Chapter 13 – Ex-Girlfriends Can Be Scary

The process of the engagement banquet was quite ordinary.

Apart from the speeches given by the two main characters, this banquet was not much different from other dinner parties. In fact, there were only three tables in total, not even qualifying as a large gathering.

Moreover, the speeches of the two main characters were not substantial.

Yan Xiuzhi only spoke three sentences. The first one: “Thank you all for attending our engagement banquet.”

The second one: “The wedding between Zhou Ziyi and me will take place next month. You are all welcome to join us.”

The third one: “Thank you.”

With the formal wedding scheduled for next month, this statement caused quite a stir among the audience. As a result, whatever Zhou Ziyi said afterwards went unnoticed by most people.

Fortunately, Zhou Ziyi’s speech was also simple, expressing warm sentiments and not taking up much time – it was almost as if he didn’t say anything at all. So, if one didn’t pay attention, it didn’t really matter.

Next, everyone enjoyed a meal in earnest.

The only incident occurred when, after toasting round, Yan Xiuzhi still talking with another person, and a girl approached with a wine glass. Zhou Ziyi, who was originally standing nearby as a background, froze as soon as he saw the girl approaching.

“Oh, dear Zhou Zhou,” the girl handed over her wine glass, “don’t you want to have a drink with your ex-girlfriend?”

The girl’s voice was not loud, and only she and Zhou Ziyi could hear it. The playful tone in her words was quite evident. Zhou Ziyi sighed helplessly and clinked his glass with hers, saying, “Long time no see, Sun Wen.”

“Long time no see,” Sun Wen exclaimed cheerfully. “I didn’t expect that after just half a year of not seeing each other, you would already be getting married. Should I congratulate you?”

Zhou Ziyi smiled and replied, “Life is unpredictable.”

Sun Wen raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer, whispering, “How much money did Yan Xiuzhi give you?”

“… “ Zhou Ziyi took a step back, sincerely smiling, “We are in love for real.”

“Oh, come on. When you were dealing with my mom, you also said that we were in love,” Sun Wen took a sip of her drink and leisurely continued, “I even offered to pay you more, but you wouldn’t accept it. Yan Xiuzhi must be quite wealthy and generous for you to be willing to jump into the grave of marriage.”

Yes, Sun Wen was Zhou Ziyi’s “ex-girlfriend,” but not just a typical ex-girlfriend.

To be precise, Sun Wen was one of Zhou Ziyi’s former employers. Back then, Sun Wen had paid a significant amount to “hire” Zhou Ziyi for three months as her “fake boyfriend.” It was a way to deal with Sun Wen’s parents and show off to those around her. Zhou Ziyi played his part perfectly and made a respectable appearance. Sun Wen had found him incredibly attractive at the time and almost took things further due to the influence of alcohol. Fortunately, Zhou Ziyi made a quick escape; otherwise, he would have truly compromised his “professional ethics.”

Just now, when Zhou Ziyi and Yan Xiuzhi were toasting at each table, Zhou Ziyi actually saw Sun Wen. However, it wasn’t the right time or place, so he pretended not to notice her. Unexpectedly, Sun Wen took the initiative to come over and propose a toast, bringing up their past. Zhou Ziyi maintained a smiling face on the surface, but inside, he was truly…

He has been exposed now, but he acts as if he hasn’t heard anything, with a calm expression: “Just joking.”

“Yes, just joking… Whether it’s true or false, who would have thought that Yan Xiuzhi would actually marry a man? If this happened before, I would have thought it was an April Fool’s joke,” Sun Wen chuckled, “Take it easy, I won’t reveal your secret. When Yan Xiuzhi asked me about our relationship before, I even said we were serious ex-girlfriends. Wasn’t that good enough?”

Zhou Ziyi: So, the one Yan Xiuzhi mentioned before was you!

