Yan Xi had a good night's sleep.
When she woke up, the plane had already left the borders of Country X, and her mind received a notification from the system: Ding! Changed Zhou Qingyu’s fate of being a control group on the variety show (Country X). Zhou Qingyu’s luck points increased by 5. Current luck points: 90.
This notification left Yan Xi feeling refreshed.
There were still two hours until they arrived in Hai City. The plane had a Michelin three-star chef on board who prepared a Chinese-style breakfast for Yan Xi.
After freshening up, Yan Xi returned to her room, intending to invite Zhou Qingyu to eat together. Zhou Qingyu had slept for nearly ten hours last night—theoretically, that should have been enough rest.
But Zhou Qingyu refused to get out of bed, her voice laced with drowsy sweetness.
Yan Xi asked softly, "Did you not sleep well last night?"
Zhou Qingyu didn’t answer, silently pulling the blanket up to cover the marks on her thighs and neck.
The room lights were off, and the dim lighting made it hard for Yan Xi to notice these details. She simply assumed Zhou Qingyu was exhausted from yesterday’s activities and left the room to eat breakfast alone.
Even when the plane landed at Hai City Airport, Zhou Qingyu showed no signs of getting up.
Yan Xi grew worried. "Are you sick? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Pei Hanli leaned against the doorframe. "Why not let the young lady sleep a little longer on the plane? I’ll stay with her."
Yan Xi almost retorted that this was no different from locking a wolf and a rabbit in the same cage—but then Zhou Qingyu stirred.
"I’m fine," she murmured gently to Yan Xi before glaring at Pei Hanli. "You bastard, come here and carry me down. I’m too tired to move."
Pei Hanli smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"Sure."
It was summer in Hai City, and everyone had switched to light clothing. Pei Hanli wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his toned forearms as he effortlessly scooped Zhou Qingyu into his arms.
Yan Xi: !!!
Wait—today was a private trip. Even if there were no fans at the airport, was this… appropriate?!
Zhou Qingyu curled up weakly in Pei Hanli’s embrace.
If she had another chance, she would never let Pei Hanli keep her up so late again!
Her ears flushed red. "Xi’er, don’t you have to go back to school today? Let this bastard—let Pei Hanli take me home."
Yan Xi hesitated. "Are you sure?"
After all, a car was also an enclosed space!
Zhou Qingyu choked, shooting another glare at Pei Hanli.
"Don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare."
Yan Xi: "…"
She knew Pei Hanli wouldn’t dare, but that sly fox knew how to seduce people!
In the end, Yan Xi could only watch as Pei Hanli carried Zhou Qingyu to his Lamborghini.
Only after the Lamborghini disappeared into the distance did Yan Xi hail a taxi back to campus.
Time flew by. Nearly two months had passed since Yan Xi first appeared on the Travel variety show, and Hai University was now welcoming a fresh batch of first-year students for the new semester.
Though September was still a few days away, many students had already arrived to register.
Yan Xi’s advisor, considering the start of the semester, had summoned the students back for a group meeting.
Group meetings—the bane of every student’s existence.
During her first year of grad school, Yan Xi had endured weekly meetings where eight students, from first-year master’s to third-year Ph.D. candidates, had to report their progress—how many papers they’d read, what research methods they’d learned, and compile literature reviews on their topics.
Before every meeting, the advisor-free group chat would be flooded with despair.
During summer break, Professor Han had mercifully skipped the meetings. But now, with the semester starting, there was no escaping accountability for how everyone had spent their vacation.
Zhaozhao, who shared the same advisor as Yan Xi, was currently in Country M but couldn’t escape the meeting either. She frantically messaged Yan Xi on WeChat—
What do I do, what do I do?!
I got carried away having fun in Country M and barely read any papers!
Ugh, isn’t summer break for relaxing? Why do we have to read papers and discuss thesis proposals?! Grad school is the worst! My hair’s falling out!
Can’t we just wait until the semester officially starts?! I’m doomed…
After venting, Zhaozhao couldn’t resist asking Yan Xi: You’ve been busy with variety shows lately—you probably didn’t have time to read papers either, right?
The answer came during the meeting.
Yan Xi had indeed been busy and had read fewer papers than usual.
However, while preparing for the acquisition of M Corporation, she had gone through plenty of literature on mergers and acquisitions. She had even requested publicly available materials from Yao Chi and written a paper using Zhou Corporation’s acquisition of M as a case study.
