Chapter 09Ā
**Ā Fever**
**Wen Zeli:** Exactly. All thanks to you.
Zhou Yang stood barefoot on the carpet, the mint tablet crushed between his teeth with a crunching sound. His expression lazy, he typed.
**Zhou Yang:** Even heroes have a weakness for beauty. Shen He is no exception.
A hint of the restlessness that comes with waking up abruptly still lingered on his brow. After sending the message, he put his phone on the nightstand, stood up, casually threw on some clothes, pulled open the curtains to glance outside, then turned and went downstairs for a morning run. He returned over forty minutes later, sweat dripping from his forehead. He lazily pushed open the iron gate and walked into the house.
The housekeeper, Aunt Lu, had come to clean. Seeing that he had returned, she took the opportunity to make breakfast. Holding her cleaning supplies, she stood by the counter and smiled. “Did you come back last night?”
“Mm.” Zhou Yang took a towel to wipe his hair. The restlessness on his brow was gone, replaced by a faint smile. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Your favorite buns.” Aunt Lu had been introduced to him by a friend. Since Zhou Yang moved out to live on his own, she had taken care of his daily life.
“Good.”
With that, his long legs climbed the stairs, and his tall figure disappeared at the top.
Before long, Zhou Yang came down in a shirt and trousers, his shirt collar slightly open. He had just sat down for breakfast when Assistant Lu was already waiting outside with the car.
Aunt Lu brought out a glass of milk. “Aren’t you resting today?”
“There are still some things to handle.” After finishing breakfast, Zhou Yang wiped the milk from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, pulled a tissue, grabbed his phone, and went out.
When he saw Assistant Lu, Zhou Yang casually tossed him aäæé²č¢ (plastic bag) containing breakfast. Assistant Lu caught it and said gratefully, “Thank you, General Manager Zhou.”
After getting into the car, Zhou Yang’s phone rang continuously. He crossed his long legs, answered the call, and glanced outsideāhis gaze falling on the willows planted by the property management along the lake. He paused.
Then, from the driver’s seat, Assistant Lu asked, “General Manager Zhou, straight to Yaolin?”
The willows swayed in the wind, their tips lightly touching the surface of the lake like dragonflies skimming water.
Zhou Yang: “To Festina.”
Assistant Lu was startled. Why go to Festina? The matter to discuss today was about military industryāwhat did that have to do with an internet company like Festina?
Or did General Manager Zhou have some unfinished business there?
Assistant Lu: “Oh, okay.”
So he adjusted the route and drove toward Festina, hesitating briefly before adding, “Festina is off today…”
His voice was very low.
The man in the back seat, chin resting on his hand, was playing with a lighter and talking to Li Yi about a batch of military equipment. He probably didn’t hear, or didn’t answer.
Assistant Lu didn’t repeat himself.
When the car arrived at Festina, Zhou Yang had just finished his call. He turned his head and saw the red logo, raising an eyebrow slightly.
He looked back at Assistant Lu.
Assistant Lu wiped his hands. Seeing Zhou Yang like this, he was also stunned for a moment and was about to speak.
Zhou Yang seemed to realize that it had been his own idea to come to Festina. Without saying a word, he pushed the door open, phone in hand, and got out. Assistant Lu quickly followed.
On Sunday, Festina was very quiet and empty. Only a few people on the fourth floor (live streaming marketing) were working. This wasn’t Zhou Yang’s main battlefield.
The structure of the Zhou Group’s subsidiaries was already mature. Unlike the military industry side, which required hands-on involvement, Zhou Yang didn’t come here often. He went straight to the top floor.
In the elevator, Assistant Lu asked quietly, “General Manager Zhou, is there some unfinished business here?”
Zhou Yang held his phone.
“Mm.”
Assistant Lu said, “Oh.”
The elevator doors opened. Assistant Lu walked beside Zhou Yang. As Zhou Yang headed toward the general manager’s office, he passed the finance department. His pace faltered slightly. His long, narrow eyes swept toward the finance department, where the blinds were drawn. The door was shut. It seemed as if a willow branch was swaying before his eyes again. Zhou Yang came to his senses and frowned.
