Chapter 19 — Cold-hearted People and Warm-hearted People

Zhou Ziyi felt that his fall was not in vain, and being a human cushion was not in vain either.

Because Yan Xiuzhi’s attitude towards him had clearly improved compared to before.

First of all, they were not like roommates who barely spoke to each other after a casual greeting a few days ago. In the past couple of days, if Yan Xiuzhi finished work early, he would come and check on Zhou Ziyi’s condition. Whatever questions Zhou Ziyi asked him, he would answer them one by one.

Zhou Ziyi felt that this was somewhat similar to how children would inexplicably argue and then make up, but he knew he couldn’t use this metaphor.

Secondly, Yan Xiuzhi actually gave him a few days off.

Originally, Zhou Ziyi didn’t think much of it, but he suddenly realized that Li Fei hadn’t contacted him to confirm things for several days. So he sent a message asking Li Fei about the progress and what he should do next.

Li Fei replied: [President Yan said to wait until you’ve recovered.]
When Zhou Ziyi read the message, he smiled.

That evening, when Yan Xiuzhi came to check on him, Zhou Ziyi specifically thanked him, saying, “Thank you, President Yan, for caring about me.”

Yan Xiuzhi narrowed his eyes and replied, “Nonsense, what are you talking about?”

Zhou Ziyi speculated that if he told the truth, Yan Xiuzhi would probably get angry and embarrassed again, so he changed the subject: “By the way, President Yan, Aunt Wang made chicken soup today and specifically saved a portion for you. Did you drink it?”

Yan Xiuzhi replied indifferently, “It’s too late, I don’t eat at this hour.”

“Wow, you’re so disciplined,” Zhou Ziyi blinked, “Then, should you bring it to the office for lunch tomorrow? Or if I can wake up on time, I can make noodles for you using the chicken soup…”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him disapprovingly, “Is your pain not enough? Don’t meddle.”

Zhou Ziyi said, “I’m not in as much pain as a few days ago. It should be fine if I take it slow.”

“You can’t even lift a pot of water onto the stove, so don’t bother.” Yan Xiuzhi frowned, “I’ll have lunch.”

Zhou Ziyi laughed inwardly but nodded, “Okay, okay.”

Countless small interactions like this happened.

With Yan Xiuzhi’s good attitude, Zhou Ziyi felt more relaxed. After resting for a few days, he was able to take care of himself for the most part. He still experienced pain when making big movements, but he no longer needed assistance with tasks like changing clothes, using the restroom, or taking a shower.

The caregiver left.

Just when Zhou Ziyi was happy that his pain had greatly reduced, he received a call from Zhou Wenwen.

“Brother, I saw your post on Moments, and I gave it a like. Congratulations again on your engagement!”

Zhou Wenwen sounded cheerful over the phone, and her voice indicated that she was in a good mood. “When will you come to see me again?”

Zhou Ziyi pondered for a moment and replied, “Maybe in a while, I’ve been quite busy lately. If you want to chat, you can send me a message or call me, and I’ll respond when I have free time.”

Zhou Wenwen continued, “Will you bring your fiancé when you come? I still don’t know what he looks like. Is he handsome? What kind of person is he?”

“If he’s not busy,” Zhou Ziyi replied. “How have you been recently? I read the report that the sanatorium sent me, saying that your appetite hasn’t been very good lately.”

“Oh, that’s because the food they serve here doesn’t really suit my taste,” Zhou Wenwen explained. “The flavors are always so bland, and I’m getting tired of it. It’s been a long time since I had grilled skewers, I almost forgot what they taste like.”

Zhou Ziyi said, “Next time I visit you, I’ll bring you some food. I’ll first ask the doctor what you can eat.”

“Okay, great,” Zhou Wenwen paused for a moment, and her tone suddenly became somewhat cautious. “Brother, um… how have you been lately? I noticed that you haven’t been posting your business drafts much. Have you not been making much money recently?”

Zhou Ziyi replied, “I’m preparing for my wedding, so I’ve been busy with wedding preparations. I haven’t had much time for business.”

“Oh…” Zhou Wenwen thought for a moment and then started to probe, “So, how is your fiancé? Between the two of you, who spends more money?”

After all, she was his younger sister, and Zhou Ziyi could sense something in her tone. “Wenwen, just get to the point. What do you want to do?”

“Well, it’s just… I want some pocket money,” Zhou Wenwen tried to please him. “Not much, just a thousand yuan. Is that okay?”

“Wenwen, the last time I visited you, I already gave you a thousand yuan as pocket money,” Zhou Ziyi closed his eyes and said calmly. “You eat and live in the sanatorium, and you can’t go out. Where did the money go?”

“I… I bought some magazines and toys,” Zhou Wenwen said. “I was bored, so I bought some things to pass the time. It’s not excessive, right?”

Zhou Ziyi pressed on, “What magazines? What toys?”

“Um…”

“Tell me the truth, or I’ll ask the people at the sanatorium, or I’ll go and see for myself. You can’t hide it,” Zhou Ziyi warned.

“…It’s my idol’s photo album!” Zhou Wenwen confessed. “The first thousand buyers get a set of life-sized standees! Brother, you have no idea how difficult it is to get one…”

Zhou Ziyi interrupted her, “So, you bought ten photo albums?”

“Yes.” Since it was already out in the open, Zhou Wenwen didn’t hide it anymore. She spoke frankly, “You said it yourself, I can’t spend money on anything else, so I buy things I want. After all, you said it’s for me to spend on myself.”

Zhou Ziyi couldn’t express what he was feeling inside. He had been sitting on the sofa, leaning on a cushion, watching TV, but now he felt that his strength had drained away. He slowly lay down, looking up at the ceiling. “So, now you’re asking me for a thousand yuan. What do you want to buy?”