Zhaozhao, attending via video call: "…"
Professor Han, a woman in her forties and a full professor, skimmed through the paper. Yan Xi had discussed her research direction with her beforehand, and Professor Han had pointed out flaws in her initial approach. Now, the final draft was solid—with a little polishing, it could be submitted to a journal.
Professor Han looked quite pleased. "Perfect, there's a financial forum tomorrow. You should come with me—we can even share your case study about acquiring Company M."
After attending the group meeting, Yan Xi returned to Xingyao to continue her work.
Graduate students at Hai University typically either study abroad or intern during their second year. Yan Xi had chosen the latter, now working at Xingyao, which also counted as her internship.
Meanwhile, Zhou Qingyu returned to the Zhou family estate.
Pei Hanli, seeing how exhausted she was, didn’t pester her during the ride in the Lamborghini.
Zhou Qingyu distributed the gifts she had bought in Queenstown to the household staff—all souvenirs she and Yan Xi had picked up while wandering through the quaint town of Glenorchy.
Her film Crazy still required a few additional shots, but Zhou Qingyu planned to handle them in a day or two.
Her popularity and public appeal had been steadily rising, bringing more opportunities her way. Oddly, Zhou Qingyu found herself less enthusiastic than before. In the past, she might have jumped at every project—perhaps driven by her desire to prove herself superior to Ye Luoyi in Pei Yubai’s eyes.
But now, she felt indifferent toward the entertainment industry. The only thing that brought her joy was seeing Xingyao invest in quality projects and receiving her dividends. Even her acting successes didn’t excite her much.
During her time filming the variety show in Queenstown, Chi Wei had sent her recordings of a concert. Zhou Qingyu had listened to them repeatedly.
Perhaps it was time to make a choice.
...
Back in her room, Zhou Qingyu changed into a comfortable silk nightgown and asked Aunt Zhang to schedule an in-house beauty treatment. Suddenly, faint noises came from the adjacent guest room.
"Do we have a guest?" Zhou Qingyu asked Aunt Zhang.
"It’s Miss Qu," Aunt Zhang replied. "She arrived this morning and has been waiting for you. She must have gotten tired and dozed off in one of the guest rooms."
Zhou Yanci disliked Qu Yan staying overnight at the Zhou residence. If she did, he would usually avoid the estate. But since he had been away the past few days, the staff hadn’t objected to her staying.
Footsteps approached, and Qu Yan pushed the door open.
"Sweetheart, you're back!"
Aunt Zhang excused herself to contact the beautician.
Qu Yan settled beside Zhou Qingyu with familiar ease, fussing over her. "Sweetheart, I saw the news about the blizzard in Queenstown. Are you alright? Were you hurt?"
Zhou Qingyu stiffened slightly, quickly draping a shawl over herself. "I’m fine. I returned to the villa early."
Qu Yan sighed in relief. "I heard Yanci got lost in the storm. Is he okay?"
"What could possibly happen to him?"
Zhou Qingyu deliberately ignored the strong scent of medicine lingering in Zhou Yanci’s room.
Later, she had confronted Director Yu—why had the travel show suddenly switched partners? The director tearfully explained that Pei Hanli had suggested the change, but Zhou Yanci had altered the pairings, ultimately grouping her with Yaozu.
Zhou Qingyu had no issue with Yaozu—she adored furry companions—but while humans could learn to ski, how could a dog? Clearly, Zhou Yanci had been trying to make things difficult for her!
The memory still irritated her.
Unaware of her thoughts, Qu Yan pressed on, "I watched the show’s behind-the-scenes clips. Yanci rushed into the blizzard to save Yan Xi. When did they become so close?"
Zhou Qingyu scoffed. "They’re not close at all. It’s just Zhou Yanci being an old fool who—"
She abruptly recalled Yan Xi’s words before their trip to Country X.
Given the choice between a 7-year age gap and a 20-year one, any sensible person would pick the former.
Zhou Qingyu had never considered it before, instinctively assuming her aunt was on her side and couldn’t possibly harbor feelings for Zhou Yanci. But then why was Qu Yan so concerned about him? And why did she care about his relationship with Yan Xi?
Zhou Qingyu fixed Qu Yan with a stare. "Yan Xi is mine. Zhou Yanci just happened to save her. There’s nothing between them."
Qu Yan visibly relaxed.
But Zhou Qingyu’s tone sharpened. "Auntie, have you forgotten how much I despise Zhou Yanci? Why do you keep asking about him?"
Qu Yan flinched, forcing a laugh. "You’re still siblings! What kind of grudge could siblings possibly hold?"
Zhou Qingyu eyed her suspiciously.
