Chapter 4 – The First Pocket Money Being Deducted

Zhou Ziyi lured President Yan to have a meal, and the contract was signed in black and white.

With only a few days left until the engagement, Yan Xiuzhi’s side was going to handle the prenuptial property notarization, which had nothing to do with Zhou Ziyi. Li Fei asked Zhou Ziyi if he wanted to have a joint notarization, but Zhou Ziyi thought to himself, “What’s the point of notarizing? Is it for those endless debts? Let’s just forget it.”

Li Fei also made reservations for the engagement dresses for the couple. Although it was said that Zhou Ziyi was responsible for this task, he couldn’t directly take care of it at the moment because there was not enough time. Li Fei had already selected a few sets in advance, waiting for Yan Xiuzhi and Zhou Ziyi to finalize the decision.

With just one word from President Yan, the decision-making task was handed over to Zhou Ziyi.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Ziyi went to try on the dresses the next day. The store clerk was wondering why there was only one of the newlywed couple trying on the clothes when Zhou Ziyi handed over his phone and said, “Could you please take some photos for me? I want to show them to my boyfriend and hear his opinion.”

The store clerk blinked and said, “Ah, sure!”

She knows that this is a list from the head of the Hua Hao Group, Yan Xiuzhi! His boyfriend is carrying a pre-order and trying on clothes, and now he want to take photos, isn’t it just to send them to President Yan to see?

Ah, so sweet! Later, I’ll hide the names and share today’s dog food with my girlfriends!

So, the store clerk did her best and took a bunch of photos.

After going back and forth for nearly two hours, he finally selected three photos of the front, side, and back for each set, totalling nine photos, and sent them all to Yan Xiuzhi.

Yan Xiuzhi had just started his lunch break. He had just picked up his chopsticks to eat his takeout when his phone started ringing continuously, making a “ding dong” sound nine times. As he put down his chopsticks and reached for his phone, it “ding donged” two more times.

When he opened his phone, a bunch of photos flew out, dazzling his eyes with their brightness. After the information interface finally stopped, Yan Xiuzhi focused his gaze and realized that they were all makeup trial photos of Zhou Ziyi. There were two messages below:

[Which set do you think looks better?]
[Personally, I prefer the second set.]

Yan Xiuzhi scrolled back and looked at each photo again.

Objectively speaking, Zhou Ziyi’s appearance was truly impeccable, with a well-toned figure like a clothes hanger. The white suit on him accentuated his every curve, making him appear five centimeters taller. He had even done his makeup and hair, with a shining forehead and a radiant spirit. The white attire complemented his delicate features, and the most striking photo was a side profile shot of him wearing a white tailcoat. At that moment, Zhou Ziyi was wearing gloves and had a slightly downward gaze, a rare and captivating angle. The store clerk had quickly captured this photo, creating a masterpiece of eyelash beauty.

Although the third set of clothes fit Zhou Ziyi the best, it was the second set that Yan Xiuzhi found more appealing. His aesthetic sense took over, and he couldn’t help but correct his contractual partner:
[The second set doesn’t fit you well. The third set is passable, though.]

Zhou Ziyi seemed to be waiting online for him and quickly replied:
[I know, but I think the second set suits you. I can make some slight adjustments to my measurements. What do you think?]

The fact proves that Zhou Ziyi’s “soft talk strategy” is also applicable on mobile phones.

The unhappiness caused by being disturbed during Yan Xiuzhi’s lunch break quietly dissipated. He carefully looked at the clothes again and inexplicably felt that what Zhou Ziyi said seemed to be right. But he couldn’t possibly reply, “You’re right, the second outfit looks good on me,” so he awkwardly responded, [Don’t ask me about everything.]

Zhou Ziyi smiled and asked the salesgirl with his phone, “I think my boyfriend looks good in the second outfit, but my boyfriend thinks I look good in the third outfit. What do you think?”

The salesgirl: I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to care for single dogs.

“How about you take both outfits home and try them on?” The salesgirl didn’t want to fuss in front of important customers and directly suggested, “If you try them on, you’ll know the overall effect for the both of you.”

Zhou Ziyi was just showing off his affectionate side without any actual intention of taking the clothes home. Who would he try them on with at home?
“Forget it, he’s busy. He won’t cooperate with me in doing something like this,” Zhou Ziyi smiled gently, “I’ll go back and discuss it, and I’ll give you an answer another day.”

“Alright, Mr. Zhou,” the salesgirl gave a standard smile, “Feel free to contact us if you need anything.”

It was a busy day for Zhou Ziyi. In the afternoon, he went to see the venue for the engagement and confirmed the arrangements that Li Fei had previously booked. In the evening, before he could go over the details of the arrangements again, he received the “Couple Profile Form” sent by Yan Xiuzhi.

“Alright, here comes the question bank!”

Zhou Ziyi’s spirits were stirred, and he immediately opened the form document.

It’s not that he was anxious to memorize it, but he was very curious about how Yan Xiuzhi, that serious and earnest guy, would respond to the string of “buying cola”^[1]买可乐(mǎi kělè) On the surface, it means I want to drink Coke, but in fact the English homophony becomes make love. Buy Coke(mǎi kělè) = make love, which is the homophonic pronunciation of … Continue reading related questions.

He pressed Ctrl+F and entered “cola,” and then he saw President Yan’s answer.

“Where is your favorite place to buy cola?”
“I don’t drink cola.”

Zhou Ziyi: “…”

He’s actually using this trick?!

He scanned the next few questions and was astonished to find a string of “same as above” responses, showing a dismissive attitude. Moreover, when the other party’s answers were so foolishly appropriate, Zhou Ziyi couldn’t tell whether President Yan really didn’t know what “buying cola” meant or if he was intentionally avoiding the question.

