Zhou Zhuofei was awakened by a throbbing headache.
At first, she thought it was just the inevitable punishment of a hangover—after all, her friend Du Yu had warned her the day before that drinking too much would lead to a headache.
But her emotions had overpowered reason. Was there anything more frustrating than running into an ex-boyfriend?
Well, yes—realizing that said ex, who had been utterly insufferable during their relationship, was now living his best life.
To make matters worse, they had crossed paths in a professional setting, forcing Zhou Zhuofei to suppress her irritation until the work event ended. Only then could she finally "lose it" in the privacy of her hotel room.
Unfortunately, her options for venting were limited, so she resorted to the cheapest yet most self-destructive method—drinking.
What else could a broke office worker do? She had nothing but her life to spare, so she might as well throw caution to the wind.
Now, Zhou Zhuofei felt like death warmed over—her head pounding, her throat parched and scratchy, and her entire body aching, especially her back.
Wait, that didn’t make sense. She’d only gotten drunk, not tumbled down a hill. Why did her back hurt so much?
She struggled to sit up, desperate for water, but as soon as she moved, the blanket slipped off, and a chilly draft hit her skin.
Something felt… off.
Zhou Zhuofei instinctively looked down and froze. She was completely naked, her skin littered with red marks from her collarbone to her chest.
Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. Wh-what the hell was this?!
Though she lacked firsthand experience, she was still an adult. There was no way she could mistake these for scratches she’d given herself.
So… had she actually slept with someone last night?
Hold on—wasn’t the bigger question who that someone was?
The bed was empty now, but the pillow beside hers bore clear signs of having been used.
Zhou Zhuofei quickly scanned the room. Due to work arrangements, the company had booked this hotel for employees, and she’d been staying here for days. Her personal belongings were scattered across the desk and sofa.
But there was nothing else—no trace of anyone else.
A cold sweat broke out down her back. A one-night stand was bad enough, but not knowing who it was with? That was downright terrifying.
Of course, terrible things always came in waves.
Still, it wasn’t impossible to figure out. The hotel was a partner venue for their company, and the hallways had surveillance cameras. All she had to do was check the footage to identify the mystery person.
Just as Zhou Zhuofei was weighing her next move, the doorbell rang. She grabbed a robe, wrapped herself in it, and shuffled toward the door—only for her legs to nearly give out the moment she stood.
Seriously?! She was that useless right now?!
Leaning against the wall for support, she hobbled to the door and peeked through the peephole.
It was Xiao Wang, the company’s executive secretary—though Zhou Zhuofei preferred to call him "Secretary Xiao."
But why was he here now?
The strategy summit had ended yesterday. Only administrative staff handling follow-ups were still at the hotel—far outside Secretary Xiao’s responsibilities.
Unless…
A wild suspicion flared in Zhou Zhuofei’s mind, but reason swiftly dismissed it as absurd.
She and Xiao Wang weren’t particularly close, but they had a good working relationship. As a senior colleague, he’d always been kind to her, and she respected him in return.
Even entertaining such thoughts felt disrespectful.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and opened the door with a forced smile. "Secretary Xiao, what brings you here?"
He seemed slightly taken aback. After a brief pause, he lifted a plastic bag. "This is for you."
"Uh… thanks."
He’d come all this way just to deliver something? That was… weird.
Suppressing her unease, Zhou Zhuofei took the bag. It was suspiciously light—what could possibly be inside?
Xiao Wang cleared his throat. "You should take it soon."
Her confusion mounting, she peeked into the bag without hesitation.
Inside were two boxes—hangover pills and emergency contraception.
The moment she registered what they were, her brain short-circuited.
So… last night… it was him?
Fragments of memory flickered to life like embers reigniting.
She recalled bits and pieces now.
She’d been drunk out of her mind, and Du Yu, fed up with her antics, had told her to go to bed.
Zhou Zhuofei had hung up—only to accidentally call Xiao Wang instead. By the time she noticed, the call had already been connected for over two minutes.
She’d hung up in a panic, but for some reason, Xiao Wang hadn’t let it go. Assuming something was wrong, he’d come to check on her.
And then… things had spiraled out of control.
Zhou Zhuofei wanted to bang her head against the wall. God, even hiring a male escort would’ve been less messy than a one-night stand with a coworker!
"About last night…" Xiao Wang spoke up when she remained silent, his tone awkward. "I used protection, but it’s better to be safe."
"Okay, got it!" Zhou Zhuofei cut him off, unable to bear hearing another word.
She nearly slammed the door in his face but stopped herself. They needed to talk this through. Reluctantly, she stepped aside. "Come in."
Xiao Wang hesitated for a second before nodding. "Alright."
Once inside, Zhou Zhuofei’s first priority was water to take the pill. She tore open the packaging, skimmed the instructions, and turned to search for a bottle—only for Xiao Wang to hand her one.
"Thanks." She swallowed the pill hastily, but her headache persisted, forcing her to sit down.
Xiao Wang watched her for a moment before offering, "I can drive you home later."
"No need," she replied reflexively. "I’ll just call a cab."
He looked like he wanted to say more but held back. He could tell she was uncomfortable—and he understood why.
This was ultimately his fault. If he’d just refused last night, they wouldn’t be in this awkward situation.
But dwelling on the past was pointless. The real question was how to handle things now.
"Then… should I call a car for you?"
"No, I’ll ask the front desk later."
The less contact with Xiao Wang right now, the better.
Zhou Zhuofei sipped her water, buying time to figure out what to say next.
This was, at its core, just a terrible accident. If she hadn’t drunkenly called the wrong person, Xiao Wang wouldn’t have shown up.
They were both at fault. She couldn’t pin everything on him.
