Chapter 5 – The Person You Marry

As Zhou Ziyi stepped into the hospital room, the young girl sitting by the bedside immediately put down her tablet and looked over.

“Brother!”

The girl appeared frail, with an unhealthy complexion and a weak voice. But when she saw Zhou Ziyi enter, her eyes lit up.

“Wenwen.” Zhou Ziyi smiled and walked to the side of the hospital bed. “How are you feeling today?”

“I feel great! Brother, when can I be discharged from the hospital?”
The young girl, whose full name was Zhou Wenwen, had dark and purplish lips with some fine lines. She raised the tablet in her hand. “Brother, I was just reading news about my idol. They will be coming to our country for a concert! It’s amazing! I really want to see them live. Can you let me go, please?”

“Oh, Wenwen, you’re a big fan.”
Tang Shirong, who came in with them, interjected with a smile on his face. The words from his mouth might not sound pleasant. “This group, even if you try to buy tickets, it won’t be easy. Even if you get them from scalpers, it won’t come cheap. Let’s not talk about how much it would cost, it would cover your expenses for several months.”

Zhou Wenwen didn’t like him and instinctively ignored his words, focusing only on her brother. “Brother, please let me go. They’re actually coming to perform in our country. This is my only chance. If I can see them, I’ll have no regrets!”

“…If your health allows at that time, I will think of a way.” Zhou Ziyi looked at his younger sister’s pleading eyes and couldn’t bring himself to refuse. “The condition is that your body is strong enough to handle such excitement.”

Tang Shirong was clever with his words. It was strange that Zhou Wenwen’s body could handle such a long journey and the intense atmosphere of a live concert. Any sensible doctor would not agree to it.

Zhou Wenwen also sensed a hint of meaning, so she wanted to push a little further. “Brother, Mom and Dad agreed before that if they come to perform in our country, I would be allowed to go and see them. Now that they have finally come, please promise me. At the very least, remember to buy the tickets. Otherwise, what if I actually get to go but have no tickets… that wouldn’t be fair…”

“Wenwen, your brother just entered the hospital room, and you’re already pestering him for concert tickets. Can’t you at least let him sit down first?”
Tang Shirong couldn’t help but interrupt. “And your brother cares so much about you. Can’t you ask him how he’s been recently? Why do you keep talking about your idol?”

After being provoked by him twice, Zhou Wenwen couldn’t hold back her temper. “You’re not my family, and I wasn’t talking to you. Why do you have the right to meddle in my affairs?”

“Wenwen.” Zhou Ziyi interrupted his sister and then turned to Tang Shirong. “Brother Tang, why don’t you go out and take a breather?”

“Fine, I won’t be a bother here. You can continue being a good brother.” Tang Shirong put his hands in his pockets and casually walked out. Zhou Wenwen watched him disappear, then turned back to Zhou Ziyi with a more direct attitude. “Brother, how can you be friends with someone like him? He doesn’t respect people at all!”

“Wenwen, without Brother Tang, our lives might not be as good as they are now.” Zhou Ziyi said, “He’s straightforward, and his intention was for you to recover first. He didn’t mean any harm…”

“He spoke to me like that, and you say he didn’t mean any harm?!” Zhou Wenwen glared at Zhou Ziyi. “Brother, you say he’s your friend, but he always looks down on me. Every time, he uses his words to hurt me, and you don’t even stand up for me! Are you just being subservient to him because of his money? You weren’t like this before. You’ve changed!”

Zhou Ziyi took a long, silent breath.

“Perhaps his language is a bit hard for you to accept, but one thing is certain, he didn’t say anything wrong,” Zhou Ziyi said calmly. “Since I arrived, have you ever thought of asking me how I’ve been doing lately, Wenwen?”

Zhou Wenwen was startled by his serious expression. “What can you do? We usually communicate through messages, and if you had something important, you would have told me earlier…”

Zhou Ziyi said, “Because this matter is important, I wanted to talk to you face-to-face.”

