Seeing her premonition come true, Zhou Zhuofei could only sigh inwardly—how could it be such a coincidence?
Xiao Wang asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied. After a brief moment of consideration, she decided it wasn’t necessary to bring it up. After all, she had already moved on. "I just vaguely remember hearing about it at the strategy summit," she added.
As soon as the words left her lips, she felt Xiao Wang’s fingers gently tracing her furrowed brow. "Then why are you frowning?"
A wave of bitterness surged within her. Without a word, Zhou Zhuofei stepped forward and buried her face against his chest.
Though Xiao Wang didn’t understand the reason, he immediately sensed her sudden shift in mood. Instead of pressing for answers, he simply held her close, his touch tender as he stroked her hair.
Only when Zhou Zhuofei finally spoke again did he listen attentively. "You might run into someone named Wang Zicheng at that company."
Xiao Wang hummed softly, encouraging her to continue.
"Honestly, it’s not a big deal. He’s just my ex-boyfriend, and I really dislike him. That’s all."
The moment she finished, Zhou Zhuofei lifted her head to look at Xiao Wang, as if reminding herself—she had an amazing boyfriend now, and the past no longer mattered.
Yes, that was the truth!
Though Xiao Wang had suspected something, he hadn’t expected this answer. More than the fact that Zhou Zhuofei’s ex worked at Xinxing, what struck him was how strongly she disliked him. Apart from Xie Huai, he had never heard her express such clear disdain for anyone.
"Would you tell me what happened?" he asked gently. "Only if you’re comfortable."
"It’s not that I can’t talk about it. It’s just… I feel stupid looking back."
She recounted the story briefly. Repeating it over the years had dulled the pain, leaving her calm and detached.
Xiao Wang held her tighter, pressing kisses to her temple and earlobe. "None of it was your fault. You’re not stupid at all."
No wonder Zhou Zhuofei had once said she didn’t want to date—after an experience like that, anyone would lose faith in love.
"I know. Back then, I blamed myself too much. Now I realize there was no reason to. I just hate him for being a terrible person, that’s all."
Even though she doubted Xiao Wang would ever abuse his authority, she couldn’t help but add, "It’s like getting mud splashed on you—you just wipe it off. There’s no point wondering whether that mud will end up on the ground or in the water. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I do. And I’m glad you see it that way now."
"Honestly, it wasn’t even a big deal," Zhou Zhuofei said lightly. "If you hadn’t brought it up, I would’ve forgotten about it."
"But how did you know he works at Xinxing?"
Given Zhou Zhuofei’s personality, she wouldn’t go out of her way to keep tabs on someone she disliked. The only explanation was that they had crossed paths at the strategy summit.
"Because I saw him at the summit."
She tried to brush past the topic, but Xiao Wang suddenly remembered something he had overlooked.
Wasn’t the strategy summit the same night as… that incident?
At the time, he had wondered what had put Zhou Zhuofei in such a bad mood. But then, one thing after another had thrown him off balance, leaving no room for reflection. And later, after they started dating, every day was so sweet that he completely forgot about it.
Now that she mentioned it, the memory resurfaced.
Should he ask?
Absentmindedly stroking her hair, Xiao Wang hesitated.
But as Zhou Zhuofei had said, the past didn’t matter. Did he really need to dwell on how they had begun?
He might not have known everything before, but now, one thing was crystal clear—he loved her, and she loved him.
Besides, this wasn’t the right time to bring it up.
Zhou Zhuofei had trusted him enough to share something deeply personal. The best thing he could do was support her, not interrogate her.
On Monday at the office, Xiao Wang received the employee list from Xinxing—standard procedure for the evaluation.
After verifying the data, he could’ve closed the file immediately. Yet he found himself scanning through the names until he spotted Wang Zicheng.
He stared at it for a long moment, only snapping out of it when a Xinxing employee messaged him for confirmation. He replied with a simple "Received" before closing the document.
The night before his trip, Xiao Wang went over every household detail with Zhou Zhuofei. Worried she might forget, he later typed everything up and saved it on the study computer.
"All the passwords are the same. You’ll remember, right?"
"Got it—‘password,’ right? But your passwords are way too simple. Aren’t you worried someone might figure them out?"
Zhou Zhuofei had never met anyone who didn’t use meaningful dates or personal references for passwords.
"It’s easier to keep track of this way," he said.
"Fair enough. Just come back soon, okay?"
Xiao Wang’s flight was early in the morning, meaning she’d wake up to an empty bed.
The thought alone made her cling to him, unwilling to let go.
"Ugh, I hate this. Why do people have to work?"