“Miss Sun Wen has always been beautiful and kind-hearted.” Zhou Ziyi was very cautious, not responding to any dangerous words or phrases, and simply said, “I didn’t expect you to come today too. Have fun.”

“Of course, I came. My family and the Chu family have known each other for a long time, you know?” Sun Wen smiled, “But I’ve looked around and Yan Xiuzhi’s father didn’t even come. What’s going on with you guys?”

Zhou Ziyi couldn’t answer that question, “I’m not really sure.”

“Usually, when you can’t come up with a lie on the spot, you would answer ‘not sure,’ but you actually know, don’t you?” Sun Wen laughed, “Alright, I won’t press you. Now that you’ve become Mrs. Yan, I wouldn’t dare to provoke you anymore. From now on…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Yan Xiuzhi finished his conversation and approached Zhou Ziyi.

Zhou Ziyi, as if anticipating him, turned his head and smiled, calling out, “Lao Yan.”

Sun Wen: Huh.

Yan Xiuzhi: “Hmm…”

Zhou Ziyi reached up again and grabbed the back of Yan Xiuzhi’s neck. Before Yan Xiuzhi could instinctively pull away, Zhou Ziyi leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, “She has figured out our secret.”

Yan Xiuzhi: “…”

It was a serious conversation, but most of Yan Xiuzhi’s attention was diverted by Zhou Ziyi’s actions.

This was the first time they had such an intimate physical interaction. Zhou Ziyi practically pressed his entire body against Yan Xiuzhi, all while in public. Yan Xiuzhi could feel the continuous warmth emanating from Zhou Ziyi, and it took some effort for him to resist pushing him away.

Zhou Ziyi noticed his stiffness and found it amusing. He deliberately didn’t let go and continued speaking in his ear, “Lao Yan? Gē ge?”^[1]Lao Yan = Old Yan
Gē ge = Big Brother
Previously I translate it as Old Yan and Big Brother, but from now on I will stick to the Chinese because I think it’s sounds more nice (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠).

For some reason, President Yan suddenly raised his hand and gave a firm pat on Zhou Ziyi’s lower back. “Understood.”

Zhou Ziyi was startled and quickly withdrew his hand, as if shocked by electricity.

Yan Xiuzhi saw his sudden submissiveness and felt a hint of pleasure in his eyes. He then took the initiative to clink glasses with Sun Wen and said, “Welcome.”

Observing their interaction, Sun Wen felt that it was a bit too intimate for a “contract couple,” but she still clinked glasses and congratulated them, saying, “Congratulations.”

Yan Xiuzhi smiled and added, “Zhou Ziyi mentioned your previous relationship, so I asked you about it earlier. I hope you don’t mind.”

Zhou Ziyi and Sun Wen: “!”

Neither of them expected him to bring up this matter on his own, but Zhou Ziyi quickly reacted and coughed: “Lao Yan!”

It seemed like he was genuinely shy and embarrassed.

Sun Wen looked at this, then looked at that, and played the safe card: “It’s okay, the past is in the past, it doesn’t matter. We’re not even friends now, we have no contact. I just came to say congratulations.”

“Mhm,” Yan Xiuzhi added, “You’re also welcome to our wedding.”

Sun Wen: “…” Why does it suddenly feel like intentionally provoking the ex?

“Mr. Yan doesn’t mind, of course I will come,” Sun Wen said, “But it’s happening next month, that’s fast.”

Yan Xiuzhi responded calmly, “Yes, we don’t want to delay.”

Sun Wen became even more suspicious: Tsk, is Yan Xiuzhi really that good of an actor…

Zhou Ziyi added, “But with such short notice, there might be some areas where we didn’t plan well. Miss Sun, please forgive us.”

Sun Wen, attentive to the tone, curiously asked, “Did you personally arrange everything?”

Zhou Ziyi smiled warmly, “I’ll try my best, but Lao Yan is quite meticulous, so I’m not sure if I can do it well.”

