Chapter 4

Under the table, Zhou Zirong bent his thumb to press against the knuckle of his pinky finger. Just as he was about to lower his head and continue his game, something suddenly came to mind, and he looked up at Xu Yinghuai.

Beside him, Chen Xi was leaning in to help cover his dark circles.

As Zhou Zirong looked up, the makeup brush almost poked into his eye. Luckily, Chen Xi reacted quickly and pulled it away in time.

The unexpected incident gave Chen Xi quite a scare. He took a step back and patted his chest. “Oh my god, good thing I didn’t hurt you.”

But as the actual “victim,” Zhou Zirong didn’t react much. He just glanced at Chen Xi lightly, said it was fine, and then turned back to look at Xu Yinghuai.

He stared at her for a few moments as if thinking about something, then asked, “Which one is Chi? Which one is Yi?”

It was obvious he hadn’t read the resume.

Xu Yinghuai introduced, “Chi as in ‘sooner or later,’ Yi as in ‘peaceful and comfortable.’ Together, Chi Yi means ‘sooner or later at ease.’”

Zhou Zirong nodded slightly and lowered his head again.

Hearing this, Chen Xi became interested in Xu Yinghuai. He turned back with a smile and said, “Sooner or later at ease, hahaha. That’s a pretty nice name, little sister.”

“But being an assistant is far from easy and peaceful,” Linda interrupted ruthlessly. “You need to be mentally prepared.”

Xu Yinghuai had known Zhou Zirong for some time and was well aware of his bad temper. She understood that being his assistant wouldn’t be easy.

But Chi Yi had already told her—she had no better option now. This was the last arrangement Chi Yi made for her, and she couldn’t run away.

She could only nod. “I’m prepared.”

Linda twirled the pen in her hand. “Good.”

“I’ll ask you a few questions now. Answer honestly based on your own situation.”

Xu Yinghuai: “Okay.”

Linda’s questions were simple, all related to the responsibilities of an assistant. Xu Yinghuai answered truthfully.

After hearing her first response, Linda seemed a bit surprised. Her gaze toward Xu Yinghuai changed as if she was reevaluating her.

Xu Yinghuai noticed but didn’t mind. She continued answering the questions one by one.

When the questioning was almost done, Linda put down her pen, clasped her hands together on the table, and looked at Xu Yinghuai. “Alright, last question. Tell us your opinion of Zhou Zirong.”

This question was clearly unplanned.

Hearing it, Zhou Zirong’s fingers tapping on his phone screen paused. He slightly tilted his head to glance at Linda.

Linda ignored him and waited for Xu Yinghuai’s response.

The previous questions had been easy for Xu Yinghuai. As long as she adjusted the subject, she could answer effortlessly.

But now, the question was directly about Zhou Zirong himself…

A flood of complaints immediately filled her mind.

If Linda had asked about Zhou Zirong’s flaws instead, things would be much easier.

Then, all she’d have to do was list out twenty points, ranking them from extremely terrible to just generally terrible, to fully demonstrate how unbearable he was.

But now…

Xu Yinghuai tilted her head up slightly, gazing at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle. She pressed her lips together and thought for a while.

Even though the question was open-ended, allowing her to mention strengths or weaknesses, she knew this wasn’t the right time to vent or get revenge.

“Is it really that hard to answer?” Seeing her struggle, Chen Xi couldn’t help but chuckle. He playfully punched Zhou Zirong’s shoulder. “A’Rong, who would’ve thought? One day, someone would find it so difficult to say anything about you.”

Zhou Zirong seemed intrigued. His game had just ended, so he put down his phone and looked at Xu Yinghuai.

With three pairs of eyes on her, Xu Yinghuai felt the pressure mounting.

She considered herself a reasonable person, but no matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to praise Zhou Zirong to his face.

After thinking for a long time, her mind was still blank. She couldn’t come up with a single good thing about him.

And with the others staring so intently, she panicked a little. Her brain short-circuited for a moment, and she blurted out,

“My opinion is… Zhou Zirong is a person.”

—

“Pfft!”

“Hahahahahaha…”

After the interview, the three of them went over the resumes to analyze the candidates.

As soon as Chi Yi’s resume was pulled out, Chen Xi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Zhou Zirong glanced at him. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, definitely something funny.” Chen Xi held his stomach, laughing. “I’ve never seen a girl hesitate so much, looking like she was constipated, only to finally say, ‘In my opinion, Zhou Zirong is a person.’”

“Oh, what a revelation!” Chen Xi exaggeratedly spread his arms wide, his eyes and mouth opening in astonishment.

After his dramatic reaction, he leaned on Zhou Zirong’s shoulder. “A’Rong, do you know her? What kind of grudge do you two have?”

Zhou Zirong brushed off Chen Xi’s arm. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I don’t think they know each other, but maybe they just became enemies today,” Linda said. “Zirong, she’s the girl who hugged your leg in the elevator. Remember?”

Zhou Zirong recalled it clearly. “I remember. After we got out, she even knelt in front of me.”

“So dramatic! A’Rong, do you know why she knelt?” Chen Xi’s gossip-loving nature flared up.

Zhou Zirong glanced at him speechlessly but said nothing.

That glance made Chen Xi realize something.

His excitement deflated.

“Oh… But you’re not her, so you wouldn’t know why she knelt either.”

“Damn, why didn’t you tell us earlier? If we had known, we could’ve asked her during the interview! Now that she’s gone, we’ll never find out.”

Chen Xi sighed in regret, then suddenly had an idea. He stood in front of Zhou Zirong.

“A’Rong, there’s still a way to find out.”

Zhou Zirong gave him a skeptical look. “What way?”

Chen Xi pointed at Chi Yi’s resume. “Pick her!”

“A’Rong, make her your assistant.”

“That way, I can see her again tomorrow and ask her directly.”

As expected, it wasn’t a good idea. Zhou Zirong scoffed but still glanced at Chi Yi’s resume.

Linda, who had been reviewing her notes, chimed in. “Actually, choosing her wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

She pointed at a crossed-out line and explained, “I didn’t think much of her in the elevator. She looked like an obsessed fan. You didn’t see how tightly she clung to Zirong’s leg. But thinking back, maybe she wasn’t feeling well? She looked really pale while kneeling.”

“But after she recovered, she treated Zirong quite indifferently. She didn’t act like a crazed fan, so I didn’t call security. Plus, when I asked how she’d respond if Zirong had a fever at night, she didn’t say she’d rush over to take care of him like the others did.”

Chen Xi clapped his hands. “Linda, that was a brilliant trap!”

Linda nodded. “Being an assistant isn’t hard, but it’s troublesome. Character is crucial.” She turned to Zhou Zirong. “Zirong, what do you think of Chi Yi?”

Zhou Zirong didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he focused on the emergency contact name and number on the resume.

Thinking of a conversation he overheard earlier, he pulled out his phone and searched the number in his contacts.

Linda, assuming his silence meant disapproval, began suggesting other candidates.

But before she could finish, Zhou Zirong sent a friend request to “Happiness and Joy”—a WeChat account with an old photo of Chi Yi as a child.

Then, he finally spoke. “We’ll take her.”

Linda was caught off guard. “Who?”

“Chi Yi.”