Chapter 75

By the time work ended, the office atmosphere had eased considerably. Whatever Jiang Yuan had said to Chi Wanzhao, there was a rare hint of cheerfulness in her brow, and Zhou Sheng couldn't help stealing glances at her repeatedly—until Chi Wanzhao cast a nonchalant look his way, and he quickly averted his gaze.

The two left one after another and got into the car.

Just before reaching the apartment, Chi Wanzhao unexpectedly had Lu Han stop by a flower shop. Zhou Sheng got out and bought a vibrant bouquet of roses, wrapped in pink paper that made the blossoms look even redder.

Zhou Sheng climbed back in with the flowers, and the car filled with the scent of roses, mingled with the perfume sprayed on the petals.

The fragrance was so strong that Zhou Sheng sneezed three times in a row.

Chi Wanzhao took the bouquet from him with a look of distaste, shooting him a glance as she did. Zhou Sheng held back a fourth sneeze, his face turning red from the effort.

At the apartment entrance, Zhou Sheng got out quickly. The wind outside was biting, but he took a few deep breaths before hurrying to Chi Wanzhao's side to open her door. He watched as she walked toward the building, expression serene, flowers in hand.

Lu Han also got out and came up to him. Together they watched until Chi Wanzhao's figure turned a corner, then Lu Han said quietly, "Falling in love really does impair one's judgment."

At least he'd never imagined he'd see President Chi holding a bouquet one day.

And roses at that.

Just thinking about it felt so out of place.

It was like playing "Happy New Year" in the background of a horror film—downright bizarre.

Hearing this, Zhou Sheng tilted his head and gave Lu Han a look. "Come on, at least President Chi has moments of impaired judgment. You don't even have that."

Lu Han: ...

Why did those words sound so irritating to him?

The two bachelors stood in the cold wind, watching until Chi Wanzhao entered the apartment building before getting back into the car.

The car was quiet. Then Lu Han asked abruptly, "Do you think those flowers are really for the missus?"

Zhou Sheng retorted grumpily, "Who else? You?"

Lu Han: ...

Inside the apartment, Kong Xiyan had just come out of the kitchen when she spotted Chi Wanzhao holding a large bouquet of roses. She quickly retreated, splashed cold water on her face in the kitchen, and smoothed down her long hair. When she deemed herself ready and stepped out again, she saw Chi Wanzhao cradling Yanyan and talking to the cat.

Cradling Yanyan and talking?

Kong Xiyan moved closer and heard Chi Wanzhao whisper, "Yanyan, happy birthday."

Yanyan lifted its head, round eyes wide: "Meow."

Chi Wanzhao rubbed its head. "Here, I bought you flowers. Like them?"

She plucked a rose petal and placed it on Yanyan's paw. The cat lowered its head, licked the petal, then disdainfully batted it away, meowed twice, and settled back onto Chi Wanzhao.

"What? You don't like them?"

"Meow..."

"I'll get you something else next time?"

"Meow..."

"Mm? You like white? Fine."

"Meow..."

Kong Xiyan, standing behind the woman and her cat: ...

This was hopeless—Chi Wanzhao's cat obsession was getting worse by the day.

Forget conservative treatment; even if it were treatable, she'd be lucky.

Kong Xiyan sat down on the sofa and took Yanyan from Chi Wanzhao's arms. Seeing the latter's puzzled frown, she explained, "Yanyan's already had dinner. I'll take it upstairs for some exercise. Dinner's in the kitchen; the soup will be ready in a bit."

"You start with the stir-fry."

With that, she carried Yanyan up to the second floor.

Chi Wanzhao watched her slender back from behind, then lowered her gaze and curled her lips into a faint smile.

Clearly, she was very satisfied with Kong Xiyan's reaction.

Soon, the sound of cooking came from the kitchen. Kong Xiyan and Yanyan peeked over the railing from the upstairs corridor, then let out a sigh of relief.

Half an hour later, Kong Xiyan came downstairs alone.

Chi Wanzhao glanced at her and asked casually, "Where's Yanyan?"

Kong Xiyan pointed upstairs.

Chi Wanzhao said nothing more, her gaze indifferent. "Let's eat, then."

Kong Xiyan opened her mouth as if to speak, then swallowed the words and murmured, "Okay."

Dinner was still light in flavor, but Chi Wanzhao had a deft hand in the kitchen; even bland dishes came alive with her cooking. The pork rib soup, in particular, had different accompaniments each day, giving it a distinct taste every time. Kong Xiyan had two full bowls of soup before she felt satisfied.

After the meal, she stole a glance at Chi Wanzhao, who continued to eat with an unruffled expression, her face unchanged.

Kong Xiyan pressed her lips and swallowed the words she'd been about to say.

When Chi Wanzhao finished, Kong Xiyan took on the task of washing the dishes. When she came out, she saw Chi Wanzhao watching TV. The latter rarely watched anything, only the occasional financial news. Kong Xiyan dried her hands and sat down beside her.

Today, Chi Wanzhao wasn't watching any news—instead, she had on "Breaking the Cocoon."

Kong Xiyan's scenes in "Breaking the Cocoon" were essentially wrapped. Next week would feature her leaping off the city wall; the drama had no dual ending, and Tong Yue had turned down Director Sun's suggestion to continue filming. She had already met with Director Lin's assistant and was preparing to take on "Dawn." She'd consulted Kong Xiyan about all of these matters beforehand.