“I…I saw a dress…” Zhou Wenwen didn’t think much of it at first, but Zhou Ziyi’s tone made her feel a bit uneasy. Her voice involuntarily lowered, “I want to try it on, brother. Even if I can only walk on the lawn of the sanatorium, I still want to wear a beautiful dress…”

Zhou Ziyi felt a tightness in his heart, unable to explain why he was upset. He asked, “So the dress costs 1,000 yuan?”

“Um…the reservation is 300 yuan,” Zhou Wenwen said, “and there’s the final payment.”

Zhou Ziyi asked, “How much is the final payment?”

Zhou Wenwen replied, “1,800 yuan…but the 300 yuan reservation fee can be counted as 600 yuan! The full price of this dress is actually 2,400 yuan, but by paying the reservation fee now, we can save 300 yuan!”

“…,” Zhou Ziyi asked, “When do we pay the final payment?”

“Three months later!” Zhou Wenwen said, “Brother, I will save my pocket money, and I will pay the final payment then. So…can I buy it?”

“…Alright,” Zhou Ziyi closed his eyes, “I’ll transfer the money to you later.”

“Great!” Zhou Wenwen became happy, “Thank you, brother!”

The two chatted for a while and then hung up the phone.

As agreed, Zhou Ziyi transferred 1,000 yuan to Zhou Wenwen and received a series of happy and thankful emojis from her. Zhou Ziyi looked at these emojis without much thought, simply turned off his phone and continued lying down.

He didn’t pay attention to the TV sound that had been turned off earlier due to the phone call. He just left the TV on and closed his eyes.

…

The sudden brightening of the living room lights stimulated Zhou Ziyi’s eyelids, and he suddenly opened his eyes. Yan Xiuzhi was standing by the sofa, looking down at him from above, “Why are you sleeping here?”

“…I didn’t notice, you’ve already finished work,” Zhou Ziyi tried to sit up, and Yan Xiuzhi instinctively reached out to help him.

“Thanks,” Zhou Ziyi checked his phone and saw that it was already past nine in the evening. Well, it made sense. The workaholics had all gone home, so it couldn’t still be six or seven o’clock.

Yan Xiuzhi noticed his movements and suddenly understood something, “You haven’t had dinner yet?”

“Huh? Oh, right,” Zhou Ziyi was quite surprised, “How did I sleep so deeply…”

Yan Xiuzhi saw him about to get up and pressed him back down, “Sit, I’ll heat it up for you.”

“Really? Thanks,” Zhou Ziyi accepted Yan Xiuzhi’s kindness and asked, “Have you had dinner, President Yan? Shall we eat together?”

Without turning his head, Yan Xiuzhi replied, “I’m not eating. I already ate at the office.”

Zhou Ziyi watched his back as he walked into the kitchen and, somehow, felt like laughing.

Some people may appear troublesome and indifferent in their words, but in reality, they have a fair attitude towards others and behave quite friendly. On the other hand, some people may show affectionate attitudes and caring words, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they genuinely care about others.

Yan Xiuzhi heated up the food and set it on the dining table. As soon as he turned around, he saw Zhou Ziyi lost in thought.

Yan Xiuzhi had noticed earlier that Zhou Ziyi seemed distracted, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. However, now that dinner was ready and Zhou Ziyi was still sitting on the couch in a daze, Yan Xiuzhi couldn’t help but ask, “What are you sitting there thinking about?”

“…It’s nothing.” Zhou Ziyi snapped out of his thoughts, slowly got up, and walked to the dining table. “Thank you, President Yan.”

“You’ve already said that once, no need to keep thanking me.” Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him, furrowing his brows. “Why are you so absent-minded while eating? Is something bothering you?”

“Not being enthusiastic about eating, is there something on your mind?”

Zhou Ziyi smiled, sitting at the edge of the table, and suddenly asked, “President Yan, do you think I’m a complete failure in your eyes?”

Yan Xiuzhi was about to walk away but turned back to look at him upon hearing the question. “What kind of question is that? Were you lost in thought about this?”

“…Sort of.” Zhou Ziyi said, “Look, we’re about the same age, right? But you’re already in charge of Hua Hao Group, while my life is a complete mess. I have a pile of debts and no idea how to pay them off. After dropping out of school in a miserable state, I haven’t had a proper job. I even resorted to marrying a man for money… Do you think I’m a total loser?”

His words were somewhat disorganized, but Yan Xiuzhi understood them and realized the reason behind his remarks. However, President Yan had no intention of offering any motivational words. He simply said, “There is no rule stating that working in an office is the only legitimate job. We are contract executors, and that is also a form of work. As for whether you’re a loser or not… I have no interest in insulting someone’s character, nor do I entertain such thoughts.”

The man spoke in a straightforward manner without any gentle attitude, yet Zhou Ziyi strangely felt some sort of comfort.

“I see,” Zhou Ziyi smiled. “It’s mainly because you always used money to lecture me before. I thought you believed I was obsessed with money.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being money-minded. A gentleman loves wealth, but with the right principles,” Yan Xiuzhi paused, seeming to sense something, and added, “If you need an advance allowance, you can let me know.”

“No need… not for now,” Zhou Ziyi chuckled. “As long as President Yan doesn’t kick me out, I won’t need another advance for the time being.”

With the conversation reaching this point, Yan Xiuzhi had nothing more to say and turned to head upstairs.

Zhou Ziyi called after him, “I made sandwiches today, a new flavor. Remember to take them with you to work tomorrow!”

Yan Xiuzhi paused his steps upstairs, then continued walking.
“Got it.”