Nineteen

 The two people were soaked through, feeling a bit chilled by the night breeze, with only their breaths remaining warm. They were so close that their breaths intertwined.

The warmth only added to the ambiguity. Zhou Yang couldn't help but let his gaze fall on her red lips, the sensation of their entanglement unforgettable to him.

The thunderous rain continued. He lowered his head, his thin lips searching for hers.

Su Hao suddenly turned her head.

His lips landed on her cheek, and the scent from her damp hair reached him. Veins stood out on the back of Zhou Yang’s hand, his long fingers feeling cold. He closed his eyes tightly and finally released Su Hao, saying softly, "I'll take you home."

After speaking, he turned and walked into the rain, bent down to pick up the umbrella blown and tossed by the wind, then came back, holding the umbrella, looking at her.

Su Hao brushed her lips with her hair, one hand tugging at her clothes to prevent them from clinging too closely to her body, and her gaze met his.

After a few seconds, she looked away.

Very calmly, in a soft voice, she said, "I've called for a ride."

Zhou Yang said nothing, holding the umbrella, squinting at her.

Su Hao took out her phone and glanced at it.

Because the distance was too short and it was raining, the order had been canceled.

Su Hao frowned slightly.

"What? Your order got canceled?" His voice was low, with a hint of teasing.

Su Hao looked up.

Zhou Yang: "Given the situation, what are you afraid of? I wouldn't take advantage of you in the car."

"Why don’t you set up 110 on your phone, and if I try anything, you can call the police?" His tone was mocking. Su Hao stared at him silently for a few seconds. The man still stood in the rain, completely soaked, lacking his former confidence and now seeming a bit lonely.

They stood off for a few seconds.

Su Hao pursed her lips, stepped forward, and entered the space under the umbrella.

Zhou Yang glanced down at her, then turned around.

The two kept a slight distance but were both under the umbrella, heading to the Porsche. The rain was so heavy it was hard to see ahead, the sound drumming in their ears.

Zhou Yang opened the back door. Su Hao bent down and got in. The car's air conditioning was on, causing goosebumps to rise all over her. She rubbed her arms as the door slammed shut. Zhou Yang walked around to the driver's seat, closed the umbrella, glanced at the rearview mirror, and turned on the heat before starting the car.

There was faint music in the car, but it was so quiet that only fragments could be heard over the loud rain.

The car was silent as they drove quickly to Huahui Residential Area.

The night snack stalls had put up rain covers and were bustling with people, full of life. Su Hao reached for the door but couldn’t open it. She frowned and called, "Zhou Yang."

"Yes?" Zhou Yang's voice was low as he responded softly.

Su Hao: "Open the door."

The man chuckled, hands on the steering wheel, turned around, raising his eyebrows: "Why don’t you call 110 and try?"

Su Hao was silent.

She looked at him quietly.

Very gently.

Zhou Yang's smile faded slightly, the wildness in his eyes lessening. He frowned too, and after a few seconds, he threw the black umbrella into Su Hao's lap, then unlocked the car.

Su Hao didn't even glance at the black umbrella.

She pushed open the door and stepped into the rain, heading towards Huahui Residential Area.

"Damn!" Zhou Yang was stunned. The next second, he grabbed the umbrella and got out, chasing after her, opening the umbrella to shield her from the rain. Su Hao quickened her pace, and Zhou Yang, frowning, couldn’t help but laugh in frustration.

Until they reached the entrance.

Su Hao walked straight into the corridor without looking back.

Back home, Su Hao quickly took a hot shower, setting the water temperature higher. After a comforting rinse, she put on long-sleeved pajamas, dried her hair, and went to the kitchen to make a big bowl of ginger soup. Drinking it, she felt warm inside, her heart finally settling.

She leaned against the kitchen wall for a while before washing the bowl and returning to the living room.

Her small bag had also gotten wet. It was a simple, genuine leather bag that Liao Yun had bought for her on a trip to Yunnan.

She wondered about the contents now.

Su Hao unzipped it, feeling a bit nervous. Her phone was fairly new, and she also had some lipstick and small items inside. Upon opening it, she found everything neat and dry.

Su Hao breathed a sigh of relief, took out her phone, and wiped it with a tissue.

It seemed the little bag was quite good.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, Su Hao got up to go to bed. As she lay down, she turned to switch off a bedside lamp, her lips brushing against the pillow.

That light touch felt somewhat strange.

Su Hao frowned.

Click—

The light went out, leaving only a small night light in the bedroom.

Su Hao turned over, lying on her side, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

She rarely dreamed, but as soon as she fell asleep, bizarre images filled her mind. The first part was a blur, but the latter part became clear.

Sometimes it was Zhou Yang as a young boy, sometimes his current appearance.

She was being dragged behind him by a thick rope, stumbling as she followed, watching as women came and went by his side, never stopping.

In the middle of the night,

Su Hao woke up.

She got up and drank a glass of warm water.

That dream.

It felt too real.

She laughed softly.

Zhou Yang wasn’t the type to settle down.

Watching the woman’s figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, her slender back looked fragile, yet she didn’t even glance back.

The black umbrella hid Zhou Yang’s eyes as he raised his hand, adjusting his collar, then turned and walked back to his car.

The man’s tall figure, the expensive suit and shirt, and the luxury Porsche nearby.

Appearing in this rundown neighborhood, soaked to the skin.

In just a few minutes, he became the focus of attention for those having late-night snacks.

They sighed to themselves.

The lives of the rich are indeed more colorful.

Women’s gazes fell on Zhou Yang.

What a great figure...

Clearly has abs.

Only after the car door closed did people look away.

