Fifteen

 "Go out."

"Hold on, I... Hey." Upon hearing Zhou Yang's words, Zeng Zong initially racked his brain for excuses, but immediately grabbed the account book and stood up to leave.

To be honest, he had been at the Fei Festival for so long, and this was the first time he had seen Zhou Yang in such a disheveled state.

Well, this was quite... interesting.

He closed the door behind him. In the conference room, there were suddenly only two people left. The central air conditioning blew in with a whoosh, tousling Suo Hao's hair.

Zhou Yang released Suo Hao, but kept his hands on the armrests of her chair, slightly lifting it and turning her around.

Suo Hao furrowed her brows. In a blink, she found herself facing a chair.

Zhou Yang rolled up his shirt sleeves and sat down in the chair in front of her, raising his eyebrows as he looked at her.

"Let's talk," he said, with a hint of embarrassment still in his expression.

Suo Hao had just told him to leave, yet he hadn't. Now he insisted on staying, with conflicting emotions in her heart. Her jaw remained tense, muscles slightly hardened.

Suo Hao's tone was calm: "Talk about what?"

"Talk about your sudden interest?"

"Talk about how you clearly don't like my type, yet insist on pursuing me?"

"Let me tell you, I'm not one to play games. I'm looking to get married, to tie down a man, that's all normal."

"Do you dare?"

Suo Hao leaned back, pushing her falling hair back a bit. Without giving Zhou Yang a chance to speak, she spoke in rapid succession, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Zhou Yang instinctively tugged at his collar, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly.

Suo Hao tapped the table with her fingertip and asked, "Do you dare?"

"You observe quite keenly," Zhou Yang finally spoke after a while.

Suo Hao smiled faintly, "I don't have any other skills; all I can do is observe."

"Yes, you've made me see you in a new light." Zhou Yang's embarrassment faded, his lips curling. He leaned forward, supporting his knee, his body tilting closer. His collar was open, breath nearing, then his hand grabbed the armrest of Suo Hao's chair, pulling it forward. Suo Hao was stunned for a moment, then leaned toward him along with the chair.

Their lips almost touched. Zhou Yang pressed his forehead against hers, teasingly saying, "If you don't let me try, how will you know if I dare?"

"If you dare challenge me, why can't you handle being with me?" His clearly articulated fingers touched Suo Hao's ear, gently pushing back the strands of hair.

And simulate the arc.

Suo Hao shrank a bit, looking at him, biting her teeth.

Their noses touched, his nose was straight, his eyes deep enough to suck people in, handsome and with a very rigid jawline.

Seeing her shrinking, Zhou Yang smiled gently, tilted his head, and asked again, "Huh? Not even trying?"

He watched as her ear skin turned red, her fair skin showing this advantage, her emotions all visible on her skin, Zhou Yang's tongue touched her and moved to where he was going, ready to kiss that place, at this moment, a finger pushed his face away, and Suo Hao approached him and whispered in his ear, "Are you brave enough to get married tomorrow?"

Zhou Yang paused.

His movements halted.

Suhao chuckled, pushing him away with a jerk. Then she backed up a few steps with her chair, reaching out to close the account book, holding it close to her chest. She picked up a pen, turned around, and walked away.

Her graceful figure swiftly turned out of the conference room.

Leaving Zhou Yang sitting alone in the chair, the faint sound of the central air conditioning blowing cool air. He knew she was probably joking.

But he still stood there dumbfounded.

After a few seconds, he kicked his long legs.

"Damn!"

The chair slid back and bumped into another before coming to a stop. He knew this was what it would be like dealing with Suhao, yet he couldn't help himself.

The conference room fell silent again for a moment. The man got up from the chair, bent down to pick up his phone, then walked out. He returned to his office to grab his coat and car keys.

Zhou Yang left the office. Just then, his phone rang. He took it out and looked.

Caller ID: [Li Xiao]

He hesitated, subconsciously pressed the red button, then after a few seconds, swiped it to the side and pressed the green button.

"Yeah? What..."

The words abruptly stopped.

