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The air fell silent, the awkward atmosphere filling the room.
“When did you return to the country?” Unable to stand it anymore, Jiang Xiao took the initiative. Seeing him still silent, she assumed he agreed. She pretended to be calm and searched for words, while squatting down to pick up the fallen bouquet.
The bouquet had been stepped on by someone, with petals broken and several flowers crooked and twisted, losing their original beauty.
Jiang Xiao quickly tidied it up with her hands, but still couldn’t restore it to its original appearance. She smiled awkwardly, “Um, these flowers…”
“Today I returned to the country. If these flowers are dirty, don’t keep them. I’ll give you another one next time.” Zhou Qishen looked at them without much concern, casually disposing of the flowers.
“For me?” Jiang Xiao was surprised. She hadn’t expected Zhou Qishen to give her flowers.
Looking back at the bouquet, no girl would dislike receiving flowers, and she was no exception. Her frustrated mood suddenly eased a lot, and she smiled brightly, “Thank you.”
Zhou Qishen was captivated by her smile, his tense face softened, and his voice followed suit, becoming gentle: “Let’s go inside and talk.”
At his words, Jiang Xiao was about to get up, but inadvertently glanced at a black bag blocked by Zhou Qishen’s leg, lying diagonally by the door. She didn’t recognize the packaging, as if it wasn’t her thing.
Jiang Xiao looked up at Zhou Qishen again, “Is this also something you brought?”
Upon her reminder, Zhou Qishen remembered that besides flowers, he had prepared another gift. He immediately bent down to pick it up and handed it to her, saying, “Hmm, I came across this randomly while shopping in New Zealand. I thought it would suit you well, so I bought it on a whim.”
He thought of her while shopping? It was hard not to think of something ambiguous from these words.
Jiang Xiao stood up holding the flowers, took a glance into the bag, which contained a beautifully wrapped box. Curious, she asked, “What is it?”
Meeting her expectant, sparkling eyes, Zhou Qishen’s lips curved up slightly, and he casually replied, “Just a simple piece of jewelry.”
Jewelry? Jiang Xiao became interested in what style he might have chosen. She wanted to open it and take a look, but it wasn’t quite appropriate to open it in front of the gift giver. She gestured for Zhou Qishen to come into the living room to chat.
As he walked ahead towards the inner room from the entrance, Jiang Xiao suddenly had a whimsical thought.
Why did he meet her like a young boy seeing each other after a long-distance relationship, giving flowers and gifts, making it so formal…
Zhou Qishen walked ahead, immediately noticing the mess of things scattered around the table. This unusual scene made his handsome brows furrow slightly as he turned to Jiang Xiao and asked, “What happened here?”
Following his gaze, Jiang Xiao saw the aftermath she hadn’t had time to clean up. She hesitated for a moment, then explained, “I almost fainted just now and accidentally bumped into the table, so…”
“Fainted?” Zhou Qishen scanned her from top to bottom. She looked perfectly fine. How could she suddenly faint?
“I’m sick, feeling unwell. I was about to call my assistant to come take care of me, but you arrived just in time.” Jiang Xiao paused and suddenly stopped, her eyes swiftly rolling, seeming to come up with a mischievous idea.
Shortly after, she pretended to be nonchalant and hesitated to tell a little lie, “The reason I wanted you to stay overnight is actually to ask you to take care of me for one night.”
Zhou Qishen’s face darkened, asking, “If it’s for this reason, why didn’t you just say it earlier?”
Naturally, it was because she was too nervous and didn’t think of using this excuse to fool him.
Thinking this way, but definitely not able to say it, Jiang Xiao’s eyes flickered a few times, blaming the system for the blame. “You didn’t give me a chance to say…”
Zhou Qishen sighed helplessly, asking, “Have you been to the hospital?”
