Chapter 70

City B had never been big on festive atmosphere. The city was a forest of towering high-rises, living a life of extravagance and indulgence all year round, already glowing with neon before nightfall.

It was deep winter, but the young people passing by were lightly dressed, seemingly unafraid of the cold. They walked through the biting wind with their heads held high, though they couldn't help but gasp as they passed Kong Xiyan.

Especially when they caught a glimpse of her fully covered up, they instinctively hugged their own arms.

Kong Xiyan's brows curved with a smile. She pulled the brim of her hat lower, and though she was already wearing a hat and mask with only her eyes exposed, now even those bright eyes were hard to make out.

She hurried past pedestrians.

Tonight, she had arranged to have dinner with Chi Wanzhao at a hotel near Jingyan. Normally, she only came to places like this for business dinners. Originally, she had wanted to prepare dinner for Chi Wanzhao at the apartment, but thinking of her lackluster cooking skills, she abandoned that idea.

She figured Chi Wanzhao probably wouldn't want to go to those little eateries tucked away in the alleys, so she chose this place instead.

It was nearly five in the afternoon, and the sky was darkening. Figures moved around inside the hotel. Kong Xiyan stood at the entrance waiting for a short while, but it was too cold, so she went inside, followed the waiter to the private room she had booked.

The room was not large, decorated in a Western style, with a single table in the center. Kong Xiyan was seated on one side. Only after the waiter left did she take off her down jacket, remove her hat and sunglasses.

Underneath, she wore a pink knit top with skinny jeans. Her long hair was tied up high in a ponytail, revealing her fair forehead. The hotel's heating was turned up high, so she wasn't cold at all but rather slightly warm, with a faint flush on her cheeks.

Kong Xiyan glanced at the time, guessing Chi Wanzhao hadn't finished work yet. She took out her phone and idly scrolled through Weibo.

Her scenes in "Breaking the Cocoon" were originally about to wrap up, but with her recent surge in popularity, the screenwriter had added two more scenes with her and the Crown Prince. Netizens were thrilled, and fans shipping her with the Crown Prince had even gone to the official Weibo account of "Breaking the Cocoon" to demand a different ending.

If not, they'd accept a double ending.

A double ending.

There had been precedents for that. Besides, it was a weekly drama, adjusted according to ratings. With Kong Xiyan on a roll lately, Director Sun was also considering the idea after seeing the netizens' requests.

Matters like this were entirely handled by Tong Yue. Recently, she had heard from Tong Yue about the situation.

Tong Yue's opinion was that there was no need to spend energy on "Breaking the Cocoon." She had plenty of movie offers in hand, which would be perfect to shoot after "Breaking the Cocoon" ended, in time for the film festival in June next year.

Given her current fame, winning an award would be no problem.

Kong Xiyan had thought it over carefully and felt Tong Yue's plan was viable, so she had tacitly approved her approach.

But Director Sun wasn't about to give up easily, so Tong Yue had been busy dealing with him these past two days.

Kong Xiyan browsed around Weibo. Wei Yan and He Wei's accounts still had their last posts from the day of the press conference, with no further attempts at self-defense. The comments were flooded with all sorts of vicious words—the very same phrases that had once been used on her were now all bouncing back onto the couple.

As for the compensation contract from Xingyue Entertainment, Tong Yue had also discussed it with her. Seeing that they had admitted their mistakes sincerely enough, netizens temporarily sheathed their attacks.

Kong Xiyan fiddled with her phone, finding it boring, so she followed the most re-shared photos and stumbled upon Wang Haining's newly registered Weibo account. Seeing the faces of those children, her eyes softened, and a gentle smile curved her lips.

When Chi Wanzhao opened the door, she caught that exact expression—Kong Xiyan smiling tenderly at her phone. She paused at the doorway for a moment, until Zhou Sheng behind her urged, "CEO Chi, go on in. Don't keep your wife waiting."

Kong Xiyan heard the voice at the door and looked up, seeing Chi Wanzhao and Zhou Sheng. She quickly stood up and said with a smile, "CEO Chi, Assistant Zhou."

Zhou Sheng nodded slightly to her. "Ma'am."

Chi Wanzhao's gaze fixed on Kong Xiyan's phone on the table, her expression unreadable. Zhou Sheng glanced at his boss's face, followed her gaze to the phone, and recalling Kong Xiyan's earlier expression, he had a slight inkling.

Standing behind the two, he asked with a smile, "Ma'am, what comedy were you just watching? You looked quite delighted."

Kong Xiyan touched her cheek. "Was I?"

Zhou Sheng nodded with a smile.

Kong Xiyan gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "It's nothing, really. I was just looking at pictures of the kids on Weibo. I kind of miss them."

Zhou Sheng wore an expression of understanding and looked at his boss with satisfaction. The tightness in Chi Wanzhao's jaw softened, and even the sharpness in her eyes eased. She turned to Zhou Sheng. "Anything else?"

Zhou Sheng waved his hands. "No."

He was about to leave when Kong Xiyan called out, "Assistant Zhou, why not stay and have dinner with us?"

Zhou Sheng stumbled, nearly falling. He glanced back at Chi Wanzhao's expression—she was indeed staring at him with a deep look. Not even a meal—if he lingered even a second longer, those eyes could flay him alive.

"N-no, that won't be necessary."

"I still have things to do."

Zhou Sheng refused and turned to leave, but Kong Xiyan followed him out, poking a finger at his back and calling out, "Assistant Zhou."

"Wait a moment."

She bit her lip, unsure how to phrase it. Zhou Sheng lowered his gaze and asked, "Ma'am, what's the matter?"

Kong Xiyan asked quietly, "Do you know what the CEO usually likes to eat?"

