Thirty-Three

 The woman on the bed showed no reaction; the alcohol had rendered her deeply asleep. She lay sprawled, her clothes and skirt crumpled beneath her, her long, jet-black hair spread across her shoulders and the bed. The room was dimly lit, and her pale skin gleamed like jade in the light. Zhou Yang's fingers moved across her face as if playing a piano.

"I thought Shen He would hold on for a while, but I didn't expect..."

Zhou Yang smiled with a touch of satisfaction. His fingers returned to her lips, rubbing and pressing them. “Is this considered heaven helping me? Hmm?”

The man leaned in, his thin lips close to Su Hao's, their breaths mingling. She had a faint smell of alcohol, a sweet aroma of red wine, at the moment their lips touched.

Zhou Yang’s eyes narrowed as his hand slid down her neck, preparing to grasp it.

At that moment, Su Hao suddenly rolled over and, as if in a dream, struck out forcefully.

Smack—

The slap landed perfectly on the other side of his face. Zhou Yang's movement abruptly stopped, and he instinctively held his breath, staring nervously at the woman on the bed.

After Su Hao slapped him, she rolled over and grabbed another pillow, hugging it tightly. The bedroom fell silent again—

The slap had been quite forceful. Zhou Yang’s tongue brushed against his cheek, tasting iron. He turned his head to wipe it and, seeing the blood, laughed in disbelief.

"Quite impressive."

He bent down, looking at the sleeping woman, and reached under the blanket to grab her hand. Her nails were rounded but with some protruding edges. Zhou Yang opened his mouth and lightly bit her finger, then pulled up the blanket to cover her properly, rubbing his lips as he left the room.

As he exited, the elevator door opened just in time. Assistant Lu, carrying several documents, saw Zhou Yang coming out of room 1802. He was momentarily stunned, then noticed the blood on Zhou Yang’s lips and the slap mark on his cheek. Assistant Lu was frozen in place, his mouth agape as he said, "Mr. Zhou."

"Did you bring it?" Zhou Yang extended his hand to receive the documents and began flipping through them immediately.

Assistant Lu glanced at the closed room door and wondered what Mr. Zhou had been up to. Mr. Zhou's expression seemed quite pleased. Had he done something bad?

Oh my.

Pulling out a motor design drawing from the documents, Zhou Yang returned the files to Assistant Lu’s hands, “You can go rest now.”

After saying that, Zhou Yang took out his room card and swiped into room 1801.

Assistant Lu paused, then followed with a bit of hesitation, softly advising, “Mr. Zhou, you and Miss Su are friends now, remember.”

“And be careful; she might try to avoid you again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yang slightly opened the door, casting a cold look at Assistant Lu. Assistant Lu adjusted his glasses and walked away without meeting his gaze.

The next second, Zhou Yang let out a cold snort.

Assistant Lu heard it but pretended not to, and entered the elevator.

Su Hao slept through the night without waking. Her dreams were chaotic, filled with memories of the past—whether of Zhou Yang, her father, her mother, or Tang Rui—all flashed before her eyes. When she woke up, she sat on the edge of the bed, dazed and somewhat confused.

It wasn’t until her phone alarm rang that Su Hao got up, went to the bathroom to shower. Her clothes were sweaty and wrinkled from last night’s alcohol.

After changing into a pair of jeans and a top, Su Hao also washed her hair. Once she finished drying her hair, she went outside. As she opened the door, she saw the door to the neighboring room open as well. Zhou Yang, dressed in a shirt and trousers, stepped out. Seeing her, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Good morning.”

Su Hao replied, “Morning.”

The two of them walked towards the elevator together.

The man, with his hands in his pockets, casually asked, “What time did you get back last night?”

Su Hao thought for a moment, “I don’t remember. Maybe around nine.”

“Did you drink?”

“Had a bit. The bottle of wine you sent.”

“Oh?”

The elevator arrived, and Zhou Yang held the door open with a smile, “You go first.”

Su Hao, not being polite, stepped inside and suddenly noticed a faint mark on his cheek, resembling a slap mark. She looked at it for a moment.

Did a woman hit him?

Zhou Yang caught her gaze and smirked, “What are you looking at?”

Su Hao cleared her throat and shifted her gaze away.

“Do you want a better look?” Zhou Yang tilted his head, pointing at his face. “A woman hit me. Isn’t that quite something?”

He bent down slightly, his shirt collar slightly open, exposing his collarbone. Su Hao was caught off guard and glanced upward. There was a mark from a fingernail at the corner of his mouth. Su Hao pursed her lips, “It’s a bit harsh. What did you do?”

Zhou Yang turned his head, his narrow eyes looking at Su Hao. They were quite close, and there was a playful glint in his eyes, “Guess?”

Su Hao took a couple of steps back and said, “It definitely wasn’t anything good.”

“Oh? You know me so well?” He said with a hint of teasing, but his demeanor was relaxed. Su Hao suddenly realized he seemed in a very good mood, as if he had just had his confession accepted.

The elevator arrived on the first floor. Today, Zhou Yang was going to the Fei Festival with Su Hao, and Assistant Lu was waiting outside with the car. The two of them walked out of the hotel lobby.