"Secretary Xiao, I was in a bad mood yesterday, so I drank too much…" She trailed off, embarrassed, but forced herself to continue. "I know," Xiao Wang said calmly. "You mentioned running into your ex."
Zhou Zhuofei slapped herself in regret—why did she have to blurt out everything?
"You don’t need to suppress your feelings so much. This situation wasn’t your fault to begin with. It’s completely reasonable for you to be angry or furious. You shouldn’t hold yourself to such high standards."
Originally, Xiao Wang should have turned around and left the moment he saw Zhou Zhuofei drunk out of her mind last night. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Because he saw her crying.
Having known each other for years, Xiao Wang had always seen Zhou Zhuofei as someone bright, optimistic, and full of life. There were even times when he admired her carefree attitude and tried to learn from her.
He had assumed that someone like her wouldn’t have any real troubles. Clearly, he’d been very wrong.
Between sobs and curses, Zhou Zhuofei vented her emotions, and Xiao Wang patiently listened to it all, piecing together a few key points from her incoherent rambling.
First, Zhou Zhuofei had a terrible ex.
Second, they had just crossed paths recently, and the ex was now doing well—married with children—which left Zhou Zhuofei feeling deeply resentful.
In fact, Xiao Wang suspected this had become a lingering wound for her, perhaps even the reason she chose to stay single.
That part was something they had in common.
Though in his case, his aversion to marriage stemmed from an awkward upbringing.
What truly struck Xiao Wang, however, was when Zhou Zhuofei sighed after her outburst and said, "Maybe no one in this world will ever love me."
He immediately disagreed. "That’s not true. Someone will love you."
But instead of calming her, his words seemed to break her further. She burst into tears again. "Xiao Wang, you don’t understand. There isn’t a single person in this world who loves me."
And the truth was, he didn’t understand. Some part of him even agreed with her.
Love was the rarest luxury in this world.
But living with that belief—how could anyone ever be happy?
Xiao Wang didn’t want Zhou Zhuofei to end up like him. She was still young, full of passion for life. Even without love, she would keep living earnestly.
At the same time, he caught a glimpse of a side of her he’d never seen before—one far removed from her usual self.
She could complain, she could drown in negativity, yet she never lost her kindness.
No matter how much she criticized her ex, she never took it out on others or sought revenge.
But kind people often suffered because of their own high moral standards, and Zhou Zhuofei was no exception.
She was in pain, bottling everything up, even feeling guilty for having dark thoughts.
In that moment, Xiao Wang felt a pang of envy—for her crystal-clear soul, so pure and untainted.
He didn’t remember how it started between them.
Maybe it was when Zhou Zhuofei drunkenly lamented that she might die without ever having her first kiss.
Xiao Wang tried to comfort her. "It’s not a big deal. Mine’s still intact too."
Her alcohol-glazed eyes suddenly lit up, as if she’d just heard the most astonishing news. She leaned in like an eager little hamster.
"Then… wanna trade?"
"What?" Before Xiao Wang could process her meaning, her lips were already pressed against his.
He belatedly realized what she meant by "trade."
He tried to push her away, but his hands barely exerted any force.
Her body was so soft—nothing like the documents he handled daily or the gym equipment he trained with. The moment his fingertips brushed against her, they curled instinctively.
This was… not good.
Zhou Zhuofei only kissed him more deeply, eventually burrowing into his arms.
He tasted alcohol on her lips, along with something sweet—maybe the mixer from her drink, or something else entirely. By then, Xiao Wang was too far gone to tell.
She was drunk. He wasn’t.
Afterward, Xiao Wang was consumed by guilt, convinced he’d taken advantage of her.
So today, he came prepared to face any consequences.
He was willing to do whatever she asked, if it could make things right.
But he never expected her to brush it off as if nothing happened. Logically, this was the best outcome—yet he couldn’t shake the unease in his chest.
Because he knew: Zhou Zhuofei was shouldering it all alone again, just like with her ex.
On the surface, she acted like it didn’t matter. But inside, she was torturing herself.
"Just like with this," Xiao Wang said firmly, "you have every right to be angry. I’m the one who messed up. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you."
Seeing him so forthright, Zhou Zhuofei grew flustered. "No, no, Xiao Wang, don’t blame yourself like that. I was part of it too—not some victim. Think of it as just…"
She gestured awkwardly. "A little detour? Honestly, I barely remember what happened yesterday, so it’s no big deal."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wang studied her for a moment before replying, "We traded first kisses."
Stop reminding her!
Zhou Zhuofei nearly shrieked. His words brought back more fragments of memory.
She forced a laugh. "See? Fair exchange, no regrets. And technically, I started it."
Xiao Wang repeated her words back to her. They were the same, yet somehow, hearing them again felt entirely different.
So she felt guilty because she initiated it?
Lost in thought, Xiao Wang noticed Zhou Zhuofei’s ears turning red.
She really was easy to fluster. Last night, too—just a few light kisses, and her ears and cheeks had flushed like boiled shrimp.
So he stepped forward, cupped her face, and leaned in.
Just as she had done to him, he kissed her.
"Now you don’t have to feel guilty. Because this time, I started it."
Zhou Zhuofei’s eyes widened in shock, her tongue darting out unconsciously to wet her lips.
Xiao Wang’s gaze lingered there. Having tasted them once, he knew exactly how sweet they were.
When she didn’t react, he took another tentative step closer.
"Why aren’t you pulling away?"
Zhou Zhuofei feigned composure. "One for one, right? I went first, so it’s only fair you get your turn. Though, uh, I just woke up and haven’t brushed my teeth yet."
Xiao Wang couldn’t help but laugh. The Zhou Zhuofei he knew was back—more adorable than ever.
Somehow, everything felt different now.
He smoothed her sleep-mussed hair, then lightly thumbed her reddened earlobe.
"Someone will love you. Because you deserve it."