Jiang Xiao repeated what the doctor said, “I went. The doctor said it wasn’t a big problem, it’s just because of being tired recently.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qishen was relieved, looking around the messy room, frowning involuntarily, saying, “If you feel unwell, go to bed early. I’ll clean up.”
“no…”
Without finishing Jiang Xiao’s words, he bent down to pick up the items scattered on the floor, one after another, swiftly cleaning up the area until it was spotless. Then he walked towards the messy sectional sofa area.
The wide sectional sofa was in disarray, with jackets here and shirts there, along with several high-end bags casually thrown about. Not far away on the coffee table were used tissues, mineral water bottles, and leftover takeout from this morning, piled up in a messy heap, looking quite untidy.
Jiang Xiao’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She quickly spoke up to stop him, “You don’t need to worry about that side; I’ll have someone come to clean up tomorrow.”
From a young age, she had been accustomed to being waited on. In the past, there were housekeepers at home to quickly tidy up any mess she made, which had caused her to neglect cleaning promptly.
Hotels had room service, and someone usually cleaned regularly. However, due to her poor health today, she had refused the services that had come, leaving behind a large mess.
Zhou Qishen had been keeping an eye on Jiang Xiao. Seeing her intention to obstruct, he turned to her with a glance.
Jiang Xiao involuntarily stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed, watching him shed his former image of an elite businessman. He picked up the takeout bag from the table, handling it skillfully, gathering all the trash together and neatly stuffing it inside. In no time, the coffee table was cleared.
Jiang Xiao was stunned. Among the wealthy children she knew, they were all too lazy, hoping to be served food and drinks, and wouldn’t have been eager to take care of a dirty household task, especially compared to the high status of Zhou Qishen.
But unexpectedly, not only did he do it, he did it quickly and well, without a hint of disdain, completely shattering her stereotype.
Jiang Xiao hesitated for a moment. She couldn’t possibly let Zhou Qishen clean up the mess alone. Her gaze fell on the large bag of takeout trash he was holding, and she moved forward to help take it and put it in the entrance.
However, as soon as she stretched out her hand, Zhou Qishen sidestepped, perhaps seeing that she wasn’t going to listen, he urged, “I can clean this up quickly; you should go to bed first.”
Seeing his insistence, Jiang Xiao pursed her lips. Looking at the already half-cleaned table, she thought he was right—this was a job one person could easily handle without help.
“Then, I’ll trouble you.” Jiang Xiao thanked him politely before leaving. Just before she left, she remembered something and cautiously asked, “Are you still leaving?”
Zhou Qishen lifted his gaze, staring at her for a moment. Not missing the nervous flash in her eyes, he wondered if anyone had ever told her that her thoughts were easy to read, all plain to see on her face, straightforward and understandable.
That was good in a way—genuine and without guile. But it was also a drawback, making her easily exploitable by unscrupulous people.
Zhou Qishen said, “No, I’ll stay to take care of you.”
Jiang Xiao got the answer she wanted and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll go back to my room first. There’s a sofa here, and if you’re not comfortable sleeping here, there’s also a guest room.”
She was staying in the best suite of this hotel, which was similar to an apartment layout, with more than one room for Zhou Qishen to rest.
“I’ll see to it,” Zhou Qishen responded lightly, raising an eyebrow. “Good night.”
His words were casual yet ambiguous. Jiang Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, and she struggled to maintain a calm exterior. “Good night.”
With that, she hurriedly averted her eyes, concealing her inner turmoil, and fled back to her room.
Her slender hand hesitated for two seconds on the door handle before ultimately not locking it.
Jiang Xiao placed the flowers and bag together on the cabinet and entered the bathroom. As she passed the sink, she was startled by her reflection in the mirror, her eye sockets still reddened from recent tears. Her whole demeanor, with her thin clothes barely covering her graceful figure, could be described as sexy in a flattering way or dangerously close to indecent exposure.
Jiang Xiao stared blankly, unable to believe that she had just interacted with Zhou Qishen in such a state.