She distinctly remembered Qu Yan saying the opposite in the past.
After her mother’s death, Qu Yan and the Qu family had repeatedly warned her—even though she and Zhou Yanci were siblings, they shared only a father. One day, they would clash over the Zhou family’s assets.
Meng Yingrong had always scorned Zhou Qingyu, mocking her as petty and unsophisticated. Zhou Yanci, too, had grown impatient with her closeness to Qu Yan, openly hostile toward Qu Yan and the Qu family.
Under such circumstances, it was no wonder Zhou Qingyu and Zhou Yanci had never gotten along.
But now, thinking back, Zhou Qingyu realized Zhou Yanci hadn’t always despised Qu Yan. At some point, his disdain had become unmistakable. Strangely, Qu Yan’s attitude had shifted too—once resentful of Zhou Yanci and the Meng family, she had gradually stopped opposing him.
When did it all begin?
Perhaps… when Zhou Yanci grew up and became an adult?
Zhou Qingyu took a deep breath. "Zhou Yanci still has matters to attend to in X Country. He’ll probably return tomorrow."
A flicker of delight flashed in Qu Yan’s eyes, but she quickly masked it.
"Is that so… Nannan, you seemed quite shaken after what happened in Empress City. Why don’t I stay with you at the Zhou residence these next couple of days?"
Qu Yan often stayed overnight at the Zhou family home, where she had her own dedicated guest room.
In the past, Zhou Qingyu would have agreed without hesitation—the estate was vast, and one more person hardly made a difference.
But today, Zhou Qingyu felt inexplicably irritated.
"That wouldn’t be appropriate," she refused.
Qu Yan froze.
Zhou Qingyu continued, "The servants keep gossiping about you and Dad. If you stay over, they’ll only talk more."
Qu Yan hurriedly protested, "Nannan, you know I don’t have those kinds of feelings for your brother-in-law—"
"I know," Zhou Qingyu cut in. "But rumors spread like wildfire. Dad’s finally starting to see me in a better light—he even handed over M Group’s management to me. Don’t make things difficult for me, alright?"
Qu Yan was seething inside, but since Zhou Qingyu wouldn’t let her stay, there was nothing she could do.
Zhou Qingyu had Aunt Zhang see their guest out. Reluctantly, Qu Yan left, but before stepping out of the room, she turned back. "Nannan, if you ever feel scared… call me anytime. I’ll come keep you company!"
After leaving the Zhou residence, Qu Yan returned to the Qu family home.
These days, her father had been scolding her nonstop. The Qu family’s business was modest, relying heavily on the Zhou Corporation’s success—when the Zhous prospered, they got the scraps, and life was comfortable.
But Qu Yan had lost her cushy CEO position at Xingyao, with its million-yuan annual salary. How could her father not resent that? And then, when she’d asked Zhou Qingyu for a 50-million investment, she’d been turned down!
In the living room, her father asked, "Did you see Yanci?"
Qu Yan lowered her head. "He hasn’t returned to the country yet."
"Then you should’ve stayed at the Zhou residence to wait for him! He can’t possibly stay away forever, can he?"
After a brief hesitation, Qu Yan admitted the truth. "Nannan wouldn’t let me stay."
Her father was stunned, his brows furrowing.
He sighed heavily. "Nannan’s grown up… and she’s not so easy to control anymore. First, she refused your request for investment. And now, with the Zhou Corporation’s acquisition of the Meng Group—a deal she handled entirely on her own—she didn’t even give you a heads-up about such a lucrative opportunity!"
After the scandal at M Group and Meng Xuanyu’s arrest, the Meng Group’s stock had plummeted. Many believed the company was doomed.
But in reality, the Zhou Corporation had already stepped in, quietly buying up Meng Group shares.
With the backing of a conglomerate like the Zhou Corporation, the Meng Group was never in real danger. Within a week of Zhou Qingyu taking over as chairwoman, the stock price had rebounded to its former levels.
Investing during the Meng Group’s crisis was a golden opportunity—funds could’ve doubled in just a week!
Yet Zhou Qingyu hadn’t breathed a word to Qu Yan. It was clear she was distancing herself from the Qu family.
To make matters worse, there was no progress with Zhou Yanci either. Qu Yan’s father could tell—Zhou Yanci had zero interest in her.
"I’ve told you before, Zhou Hongsheng is the better choice. You look so much like Yingying—you’re sisters, after all. Sure, he’s older, but he’s generous to family. He even takes care of his ex-wife..."
"Dad!" Qu Yan interrupted. "I’m not interested in my brother-in-law."