At that moment, a black Mercedes slowly pulled up to the entrance and stopped. The window rolled down, and Shen He’s head popped out. “Good morning, Zhou Yang. Good morning, Su Hao.”

The two people who were about to get into the Bentley paused. Su Hao smiled and asked, “Why are you here?”

“To pick you up for work,” Shen He said, opening the passenger door. “Get in. It’s rare for me to give you a ride to work.”

In the end, she decided to act as if she didn't know anything. Smiling, she walked towards the Mercedes and took the passenger seat. The man standing by the car door looked over, and the black Mercedes reversed. Shen He waved at him, and Su Hao waved back. The smile on Zhou Yang’s face disappeared completely, leaving only a cold expression.

Assistant Lu didn’t dare make a sound.

Inside the car, it was quiet as they waited.

Soon, the car door was slammed shut. Zhou Yang walked aside, slowly took out a cigarette, bit it but didn’t light it, and his expression gradually grew sullen.

He had had enough.

The hotel was not far from the Fei Festival, and driving consumed fuel. When they reached the entrance, Su Hao unfastened her seatbelt and said to Shen He, “I’m getting out now.”

Shen He nodded, “Okay. How long will you be on a business trip here?”

“Two or three days,” Su Hao replied. Shen He opened his mouth as if to say something but then swallowed it, saying instead, “Alright. Have you had breakfast?”

“There’s breakfast at the company. I’ll eat there.” This was what the girl from yesterday had told her, to come here in the morning for breakfast together.

Su Hao agreed.

“Oh, that’s fine. I was thinking of taking you out for breakfast,” Shen He said with a smile. Sometimes he did seem like a boy, with a delicate appearance that felt deceptive.

“Maybe next time,” Su Hao said, opening the car door and getting out.

Meanwhile, in the underground parking garage, a Bentley slowly drove down.

Taking the elevator upstairs, Su Hao stepped out. The elevator door across the hall also opened, and Zhou Yang emerged. Their eyes met. Zhou Yang glanced at her with a smile and went into the office first. Su Hao followed, noticing that he seemed less relaxed than in the morning.

There was a hint of tension on his face.

Sure enough.

While Su Hao was in the small meeting room handling accounts with the cashier, she heard him losing his temper in the large meeting room. His anger was like a raging fire, burning everything in its path.

Since the two meeting rooms were very close, as soon as Su Hao looked up, she saw him sitting on the table, throwing a document at someone standing nearby.

Zhou Yang usually had a charming, easy-going demeanor, making him seem quite approachable.

It was rare to see him this angry.

The small cashier whispered, “Oh my, Mr. Zhou can get this angry too.”

“So scary. Good thing I don’t have a meeting today, or I’d be terrified.”

Su Hao glanced at Zhou Yang a few more times.

Zhou Yang adjusted his collar, and their eyes met. His narrow eyes seemed to be filled with some emotion. Su Hao noticed it and was momentarily stunned.

When she looked again, Zhou Yang had already turned his gaze away, leaving only his hard profile.

No one in the meeting room dared to breathe heavily. The previously cultivated internet celebrity had been poached, and everyone had missed it. After she left, she took the fans and traffic with her, and the other company frequently provoked them. It was no wonder Zhou Yang was furious. The marketing manager stood in front of him.

Assistant Lu was diagonally across. The marketing manager gestured to Assistant Lu, hoping he would say something.

At this moment, Assistant Lu noticed Zhou Yang’s gaze briefly linger outside. He quickly said, “Mr. Zhou, the small meeting room is quite close, and the loud noise might affect the account verification over there.”

Zhou Yang turned to look at him, remaining silent, just staring.

Assistant Lu adjusted his glasses, appearing innocent.

A few seconds later, Zhou Yang coldly asked, “Is the soundproofing really that poor?”

Zhou Yang’s narrow eyes swept back to the person in front of him. He laughed coldly, “You’re quite something, aren’t you?”

“Dare not.” The manager’s forehead was sweating.

He wasn’t sure if speaking up was good or bad.

Assistant Lu remained unhelpful.

Besides, everyone noticed that Mr. Zhou didn’t go to that meeting room. After the meeting, he grabbed his coat and left.

Driving the Bentley to the ground level, Zhou Yang saw the familiar black car parked at the entrance of the Fei Festival lobby. It wasn’t time to get off work yet, but the car had already arrived. Zhou Yang pressed the accelerator, scraping past the door of the Mercedes, the friction sound startling Shen He inside the car and the security guard at the entrance.

Everyone watched as the two luxury cars left a large scratch due to the friction.

Shen He unfastened his seatbelt, got out of the car, walked over to the Bentley, and knocked on the window. The window rolled down, and Zhou Yang, leaning against the back of the seat, looked up at Shen He. After a few seconds, he smiled, “Waiting for Su Hao?”

Shen He stood there.

The man inside the car was sharp and imposing. Shen He realized this now and replied, “Yes.”

“Zhou Yang, how do you drive this car?”

“Just like this.” Zhou Yang opened the door, smiling as he got out of the car. He was tall, leaning lazily against the car door. His expression was nonchalant, but his eyes were intimidating.

Shen He instinctively straightened up.

The two men faced each other in silence, the tension palpable.

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

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