Chapter 54.1

Wen Tang returned to her apartment after midnight.

She had told Zhou Jingyu she would come back after the wrap party, and she didn’t expect him to come over. After a month and a half of intense work, she had barely been home, leaving her two cats at Zhou Jingyu’s place.

When she opened the door and saw the lights on in the living room, she was surprised to find Zhou Jingyu lounging on the sofa.

He had apparently fallen asleep, leaning against the sofa with his head tilted back. Wearing deep gray silk pajamas, his skin looked pale and glowing under the lights. His chin was slightly raised, and his elegant neck was even more defined.

No matter the situation, he always looked flawless.

The sound of the door opening stirred Zhou Jingyu. His long eyelashes fluttered before he opened his eyes.

As Zhou Jingyu opened his eyes, he saw Wen Tang standing at the door.

“You’re back.”

He wearily rubbed his nose, got up from the sofa, and walked towards Wen Tang.

Wen Tang placed her bag on the shoe rack, rushed towards him, and threw herself into his arms.

“I missed you so much.”

Seeing him as soon as she got home made her incredibly happy.

Wen Tang nuzzled her head affectionately against Zhou Jingyu’s chest, then looked up at him with a smile.

“Did you wait for long?” she asked, tilting her head.

Zhou Jingyu led her inside.

He glanced at his watch—it was already 12:40 a.m. He had eaten dinner, done some work, and arrived at her place around 9:30 p.m. to wait for her.

“Not too long,” he said calmly.

Wen Tang had just returned, smelling strongly of smoke and alcohol from the party. Although he usually disliked these smells, they weren’t as unpleasant coming from Wen Tang.

Overcome by his longing, he stopped abruptly in the hallway after just a few steps.

He pressed her against the wall and kissed her for a long time.

After the kiss, Wen Tang was still dazed and slightly disoriented. Zhou Jingyu had already pulled away from the kiss, his voice gentle as he looked down at her. “You’ve had a lot to drink.”

Wen Tang immediately sobered up.

Although she didn’t detect any criticism in his tone, she felt guilty in front of Zhou Jingyu.

Wen Tang replied, “…It wasn’t that much. See, I’m not even drunk.”

In reality, she was quite tipsy, her mind slow, and her steps unsteady.

However, when she was drunk, she didn’t exhibit any particular signs, so it was not very noticeable.

Zhou Jingyu didn’t argue with her. The smell of smoke and alcohol from her was already at his limit. The people she interacted with at the party were also unfamiliar to him.

He found it hard to imagine what she might have done at the party. Given her beauty and status as the leading actress, she was surely the center of attention.

“Let’s get you a shower first.”

He firmly guided Wen Tang into the bathroom.

Leaving her standing by herself, Zhou Jingyu filled the bathtub with water.

After checking the water temperature, he stood up and turned to Wen Tang, asking softly, “Can you bathe yourself?”

Wen Tang did not want to bathe alone.

She was too exhausted to move, and, more importantly, Zhou Jingyu was right there—why should she do it herself?

Wen Tang, acting a bit spoiled, hugged Zhou Jingyu around the waist and looked up at him with a pout. “Aren’t you going to help me?”

Worried about Wen Tang’s condition after drinking too much, Zhou Jingyu decided not to let her bathe alone.

He helped her undress and gently carried her into the water.

Wen Tang enjoyed his care. She had drunk quite a bit, and wrapped in the warm water and with her boyfriend washing her, she soon closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She slept deeply and soundly, not waking until noon the next day.

She had slept nearly twelve hours straight. Even though she hadn’t had breakfast, she wasn’t hungry at all. After catching up on sleep, she felt refreshed.

At noon, Wen Tang was used to video calling Zhou Jingyu at this time. It was Friday, and Zhou Jingyu had to work. She forgot that she was no longer on set and didn’t need to perform for the camera. Reflexively, she picked up her phone and sent Zhou Jingyu a video call.

At that moment, Zhou Jingyu was in the staff cafeteria.

Typically, to match Wen Tang’s schedule, he would either video call her before going to the cafeteria or have his assistant bring back food for him to eat after the call. He preferred watching Wen Tang eat on camera but didn’t like eating in front of the camera himself. Despite Wen Tang’s many invitations to eat together, he always declined.

This time, he anticipated that Wen Tang, having had a long break, would need extra rest and didn’t wake her up in the morning. He was waiting for her to message him when she woke up. However, by now, Zhou Jingyu and the Vice President had been in a meeting for over an hour, and it was time for lunch. When the video call rang, Zhou Jingyu picked up his phone and saw Wen Tang’s edited contact name on the screen, causing his lips to curl into a slight smile.

The Vice President, walking beside him, glanced at Zhou Jingyu’s phone and saw the nickname—“My Little Treasure.”

He was immediately taken aback.

He gave Zhou Jingyu a look of unspoken shock.

It was hard to believe!

Seeing Zhou Jingyu, usually so composed and dignified, it was unimaginable that he could have a girlfriend, especially since he had only returned to the country six months ago. There had been recent rumors that he was being set up on blind dates, and the entire company thought he was single. Yet… “My Little Treasure”?

“Girlfriend?” The Vice President, unable to hide his curiosity, peered at Zhou Jingyu and asked.

Zhou Jingyu, still smiling, nodded. “Yes.”

His eyes were full of affection, clearly smitten.

…Indeed!

Zhou Jingyu was handsome and influential, and many women in the company admired him. Hearing this news would likely crush many hearts.

How unfair!

The Vice President, feeling suddenly exposed, could hardly contain his surprise. At over forty, married for years, he no longer experienced the passionate excitement of young love.

Young people have such rich emotions!

Not wanting to be a third wheel, the vice president quickly pointed to a table ahead. “Oh, I see Director Liu. I have some matters to discuss with him. I’ll join him for lunch!”

He hurried off, as if someone were chasing him.

After the Vice President left, Zhou Jingyu answered the video call.

The next moment, Wen Tang’s face appeared on the video call. She had just woken up, still wearing pajamas and sitting on the bed, her mind still a bit groggy.

Seeing her, Zhou Jingyu smiled. “You’re up?”

Wen Tang nodded. Noticing the unfamiliar setting on the other end, she blinked in curiosity and asked, “Where are you?”

Zhou Jingyu replied, “In the company cafeteria.”

He switched the camera to show her a view of the cafeteria. Wen Tang had never seen their company cafeteria before. She widened her eyes and looked on with great interest.

After showing her enough, Zhou Jingyu switched the camera back.

“Just woke up?” Zhou Jingyu asked.

Wen Tang nodded and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Yeah, I can’t believe it’s already noon.”

She was surprised at how long she had slept.

“Your lunch is on its way. The driver will bring it to your door soon. You just need to go downstairs to get it,” Zhou Jingyu said.

The apartment management is strict, and visitors without passes aren’t allowed in. Since Wen Tang has returned to work and usually doesn’t stay at the apartment, reporters have mostly left, so it’s still fine for her to go downstairs to get her lunch.

Wen Tang responded with an “Okay,” then got out of bed, lifted her phone, and headed to the bathroom. Since she needed to go downstairs for lunch, she decided to brush her teeth first.

She set her phone on the sink, squeezed some toothpaste onto her brush, and started brushing her teeth.