Xie Ya believed Zhou Zhuofei’s words without question because, in his eyes, Xie Huai was exactly that kind of person.
Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t handle him, and it was only a matter of time before she was exposed. Now, he needed to carefully consider how to deal with the situation.
After Xie Ya left, Zhou Zhuofei instantly felt much more at ease.
The art of redirecting conflict always worked like a charm. She hoped she was overthinking it—that Xie Huai’s involvement was just a minor hiccup.
Unexpectedly, the very next day, Xie Ya knocked on Zhou Zhuofei’s door again.
He looked exhausted. Without a word, he handed her a large, bulging envelope stamped with the logo of a bank.
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t take it. Instead, she asked, “What’s this?”
“There’s a hundred thousand in here,” Xie Ya said, his usually pleasant voice now hoarse and drained.
Zhou Zhuofei grew even more guarded. “Why are you giving me money?”
“It’s not for you. It’s for Huan-jie. If I gave it to her directly, she’d never use it. You hold onto it for her—if she needs anything, take it from this fund. If she doesn’t, then it’s all yours.”
“Huh? Aren’t you afraid I’ll pocket it?”
Xie Ya glanced at her, his usually dazzling eyes dimmed. He replied flatly, “You’re not the type to be greedy for money.”
After yesterday’s events, he realized he understood Zhou Zhuofei less and less. But it didn’t matter—as long as he knew she wasn’t a bad person and was willing to help Cen Huan.
The contradiction now was this: he disliked Zhou Zhuofei’s sharpness and edge, yet he wished Cen Huan could learn from her—at least that way, she wouldn’t be taken advantage of.
“Didn’t expect to hear praise from you,” Zhou Zhuofei mused, rubbing her chin. Suddenly, Xie Ya didn’t seem so detestable. Compared to Zhan Zilang’s friends, his arrogance and aggression were gender-blind—far fairer.
Truly, once you start comparing the worst, standards plummet.
“Just stating facts. I know you doubted me from the start, but I swear I never meant to deceive Huan-jie.”
“I believe that. But I’m not the one involved, so my opinion doesn’t matter. Even if I gave her this money in my name, Cen Huan wouldn’t accept it. You’d be better off finding another way—like buying appliances for her home or helping her pay off her debts.”
There was no way Zhou Zhuofei would take this money. Without proof, who knew what problems might arise later?
“But you don’t need to worry so much. Before you came, didn’t Cen Huan manage just fine?”
“I just want her to have a better life.”
Xie Ya lowered his head. If most of his assets weren’t tied up in illiquid properties and stocks, he would’ve paid off Cen Huan’s debts himself.
Seeing his demeanor and the almost paternal tone, Zhou Zhuofei guessed, “Are you leaving?”
“Mn. I told Huan-jie I’m going back to my hometown. Don’t slip up.”
“And in reality?”
Xie Ya slowly looked up, resolve hardening his voice. “I’m going to find my brother.”
Zhou Zhuofei raised an eyebrow. So Xie Ya had some backbone after all—she’d assumed he’d choose to run.
“Well, good luck then.”
She found the brothers’ dynamic fascinating. One had been gone so long without being noticed, while the other was terrified of his brother yet still sought him out.
In the end, since Zhou Zhuofei refused the money, Xie Ya had no choice but to take the envelope back and rethink his approach.
And once again, Zhou Zhuofei admired her own restraint—she’d just turned down two hundred grand!
On Monday, she used Zhan Zilang’s help as an excuse to step out of the office with him.
Once they were alone, she didn’t hold back—she demanded everything he knew about the Xie family.
Zhan Zilang, already guilt-ridden toward Zhou Zhuofei, was more than willing to spill.
“Their family situation’s pretty straightforward. You could say the Xies officially only have Xie Huai as their child.”
“And unofficially?”
“Well, there’s this one, but there might be more,” Zhan Zilang whispered. “Rumor has it they recently brought home a girl too, but it hasn’t been announced, so I’m not sure.”
“So how’s the brothers’ relationship?”
“Probably not great. Xie Ya was only brought back to the Xie family a couple of years ago. He and his brother have a big age gap—they don’t hang out. Plus, his older brother’s… well…”
Zhan Zilang trailed off, leaving Zhou Zhuofei to read between the lines.
“So you knew he was singing at New World?”
“Not at all! I only realized when we went to the bar that night. I didn’t recognize him at first—who’d expect him to skip college to sing, let alone dye his hair red?”
For all his rebelliousness, even he wouldn’t test his parents’ patience with flashy hair colors.
“I don’t get it. I really don’t get you people.” Zhou Zhuofei grew more confused the more she heard. Clearly, this wasn’t something she should’ve gotten involved in.