His slender eyes scanned the woman standing with her head down in the finance office. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a slanted beam on Suhao. Her black hair was loose, delicate fingertips dabbing glue on receipts, her neck fair, legs straight, and waist slender.

Incredibly soft.

Zhou Yang glanced at her.

Then he fell silent. On the other end, Li Xiao kept talking persistently, "Zhou Yang, my birthday is coming up in a few days... Even if you reject me, can you at least come and celebrate with me..."

"Can you make it the last time?"

"No."

The man finished speaking and hung up. At that moment, the woman in the finance office slightly tilted her body, her eyes about to look up. Zhou Yang quickened his pace and subconsciously left the vicinity of the finance office.

Suhao felt dizzy from the data, vaguely hearing sounds near the door. She looked up, then saw nothing but tiny specks of dust dancing in the sunlight.

Back in her office, Chen Yulu, Mi Mi, and Zhang Xian had already left, leaving behind twenty sheets of data on the table for her.

She glanced at the time, estimating she would be busy until seven or eight.

Suhao sat down, organized the receipts to make the task easier later. The entire floor was empty and quiet. Suhao turned on some music on her computer and started working slowly. The sky gradually darkened as the sun set...

Downstairs.

A black Porsche parked at the entrance, smoke swirling inside. Zhou Yang clicked on the surveillance video. The curtains in the finance office were drawn, lights on, shining down on the woman's head.

She must have tied up her hair because it was messy.

Zhou Yang checked the time.

Almost six o'clock.

She hadn't finished work yet.

Biting on his cigarette, he enlarged the surveillance screen. Then he picked up his phone and ordered takeout.

Since arriving in Licheng, Suhao hadn't ordered takeout before. She glanced at her phone, unsure what to eat. Just as she was thinking of giving up and eating at home after finishing work, she received a call from Licheng.

"Hello, your takeout is here. Should I bring it upstairs or will you come down to pick it up?" the voice on the other end said.

Suhao was taken aback. "I didn't order takeout."

"It was ordered by a gentleman."

A gentleman? Who could it be?

Suhao thought for a moment. After a few seconds, an idea formed in her mind.

"What if I don't take it?"

"Then I'll eat it for you," the delivery guy replied.

"Oh, well then, please go ahead. Thanks for your trouble."

"Huh?"

With that, Suhao hung up. She still had food in the fridge; she could cook noodles and fry an egg when she got home. She took a sip of water from her cup, then saw her phone light up. Liao Yun had sent her a WeChat message, dispelling the dull atmosphere of overtime. Suhao picked up her phone and checked.

Liao Yun had sent her several old photos again.

She and Liao Yun had grown up together since childhood, their academic performances were comparable, and their family backgrounds were similar. They had always been close. They even attended the same university, Jiang University. They were both trailing behind academically back then, choosing financial management.

At that time, most girls chose financial management or education.

Liao Yun had also witnessed her pursuit of Zhou Yang during those days. She was good at cooking, always waking up early to cook for Zhou Yang, even sneakily placing small love letters in his food basket. Though she kept a straight face, she was incredibly nervous inside. Sometimes she would join them, but every time Zhou Yang saw her, it was as if he hadn't noticed the love letter at all.

They often went fishing or to internet cafes together. Zhou Yang was good at gaming, with a group of girls always around him. Suhao didn't dare to compete for that spot and stood behind instead. She often went out to buy him water; he accepted it, but Aunt Su Xi would always slip money back to her mother.

Once, after watching a TV drama, Suhao impulsively ran out and grabbed Zhou Yang's collar, intending to undo his buttons.

At that moment, Zhou Yang grabbed her wrist and pulled away, asking with a half-smile, "What are you doing? Trying to take advantage of me?"

After saying that, he stepped back a few steps as if avoiding her. Since then, everyone knew Suhao liked Zhou Yang, and she was still pursuing him. Later, Suhao folded wind chimes and roses for him. She believed that handmade gifts were the best and most heartfelt. That year, she even learned how to knit and made him a sweater.

When he was about to leave for Jiang City, he took it and casually left it on the slope before boarding without taking it with him.

