Seventeen

 Su Suqi's remark was partly speculative, feeling that something was off with her son. Secondly, it was to probe Zhou Yang. Sure enough, after she finished speaking, Zhou Yang glanced lightly at her, expressionless, but that lack of expression indicated there was an issue. After a three-second standoff between mother and son, Zhou Yang finally took the cigarette out of his mouth casually, lightly and playfully retorted, "Where did you see that I like her?"

This guy raised his eyebrows when he spoke, with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Returning to his nonchalant smirk, Su Suqi smiled and handed him a piece of cantaloupe, saying, "Oh, so you don't like her? Mom misunderstood you."

"I thought Su Hao was avoiding you today because you did something inappropriate. After all, Su Hao is considering Shen He now, and their relationship seems to be progressing well." Su Suqi still understood Su Hao better than Zhou Yang. Through several inquiries before, since Su Hao had said the past was past, she wouldn't dwell on Zhou Yang again. Initially, when Su Hao first arrived, there might have been some emotional entanglement, but certainly not now.

Since there wasn't any, she got along quite well with Zhou Yang. This sudden evasion and coldness indicated that someone had disrupted their harmony.

That someone definitely wasn't Su Hao.

It had to be Zhou Yang. Whether it was eating or playing chess, her son's eyes and subtle actions couldn't escape her sharp eyes.

Taking the small fork in her fingertips, Su Suqi heard this and, without turning away, sat in the seat Su Hao had just occupied, holding a fruit plate and eating while looking at Zhou Yang, answering in passing, "Nonsense. Do you think you're the only popular one?"

"Yeah." Zhou Yang sneered, but his eyes remained narrowed.

From this angle, Su Suqi felt he was hiding his emotions well. Zhou Yang spoke again casually, "So, a lot of people pursued her before?"

"Yeah, let me think..." Su Suqi pretended to calculate, then concluded, "Unfortunately, Su Hao usually doesn't become friends with people who like her."

Hearing this, Zhou Yang paused.

"So after her desk mate confessed to her, Su Hao had the teacher rearrange seats. I think it's good for girls to be like this. Unlike some girls nowadays who clearly don't like someone but still act friendly and ambiguous, it's really annoying." Su Suqi mentioned this incident, actually referring to one of her college roommates.

That roommate was simply a hypocrite.

He put down the cigarette and extinguished it in the ashtray. Zhou Yang raised his eyes and glanced at Su Suqi, smiling faintly.

With this glance, Su Suqi looked away.

Fine.

She was talking about Yang Rou's current stepmother.

"Anyway, I think Su Hao's character is very good. Look, now that Tang Rui has gone abroad, she rarely contacts Su Hao, and Su Hao doesn't contact him much either. Keeping it clean between them allows for future development. Su Hao has done well in this regard." Su Suqi took a bite of pear, leaned forward, stared at Zhou Yang, and said, "Don't you really like Su Hao?"

Zhou Yang's long eyes met hers, and he smiled.

Then he lowered his eyes, picked up Su Hao's chess piece, moved it forward two steps, and then was about to be checkmated.

His movements were swift.

But Su Hao didn't get angry. She adjusted the chessboard with her hand and asked Zhou Yang, "Still playing?"

Zhou Yang's chess skills were quite formidable.

Su Hao had initially felt like she had encountered a worthy opponent. She had wanted to finish the game and assess her current level and Zhou Yang's. Who knew a phone call would ruin the game.

Zhou Yang glanced at her phone and raised an eyebrow. "No more."

With that, he put down the toothpick, threw it into the trash can, rolled up his shirt sleeves, stood up, and walked towards the stairs. He took out his phone casually and flipped through it.

Su Hao's reserved character wasn't what he liked. He had made the game so beautiful only to ruin it with one move. She could still endure it.

Zhou Yang thought to himself, he must be crazy.

Only then would he have taken a liking to Su Hao, who went against all his preferences.

Dinner, Mr. Zhou came back, but Zhou Yang went out. The father and son passed each other in the foyer and chatted for a while. Zhou Yang went upstairs to change into a set of clothes and came down in a black shirt and black trousers. He rarely wore this type of shirt, with the collar unbuttoned as usual, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, looking completely relaxed.

It was a stark contrast to Mr. Zhou's serious demeanor.

After chatting with his father, Zhou Yang picked up the keys. Su Hao had just helped Su Suqi bring some lily petals from the garden.

The two met face to face.

Zhou Yang's sharp eyes glanced at her side face and neck as he passed by.

Su Hao moved aside a bit and went straight in. There was a faint smell of lilies in the air, and Zhou Yang squinted, resisting the urge to look back at her.

Going down the stairs.

She was really cold now.

Taking the lily petals, Su Suqi glanced outside and asked Su Hao, "Did Zhou Yang leave?"

Su Hao responded with a sound.

Su Suqi muttered a few words, "Okay, he's just impossible."

