi really just wanted to get Zhou Yanci drunk.
She took out the bottle of wine she brought back from Country F and said, "Uncle, this is the wine I brought you from Brusto before I returned home. The winery has a good harvest this year, and he hopes you like this wine."
Father Zhou has always liked wine tasting, otherwise he would not have bought the winery. Hearing that it was this year's new wine, Father Zhou was very interested and asked Butler Yu to bring a decanter and a wine glass.
Father Zhou shook the red wine in the goblet and said, "Bruce's wine is getting better and better! How is the old man these days? Is he in good health?"
"He's fine," Zhou Qingyu smiled. "Dad, speaking of this, Master Pei is also an old friend of yours. He's almost turning 70. Aren't you going to celebrate his birthday?"
Zhou Qingyu did not forget the purpose of her return to the old house, and tried to persuade Zhou's father. Zhou's father was cunning and did not want to go at all, so he deliberately laughed to try to get away with it.
Seeing the two people practicing Tai Chi, Yan Xi quietly came to Zhou Yanci's side.
"Mr. Zhou, this wine is good. Can I pour you a glass to try?"
Zhou Yanci raised his eyes and glanced at Yan Xi. He didn't know what kind of medicine this little fox was selling, but it was just a glass of wine, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Butler Yu brought over the wine glass at the right time, and Yan Xi held the decanter and poured the wine.
My hand shook and, oh no, I poured out half the cup.
Another shake, oh boy, it's so full that it's about to overflow!
Butler Yu: "Ms. Yan, you poured too much! You can't pour so much red wine!"
Yan Xi blamed herself, "Hey, look at my shaking hands, but this is Bruce's gift, Mr. Zhou, you won't waste it, will you?"
Zhou Yanci: "..."
Zhou Yanci raised the wine glass. Because the glass was too full of red wine, Yan Xi was worried that Zhou Yanci would spill the wine. Unexpectedly, his hand was very steady and not a drop of wine spilled.
Yan Xi encouraged herself in her heart: Drink it! Drink it!
This is the strongest wine in the entire winery! After drinking such a big glass, you can forget about working at night, right?
Then, Yan Xi saw Zhou Yanci holding the large glass of wine and taking a small sip.
Yan Xi:?
Zhou Yanci put down his glass and said, "Father, I have a multinational meeting to attend. I'll take my leave now."
Father Zhou said happily, "Go!"
Zhou Yanci left the dining room without looking back.
Yan Xi: ???
Hey, hey, hey! Why are you leaving? I haven’t finished my drink yet!!!
——
The drinking plan failed.
Zhou Yanci was not drunk at all, but his father was a little tipsy and dragged Zhou Qingyu to the lake to feed the fish.
The servant of the old house cleaned up the guest room, and Yan Xi was doing the unfinished work in the guest room. Fang Yue did not assign her too many tasks, but Yan Xi was a newcomer and had a lot to learn. In addition, in a few days, the second stop of "Travel" would start recording, and she would not have time to deal with Xingyao's affairs, and she would have to take leave to record the variety show.
Generally speaking, being a corporate slave is not easy!
At ten o'clock in the evening, Zhou Qingyu pushed open Yan Xi's room and lay on her bed with her legs spread out.
"Ahhh! This old guy is deliberately playing tricks on me!"
Yan Xi sat on the bedside, "What's the matter? Your dad still doesn't want to go to the birthday party?"
"I was almost dry from talking all night, and he was still practicing Tai Chi with me! Really, what's wrong with going to a birthday party? It's not like he'll lose an arm or a leg!"
Yan Xi remained silent. Of course, she wouldn't be disabled if she went to a birthday party, but her presence represented Zhou's father's attitude, indicating that he acquiesced to the marriage between Zhou Qingyu and Pei Yubai. Of course, Zhou's father didn't want to agree.
Zhou Qingyu didn't expect this and was still complaining.
Yan Xi saw that the cup was empty and said, "I'll go get a glass of water."
Ten o'clock in the evening is the time when most of the Zhou family rest. The old man goes to bed early and gets up early. The servants who serve Zhou's father in the old house are generally accustomed to his schedule.
In the kitchen, Yan Xi poured some water and warmed up a cup of sweetened milk. Zhou Qingyu liked to drink this before going to bed at night.