Yan Xiuzhi said calmly, “Do what you can handle.”

Even though it was a calm tone and a normal statement, Sun Wen could still sense a hint of sweetness! She suddenly realized that her speculation had a major mistake and quickly took her leave.

Zhou Ziyi watched her slip away and took a sip of champagne. He turned his head and quietly asked Yan Xiuzhi, “She won’t go out and blab, will she?”

Yan Xiuzhi remained composed, “No, she won’t.”

“Are you so confident?”

“She has no evidence.”

“…,” Zhou Ziyi couldn’t help but ask, “Can you transfer the money to my account without any issues? No one else will find out, right? I mean, besides Li Fei.”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him, “What are you suspecting?”

“Well, it’s not that I doubt your abilities, but I just think that with so much money…” Zhou Ziyi paused, feeling that this topic couldn’t go further, so he abruptly changed the subject, “Anyway, I definitely trust you. If you say there’s no problem, then there’s no problem!”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “Focus on your own responsibilities.”

“Guaranteed to complete the task!” Zhou Ziyi replied, paused, and then said, “Oh, by the way, Aunt Chu just asked me for your phone number and WeChat ID. I gave them to her, and she also asked me to come and see the furniture the day after tomorrow. Mr. Yan, I don’t even know which way your house is facing, how can I choose furniture for you?”

He originally wanted to get photos or videos of Yan Xiuzhi’s apartment, but after thinking for a moment, Yan Xiuzhi said, “Come with me tonight.”

Zhou Ziyi was confused, “Ah?”

“If you don’t come with me today, others will definitely suspect something,” Yan Xiuzhi said, “I have a guest room, you can stay there, and you’ll continue to stay there in the future. It’s in the contract.”

Zhou Ziyi said, “But I didn’t bring anything with me today, isn’t it too rushed? Should I go back with you first and then sneak back home…”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “There are new things there.”

Zhou Ziyi remained silent.

Yan Xiuzhi continued, “Next month, find a date to move in by yourself, and add whatever you need.”

Originally, they were planning to get married next month, and Zhou Ziyi hadn’t felt the reality of it yet. But as soon as moving came up, the reality hit. Zhou Ziyi struggled and said, “But just now, didn’t we say that on the day of the wedding next month, the wedding car will come to pick me up from where I currently live…”

“Just keep the basic things. You’ll stay there for the last night,” Yan Xiuzhi interrupted, paused, and then assessed him, “What are you hesitating about? We won’t be sleeping in the same room. Objectively speaking, we rarely even see each other. I’m not interested in you, so there’s no need for you to worry about anything.”

Zhou Ziyi hesitated and said, “It’s just that… it feels too soon.”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “Just now, you agreed to get married next month.”

“…Okay,” Zhou Ziyi made up his mind, rallied his spirits, and decided to go all out for the 30 million yuan, “Then, I’ll come and disturb you tonight!”

Suddenly, Yan Xiuzhi said, “There are rules for staying at my house. I’ll tell you when we get back.”

Zhou Ziyi’s determination was dampened by this cold water. “…Oh.”

Seeing that he had complied, Yan Xiuzhi felt a sense of satisfaction as if he had “regained a city.” He calmly held his cup and walked back. After taking a few steps, he noticed that Zhou Ziyi wasn’t following. He turned and glanced at him, saying, “Why are you standing there like a fool?”

Zhou Ziyi was lost in thoughts about the various rules and annoying clauses that might exist in Yan Xiuzhi’s house. Suddenly, he heard Yan Xiuzhi calling him, snapping him back to reality, and he immediately caught up.

Unexpectedly, he met Chu Ling’s gaze as she happened to look over. Zhou Ziyi’s mind went blank, and instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Yan Xiuzhi’s hand.

Then, belatedly, he realized that it didn’t matter if they went their separate ways now.

But this time, Yan Xiuzhi didn’t let go of his hand.