Twenty-One

 Li Xiu's arrival added more gossip fodder for the company’s rumor mill, causing the group chat to buzz continuously. Su Hao muted the notifications, but she could still see there were many messages.

"Miss Li is here, wow, she's still so beautiful."

"Yeah, and she changed cars again. Wow, it’s like rich people get cars for free."

"What car did she get? Looks like an Audi?"

"Whatever car it is, we can’t afford it. But how long has she been in the CEO’s office?"

"They must be together, right..."

The last message was from Lu Mimi, and it had a probing tone. Just then, the sound of high heels clicking echoed down the hallway. Li Xiu, tall and elegant, walked by and casually tossed the fever medicine along with the bag into the trash can—the only one in the hallway. Her figure quickly disappeared into the elevator. A group of people turned to watch, noticing that Li Xiu didn’t look too happy. As soon as the elevator doors closed, they all began whispering.

Lu Mimi exclaimed, "Whoa," and got up to look.

The fever medicine and coffee were not delivered.

The group chat resumed its discussion.

"The CEO didn’t take the fever medicine."

"Are they having a spat?"

"Maybe we’re all wrong. They’re not together, and the CEO has someone else in mind?"

Su Hao ignored these discussions, focusing on her work. After a few more minutes, Director Zeng's assistant returned from outside, suddenly detouring into the finance office. Casually placing a small bag in front of Su Hao, he said, "Su Hao, could you do me a favor and deliver this to the CEO? Director Zeng and I have to go out now."

Su Hao was taken aback.

She glanced at the bag.

It had a pharmacy logo, and it seemed to contain fever medicine.

She was silent for a moment, then pushed the bag away, "I don’t have time..."

Before she finished speaking, Director Zeng’s assistant had already left, walking quite quickly. Su Hao turned her head and saw Director Zeng holding documents and talking on his phone as he walked out with the assistant. The finance office fell silent. Lu Mimi stared intently at the bag of fever medicine. Zhang Xian hesitated for a moment and said, "Su Hao, since Director Zeng’s assistant asked for your help, you should..."

"Zhang Xian, I have a lot of work to do right now." Su Hao cut in.

Lu Mimi picked up the bag and said, "Alright, I’ll take it."

Before Su Hao could react, Lu Mimi turned and left, carrying the bag. She glanced at the trash can—the lid was designed to fit snugly, so she couldn’t see inside, but she could imagine where the fever medicine had been thrown.

Walking to the CEO’s office, Lu Mimi, unlike Li Xiu, didn’t have the status to just push the door open. She knocked lightly.

Knock, knock—

Two taps.

Inside, Zhou Yang’s hoarse, low voice came through: "Come in."

Lu Mimi took a deep breath, turned the handle, and walked in. She saw Zhou Yang sitting behind his desk, resting his head in his hand, a cigarette in his mouth, his collar slightly open.

He looked up at her.

Seeing it was Lu Mimi, his eyes turned colder.

"What is it?"

The next second, Zhou Yang noticed the bag in her hand, his eyes narrowing, "You’re here to deliver fever medicine?"

"Did Su Hao send you?"

It was the first time Lu Mimi had seen this side of Zhou Yang, a bit unapproachable, unlike his usual charming self. She was stunned.

After a while, she nodded, vaguely answering, "Yes, yes."

"Get out. I don’t need it." Zhou Yang took the cigarette from his mouth, extinguished it in the ashtray, stood up, and grabbed his coat from the hanger. Putting it on as he walked to the door, Lu Mimi quickly turned to open it. But Zhou Yang moved faster. As he put on his coat, his collar still open, his charming demeanor seemed to return.

Lu Mimi held her breath, watching Zhou Yang’s tall figure walk towards the elevator. His neck was flushed, indicating he had a high fever. Why wouldn’t he take the medicine?

Lu Mimi, somewhat dazed, returned to the finance office.

She threw the fever medicine onto Su Hao’s desk. The noise distracted Su Hao from her work. Remembering the medicine, she hadn’t spoken yet.

Lu Mimi said, "The CEO won’t take it."

Zhang Xian stood up, walked over, and curiously picked up the bag, examining it, "Why does everyone bring fever medicine to the CEO, and he doesn’t take any of it? What’s going on?"

"I think he has a high fever, but he seemed very upset today. His face was cold, and it scared me," Lu Mimi said, still shaken.

Zhang Xian thought for a moment, "It is strange. The CEO rarely shows such emotion."

"Exactly, and who upset him?"

"He refused Miss Li’s medicine, and now Director Zeng’s assistant’s medicine. Whose medicine will he take? Could it be he’s waiting for someone specific to bring it?" Lu Mimi speculated.

Zhang Xian laughed, her expression softening, "Are you scared silly? Do you think the CEO would get so emotional over someone, even neglecting his health and refusing medicine?"

"...I must be overthinking. The CEO wouldn’t let something like that happen. It’s always others who are affected by him, not the other way around." Lu Mimi picked up a mirror and touched up her makeup. Zhang Xian put the bag in a small box in front of Su Hao and said, "Just leave it here for now."

Su Hao responded, but she didn't deal with the bag. Instead, she returned to her computer to reconcile a few recent accounts. At that moment, her phone beeped twice, indicating two new messages.

Su Hao glanced at them.

From Director Zeng: "Su Hao, did you deliver the medicine to the CEO?"