Zhan Zilang chuckled. “Relax, Zhou-jie. Just treat it like a story—it won’t affect you.”
To him, Xie Ya’s antics were trivial—no major fallout, just a scolding at worst.
“I hope so,” Zhou Zhuofei muttered under her breath.
“Huh? What was that?”
After a pause, she decided to tell Zhan Zilang about her encounter with Xie Huai. “I ran into Xie Huai again on my way back.”
“Oh? And then?”
After hearing her account, Zhan Zilang scratched his head. Truthfully, he hadn’t interacted much with Xie Huai either.
Xie Huai and Ling Yu belonged to the same generation, while their group was younger. By the time they were still fooling around in school, those two were already handling family business.
“Maybe Xie Huai-ge thinks you’re with us and wanted to pry for information?”
“That’s what I thought at first. But I already referred Jiang Shen to him, so something still feels off.”
“Don’t worry,” Zhan Zilang reassured her. “If he really presses you, just shift the blame to me. Say I told you to do it.”
The problem is, little brother, I doubt you can handle that kind of heat!
Zhou Zhuofei hesitated but ultimately kept quiet about already knowing Xie Ya. She’d wait and see how things played out first.
She made Zhan Zilang promise to update her on any Xie family news.
Curious, he asked, “Zhou-jie, why are you so interested in the Xies?”
“Didn’t you say to treat it like a story? Well, stories need endings. I want to know—after causing such a mess, what’s really going to happen to him?”
“Probably shipped off to some boarding school. Or maybe the family will arrange some half-baked degree for him. Who knows?”
Zhou Zhuofei listened while shaking her head—so her approach had been correct after all. It was pointless to dwell on people’s issues; handling the matter properly was what truly mattered.
“By the way, the birthday party is coming up soon. Are you ready?”
“Of course!” Zhan Zilang replied with full confidence. “I’m all set and raring to go.”
Du Yu’s birthday party was scheduled for Wednesday. She had even gone out of her way to remind Zhou Zhuofei to be nicer to Han Chubin at the start and not immediately come at him with hostility.
Zhou Zhuofei’s response? “Don’t worry, I get it. Even prisoners on death row get a last meal. I’ll treat him well.”
Since she knew the birthday party wasn’t really about celebrating, Zhou Zhuofei didn’t put much effort into preparing. She picked out a casual cosplay outfit—a deep purple wig to match, along with a pair of non-prescription glasses. Her makeup wasn’t too exaggerated, so wearing it out didn’t look too out of place.
After changing into her costume after work, she took a cab to the Xintiandi Hotel.
On the way, she was still chatting with Zhan Zilang, who stubbornly refused to reveal what character he was cosplaying, insisting she’d have to see for herself when she arrived.
When Zhou Zhuofei entered the designated banquet hall, she was taken aback by how elaborately it was decorated—just like a proper event. There was a stage, an LED screen, round tables set with fruit and desserts, and even two cameras set up in the back, with professionals adjusting the equipment.
This is way too extravagant!
Just as she was still processing it all, someone tapped her shoulder.
She turned to see a man in a hooded outfit, perfectly resembling the protagonist of a certain assassin game. Though his face was obscured, his height and build were unmistakably similar to Zhan Zilang’s.
Assuming it was him, she teased, “So this is the surprise you mentioned?”
But the voice that came from under the hood was entirely unexpected: “When did I ever say that?”
Zhou Zhuofei froze for a second before realizing—it was Jiang Shen!
“Jiang Shen?” she tentatively called his name.
He pulled back the hood, revealing his familiar face, still wearing that same easygoing smile. “Should I thank you for bringing me business, or should I be annoyed that you brought me this business?”
It didn’t surprise Zhou Zhuofei that Jiang Shen knew about her connection to Du Yu. Even though she and Du Yu had discussed it, their conversations couldn’t have completely excluded her—after all, she was one of the key figures involved.
Clearly, Jiang Shen was joking. He was the one who proposed the plan and offered the discount, making it obvious that he was more interested in the spectacle than the profit.
So she replied, “Depends on whether you want money or entertainment.”
Jiang Shen’s grin widened at that.
“Where’s Du Yu?”
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t know the event’s specific schedule. Du Yu had only told her to show up, and even now, she hadn’t seen her yet.
“She’s still getting ready.”
“So what exactly are you guys planning?”
Jiang Shen looked surprised. “Your friend didn’t tell you?”
“Nope. She just said to come and watch the show.”
“In that case, I shouldn’t spoil the surprise.”
Zhou Zhuofei rolled her eyes. “You call this a surprise?”
As they spoke, she suddenly noticed Han Chubin walking straight toward her.
He was dressed as a currently trending anime character, and with his looks and physique, he did pull it off well.
