The time spent together felt fleeting, and before they knew it, Sunday had arrived.
Xiao Wang accompanied Zhou Zhuofei to the airport, where the two reluctantly parted ways. After another flight, Zhou Zhuofei returned to her apartment. The moment she stepped inside, she eagerly dropped her luggage and scooped up Director, her cat, showering him with kisses.
"My baby, I missed you so much!"
The touching reunion lasted no more than five minutes before Director squirmed to break free. Still, Zhou Zhuofei was satisfied—usually, she didn’t even get three minutes of his attention.
Carrying her luggage into the bedroom, she had no desire to unpack and instead headed straight to the shower before collapsing into bed.
She had expected to feel irritable returning to work on Monday, but to her surprise, she was remarkably calm.
Everything was the same—the same workstation, the same colleagues—the only difference was her mindset.
Xiao Wang had become a part of her life now. She knew how deeply she loved him and that he felt the same.
This certainty gave her the courage to make seemingly impulsive decisions and the confidence and patience to face life head-on. After all, their separation was only temporary. One day, he would return to her.
With this thought in mind, Zhou Zhuofei made it through the week, sticking to her usual routine of work, home, and rest.
Du Yu, worried she might feel lonely, dragged her to an offline gathering over the weekend.
As it turned out, Zhou Zhuofei still detested noisy, crowded places—falling in love hadn’t changed that.
So, she had no intention of joining the after-party. After a quick goodbye to Du Yu, she headed home.
On the way back, she messaged Xiao Wang, sharing the day’s events.
[I always thought I was still young at heart—I can keep up with online trends, after all. But after going out with Du Yu today, I realized… yeah, I’m definitely not 17 or 18 anymore. I can’t match their energy at all…]
[Nonsense, I think you’re plenty energetic.]
[Only compared to you, right? You’re older than me, so of course I seem energetic.]
[So you’re saying I lack energy?]
[You don’t need energy—you’ve got charm, and that’s enough! Mwah!]
Still texting, Zhou Zhuofei arrived home, only to find Director missing. Puzzled, she called out, "Director? Director?"
After changing her shoes, she walked into the living room and turned to see the bedroom door slightly ajar—with Xiao Wang sitting on the bed, watching her.
Director then emerged leisurely from the bedroom, circling her legs and brushing against her in greeting.
Zhou Zhuofei stared at Xiao Wang in surprise. "When did you get back?"
How had she not sensed any hint of this?
"About an hour ago."
"Why didn’t you tell me?" She dashed excitedly into the bedroom.
Had she known Xiao Wang was back, she wouldn’t have bothered with that gathering.
"I only got the notice today. I wasn’t sure which flight I’d get, so I didn’t mention it."
Originally, his team was supposed to return tomorrow, but Xiao Wang figured seeing Zhou Zhuofei a few hours earlier was worth the hassle. He hadn’t meant to keep it a secret—it just worked out that way since she had plans.
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t care about the details. She hastily shed her coat and threw herself into his arms. "You’re so annoying, not telling me!"
"So, do I really lack energy?"
"That’s not even worth considering," she replied without hesitation. "Too much energy would just be exhausting. You’re perfect just like this!"
Xiao Wang couldn’t help but smile. Zhou Zhuofei never held back her praise or affection for him.
And he was more than willing to rush back overnight just to hear it.
A few days later, the holiday arrived, and with it, Ling Yu and Cen Huan’s wedding.
Zhou Zhuofei had assumed Xiao Wang was called back early to attend, but instead, he invited her on a date—which she happily accepted.
This was fine. Today belonged to everyone else—the main couple’s story continued, but she was living her own life too.
However, she had underestimated fate’s unpredictability.
Not long after they left, Xiao Wang received a call.
The moment he pulled over upon seeing the caller ID, Zhou Zhuofei knew it was important. She waited quietly until he hung up before asking, "What’s wrong? Work emergency?"
"Not exactly." His expression was unreadable. "It’s Ling Yu. He wants me to deliver a document to the wedding venue."
"Huh?" At first, she was stunned, but remembering it was Ling Yu, it made sense.
Given his character arc, Ling Yu was still a workaholic obsessed with his career. Thinking about work mid-wedding wasn’t out of character.
"Then let’s go. Do you have the file, or is it at the office?"
"I have it with me."
"Then let’s hurry." Zhou Zhuofei was unfazed. "The sooner we go, the sooner we’re done."
Touched by her understanding, Xiao Wang felt even guiltier. Their rare date had been interrupted by his job.
He reached for her hand, only for her to comfort him instead. "Money doesn’t come easy. Just bear with it."
Xiao Wang laughed. What would he do without Zhou Zhuofei?
The wedding was held at the Ling Family’s ancestral estate. Xiao Wang parked in the courtyard, telling Zhou Zhuofei to wait in the car while he entered the mansion—more like a castle—with the document.
Zhou Zhuofei pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the grand estate to show Du Yu. As she adjusted the angle, a young man in formal attire—clearly a guest—suddenly rushed out of the house.
After scanning the area, he bolted toward the exit—straight toward Zhou Zhuofei.
She took a closer look and recognized him instantly.
Him again?
Before she could react, he spotted her and slowed his frantic pace.
"What are you doing here?"
Zhou Zhuofei leaned out the window. "I should be asking you that. Weren’t you skipping this?"
