Chapter 21 – Wearing a Yukata at the Hot Spring Resort

On the evening of the second day, to the astonishment of everyone on the top floor, President Yan actually got off work on time for once.

You see, the D elevator also stops on other floors. When other Hua Hao employees who were leaving on time saw Yan Xiuzhi standing in the open elevator doors… you can imagine how they felt.

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t mind: “You can come in.”

“I suddenly remembered that I forgot something! Goodbye, President Yan!”

“I’m waiting for someone! Please go ahead, President Yan!”

The crowd dispersed one after another.

My goodness, if the big boss catches you leaving on time, will you end up at the bottom next time during the evaluation?!

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t care what these people thought. After all, the elevator had stopped several times, and in the end, he was the only one who arrived at B2. When he got home, the table was already set with hot and fragrant food.

As soon as Yan Xiuzhi entered, he involuntarily stopped in his tracks.

In the apartment where he lived alone, such a scene had never occurred before. And two months ago, Yan Xiuzhi had never even thought that such a situation would happen to him.

——It doesn’t feel annoying.

Zhou Ziyi came out of the kitchen: “Wow, I timed it just right. Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner!”

Yan Xiuzhi looked at him wearing an apron: “Did you cook yourself?”

“Yeah, I just stir-fried some shredded potatoes and cauliflower.”
Zhou Ziyi placed the dishes on the table, took off the apron while heading back to the kitchen, “These two dishes are not good to reheat, so I just stir-fried them casually. If you don’t like them, I can reheat a portion for you on the induction cooker…”

As he was speaking, he went into the kitchen and then popped his head out again: “President Yan, I know you look super handsome in a suit, but do you still need to strike a pose at home?”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him, then went upstairs to change his clothes.

It turned out that President Yan was not picky when it came to eating a proper meal. At least he graciously ate the shredded potatoes and vegetables that Zhou Ziyi had cooked.

After dinner, they packed their overnight bags and set off for the hot spring resort.

The formal name of the resort is actually “Mingjia Resort,” but it has a hot spring rehabilitation center, so the locals also call it “Hot Spring Resort.” In addition to the hot springs, the resort also has natural landscapes such as grasslands, forests, and lakes, as well as artificial structures like suspension bridges and glass walkways, making it a very suitable place for wedding photos.

The reason for the sparse crowds is that the entrance tickets are not cheap.

If you want to enter the hot spring, you can’t do it for free. You have to buy a ticket for 208 RMB for a single adult. If you want to enter for free, you have to stay in the most expensive five-star hotel in the resort, or buy an annual golf pass for the resort.

People who have booked a hotel or a golf annual pass probably won’t mind paying 208 RMB.

As for taking wedding photos, that’s even more expensive. Because not only do the couple have to enter, but the studio, photographer, lighting technician, makeup artist, and several assistants also have to enter, and just the tickets cost a lot of money. There are studios in the market doing this business, but their starting prices are not cheap, so there aren’t many couples who bite the bullet and pay for it.

Of course, President Yan doesn’t care about these things.

The photo shoot studio was booked by Zhou Ziyi, Li Fei, and the wedding company together, not only for taking wedding photos, but also for working on the wedding day, so the price is higher. However, when Zhou Ziyi showed the budget to President Yan, the President just glanced at it and nodded.

Then, this carefree shopkeeper checked into the hot spring resort today.

He booked the presidential suite of the hotel, with two rooms, perfectly solving the problem of separate accommodation without causing gossip. By the time Zhou Ziyi finished bathing, it was already past ten o’clock at night.

He strolled over to knock on Yan Xiuzhi’s door: “President Yan, have you gone to bed?”

Yan Xiuzhi came to open the door and frowned at the first sight: “Why are you dressed like this?”

Zhou Ziyi was wearing a set of Japanese-style blue checkered yukata, the sash around his waist tied casually and stylishly, and the bones of his ankles clearly visible beneath the hem of the garment. Water droplets dripped from his hair ends, leaving faint imprints on the yukata.

As soon as he heard Yan Xiuzhi’s words, he turned around again.
“What’s the problem with wearing a yukata at the hot spring resort? I intentionally dug it out. If I hadn’t been preparing to move and reorganizing my luggage recently, I would have almost forgotten about this outfit.”

This was bought before, not a cheap item, and wearing it made him look tall and slender.

Yan Xiuzhi said, “But you’re just in the hotel now, not planning to go to the hot spring.”

“Haha, it’s just about the atmosphere,” Zhou Ziyi turned back to the main topic. “President Yan, do you have time? Can I go through the arrangement for the wedding day with you in advance? After all, we have to move between the ceremony hall and the banquet hall…”

Yan Xiuzhi said, “Ceremony hall? Isn’t it just an outdoor pool?”

“Uh, even though the main body of the ceremony hall is a pool, its function is still a ceremony hall, right?” Zhou Ziyi shook his tablet. “So, can we discuss it now? If you have any suggestions, I can quickly have the wedding company make changes.”

Yan Xiuzhi left the master bedroom. “Go ahead.”
After a pause, he couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Ziyi’s hair again. “You should blow-dry your hair first.”

“Huh? I just casually wiped it, and it’s not cold, so it’s fine.” Zhou Ziyi raked his hand through his hair. “Let’s go, we can sit and talk in the living room?”

Yan Xiuzhi sat with him on the sofa in the living room.

The two of them were both sitting on a long sofa, originally separated by 20 centimeters. However, Zhou Ziyi needed to speak using a tablet, and it was too troublesome from such a distance, so he moved closer to Yan Xiuzhi.

Yan Xiuzhi subconsciously leaned away.

