Chapter 20

Zhou Jingyu smiled slightly, his expression relaxed, like a clear moon on a breezy night.

It was truly a pleasure to behold.

Wen Tang looked at him and couldn’t help but marvel at his extraordinary appearance. Although she and her neighbor were no longer at odds, there was nothing much to say. After a brief polite exchange, Wen Tang intended to leave.

However, as she turned, she found herself again indecisive about whether to go left or right. It seemed she had passed this area before; going left or right led to the same result.

Seeing her confusion, Zhou Jingyu couldn’t help but smile. The extent of her bewilderment reminded him a bit of how she seemed on the phone.

“Miss Wen, are you lost?”

He asked with a smile, lightly clearing his throat and pointing out Wen Tang’s current predicament.

To Wen Tang, it felt like a rather unkind mockery.

She forced a smile and wondered how to respond.

Should she admit to being drunk and thus making such a basic mistake?

Or should she just accept the mockery?

Did she not care about her dignity?

As Wen Tang pondered how to answer, her phone rang, saving her from having to respond.

It was the director calling.

It turned out that while Wen Tang was outside, everyone had finished eating and was about to leave. The director suddenly realized Wen Tang hadn’t returned and called to let her know.

After hanging up, Wen Tang showed Zhou Jingyu her phone with a charming smile, “No, I’m actually heading home now.”

She then turned to leave, but just as she took a couple of steps, Zhou Jingyu spoke again, “Miss Wen…”

Wen Tang turned around with a raised eyebrow.

Zhou Jingyu remained where he was, his expression calm and polite, his eyes clear and seemingly carrying a hint of amusement. “You’re going the wrong way.”

He pointed to the opposite corridor, “If I’m not mistaken, you should head this way to exit.”

Wen Tang: “…”

Wen Tang wasn’t actually directionally challenged, but the club’s maze-like layout made it feel like a labyrinth. In the end, she relied on Zhou Jingyu to guide her out.

Wen Tang had arrived in the director’s car. During the meal, her own car had been brought by her driver and was waiting in the parking lot. She just needed to make a call.

Wen Tang left with Zhou Jingyu, and when they arrived outside, her driver was already waiting at the door.

Seeing her car, Wen Tang was about to say goodbye to Zhou Jingyu, but he spoke first, asking, “Miss Wen, are you heading home now?”

Wen Tang remembered she had already told him that earlier. Why was he asking again?

Wen Tang nodded in confirmation.

Zhou Jingyu then asked, “May I catch a ride with you?”

A ride?

Didn’t he have his own car?

Seeing her confusion, Zhou Jingyu explained, “I drove here myself but had a few drinks earlier.”

Drinking and driving isn’t allowed.

With that explanation, Wen Tang understood.

Since they lived in the same neighborhood on the same floor, sharing a ride wasn’t an issue and was a small favor. Besides, he had helped her at the previous party and guided her this time.

“Sure,” Wen Tang agreed, leading the way. “Let’s go back together.”

Wen Tang got in the car first, followed by Zhou Jingyu.

Once inside, the car slowly left the club.

Wen Tang had given Ke Xin and Yang Yang the night off for the dinner, so besides the driver, only Wen Tang and Zhou Jingyu were in the car.

Wen Tang and Zhou Jingyu didn’t have much to talk about. She was tired from a full day of filming and attending the dinner. She was more interested in doing her own thing.

She took out her phone, checked the time, and saw it was already past nine. She had been so busy all day that she hadn’t contacted Gong Yue.

She opened the chat with Gong Yue and began typing.

[Candy: Busy all day, finally off work~]

After typing, she clicked send.

“Ding dong.”

The next moment, a notification sound from Zhou Jingyu’s phone caught her attention.

But he didn’t seem inclined to check it. Wen Tang wasn’t curious about other people’s phones and turned back to her own.

Her thoughts were on her phone, but Gong Yue didn’t reply immediately, perhaps still busy.

“Miss Wen…”

At this moment, Zhou Jingyu’s clear voice rang in the car.

Wen Tang turned her head. Under the car lights, Zhou Jingyu appeared even more striking. His presence was hard to ignore, with an exceptional aura.

Zhou Jingyu gave her a slight nod, “Thank you.”

They both knew he was referring to her agreeing to let him share the ride. To Wen Tang, it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t require such formal thanks.

Her neighbor had truly made politeness a part of his nature.

Wen Tang shook her head and said, “No need to thank me.”

She then added, “And you don’t have to keep calling me Miss Wen. It feels too formal.”

Since they were neighbors and seeing each other frequently, addressing her as Miss Wen felt awkward.

Zhou Jingyu asked, “How should I address you then?”

Wen Tang casually replied, “Just call me Wen Tang or Tang Tang, whichever you prefer.”

