"You..."
Xie Ya was so furious he couldn’t speak. He had known Zhou Zhuofei would become his biggest headache.
The customers he encountered at the bar, though difficult, were usually manageable—even handled with ease.
He understood exactly what each of them wanted. Some were drawn to his looks, others to vanity, relishing the idea of conquering someone others couldn’t.
But Zhou Zhuofei was different. She was utterly unyielding, leaving him no room to maneuver.
Worse, she would occasionally drop remarks that stirred up trouble, making him feel as though she had already seen through his act but was choosing to wait and watch.
It was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
Xie Ya knew that if he didn’t handle Zhou Zhuofei properly, his cover would be blown sooner or later. She might even call Cen Huan on a whim.
But if she was just after money, things would be much simpler.
Forcing calm into his voice, Xie Ya said, "You don’t know my brother. He’s not the type to be blackmailed, so you won’t get a single cent from him. Be practical—take what you can from me instead."
Zhou Zhuofei only seemed more amused. "What if I’m not after money?"
Twenty thousand wasn’t a small sum to her, but giving it up for some fun was far more entertaining.
Xie Ya took a deep breath. The commotion outside was growing louder—he could even hear Zhan Zilang deliberately raising his voice to warn him.
"Brother Huai, you must be mistaken. Xie Ya is studying in City A, isn’t he?"
"Yeah, I even saw him there last time I visited."
Gritting his teeth, Xie Ya turned back to Zhou Zhuofei. "A hundred thousand."
Her expression flickered. As expected, every problem was just a matter of price. Part of him found it ridiculous, but another part was relieved it worked.
Just as he thought he had convinced her, she tapped her forehead and said, "Here’s the thing—I’d love to take the money, but I can’t lie against my conscience."
Xie Ya leaned against the door, hearing footsteps draw closer.
Through clenched teeth, he demanded, "Then what do you want?"
"If you’re asking for a favor, at least show the right attitude," Zhou Zhuofei said, spreading her hands. "But since you’re so against begging, I’ll give you a neighborly tip—help yourself."
She pointed at the window. "Jump."
Xie Ya stared at her in disbelief before his expression twisted into fury.
"Don’t look at me like that. I’m not telling you to die. There’s a ledge out there—you can climb down."
She had noticed it earlier while wandering around. The platform outside the window was easy to scale, and she’d even mused about how it could be a burglar’s dream.
Then again, she realized her worry was laughable. Mansions like this didn’t need bars on the windows—security was tight enough to keep intruders from even breaching the outer walls.
But no matter. Now it could help Xie Ya escape.
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t like him, but since she wasn’t sure what was going on, she wouldn’t interfere. If he could flee, good for him. If not, well—that was fate.
As for the 100,000 yuan, claiming she wasn’t tempted would be a lie—but it wasn’t enough to make her lose her rationality.
If the other party transferred a million to her right now, she wouldn’t hesitate for a second. She’d even carry Xie Ya downstairs without complaint.
Xie Ya had no way out. Stepping outside would mean certain death, and dragging things out with Zhou Zhuofei seemed futile. Time was running out for him.
After a moment of quick thinking, he dashed to the window and confirmed what Zhou Zhuofei had said earlier.
The feeling was like finding a lifeline in the direst moment.
Now, he truly couldn’t figure out what Zhou Zhuofei was after. She could’ve taken the money and done the job, yet she refused—only to turn around and offer him information.
Xie Ya turned back, giving Zhou Zhuofei a complicated look.
Just as he was about to speak, a sudden knock at the door left him no room for delay. Reacting instinctively, he vaulted over the windowsill with a swift push of his hands, landing steadily on the platform outside with a heavy thud.
The knocking stopped abruptly, followed by Zhan Zilang’s concerned voice: "Zhou Jie, are you okay?"
Only then did Zhou Zhuofei slowly rise and walk to open the door.
Outside stood a crowd, but one unfamiliar face stood out among them.
The man at the forefront was tall, dressed in a sharp black suit. His features bore a five or six out of ten resemblance to Xie Ya’s, though his demeanor was more rugged, even stern. He carried an air of familiarity—much like Ling Yu.
Was this Xie Ya’s brother?
Zhou Zhuofei’s thoughts raced, quickly piecing together the truth. So Xie Ya wasn’t poor after all. That story about dropping out to repay debts? Probably all lies.
As she pondered, Xie Huai studied the woman before him.
He and Zhan Zilang weren’t close in age and rarely interacted, but he had a general idea of the backgrounds of the kids in their little circle.
The woman in front of him wore light makeup and professional attire, exuding a strong corporate vibe—nothing like someone raised in wealth.