Out of instinct, Zhou Wenwen asked, “About what?”

Zhou Ziyi looked at her and said, “I am getting married, Wenwen.”

“Ah?!” Zhou Wenwen was genuinely shocked. Zhou Ziyi looked at her and reminded her, “Breathe, Wenwen.”

After a few seconds, Zhou Wenwen finally reacted, “You are getting married?!”

“Yes,” Zhou Ziyi said slowly, “Engagement next week, wedding in three months. So, for the next period of time, I might be very busy and won’t have much time to visit you, but we can stay in touch through X Messenger.”

“So soon…?” Zhou Wenwen’s first reaction was not happiness, but an uncontrollable panic. “Why so suddenly? Why haven’t I heard about this before?”

“I didn’t want to bother you with my personal matters before, so I didn’t say anything,” Zhou Ziyi wouldn’t tell her the truth, so he made up a story on the spot. “Now that I’m getting married, I thought it’s time to inform you officially. It’s not too sudden, we’ve known each other for a while.”

“You haven’t even introduced me to her, how can you already decide? Is she pregnant?!” Zhou Wenwen exclaimed. “Getting married, having children, isn’t it going to cost a lot of money? How much dowry does the bride’s family expect? Can you afford it?”

She bombarded him with a series of questions, clearly in an unstable emotional state. Zhou Ziyi had just said, “Calm down a bit,” but Zhou Wenwen continued like a machine gun, “Brother, did you come here to give me money for medical expenses? Did you ask the doctor when I can schedule the surgery? Mom and Dad always said they would cure me, and you agreed, right? Please don’t give up on me. Brother, you’re all I have…”

“Don’t get so worked up, Wenwen,” Zhou Ziyi saw that she wasn’t listening, so he stood up, bent down, and hugged her. “I haven’t given up on you, and I don’t have a child. The person I’m marrying… is a man.”

“What…?” Zhou Wenwen was even more shocked. “You’re gay?”

“Ah, yes,” Zhou Ziyi replied.

“Why didn’t I know about this before? I’ve heard Mom say that you were pursued by many girls!”

“I also… just recently realized,” Zhou Ziyi couldn’t explain the details of this situation, so he chose to be vague. He straightened up and gently patted Zhou Wenwen’s head. “He doesn’t expect dowry, so you don’t have to worry. I won’t give up on you.”

“Does he know about my existence? Does he have any objections towards me?” Zhou Wenwen looked up at him. “Regardless of his attitude towards me, you will still help me find a donor, right?”

“……Yes.” Zhou Ziyi didn’t know what to say for a moment, so he simply agreed. Just at that moment, his phone made a soft ding, and he took the opportunity to escape from the stagnant atmosphere by checking the message.

Surprisingly, it was a message from Yan Xiuzhi:
[Meet my family tomorrow night, be prepared.]

Zhou Ziyi took a sharp breath.

He was already upset by his younger sister, and now things were getting worse. He could only reply:
[Why so sudden? There are many things to prepare, I’m afraid I won’t have enough time!]

Yan Xiuzhi actually replied online: [Prepare for what?]

Zhou Ziyi: [I can’t explain it clearly in a message. If you’re free, let me know, and we can discuss it over the phone.]

Yan Xiuzhi: [I’m free now.]

Zhou Ziyi hesitated slightly. Since Yan Xiuzhi said so, he was worried that if he didn’t call now, he would be seen as evading him. But…

“Is he your fiancé, brother?” Zhou Wenwen asked, “He’s sending you a message, urging you to leave? You should at least let me meet him. I’m your only family, you should let me see your partner and hear my opinion…”

Zhou Ziyi felt like she was bringing up the topic again and wanted to escape this strange situation, so he shook his phone and said, “He has something to discuss with me, I’ll make a call outside.”

Zhou Wenwen stared at him, “Aren’t you leaving?”

