Twenty-Nine

 The loud crash caused everyone at the night market to stand up in unison, creating an immediate scene of chaos. The wind was still strong, and amidst the noisy commotion, Su Hao turned back and was momentarily speechless. Even though the shattered glass was some distance away, it still induced a chilling fear.

Zhou Yang also stared at the glass shards, his heartbeat pounding. He couldn't help but tighten his grip around Su Hao's waist, reassured that she was unharmed. He then picked up his phone and coldly reported to the police, "Dongshen Road, Huahui Community, there's been an incident of objects being thrown from a height."

The person on the other end acknowledged.

Next, Zhou Yang called the landlord, his tone even colder: "Zhang Xinhua, get over here!"

Zhang Xinhua was Su Hao's landlord, and they had exchanged WeChat contacts. Su Hao, regaining her composure, struggled out of Zhou Yang's embrace and stood in place. The night market's owner ran out, yelling curses at the upstairs window, which wobbled without revealing who was responsible.

In such situations, no one could remain calm.

If it hadn't been Su Hao, it could have been someone else. The night market owner had many customers every day, any of whom could have been the unlucky one.

Before the police and the landlord arrived, many people were watching. Zhou Yang grabbed Su Hao's wrist, saying, "Don't go over."

His tone was cold, with a hint of hidden anger.

Su Hao glanced back at him.

Her eyes were gentle, like a pool of water amidst the noisy environment. Leaning against the car door, Zhou Yang felt his irritation subside under her gaze. He instinctively licked the corner of his lips and sneered, "What are you looking at?"

Don't look.

Or I'll kiss you.

Su Hao shook her head and said, "I was a bit scared."

"Sit in the car." He opened the car door for her, feeling that it was safer inside. Su Hao said, "No need. Do you want some water? I'll buy some."

Sweat rolled down Zhou Yang's forehead, making Su Hao think he was also scared. But Zhou Yang bent into the car, pulled out a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to her: "Drink this."

"I don't want it," Su Hao pushed it away.

Just then, the police car arrived, followed by Zhang Xinhua's car. The two vehicles stopped together, and Zhang Xinhua got out, quickly approaching Zhou Yang, "Yang Ge, long time no see."

Zhang Xinhua was young, wearing a black T-shirt and ripped jeans. He turned to see Su Hao and flattered Zhou Yang, "Yang Ge, is this your girlfriend? She's beautiful."

Zhou Yang had been visibly annoyed and imposing, but his eyes narrowed slightly, his displeasure lessening at these words.

But then, Su Hao gently said, "I'm not his girlfriend."

Zhou Yang: "..."

Zhang Xinhua was momentarily stunned. Being quick-witted, he noticed Zhou Yang's expression and blinked, realizing something was up. Zhou Yang's face darkened even more.

He cursed internally, damn it.

Fortunately, the police approached then. Among them was Li Yi's junior, someone they knew. After a brief conversation, Zhou Yang pointed at the sixth-floor window with a cold tone, "602, Zhang Xinhua, pull up the surveillance footage."

"Got it."

Zhang Xinhua owned all three buildings here, making him a genuine young landlord. Having spent money on surveillance cameras, the footage quickly showed that it was indeed the 602 apartment, saving them the trouble of further investigation. Zhang Xinhua led the police upstairs to catch the culprit. As a witness and near-victim, Su Hao couldn't leave yet.

Soon, the tenants of 602 were brought down—a young couple who had been arguing. The woman, in a fit of rage, threw the glass shards meant for disposal at the man, who dodged, causing the glass to fall out the window and smash on the ground below. Seeing the situation now, their legs went weak.

Especially since a tall man with a stern face, knowledgeable in the law but not wearing a uniform, made them more fearful due to his ambiguous identity.

Zhang Xinhua stood beside Zhou Yang like a subordinate, immediately kicking the couple out, refusing to rent to them anymore, and complying with the police's instructions.

After the commotion, it was nearly midnight.

Su Hao rarely stayed up late and didn't understand much about these matters. However, the couple's quarrel nearly resulted in a fatality, which was indeed unforgivable.

