Chapter 48 — Some things depend on the person

The day after the couple ended their “cold war,” Yan Xiuzhi’s breakfast finally returned to normal.

As soon as President Yan came downstairs, he saw Zhou Ziyi bringing breakfast out. He was wearing a loose white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his wrists and the hem tucked into his jeans. He also wore a pair of glasses with round gold frames and no lenses, which was clearly one of the ten pairs he had received from Yan Xiuzhi the night before.

Seeing Yan Xiuzhi coming downstairs, Zhou Ziyi’s gaze slid from his cufflink-fastening action and a smile appeared on his face. “Good morning, President Yan.”

The way the young man was dressed made him seem radiant, and Yan Xiuzhi couldn’t help but think of the photos he had seen of him playing pool before. Without thinking, he asked, “Are you going out?”

“Hmm? No, I’m not,” Zhou Ziyi raised his head, and the gold-rimmed glasses on his face gave him an inexplicable charm. “Why do you ask?”

Yan Xiuzhi looked him over and said, “You look like you’ve tidied up”

“Do I usually look messy in your eyes?” Zhou Ziyi adjusted his glasses and said, “I wanted to show you the effect of the gift you gave me, so I picked out an outfit that should go well with it… Does it look good?”

Dressed at home as if he were going to take airport photos like a celebrity, how could it not look good? But President Yan felt that things were a bit out of proportion and said, “It was given to you to enjoy, there’s no need to make such a fuss.”

Yan Xiuzhi had given it to him so that he could switch and match when he wanted to decorate with glasses in the future. Now, in order to showcase the glasses, Zhou Ziyi had deliberately dressed up. The practical-minded President Yan felt that this was a bit off.

“Hey, isn’t this the fun of life? And the glasses President Yan gave me are all famous brands. I don’t feel like I can live up to these glasses without matching an outfit.” Zhou Ziyi pushed up his glasses and leaned against the back of the chair, looking at Yan Xiuzhi. “So, President Yan, is it suit me?”

“… It’s okay.” Getting praise from Yan Xiuzhi was harder than reaching the sky, so “it’s okay” was equivalent to “very good.” Before Zhou Ziyi had a chance to savor these words for a few seconds, Yan Xiuzhi continued, “Have you looked at all those glasses? Is there one you don’t like?”

“Huh?” Zhou Ziyi didn’t know why he was asking this, “I did look at them… But can I still say whether I like it or not? Can they be exchanged?”

President Yan maintained a calm face and said as if it was the truth, “They can.”

“Impressive, as expected of President Yan.” Zhou Ziyi gave a thumbs up, “But I feel they are all okay, they are all in line with current trends. I quite like them, I just don’t know if they all suit me.”

“If you like them, then keep them.” Yan Xiuzhi said, feeling like there was something on Zhou Ziyi’s glasses, “Is there something on your glasses?”

“Huh?” Zhou Ziyi touched them, “Is there? What?”

Yan Xiuzhi couldn’t describe it clearly, so he walked around the table and approached him, reaching out directly, “I mean this…”

Zhou Ziyi instinctively leaned away.

This move left both of them stunned.

Before, Zhou Ziyi had never avoided physical contact with Yan Xiuzhi. He was always lively and outgoing, not only not avoiding it, but also taking the initiative to come into contact with Yan Xiuzhi. Yan Xiuzhi used to be unaccustomed to it, but after some time, he became desensitized to it.

Of course, except for the two more extreme occasions—specifically referring to those two kisses—those were really something he couldn’t get used to no matter what, and just the thought of it made President Yan feel restless.

Now, Zhou Ziyi’s abnormal behavior of avoiding him has brought along an awkward atmosphere. Zhou Ziyi sighed in his heart. He had already decided to interact normally like before, but every time Yan Xiuzhi approached, it all fell apart. Was this bird-like startle response because he thought Yan Xiuzhi wasn’t clever enough?

“Ahem.” The young man quickly took off his glasses, attempting to gloss over this action that could be misinterpreted. “President Yan, did you say there was something?”

Yan Xiuzhi pointed casually. But standing so close, he himself also saw clearly that it was a decoration on the glasses. The two of them fell into silence for a few seconds and then couldn’t find a topic.

That slightly awkward and frozen air continued until they quietly finished breakfast, and then Yan Xiuzhi left for work.