“Not so fast, I still need to talk to the doctor. Don’t worry,” Zhou Ziyi said. After speaking, he turned and left the hospital room. Tang Shirong was playing with his phone in the corridor outside. When he saw Zhou Ziyi coming out, he stood up and asked, “Leaving?”

“Just going to make a phone call to Yan Xiuzhi,” Zhou Ziyi replied, leaving a remark before seeing Tang Shirong nod. He walked to the end of the corridor near the window and dialled Yan Xiuzhi’s number.

Yan Xiuzhi answered quickly, “Hello.”
“Mr. Yan,” Zhou Ziyi wiped his face and patted it to give himself some encouragement. “Why suddenly do I have to meet your family tomorrow? I’m not prepared at all, and I’m afraid of making mistakes.”

Yan Xiuzhi maintained his calm demeanor, saying, “They think it’s necessary to meet before the engagement ceremony, so let’s meet. What else do you need to prepare?”

“Gifts for the meeting! And what about the clothes I should wear tomorrow night? I can’t just go in sportswear, can I?” Zhou Ziyi felt his thoughts were scattered and said whatever came to mind. “Also, I’ve been asking you—what kind of partner do you want?”

“What?”

“My character, you know!” Zhou Ziyi said, “The delicate and lovely type, the refined lady type, the elegant and charming type, the lively and outgoing type…”

Yan Xiuzhi commented, “Why are you using words that describe women for yourself?”

“This is just a metaphor, the specifics depend on your preferences,” Zhou Ziyi said. “In case you like someone who appears cold on the outside but is passionate and charming on the inside, I can be that person for you. Wouldn’t that be a good match?”

“Is that it?” Yan Xiuzhi’s tone was cold, indicating his indifference to the question. “It’s up to you.”

“So, I have the freedom to decide?” Zhou Ziyi felt that chatting with CEO Yan was unexpectedly more relaxed than talking to her own sister, so his mood improved slightly. “Can I just do as I please? You really have no requirements?”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “…I have two points.”

Zhou Ziyi thought to himself, ‘Thank goodness I asked again! The client’s fault!’

“First, you must be presentable and not embarrass me,” Yan Xiuzhi said coldly. “Second, don’t let others bully you. That’s not where you should show weakness.”

“Understood. In the eyes of others, we are seen as a unit. If I’m bullied, it’s as if you’re being challenged. So, I can’t allow myself to be defeated,” Zhou Ziyi said. “Isn’t that one point? You divided it into two smaller points, but I’m not that dumb.”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “I hope so.”

Zhou Ziyi asked again, “What about the gift and the clothes…”

“I’ll take care of the gift,” Yan Xiuzhi treated his wedding preparations like work and handled them quickly. “As for the clothes, wear the style you saw me in that day.”

“Alright.” Zhou Ziyi paused for a moment, recalling something. “Hey, CEO Yan, you caught me off guard. Since I’m cooperating with you so straightforwardly, can I negotiate something with you?”

“What is it?”

“The allowance for the first month… Can you not deduct it?” Zhou Ziyi said. “To be honest with you, I’m actually in a sanatorium right now, preparing to pay the fees…”

“Sure.”

“…Huh?”

These two words came too easily, and Zhou Ziyi felt somewhat incredulous. “Really?”

“Really,” Yan Xiuzhi said. “I can transfer it to you earlier today, but the condition is that you must ensure that nothing goes wrong tomorrow night.”

Zhou Ziyi replied, “Please rest assured, I promise to complete the task!”

Yan Xiuzhi, not wanting to hear any more nonsense, said “Goodbye” and hung up the phone.

Zhou Ziyi looked at the dimmed screen for a few seconds, feeling a sense of relief as if a burden had been lifted from his heart. He put away his phone and started walking back.

When he reached the door of the ward, Tang Shirong noticed his expression and curiously asked, “What did you say to Yan Xiuzhi? How did it make you smile?”

Zhou Ziyi smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I just feel like my luck isn’t entirely bad.”

Tang Shirong responded, “…Huh?”