Chapter 17 – Life is Full of Surprises

In the following days, Yan Xiuzhi would see Zhou Ziyi sitting at the dining table when he went downstairs in the morning.

Sometimes he would slurp his noodles, and other times he would bite into a freshly baked sandwich. There would also be coffee, soy milk, or hand-brewed milk tea. If their eyes met, Zhou Ziyi would swallow what was in his mouth and wave his hand, saying, “Goodbye, President Yan! Have a safe journey!”

And when he returned at night, there would be no late-night inquiries. Most of the time, Zhou Ziyi would be holding a drawing board on the sofa, drawing while watching movies on the big TV.

In this way, it really felt like having a regular roommate.

Just a simple greeting when they happened to meet in the morning or evening.

But a few days later, Yan Xiuzhi didn’t come home until close to midnight, and Zhou Ziyi finally got up from his chair.

At that moment, Zhou Ziyi heard the sound of the door opening, but he was focused on a crucial part of his drawing and didn’t turn around. Only when he finished those strokes did he suddenly realize that he hadn’t seen Yan Xiuzhi come upstairs.

When he turned around, he saw Yan Xiuzhi still standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his head hanging.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Ziyi quickly put down everything in his hands, got up from the sofa, and approached the man. From a distance of two meters, he could smell the alcohol on him. “Ah, did you drink too much? Are you alright?”

“…It’s nothing.” Yan Xiuzhi managed to reply, but his speech was slower than usual. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Don’t pretend to be strong at a time like this, alright?” Zhou Ziyi directly supported him. “Shall I take you upstairs?”

Yan Xiuzhi wanted to pull away. “No need…”

“No, you need it.” Zhou Ziyi resolutely held onto him and guided him inside. “President Yan, it’s better to go back to your room early in this state. Otherwise, if you keep standing like this, I’m afraid you’ll just collapse at the doorstep.”

Yan Xiuzhi’s steps were heavy, but he could still walk on his own. “I’m still sober… there’s no need for you to go to such trouble.”

“True, you even know idioms. You really live up to your reputation as a top student.” Zhou Ziyi smiled. “It’s just the two of us at home, so there’s no need for you to feel embarrassed. Just treat me like a robot you bought with money.”

Yan Xiuzhi took a step lightly and a step heavily, retorting, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m stating the facts.” Zhou Ziyi supported him and slowly walked towards the staircase. “You won’t even let me make breakfast for you. What will happen if you eat it? Why are you so afraid of me when you use me so well?”

Yan Xiuzhi spoke slowly, “I’m not afraid of you.”

“You’re not afraid of me, you’re treating me like a thief. Are you so afraid of losing control? Do you think having breakfast will trap you?”

Yan Xiuzhi: “I just… don’t like changing my daily habits.”

“I can see it now,” Zhou Ziyi sighed, “You really don’t want anyone to influence you even a little bit. You’re the real robot… be careful!”

Yan Xiuzhi stumbled on the stairs and almost fell forward! Zhou Ziyi instinctively reached out to grab him but ended up being pulled down as well, and both of them fell on the stairs together!
“Uh…” Due to inertia, Zhou Ziyi ended up sitting heavily on the stairs. Yan Xiuzhi’s body collided with him, acting as a cushion, but Yan Xiuzhi ended up half-kneeling on the steps and banged his knee hard.

“Ouch!” Zhou Ziyi’s lower back was hit by the corner of the stairs, causing pain and numbness. Cold sweat immediately broke out. He wanted Yan Xiuzhi to get up quickly, but when he opened his mouth, he took a sharp intake of breath.

“!!!” Yan Xiuzhi instantly regained his senses after the fall and quickly got up. He was also in pain from the impact, but seeing that Zhou Ziyi seemed unable to move, Yan Xiuzhi disregarded his own pain and hurriedly asked, “Where did you hit?”

“Behind, my waist, and my butt…” Zhou Ziyi tried to move a little, to see if there was any problem. However, as soon as he exerted force on his waist, it hurt a lot, so he didn’t dare to move easily. He could only describe, “The corner of the stairs hit my waist and back.”

“I understand. Hold on, don’t move recklessly.” Yan Xiuzhi went downstairs to get his phone. The alcohol was still making him groggy, and his head was heavy. But he furrowed his brow to stay alert and calmly dialed the emergency number.

Zhou Ziyi felt that Yan Xiuzhi’s speech was very organized, but when he slightly turned his head, he could see that Yan Xiuzhi was leaning against the back of the sofa while talking.

The emergency call was quickly made, and Yan Xiuzhi also called the property management to arrange for the ambulance to be ready for them.

Without mentioning the panic on the property management side, let’s focus on Yan Xiuzhi. After hanging up the phone, he closed his eyes, calmed himself down, and then grabbed two throw pillows from the sofa and returned to the stairs.

“Use these as cushions, don’t exert too much force,” Yan Xiuzhi placed one pillow behind Zhou Ziyi’s head, but it was not convenient to wedge the other one behind Zhou Ziyi’s suspended waist. Yan Xiuzhi went to find a blanket, adjusted its shape, and placed it under Zhou Ziyi as a cushion.

Zhou Ziyi looked at him.

Yan Xiuzhi noticed his gaze and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Ziyi replied, “I thought you were going to ask ‘move’, and I was going to answer, ‘Can’t move’.”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent.

Zhou Ziyi continued, “President Yan?”

Yan Xiuzhi said, “Don’t talk if it hurts.”

Zhou Ziyi explained, “It’s because it hurts and I can’t move that I wanted to divert my attention.”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent again.

