Chapter 33
Zhou Ping'an stood at the door of the second bedroom, looking at the piles of cardboard boxes and dusty old items inside, his brows unconsciously furrowed. He looked at it silently for a few seconds, mentally calculating how troublesome and time-consuming it would be to clean it up.
Then, he turned around and looked at Liu Yifan beside him, proposing a solution that he felt was more efficient and reasonable:
"It'll take time to clean these things up, and I'm afraid we won't have time tonight." He paused, his eyes sweeping towards the master bedroom, and expressed his thoughts. "How about this, you sleep in my master bedroom, and I'll change into a new set of clean bedding. I'll sleep in the lounge at the experimental center tonight. There's a bed there, and I usually use it for overtime."
This proposal came from his rational and hassle-free way of thinking, but he completely ignored the intimate implications that it might contain, which far exceeded the ordinary boundaries between men and women.
However, Liu Yifan shook his head almost the moment he finished speaking.
"No need to bother, Mr. Zhou." Her voice was clear and calm, with an unquestionable insistence. "I told you, I'm here to 'experience life' and 'observe', not to cause you any trouble, much less to usurp your rightful place."
She took a small step forward and looked into the second bedroom. There was no trace of disgust towards the clutter and dust in her eyes. Instead, her eyes flashed with the light of a focused researcher.
"This place is great," she said with certainty. "This inconvenience and need for cleanup is part of what I need to observe and experience. It's part of your life, far more valuable than a spotlessly tidy guest room."
She even smiled slightly, that smile revealing an actor's unique sensitivity and anticipation for the "scene" and "atmosphere." "I'll clean it up myself. This process might allow me to discover more...interesting details."
Zhou Ping'an obviously hadn't expected her to reject this more "comfortable" plan, and instead to imbue the "inconvenience" itself with positive research significance. He was stunned for a moment, looking at her eager expression, and was momentarily speechless.
While he was still thinking about how to convince her or try another approach, Liu Yifan had already taken action.
She very naturally pushed her suitcase against the wall, then rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair arms, as if ready to get to work. She even directed Zhou Pingan, who stood there, looking a little lost, in a natural tone, as if she were communicating with the crew on the set:
"Mr. Zhou, could you please help me find a few large empty boxes or woven bags? I also need rags and buckets. Oh, and if you have extra sheets and quilt covers, please bring a set as well."
Her instructions were clear and direct, and she completely put herself in the dominant position, while Zhou Ping'an was temporarily assigned the role of "assistant".
This sudden change of roles once again left Zhou Pingan stunned. He was used to giving orders and providing solutions, but he rarely received such natural assignments, especially in his own home.
But looking at Liu Yifan's serious and dedicated expression, as if she was about to embark on an important task, he couldn't find a reason to refute her. He nodded silently and turned to find what she needed.
So, on this autumn night, in this old house filled with the atmosphere of bygone times, a strange scene appeared: a technology giant worth tens of billions of dollars, like an intern, followed the instructions of a top actress and assisted her on the side; and the heroine, who should have been carefully cared for, did not care about the dust, and personally moved the heavy old cardboard boxes one by one, wiped the dust, and sorted the items.
During the process, Liu Yifan moved a heavy box, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked at the dust in the room. She couldn't help but ask the man who was helping her pass tools, "Mr. Zhou, why don't you usually hire someone to clean this place regularly? There must be someone at the company or home who can arrange it, right?"
Zhou Ping'an was handing her an empty cardboard box when he paused. A rare, almost bewildered expression crossed his face, as if he had never considered this question before. He was silent for a few seconds before answering in a matter-of-fact, even slightly bewildered tone:
"I haven't thought about it." He paused, as if feeling that this answer wasn't specific enough, and added, his eyes sweeping over the old things, "These things... I don't usually use them. I close the door and forget about them."
This answer was simple and direct, yet it once again surprised Liu Yifan. She suddenly realized that the man before her had already reached the top tier in terms of wealth and influence, and could easily mobilize vast resources.
But when dealing with his personal life, his thinking habits are still stubbornly stuck in the past, at the level where he only needs to consider basic functions without considering services and convenience.
His approach to this rarely used second bedroom was simple: "Close the door, it's not needed" -> "No need to clean it." The thought of "I could have someone do it" never crossed his mind.
This subtly resonated with the first time he'd picked her up at the airport, when he'd gotten out of the car to carry her luggage while the driver sat safely inside. A clear realization dawned on her: his behavior, to a large extent, still retained the habits of an ordinary person and hadn't yet fully synced with his new wealth and status.
This discovery, more than any other old item she had ever unearthed, gave her a strange sense of reality. An indescribable emotion, a mixture of surprise and a faint sense of glimpsing something essential, quietly filled her heart.
After nearly two hours of busy work, the second bedroom was finally cleaned and the bedding was replaced. Although the space was small and the furnishings were simple, it provided the conditions for a good night's sleep.
Both of them had slight sweat on their foreheads and some dust on their bodies, and they looked a little "disheveled" in a rare way.
Liu Yifan stood in the middle of the tidy room, looking around, with a satisfied look on his face, as if he had completed an important task.
Zhou Pingan looked at the tidied room and seemed satisfied with the result. He seemed to be thinking about the next step after solving a practical problem. He said to Liu Yifan in a very calm tone:
"That's all for today. Go to bed early." He paused, his eyes sweeping across the living room and study, and continued, "I'll have someone from the office come over tomorrow to thoroughly clean the living room and study."
His tone was as if he were arranging the cleanout of an unused laboratory or warehouse.