Xie Ya was equally baffled to see her, but he had more pressing matters.
Noticing the empty driver’s seat, he quickly yanked open the back door and climbed in.
Zhou Zhuofei was taken aback. "Hey! What are you doing?"
"Don’t turn around! I just need to hide for a second."
Her curiosity piqued. "What did you do this time? Another runaway?"
Before Xie Ya could answer, the mansion doors swung open again. Two men in black suits stepped out, scanning the area intently.
Zhou Zhuofei also recognized one of them as Xie Huai’s assistant, though she had completely forgotten his surname.
At that moment, she caught sight of Xie Ya lying down in the rearview mirror, clearly trying to avoid these people. Now she understood the situation.
However, Xiao Wang’s car was indeed conspicuous, and soon another man noticed it and began walking toward them.
In a flash of realization, Zhou Zhuofei finally remembered the assistant’s surname and leaned out to call, "Assistant Bai!"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone present was startled. Xie Ya grew especially tense, unsure of what Zhou Zhuofei was planning, but he had no choice now.
Assistant Bai’s expression changed the moment he saw Zhou Zhuofei. He signaled for the approaching man to retreat and walked over alone, stopping a few meters away from the car.
Credit went to Lv Lawyer here—he had advised Zhou Zhuofei to add a clause to the agreement stating that Xie Huai and anyone closely associated with him could not actively approach her. Otherwise, Xie Ya would have been exposed right then.
Assistant Bai greeted her politely, "Miss Zhou."
Zhou Zhuofei cut straight to the point. "Since you’re here, does that mean President Xie is nearby?"
"Yes. Are you also attending the wedding, Miss Zhou?"
"I’ll be leaving soon. I doubt I’ll be in your way."
"I didn’t mean it like that—please don’t misunderstand. I just wanted to ask if you’ve seen anyone come out from inside?"
"Sorry, I’ve been on my phone and wasn’t paying attention."
"Alright, then. My apologies for disturbing you."
Though Assistant Bai had doubts, he knew he wouldn’t get any answers. Besides, this was the Ling Family’s territory—their options were limited.
After the brief exchange, he gathered his colleagues to report back to Xie Huai.
Only after Zhou Zhuofei saw them enter did she turn to Xie Ya and say, "They’re gone."
Xie Ya finally sat up from the back seat. Though the immediate danger had passed, he couldn’t relax. He stared at Zhou Zhuofei, his expression conflicted.
It was Zhou Zhuofei who spoke first. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I just help you again?"
Xie Ya couldn’t deny it, but still…
He couldn’t hold back any longer. "Did you know Cen Huan was getting married all along?"
"Not all along," Zhou Zhuofei replied. "Just earlier than you, I suppose."
"But you—"
Before Xie Ya could finish, Zhou Zhuofei cut him off. "Are you really asking me about this? Is it my responsibility?"
Faced with her retort, Xie Ya fell silent.
Zhou Zhuofei had no obligation to tell him anything. He had let the opportunity slip through his fingers.
She didn’t hold back, striking right at his weakness. "You can’t blame Cen Huan for this. You’ve always had her contact information—you just overthought everything and never acted. Now that she’s getting married, you’re not planning to cause trouble, are you?"
"But does she really love him? Cen Huan once said she wouldn’t marry so young, that she didn’t even want to date…"
"Whether she loves him or not has nothing to do with you. That’s between her and her fiancé now."
And where were you all this time?!
Zhou Zhuofei held back that last remark, not wanting to provoke Xie Ya into doing something reckless.
Xie Ya slumped in defeat, unsure of what to do next.
Compared to Ling Yu, he had no advantages. Cen Huan would undoubtedly have a better life with him…
Just then, Xiao Wang returned. The moment he got into the car, he noticed the extra passenger in the back and recognized him immediately. He shot Zhou Zhuofei a questioning look: "This is…?"
Zhou Zhuofei waved a hand, signaling they’d talk later. "Let’s go. Just drop him off somewhere along the way."
When Xie Ya didn’t protest, Xiao Wang took it as silent agreement and started the engine.
After leaving the Ling Family estate, Xiao Wang pulled over near a commercial street. "Will this work? There’s a bus stop and taxis nearby."
"Perfect." Zhou Zhuofei glanced back at Xie Ya. "Alright, we’re off. We’ve got a date, and bringing you along wouldn’t be appropriate."
Xie Ya, though dejected, wasn’t oblivious to her hint. He opened the door to leave but paused to thank her. "Thanks… You helped me again."
"I wasn’t helping you," Zhou Zhuofei said bluntly. "I was helping Xie Lan. That eldest brother of yours—I won’t even bother criticizing him. But at least you’ve got some decency as an older brother. Otherwise, Qiaoqiao would be miserable in the Xie Family."
"The Xie Family…" Xie Ya wanted to say more, but the sight of Xiao Wang and Zhou Zhuofei together made him reconsider.
Never mind. No need to disrupt their lives.
"I’ll go now. I’ll thank you properly another time."
"Go on, then."
Xie Ya turned and walked away, his steps resolute as he disappeared into the crowd.
"Alright…" With that matter finally settled, Zhou Zhuofei exhaled in relief. At least she’d prevented some unnecessary drama.
She turned to Xiao Wang with a smile. "…Let’s go on that date!"
Perhaps the main couple’s story was just beginning, but theirs was no less compelling.