After a while, Zhou Yanci also came to the kitchen.
"Mr. Zhou?" Yan Xi took the initiative to greet Zhou Yanci. "It's so late, you're still awake?"
Zhou Yanci was wearing black silk pajamas, his collarbone was faintly visible under the V-neck, and his sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing his strong forearm muscles.
He had just finished an international meeting and came to the kitchen to get some water.
"Yeah, some work."
Yan Xi: “…”
Still working at 10pm... so cool!
Yan Xi advised, "There is always work to be done, Mr. Zhou, you should go to bed early!"
Zhou Yanci raised his eyebrows slightly, and his eyes stayed on Yan Xi for a moment. Spring water flowed out of the water purifier in front of him, and the transparent liquid flooded the flat edge of the cup and flowed out along the wall of the cup.
Zhou Yanci suddenly reached out and turned off the water purifier.
"Yan Xi," he turned his head and looked at the girl beside him, "Have you been caring about me recently?"
Zhou Yanci felt that he was not very sensitive in this matter, but the milk on the private plane, the chicken soup in the WeChat on the mobile phone, and the eye mask from the blue studio. If he didn't feel anything, Zhou Yanci felt that he was stupid.
Facing such a topic, Yan Xi did not avoid it, "Of course, staying up late is not good for your health!"
Zhou Yanci's eyes were gloomy. "Is that all?"
He walked slowly towards Yan Xi and approached her.
In the years since he joined the group, many people have wanted to get close to him, and their purpose is self-evident.
Zhou Yanci has no mood for love, but that doesn't mean others won't use him to get ahead. He has heard too many sweet and sweet words, whether they are insinuating or direct.
Yan Xi's concern is somewhat similar to theirs.
It's just a little dry and looks a bit awkward.
Yan Xi looked puzzled, not knowing what she had said wrong.
But she suddenly realized that Zhou Yanci was too close to her, exceeding the social distance.
She leaned her lower back against the table where the water purifier was placed, unable to move back.
Yan Xi suddenly felt like she was being invaded. In addition, Zhou Yanci was tall, so she could only look up to talk to him, which made her feel even more oppressed.
Yan Xi swallowed.
System: [Host, I feel that the way Zhou Yanci approaches you is too...]
"This is too much of an insult!" Yan Xi was angry in her heart, "Being tall is not a big deal!"
System: ???
Yan Xi: "Why is this guy so aggressive? Ah, Tongzi, he doesn't know that I urged him to go to bed early because I wanted to earn some luck points, right?"
The system scratched its bald head suspiciously, [Why do I feel like this isn't the case? ]
But Yan Xi didn't have time to talk to her brain system. Zhou Yanci was too close to her, and she could almost feel the warm air from his breath.
Yan Xi straightened her back and said, "Boss Zhou, as one of our employees, I advise you to go to bed early because I hope you will be healthy. Only in this way can you lead our company for a long time!"
Zhou Yanci staggered and almost fell.
"Is that what you mean?"
Yan Xi looked confused, "What else?"
Zhou Yanci took a deep breath. Yan Xi was so sincere. She was really different from those coquettish bitches who had pestered him in the past. After all——
Zhou Yanci glanced at Yan Xi. Late at night, she was wearing a cute little bunny nightgown, with her round, white feet showing under her slippers.
Zhou Yanci had never seen a woman who wanted to marry into a wealthy family dressed like this.
Maybe he was overthinking it?
Zhou Yanci left with the cup of water. Before leaving, he gave Yan Xi an unnatural look.
Yan Xi complained to the system in her mind, "It feels like Zhou Yanci has discovered something! He won't know you exist, right? Is he so sensitive?"
System: [……]
[Why do I feel that he didn't mean this when he approached you just now? ]
"If it's not this, then what does it mean?"
Yan Xi was so angry that she put her hands on her hips, "He's pressing down on me! It's like he wants to crush me to death! He's so big, can't you feel the pressure?"
System: [……]
Something just feels... wrong.
After calming down, Yan Xi thought about the matter of luck value and didn't give up. Before Zhou Yanci walked away, she rushed forward and shouted, "Boss Zhou, don't forget to go to bed early tonight! Staying up late is harmful to your body and will also cause hair loss! You will become bald!"
Zhou Yanci: "..."
