Chapter 6 – The First Battle

On the evening of the second day, Zhou Ziyi cleaned himself up and prepared for his “first battle”.

Yan Xiuzhi came to pick him up, and Zhou Ziyi went downstairs from the residential area five minutes early. As soon as he reached the roadside, he looked up and saw the car license plate number he had received from X messenger before, so he quickly walked over.

He instinctively opened the back door and leaned in, only to find three paper bags on the back seat. Surprisingly, Yan Xiuzhi was in the driver’s seat.

Zhou Ziyi immediately closed the back door and opened the front door, obediently slipping into the passenger seat.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Yan.” Zhou Ziyi felt that they would have to act later, so it would be best if the atmosphere wasn’t too tense. He casually started the conversation, “You’re here early, I thought there would be traffic at this time and you’d be late.”

“I anticipated the traffic, so I came early.” Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him and reminded, “Fasten your seatbelt.”

“Oops! I forgot!” Zhou Ziyi hurriedly pulled the seatbelt and fastened it. “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous.”

Yan Xiuzhi said, “You’re nervous now, are you going to reveal your anxiety as soon as we enter?”

“Well, this is the first time I’m riding in a car driven by a big boss.” Zhou Ziyi smiled at him. “I thought you would have your driver drive, so I opened the back door when I arrived. I didn’t expect you to personally drive. It’s quite an honor to have the esteemed Mr. Yan as the driver.”

Yan Xiuzhi said, “You can switch seats with me.”

Zhou Ziyi smiled, “My mind really want it, but the reality is not allowed – I don’t have a driver’s license.”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent.

President Yan glanced at the person in the passenger seat again, said nothing, and turned the ignition. Zhou Ziyi, sensing something in his eyes, quickly added a soft statement, “Well, you see, I went to college before I reached the legal driving age, and when I came back, I didn’t have a car, so I didn’t learn… It’s not that I’m not motivated, haha.”

Yan Xiuzhi responded with a grunt.

Zhou Ziyi blinked and continued, “So, since we’re talking about this, shall we also coordinate our alibis?”
“What?” Yan Xiuzhi asked.

“I mean, if someone asks us how we got here, who was driving, and such questions,” Zhou Ziyi said, “And there might be people asking about the car I’m currently driving…”

Yan Xiuzhi asked, “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m suggesting that for these kinds of questions, we have a unified answer,” Zhou Ziyi paused, “I don’t drive, having Yan Xiuzhi is enough for me… How about that?”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him.

Zhou Ziyi thought to himself, “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you expect me to have a car or something?”

“Ha… , this is just a script, President Yan. It’s based on embellishing and processing facts, right?” Zhou Ziyi continued to persuade, “The important thing is, you’re such a big shot. If you were my driver, you should love me a lot, right? Isn’t this trip specifically for showing affection with President Yan?”

Yan Xiuzhi finally spoke, “It’s to meet my family and confirm the wedding date.”

Zhou Ziyi asked, “And also to show affection?”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent.

Unable to discern whether he accepted or rejected him in his indifferent demeanor, Zhou Ziyi boldly sought confirmation in a gentle tone, “Is it really possible, President Yan?”

Yan Xiuzhi could only say, “Don’t say it proactively.”

“Got it, +1 passive skill.” Zhou Ziyi nodded, “If others don’t ask, I won’t say anything. But if someone tries to provoke us with this matter and use it to criticize me, I’ll fight back. Is that okay?”

Yan Xiuzhi nodded and added, “When we’re at home, don’t call me ‘President Yan.’”

“I was just about to ask about that.” Zhou Ziyi blinked, “What should I call you at home, President Yan? Last time we talked about this topic, you didn’t give me an answer…”

What answer could he give? Yan Yan, Xiu Xiu… and the other option, there were a total of three choices, none of which were feasible.

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t bother thinking and just threw the question back at Zhou Ziyi, saying, “Think about it yourself, but don’t use the previous one.”

Zhou Ziyi had to ponder, “President Yan Xiuzhi, didn’t you have any nicknames when you were younger? Does your family have any specific way of addressing you?”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent.

