"Mm..." Zhou Zhuofei hadn't yet figured out what complaint to voice when the other person whispered by her ear, "I love you."
Though the two of them often tossed around the word "like," declarations as formal as "I love you" were rare.
Hearing it, Zhou Zhuofei felt her heart leap violently, the force surging recklessly through her veins, sending shivers down her spine.
This must be what they call the feeling of falling in love.
"You're totally playing dirty," she grumbled for a moment before finally murmuring back, "Alright, fine. I love you too."
She could no longer imagine life without Xiao Wang. If that was the case, then she simply wouldn’t let him leave.
As for everything else—what did it matter? They could figure it out.
—She believed that.
"Alright, let’s go eat. I’ll go heat it up first."
Just as Xiao Wang was about to stand, he felt Zhou Zhuofei tug at the corner of his shirt.
"No."
Looking down, he saw a flush spread across her cheeks like a sky full of sunset, her eyes shimmering with a brilliance even more dazzling than the sun.
Zhou Zhuofei gave him a teasing glance, lips quirking. "You’re not allowed to go."
"Aren’t we having breakfast?"
"Before the main course, we should have some appetizers." The moment she said it, Zhou Zhuofei cringed at her own cheesiness, shuddering involuntarily. Clearly, she wasn’t cut out for sweet talk.
But Xiao Wang was more than happy to oblige. With her permission, he immediately settled back down.
"Then we’ll eat later."
Everything came down to practice making perfect. Even if Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t entirely comfortable with it yet, he was sure that with a little more repetition, the two of them would naturally grow more in sync.
"Hurry up! Ah—you bit me again!"
"Don’t say that word."
"Oho, someone’s being petty..."
By the time Zhou Zhuofei finished showering, Xiao Wang was in the kitchen reheating breakfast. A glass of juice and his work laptop were already set on the dining table.
The screen was still lit. She glanced at it, saw it was a PowerPoint presentation, and quickly averted her gaze.
Loving Xiao Wang was one thing—loving work was absolutely out of the question.
"Why are you still working today?"
"It’s not really work. Just prepping for my business trip next week, skimming through some things."
"That’s next-level dedication," Zhou Zhuofei remarked, impressed. "I watch anime while eating. Who the hell uses PowerPoints as mealtime entertainment?"
Xiao Wang chuckled, carrying the breakfast over. "Just eat already."
"Oh! Is this my favorite fried milk? The crust is perfect—you must be a genius!" Her exaggerated praise made Xiao Wang’s lips curl upward.
More than cooking itself, he loved seeing Zhou Zhuofei’s reactions. No matter how his dishes turned out, she always gave him full emotional support, and her compliments were never repetitive.
Watching her enjoy the food made him feel fulfilled too.
But the thought of his upcoming two-week business trip weighed on him. If he wasn’t around, she’d probably go back to eating instant meals.
Sitting across from her, he pondered how to solve the problem.
The simplest solution was to make a bunch of dishes in advance for her to reheat.
But freshly cooked food always tasted best. Freezing and reheating would affect the flavor, and the bigger issue was that he doubted Zhou Zhuofei would bother.
She wasn’t exactly diligent with chores—clumsy, even—clearly unused to doing them.
If he prepared all that food, she’d eat it, but it’d just become another burden for her.
Solving someone’s problem wasn’t about what you could do, but what they actually needed.
After some thought, Xiao Wang finally came up with an idea.
"What do you think of Brother Cao’s place?"
"You mean the soup place? It’s good! Want to go tonight? My treat!"
"No, I was thinking about your dinners while I’m away next week."
Zhou Zhuofei gave the answer he expected: "Oh, that’s easy. I’ll just grab something downstairs."
The apartment complex had its own commercial area. Most residents here were well-off professionals—it wasn’t like everyone had Xiao Wang’s dedication to cooking.
But his question tipped her off. He was worried she wouldn’t eat well. To reassure him, she said, "Relax, I won’t starve. I’ll cook for myself."
Xiao Wang’s tone was skeptical. "Really?"
Zhou Zhuofei answered honestly, "Of course not. Ugh, don’t worry. I’m not a kid. I survived just fine before you. I’ll grab something quick during the week, and on weekends, I’ll go out for nice meals with Du Yu."
"How about this," Xiao Wang suggested. "I’ll ask Brother Cao to have a few dishes delivered to you daily. Just tell me what you’re craving."
Zhou Zhuofei blinked. "You’d go that far?"
Xiao Wang said seriously, "Otherwise, I’ll worry about whether you’re eating properly."
Without hesitation, she replied, "Your call. Arrange it however you want."
If Xiao Wang didn’t mind the trouble, why should she?
He immediately picked up his phone to contact Brother Cao. Zhou Zhuofei watched his profile, thinking—
When you feel loved, saying "I love you" doesn’t seem so hard anymore.
After breakfast, Zhou Zhuofei dutifully loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. Her old apartment hadn’t had one, but now, living with Xiao Wang, she truly understood how technology improved life.