But the moment she saw him, she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Remembering Du Yu’s request, she forced herself to hold back, turning her head away to compose herself.
Jiang Shen, noticing her reaction, glanced back and immediately understood when he spotted Han Chubin. Turning back to Zhou Zhuofei, he found her barely concealed irritation utterly amusing.
Before Han Chubin could reach them, Jiang Shen smoothly intercepted him. “Ah, Mr. Han, there are a few details I need to confirm with you…”
Since the birthday party was technically funded by Han Chubin, Jiang Shen had been reporting to him throughout the planning process. Now, Han Chubin had no chance to refuse before Jiang Shen whisked him away.
Zhou Zhuofei stared in disbelief as the two walked off. Jiang Shen, as if sensing her gaze, raised a hand and waved without even turning around.
Even though Xiao Wang had warned her to keep her distance from Jiang Shen, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike the man. He was sharp, resourceful, and capable—even if he didn’t inherit his family’s wealth, he could’ve thrived as a private detective.
Definitely someone with real talent.
Soon, Zhan Zilang arrived, dressed as the protagonist of a popular tokusatsu series. His high-quality costume and impressive build made him an instant hit, with guests flocking to take photos with him.
Zhou Zhuofei waited on the sidelines until she finally got a chance to talk to him.
“You really went all out today,” she said, reaching out to touch his costume. It couldn’t have been easy to assemble on short notice.
“Told you it’d be different!” Zhan Zilang’s voice, muffled by his helmet, came out with a metallic echo, as if layered with reverb.
“Your outfit’s pretty spot-on too, Zhou-jie. Really captures the character.”
Zhou Zhuofei adjusted her slipping glasses and recited one of the character’s iconic lines.
Zhan Zilang exclaimed how cool it was, and after chatting for a bit, he eagerly asked, “So, which one’s your friend’s boyfriend?”
Zhou Zhuofei pointed out Han Chubin in the distance. Zhan Zilang squinted for a long moment before delivering a critical verdict: “I was expecting something special. He’s just… meh.”
To be fair, Han Chubin wasn’t bad by ordinary standards—but compared to Zhan Zilang, he fell short. So it wasn’t entirely malicious.
It suddenly struck Zhou Zhuofei that she’d been surrounded by an unusually high concentration of attractive men lately.
Whether it was Zhan Zilang, Xie Ya, or Xie Huai, they all had top-tier looks and physiques—not to mention their social status or financial standing.
“Of course you’d find him lacking, but objectively speaking, his qualifications are actually pretty good. Even impressive, by normal standards.”
“Zhou-jie, your standards shouldn’t be that low,” Zhan Zilang said earnestly. “You’re smart, capable, and gorgeous—you deserve way better.”
Zhou Zhuofei waved him off. “Stop flattering me. I know exactly where I stand.”
In the past, such compliments might’ve pleased her, but now they were just amusing. She’d met enough exceptional people to have a clear sense of her own position.
In a few years, if she still hadn’t shown interest in dating, her parents would probably start pushing her into arranged meetings. But that was a problem for future Zhou Zhuofei—she wasn’t thinking that far ahead yet.
“Zhou-jie, why don’t you believe me? I mean every word.”
"Alright, alright." Zhou Zhuofei casually patted Zhan Zilang's arm, speaking to him as if coaxing a child. "Thank you for your high regard—I’m truly touched."
Zhan Zilang: Could you be any more half-hearted in your response?
Still, the tight and stuffy outfit was unbearably uncomfortable, and he didn’t have the energy to say much more. He just hoped the event would start soon so he could enjoy the show.
Before the birthday banquet officially began, Du Yu remained out of sight—part of the planned proceedings.
Guests trickled in one after another. Most of those Du Yu had invited were friends currently active in the comic convention industry or related circles, so Zhou Zhuofei didn’t recognize many people. She ended up seated at the same table as Du Yu’s colleagues.
They’d met before, so it wasn’t entirely awkward.
Zhou Zhuofei noticed that Han Chubin and his friends had been deliberately placed at the seats closest to the stage—in other words, the farthest from the entrance.
Throughout this, Han Chubin kept glancing her way, but Zhou Zhuofei brushed him off each time, plastering on a fake smile while inwardly cursing.
She told herself: Just endure one more second, and you’ll be free for life.
As the banquet was about to begin, Jiang Shen took the microphone on stage and announced, "The event will start in two minutes. Please return to your seats—the cameraman will be recording the entire proceedings."
The lights in the hall gradually dimmed, and the towering double doors of the banquet hall, reaching two stories high, slowly closed.
Zhou Zhuofei glanced at Han Chubin, who was still laughing with his friends, then noticed two burly waiters standing by the entrance—ones she hadn’t seen there before.
Was this… a case of locking the door to catch the thief?