From Zhou Yang: "Su Hao, is your heart made of iron?"

Thanks to her hard work, by the end of the workday, Su Hao had finished all her tasks. On her first day taking over Chen Yu’s duties, she surprisingly didn’t have to work overtime.

As she tidied her desk and picked up her bag, she rubbed her neck, ready to leave.

Zhang Xian saw her and was stunned, "Su Hao, you finished everything?"

Su Hao turned and nodded, "Yes."

Zhang Xian could hardly believe it. She glanced at Su Hao’s desk and then said, "Make sure to double-check everything, don’t be like Chen Yu."

"I will, Sister Zhang," Su Hao said. She closed the curtains and left the office. Zhang Xian watched her for a moment before shaking her head.

Lu Mimi, who had just returned from washing her hands, saw Su Hao leaving early and was also surprised. A few seconds later, she sneered, "Leaving so early? Did she finish all her work..."

"It took Chen Yu over a week to get the hang of things." Lu Mimi picked up her bag too, "Sister Zhang, we’re probably going to get scolded by Director Zeng again tomorrow."

Zhang Xian said nothing, pulled the curtains shut, and left the office with Lu Mimi.

Downstairs, the weather had been gloomy all day, and by the time they left work, it was even darker, as if it would rain any moment. Su Hao quickened her pace and soon reached home. As she opened the door, there was a loud thunderclap followed by a heavy downpour.

Inside, Su Hao put down her bag and went to close the windows in the kitchen and bathroom. Though it was still early, the sky was as dark as night. Su Hao returned to the living room, took some vegetables from the fridge, and made a simple dinner. After eating, she remembered Su Qian’s invitation for today. She sat on the sofa, picked up her phone, and thought for a moment.

Then she dialed Su Qian’s number.

The call was quickly answered.

Su Qian’s voice came through, "Haohao, have you had dinner?"

"Yes, Auntie. How about you?"

"I’ve eaten too. It’s raining heavily today. By the way, were you very busy today? You didn’t reply to my WeChat messages." Su Qian’s voice was pleasant and cheerful, as if receiving Su Hao’s call made her genuinely happy, which made it harder for Su Hao to decline her invitation.

She looked up at the ceiling light.

After a few seconds, she steeled herself and said, "Auntie, I’m sorry, but I might have to work overtime on Wednesday and won’t be able to come over."

"What? Overtime? Why do you have to work overtime?" Su Qian sounded disappointed.

Su Hao felt a bit guilty.

Her plan was to reduce visits to the Zhou family, lessening interactions with Zhou Yang. Over time, his patience would wear thin, and he wouldn’t waste any more time on her.

For her future, Su Hao was determined to prioritize reason over emotion at her age.

"Yes, I just took over some new duties and am still getting the hang of things," Su Hao said, feeling a bit pressured. She thought she would make it up to Su Qian later by sending her a big box of boneless chicken feet.

"In that case, there’s no helping it. Work is important," Su Qian said, her tone tinged with disappointment, followed by a sigh. Su Hao pretended not to hear it.

Then, she changed the subject. Su Qian seemed to cheer up and chatted with Su Hao for a while before ending the call. Su Hao put down her phone and exhaled deeply; she wasn’t good at lying, and it stressed her out.

She sat in a daze for a while, then picked up a book to read.

At that moment, her phone beeped with a message from Shen He.

Shen He: "Haohao, I can’t go on the business trip next week."

Su Hao: "It’s okay."

Shen He: "Ah, I’m so disappointed. Things are so busy here."

Su Hao: "Hmm, maybe I can arrange a business trip to Kyoto."

Shen He: "You’re coming to Kyoto on business?"

Su Hao remembered she had two other business trips scheduled this month, one to Dongshi and one to Kyoto. She thought she could apply to go to Kyoto with Director Zeng’s approval.

Su Hao: "Yes, Feijie has a branch in Kyoto."

Shen He: "Great, I’ll be waiting for you."

Su Hao: "Alright."

After putting down her phone, Su Qian poured a glass of water and went upstairs. This was her first time visiting Zhou Yang at his villa in Yiwanshanshui. The minimalist decor was almost unsettling for her. She went directly to the master bedroom, opened the door, and saw that the curtains were drawn, and Zhou Yang was lying down, his forehead covered with his hand and eyes closed, sleeping.

Su Qian sat down by the bed, observing his sharp jawline and tightly closed thin lips. If it weren’t for the flush on his neck, she wouldn’t have known he had a fever. He still looked imposing even while asleep. Su Qian adjusted the blanket for him.

Zhou Yang stirred, opening his eyes to see Su Qian. In a low voice, he asked, "Mom, why are you here?"

"What do you think? If Assistant Lu hadn’t told me, we wouldn’t have known you had a fever."

"Tch, it’s just a minor issue." Zhou Yang coughed lightly and reached for the water glass. Su Qian quickly handed it to him. He sat up, leaning against the headboard, wearing black pajamas with the neckline slightly open, revealing part of his chest. He drank a few sips while Su Qian watched him and said, "If it’s such a minor issue, why do you keep asking Su Hao to bring you medicine?"

Zhou Yang paused in his drinking and looked up at her.

Su Qian shrugged. "Su Hao said she has to work late on Wednesday. Do you think she’s avoiding you, son?"

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes.

"Mom, do you have too much free time?"

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