When Suhao saw it, she felt a bit devastated.

She called him in the car.

"I'm getting married."

"Aren't you... upset?"

Zhou Yang replied, "Congratulations. Live well."

It was then that she made up her mind to listen to her parents and not think about anything else. Besides feeling sad about Zhou Yang not accepting her, she didn't have any other emotions. She had always felt that she had tried her best and made efforts. It was just that she and Zhou Yang were not meant to be together.

Later, she found out that Zhou Yang didn't like her type, which made her understand even more why he had rejected her.

But those days were very important and precious to her. The feelings she cherished were indeed very precious. As a result, he had seen her that way back then.

With a cold eye?

Hmm?

Watch her jumping around with a cold eye?

He's quite something.

After flipping through the old photos Liao Yun had sent, all from the year she pursued Zhou Yang, all were some of her happiest and silliest photos.

It's a pity that she didn't know what he was thinking back then.If she did, she probably wouldn't be laughing; she might have shoved those folded things into his mouth.

Inside the Porsche, Zhou Yang played with a lighter, clicking it open and closed, making a faint sound. Outside the building, a takeaway car stopped. A guy in a yellow outfit carried the food up the steps, talking on the phone while running. He went in and came out in a few minutes, leaving the building quiet.

Instead of driving away, the guy sat on the steps, opened the food, and started eating with his head down.

Click—

The lighter closed.

Zhou Yang's thumb tingled a bit.

He pushed open the car door, his tall figure walking over, one long leg stepping onto the step, supporting his knee as he looked down at the delivery guy.

"What are you doing?"

The man's deep voice came out, startling the delivery guy who shook the tofu in his mouth. He lifted his head, seeing the imposing man.

Narrow eyes fell on the lunchbox in his arms, casting a shadow.

The delivery guy hesitated, saying, "Eating... something."

"Whose food are you eating?"

The man's tone was calm but intimidating. The delivery guy swallowed nervously, then blurted out, "It's for the guest from the Finance Department upstairs. She said she doesn't want it, so... she gave it to me."

Slightly gaining confidence as he spoke.

Zhou Yang raised his eyes, glancing at the bright lobby. The next moment, he retracted his long leg, rubbed his lip corner, turned around, walked back to the car, pulled open the door, picked up his phone, and dialed Suhao's number.

It rang for a while.

On the other end.

The woman only picked up after a while, probably tired and her voice was soft, "Hello."

"Have you eaten?"

"No."

"Why aren't you eating the takeout that was sent to you?"

Only then did Suhao realize, sighing, "Oh? I'm not hungry."

Zhou Yang chuckled, leaning against the car door.

"You must want me to feed you, right?"

His tone turned teasing again. Suhao furrowed her brows on the other end, "Is there something else? If not, I'll hang up."

With that, she hung up the phone directly.

Zhou Yang squeezed the phone, looking at the darkened screen. He had never encountered such a setback. He opened and closed the car door, then pulled on his collar, took the car keys, locked the car, and headed straight upstairs. The elevator reached the floor, and he walked out, heading directly to the finance department.

He pulled a chair over, sitting beside Suhao.

His long legs rested on the corner of her desk, hands in his pockets, lazily watching her.

Suhao glanced lightly at him, then moved her gaze back, inserted the last set of data, calculated the total behind it, filled in the account book, and closed it. Standing up, she put her phone in her purse, then stood up to turn off the lights. Her expression was calm, but the feeling of keeping others at a distance was evident.

Compared to her previous gentleness, it was like night and day. When gentle people turned cold, it became even more apparent. Zhou Yang sat there for a while until the light above his head went out with a snap.

Only then did he stand up abruptly, following behind her.

Suhao lowered her head to find her keys.

But the corridor light suddenly went out with a snap. Suhao froze, seeing only the elevator button glowing in the pitch-black darkness.

She took a few quick steps.

Zhou Yang's voice rang out, "Afraid now?"

Suhao didn't respond.

Her arm was grabbed from behind, then the man leaned closer, his voice sounding again, "Beg me, and I'll take you downstairs."