Zhou Sheng's expression flickered with surprise for a second before returning to normal. He thought for a moment and said, "The CEO isn't picky—she eats anything. But she especially likes spicy food."

Spicy?

Kong Xiyan's brows furrowed slightly.

She had lived with Chi Wanzhao for all this time, and apart from that hotpot occasion, she had never once seen her eat spicy food.

She had assumed that Chi Wanzhao preferred bland dishes.

Seeing her lost in thought with her head down, Zhou Sheng called, "Ma'am?"

Kong Xiyan quickly snapped back. "Hmm?"

Zhou Sheng made a gesture. "The CEO is still waiting inside."

Kong Xiyan nodded and said goodbye to Zhou Sheng.

Neither of them noticed a man at the corner take two steps forward, then quickly retreat, pulling out his phone to snap a few photos in their direction.

Looking at the photos on his phone, the man broke into a satisfied smile.

Back in the private room, Kong Xiyan saw Chi Wanzhao already ordering. As she walked in, Chi Wanzhao just closed the menu and handed it to the waiter, who then passed it to Kong Xiyan.

Kong Xiyan glanced at the menu—no surprises, all light dishes. She thought it over and added a few spicy dishes, then handed it back to the waiter.

After the waiter left, Kong Xiyan looked up at Chi Wanzhao and called, "CEO Chi."

Chi Wanzhao gave a soft hum, meeting Kong Xiyan's gaze.

The atmosphere in the room shifted subtly.

Kong Xiyan looked at Chi Wanzhao seated across from her. She wore a light white suit over a sky-blue lace blouse with a cut-out design. Two buttons at the collar were undone, revealing a slender, graceful neck and a hint of collarbone.

"What's wrong?" Chi Wanzhao asked.

Kong Xiyan quickly averted her eyes. What had she wanted to ask a moment ago?

She couldn't remember!

Kong Xiyan was annoyed with herself, then quickly answered, "Nothing. I just wanted to ask if you were cold."

Chi Wanzhao: ...

Cold or not.

Only she could come up with that.

The hotel's heating was so strong that Chi Wanzhao felt hot under her clothes, and yet this woman asked her if she was cold.

Kong Xiyan lowered her head, wishing she could bite off her tongue.

She really was useless at small talk.

The room fell into a brief silence. Soon the dishes arrived, and several plates in a row were spicy. Chi Wanzhao frowned slightly, tilting her head toward Kong Xiyan. "Did you order these?"

Kong Xiyan hummed. "Don't you love spicy food?"

Seeing Chi Wanzhao's cool gaze, Kong Xiyan quickly distanced herself. "Assistant Zhou told me!"

Her tone was like she was tattling.

Chi Wanzhao had been holding a straight face, but seeing her like that, she suddenly pressed her lips together and laughed.

Usually, she either kept a stern face or wore a cool, aloof expression. Even her smiles were few and far between, never like this. Kong Xiyan was stunned by the sight, unable to look away.

It was Chi Wanzhao who first stifled her soft laughter with a light cough, and only then did Kong Xiyan lower her gaze to the table.

The table was full of dishes.

She could still feel Chi Wanzhao's eyes on her. Flustered, she grabbed a random dish and shoved it into her mouth. Before Chi Wanzhao could stop her, a cough escaped Kong Xiyan's lips.

The spicy sensation spread through her mouth. Chi Wanzhao handed her a glass of water, and Kong Xiyan drank several big gulps.

It didn't help. Her tongue was still on fire.

Seeing her forehead break out in a fine sweat, Chi Wanzhao called the waiter over and asked for a glass of milk. Shortly after, a glass of milk was placed in front of Kong Xiyan.

Kong Xiyan drank half of it, and the flush on her face slowly receded. Chi Wanzhao came around the table, stood beside her, and bent down slightly to ask, "Feeling better?"

"Much better."

Kong Xiyan turned her head and caught Chi Wanzhao's profile close at hand. She lowered her gaze.

Chi Wanzhao was still looking at the remaining half glass of milk. "Seems to work."

"Mm..."

"Let me have a taste."

Chi Wanzhao reached out, took Kong Xiyan's hand in hers, lifted the cup to her lips as Kong Xiyan held it, and drank the remaining half glass of milk. Kong Xiyan cocked her head, watching her profile, then let her gaze drift down to her pale neck and delicate collarbone.

Kong Xiyan's palms grew sweaty. Her instincts told her to pull back, but Chi Wanzhao held on firmly until she had finished the milk.

The air in the room thickened with an unspoken tension.

Chi Wanzhao looked at Kong Xiyan with burning eyes.

Kong Xiyan kept her head down, pursed her lips, and asked, "CEO Chi, is it good?"

Chi Wanzhao released her wrist, walked back to her seat, sat down, and said meaningfully, "Very sweet."

Kong Xiyan's cheeks flushed red for no reason for a few seconds.

After the meal, Kong Xiyan dressed properly and followed Chi Wanzhao out of the hotel. Zhou Sheng hadn't left yet. Seeing the two come out, he quickly opened the car door for them. Kong Xiyan got in first, but Chi Wanzhao stood still in her tracks.

Zhou Sheng called out, puzzled, "CEO Chi?"

Chi Wanzhao's eyes sharpened. "Zhou Sheng, do you know that my wife can't eat spicy food?"

For the second time, confusion appeared on Zhou Sheng's face. He shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"What happened?"

Chi Wanzhao pressed her lips together. "Nothing."

Zhou Sheng: ...

A few days later, Zhou Sheng discovered that his bonus had been docked. He suddenly recalled something Chi Wanzhao had said.

Do you know that my wife can't eat spicy food?

Mm...

Now he did!