Zhou Ziyi cleared the tableware, rinsed them, and put them in the dishwasher. Then he leaned on the edge of the sink, silently looking at it.

After a long while, he took off his glasses, turned on the tap and washed his face, then patted his cheeks forcefully.

“Hold on! You are an actor! For… thirty million!”

*
Yan Xiuzhi quickly noticed that Zhou Ziyi not only completely reverted to addressing him as “President Yan,” but also seemed more distant as a whole.

It was as if there was a layer of mist, hazy and indistinct. When speaking to Yan Xiuzhi, Zhou Ziyi’s polite demeanor was even more apparent than when they first met.

President Yan speculated that it was still because of the kiss incident. However, as the victim, Yan Xiuzhi hadn’t held Zhou Ziyi accountable for it, yet Zhou Ziyi had initiated a kind of ‘self-isolation.’ Just thinking about this made Yan Xiuzhi feel somewhat annoyed.

Upon careful consideration, it was Yan Xiuzhi who had initiated the ‘cold war’ with Zhou Ziyi in the beginning. Is it now necessary for the dignified Mr. Yan to lower his head and say ‘let’s not be sulky’? That would be too submissive, and President Yan firmly refused to do so.

In any case, it was fine to have a distant roommate. It was just a return to the past life, nothing too serious. A contractual partner was similar to a work partner, good or bad attitudes, it could all be managed, there was no need to be overly concerned.

But what if… Zhou Ziyi were to apologize first?

In that case…

“Yan Ge, long time no see.”

A man holding a wine glass appeared in front of Yan Xiuzhi, raising his glass to him. “I’ve been trying to meet up with you before, but you’ve been busy. Are you so busy recently?”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced and found that it was the son of the CEO of X Group—Huang Feichun.”

The person who Yan Xiuzhi occasionally bumped into at drinking parties was also the one who sent him the photo of Zhou Ziyi being forcefully kissed.

That photo was a complete misunderstanding from start to finish. Zhou Ziyi was truly wronged, and in a fit of anger, he kissed Yan Xiuzhi. Speaking of which, that ambiguous photo is the main culprit behind the strange atmosphere between Yan Xiuzhi and Zhou Ziyi now.

And… Yan Xiuzhi had many guesses about what was on Huang Feichun’s mind when he sent this photo.

Perhaps he wanted to alienate Zhou Ziyi, a newcomer who married a wealthy family, to lose face. Or maybe he pretended to help catch the adulterer, but actually wanted to see Yan Xiuzhi’s jokes. Or perhaps, as Zhou Ziyi said, he colluded with the person who forcibly kissed him, to scheme against him and teach him a lesson. In short, every guess was ill-intentioned.

Yan Xiuzhi felt that, regardless of the motive, it was all too despicable.

So when this person, who couldn’t wait to approach him after sending the photo, Yan Xiuzhi felt that he exuded a foul stench and didn’t want to pay attention to him. Unexpectedly, they bumped into each other at today’s gathering.

With the person in front of him, Yan Xiuzhi didn’t feel it appropriate to completely ignore him, so he simply replied, “Very busy.”

These two words, just like drawing a full stop, directly killing any further discussion. But Huang Feichun didn’t mind and persistently continued to exchange pleasantries: “Wow, Yan Ge, truly worthy of being at the helm of Hua Hao. If you come across any good opportunities, give your little brother a chance to help you out, won’t you? Otherwise, my dad keeps nagging me, saying that if I had half of what you have, he’d be over the moon. If I were to hang out with you, he’d definitely be thrilled.”

‘Glib talker.’ President Yan silently evaluated the other person’s approach in his mind, deducting points from his impression of this person: ‘Also, who’s your brother? I don’t have such a brother.’

“Very busy,” President Yan’s response shut down every word of Huang Feichun, “And aren’t you the director? You’ve many things to do, where do you have time to run errands for me?”

“Hey, it’s just that my dad got me this position, who in the company listens to me,” Huang Feichun said nonchalantly, “You’re really something, Yan Ge, even old President Yan(Yan Xiuzhi’s father) can’t do anything to you. How did you manage that? Let your little brother learn from you?”

This Huang Feichun is really something, he’s practically stepping on every landmine in Yan Xiuzhi’s path.