For a long moment.
Then he clicked his tongue. There was a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
“General Manager Zhou, do you want to go into the finance department?” Assistant Lu asked softly.
“No.” With that, Zhou Yang turned and walked toward the elevator. Assistant Lu was baffled by this capricious behavior.
“Straight to Yaolin.” Zhou Yang rubbed his brow lazily.
Assistant Lu: “Okay.”
*That was where I wanted to go in the first place!*
*You were the one who insisted on coming to Festina, and it’s not even on the way!*
—
Waking up early, Su Hao did some cleaning and changed the bedsheets. Fresh sheets could bring a good mood. After finishing, she started making small steamed buns (xiaolongbao). She let them cool a bit, then poured a glass of milk, sat down to eat, and picked up her phone to read the news.
Chen Yu and Lu Mimi were in the group chat planning a dinner gathering and tagged Su Hao. Since Shen He was coming today, Su Hao declined.
In the six-person group, there was someone from the sales department named Tang Yu, who had just returned from a business trip.
She noticed a new person had been added to the group.
She was curious.
**Tang Yu:** Su Hao? New in your department? @Chen Yu
**Chen Yu:** Yeah, a super gentle sister.
**Lu Mimi:** She’s super gentle. You’re super innocent and sweet.
**Chen Yu:** @Lu Mimi, get lost. Who asked you to speak?
**Lu Mimi:** Hah, what’s wrong with being innocent and sweet? Lots of men like it.
**Tang Yu:** [Raises eyebrow] What does Su Hao look like? Let me see a photo.
**Chen Yu:** @Tang Yu, you’ll see when you come to work tomorrow. Don’t worry, she won’t compete with you over General Manager Zhou. Sister Su Hao is the domestic, homey type. General Manager Zhou is most afraid of that type.
**Lu Mimi:** Instead of worrying about Su Hao, you should worry about your good sister Chen Yu. @Tang Yu
**Tang Yu:** Oh, so no threat at all. You two can continue competing.
**Chen Yu:** What about you?
**Lu Mimi:** What about you?
At this critical moment, Chen Yu and Lu Mimi actually stood on the same side. Su Hao’s gaze swept over “domestic, homey type” and “most afraid of that type.” She was silent for a while, then closed the group chat.
—
Around 10 a.m., Shen He called, saying he had just landed. Half an hour later, he called again, saying he was stuck in traffic. Su Hao put down her book, stood up, walked to the kitchen balcony, and looked outside. The traffic was indeed heavy, and it was hot. This weather made going out to eat troublesome.
Plus, it was the weekend. Su Hao hesitated for a moment, then gripped her phone and said, “It’s okay. Take your time in traffic. I’ll go buy groceries, and we’ll eat at home.”
Shen He’s eyebrows lifted. “Great!”
“I’m going downstairs.” Su Hao hung up, grabbed her keys, and went straight down. There was no shortage of supermarkets or markets nearby. Su Hao went to the market and bought groceries.
As she returned with the groceries, she saw Shen He, wearing a black shirt and jeans, getting out of a car looking a bit disheveled. After the black Mercedes dropped him off, it drove away. Shen He saw Su Hao and immediately stepped forward. “Let me help you.”
He reached out as he spoke.
Su Hao handed him the groceries, took out her keys, and said, “Let’s go upstairs. It’s too hot.”
“Yeah, it’s even hotter here than in Kyoto.” Shen He followed behind her. She was wearing gray shorts and a black top, very casual. Her hair was tied up, a little messy, but her bare face was still beautiful. Looking at her made the hot weather feel much calmer.
This place looked a bit rundown, but there was a breeze in the stairwell. By the time they reached the stairs, it was starting to feel cool. Shen He frowned. “This place is a bit old.”
Su Hao pushed open the door and said, “The apartment is fine, not old. Most importantly, it’s close to the company.”