"But Zhou Yanci isn’t interested in you either!"
Qu Yan thought back to that moment in the rebroadcast of the travel show—Zhou Yanci rushing into a blizzard to save Yan Xi. Her chest tightened with frustration.
"Nothing’s set in stone yet!" she snapped. "It’s not over till it’s over. Who knows who Yanci will choose in the end?"
Her father sighed. "Just don’t end up sabotaging yourself."
The next day, Zhou Yanci returned to Hai City.
As soon as his work in X Country was done, he boarded a private jet without delay. The Zhou family’s jet was undergoing maintenance domestically, but the Pei family’s happened to be in X Country at the time.
Pei Hanli, ever considerate, had generously lent his jet to Zhou Yanci.
—He always knew exactly how to ingratiate himself. Zhou Yanci worried that the man’s scheming nature might one day destroy Zhou Qingyu, yet Pei Hanli’s actions were always so impeccably executed that he couldn’t find fault.
By the time they landed in Hai City, it was only 7 a.m.
Inside the Rolls-Royce, Assistant Sun asked, "Mr. Zhou, are we heading to the company now? There’s a venture capital meeting this morning, and this afternoon, you’re scheduled to speak at a financial forum."
During his absence, Zhou Yanci had managed Zhou Corporation affairs remotely, approving projects with digital signatures. Most operations had proceeded smoothly, though some tasks requiring his physical presence had been delayed. Now that he was back, his schedule was packed.
"Let’s go to the Zhou residence first," Zhou Yanci said, fingers tracing the edges of a black velvet box in his hand.
If not for this, he wouldn’t have needed to stay an extra day in X Country.
Assistant Sun was surprised but didn’t question it, instructing Master Liu to change course.
...
At this hour, Yan Xi would usually already be up, having washed up and now eating breakfast in the dining hall. But when Zhou Yanci arrived, Yan Xi was nowhere to be seen—only Zhou Qingyu, who was rarely up this early.
Zhou Qingyu stretched lazily. She was heading to the set of Crazy today for reshoots, which would take the entire day.
Spotting Zhou Yanci, she shot him her usual disdainful look. "You're back in the country? Wait, shouldn’t you be at the office at this hour? Why are you home?"
"Where’s Yan Xi?"
"Ha!"
Zhou Qingyu scoffed. She should’ve guessed. The old man skipping work to come home first couldn’t possibly be for her sake, nor to visit their father. So what else? It had to be about Yan Xi.
Scheming, calculating, and always seizing opportunities—no wonder Yan Xi had fallen for him!
Yan Xi just had too little experience with love!
"She’s not here!" Zhou Qingyu said gleefully.
"At work?" Zhou Yanci checked his watch. Starlight Entertainment usually didn’t start this early.
"Nope!" Zhou Qingyu leisurely sipped her bird’s nest soup. "School’s starting soon, so Yan Xi went back to campus~ She won’t be staying at the Zhou residence anymore!"
Zhou Yanci choked. "You’re this happy she moved back to school?"
"That means you, you conniving bastard, can’t seduce her anymore!" Zhou Qingyu lifted her chin proudly. "But I’m different—I already made plans to have dinner with her tonight~"
Zhou Yanci: "..."
.
Yan Xi had indeed returned to campus.
Originally, she’d stayed at the Zhou residence to leech luck points off Zhou Yanci. But now that he wasn’t yielding much, and with school starting, the dorm was just more convenient.
In the morning, Master Zhao picked Yan Xi up from campus. She spent the morning working at Starlight Entertainment, and in the afternoon, Master Zhao drove her to a financial forum in the outskirts of Hai City.
This year’s forum was held at a new Chinese-style garden hotel. The event was divided into sections: a zone for financial tycoons, another for emerging entrepreneurs, and an academic exchange area.
Yan Xi and Professor Han mostly stuck to the academic side.
She’d often accompanied Professor Han to similar forums before, listening to industry leaders share case studies and project experiences. The academic section was filled with fellow scholars, and shortly after arriving, Professor Han wandered off to discuss with other professors.
Yan Xi strolled around with her seniors, browsing the displayed projects or sitting in on entrepreneurs’ talks.
"Junior?"
A young man’s voice called from behind.
Her senior, sipping bubble tea, nudged Yan Xi. "Xi, I think he knows you."
Yan Xi had been texting Zhou Qingyu about how boring the forum was. She looked up to see a vaguely familiar face.
The man wore a casual blazer, his tall frame exuding an effortless charm. His features were clean-cut and handsome—like the kind of top student every high school girl had a crush on.
