The stairwell, though lacking air conditioning, felt even cooler than the office building due to its open vertical space and better air circulation.
Zhou Zhuofei had gotten a bit warm from walking, so she took off her jacket as soon as she entered the office. Now, wearing only a shirt, she shivered slightly in the chilly air.
Xiao Wang asked, "Cold?"
"Not too bad," Zhou Zhuofei replied.
"If you're cold, you should head back," Xiao Wang said, handing her a paper bag. "Go eat your breakfast first."
Was this really all there was to their meet-up?
Zhou Zhuofei took the bag and hugged it to her chest, testing the waters. "So… I’ll go then?"
"Go ahead," he said gently. "It’s not good for your stomach to stay hungry for too long."
"You could’ve at least hugged me," Zhou Zhuofei blurted out after a minute, pouting. "Asking if I’m cold doesn’t help much."
Xiao Wang paused, then laughed, already reaching out to pull her into his arms. "Sorry, I was just thinking the breakfast should be eaten while it’s still warm. Didn’t want the sandwich to get soggy."
Leaning against him, Zhou Zhuofei murmured, "Is the sandwich really that important?"
"Of course you’re more important," he corrected immediately. "But skipping meals isn’t good for you."
"Fine, you have a point," she conceded.
After lingering in his embrace for a moment, she stepped back and crooked a finger at him. "Come here."
Xiao Wang took a few steps forward, puzzled. Zhou Zhuofei measured the height difference—he stood a good ten centimeters taller, so she usually had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his eyes.
She reached out, grabbed the lapel of his suit jacket, and tugged him down. He obliged, bending closer until she could press a quick kiss to his cheek.
The touch of her lips was fleeting. She let go just as swiftly, smoothing out the wrinkles she’d left on his collar and giving it a pat.
Seeing his slightly dazed expression, her mood brightened instantly. Grinning, she said, "That’s your good morning kiss."
Then she turned and dashed off before he could react.
Walking down the street with her breakfast in hand, Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t suppress her smile. Teasing Xiao Wang was surprisingly fun—because he took everything she said so seriously!
Whether she was joking or not, he always responded earnestly, never brushing her off. It was exactly this sincerity that made her want to poke at him, even making unreasonable demands sometimes.
This was the difference between being lovers and just friends. Sure, she could be a little spoiled with Du Yu, but she still had to keep some boundaries.
With Xiao Wang, though, she felt the urge to push limits. Even if she crossed a line, she wasn’t afraid—partly because he gave her endless patience, and partly because they were still figuring each other out. How else would they learn how to be together?
A few steps later, she ran into Zhan Zilang on his way to work. "Morning," she greeted. "You’re not cutting it close today? That’s rare."
He chuckled. "I was gonna snooze for ten more minutes, but I ended up wide awake, so I just got up."
His gaze landed on the paper bag in her hand. "What’s that?"
"Breakfast. You eaten yet?"
"Yeah, at home. Why haven’t you? You’re usually at your desk with a bun by now."
Zhou Zhuofei smirked. "Switching things up today."
"Fair. Even the tastiest stuff gets old if you eat it every day. I’m sick of just watching you eat those buns."
Zhan Zilang rambled on until he reached his desk, only then realizing something odd—why had Zhou Zhuofei come from that direction? And why was she carrying breakfast?
He pondered for a bit but couldn’t make sense of it. A colleague nearby struck up a conversation, and the distraction made him forget about it entirely.
Today’s sandwich was ham, not as bold as yesterday’s tuna with mayo, but the addition of onions, black olives, and pickles gave it a light, layered flavor.
In short—it was delicious too!
After work, she showered Xiao Wang with praise as usual and brought up the topic of going public.
He listened carefully, then nodded. "I get it. With so many people in the office, keeping things quiet is simpler than dealing with gossip."
"Right?" Zhou Zhuofei beamed. She’d known he’d agree!
"But I have one question," Xiao Wang said, turning to look at her intently, as if her reaction mattered greatly.
"Oh? What is it?" She was curious now.
The other person unconsciously slowed their speech and emphasized their tone: "If someone invites me out, can I use the excuse that I already have a girlfriend to turn them down?"
"Of course you can," Zhou Zhuofei answered without hesitation. "Not making it public doesn’t mean pretending to be single."
"I see." A relaxed smile surfaced in Xiao Wang’s eyes, and his tone softened. "Then let’s do it this way—we’ll keep it between us for now."
But something felt off to Zhou Zhuofei. "Wait, no, hold on."
She tugged at Xiao Wang’s sleeve and demanded, "What do you mean by 'using this excuse'?"
Wasn’t it supposed to be the truth?
Oh no, how could she have forgotten? Xiao Wang had always been popular at work. Even though everyone knew he was a staunch bachelor, that didn’t stop someone as outstanding as Chu Qing from showing interest in him.
And Chu Qing was just one she knew about—who knew how many others there were?
Before, when she and Xiao Wang had no connection, seeing him being sought after had seemed perfectly natural. Someone that exceptional would naturally have admirers.
But now, she didn’t feel that way at all. Who would enjoy seeing what was theirs coveted by others?
Zhou Zhuofei accepted her ugly side with complete honesty—her possessiveness was intense.
As a child, she hadn’t allowed anyone to touch her favorite doll. In school, she’d been possessive of her closest friend. And now, these feelings extended to Xiao Wang.