At first glance, she seemed unremarkable, yet something about her felt distinctly different, compelling him to look twice.
Behind Xie Huai, Zhan Zilang seized the moment to ask, "Zhou Jie, what happened just now?"
He shot Zhou Zhuofei a meaningful look as he spoke.
Though he hadn’t had the chance to warn her, he trusted Zhou Zhuofei’s sharp mind to craft the right response.
"Nothing, just tripped over something," Zhou Zhuofei replied, feigning discomfort as she rubbed her knee.
Finally, the man who was likely Xie Ya’s brother spoke. His voice was deep and smooth, reminiscent of fine red wine. Though his words sounded like a request, his tone carried the weight of a command.
"Apologies for the intrusion. I’d like to come in and take a look—if that’s alright?"
Zhou Zhuofei was long immune to this kind of tone. Every mid-level manager at her company loved putting on the same pretentious act.
The only difference was that this man’s presence was far more imposing, his voice far more captivating—no surprise they were brothers.
Her first instinct was to glance at Zhan Zilang. This wasn’t her room; she had no say in the matter.
When Zhan Zilang gave her a subtle nod, she stepped aside without hesitation, pulling the door wide open.
The man strode in unhurriedly. The others stayed put outside, suddenly hushed and tense, a stark contrast to their earlier clamor.
Zhou Zhuofei leaned closer to Zhan Zilang and whispered, "Who is that?"
The other person replied, "Xie Huai."
"Xie Huai..." Zhou Zhuofei repeated the name, though it clearly meant nothing to her. After a pause, she added, "Could you tell me a bit more about him?"
"Well..." Zhan Zilang wasn't sure how to explain. Among their circle, Xie Huai was a prominent figure—everyone knew his name, even if they hadn't met him in person. So, he couldn’t immediately think of a good way to describe him.
Especially under these circumstances, he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Right now, he was far more worried about something else: Had Xie Ya been discovered?
He wanted to ask Zhou Zhuofei, but he feared Xie Huai might overhear, so he forced himself to stay silent.
Xie Huai scanned the room. Aside from display cabinets, there were numerous life-sized statues and shelves—plenty of places to hide someone. Searching every nook would be both undignified and disrespectful to the Zhan family.
So, he only gave a cursory glance before stepping back.
Turning to Zhou Zhuofei, he said, "Apologies for the disturbance. How should I address you?"
Clearly, someone with work experience knew better manners. Compared to Xie Ya, Xie Huai carried the same arrogance in his tone, but it came across far more polished.
Zhou Zhuofei replied politely, "My surname is Zhou."
"My apologies, Miss Zhou. I’m Xie."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xie. I’ve heard much about you."
She delivered the pleasantries without batting an eye, even though she’d only learned his name two minutes ago.
But Xie Huai saw right through it.
He had heard their entire exchange—how she’d just asked who Xie Huai was, only to now act as though she knew him well.
Most people would come across as calculating or insincere in such a situation, but she somehow didn’t provoke his disdain.
Perhaps it was her demeanor—clear-eyed but not naive, a faint smile on her lips, her tone neither submissive nor overbearing, devoid of any hint of flattery.
This only confirmed Xie Huai’s suspicion: she truly knew nothing about him.
Zhan Zilang, sensing the tension, quickly intervened. "Brother Huai, like I said, Xie Ya definitely isn’t here. I didn’t even know he was back. Don’t worry—if I see him, I’ll let you know. No, scratch that, I’ll personally escort him back."
The others chimed in, all united in one goal: getting Xie Huai to leave as soon as possible.
Their little act didn’t fool Xie Huai. Unfazed, he replied, "Since I’m already here, I might as well pay my respects to the old master."
Zhan Zilang could only force a smile and oblige. "Then let me accompany you."
When Zhou Zhuofei first arrived, Zhan Zilang had mentioned that his parents were rarely home, and his grandfather lived alone in a smaller building behind the mansion.
With the matter seemingly resolved, Zhou Zhuofei decided to return to her game. Given the circumstances, Zhan Zilang probably wouldn’t be free for a while.
Just as Xie Huai passed by her, she suddenly felt something off. Glancing up, she found him studying her—his dark eyes unreadable, his gaze stirring an instinctive discomfort in her.
She chose not to react, quickly stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.
It seemed she had underestimated the situation. His politeness might have been nothing more than a facade.
Though many people act this way, most at least try to put on a better facade—but this person just...
So who exactly is this guy anyway?
After sitting down, Zhou Zhuofei didn’t immediately resume her game. Instead, she pulled out her phone and typed Xie Huai’s name into the search engine.
The results instantly flooded her screen.