As Kong Xiyan watched the drama, she reflected on everything since she'd returned to City B: stepping back into the industry, picking up acting again, weathering a series of storms. It hadn't been easy at all.

If not for the person beside her, she might have struggled for another two decades and still failed to bring down He Wei and Wei Yan.

She didn't know how Chi Wanzhao had obtained those ironclad pieces of evidence, but it must have been no small feat. Her gaze drifted to the roses as she thought: she'd helped her so much.

What was a little sacrifice on her part?

Besides, it wasn't really a sacrifice.

If she could end up genuinely falling for Chi Wanzhao, that would be all the better.

Kong Xiyan eyed Chi Wanzhao's profile, whose look stayed calm as she watched TV. Inching closer, she whispered, "President Chi..."

Chi Wanzhao replied with a faint "Mm? What is it?" without turning.

At that gentle voice, Kong Xiyan's heart thumped wildly, pounding so hard it ached in her chest. Her palms grew sweaty as she lowered her voice even further: "President Chi, I've thought it over. About your proposal last night..."

"I think it's doable."

She said it with studied seriousness, her face deliberately composed, but her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes shimmered.

Chi Wanzhao turned to glance at her, taking in every nuance of her expression. "It's fine—no need to put Miss Kong through such trouble."

Kong Xiyan shook her head quickly. "It's no trouble."

"But we'll need to set some ground rules."

"No holding me, no touching me, no biting me."

No joke—even watching TV she needed time to adjust; agreeing to be a cat substitute didn't mean jumping straight into the deep end.

Kong Xiyan darted a look at Chi Wanzhao's face.

Fine.

She had to admit.

If things got too intense, she was afraid she might lose control and pounce on the woman.

Then, instead of curing her cat obsession, she'd end up scaring her off.

That would be the real disaster.

Chi Wanzhao stared at her for a long moment, then lowered her brows. "Alright."

Kong Xiyan exhaled in relief and stood up. "I'll go take a shower upstairs, then."

"Oh, and Yanyan's sleeping with me tonight."

Chi Wanzhao frowned. Kong Xiyan quickly added, "You need to get used to life without Yanyan."

"Especially at night."

"Fine."

Chi Wanzhao parted her lips and spoke the two words lightly. Kong Xiyan smiled and turned to go upstairs. Yanyan was sprawled on her big bed; hearing the door open, it raised its head, meowed, and hopped over to her. Kong Xiyan gave it a gentle tap on the head and said softly, "Sorry about this, but you'll be sleeping with me for a while."

Yanyan meowed a few times, nuzzling her palm, then obediently settled back onto the bed.

Just as Kong Xiyan was about to head into the bathroom, her phone lit up. She answered. "Hello?"

On the other end, Wang Haining's voice came through, wind howling in the background: "Xiyan."

"Haining, are you on break?"

Wang Haining: "Mm. I can come to City B the day after tomorrow."

Kong Xiyan smiled. "Great. Let me know when you arrive—I shouldn't have any scenes that day, so I'll pick you up."

Wang Haining: "Mm."

After hanging up, Kong Xiyan was in good spirits. She grabbed her bathrobe and went into the bathroom, emerging a short while later after a quick shower. Remembering Wang Haining's visit, she decided she should inform Chi Wanzhao.

She opened the door.

Chi Wanzhao stood outside.

The two looked at each other, neither speaking.

Kong Xiyan's long hair, still wet, was bundled up in a dry towel. Her bathrobe draped over her figure, her face flushed pink from the hot water, her bright eyes clear and glistening, capturing a captivating gaze when she met someone's eyes.

Chi Wanzhao stood at the door, expression composed, and said softly, "What's the matter?"

Kong Xiyan was caught off guard for a second, then replied, "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that Haining is coming to City B the day after tomorrow, and I was thinking she could stay at the apartment."

"Would that be okay?"

Chi Wanzhao's gaze drifted past her into the room. "Fine, but we don't have any spare rooms."

Kong Xiyan waved a hand dismissively. "No matter. Haining and I can share a room."

Chi Wanzhao's expression cooled several notches.

Kong Xiyan, seemingly oblivious to the shift in tone, kept chattering on, even mapping out every detail of Wang Haining's stay.

Chi Wanzhao cut in coldly, "Miss Kong."

Kong Xiyan: "Huh?"

Chi Wanzhao's face was taut. "Later, pack your things and come to my room."

Kong Xiyan looked taken aback. "Why?"

Chi Wanzhao pressed her lips together. "We just agreed: no holding you, no touching you, no biting you."

"But we never said we couldn't sleep together."

"You know I can't sleep without Yanyan."

"So, since Miss Kong has volunteered to stand in for Yanyan, you might as well make the sacrifice and come share my bed."

Kong Xiyan stood there, blinking.

She'd been completely swept up in Chi Wanzhao's logic.

After a long pause, a thought struck her. "What about Yanyan..."

Chi Wanzhao twitched the corner of her mouth. "Yanyan will sleep in your room."

"In a couple days, Miss Wang will be here to look after it."

Lying on the big bed behind them, Yanyan: "Meow."

Far away in the countryside, Wang Haining suddenly felt a pang in her head...