For some reason, Yan Xi felt that after Zhou Yanci said this, his steps became much faster.
——But it doesn’t feel like I’m rushing to sleep, it feels like I’m rushing to work overtime T^T.
——
Back in the room, Yan Xi gave Zhou Qingyu milk and water. After drinking the milk, Zhou Qingyu went back to her room and fell into a deep sleep.
When it comes to going to bed early, Zhou Qingyu is much more self-aware than Zhou Yanci. Staying up late is bad for the skin and will cause dark circles under the eyes. Pei Yubai will not like her if she becomes ugly, so she will not stay up late.
After reading two pages of the document, Yan Xi also went to sleep.
There were bright lights on in the study, and the garden outside was quiet with only the sparse chirping of cicadas.
Zhou Yanci sat at his desk with several documents on it and the latest financial report of Zhou Group on the computer screen.
Staying up late is the norm for Zhou Yanci, he only sleeps four hours a day.
Back in the library, Zhou Yanci thought about Yan Xi's attitude and always felt that something was wrong.
In the past, too many women wanted to use him to get into wealthy families.
For example, suddenly running into his arms at a banquet; or suddenly trying to scam him while he was riding in a car; or even worse, putting aphrodisiac in his water... Not only Zhou Yanci, but all these rich young masters have seen such scenes to some extent.
After seeing this so many times, Zhou Yanci got used to it.
Some of Yan Xi's methods are exactly the same as those people, and Zhou Yanci initially suspected that Yan Xi had similar thoughts.
But if you think about it carefully, if Yan Xi wanted to marry into a wealthy family, she should have had the audacity to stay in the Lin family; or she should have come to work at Zhou's company earlier and become his secretary, so that she could be closer to him.
Now that she is staying with Zhou Qingyu, isn't she getting further and further away from the wealthy family?
Zhou Yanci was a little confused.
He opened the search interface and typed in the question, "What does it mean when a girl always cares about whether you go to bed early or not?"
The search interface connected to the AI system and quickly gave an answer: "1. Friendly behavior. She may be a very kind and enthusiastic person who cares about the people around her." [Note 1]
Zhou Yanci pondered for a moment.
If he didn't know that Yan Xi had conspired to defraud Tianhui of 10 million yuan and tricked the M family into getting an endorsement for Zhou Qingyu, Zhou Yanci would really think that Yan Xi was a "kind and enthusiastic" person.
“Second, care as a friend. If you are good friends, her care may come from pure friendship.” [Note 2]
pass.
Before this, Zhou Yanci and Yan Xi had spoken no more than ten sentences to each other. So where did their friendship come from?
"3. Signs that she likes you. There is a high possibility that she has a crush on you or even likes you. Caring about your early bedtime is a delicate and subtle way of expressing her love." [Note 3]
Zhou Yanci tightened his grip on the mouse.
A tickling sensation came from his throat, and Zhou Yanci's Adam's apple rolled.
Yan Xi likes him? How is that possible?
The more I analyze it, the more outrageous it becomes.
Zhou Yanci's eyes fell on the search engine. The AI system that came with the search engine was called "Caibao", a company he invested in.
There is a need to reorganize this company. What kind of things are they developing? They can't even answer such a simple question!
Zhou Yanci took a deep breath. He had already wasted too much of his time caring about such unimportant issues. His time was precious and should be spent on more meaningful things.
Zhou Yanci opened the documents and the group's financial statements and continued to work.
However, I used to be always focused, but today some strange things kept flashing through my mind.
Especially Yan Xi’s words “staying up late will make you bald” have been lingering in Zhou Yanci’s mind.
Zhou Yanci was very annoyed. He read two more pages of the document, but couldn't bear it any longer. He put on an eye mask and fell into a deep sleep.
——
The next day, Yan Xi was woken up by the system.
In the early morning of summer, the sunrise time is also exceptionally early. The morning light pours into the room through the black curtains. The beam of light falls on Yan Xi's pillow, as if an elf is dancing in the air.
Xingyao does not have a clock-in system. Yan Xi usually goes to work at 10 a.m., but it is only 6 a.m. and she is still sleepy.
But the system was no longer sleepy, and the small ball of light was jumping up and down beside her pillow.