Zhou Zhuofei skimmed through a few authoritative sources and learned that Xie Huai was the CEO of Shirui Group, as well as a representative of a certain business association, an honorary advisor for a charity organization, and so on...
In short: an untouchably wealthy man.
But none of these written descriptions were as straightforward as Zhan Zilang’s attitude. If even this group of people couldn’t afford to offend him, then he must be someone even more formidable.
With such a powerful family background, how had Xie Ya ended up crashing on Cen Huan’s couch for over a week?
Zhou Zhuofei entered Xie Ya’s name into the search engine, but strangely, nothing came up. She went back to Xie Huai’s search results and found a news article clearly stating that Xie Huai was the only child in his family—and that his father was also an only child. So where did this "brother" Xie Ya come from?
She couldn’t help but recall the melodramatic rich-family feuds she used to love watching, full of secret heirs, illegitimate children, and swapped identities. Could real life really be this dramatic?
Seemed like she’d have to ask Zhan Zilang about it later.
Zhou Zhuofei set her phone aside and returned to her game. Once immersed, she easily lost track of time. At one point, Zhan Zilang came back and, seeing her happily playing alone, mentioned he had some errands to run before leaving again.
By the time she finished a chapter, over two hours had passed. There was no way she’d finish today. It was already close to four, and if she stayed any longer, the host might insist she stay for dinner.
So she started packing up to leave, sending Zhan Zilang a message to ask if she could borrow the game disc.
While waiting for a reply, she heard movement outside the door and assumed it was Zhan Zilang returning, so she went to open it.
But the noise came from a housekeeper cleaning nearby. The woman greeted her politely.
"Hello, miss. Do you need anything?"
"I was wondering where Zhan Zilang is."
"Mr. Zhan is with friends in that room." The housekeeper pointed toward the one at the end of the hallway, then added helpfully, "Would you like me to pass along a message?"
"No need, I’ll go ask him myself."
Zhou Zhuofei thanked her, grabbed her things, and headed down the hallway.
Even from several meters away, she could hear laughter and chatter spilling out of the room—sounds of a lively conversation, likely about mutual acquaintances.
Before she reached the door, someone inside called out Zhan Zilang’s name.
"What’s wrong with you? Everyone’s talking, and you’re just glued to your phone!"
"Hold on, I’ll put it away after sending this message."
"Oho, what’s so important it can’t wait?"
"Yeah, yeah, whose message is worth ignoring us? You’d better explain."
"It’s just Zhou Zhuofei."
Hearing her own name abruptly, Zhou Zhuofei instinctively froze.
"She’s really your boss?"
"Yeah, she was the one who trained me when I joined the company."
"Then you’d better stay on her good side. But you’ve never been great with girls—you should learn a thing or two from Yang."
Another male voice chimed in, "Isn’t it obvious? Yang’s the best at picking up girls. Let him win over your ‘Miss Zhou,’ and then you can do whatever you want at work, right?"
"Pass. I don’t mess with decent people—too much trouble."
"But professional attire really does hit different when worn by someone who actually works in an office..."
Zhan Zilang, seeing his friends getting increasingly out of line, finished replying to his messages and cut them off.
"Enough. The way you’re talking is really disrespectful, you know?"
Truth be told, he’d long been bothered by this behavior from his friends. He’d brought it up a few times, but compared to the others, his refusal to engage in teasing or bragging made him the odd one out.
His friends knew he disliked it, so they usually avoided such talk around him. Occasionally, a few remarks slipped out, and he’d let them slide.
But today, the target of their jokes was someone he knew well, and his discomfort amplified tenfold. He couldn’t stand another word of it.
Seeing he was genuinely upset, his friends quickly toned it down.
Yet Zhan Zilang only felt a wave of helplessness. He knew the others didn’t see their casual teasing as a problem—they were just holding back because he didn’t like it.
But these were his childhood friends. Aside from this, they’d always had his back. Years of camaraderie couldn’t be shaken by such a minor issue.
With a sigh, he picked up his phone to ask the butler to arrange a car for Miss Zhou. But after a brief exchange, he was told Zhou Zhuofei had already left.
"When did she leave?"
"Just two minutes ago. She walked out the front gate."
"Why didn’t you send a car for her?"
"Miss Zhou insisted. She said she’d already mentioned it to you."
A flicker of confusion crossed Zhan Zilang’s mind—when had Zhou Zhuofei told him?
Just then, his phone buzzed. After ending the call, he saw a waving emoji from Zhou Zhuofei.
Zhan Zilang immediately asked why she hadn’t taken the car.
Her reply came through:
[Felt a bit grossed out. Needed some air.]
