Chapter 10 – Giving the President a Heart

Yan Xiuzhi was almost driven crazy by the rabbit’s enchanting voice.

It wasn’t scary, just too sudden, like a sudden explosion in the car. Zhou Ziyi wanted to do it again, but Yan Xiuzhi immediately said, “Stop it.”

Zhou Ziyi paused it.

Yan Xiuzhi asked again, “Where did you get that thing?”

“It was given to me with the milk tea,” Zhou Ziyi casually replied and put away his phone.

Silence fell in the car again. Yan Xiuzhi neither played music nor turned on the radio, creating an awkward atmosphere in his high-end car that was advertised as “so quiet that you could hear your own breath.” Of course, the only one who might feel awkward was Zhou Ziyi.

Zhou Ziyi cautiously glanced at Yan Xiuzhi and couldn’t help but speak up, “Um…?”

Yan Xiuzhi asked, “What?”

“President Yan, Um…about today… Did I go too far today?” Zhou Ziyi raked his hair and ruined the stylish hairstyle he had before leaving. “Their words were really infuriating, and I couldn’t help myself… I’m sorry.”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him and asked, “You couldn’t help it?”

“Ah, wasn’t it?” Zhou Ziyi felt relieved that President Yan didn’t seem angry. He leaned back against the chair.

It’s just as I thought. As long as you yield first, President Yan will be “very reasonable.”

Zhou Ziyi sighed again, “When I first arrived at your house, you went into the kitchen, right? To be honest, they started pestering me then. Even dissed me, without any politeness. At that time, I could still bear it, but my anger was burning inside me. You know, it was burning so much that it reached this point.”

As he spoke, he gestured near his collarbone.

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him and said, “So, you started recording later?”

“…Ahem,” Zhou Ziyi replied, “I happened to pass by after using the restroom, and he was smoking at the entrance. Our eyes met, and I nodded friendly. Then I walked over. I didn’t expect that they would stab me in the back! I thought since there was no one else around, we could argue if we wanted to. Otherwise, if I had to endure their sarcastic remarks all night, I would feel too humiliated, humiliated to the point of embarrassing you… So, I confronted him.”

“You kept recording the whole time?”

“No. I only started when he started talking about me. His mouth was too foul, and I didn’t originally intend to…complain to you later and warn you about them,” Zhou Ziyi said. “At that time, my hand was in my pocket, and he probably thought I was ‘keeping my hand in my pocket during an argument.’ He had no idea what I was doing.”

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t get his joke and simply asked, “What if you hadn’t recorded it?”

Zhou Ziyi responded, “…Ah?”

“What did he say about you earlier?” Yan Xiuzhi asked again, “Is it worth going back specifically to confront him and even recording it?”

Zhou Ziyi thought for a moment, “It seems like he said, ‘Are you seducing Yan Xiuzhi like this’… Maybe he’s blind and thinks that when I nod at him, I’m flirting.”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him.

“Brother, I really didn’t!” Zhou Ziyi raised his right hand, “I swear, with his appearance, even if I were blind, I wouldn’t be exchanging flirtatious looks with him!”

“… If you didn’t, you didn’t. Why make a fuss?” Yan Xiuzhi replied, “Also, why did you suddenly start calling me ‘brother’^[1]He call him 哥(gē) = brother?”

“Well, it’s because Yan Meiyue calls you ‘brother’ as soon as she sees you, so I had a sudden inspiration,” Zhou Ziyi casually answered, “What’s wrong? It’s her exclusive nickname for you, can’t I call you that?”

“No.” Yan Xiuzhi paused, as if anticipating what Zhou Ziyi would say next, and immediately said, “But you shouldn’t call me ‘brother’ either.”

Zhou Ziyi had to swallow back the “brother” that was about to come out of his mouth and explained, “But I already called you that today. Can’t I call you that in front of other people in the future?”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent for a moment, and Zhou Ziyi said, “Then can I call you… ‘big brother’^[2] Here Zhou Ziyi teased Yan Xiuzhi by calling him 哥哥(gēge). Because 哥哥 (gēge) in this context usually used by Chinese girls to call their crush, and it sounds more intimate than 哥(gē).?”

“Shut up.” Yan Xiuzhi almost jumped at the suggestion, “You’re not allowed to call me that!”

“Then let’s stick with ‘brother,’ shall we? Calling you ‘Yan Ge’ seems a bit too informal, like I’m your little brother. That’s not how someone who’s about to get married should address you,” Zhou Ziyi tilted his head and looked at him with a crooked smile, “Can I have your approval, President Yan?”

Yan Xiuzhi remained silent for a few seconds.

Fortunately, before Zhou Ziyi could come up with another cheesy nickname, President Yan yielded, “…Alright.”

“Great!” Zhou Ziyi saluted, “It’s settled then!”

Yan Xiuzhi ignored his one-man show.

Zhou Ziyi thought for a moment and brought the conversation back to the initial topic, “Um, brother…”

“Don’t call me that now.”

“Uh, President Yan,” Zhou Ziyi said, “You still haven’t answered my previous question. Did I go too far? Should I tone it down in the future?”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “Tone it down? Are you prepared to swallow your pride?”

Zhou Ziyi said, “If President Yan thinks I should be more low-key…”

‘For thirty million, maybe I could endure it.’

“Then you’ll just keep your anger bottled up and record a bunch of these messy recordings, waiting for the day to release them and cause chaos?” Yan Xiuzhi’s voice was faint, but it always felt like it carried some profound meaning, “Forget it, go ahead and vent on the spot.”