Even the police misunderstood, thinking Su Hao was Zhou Yang's girlfriend. The couple repeatedly referred to him as her boyfriend while speaking to Su Hao.

Your boyfriend.

Your boyfriend.

Zhou Yang stood at the door, smoking a cigarette, the mint flavor cooling him down. He lowered his eyes, listening to the repeated "your boyfriend."

A slight smile flickered in his eyes.

But Su Hao continued to clarify.

"He's not my boyfriend."

Zhou Yang bit his cigarette hard, glanced at his watch, turned around, picked up his car keys, and looked at Su Hao, "Let's go home."

Su Hao responded and followed him out.

As they walked towards the door, Zhang Xinhua, trying to please Zhou Yang, said again, "Look, how well-matched they are. How could they not be a couple?"

Though he was curious when Zhou Yang's taste changed, preferring such a gentle beauty, it still seemed unlikely.

The return trip was smooth. Su Hao went upstairs, unlocked the door, feeling exhausted. She showered, washed up, and even though the guest room's bed wasn't made, she lay down, almost unable to keep her eyes open. Her phone beeped just then, and she half-opened her eyes to check.

Zhou Yang: Are you asleep?

Su Hao: Mm, goodnight.

Su Hao: And thank you for tonight.

In his room, Zhou Yang had just showered, wearing black pajamas, his tall figure drying his hair with one hand while picking up his phone with the other. He saw her message.

His slender fingers typed, "How about repaying me with yourself?"

He paused for a few seconds after typing, then slowly deleted it word by word, his expression growing darker and more displeased.

Damn it.

He put the phone back on the table with a loud thud.

After about ten minutes, the lights in the room went out. Zhou Yang lay down to rest, his collar open, revealing his well-defined chest.

In his dream, he saw a slender waist and the soft figure nestled in his arms. As the darkness pressed down, he turned the woman around, pinning her against the car door. She turned her head away, exposing her fair neck. Zhou Yang leaned in and lightly touched it.

His fingers tightened, holding her closer.

That moment was enough to drive him crazy.

With a thunderous sound, lightning struck the room. The man opened his eyes and, in the next second, got out of bed, stripping off his clothes to reveal his lean body, and walked into the bathroom.

Cold water poured down from the showerhead. Zhou Yang ran a hand through his hair, his eyes filled with intense desire.

A few days later, it was finally time for the business trip. Su Hao didn't go to the office early in the morning but stayed home to pack her luggage. The company had already booked the plane tickets.

Su Hao took a taxi to the airport alone with her luggage. Assistant Lu was waiting outside. When he saw her, he stepped forward to help with her luggage, maintaining a slight distance: "President Zhou is already in the waiting lounge."

Su Hao was momentarily stunned and then reacted, "Is Zhou Yang really going to Kyoto too?"

"Yes, President Zhou has long scheduled it." Assistant Lu kept his distance while helping her check in her luggage and then guided her to the waiting lounge. Su Hao responded with an "Oh" and didn't ask more. When the lounge door opened, there was only Zhou Yang inside, his long legs crossed, lazily reading a magazine.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Yang raised his head, his narrow eyes scanning over.

Their eyes met, and the man's gaze seemed deeper. Su Hao greeted, "Hello, President Zhou."

Since that night, they hadn't seen each other, and he hadn't come to the company. Qi Lin had officially taken over as acting CEO, and the employees at Feijie were gradually getting used to his presence.

As for Zhou Yang, he was only mentioned in gossip groups.

Su Hao had only heard that he had recently visited Zhou's company twice.

She watched as Zhou Yang shifted slightly, leaning closer with a hint of nonchalance, "Why don't you call me Zhou Yang anymore?"

Su Hao glanced at him and picked up her phone to reply to Liao Yun, who had asked her to buy some local specialties from Kyoto to send back.

Su Hao replied, "Isn't it proper to address you as President Zhou at work?"

Her tone was calm.

He squinted his eyes: "Why are you wearing a camisole dress today? Did you go to such lengths to see Shen He?"