[Host! Get up quickly! Get up quickly! ]
[Zhou Yanci didn't stay up late yesterday! He actually listened to you and went to bed early~]
[The luck value has increased! Come and take a look! ]
Speaking of luck value, Yan Xi stood up excitedly.
She was still sleepy, and half-consciously flipped through the luck record, and sure enough, she saw a reminder that just popped up: [Ding, Zhou Yanci's health index increased, Zhou Qingyu gained 0.1 luck points, and the current luck value is 28 points]
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!”
This time, not only the system was excited, but Yan Xi was also excited.
[The reminder appears at this time, indicating that Zhou Yanci has woken up. He slept for a full six hours! ]
Six hours is not a lot, but compared to the four hours Zhou Yanci spent on the brink of death, it is already very good!
Yan Xi was extremely happy and no longer sleepy. After washing up, she went to the dining room.
Father Zhou had already gotten up and was practicing Tai Chi in the waterside pavilion; Zhou Qingyu was still asleep. She had no notice today and would not get up before ten o'clock. In the dining room, there were only the servants preparing the food and Zhou Yanci who was eating breakfast alone.
When Yan Xi saw Zhou Yanci, her eyes lit up.
She sat next to Zhou Yanci very naturally. The servant saw Yan Xi got up and asked her what she wanted to eat and asked the chef to prepare it.
"Sweet bean milk and fried dough sticks~ and a layer of steamed buns, thank you auntie!"
While waiting for the meal, Yan Xi looked at Zhou Yanci with a smile. In her eyes, Zhou Yanci was no longer Zhou Yanci, but a cash cow, oh no, a lucky tree!
She asked sweetly, "Mr. Zhou, did you sleep well last night?"
Zhou Yanci froze.
Yan Xi's gaze was too fiery, and he couldn't ignore it even if he wanted to.
"Not bad." Zhou Yanci said.
"Not bad?" Yan Xi showed a distressed expression, "That means you didn't sleep well. Were you disturbed by the cicadas? The old house has a good ecology and there are many summer cicadas. How about I give you a pair of earplugs? Well, it may also be that the mattress is too hard. The G family's mattress is good. I'll buy you a new one?"
Anyway, as long as the quality of sleep is improved, Yan Xi firmly believes that the luck value will definitely increase!
And Zhou Yanci...Zhou Yanci was at a loss for words.
She is indeed a 20-year-old girl, her emotions are sincere and passionate, so hot that people can't handle it. Oh, and she is also a straight shooter.
What Cai Bao said last night didn’t seem to be false…
Zhou Yanci said unnaturally, "No need."
He has always been a light sleeper, and not much, so there is no need for him to do this.
"How can that be possible?" Yan Xi looked particularly concerned, "Mr. Zhou, will you still go back to the old house tonight?"
Zhou Yanci said nothing. He had been staying in the old house for the past few days, mainly discussing the details of Zijin Garden with Zhou's father. As of yesterday, the final version of the project book of Zijin Garden had been finalized, so he could return to his apartment in the center of Haicheng.
"The Zijin Garden project is almost done, and Qingyu doesn't like me staying here."
"All right."
Yan Xi's little face was resting on the octagonal yellow pear wood table, with a look of regret on her face.
Can't advise Zhou in person
Don’t stay up late for the banquet, then you can only rely on WeChat. I hope WeChat is useful!
When Zhou Yanci looked at Yan Xi's expression, his heart sank.
Yan Xi will definitely stay in the old house with Zhou Qingyu tonight, and he will not live in the old house tonight... Does this make Yan Xi so sad?
He paused, and looked at Yan Xi with a much more complicated look.
——
It takes about an hour to drive from the old house to the Zhou Group headquarters.
After all, one is in the suburbs and the other is in the city center, which is why Zhou Yanci usually lives in an apartment in the city.
After arriving at the company, Zhou Yanci threw himself into the work. Although Zhou's father was the chairman of the group, Zhou Yanci was in charge of almost all the group affairs.
Assistant Sun Te handed over a new document, "Mr. Zhou, this is from Xingyao, regarding the approval of the investment budget for the project "Crazy Summer and Winter."
Zhou Yanci remembered this project. Fang Yue handed him the documents a month ago. He was very optimistic about this movie and originally had investment plans. By chance, he learned that Xingyao invested in "Crazy" for Pei Yubai.