Her grumbling melted his heart. "I’ll wrap things up as fast as I can. Take care of yourself, and call me if anything comes up."
"You better eat properly and go easy on the alcohol. Call me if you need anything too."
That night, after an intimate moment, Zhou Zhuofei figured Xiao Wang needed rest before his early flight and tiring journey. But he kept pulling her back for more.
The thought of being apart for at least a week softened her resolve, and before she knew it, they were tangled up until the late hours.
She set an alarm to see him off, but when it rang, Xiao Wang silenced it and urged her to keep sleeping.
"Don’t get up. You have work later. I can sleep on the plane."
"No, I want to say goodbye."
"Just rest, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon."
After tucking her in and leaving a kiss on her forehead, he finally left.
The result? Zhou Zhuofei yawned nonstop from the moment she woke up. At the office, she headed straight for coffee, barely managing to stay functional.
Coincidentally, it was also Zhan Zilang’s last day. With his tasks already handed over days ago, he spent the final hours wrapping up formalities, simply waiting for the clock to run out.
That afternoon, Zhan Zilang splurged without hesitation, treating the entire administrative department to the most expensive afternoon tea in the vicinity, earning unanimous praise from everyone.
It was also a rare moment for Zhou Zhuofei to witness Zhan Zilang flexing his "money power." She couldn't help but remark with a sigh, "Every time I’m about to forget you’re loaded, you hit me with a brutal reminder."
Zhan Zilang flashed a bright grin and tossed her a playful wink. "Since I’m leaving soon, no point staying low-key. Oh, by the way, do you want my keyboard? If not, I’ll give it to someone else."
"No need, you can pass it on."
"Ah, thinking about not coming to the office tomorrow makes me feel a little melancholic."
"Are you really melancholic? I swear I can see you grinning, looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow."
"Caught me already, huh?" Zhan Zilang admitted without shame. "I do get to rest for a while—won’t be assigned to a new company until the end of the month."
"Sounds great. More time to relax."
"Hahaha, just the difference between execution and a suspended sentence."
Zhou Zhuofei exhaled tiredly. She was too exhausted today to even tease Zhan Zilang properly.
"Zhou-jie, you seem off today. Don’t tell me you’re this upset about me leaving?"
Zhan Zilang was genuinely touched. So Zhou-jie might act indifferent, but deep down, she really didn’t want him to go.
"I don’t want to lie to you—it’s mostly because Xiao Wang is away on a business trip. But I am sorry to see you leave."
With their colleagues busy chatting over afternoon tea and no one paying attention, Zhou Zhuofei seized the moment to pull out the gift she’d prepared. She shoved the paper bag into Zhan Zilang’s arms.
"Here, take it home and enjoy."
"Wow, really?"
Now Zhan Zilang was truly moved. Classic Zhou-jie—harsh words on the surface, but the kindest gestures underneath.
"Don’t get too emotional. It’s nothing fancy. Just a little something to remember our time together."
Even though she often said she and Zhan Zilang were from different worlds, setting aside all external factors, they’d always gotten along wonderfully.
And Zhou Zhuofei preferred to cherish the good memories. "I’m really glad I met you."
"Zhou-jie…" Zhan Zilang nearly choked up. It had been so long since he’d heard such heartfelt words. "If I weren’t worried about people misunderstanding, I’d hug you right now."
Zhou Zhuofei burst out laughing. "Sure, why not? After dinner tonight, we’ll all give you a proper send-off hug."
It was perfectly normal for close colleagues to share a farewell hug when someone left.
"I don’t care about the others—just worried Secretary Xiao might take it the wrong way."
"He’s not that petty."
"Secretary Xiao’s away again? Do you miss him?"
"Of course. But I can’t stop him from traveling for work. Just have to adjust."
Zhou Zhuofei had long since come to terms with Xiao Wang’s demanding schedule. Being together meant mutual compromise—she accepted his career-driven nature, and he respected her values. They’d found a balanced way to coexist.
Like how Xiao Wang adjusted his work hours later so Zhou Zhuofei could wake up earlier and leave with him.
Love was never about one person bending entirely for the other—though Ling Yu and Cen Huan were a different case, given their employer-employee dynamic.
Besides, part of Xiao Wang’s charm came from the workplace. Once he switched into work mode, his sharpness and presence were undeniable.
The professional Secretary Xiao was still part of who he was.
And she accepted all of him.
Listening to Zhou Zhuofei’s earnest expression, Zhan Zilang sighed enviously again. "So nice."
"What’s nice this time?"
He replied, "The feeling of being missed by someone—it’s really nice."