Then she called Mr. Zhou, "Zhou Qinkai, you manage your son."

Zhou Qinkai was reading in the living room. After hearing this, he smiled and said, "Can't control him. Just ignore him."

"Tsk." Su Suqi pulled Su Hao along. "Come on, let's make a really delicious dinner tonight."

Su Hao approached, helping Su Si by chatting quietly, giving each other advice. Su Si glanced at Su Hao when she had a chance, seeing her calm and composed, without the avoidance she had shown towards Zhou Yang during the day, appearing open and confident. Su Si, who liked her from the bottom of her heart, cautiously probed, "Zhou Yang... hasn't done anything he shouldn't have these past few days, right?"

Su Hao lowered her eyes, slicing cucumbers.

"No," her tone remained flat.

Her emotions were well hidden; Su Si was almost inclined to believe her. After hesitating briefly, Su Si continued, "Zhou Yang, honestly, among women, he's quite smooth-sailing. Even your Uncle Zhou can't figure out how we've shaped him like this. But he's not a bad person, in fact, he's quite good."

Su Hao nodded.

She didn't deny this point.

So, Su Si had discerned something.

Su Hao picked up a fresh cucumber, continuing to slice, understanding what Su Si wanted to say or perhaps Su Si was speaking up for Zhou Yang, hoping she wouldn't be too cold towards him? Su Hao thought about her behavior today; indeed, it wasn't very appropriate.

Seeing her nod, Su Si sighed in relief.

She hoped Su Hao wouldn't dislike Zhou Yang, otherwise, what if Su Hao stopped coming to this house in the future? Even if Zhou Yang likes Su Hao now, it wouldn't be genuine. His libertine nature—Su Si wasn't clear on that, right? So she never pushed Zhou Yang to get married or anything; she couldn't force him. But Zhou Yang did have a strong desire for control.

If he were to really develop feelings for Su Hao, it would probably be quite domineering. By then, if Su Hao lost all her goodwill towards him, it would be awkward...

So, only she, as his mother, occasionally blowing the wind in the kitchen, letting Su Hao know that Zhou Yang isn't really bad.

For dinner, the three of them ate together. Uncle Zhou asked Su Hao about her work. Su Hao answered each question. Uncle Zhou asked, "How's your relationship with your colleagues at the company?"

Su Hao smiled lightly. "It's okay."

"If there's anything, remember to mention it."

Su Hao nodded, feeling warm inside.

After dinner, Zhou Qinkai drove Su Hao home. Su Si insisted on tagging along, sitting with Su Hao in the back seat, heading to Huahui Community, seeing its bustling exterior.

Su Si was somewhat disgusted with the old house, but upon seeing how neatly Su Hao had arranged the house upstairs, she felt reassured.

An hour later.

After sending Zhou Qinkai and his wife off, Su Hao washed up, read a book, and soon lay down to sleep.

The next day was Monday. This weekend seemed like it hadn't even happened. Su Hao hurriedly bought breakfast at the convenience store downstairs before rushing to the company.

Upon entering the finance office, she saw Chen Yu standing there, packing up. She paused for a moment, then walked to her own desk. Lu Mimi stood beside Chen Yu, speaking somewhat sarcastically, "This person, walking by the river, is bound to get wet shoes. Clearly, the problem could have been resolved privately, but she had to escalate it. She didn't even care about Sister Zhang Xian's advice. Amazing, amazing."

Although no names were mentioned, it was obvious they were targeting Su Hao. Su Hao opened her milk and drank it while eating sticky rice chicken, without lifting her head.

Chen Yu kept her head down while packing.

Many people in the WeChat group mentioned her, asking if she had been fired and so on.

In another company-wide group, they were discussing the matter. Someone said, "Hey, who is this new assistant? How did she manage to alarm President Zhou? What's her relationship with President Zhou?"

"Before, Chen Yu made so many mistakes and wasn't fired. If you walk by the river so often, how can your shoes not get wet? Now, this new financial assistant comes along and does well, exposing her true colors. This can't be blamed on anyone but the new girl."

"Oh my, this new one is too scheming. She could have handled the situation privately, but she chose to escalate it to monitoring. Everyone knows only those above President Zeng can authorize monitoring. She clearly knew this and pushed Chen Yu out so she could take her place."

"Oh my god, how scary. Could this new one also have her eyes on President Zhou? Look at her, could President Zhou like her?"

"Hahaha, is President Zhou blind? Even if he likes Lu Mimi, would he like her?"

At this moment.

President Zeng, using a pseudonym in this group, inserted a comment.

"Hmm, you guys are too naive. Keep gossiping."

"Huh? What does that mean, which department are you from, upstairs...?"

"This statement has some hidden meaning..."

Su Hao was also in this large group. There were no ranks above President Zeng in this group, mostly low-level employees. She glanced at it and realized that Chen Yu had been fired.

Towards the end of the workday.