Zhou Yanci then gave up the idea of investing and let Zhou Qingyu spend 200 million to please a man, as he felt that the man was not worthy.
Now, seeing the project proposal again, Zhou Yanci asked Special Assistant Sun, "Hasn't this project already produced results?"
Special Assistant Sun: "That's right, but Xingyao has made another project proposal. It seems they haven't given up yet."
Zhou Yanci was puzzled, Fang Yue was not such a persistent person.
Zhou Yanci opened the document and found that the investment reviewer on the project book was not Fang Yue, but Yan Xi.
Special Assistant Sun took a sneak peek and said, "This project book was made by Yan Xi!"
The new project book is an improvement on Fang Yue's project book. Compared with the previous version, this version is bolder and has better predictions for the future of "Crazy".
At the very beginning of the project book, Yan Xi clearly wrote the predicted box office: 3 billion+
Special Assistant Sun: "She dares to think, 3 billion, does she know what this number means?"
Zhou Yanci was silent for a moment and did not refute.
In fact, Zhou Yanci was thinking about something else.
Yan Xi is so enthusiastic about me, could it be because of this project?
She is optimistic about this project and wants him to get approval for investment, so she has been very nice to him these two days?
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanci suddenly felt relieved.
"Mr. Zhou, what about this project?" Assistant Sun Te asked.
Zhou Yanci regained his former seriousness and earnestness. "Hasn't it been approved before? The project proposal has been redone, but the project is still the same. Let's leave it at that."
"Okay, I'll go get back to Yan Xi."
Having said that, Special Assistant Sun took the documents and was about to leave.
Suddenly, Zhou Yanci thought of Yan Xi's pitiful little face at the breakfast table today.
"etc!"
Zhou Yanci suddenly called Assistant Sun, who took a deep breath and signed the project book.
Assistant Sun was so surprised that his jaw dropped. "Boss Zhou! You said you would not invest! If we invest, wouldn't it be a bargain for Pei Yubai?"
Zhou Yanci looked away, "...It was like this before, but now that Yan Xi is here, it may not be the case anymore."
——
Yan Xi didn't know yet that the approval from the group had been obtained.
At this moment, she was still in the old house, accompanying Zhou Qingyu to try on dresses for Master Pei's birthday party.
"That's Master Pei's birthday party! I can't dress too ostentatiously, but I can't dress too plainly either... Xixi, come over here and help me choose!"
There were high-end dresses of various brands lined up in front of her, and several clothing designers around her were enthusiastically introducing the dresses to Zhou Qingyu.
Yan Xi glanced around, "No one from the M family?"
"It's a private party, so it's okay if I don't wear M's dress."
In fact, Zhou Qingyu felt that it was strange to wear Zhou Yanci's family dress to attend Mr. Pei's birthday banquet.
Yan Xi chose a crescent-white halter-neck silk dress for Zhou Qingyu. The style was dignified and elegant, gentle and generous, and not too revealing, making it suitable for attending an elder's birthday banquet.
In addition, Zhou Qingyu also picked out a small black dress. These dresses were tailored according to her figure and she used them as a backup.
Housekeeper Yu stood aside and said, "Miss, this dress looks really good on you! The warehouse is full of space. Do you want to get rid of some clothes to make room?"
Yan Xi was surprised, "Didn't we already deal with a batch of them in Licheng before?"
"That's the warehouse in the city!" Zhou Qingyu said, "There are more clothes and bags in the old house, many of which I used when I was a child. Uncle Yu, find a few quick servants to help and deal with them together. I won't use most of them anymore anyway."
Warehouses, more than one.
The life of the rich is unimaginable!
Yan Xi responded quickly, "How about we organize another event to give back to our fans?"
After all, it's a great opportunity to earn luck points!
"Sure!"
Zhou Qingyu also tasted the benefits of the last lucky draw. Although she does not rely on traffic to make a living, she also hopes that her comments can be more positive.
After all, Ye Luoyi is very popular, and Zhou Qingyu sometimes wants to suppress Ye Luoyi!
Butler Yu brought the two of them to Zhou Qingyu's warehouse in the old house. Looking at the dazzling array of clothes, Yan Xi was amazed.
"Is it still a lottery?" Zhou Qingyu asked.
Yan Xi blinked her eyes. "It would be boring to do the same thing again. This time, we can try something new!"