The weather was hot, and she was alone in her room; she had the freedom to wear whatever she liked. However, parading around like this in front of others seemed a bit too “cool.”
Yet, she had been immersed in the joy of Zhou Qishen’s timely appearance as a lifeline and hadn’t noticed her attire. She had rushed over to open the door in such a careless manner, forgetting even to put on a jacket, relying solely on her long hair to cover herself.
Just thinking about that scene made Jiang Xiao wish she could find a hole to hide in.
With her hands on the countertop, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
After a while, she used the back of her hand to check the temperature of her cheeks and earlobes, which still felt surprisingly hot.
It must be the damn side effects messing with her. It looked like she needed to rest immediately.
One good thing about being physically exhausted was that lying down in soft sheets could instantly put one to sleep.
In the quiet night, only the sound of the air conditioner remained. Just as she drifted off into a drowsy state, she faintly sensed the door being opened from the outside. A dark figure slowly approached her, their movements so light that they made almost no sound.
The person’s breathing was shallow, yet their presence exuded a strong and dangerous masculine aura.
Jiang Xiao instantly woke up, her hand under the blanket clenched into a fist, too scared to move.
Not long after, a warm hand rested on her forehead for a moment before moving away, as if just checking if she had a fever.
The familiar scent of wood lingered in the air, causing Jiang Xiao’s eyelashes to tremble uncontrollably as she confirmed who the visitor was.
Once Zhou Qishen turned and left, Jiang Xiao dared to cautiously open her eyes slightly and glance towards the door.
The faint light from another room outlined his figure with simple yet beautiful contours. Though it was too dark to see clearly, it inexplicably brought her a sense of security.
*
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking. Assistant Chen appeared on time at the door of a luxurious suite with the boss’s luggage.
He had just come up from the room booked yesterday, where the bed and all amenities were neatly arranged without a trace of being touched by anyone else. In other words, the boss had slept here last night with the boss lady. If so, why bother booking another room for him?!
This had caused him to rush over from another hotel early in the morning to deliver the luggage, utterly exhausted due to the jet lag. He couldn’t help but stifle a yawn, but unfortunately, he coincidentally locked eyes with the boss as he opened the door.
Assistant Chen awkwardly pulled the corners of his mouth and hastily changed the subject. “Mr. Zhou, here is your luggage.”
“Thank you for the trouble.” Zhou Qishen glanced at his assistant, unable to hide the fatigue on his face, and thanked him before reaching out to take the suitcase.
Assistant Chen tried to maintain a smile. “You’re too kind, Mr. Zhou.”
With the luggage delivered, there shouldn’t have been anything else for him to do except wait at the hotel.
“Oh, and do one more thing for me,” Zhou Qishen said calmly, pausing briefly before adding, “Then you can go back to Beijing early.”
Upon hearing the first part, the worker Chen Lie was filled with resentment, with thousands of curse words flooding his mind. However, upon hearing the latter part, his expression changed instantly, putting on a fawning smile. “Mr. Zhou, please go ahead.”
Zhou Qishen observed his assistant’s rich expressions in silence for a moment, then quietly instructed him, “After you’re done, go back and rest well.”
Return to Beijing early? Rest well? Did that mean he would get at least three days of paid leave in the future?
Chen Lie stared blankly at the closed door, his heart filled with excitement. He couldn’t suppress the curve of his smile, chuckling to himself twice as he obediently completed the tasks assigned by the boss.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiao, who had turned off her alarm clock, sat up in bed and stretched, feeling a sudden relief in her back and no more headache. She was refreshed and clear-headed in that moment of stretching.
Of course, all these changes were thanks to absorbing Zhou Qishen’s traffic, which had revitalized her.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiao slid out of bed and slipped on her slippers, quickly finishing her morning routine. She intentionally changed into a more conservative outfit, repeatedly ensuring her attire was appropriate before opening the door and stepping out.
