Chapter 15

Originally, Zhou Zhou was supposed to come back Wednesday night. But because she had to meet some clients at the last minute, she got delayed one day and had to change her flight to Thursday night.

Zhou Feng, seeing his daughter couldn’t come back, went alone to the car dealership to pick up the car.

He was an honest small businessman. After getting the biggest discount, he didn’t want the dealer to lose out. So he cleaned the old car inside and out before driving it there.

The night before, Cheng Yanran had already asked Zhou Zhou and knew she couldn’t come back, so he planned to visit the dealership Thursday morning.

But he didn’t tell Zhou Zhou this. Instead, jokingly, he said, “Your uncle doesn’t know you paid extra for the upgrade. What if he refuses tomorrow? Then I’d lose a deal.”

“You can just say the money is already paid and can’t be changed.” Zhou Zhou was still in Wangjing. Even if Zhou Feng refused, it would be hard to find someone else. Then she added, “Don’t worry, Mr. Cheng, if you say that, my dad definitely won’t refuse.”

Cheng Yanran came from a wealthy family and had never experienced these kinds of things, but he knew Zhou Zhou didn’t make much money and still had a mortgage. Two thousand yuan was a lot for her. This whole thing showed how much she cared about her father.

It was a loving family where everyone understood and cared for each other.

He couldn’t help but wonder: Zhou Zhou was always so strong, but how many people really cared about her?

Her work was obviously hard, and her life was obviously well-managed, but she must have a lot of difficulties.

“Okay, I’ll take pictures when I get it.”

Zhou Zhou knew there was usually a “car pick-up” ceremony. “Good.”

“Are you coming back tomorrow night? What time is your flight?” Cheng Yanran swallowed nervously and asked.

“7:30.”

A 7:30 flight means landing at 10:00, getting back to Jade Bay by 10:45 at the earliest. If she had to drop Mayor Xu home first, she wouldn’t get home until after 11.

He held back but still couldn’t help asking, “Need me to pick you up?”

“No.”

The answer was expected. Cheng Yanran put down his phone, sighed, and was about to reply “Okay,” when Zhou Zhou sent another message. His mood immediately brightened.

“The car pickup and drop-off are already arranged. Have to drop the leader home first.”

That explained everything.

A smile broke out on his face. “Understood, Director Zhou.” In his heart, he softly said, “At your command, Director Zhou.”

Chen Jing came in and saw him like this.

Chen Jing: “Damn, what are you laughing at? Smiling so wildly!”

Cheng Yanran: ………

After the chat ended, he put down his phone and asked, “It’s almost 10. Why aren’t you home yet?”

Chen Jing was in charge of social affairs, often attending dinners and drinking. For him, going to drinking parties at night was like overtime. He was fun-loving and restless, so it was rare for him to still be at the office this late.

Chen Jing: “If I went home, I wouldn’t see Mr. Cheng like this!” He grabbed a chair and stretched out, “I was wondering who you were chatting with, smiling so slyly.”

“You already guessed, didn’t you?” Cheng Yanran acted calm.

Chen Jing said three times in a row, “No way, no way, no way.” “Could it be the goddess Zhou?”

“Yeah.”

Although it was just a simple “yeah,” Chen Jing read a thousand meanings in that one word. He was quiet for a moment, then said, “It’s not easy, Old Cheng, your chance has come!”

Who would have thought? Someone they thought would never come back suddenly returned.

Fate between people is really amazing.

But Chen Jing didn’t ask what Cheng Yanran and Zhou Zhou talked about. After all, it was only a few days, and any simple conversation was already great progress.

Cheng Yanran frowned, unhappy about being called “Old Cheng.” “I’m only thirty. Old Cheng is my dad. But if you want to call me Old Chen, I don’t mind.”

Chen Jing said, “Men are at their best at thirty-one. You don’t understand. You should cherish your prime years. Work hard and win her over quickly. If you miss your chance, when your prime is over and Zhou Zhou isn’t happy, you’ll be crying.”

Cheng Yanran frowned more, “Can you stop making dirty jokes everywhere?”

“Damn! We’ve been bros for years, and Zhou Zhou isn’t here, yet you tell me what to say?” Then he sighed, “No wonder you’ve stayed pure all these years! Bro, you’re the man!” He gave Cheng Yanran a thumbs-up.

“Did you come over tonight just to praise me?” Cheng Yanran thought for a bit and then asked seriously, “Did you break up again?”

Chen Jing scoffed, “Break up? We’re all adults. If it works, you stay together. If it doesn’t, you split. You think everyone’s like you, stuck on the same tree?”

Cheng Yanran quickly replied, “You’re the tree.”

Zhou Zhou isn’t a tree. She’s his whole youth and young adulthood.

“Right, I’m the tree. My whole family’s trees. Enough, bro?” Chen Jing put his hands up like he was surrendering.

He didn’t know why he felt like this.

Actually, he didn’t have any dinners tonight. Qiao Na even sent him the hotel info to meet up, but seeing Cheng Yanran’s office light was still on, he declined.

Cheng Yanran was a typical workaholic. Not just weekdays — if he had no plans on weekends, he would come to work overtime.

But that afternoon, Cheng Yanran said in their group chat he would go to the car dealership tomorrow morning and not come to the office.

He immediately understood — it must be Zhou Zhou’s dad picking up the car.

Are they that close now? Cheng Yanran already confessed? Zhou Zhou said yes? Are they dating?

They were both not young anymore, maybe thinking it’s time to try?

He hesitated to ask clearly, but when he walked in and saw Cheng Yanran smiling gently while typing on his phone, he knew no questions were needed.

After some teasing and joking, he got serious again.

“Yanran, Zhou Zhou is really great. Since you’ve decided to go after her, don’t give up halfway. Don’t let any other guys get her. But when you get her, always treat her like you do now.”

He laughed at himself, “And don’t always work overtime. Spend more time with her. Take her out for hotpot, watch a movie — she’s already busy and working hard. It wasn’t easy before, and being a secretary isn’t easy either.”

He remembered the meeting when he saw her — she was busy taking notes and checking her phone, looking up only to watch Mayor Xu. After the meeting, she had to follow the leader, and he just managed to say hi and get her WeChat.

Maybe because Chen Jing acted unusually or because he rarely showed such care for a girl in words, Cheng Yanran became more sober. Then he looked seriously at the man who had been his brother since elementary school and said coldly, “Chen Jing, do you regret it?”