After a few seconds, Zhou Yang lowered his gaze, in the darkness he faintly saw her grabbing her skirt, and a second later, the man's hand slipped down to hold her hand.

Suhao clenched tightly. Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow, "Afraid of the dark?"

Su Hao's knees felt weak.

"No wonder you sleep in a hotel with both bedside lights on," he said, his breath gently brushing against her neck. Warmth, mingled with his scent, enveloped her entirely.

At this moment, in the pitch-black corridor, Su Hao felt more fearful, yet her tone remained calm, "Is this the only way you can get me to comply?"

"Zhou Yang, is this all you've got?"

The man chuckled softly, his breath coming closer, "No, I have something else. If you hold out here for another two seconds, will you beg me to hold you?"

Originally unexpected, who knew she was actually afraid of the dark.

Su Hao reached for her phone with her other hand, but Zhou Yang pressed it down, embracing her tighter, whispering, "Will we need to keep the lights on when we make love in the future?"

Su Hao gritted her teeth, "You're thinking too far ahead."

He held both her hands from behind, drawing closer, his breath filled with her fragrance. Zhou Yang's throat felt hot.

The darkness kept her from moving.

Zhou Yang was right; she was afraid of the dark, but it was mainly in unfamiliar environments. The next moment, water droplets fell from Zhou Yang's back of the hand, one after another.

Zhou Yang hesitated.

Then, he pinched Su Hao's chin and turned it over.

In the darkness, tears filled the woman's eyes, streaming down her cheeks, some soaking into her collar, others dripping directly onto his arm.

Her silent weeping was heartbreaking, and Zhou Yang's heart raced. He immediately turned on the corridor light.

Click—bright.

"Don't cry." Zhou Yang reached out to wipe Su Hao's face.

Su Hao, however, turned her head away, burying her face in her arm. This made him uncertain how to proceed, feeling a bit sticky.

But it was difficult to look away. Zhou Yang reluctantly turned to get tissues. As soon as he picked up the tissue box, Su Hao was already at the elevator door. She quietly glanced at him, then pressed the elevator door closed.

That glance.

There were still tears in her eyes, but she didn't look genuinely scared or sad.

Zhou Yang furrowed his brows.

A few seconds later, he snapped out of it, set down the tissue box, and chuckled.

So, this was all an act?

Taking another elevator down, Zhou Yang got into his car, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the car window to smoke. Honestly, he disliked Su Hao's way of crying—no words, no explanations, just crying messily. How could he have the patience to figure it all out?

Yet ironically,

His mind was filled with the image of her burying her face in her arm.

Damn it.

Back home, the tears on Su Hao's face had dried long ago. She couldn't think of any way to escape that situation, so she had to resort to this tactic.

She didn't think Zhou Yang would like this way of crying.

Knowing Li Xiu's personality, she would definitely cry loudly and then Zhou Yang would have to hold and comfort her.

Su Hao cooked noodles while she thought.

She didn't think she would end up with Zhou Yang. It hadn't worked out years ago, and it wouldn't work out now. He wouldn't stay for her, and she was going for marriage. With this personality, if she didn't cry or make a scene, she would give the cold war at any time. Zhou Yang would bow his head? Don't joke.

Rather than possibly flying into the fire like a moth, it's better to be safe. She didn't have the energy to pay for past loves. So she had to show the side that he hated in front of him.

This person will give up sooner or later.

He's better off as a friend.

But it was infuriating how he had looked down on her feelings at first.

The noodles were quickly cooked, and she fried an egg that smelled delicious. Su Hao carried it over to the sofa, sat down, and ate it with her head down. The phone rang, and Su Hao picked it up.

It was Shen He.

Shen He: Hi there, do you have time for a video call?

Su Hao: Yes, I'm still eating.

Shen He: So late? Let me see what you've been eating.

Immediately, a video call came through. Su Hao quickly answered and aimed the camera at her face. Shen He exclaimed, "Looks delicious."

"Just noodles and fried eggs with a bit of greens." Su Hao picked up her phone and adjusted the camera towards her. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her face was bare.