After considering his words for a moment, Zhou Ziyi pondered, “So you’re saying that I can reach this level without any problems?”

“In the end, this is still within the Yan family. If someone ‘attacks’ you, you can still ‘fight back’ in the same way,” Yan Xiuzhi replied. “But in public settings, you need to consider your image.”

“You mean I need to consider your image, President Yan…” Zhou Ziyi thought for a moment and nodded. “Okay, I roughly understand where the boundaries lie.”

After a while, Zhou Ziyi remembered something else. “By the way, President Yan, tomorrow is the final fitting for the engagement dress!”

“Alright.”

“Do you have time to come?” Zhou Ziyi asked. “If you’re busy, I can have the staff deliver it to you.”

Yan Xiuzhi couldn’t imagine this person bringing the engagement dress to his company and causing another wave of disturbances.

“No need,” President Yan decided to keep things calm in his life. “I will go personally.”

Zhou Ziyi asked, “Then, what time?”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “What time for what?”

Zhou Ziyi said, “I’ll go with you.”

Yan Xiuzhi responded, “No need.”

“President Yan, you haven’t noticed the problem,” Zhou Ziyi said. “Last time, when I went to try on the dress alone, the staff asked why I was the only one. Tomorrow is the final confirmation, and the day after is the engagement banquet. If you go alone, what will others think?”

Yan Xiuzhi: “…”

The President struggled to find the right words to describe this contractual partner. Finally, he blurted out, “You’re quite dedicated.”

“Of course,” Zhou Ziyi responded, feeling worthy of this statement.

“I understand the rules of the world, taking someone else’s money to resolve their trouble,” Zhou Ziyi added.

*

The next day, when President Yan’s car stopped in front of the dress shop, Zhou Ziyi was indeed already standing by the roadside, waiting.

President Yan had brought his driver today. He got out of the car smoothly. Just as Zhou Ziyi (in a business-like manner) approached with a smile, he asked, “Did you arrive early?”

“Yeah, you said between 4 to 5, but I didn’t know exactly when you would come. It’s faster for you to come here than to my house, so I couldn’t wait for you to leave before coming here,” Zhou Ziyi pointed to the café across the street. “I was waiting over there. Their milk tea latte is quite good.”

Yan Xiuzhi, not sure of his mindset, and said, “Milk tea latte doesn’t have coffee.”

“I know, but I don’t like those bitter things,” Zhou Ziyi smiled and walked with him. “So, they don’t have bubble tea, right? I should find a tea restaurant that serves Hong Kong-style milk tea and egg waffles. It’s affordable and delicious!”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at the bag hanging on the other side of his shoulder and asked, “Why are you carrying such a big bag?”

“My digital drawing tablet is inside it, and while I wait for you, I can also work on some sketches,” Zhou Ziyi didn’t hide anything, “It’s just a side job to earn some pocket money, and I promise it won’t affect our engagement ceremony and wedding ceremony.”

Speaking of “pocket money,” Yan Xiuzhi remembered that he had withdrawn the first month’s expenses in advance, “Did you pay the fees for your sanatorium?”

“I paid,” Zhou Ziyi smiled brightly, thanking President Yan.

Yan Xiuzhi was momentarily dazzled by his smile and turned his head, “Hmm.”

It’s strange though. Although Yan Xiuzhi was carrying someone on his back, he didn’t feel burdened at all. It seemed that the two of them were in sync. They chatted as they entered the door, and the awaiting store clerk greeted them and reached out to take Zhou Ziyi’s bag.

In that split second of hesitation, Yan Xiuzhi thought he was concerned about the valuable items in the bag and said, “I’ll give it to the driver later.”

Zhou Ziyi was surprised to see the president using this kind of gesture for the first time, “Is he coming too?”
“Yes.”

“Okay,” Zhou Ziyi wasn’t impoverished since childhood, so he wasn’t overly excited about luxurious treatment. He let the store clerk carry the bag and followed Yan Xiuzhi to change clothes.

In the end, the two of them settled on two sets.

One set was said to be suitable for Yan Xiuzhi by Zhou Ziyi, while the other set was said to be suitable for Zhou Ziyi by Yan Xiuzhi. By a lucky coincidence, the store clerk thought this couple was extremely sweet and compatible.

The set that was suitable for Yan Xiuzhi was changed first. Zhou Ziyi had already changed before, so he was familiar with the process and quickly came out. The stylist in the store noticed that he was momentarily idle and helped him adjust his hair a bit, while Zhou Ziyi himself put on a pair of white gloves.

Just as his hair was adjusted and he had just put on one glove, the curtain of Yan Xiuzhi’s changing room opened.

The white silk curtain parted to the sides, revealing a tall and slender man standing inside. The white suit he was wearing softened his cold and handsome demeanor, unexpectedly exuding a sense of gentleness. The suit was meticulously tailored, accentuating his waist, abdomen, and long legs, and his shoes were polished.

“Wow…” the store clerk clapped his hands with excitement and exclaimed, “Mr. Yan, you look extremely suitable and handsome in this set! Mr. Zhou’s taste is truly spot on!”

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t think much of it, but upon hearing the last sentence, he instinctively looked towards Zhou Ziyi.

Zhou Ziyi had one hand holding the glove he hadn’t put on yet, and the other hand mimicked searching in his pocket, as if looking for something.
After a while, he pulled his hand out and extended it towards Yan Xiuzhi—

Making a heart gesture!

Wink!

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