Shen He knew Festina was nearby. After thinking for a moment, he said, “That’s true.”
Then they entered. The apartment was very clean, with a faint pleasant scent. Shen He didn’t dare look too much. He sat on the sofa, and Su Hao poured him a glass of water.
“Sit for a while. I’ll go cook.”
Shen He took a sip of water, then stood up. “Let me help.”
His clothes were clean, his fingers long and slender. He had the air of a rich young master. Su Hao glanced at him a couple of times and said, “Never mind.”
“Hey, what do you mean by that?” Shen He protested.
Su Hao smiled, her eyes narrowing, but didn’t answer. She turned and went into the kitchen.
Shen He still protested. He followed to the kitchen door and said from outside, “I’ve done housework before, you know.”
Su Hao nodded and busied herself in the kitchen. She worked quickly, knowing exactly what to cook. The side dishes were prepared in no time. Shen He wanted to say more, but seeing this, he gave up. He would only get in the way. But Su Hao looked so beautiful in her apron. He leaned against the kitchen doorway and didn’t leave.
—
Yaolin was involved in aircraft wing manufacturing. Zhou Yang hadn’t originally planned to cooperate with Yaolin, since Yaolin had only been established recently, and its technical capabilities were unclear. Although the Zhou Group always supported new companies, immature technology was a big problem. This time, he was mainly taking a look at their R&D lab.
After a full walkthrough, Zhou Yang had a good sense of the situation. The deputy general manager led Zhou Yang to the lounge area outside the R&D lab. The two men stood by the railing, chatting. Zhou Yang was very young, while the deputy general manager was nearly fifty, yet he still had to work under this young man. Zhou Yang made a few suggestions.
His arm rested on the railing, flicking the lighter on and offāsomewhat casually. “Safety is the top priority. You should know how important this is, General Manager Qin.”
“Yes, I do.”
They chatted for a while longer. The deputy general manager interjected to ask, “Is the Wen family in Kyoto cooperating with you, General Manager Zhou?”
Zhou Yang flicked the lighter shut.
He turned his head, looked at General Manager Qin, and gave a half-smile. “Oh? You want to cooperate with the Wen family too?”
“No, noāI’m just asking. I just heard that the Wen family is also working in this area.”
Assistant Lu watched the deputy general manager from the side and thought, *Your information isn’t very accurate. The Wen family is cooperating with the Xu family on AI medical care. That just shows how good the Wen family is at keeping secrets.*
Zhou Yang didn’t answer. He turned his head, took out a cigarette, lit it, put it between his lips, picked up his phone, and opened WeChat. The page stopped on his Moments feed.
He scrolled casually.
**Shen He:** Delicious!
[Photos] [Photos] [Photos]
A table full of dishes. For the sake of ambiance, he had also taken a photo of the stairwell at the Huahui residential complex. With one glance, it was clear that this was at Su Hao’s home. Zhou Yang looked at it for a moment, then exited and tapped into his chat list.
**Shen He:** Brother Zhou Yang, eat!
**Shen He:** [Photo]
A few seconds later, the man’s slender, well-defined fingers typed.
**Zhou Yang:** You eat it yourself.
—
Shen He hadn’t actually come to Li City for nothing. After lunch, he had to go downstairs to handle his work. He wouldn’t be able to take Su Hao out in the evening. He felt a little disappointed.
Su Hao walked him downstairs and said, “You still owe me a meal, you know.”
Shen He was startled, then realized. “Right! You paid again today!”
Su Hao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. How long are you staying in Li City?”
“About a week. As soon as I finish my work, I’ll make plans with you. I promise I’ll treat you to a meal.” A car horn sounded behind him. Shen He stood on the lower step, looking at Su Hao with a serious expression.
Su Hao smiled. “Good. Be careful if you don’t.”
“Mm!”
Another honk came from behind. Shen He was a little annoyed. He had to say goodbye to her, then turned and left. Su Hao stood at the stairwell entrance, arms crossed, watching Shen He’s lean figure bend down and get into the car. The black Mercedes drove away.