Her fair skin was so flawless that even her pores were invisible. Shen He said, "Move the camera back a bit so I can see the whole view."

Su Hao obediently adjusted.

Then she glanced at him on the screen. He was in a suit with a tie, and there was even a tie clip, looking like he had just attended a banquet.

Shen He tousled his hair and grinned, "Do I look handsome?"

"Quite handsome," Su Hao complimented.

Shen He laughed even more happily and asked, "Why are you eating so late?"

"Overtime."

"But it's Saturday today, why overtime?"

"Busy."

"Brother Zhou Yang is exploiting you. Remember to ask for a raise."

Su Hao smiled and nodded, "Okay."

Indeed, she had gotten a raise in the morning, doubling her salary. Just thinking about those wages, Su Hao felt she should call her mother later.

"Are you attending a banquet?"

"Yeah, just got back. It was too noisy," Shen He scratched his head, peeking downstairs. Then he turned back, smiling, "My sister is arguing with her husband tonight, and my brother-in-law is almost in tears."

"Why are they arguing?"

"Don't know. They're still arguing downstairs. My brother-in-law can't win against my sister," Shen He grinned mischievously.

Su Hao chuckled, "Your sister is quite something."

"She sure is."

They chatted for a while longer before ending the video call. Su Hao finished her noodles, which had cooled by the end. After eating, Su Hao checked the time and called her mother. The call connected quickly, but her mother was coughing persistently on the other end. Su Hao was puzzled and asked, "Did you take your medicine?"

"I did, I did. It's just that I choked on saliva," Cheng Ling replied. Su Hao didn't believe it and said, "If you're still coughing tomorrow, remember to see Dr. Liang."

"Got it."

"Also, I got promoted." Su Hao chuckled and shared this news. Cheng Ling exclaimed, "Promoted so quickly? You must be doing a great job for them to promote you. If only you had started working earlier, how good would that have been?"

Su Hao smiled, "It's not too late now."

"Yeah, it's not too late now." Cheng Ling coughed again, and Su Hao immediately told her to rest. Cheng Ling mumbled a bit before hanging up. Su Hao sat on the sofa for a while before picking up the bowl to wash it, quickly cleaning the kitchen. She took her pajamas and went to take a shower, needing to blow dry her hair afterwards.

There was really a lot to do.

After finishing everything, Su Hao leaned back on the sofa and checked her phone.

Only then did she realize there were two WeChat messages.

Both from Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang: Have you eaten?

Zhou Yang: Hm? What are you up to?

It was already an hour ago. She hadn't replied. She clicked into Moments, casually scrolling until she saw Li Xiu's Moments.

She posted three things in a row.

One was a video of her dancing.

One was a photo of her and her girlfriends drinking milk tea, smiling brightly, with a beautiful bracelet on her wrist.

The last one was a group photo with another girl, both wearing heavy makeup. The girl looked quite familiar to Su Hao. She suddenly remembered; it was the girl from the video Li Xiu posted yesterday. Could she be Zhou Yang's ex-girlfriend?

Li Xiu's life was obviously colorful, burning her youth freely and looking very refined, with shoes and clothes matched perfectly in color.

Thinking about her own life, busy with work and life's necessities, Su Hao absentmindedly liked all three of Li Xiu's posts.

In a black bathrobe, Zhou Yang came out, drying his hair. He absentmindedly picked up his phone to check, but Su Hao hadn't replied yet. He squinted his eyes and scrolled to her Moments.

She had only reposted an article titled "Who Dominates in a Family."

Zhou Yang: "......"

Then he left her Moments. As soon as he did, he saw that Su Hao had liked Li Xiu's Moments, all three of them. The last one had someone he vaguely recognized. He glanced at it but couldn't place who it was.

He returned to the chat list.

Su Hao still hadn't replied.

Zhou Yang thought for a moment and suddenly sent a message to Shen He.

Zhou Yang: Have you been in contact with Su Hao tonight?

Shen He: Yeah, video call, about half an hour! She's eating noodles. You should give her a raise; she's working so late...

Zhou Yang: Shut up.

He forcefully threw the phone onto the bed.

..................................................................................................................

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