Zhou Ziyi noticed his movement and helplessly said, “Mr. Yan, am I a hedgehog? Will I prick you? Isn’t it better to speak to you from a closer distance?”

Yan Xiuzhi replied, “It’s hot.”

Zhou Ziyi joked, “Of course you’re hot, you’re even wearing two layers. Is it necessary…”

Yan Xiuzhi glanced at him.

“Alright, alright, you’re hot, so how about this?” Zhou Ziyi grabbed a cushion, threw it onto the carpet in front of Yan Xiuzhi, and then sat cross-legged on it. “Hey, I feel like I’m Mr. Yan’s minister, and if I kneel down on one knee, it would be even more like it.”

Kneel down on one knee? Yan Xiuzhi narrowed his eyes, “Sit back.”

Zhou Ziyi confidently said, “Aren’t you feeling hot? This way, you won’t be as hot.”

Yan Xiuzhi had nothing to say. He had already said it once, but Zhou Ziyi still argued back. Should he just let Zhou Ziyi squat on the floor?

So, Zhou Ziyi was sitting in front of Yan Xiuzhi’s knees, holding a tablet, and giving him some guidance. His reasoning was quite clear, and when Yan Xiuzhi occasionally asked questions, Zhou Ziyi was able to respond. Yan Xiuzhi enjoyed talking to intelligent people, so as they conversed, he didn’t pay much attention to some of Zhou Ziyi’s fidgeting movements.

Then, the tablet was placed on President Yan’s legs.

After that, Zhou Ziyi would occasionally lean on the President’s knees.

Yan Xiuzhi suddenly realized this, and just as he was about to ask this “super burden” to move away, Zhou Ziyi abruptly straightened up and left his knees, kneeling on the cushion and gesturing, “When we go in, there will be several spotlights. One from the front, and also on this side and that side, and even from the back…”

His bathrobe sleeve slipped down, revealing his forearm, as he gestured in the air, making his description vivid: “I’ve tried it, and I just feel like I’m being blasted by a heater, on my face, chest, and back, it’s going to be really hot. Also, the spotlights are quite strong, they might dazzle the eyes, so we need to walk slowly…”

The cushion was unstable, and as Zhou Ziyi was getting into the flow of his description, he suddenly lost balance and lunged forward!

Yan Xiuzhi: !!!

Seeing Zhou Ziyi about to bump into his knees, Yan Xiuzhi instinctively opened his knees and reached out to support the young man.

Zhou Ziyi also reacted quickly, bracing his hands on the President Yan’s legs, at least he didn’t bump into the most sensitive area.
—Bumping into that area would have been embarrassing, huh.

Zhou Ziyi instantly felt “do not look at rudeness”, subconsciously closed his eyes, and felt a burst of relief in his heart. He awkwardly apologized, “I’m sorry, thank you…”

His collar loosened, and the condescending gaze could see his collarbone, and a little further down. His hand was still on Yan Xiuzhi’s leg, with warmth, weight, and an indescribable feeling.

Yan Xiuzhi felt that this touch was really strange and coldly said, “Get up.”

Zhou Ziyi quickly got up, and dared not sit back on the pillow, sitting honestly next to Yan Xiuzhi—twenty centimeters apart.

Yan Xiuzhi handed the tablet back to him, “Are you done speaking?”

“Done.” Zhou Ziyi replied, “I mean, actually the route was finished before, and the rest was my thoughts. I was afraid you wouldn’t be mentally prepared later… um, you don’t have to listen if you don’t want to.”

Yan Xiuzhi saw that he looked like he had been caught for doing something bad. He looked a little wilted. It was very different from the nagging look just now. He couldn’t help but think to himself: Am I that scary?

The CEO just felt that he had accidentally fallen just now, didn’t think too much, and didn’t notice Zhou Ziyi’s embarrassment.

So Yan Xiuzhi wasn’t as angry as Zhou Ziyi thought, “You can continue.”

Zhou Ziyi: “Huh?”

“What other thoughts do you think you should express?” Yan Xiuzhi said lightly, “Say it all at once.”

“… I can’t remember for a moment.” Zhou Ziyi was scared and his thoughts were cut off, he scratched his head, “Like this for now? Can I continue when I remember later?”

“Sure.” Yan Xiuzhi stood up, “If there’s nothing else, let’s call it a day.”

Zhou Ziyi saw that he didn’t seem to be angry, so he breathed a sigh of relief and tried to make a joke, “Haha, Ge, it sounds like you’re dismissing a meeting in the company, huh.”

“It is a meeting adjourned,” Yan Xiuzhi said, leaving this sentence behind and walking towards his own room.

“Boss, you have to leave at 6:30 tomorrow!”
Zhou Ziyi addressed him ‘boss’ once again, and Yan Xiuzhi didn’t get angry and order him to change it. He followed Yan Xiuzhi and reminded him in a row, “You also need to do makeup and change clothes, start shooting early, it won’t be good if it’s too late and the sun comes out.”

Yan Xiuzhi didn’t even turn his head, but responded, “I know.”

Zhou Ziyi continued, “Should I order some hotel breakfast? Is 6:15 okay?”

“Okay.”

“At 6 o’clock, should I knock on your door to wake you up?”

“No need.”

When Yan Xiuzhi entered the room and turned to close the door, Zhou Ziyi also stopped at his doorway.

Yan Xiuzhi looked at him and asked, “Is there anything else?”

Zhou Ziyi saw that he was waiting quietly for him to speak, as if he was not impatient, then he smiled softly and said, “Good night, President Yan. Rest early.”

“… Good night,” Yan Xiuzhi replied.