Yan Xiuzhi found it ridiculous that a person without any ability gets such a high position, and instead of quickly learning the ropes, they come out to ask leaders from other companies for work. And right now, he’s most annoyed by people pestering him about the power struggle between him and his father. Shareholders with vested interests are one thing, but completely unrelated people coming out to meddle, isn’t that just seeking excitement?

And that last claim of being a little brother made Yan Xiuzhi’s impression of this person drop to a negative score.

When Zhou Ziyi called him “Ge” before, Yan Xiuzhi had basically adapted to it, thinking he had become desensitized. Now, it’s clear that he hasn’t.

Some things depend on the person.

“The situations are different for everyone, Mr. Huang should think about it himself,” Yan Xiuzhi didn’t want to talk to him anymore, and said coldly, “I have things to attend to, excuse me.”

“Alright, you’re a busy man,” Huang Feichun paused, leaned in and said in a low voice, “When you’re not busy, how about we go out and have some fun? My friend recently opened a new club, all clean new staff, guaranteed relaxation!”

Yan Xiuzhi coldly replied, “No need.”

“Why, my sister-in-law still cares about you going out to play? That day at the bar… I thought you guys were doing your own thing.” Huang Feichun said, “I said, Ge, you can’t spoil him like this. You like him for the first time. It’s true, but can he still control you…”

“Watch your words, Mr. Huang,” Yan Xiuzhi squinted, “And, my lover was very angry and troubled after being attacked that day, and even got injured. You were there, but didn’t help him. I feel very regretful.”

Huang Feichun felt that something was wrong and instinctively said, “Come on, Yan Ge, do you really need to take this so seriously…”

“I don’t have any real relationship with Mr. Huang, please show some restraint,” Yan Xiuzhi interrupted again, “I’m leaving, goodbye.”

Huang Feichun stared at Yan Xiuzhi walking away, a kind of ominous premonition came over him.

*
Because of Huang Feichun’s presence, Yan Xiuzhi felt that today’s gathering was very dull, and he left early.

In the car, he thought about what Huang Feichun said, and suddenly understood why Zhou Ziyi didn’t tell him about the joke at the party before.

There are many people like Huang Feichun who simply do not care about the fact that “Zhou Ziyi is Yan Xiuzhi’s legal partner.” They all treat this matter as a joke, eagerly waiting for a big news story about the newlywed couple; they surround Zhou Ziyi on the surface, or belittle him behind his back, all for the sake of getting close to Yan Xiuzhi.

If everyone around him is like this, Zhou Ziyi would indeed be too lazy to say anything. What’s the point of saying something? Should he give everyone a lesson?

Moreover, he’s not sure what Yan Xiuzhi’s attitude really is.

To be honest, before the last time Zhou Ziyi got drunk and said in a tone that he was about to cry, “only you are good to me,” Yan Xiuzhi himself thought that these situations should have been handled by Zhou Ziyi himself.

After taking 30 million, he can’t keep hiding and doing nothing, right?

But once the situation becomes extreme, it turns into this, where even if Zhou Ziyi is insulted, forcibly kissed, and even gets into a serious fight, he doesn’t intend to report it.

Yan Xiuzhi feels that this should not be solely Zhou Ziyi’s responsibility anymore.

If Yan Xiuzhi doesn’t make his position clear, even if Zhou Ziyi goes out bearing the title of his partner, all he will receive are the eyes of others who are only interested in the spectacle.

Yan Xiuzhi and Zhou Ziyi got married to defy his father, but not to be ridiculed by others for himself and Zhou Ziyi.

Yan Xiuzhi looked at the night scene outside the car window and squinted.

—Starting with this Huang Feichun who is so eager for trouble.

—No matter what these people think, at least on the surface, hold it in for me.

*
Yan Xiuzhi thought this as he stepped into the house.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ziyi, who had been distant from him recently, took the initiative to walk out of the bedroom and said, “Back already?”

Yan Xiuzhi was a little confused, but still responded, “Yes.”

Zhou Ziyi walked towards him and took a look, “Did you drink too much? Do you need some sobering soup?”

“No need.” Yan Xiuzhi felt that there was something behind his words and asked directly, “What’s the matter?”

“Well, I think I should ask you about this.” Zhou Ziyi said, “Will it be okay to take a few minutes?”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s about your sister, Yan Meiyue.” Zhou Ziyi took out his phone, tapped a few times, and showed him a W blogs. “She traced my drawing, entered a competition, and even won a prize—how do you think this should be handled?”