She hadn’t walked a few steps when she saw Zhou Qishen returning with his suitcase from the doorway.
Their eyes met, and he casually raised an eyebrow. “Awake?”
Uncomfortable, Jiang Xiaoxiao looked away and touched the back of her neck, softly saying, “Uh, I woke up not long ago.”
Zhou Qishen glanced at her somewhat flushed complexion, seeming to be in good shape, but still concerned. He asked, “How are you feeling physically?”
His words reminded Jiang Xiaoof last night, when he had come to check on her condition. Due to discomfort, her sleep had been shallower than usual, and she vaguely sensed that he had come several times after the first instance.
Thinking about how he had just returned from a business trip and hadn’t slept much all night due to taking care of her, Jiang Xiao was sure he must be very tired and exhausted now.
Glancing at the faint dark circles under his eyes, Jiang Xiao felt grateful yet also somewhat guilty. She pursed her lips and said, “I troubled you last night.”
Zhou Qishen took the towel off his head and smiled gently, his tone carrying a slight indifference. “This isn’t trouble.”
Though they had previously discussed not needing to be overly polite with him, Jiang Xiao seemed to still hold onto a certain wariness and caution towards him that she reserved only for strangers. What he might see as trivial matters were enough for her to feel the need to express thanks.
Apart from no longer calling him “Mr. Zhou,” her daily behavior still maintained a certain distance.
At that moment, the doorbell rang unexpectedly.
“It’s probably breakfast delivery,” Jiang Xiao guessed.
She usually started work around eight o’clock during this time, so she had informed the hotel to deliver breakfast around seven-thirty.
Zhou Qishen nodded in acknowledgment, turned around, and headed towards the door to open it before Jiang Xiao.
However, the person standing outside wasn’t a hotel staff member.
Upon seeing him, the person clearly hesitated for a moment. Then, the smile on his face visibly faltered, and his scrutinizing gaze turned less friendly.
Zhou Qishen remained composed, recalling for a few seconds before quickly recognizing the familiar face before him—it was the man who had previously been involved in rumors and trending news with Jiang Xiaoxiao.
“Ji Changzheng? What are you doing here?”
A soft female voice broke the silent standoff between the two.
Ji Changzheng heard the voice, slowly withdrew his gaze, and raised the breakfast still warm in his hand. He explained to Jiang Xiao inside the room, “Xiaoxiao, I heard from the assistant director last night that you were ill. I thought I’d come over this morning to check on you. I bought breakfast for you.”
But as he spoke, his peripheral vision couldn’t help but glance towards the unfamiliar man standing next to her. This man’s appearance and demeanor were extraordinarily outstanding; Ji Changzheng’s initial reaction was that he might be a newcomer in the industry.
However, he had never seen any promotional materials related to him. Logically, no company would be foolish enough not to promote an artist who was sure to become popular as soon as he debuted, so he ruled out the possibility that the man was from the entertainment circle.
But if he was connected to Jiang Xiao, unless he was an artist, he must be either wealthy or influential.
“Thank you, but I’m fine, just a bit uncomfortable,” Jiang Xiao Glanced between the two men and finally paused on Zhou Qishen, who remained silent. She inexplicably felt a bit guilty and embarrassed.
The two men before her—one ostensibly her husband, the other her recent subject of gossip—meeting so soon and putting her in the middle, created this bizarre scene.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, Ji Changzheng tactfully asked, “By the way, who is this?”
Appearing in Jiang Xiao’s room in a bathrobe early in the morning, it was hard not to raise suspicions about their relationship.
Zhou Qishen’s deep eyes swept over. After Jiang Xiao had explained the last time, he believed their relationship was merely that of ordinary colleagues—one fell ill, and the other politely showed concern. He wouldn’t be petty enough to fuss over such a small matter.
But he was curious how Jiang Xiao would introduce his identity to outsiders.
**
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Ayalee[Translator]
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