"These temporarily unused items," he pointed to several boxes cleared out from the second bedroom, "can all be moved upstairs and stacked."
"Upstairs?" Liu Yifan was slightly startled and subconsciously asked back. This old building has an upstairs?
"Yeah." Zhou Ping'an nodded, his expression unchanged, as if he was talking about a very ordinary little thing. "The fifth and sixth floors. Coincidentally, the landlord of the two upper floors wanted to sell these past two years, and I thought the price was right, so I bought them both."
His tone was calm and as natural as when an ordinary person says "I bought some fruit".
Liu Yifan was speechless for a moment.
She looked at the man in front of her. He was wearing an old jacket covered in dust. He was standing in this house of less than 100 square meters, which was filled with old items. He said in the most ordinary tone that he had bought the two floors upstairs.
The huge contrast between this extremely huge wealth and extremely simple living habits was nakedly presented to her in an almost absurd way.
She suddenly understood the origins of Zhou Ping'an's "not having thought of hiring someone to clean" mentality—perhaps he simply hadn't considered his immense wealth. His mindset was still stuck in the simpler mode of "this room is useless once the door is closed," and he hadn't yet accustomed himself to the new reality of "I could buy an entire building just to store my stuff."
This "lag" has nothing to do with clumsiness or loneliness, it is just a natural state that has not yet been transformed.
Zhou Ping'an didn't seem to notice Liu Yifan's inner shock. He glanced at the time and said, "It's getting late. Let's get some rest." After that, he turned and left.
Liu Yifan closed the door, leaned against it, and looked at the small room that he had tidied up with his own hands. The air was still filled with the faint smell of mothballs and dust.
She recalled the scene just now, and an extremely complicated smile slowly appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Tonight, she successfully stayed and touched the rings of his years with her own hands.
She also pulled off a subtle reversal, getting him to follow her instructions.
The days ahead are bound to be even more interesting, Liu Yifan thought, her eyes bright and determined. She told herself that she couldn't force her way into the situation, she could only outsmart it.
Zhou Ping'an's world was like a fortress, and the only entrance might be this forgotten house, filled with traces of the past. What she had to do was not to knock on the door, but to seep in silently, like water seeking a crack.
The next morning, Zhou Ping'an went to the company early as usual. Just after nine o'clock, the doorbell rang.
Liu Yifan opened the door. Standing outside was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a smart business suit and delicately made-up. Behind her were three smart-looking young men in uniform. The woman wore a perfectly composed smile and glanced quickly and politely at Liu Yifan.
"Hello, Teacher Liu. I'm Huang Xiaoting, Mr. Zhou's assistant." She spoke at a moderate pace, her words clear and with professional enthusiasm. "Mr. Zhou asked me to bring someone to tidy up the room."
"Please come in, Assistant Huang." Liu Yifan stepped aside, his gaze lingering on Huang Xiaoting for a moment. This assistant possessed a blend of shrewdness and composure, a stark contrast to Zhou Ping'an's technical aloofness.
Huang Xiaoting walked into the living room and quickly glanced around, finally landing on the few cardboard boxes and woven bags that had been cleared out from the second bedroom in the corner. Her standard professional smile instantly relaxed, transforming into a more genuine expression that held a touch of surprise and amusement.
"That's... all?" She couldn't help but laugh. She turned around and looked at the three colleagues behind her who were obviously preparing to do a "big job". Her tone was much more relaxed. "Boss Zhou sounded very urgent on the phone. I thought there would be at least half a room full of things to move."
Liu Yifan was also amused by her reaction and nodded: "Yeah, that's all. Yesterday we... roughly sorted it out."
Huang Xiaoting directed the three male employees to start moving the boxes with ease. She did not leave immediately, but stood naturally in the living room, turning her eyes to Liu Yifan with an imperceptible look of re-examination.
"Teacher Liu, are you coming here to stay for a long time this time?" She asked with a smile, her tone a little more intimate than before, with just the right hint of tentativeness in the chat.
By now, rumors of the boss's relationship with this famous star had spread like wildfire, both inside and outside the company, becoming almost an unspoken "fact." As someone in the inner circle, Huang Xiaoting naturally wouldn't miss any of this information. Her approach was part professional information gathering, part instinctive curiosity about the woman who might become the "boss's wife."
Liu Yifan could sense the subtle intention, but she just smiled and answered flawlessly: "It depends on the project needs and the filming schedule. This place is closer to the studio, so it's more convenient."
Huang Xiaoting is one of the earliest founders of Anping Battery. He started his business with Zhou Pingan right after graduating from university at the age of 22. He started out by serving tea and organizing documents, and worked his way up to become Zhou's chief personal assistant, in charge of most of his daily affairs, and gained his deep trust.
When the company was first established, Zhou Ping'an had given her a 0.5% stake. What seemed like a tiny amount at the time, with Anping's valuation skyrocketing, has now become a sum unimaginable to most people.
The items were quickly moved. Huang Xiaoting seemed to think this was a good opportunity to get closer, and he took the initiative to say to Liu Yifan, "Teacher Liu, would you like to take a look upstairs? The two floors above are also Mr. Zhou's, and they usually store miscellaneous items. Please see if there is anything that needs to be adjusted, or if there are other uses for it. I can arrange it all at once."
Huang Xiaoting handled the original purchase procedures for the two houses. Throughout the entire process, Zhou Ping'an simply made a phone call and said, "The apartment above is for sale, go buy it." She handled all the other details, from price negotiation to property transfer.
Liu Yifan's heart moved and he nodded: "Okay, thank you for your help."
The two went up to the fifth floor. Huang Xiaoting took out the key and opened the door.
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