Zhou Ziyi figured that the CEO didn’t like being called by his childhood name, so after thinking for a while, he came up with an idea, “Oh, how about I call you ‘Old Yan’?”

Yan Xiuzhi responded, “There are many people in my family with the last name Yan.”

“I know, but I’m not talking about when we’re together… I mean, when others think we’re together, I’ll call you that,” Zhou Ziyi said, “It could be a running joke, and I can use the excuse that it’s not convenient to call you ‘Old Yan’ at home and just use your full name.”

Yan Xiuzhi couldn’t come up with a better solution for now, so he reluctantly nodded, “Okay.”

“Great, then you can call me ‘Ziyi’ or ‘Zhouzhou’,” Zhou Ziyi smiled, “That’s how my acquaintances call me, and it will help me respond faster when you call me that way.”

Yan Xiuzhi nodded again, “Hmm.”

“Now let’s get familiar with our roles, shall we?” Zhou Ziyi stared at Yan Xiuzhi and blinked, “Old Yan?”

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t hesitate and played along, saying, “Ziyi.”

Zhou Ziyi: …
Alright, I shouldn’t ask too much of the client.

Upon arriving at Yan’s villa, they parked the car. Zhou Ziyi got out of the car, carrying the gift prepared by Yan Xiuzhi, and calmly adjusted his clothes before preparing to enter.

This wasn’t the first time he had met the parents of a potential spouse, but it was the first time he encountered this kind of parental meeting for a marriage partner. The difficult-to-handle feeling he had towards parents made him even more nervous about this “battle.” However, he was skilled at managing his expression, so most people would only see him as serious and not overly anxious.

Yan Xiuzhi stood beside him and glanced at him, saying, “… Are you ready?”

“Hmm?” Zhou Ziyi thought he was asking if he had completed the preparations, so he replied, “Yes. I remember your family consists of your father, mother, and a cousin. The cousin is the one your family took in after your uncle passed away, right?”

Yan Xiuzhi wasn’t referring to this information, but he didn’t explain further. Instead, he said, “Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The two entered the house together. The butler of the Yan family opened the door, and Zhou Ziyi followed Yan Xiuzhi inside. Just as he nodded in thanks to the butler, he was startled by the lively scene inside the Yan family’s home.

Wait a minute, didn’t they say there were only three people in the Yan family?!

There were visibly six people here!

Moreover, apart from the butler who opened the door and a noticeably younger girl who appeared younger than Zhou Ziyi, there were four adults who resembled elders, two men and two women. Which one of them were Yan Xiuzhi’s parents?

While Zhou Ziyi was momentarily stunned by this sight, Yan Xiuzhi spoke up.

“Why have you all come?”

The voice of President Yan was calm, and it didn’t sound like a cheerful welcoming tone. As he walked inside, he asked, “What special occasion is it today?”

“Well, since you brought your potential spouse home, can’t we come and meet him?” a middle-aged woman sitting on the sofa turned her head and looked at him. “As elders, we should have a say, right?”

“Aunt,” Yan Xiuzhi looked at her and began introducing people, “Uncle, Second Uncle, Second Uncle’s wife.”

Zhou Ziyi listened and realized that neither his father nor his mother were here.
“Brother, you really brought a man home,” the young girl sitting on a high-backed chair raised an eyebrow and said, “Aren’t you afraid that my… my third uncle will get angry?”

“Yueyue, why are you speaking to your brother like that?” the middle-aged woman called “Aunt” scolded the young girl and then turned to Yan Xiuzhi. “But your cousin is right, Xiao Xiu. You know your father’s temperament. How could you actually bring him home? Won’t your father be furious?”

Through this exchange, Zhou Ziyi learned that the young girl was Yan Meiyue, Yan Xiuzhi’s cousin who had been living with him all this time.

He gave her eye drops as soon as she opened her mouth. This cousin really doesn’t treat herself as an outsider.

However, Yan Xiuzhi’s nickname is unexpectedly “Xiao Xiu,” quite cute, haha…

Yan Xiuzhi ignored the two women’s words and only asked, “Where’s my mom?”

Yan Meiyue lifted her chin, saying, “In the kitchen.”
“Only ask your mom, why don’t you ask where your dad is?” Aunt said again, “And this person you brought home, don’t you introduce him?”