“Don’t be so nervous, President Yan. It’s not like it’s a life-threatening situation,” perhaps the worst pain had passed, or maybe Zhou Ziyi was getting used to it, but he still had the mood to joke, “Luckily, you fell at the entrance of the stairs. If you had fallen halfway, we might have rolled down together.”

“Do not underestimate being hit from behind,” Yan Xiuzhi frowned and said coldly, “Spinal injuries causing high-level paralysis are very common.”

Zhou Ziyi: “…” That’s how the conversation dies.

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t want to hear Zhou Ziyi joking, but he also didn’t leave. He sat on the steps and looked at Zhou Ziyi. Zhou Ziyi was in pain and couldn’t ignore his gaze, so he had to speak to him again, “You’ve been staring at me for so long, do you finally think I look good?”

Yan Xiuzhi changed the subject, “You’re sweating, does it hurt?”

Zhou Ziyi replied, “Otherwise, why would I be posing like a statue here?”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent for a few seconds, then said, “… You shouldn’t have interfered with me.”

“Tsk, I’m about to curse, and you’re still talking to me about this?” Zhou Ziyi also frowned, displeased, “At the very least, you should say ‘thank you’.”

Yan Xiuzhi said, “I will take responsibility for healing you.”

“It’s the doctor’s responsibility to treat the illness, you’re just responsible for paying the bills.” Zhou Ziyi said, “Forget it, let’s not talk anymore. I’m afraid I’ll get even more angry if we keep talking.”

Yan Xiuzhi thought for a moment, then stood up and asked, “Where is your ID card?”

“It’s in the wallet in my backpack in the room…” Zhou Ziyi watched him walk away again and suddenly asked, “Yan Xiuzhi, did you hurt yourself anywhere? Don’t wait until I’m fine and then you develop some after-effects.”

“What could I possibly have?” Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him and went back to the guest room.

*

That night, the ambulance rushed Zhou Ziyi to the hospital, and the on-duty doctor conducted examinations and took X-rays. The initial commotion was quite significant.

Zhou Ziyi mainly complained about numbness and pain in his spine, and the doctor was concerned about the possibility of partial paralysis.

Zhou Ziyi, on the other hand, because he personally felt the pain throughout his back, didn’t think it would be excessively severe. After all, being able to feel pain meant that his nerves were still functioning. So, when it was time for the X-ray, he had the leisure to think of something.

He reminded Yan Xiuzhi, “Fei sent me the first draft of the invitation card, saying that you wanted to check the wording. If you haven’t replied yet, remember to let her know after you’ve finished reading.”

After saying that, he was pushed away to have the X-ray taken.

Yan Xiuzhi watched as the door of the room closed, remained silent for a few seconds, and then took out his phone and reopened Li Fei’s message.

In fact, he had already seen the photo when Li Fei sent it in the afternoon. But at that time, he only glanced at it and indeed didn’t reply to Li Fei. Now, Yan Xiuzhi opened Li Fei’s message with the intention of directly replying, but by some strange impulse, he clicked on the photo again.

On the white and gold-patterned invitation card, there were beautifully handwritten words by a professional with a fine pen. Yan Xiuzhi and Zhou Ziyi’s names were listed side by side. Compared to the sample cards with other people’s names, it gave a stronger sense of reality.

Yan Xiuzhi looked at the two names on the photo, thoughts of “This is too absurd” crossed his mind, but he also inexplicably felt that it wasn’t unacceptable.

Once the bow is drawn, the arrow cannot be turned back.

Yan Xiuzhi is not the kind of person who regrets and looks back very often.

He is the founder of Hua Hao Group and once he makes a decision, he is determined to see it through. Many times, even in very unfavorable situations, he grits his teeth and persists. Now, he is taking big steps forward on the path of marriage and will not retreat at the last moment.

Besides, there is currently nothing particularly unfavorable.

Yan Xiuzhi sent a message to Li Fei: [The invitation is fine, no problem.]

As for whether Li Fei saw it tonight or only in the morning, Yan Xiuzhi didn’t care.

Now, regarding Zhou Ziyi, after a series of examinations at the hospital, the doctor reached a conclusion.

No bones were injured.

Pain is normal, and after a period of bed rest, it will be fine. Some topical medications were prescribed, there is no need for hospitalization, so they quickly packed up and went back home to rest.

After hearing the conclusion, the restlessness that had been accumulating in Yan Xiuzhi’s heart finally dissipated. He ignored Zhou Ziyi’s expression that seemed to say, “See, I told you it was unnecessary to make a fuss,” called the driver, and picked them up to go back home.

The driver, who had just returned home not long ago, rushed out again to take care of another task, besides picking someone up – buying a wheelchair for the boss tomorrow. Considering the red envelope, the driver readily agreed.

The driver even helped the boss carry the future boss’s wife back to the duplex and directly to the bed.

Fortunately, this honest and straightforward driver didn’t pay attention to why the future president’s wife wasn’t sleeping in the master bedroom. But this matter could also be easily explained, after all, the master bedroom is upstairs, and Zhou Ziyi is currently unable to go up and down the stairs, so it’s normal for them to sleep on the first floor.

“That will be all for today.”

Finally, everything was temporarily settled. Yan Xiuzhi stood by the bed, looking at the young person on the bed. “Tomorrow, I will find a caregiver to help you with bathing and make it easier for you to move around.”

Zhou Ziyi looked at him. “Don’t make it sound like I’m paralyzed…”

“Don’t jinx it,” Yan Xiuzhi said condescendingly. “Is there anything else? If not, I’ll turn off the lights for you to sleep.”

Zhou Ziyi blinked, as if there was indeed a problem.
“I need to use the bathroom, what should I do?”