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Xu Yinghuai hadn’t felt this nervous and uneasy in a long time.
She understood feeling nervous when she posted her first video online, when she first received hate messages, or when she walked the red carpet in high heels and an evening gown.
But why was she this nervous just to deliver breakfast to Zhou Zirong?
She looked down at the pumpkin porridge inside the plastic bag, misted over from the steam, and the now-softened fried dough sticks squished together with a boiled egg in another bag.
Xu Yinghuai let out a deep breath.
She wasn’t even sure if these suited Zhou Zirong’s taste.
Suddenly, she regretted not preparing for a situation like this earlier. If only she had set aside some cash, she wouldn’t be in such a tight spot now, dealing with this unexpected circumstance.
The moment she wanted to do something nice for someone, she found herself broke.
What a miscalculation!
Realizing that if she kept hesitating, the breakfast would get cold, Xu Yinghuai gritted her teeth and pushed open the door.
——“Boss Zhou!”
Xu Yinghuai put on a bright, dazzling smile, ready to greet Zhou Zirong.
The empty room echoed her voice, bouncing it back at her.
…
Her smile stiffened. She stood there, dumbfounded.
If she had known no one was inside, what was she so nervous about just now?
Xu Yinghuai frowned, feeling puzzled. After a moment, she tilted her head and closed the door.
Then, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and opened her chat with Linda.
She checked Linda’s message from yesterday—yes, Linda had indeed asked her to bring breakfast to Zhou Zirong, and Zhou Zirong himself had replied to confirm it.
Besides that, he also mentioned needing to see Linda to sign a contract.
Thinking that she had arrived half an hour early for the contract signing, she assumed Zhou Zirong was still on his way. Shrugging, she turned and headed to Linda’s office, knocking on the door.
Linda looked up from a pile of documents. Seeing Xu Yinghuai, she glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled.
“You’re here.”
“Right on time.”
“Mm.” Xu Yinghuai nodded and said, “I’m here to sign the contract.”
Linda pulled out the prepared document and slid it over to her. As she glanced at the breakfast in Xu Yinghuai’s hands, she casually asked, “Haven’t had breakfast yet?”
Xu Yinghuai had just picked up the pen when she froze for a moment at the question.
“No, I already ate. This is for Boss Zhou.”
“He’s not coming here today,” Linda said, surprised. “He didn’t tell you? He’s about to start filming a historical drama, so he’s in training now.”
A confused expression crossed Xu Yinghuai’s face.
Linda and Xu Yinghuai stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Linda sighed, slapping the table.
“Right. He doesn’t talk much… But I was busy yesterday with project meetings in the afternoon, so I forgot to tell you. Next time, just ask him directly.”
Xu Yinghuai nodded in understanding.
She had some idea of Zhou Zirong’s personality—he really wasn’t much of a talker.
Only when he was scolding her did his words come out like machine-gun fire.
Flipping through the contract, she skimmed over the important points based on her experience with business deals and endorsements. Trusting Zhou Zirong’s character, she signed her name.
Then she asked, “Linda, can you send me his location?”
Linda made an “OK” gesture. A second later, Xu Yinghuai received a location pin on her phone.
She opened it.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too far.
Xu Yinghuai grabbed her bag and carefully picked up the bowl of porridge, making sure it wouldn’t spill.
Just as she reached the door, she couldn’t help but turn back.
“Linda, I have a question.”
Linda raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Xu Yinghuai lifted the breakfast in her hand. “Do you think Boss Zhou will like this?”
Linda examined the food for a few seconds.
“Pumpkin millet porridge, eggs… These are fine. But the fried dough sticks are a bit high in calories. Don’t get them next time—he’s about to start filming, so he needs to watch his diet. He doesn’t really have strong preferences, as long as it’s not spicy or overly sweet. He also has a weak stomach—he just had stomach pain a few days ago…”
She paused, pressing a hand to her forehead with a heavy sigh.
“Speaking of that, I almost forgot. We hired an assistant because he had a stomach flare-up recently and needed someone to manage his meals. He tends to forget to eat when he’s busy. You should keep an eye on that and carry some medicine with you.”
“He… has stomach problems?”
Xu Yinghuai was taken aback.
Just a few days ago?
She had no idea.
That guy had been sending her messages just a few days ago—
Yet, not once had he mentioned anything about being unwell.
Instead, he kept forwarding her random WeChat videos, talking about how the weather was getting colder, reminding her to dress warmly to prevent the flu, and sharing lists of seasonal foods that were supposedly good for health.
At one point, she even suspected that Zhou Zirong had a secret side hustle making these health-related videos and was forwarding them to her to boost views.
Now that she thought about it, those videos seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
But if he was so into health videos, why couldn’t he take care of himself properly?
After bidding Linda farewell, Xu Yinghuai shut the door and recalled the health videos she had watched.
A complicated feeling swelled in her chest.
She quickened her pace and pressed the elevator button twice in frustration, muttering, “What an idiot.”
The elevator dinged open.
Chen Xi, arriving late, happened to walk in right as she blurted that out, looking puzzled.
He tried to stop her and ask what she meant, reaching out—but grabbed nothing but air.
He watched as Xu Yinghuai furrowed her brows, pressed the close-door button hard, and disappeared behind the metal doors.
Scratching his head, he looked up at the ceiling.
“What did I do?”
“I just stepped into the elevator, and now I’m an idiot?”
Then, recalling Xu Yinghuai’s face when she had called Zhou Zirong “human” yesterday, a realization hit him.
He bent his knees slightly, pointed at the cold elevator doors, and smirked.
“What a personality.”
Since Zhou Zirong wasn’t far away, and knowing about his stomach issues, Xu Yinghuai took a cab to his location.
The entire ride, she held the porridge carefully, replaying their past messages in her mind.
Aside from those videos, he had only nagged her about dressing nicely at the airport so she wouldn’t get caught in ugly paparazzi photos.
…
Xu Yinghuai pursed her lips in exasperation.
She quickly shook off the memory—she couldn’t afford to get annoyed now and end up giving Zhou Zirong an attitude.
A few minutes later, the taxi stopped.
“Miss, we’re here.”
She thanked the driver and got out.
Spotting a pharmacy across the street, she hurried over, bought stomach medicine according to Linda’s recommendation, and then headed upstairs.
Following the navigation, she finally found the place and pushed the door open—
Only to have a sword thrust toward her.
She froze in place, instinctively raising her hands in surrender.
Zhou Zirong quickly withdrew, realizing what had happened. But as he saw her immediate reaction, his eyes widened slightly, his hand hesitating to lower the sword.
After a moment, Xu Yinghuai relaxed. Seeing Zhou Zirong pause, she reached out with two fingers, gently pushing the sword aside.
She smiled.
“Alright, alright. I surrender.”