Though she’d put everything in, she still had to figure out how to start it.
Xiao Wang had been on a call in the living room but noticed Zhou Zhuofei bent over the dishwasher, studying it intently. He walked over to check.
One glance told him the issue. Still talking to Brother Cao, he pointed out which button to press.
Zhou Zhuofei hit the start button, and the machine whirred to life. She gasped in amazement.
"Whoa!!!"
If she’d had this years ago, she wouldn’t have spent four years washing dishes by hand. Why had she even rented that old place back then?
Only now did Zhou Zhuofei remember her original intention.
Hadn’t she moved there to test whether her dream was real—to see if Cen Huan would become her neighbor?
Back then, she’d been young, still curious about the world, willing to go through the hassle for answers.
Now? She couldn’t care less. All she wanted was to curl up with her boyfriend and enjoy a quiet weekend.
"It’s settled. Brother Cao will arrange deliveries for you."
"Got it." Zhou Zhuofei beamed, wrapping her arms around Xiao Wang. "Best boyfriend ever."
"Take care of yourself," he said with a sigh. Even with arrangements made, he still couldn’t shake the worry.
If he wasn’t the one looking after her, if she wasn’t right in front of him—his mind would always wander to the worst.
Wondering if she had eaten breakfast too hastily, if she would feel lonely returning home alone in the evening, and at the same time, he couldn't help but think—what would he do without her?
Hearing that soft sigh, Zhou Zhuofei quickly comforted him. She wrapped her arms around Xiao Wang, her fingers gliding from his shoulders down to his elbows, gently stroking. "Hey! Don’t sigh, don’t sigh. How about I check in with you every day?"
"Mm."
"Or..." Zhou Zhuofei suddenly had an idea. "What if I visit you this weekend? I’ve never been to L City before. Let me look up what fun things there are to do there?"
Xiao Wang was tempted by the suggestion, but after some thought, he declined. "L City is too far. It’d be too much trouble for you to travel back and forth just for the weekend."
"Then don’t sigh like that! It’s only two weeks. Anyway, the days are just work, and we can chat at night. Time will pass quickly."
After Zhou Zhuofei’s reassurances, Xiao Wang’s mood improved. He made her a promise: "Once this business trip is over, I’ll take my annual leave."
"Sounds great! But by the time you’re back, General Manager Ling will be getting married soon, right? Won’t you need to attend?"
"Actually, no. General Manager Ling only invited company executives and business partners..."
Xiao Wang paused. Truthfully, he found Ling Yu’s marriage quite sudden. Though he didn’t know much about Ling Yu’s personal life, he was aware that the man devoted ninety percent of his energy to work, leaving little room for romance.
What’s more, the bride wasn’t some well-matched heiress from a wealthy family but Zhou Zhuofei’s neighbor. Still, it wasn’t his place to question. Ling Yu had given him opportunities when no one else would, so he kept his doubts to himself.
"Do you want to go? Since you know the bride."
"Well, if she were marrying anyone else, I’d definitely go for the fun of it. But now that she’s becoming our boss’s wife, it feels a bit awkward."
Zhou Zhuofei had never considered leveraging this insider knowledge for personal gain. The matter with Xie Huai was a last-resort plan she’d only consider in dire circumstances.
She had always disliked social interactions with ulterior motives, and her attitude toward Cen Huan was no different.
Once you started interacting with someone for a purpose, you stripped away the last shred of sincerity between people.
Cen Huan had a pleasant personality, but the fact that they’d been neighbors for years without growing closer proved their compatibility was superficial at best.
"We’ll see. I’ll ask her when the time comes, but brides are usually too busy on their wedding day to spare much attention for guests."
"You sound quite familiar with weddings?"
"Yeah, I’ve been to a few. Last year, my senior got married, and Du Yu and I were bridesmaids. But in my hometown, there’s a tradition—a woman can only be a bridesmaid three times in her life. I’ve already done it twice, so the last one has to be saved for Du Yu."
"What an unusual custom."
"Right? I find it strange too, but it’s handy for turning down other requests." Zhou Zhuofei laughed. "Guess I should thank our ancestors for that. Though who knows when Du Yu will actually get married..."
Realizing this wasn’t the best topic to dwell on, she quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, have you packed for your trip yet?"
"Not yet."
"Go do it now!" Zhou Zhuofei urged Xiao Wang to start packing. They headed into the bedroom, pulled out a suitcase, and began organizing his things.
Business trips were routine for Xiao Wang, so he packed efficiently. As Zhou Zhuofei folded clothes beside him, she grew bored and asked about the specifics of his work.
"So what exactly are you guys going there for?"
"Huanyu acquired a subsidiary last year. We’re going to assess and integrate their operations."
"Last year’s acquisition?"
Hearing those keywords, Zhou Zhuofei felt a twinge of unease. "Which company?"
"You might not have heard of it—Xinxing Tech."