The truth was, growing up could make a person mature, but it didn’t necessarily make them generous.
If she didn’t know, fine. But if she heard something and didn’t get to the bottom of it, she’d definitely lose sleep tonight.
Zhou Zhuofei asked Xiao Wang seriously, "Are you free tonight? If not, come over to my place so we can talk."
Xiao Wang agreed without hesitation. After parking his car, he discreetly sent a message on his phone while Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t looking.
It wasn’t anything urgent. A couple of days ago, his mother had called, asking him to visit when he had time—but she’d also made it clear it wasn’t anything pressing.
Xiao Wang had always felt somewhat resistant to going home.
He was well aware of this contradictory feeling. On one hand, he resisted it—he never stayed long when he did go. Yet every so often, he forced himself to make the trip.
Now that he had a choice, he naturally opted to stay with Zhou Zhuofei. So he sent his mother a quick message: Something came up. I’ll visit another day.
Once inside, the cat—Director—instinctively tried to bolt at the sight of Xiao Wang. But after a few steps, it slowed down, staring intently at him before stopping at the bedroom door.
Zhou Zhuofei laughed. "A few more visits, and you two will be old friends."
Xiao Wang watched Director with interest, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. As Zhou Zhuofei’s boyfriend, how could he not be on good terms with her cat?
He’d read articles explaining that cats were most sensitive to scent, so he stepped forward, hoping to win it over.
But after just a few steps, Director turned and fled, leaving him no chance.
Zhou Zhuofei giggled behind him. "Director’s really skittish. Honestly, the fact that he didn’t hide completely on your second visit is progress."
"I just wanted him to get familiar with my scent."
"You don’t have to be here in person for that." Zhou Zhuofei tilted her head and blinked at him. "He smells you on me every day when I come home, doesn’t he?"
Xiao Wang couldn’t help but smile. No one stirred his heart as easily as Zhou Zhuofei did.
"Then should I try harder?"
"That’s up to you." Zhou Zhuofei pointed to the sofa, signaling for him to sit. "Take a seat first. We need to talk business."
He complied, sitting upright on the sofa, his back barely touching the cushions.
Watching him sit like that looked exhausting. To emphasize the seriousness of their conversation, Zhou Zhuofei deliberately sat apart from him, choosing the single-seater instead.
"Earlier, you mentioned people inviting you out. Does that happen often?"
"Not often often, but occasionally. Though I usually make my stance clear right away," Xiao Wang explained earnestly.
He never used the "I have a girlfriend" excuse to reject anyone. For one, he disliked lying. Secondly, he didn’t believe fabricating a reason would solve the root of the problem—the key was to state his position clearly and maintain boundaries.
As for the question he’d asked Zhou Zhuofei earlier, it was less about discussing solutions and more about testing her reaction.
He’d wanted to know how she would view the situation.
Some...
Just repeating those words in her mind made Zhou Zhuofei’s heart sour with jealousy. But she couldn’t show it, forcing herself to sound composed as she said, "I trust you to handle it. But can I ask what happened with Chu Qing?"
"Of course. Right now, we only interact professionally. She did message me privately, but I told her to keep it work-related." Xiao Wang even unlocked his phone and offered it to her. "Do you want to see the chat logs?"
Zhou Zhuofei waved her hands in a fluster—who checks their partner’s phone the day after they start dating?
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” Xiao Wang’s gaze and tone were utterly sincere. “But since we’re talking about it, it’s better to be clear. I don’t like dragging things out. If something like this comes up, I’d rather resolve it quickly. Delaying helps no one.”
“I know you can handle it.” Zhou Zhuofei sighed. This was Xiao Wang, after all—how could he not handle such things?
In all her years at Huanyu, she’d never heard a single negative rumor about him. That alone proved how careful and meticulous he was.
So what was she really trying to hear from him?
“Then why did you sigh again?”
Without her noticing, Xiao Wang had left his seat and come to her side, naturally taking her hand.
“It’s not about you. I’m sighing at myself.”
It seemed she couldn’t pretend to be magnanimous after all. Even hearing these things made her unhappy.
Today, she was just tormenting herself.
“It’s so hard,” she murmured with another sigh, her eyes drifting helplessly toward Xiao Wang like a lost creature seeking help but too timid to ask outright. Instead, she hooked her fingers around his.
“How can a person ever stop feeling jealous?”
Her voice was soft, but every word resonated deeply in Xiao Wang’s heart, leaving a profound echo.
Struggling to contain the surge of emotion inside him, he replied, “There’s no such thing as a person who never feels jealousy. Everyone has things they care about deeply. There’s no need to force yourself to be that way.”
“I know that logically, but it’s hard not to care.”
Truthfully, after that dream, Zhou Zhuofei had spent a long time wrestling with herself before making peace with the world—accepting that her existence was merely to add color to someone else’s story.
But this time, it seemed even harder than before.
“Then why force yourself to change?” Xiao Wang crouched down, looking up at her. “Your jealousy doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s just a part of you—it’s who you are.”
Zhou Zhuofei lowered her eyes to meet his. “Then… do you still like Zhou Zhuofei, even if she’s full of jealousy?”
Xiao Wang felt as though he’d just heard something even more heart-stirring than a confession.
Countless threads of love entwined into a single sigh, escaping from the depths of his throat.
“I’d like you even more.”