Zhang Xian watched everyone leave, leaving Su Hao behind to talk to her. Her tone was gentler than before, "Chen Yu has left, and you'll be taking over her work. We'll hire another financial assistant in three months, and during this period, I'll assist you. Besides, what happened with her leaving has nothing to do with you. With her work attitude, it was only a matter of time before she left. Of course, we gave her opportunities. I asked her to step back and let you take over with her assistance, but she refused. That was her choice, so you don't need to worry too much. Just continue with your work as before."

"Thank you, Sister Zhang Xian," Su Hao replied gently, though inwardly she felt no particular disturbance. She had admired Zhang Xian somewhat before.

Not anymore. Liao Yun had said before that it's difficult to develop friendships with office colleagues. She was starting to see the truth in that now.

"Don't mention it. You've earned this opportunity for yourself."

After that, Zhang Xian left with her bag. Su Hao sat there, flipping through work records. Chen Yu had been fired hastily, leaving nothing behind. This notebook was still filled with the previous accountant's notes; Su Hao would need to familiarize herself with it by tomorrow. She ordered dinner directly from the cafeteria.

Eating and reading.

Li Xiao invited quite a few people for her birthday, wearing a shoulder-baring black split dress, slim-waisted, her eyes scanning the room, obviously waiting for Zhou Yang.

At this moment, her little sister pushed open the door, walked to the high chair with a microphone, sat down, raised her hand to push Li Xiao's hand away, and Li Xiao immediately put down the microphone, clacked back on her high heels, turned around, and saw the elevator door slowly open. The man was talking to Li Yi, his head bowed, and his narrow eyes glanced over with a smile.

As Zhou Yang stepped out of the elevator and took the cigarette handed to him by Li Yi, his gaze fell on the strikingly bold woman in front of him, intending to scrutinize her outfit for the evening.

But in his mind flashed a billiard table, where a gentle-eyed Su Hao stood by in a sleek black dress, holding a cue.

He furrowed his brow.

"You can reject me, but you must give me a proper birthday tonight," Li Xiao approached, complaining cautiously while unconsciously attempting to hook her arm around his.

Zhou Yang scoffed and lifted his arm.

Li Xiao ended up hooking air.

She paused for a second, stomped behind him, bit her lip, and stared at his tall figure with resentment. Zhou Yang didn't rush into the private room; instead, he stood by the door, lowered his head to light his cigarette, appearing relaxed.

Li Yi leaned against the railing, also smoking, the music inside blaring loudly. Li Xiao ran over to him and whispered, "Thanks, bro."

"Cousin," corrected Li Yi.

"Whatever," Li Xiao replied, then glanced at Zhou Yang, coincidentally noticing her little sister coming out with a phone. Suddenly feeling unwilling, she waved to her sister, who approached. The two muttered to each other for a while, then Li Xiao took advantage of Zhou Yang being engrossed in his phone while smoking.

She hurriedly walked over, lagging half a step behind Zhou Yang, and then seamlessly leaned on his shoulder with a feigned smile.

Her sister swiftly approached.

Several shots were taken in succession.

There were a few usable ones.

Then, Li Xiao took the phone and said to Li Yi and Zhou Yang, "After you finish smoking outside, come in, the birthday is about to begin."

Her group of friends wasn't from the same generation as Zhou Yang and them, so Li Xiao didn't dare to insist they enter immediately.

She looked at Zhou Yang again. Zhou Yang blew a smoke ring, the smoke swirling around his brow. He chuckled softly, "Got it, let's go inside."

Li Xiao glanced at him a few more times before entering the private room with her sister.

Once inside, they huddled together, opened their phones, scrolled through photos, and selected usable ones, taking shots from very close angles.

To be honest, both of them had outstanding appearances. After Li Xiao finished reviewing, she really felt she and Zhou Yang were a natural match.

Beauty mode, filters.

Then she sent them out.

Outside, it started raining. Standing on the second floor, Zhou Yang leaned against the wall. Several of the corridor lights had gone out due to the lack of people, leaving only a few warmer-toned ones, making this side exceptionally dim. Only the smoke in his mouth was prominently visible.

Zhou Yang opened the surveillance video.

Inside the finance office, Su Hao was still working overtime, the bright light shining on her, making her look exceptionally gentle, with her black hair loosely spread out, her back slender, and her waist slim.

Zhou Yang squinted and watched for a while, then suddenly glanced at the rain curtain outside.

Next, he opened WeChat and thought for a moment before editing a message.

Zhou Yang: It's raining. There are umbrellas at President Zeng's office. Remember to take one when you leave work.

After editing it, he anxiously waited. He casually scrolled through Moments and saw a post from a minute ago, where Li Xiao posted an update.

In the photo were him and Li Xiao.

Li Xiao: Do I match with Zhou Yang?

[Image of them together]

Su Hao: Very compatible, a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

The cigarette in Zhou Yang's mouth was bitten off.

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

Previous                                                                                  Next