Only then did Su Hao turn and go back upstairs. In the evening, a heavy rain suddenly poured down. Su Hao rushed to bring in the bedsheets. No matter how fast she moved, she still got caught in the rain a bit.
She immediately took a hot shower and felt better. Waking up early Monday morning, her throat felt a little dry, but no other symptoms. Su Hao didn’t think much of it. She even made breakfast and brought it to the finance department. After two days off, everyone was a bit sluggish, but there was work piled up. Su Hao pulled a chair next to Chen Yu, sniffled, and buried herself in sorting receipts.
At 9:30, Zhou Yang stepped out of the elevator, talking on the phone and fastening his tie. Halfway through, he couldn’t be bothered. He pulled it off and casually handed it to Assistant Lu.
General Manager Zeng came out of his office and walked toward Zhou Yang. “General Manager Zhou, on this trip to the Haishi branch, who do you plan to bring?”
Zhou Yang said goodbye to the person on the phone, his gaze sweeping toward the finance department.
Lu Mimi and Chen Yu had been paying attention since Zhou Yang stepped out of the elevator. They both immediately looked up at Zhou Yang, hoping to be chosen. Zhou Yang tucked his phone into his pocket, held his hands loosely in his pockets, and lightly nodded toward Su Hao, who had been busy with her head down. “Her.”
“Buy her ticket.” Zhou Yang glanced at Assistant Lu.
“Okay. Right away.” Assistant Lu immediately took out his phone and arranged it.
The group left the finance department entrance.
Chen Yu and Lu Mimi had heard. They looked at each other, then snorted and turned back, a little disappointed. Since it wasn’t either of them, they were relieved. And since it was Su Hao, they were even more relieved.
—
Su Hao didn’t find out she was going on a business trip until after lunch. Her throat still hurt a bit, but it didn’t affect her. It was her first business trip, so she asked Zhang Xian.
Zhang Xian happened to be going out to get ledgers and offered to take her home to get her luggage.
Zhang Xian rarely taught her much, but this time she said a few extra things. “You need to look carefully at the accounts in Haishi. If you don’t understand something, remember to take photos and send them to Chen Yu. The branch has many factions, which makes things complicated.”
“Okay.”
“Also, General Manager Zhou isn’t going to handle the Haishi branch’s issues. He’s going to deal with military industry matters. So if you have any problems, don’t bother him. Call us, and we’ll help you.”
“Okay.”
After she got her luggage, Zhang Xian didn’t waste any time. She drove her directly to the airport. Assistant Lu was waiting at the entrance. When he saw Su Hao get out of the car, he waved.
Su Hao coughed a few times, then pulled her luggage and followed.
After checking her luggage, time was a bit tight. Assistant Lu accompanied Su Hao all the way to the security checkpoint. Zhou Yang was standing there wearing sunglasses, looking down and talking to a young woman.
A second later, he looked up, smiled, and pointed out a direction.
The young woman was a little shy and quickly said, “Thank you. I understand.”
Then she ran off. A moment later, she ran back, her eyes a little evasive. “Um… could I have your WeChat?”
Zhou Yang’s peripheral vision caught Su Hao. He took off his sunglasses, looked at her, and said, “We’re about to board.”
Then he looked at the young woman and raised an eyebrow. “You’re too young.”
The young woman’s face turned bright red. Her eyes fixed on Su Hao. Su Hao, holding her small bag, took her boarding pass and passport from Assistant Lu, stepped forward, and said to Zhou Yang, “Sorry.”
“Let’s go.” Zhou Yang glanced at his watch. Hearing that her voice was a little hoarse, he paused. As he handed over his passport, he asked, “Is your throat bothering you?”
“Maybe I’m a little overheated?” Su Hao rubbed her neck.
It was her turn to hand over her passport and boarding pass. The two of them passed through security one after the other. He was always ahead, tall and handsome, a flirtatious charm on his brow.