Yan Xi quickly placed him.
"Senior?"
Song Zhile, an alumnus from Hai City High, two grades above her.
Spotting an empty seat beside Yan Xi, Song Zhile sat down. "Thought you might’ve forgotten me."
"Of course not!" Yan Xi said. "You liked my WeChat post just the other day."
Her memory had always been sharp. "Senior, what brings you here? I thought you studied architecture."
"I did," Song Zhile flashed his staff badge. "This hotel belongs to my family."
Ah, that explained it.
They made small talk, though they weren’t close. They’d only crossed paths during school assemblies—Yan Xi as the top freshman, Song Zhile as the top senior.
The only reason Yan Xi knew anything about Song Zhile… was because of Zhou Qingyu.
After a few pleasantries, Song Zhile inevitably steered the conversation toward her.
"Haven’t spoken to Qingyu in ages. How’s she doing?"
Yan Xi teased, "Senior, it’s been four years. You still haven’t moved on?"
Song Zhile smiled bitterly. "Easier said than done."
The young miss was dazzlingly beautiful—plenty of guys still pined for her. And for someone like Song Zhile, who’d once had her, it was even harder.
Song Zhile was Zhou Qingyu’s first love.
High school romance—handsome guy, pretty girl, totally normal. Song Zhile was good-looking, Zhou Qingyu was stunning, and most importantly, he was smart enough to do her homework.
That was the real reason she’d picked him out of all her suitors. Song Zhile probably never knew, but Zhou Qingyu had confessed it to Yan Xi:
"Because he had the best grades! He could do my homework without getting caught! And honestly, what’s the point of high school if not dating? Studying? So boring!"
The young miss said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
So when she graduated and left for college in the U.S., she dumped Song Zhile without a second thought.
One reason was that she didn’t need help with her homework, but another was probably because Song Zhile was too intense. It was fine if he pushed himself, but he also dragged Zhou Qingyu into it. He would wake her up at 7 a.m., nag her to exercise, and tell her not to wear crop tops to avoid period cramps…
Zhou Qingyu just wanted a boyfriend, not a father figure.
They broke up during their freshman year, by which time Zhou Qingyu had already grown close to Yan Xi, so she didn’t hold back when venting about her ex.
“I watched your variety show,” Song Zhile said. “Qingyu and Pei Yubai are over, right? So she’s single now?”
Yan Xi pursed her lips. “She is single, but not entirely single…”
After all, there was Pei Hanli.
Song Zhile pressed further, “Does she have feelings for someone else?”
“Well, I’m not really sure.”
Yan Xi genuinely didn’t know the nature of Zhou Qingyu and Pei Hanli’s relationship—she hadn’t had the chance to ask yet. Besides, it was Zhou Qingyu’s private matter, and she couldn’t just share it with others.
Song Zhile refused to give up. “As long as Qingyu is single now, I still have a chance!”
In the past, he had tried to reconcile with her, but Zhou Qingyu had been adamant, declaring that she only loved Pei Yubai and no one else.
Her resolute gaze made Song Zhile realize for the first time just how fiercely she could commit to someone.
He was jealous—insanely so.
In the end, he had no choice but to step back.
But now, Zhou Qingyu was single again, completely cutting ties with Pei Yubai.
He couldn’t miss this opportunity!
Yan Xi could guess what was going through Song Zhile’s mind just by looking at him.
She complained to her system, “These guys react way too fast—Pei Hanli, Song Zhile, they all pop up the moment Qingyu and Pei Yubai are done! I bet Song Zhile came to this forum today just to fish for information from me!”
The system bounced excitedly: The young miss is so pretty! I’d fall for her too~
“Too bad Qingyu’s into loyal puppies lately. Fatherly types don’t stand a chance!”
Meanwhile, as Yan Xi and Song Zhile chatted, Zhou Yanci also arrived at the financial forum.
His second assistant approached him. “President Zhou, Yan Xi is here too. She came with Professor Han.”
Zhou Yanci’s brows lifted, his eyes lighting up with unconcealed delight.
“Where is she?”
“At the academic conference hall.”
Just as Zhou Yanci was about to head there, the assistant added, “Yan Xi ran into an acquaintance at the venue. They seem to be having a lively conversation.”
“An acquaintance?”
“Song Zhile, the young master of this hotel. I heard Yan Xi call him ‘senior.’”
Zhou Yanci froze. He turned to his assistant, his gaze instantly turning icy.
“What did you say she called him?”
“Senior.”