She was used to being called by different names by people around her, whether familiar or not. Though she offered “Tang Tang” as an option, she guessed her neighbor would likely choose option A.

As expected, Zhou Jingyu skipped the latter option and almost imperceptibly pursed his lips, responding, “Alright, Wen Tang.”

After that, he didn’t say anything more.

The club was about half an hour’s drive from the apartment. Wen Tang was extremely tired and had drunk quite a bit at the dinner. Before she knew it, she had leaned back in her seat and fallen asleep.

She didn’t wake up until the car was almost at the apartment.

When she woke up, she instinctively looked out the window and saw Wen Haifeng standing at the gate of Linjiang Mansion.

He hadn’t come in the morning but was back again in the evening.

A persistent ghost.

The car drove directly into the underground garage.

Once the car stopped, Wen Tang opened the door and stepped out.

Zhou Jingyu got out after her, walking at a leisurely pace and following behind. Seeing her walk quickly, he noticed that after waking up, she seemed to have become more sullen.

Wen Tang reached the elevator first and pressed the button to call it.

Zhou Jingyu approached her.

“Wen Tang.”

Startled by the sudden call, Wen Tang didn’t immediately react. It wasn’t until she turned to see Zhou Jingyu that she remembered she had allowed him to call her that in the car.

Her mind had been occupied with thoughts of Wen Haifeng, Liu Meifen, her grandmother, and past events, completely forgetting about the person who had given her a ride.

Wen Tang blinked and looked at Zhou Jingyu with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”

Waking up from her thoughts and looking bewildered was quite endearing.

Zhou Jingyu’s hand lifted slightly, then he retracted it, restraining himself from reaching out to ruffle her hair.

He found his sudden, impulsive thought amusing and shook his head.

“It’s nothing,” he said.

The elevator arrived, and he entered first. When Wen Tang followed and the doors closed, Zhou Jingyu said, “Wen Tang, you don’t need to call me Mr. Zhou anymore.”

Wen Tang looked at him in surprise.

Zhou Jingyu smiled slightly. “My surname is Zhou, and my name is Jingyu. You can just call me by my name in casual situations.”

So, he’s Zhou Jingyu!

Wen Tang’s eyes widened in realization as she stared at him, as if trying to figure out something.

At the party, the chairman of Shengling that everyone was discussing, and the top-notch man that all the socialites were pursuing, turned out to be him!

And he was her neighbor.

It confirmed the saying: never judge a book by its cover!

Seeing him so low-key usually, it was completely unexpected.

Noticing her sudden silence and fixed gaze, Zhou Jingyu looked slightly puzzled. “What’s the matter?”

Wen Tang shook her head, not sure if she should mention that she had heard of his fame at the party.

“Nothing,” she replied.

After Zhou Jingyu returned home, he received a call from Zhou Jiarong.

“Jingyu, I have been praising you for being grown-up and sensible, but it turns out he was wrong. Do you know how rude you were today?”

Zhou Jiarong was very upset about Zhou Jingyu leaving in the middle of a matchmaking meeting. His behavior had caused him to lose face in front of Zhao Xudong.

After a thorough scolding, the call ended.

Zhou Jiarong’s excessive confidence had created a false impression of Zhou Jingyu as an obedient and manageable young man. He believed he could control him easily, bringing him into his faction and arranging alliances for him.

Once everything went smoothly, Zhou Jiaxin and Zhou Jialan would pose no threat. At that point, the entire Shengling would belong to him.

What he didn’t realize was that some people are destined not to be ordinary. Excessive confidence often leads to backlash.

When Wen Tang returned home, she received a reply from Gong Yue after a while.

[Y: Why are you so busy?]

Seeing this message, Wen Tang pouted in annoyance. She was drying her hair after a bath and, seeing Gong Yue’s reply, forgot about her hair.

[Candy: You too, taking so long to reply.]

Shortly after, she received another message.

[Y: I attended a dinner party tonight and just got home.]

This was exactly what Wen Tang was hoping to hear.

He also attended a dinner?

What a coincidence.

Wen Tang had originally not intended to discuss the dinner with him. In the entertainment industry, such events were often just meals to male celebrities, but for female celebrities, they could have multiple interpretations and were not something glamorous to talk about.

But Gong Yue’s message hit the mark and fully triggered Wen Tang’s desire to express herself. She had been unguarded with Gong Yue, and they had been chatting about everything these days.

[Candy: You went to a dinner party too?]

[Candy: I went tonight as well!]

[Candy: The investors came, and when the director gave the order, we small actors had to accompany them. Small actors really have no rights, boohoo!]

[Candy: I hate attending dinner parties the most. Why can’t acting just be acting? Why does it have to be so complicated? They say the entertainment industry is good, but really, what’s so good about it? If it weren’t for my love of acting, I wouldn’t put up with this!]

[Candy: Humph!]

**

Author’s note:

Caught up!!!