Like a celebrity, he drew a lot of attention.
After passing security, Zhou Yang bought a cup of warm water at a shop and handed it to Su Hao. “Drink plenty of water. It’s a short flight to Haishi. Rest when you get off the plane.”
“Okay, thank you.” Su Hao took it and drank as she walked.
Zhou Yang had many phone calls. He answered a few.
Soon, they boarded.
Drinking the warm water made her stomach feel warm. As soon as she sat down, Su Hao felt sleepy. They were in business class, which had much more space than economy. Su Hao covered herself with a blanket and felt herself drifting off.
—
When they arrived in Haishi, it was dusk.
As soon as they exited the airport, Zhou Yang had to go to a banquet. Before leaving, he looked at Su Hao. Seeing that she didn’t look well, he instructed the hotel to send a soft, light dinner to her room.
Su Hao pulled out a sun-protection jacket from her suitcase, put it on, and said to him, “I’m fine.”
Zhou Yang got into another car. His eyes looked at her. In the moonlight, her eyes seemed to shimmer with a watery gleam. Zhou Yang nodded, casually pulled the door shut, and the car sped off.
Arriving at the hotel, Su Hao ate a few bites quickly, then immediately lay down on the bed and went to sleep, because she was simply too tired. Haishi was an international metropolis, a transportation hub. Zhou Yang returned to the hotel around 11 p.m. He loosened his tie. Several peopleāJiang Yu and othersāwere chatting in the group.
He took his room card, held it, and laughed softly as he pressed the voice message button.
“Xu Dian will never be able to clear his name now.”
“No kidding.”
“Zhou Yang, you’re single yourself. You only laugh at others. Watch yourself.” Yan Xing couldn’t help but taunt Zhou Yang.
The door opened. Zhou Yang didn’t reply immediately. He inserted the room card, paused for a few seconds, then called the front desk. He asked about the arrival status of Room 602. After the front desk answered, Zhou Yang frowned slightly. Then he asked the front desk to send up the key card for Room 602 and a medical kit.
This hotel was run by Wen Zexin.
They all had dedicated rooms here. The one Su Hao was staying in was also one of them.
After receiving the key card and medical kit, Zhou Yang swiped the card and entered Room 602. The group chat kept beeping.
A group of people were egging him on, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Zhou Yang pressed the voice message button and laughed. His laughter was low, tinged with contempt and confidence. “Wait and see. See if I ever get tied down in this lifetime. You’re seriously underestimating me.”
With that, he noticed that the master bedroom door was open. A lump was raised under the covers. Zhou Yang put down his phone, poured a glass of water, took a fever-reducing pill, and walked into the master bedroom. As he reached the bedside, the woman in the bed turned over, her back to him. Her dark hair spilled over the white bedsheets.
A little of her shoulder was exposed. She hadn’t changed her clothes.
Zhou Yang bent down, reached out, and patted Su Hao’s shoulder. “Su Hao,” he called softly.
The clothing was thin. The skin beneath his palm was burning hot. She had a fever. Zhou Yang patted her shoulder again. But Su Hao only moved further away. Her soft, beautiful side profile was faintly visible, flushed. Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow, watching her scoot away. A few seconds later, his large hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her directly toward him.
Su Hao was very light, soft and delicate. She was pulled over easily. Her brow was furrowed. She wasn’t awake yet. She seemed delirious from the fever.
Zhou Yang helped her sit up and tried to give her a sip of water. She didn’t swallow; most of it dribbled out. Zhou Yang wiped it away with his fingertip. Her skin was burning hot, yet soft.
He paused. A second later, his finger, with the fever pill, pushed into her mouth.
Her mouth was warm.
Sensing the movement, Su Hao finally woke up a little. She opened her eyes. In that instant, her eyes shimmered with a moist, brilliant light. Her lips were like cherry blossoms. Her delicate, fragile beauty was incredibly alluring.
The words Zhou Yang had been about to say suddenly caught in his throat.