Another middle-aged man next to them coldly snorted, “Can you speak? Don’t you know how to greet someone when you enter?”

Zhou Ziyi’s spirits trembled, thinking that it’s my turn to appear. Just as he was about to brace himself and speak, Yan Xiuzhi suddenly said, “Zhou Ziyi, my boyfriend.”

“!”
Zhou Ziyi didn’t expect him to introduce himself so directly, he was stunned for a moment, but quickly put on a smiling face, “Hello, everyone.”

No one responded.

There wasn’t even a smiling face, only scrutinizing gazes constantly shifting on him, without a hint of goodwill. Zhou Ziyi accidentally met eyes with Yan Meiyue, and the disdain in the other’s eyes was evident.

Zhou Ziyi: ‘Alright, this is Hell Bureau.’

Yan Xiuzhi only said this much and went into the kitchen to find his mom. Zhou Ziyi couldn’t keep up, step by step falling behind, directly left alone in the living room.

This is so awkward.

If the relatives of the Yan family continue to ignore Zhou Ziyi, he’ll just be standing there, and it will be over soon. The problem is that these people occasionally glance at Zhou Ziyi, and he can’t ignore it. Anyone with a slightly weaker mental fortitude would want to find a hole to hide in. Zhou Ziyi rolled his thumb over the ribbon of the gift bag, wondering if he should give the gift to Yan Meiyue. But with so many people here, he can’t just single her out. Besides, with Yan Meiyue’s attitude, even if he gives it to her, she might not accept it.

Then, Zhou Ziyi heard his aunt start to sneer again, “I never would have expected that the successor of our Yan family would also learn to play with men.”

Zhou Ziyi: ‘… So, in Yan Xiuzhi’s absence, you’re even dissing him?’

And also calling him the “successor,” as if there’s a throne to inherit or something?
Oh, just casually taking 30 million, I guess that counts as having a throne.

Then Zhou Ziyi heard another middle-aged man reply, “Studied abroad, huh? Always causing this kind of mess.”

Another person added, “Where did two men get a child from? Will our Yan family’s assets be handed over to some adopted outsider in the future?”

Zhou Ziyi guessed that the man speaking behind was Yan Xiuzhi’s second uncle.

However, according to Zhou Ziyi’s preliminary investigation, the “Yan family industry” currently managed by Yan Xiuzhi has nothing to do with this uncle. It seems like he also has the right to inherit…

The aunt continued, “Who knows? We used to be on guard against bad women outside trying to seduce Xiao Xiu and drain our family’s wealth. But unexpectedly, despite all our precautions, he brought back a man. And now they want to get married hastily. Could it be that he deceived Xiao Xiu’s feelings?”

The uncle joined in with mockery, saying, “What kind of feelings can a man have for another man? I think he’s just here to scam money!”

However, Zhou Ziyi had no intention of listening to their conversation any longer.

Suddenly, he spoke up, “It’s my first time here, and I didn’t expect so many people today.”

Everyone stared at him.

“Uncle Yan… Yan Xiuzhi said there would be three people in the family, so I prepared three gifts. But now that there are so many more people, it might not be enough. We should give the gifts to whoever they were intended for. If someone doesn’t receive a gift, please don’t take offense.”
Zhou Ziyi said as he walked towards Yan Meiyue, “Next time, if we are informed in advance, we can prepare more so that we don’t return empty-handed and make you feel unhappy.”

At first glance, these words may seem fine, but upon closer examination, each sentence carries a strange tone.

Yan Meiyue didn’t expect him to be so bold. In the blink of an eye, she was handed a bag of gifts.
Just then, a cold snort came from upstairs. Looking up, they saw a middle-aged man with a plump figure standing at the staircase, staring coldly at Zhou Ziyi. His face looked quite unpleasant as he asked, “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”

Zhou Ziyi had a sudden realization: ‘The big boss has arrived.’

He smirked and deliberately chose some infuriating lines to respond to the other person’s obvious question.

“Hello, uncle. I’m Zhou Ziyi, Yan Xiuzhi’s boyfriend. I came here today to discuss the wedding arrangements with Yan Xiuzhi.”