Zhou Ziyi couldn’t imagine what President Yan would think when he saw his series of earnest answers.

Perhaps he would want to find the “report” button.

After all, those answers were copied from an “instructional film,” so it’s essentially a form of fan fiction!

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ziyi sent a message to Yan Xiuzhi, trying to salvage his image a little:
[Mr. Yan, have you read the ‘Couple Profile’ that I wrote?]

Not long after, Yan Xiuzhi replied: [I have.]

Zhou Ziyi exclaimed: [Really???]

Yan Xiuzhi asked: [Is there a problem?]

“This problem has escalated!” Zhou Ziyi muttered, unable to help himself, “You should have said earlier that we could skip this question! Don’t mistake me for a pervert…”

While he was contemplating whether to ignore this awkward question, Yan Xiuzhi sent another message: [What does ‘YHSQ’ mean in this context?]

“Damn, are you looking at it now?!” Zhou Ziyi was shocked and immediately replied:
[It’s a misunderstanding! I was answering the question seriously! No one is more serious than me!]

Then, without waiting for Yan Xiuzhi’s reply, he added: [Mr. Yan, why don’t you first look up the meaning of ‘buying cola’?]

Previously, Zhou Ziyi was unsure if Yan Xiuzhi genuinely didn’t know or was pretending not to know. But now, looking at the messages, it was highly likely that he didn’t know. If he didn’t know in the first place, everyone could have ignored this incident. Unfortunately, Yan Xiuzhi wanted to make a big deal out of it, causing Zhou Ziyi to feel like a pot falling from the sky. He had no choice but to remind Yan Xiuzhi to look it up again.

After about two or three minutes, there was no response from Yan Xiuzhi’s side. Zhou Ziyi thought that it was no longer his concern when suddenly his phone vibrated.

Yan Xiuzhi: [Your pocket money for the first month will be halved.]

Zhou Ziyi: [??????]

*

“Hahahaha! Your money is being deducted in the first month, and all because of a cola! Oh my, hahaha!”

In the black sedan, speeding towards the outskirts, Tang Shirong, who was driving, couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. “Oh my god, Yan Xiuzhi doesn’t even know about this, hahaha…”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhou Ziyi glanced at him. “Brother Tang, we have two lives in this car, so be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a skilled driver!” Tang Shirong boasted. “Hey, I never expected Yan Xiuzhi to be so innocent. Could he still be a cherry boy? With his looks, that can’t be!”

Zhou Ziyi advised, “I suggest you don’t delve into this matter.”
“Of course, I’m not bored with nothing to do.” Tang Shirong gave him a thumbs up. “But you dare to write fanfiction about him, you’re something!”

“I just copied it, okay? I just described what I saw into words,” Zhou Ziyi said with exasperation. “What does it have to do with me? I answered the exam seriously and got blamed for it? He’s taking his frustration out on me, am I wronged or not?”

Tang Shirong said, “Why are you reacting to me? I’m not the Women’s Federation, go talk to Yan Xiuzhi yourself.”

Zhou Ziyi: “I’m afraid he will deduct the other half directly from me.”

“Possible. Judging from his ruthless reputation in the business world, he is capable of doing it,” Tang Shirong sighed. “Being with him is like being with a tiger. It’s not easy for you to earn these 30 million.”

“The contract is already signed, so let’s take it step by step,” Zhou Ziyi said. “Brother Tang, we are getting engaged next week. Will you come?”

“Huh? No, thanks,” Tang Shirong said. “I heard that the engagement ceremony is rushed, so he only invited the closest relatives and friends from the Yan family. It won’t be a big gathering. My father didn’t even receive an invitation, so what would I do there?”

“I was just asking,” Zhou Ziyi said. “Li Fei asked me if I should send invitations to anyone, and after thinking about it, I realized I don’t have anyone in particular, so I thought I’d ask you.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Shirong suddenly felt that Zhou Ziyi was in a vulnerable position and he needed to step up: “Fine, with your words, I’ll attend even if I have to face the knife. It’s just that my reputation is pretty average, and I probably haven’t left a good impression in the Yan family’s social circle. You should consider that.”

“How bad could it be? It can’t be worse than my situation, right?” Zhou Ziyi self-deprecatingly smiled. “I can even imagine how others would look at me. Both parents deceased, company bankrupt, millions in debt, sister with cancer… I even feel like a vampire myself.”

“Well, it’s not your fault. Don’t burden yourself with this,” Tang Shirong said. “Have you prepared the expenses for your sister for the second half of the year? Yan Xiuzhi deducted the pocket money at the wrong time. If you’re short on funds, I’ll fill in for you first. We can’t delay this.”

“I’m going to see her today, and I’ll also ask about this matter,” Zhou Ziyi sighed. “Brother Tang, thank you. If it wasn’t for you helping me, I’m afraid I would have…”

“Stop! Stop talking like this. The money was loaned to you, don’t make me seem like a charity case,” Tang Shirong said. “But speaking of that, have you told your sister that you’re planning to get married?”

Zhou Ziyi looked out the window and said, “I’ll tell her later.”

Tang Shirong asked, “Will you tell her the truth or lie?”

“Of course… I’ll lie,” Zhou Ziyi said. “Things are already complicated enough, and I don’t want to involve her.”

Tang Shirong sighed, “She is pitiful, but… I always feel like she should also treat you better, give you some breathing space, especially since it’s just the two of you left.”

“Yeah, just the two of us,” Zhou Ziyi gazed at the rows of greenery outside the window, slowly blinking.

“But if we can hold onto a floating log, who would dare to let go?”