After getting in the car, Zhou Yang didn’t leave immediately. He lit a cigarette and smoked slowly. When he finished, he stubbed it out, glanced at the third-floor window, then started the car and left the neighborhood.

Su Hao's indifference was the only obstacle Zhou Yang had ever encountered.

On the way back to Yiwanshui, he happened to run into Xu Dian returning from a red-carpet event with Meng Ying. The rain had lightened, and the two cars pulled up alongside each other.

Xu Dian adjusted his glasses, raising an eyebrow, “Where did you go? Chasing after Su Hao?”

Hit the nail on the head.

Zhou Yang smiled, “Take a guess.”

“Quite a mess, didn’t expect you to have a day like this.” Xu Dian rested a hand on the steering wheel, his eyes full of amusement.

Zhou Yang propped his chin, locking eyes with him for a few seconds, a silent challenge in their gaze. Then, Zhou Yang calmly rolled up the window.

As the window closed, he stepped on the gas and drove away.

Back home, Zhou Yang went straight to the bathroom for a hot shower, dried off carelessly, donned a bathrobe, and walked out.

He poured a glass of water, leaned against the headboard, and picked up a book to read.

After a few pages,

Zhou Yang's eyes fell on the word “lips,” and he immediately recalled the softness and warmth of Su Hao’s slight struggle. He narrowed his eyes.

Slowly, he closed the book.

He picked up his phone from the nightstand and opened the chat window.

Zhou Yang: Are you asleep?

As expected, there was no reply. Zhou Yang lowered his gaze, watching the screen for a while before pulling up the covers and lying down. Just as he fell asleep, he seemed to fall into a soft embrace.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold on to it.

In the dream, a woman with long black hair shouted at him, “If you come any closer, I’ll jump.”

Jump where?

Looking down, he saw a man standing below, face unclear, holding a net.

Later in the night, Su Hao slept soundly. Because of a cold, she was wrapped tightly in the blanket. In the morning, she woke up slightly sweaty on her back. She got up to wash, made breakfast, and after eating, went to work.

The rain that had fallen all night finally stopped around 4 a.m. The ground was wet, and Su Hao wore a pair of heeled shoes. The sidewalk was flooded. Su Hao had to take a taxi to the office. In the lobby, she ran into President Zeng and quickly greeted him, “Good morning, President Zeng.”

“Good morning, Su Hao.” President Zeng smiled and pressed the elevator button. The two waited in front of the elevator, and President Zeng glanced at her a few times. She wasn’t wearing makeup, but her skin was very fair, looking more comfortable the longer you observed.

The elevator doors reflected their images.

Su Hao held back for a few seconds, and when President Zeng turned his head again, she caught his gaze directly, softly asking, “President Zeng, have I done something wrong?”

Caught staring, President Zeng felt a bit awkward. He smiled warmly and said, “No, I was just noticing your skin is quite nice.”

“Oh, do you also take care of your skin, President Zeng?”

The elevator arrived, and the two of them followed the crowd inside.

Some people watched the Chief Financial Officer chatting with a new employee, their ears perked up to listen.

President Zeng coughed, thought for a moment, and, to alleviate the awkwardness, replied, “Yes, I do. Men need to take care of their skin too, otherwise they age quickly.”

Inside the elevator.

Quite a few people heard this and tried to suppress their laughter, while President Zeng had to maintain his composure.

Su Hao hesitated for a moment and said, “Then next time, I’ll share some tips with you?”

President Zeng: “...Alright.”

He really felt stuck.

Fortunately, the elevator finally reached their floor. The two of them exited one after the other, with President Zeng rubbing his forehead, thinking that it was all Director Zhou’s fault. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

Once in his office,

President Zeng opened the curtains, letting in the gloomy daylight, which added a bit more brightness to the room. He returned to his desk, first checking emails, then reviewing some reports, and finally, he opened the surveillance footage to check Su Hao’s overtime last night. The timeline was moving too fast.

President Zeng’s fingers froze.

His eyes stared blankly at the lobby surveillance footage.

The security at the building was excellent, with numerous cameras in the lobby and at the entrance, providing clear images. So, President Zeng watched as the usually confident Director Zhou obviously forcibly kissed Su Hao on the steps, then pressed her against the glass door.

The two of them entangled for quite a while, with Director Zhou even personally going into the rain to get an umbrella.

President Zeng could hardly believe it. He enlarged the screen, zoomed in, and zoomed in again.

Oh.

He clearly saw Director Zhou’s face—it was really him.

So, was Director Zhou using force?

That’s too much.

At that moment, his phone rang. He answered it while still watching the surveillance footage.

At the scene where Zhou Yang sent Su Hao to the car, the man’s broad back seemed somewhat desolate, tense, and even a bit lonely.

“Hello, this is…”

“Zeng Xiao.” Zhou Yang’s deep voice came through. “Resend last quarter’s financial report to my email.”

President Zeng was stunned for a moment, then immediately shut off the surveillance and moved to the email page, glancing around: “Director Zhou, should I send everything? I sent it last night.”

“Resend it.” The man’s voice was very low and somewhat hoarse. President Zeng quickly complied, and shortly after, the page indicated the email was sent successfully.

“Director Zhou, I’ve sent it. Please check.”

“Got it.” Zhou Yang responded, then mentioned a few details, which President Zeng acknowledged. After discussing for a while, they were about to hang up. At this point, President Zeng hesitated, looking at the minimized surveillance footage, and intended to tell Director Zhou not to force someone if they don’t like him. But instead, he said, “Director Zhou, there are plenty of fish in the sea; why focus on one flower?”

One second later,

The man hung up the phone.

President Zeng: “??”

Did I say something wrong?

I was very tactful.

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

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