"It's too hot." Su Hao finished typing and put down her phone, picking up a magazine to read. Zhou Yang lightly bit his back teeth and leaned back, while Assistant Lu behind him tried to minimize his presence. He noticed the veins on Zhou Yang's hand bulging and heard Zhou Yang mention Young Master Shen's name, feeling somewhat confused.

He didn't quite understand the current relationship between President Zhou and Miss Su.

They didn't seem intimate, yet President Zhou's gaze was more aggressive than before. However, when facing Miss Su, he became gentle and harmless.

Lu Qi messaged Zeng Xiao: "Zeng, there's something I don't understand."

But President Zeng was busy and didn't reply.

Assistant Lu put down his phone and patiently waited. Soon, it was time to board. The three of them got up and walked through the corridor to the security check.

The airport was still crowded, and Zhou Yang stood out with his strong presence. The three of them lined up to board, with Su Hao, being a woman, standing in front, followed by Zhou Yang. The man carried a faint fragrance, and occasionally, when she moved forward slightly, her shoulder would brush against his arm, or they would lightly touch, like water passing without a trace.

Many people were in line, and several girls ahead of Su Hao would turn back to glance at Zhou Yang. Su Hao caught quite a few of them doing so.

Those girls might have assumed Su Hao was his girlfriend and felt embarrassed when she looked at them, quickly turning back and huddling together.

Their whispering voices carried over.

"Is he a celebrity?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

"He looks a lot like someone from the Zhou family in Licheng!"

"Do you know him?"

"I've seen a lot of handsome young masters from Licheng in magazines. They say this place produces a lot of rich and handsome men."

"Really? Based on his looks, I wouldn't mind. Are they all second-generation rich kids?"

Someone was flipping through various apps looking for photos, and after a while, whispered again.

"He really might be him."

In the midst of their discussion, they passed through security. During Zhou Yang's security check, many people turned to look at him. His eyes smiled as he cooperated, holding his ticket and slightly spreading his hands, maintaining his usual charming demeanor.

The girls who had just been discussing glanced at Su Hao, who remained calm, holding her belongings and walking ahead, showing no intention of waiting for Zhou Yang.

The next moment, they watched as Zhou Yang took large strides to catch up with Su Hao, with Assistant Lu quickly grabbing his belongings and following, maintaining about a meter's distance.

The flight from Licheng to Kyoto took a bit longer. Su Hao, having woken up early, felt sleepy as soon as she got on the plane and lay down to sleep. Zhou Yang, flipping through a magazine, called a flight attendant to request an air-conditioning blanket for her. But after covering her, it still slipped off one side. Assistant Lu, sitting close by, instinctively reached out to adjust it.

Then he saw Zhou Yang unbuckle his seatbelt and stand up, coming over.

His eyes coldly fixed on him.

Assistant Lu was silent for a few seconds, then forcefully pulled, causing Su Hao's blanket to fall entirely to the floor.

Assistant Lu leaned back, closed his eyes, and pretended to be dead.

Zhou Yang coldly snorted, picked up the blanket, and covered Su Hao again. As he leaned over, they were very close.

The surroundings seemed to fall silent.

His hands propped on her armrest, looking at her. She wore no lipstick, her face fresh and moist. His eyes deepened, and he lowered his head, his thin lips brushing against Su Hao's red lips.

So soft, he tightened his grip on the armrest.

At that moment, Su Hao's phone in her bag beeped. Zhou Yang quickly pulled away, standing upright. Su Hao groggily looked at her phone, which was just an alarm, and grabbed the blanket to continue sleeping.

Zhou Yang propped his chin and rubbed his lips.

The plane had already taken off.

After a while, Zhou Yang raised his eyes, glancing at the woman buried under the blanket. He stared for a while, then looked up and met Assistant Lu's eyes.

Assistant Lu adjusted his glasses. He had witnessed the entire scene. After considering for a moment, he said sincerely, "President Zhou, it's not good to sneak around like this. It's better to be open and honest."

Zhou Yang's face turned cold.

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

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