Chapter 08
** Sleep**
“Alright, alright, get out.” Having used him, Su Qian shooed Zhou Yang away. The kitchen was quite large, but the three of them still felt a little cramped. Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow, turned around, and left.
He always carried a faint scent of fir, very subtle. He was tall, and stood out wherever he was, with an imposing presence. The moment he left, the entire kitchen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Su Hao took the frying pan, placed it on the stove, washed her hands, picked up the spatula, and began making the shortcakes.
She had added the egg liquid to the pancake mix in proportion, stirred it for a while, and when it went into the pan, the aroma soon wafted out. It smelled wonderful. Su Qian stood by, watching with sparkling eyes. She loved sweets, but she couldn’t make them as well as Su Hao did. Su Hao’s slender fingers moved the spatula like a beautiful painting.
About half an hour later, the strawberry milkshakes were done. There was only one step left for the shortcakes. Su Hao cut the strawberries into small pieces, tucked them inside the shortcakes, and squeezed whipped cream on top. Su Qian immediately brought over a tray, arranged the milkshakes and shortcakes on it, and carried them out. “Hao Hao, wash your hands and come out too. We can have afternoon tea.”
“Okay.” Su Hao untied her apron, turned on the faucet, and washed her hands. When she was done, she tidied up the messy items on the counter, stacked them neatly, and then went out.
Zhou Yang was buttoning his shirt collar as he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone. His voice was low, carrying an afternoon laziness. Su Qian sat down at the high table, and Su Hao sat next to her. Su Qian waved her hand. “Zhou Yang, want some?”
Zhou Yang glanced back at them and gave a small wave. Then he turned back and continued his call. Su Qian clicked her tongue, handed a fork to Su Hao, and said, “He doesn’t eat sweets. We’ll eat them ourselves.”
Su Hao gave a soft “mm,” took a spoon, scooped up some milkshake, and poured it over the shortcake. “It’s even better this way.”
“Is that so? Let me try.” Su Qian took the fork and took a bite. The strawberry flavor was rich. “Mmm, delicious.”
Seeing how enthusiastically she was eating, Su Hao smiled and took a bite herself.
“Hao Hao, what would you like for dinner?”
Su Hao hesitated. She had originally planned to accompany Su Qian through afternoon tea and then go home. She still had some books she hadn’t finished reading. She was still hesitating when a dark shadow loomed over her. Then the man’s wrist, with his watch on it, reached over and very casually speared a piece of shortcake with a toothpick. As he pulled back, the skin of his arm brushed incidentally against the soft flesh near Su Hao’s ear.
“Tch. So sweet.” Zhou Yang tossed the toothpick away, tugged at his collar, and went straight upstairs.
Su Qian snapped at him, “If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. You had to try it.”
“Just giving you some face. So you don’t feel like your strawberry theft was for nothing,” the man said with a scoff, his voice fading at the top of the stairs.
Su Qian didn’t even want to talk about it anymore.
About her son.
Zhou Yang had always had high emotional intelligence. If he wanted to charm a woman, he could do it every time. Su Qian had lost count of how many times she’d been annoyed by it. She pulled Su Hao back to continue eating.
Shortly after, Zhou Yang came back down with a suit jacket draped over his arm and a tie around his neck, looking casual and relaxed. “I won’t be back for dinner tonight.”
“And probably won’t be staying over either.”
“Where are you going?” Su Qian asked.
“A cocktail party.” Zhou Yang picked up his car keys and went to put on his shoes.
He hadn’t even fastened his tie properly. One end hung down, and his collar was still open, his collarbone faintly visible. Su Qian said, “Oh,” and didn’t think much of it at first. Then she asked, “Will you have a date?”
*Click.* The door turned. Zhou Yang’s low voice came through. “What do you think?”
Then with a laugh: “Don’t worry about it.”
With that, he walked out, and the door closed with a thud. Su Qian couldn’t be bothered. When she turned back and saw Su Hao, she was startled for a moment. Su Hao’s expression was calm as she ate her shortcake, a ring of whipped cream around her lips. Seeing this, Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, she had hoped Su Hao would become the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law, but with Zhou Yang’s character—maybe it was for the best.
That was what she had been thinking since learning more about Shen He recently. Why choose a playboy when there was a steadier man available?
That way, Su Hao and Zhou Yang could still be friends. Zhou Yang treated his friends well. After a moment’s thought, Su Qian asked, “Su Hao, what do you think of Zhou Yang at the company lately?”
Su Hao bit into a strawberry and thought about it.
“I haven’t seen him much, so I don’t really know.”
But in the group chat, the others talked about him. They said Zhou Yang usually acted like a rich young heir—cynical and carefree. Only when he was working did people feel his presence, which was even somewhat sharp. Anyway, female employees only dared to sneak glances at him.
Or they might strike up a conversation when he seemed in a good mood.
On normal days, if he got angry, everyone hid and didn’t dare make a sound.
“Is that so? You haven’t heard any gossip?”
“No, not really.” Su Hao shook her head. Su Qian said, “Mm,” then asked, “What do you think of Zhou Yang as a friend?”
Su Hao bit into her strawberry.
Her mouth was full of strawberry juice. It was very good. She thought about his arrangements over the past few days—quiet and unobtrusive, quite considerate. “He’s good.”
“That’s good!” Su Qian breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Her son had always been good to his friends.
Even if he didn’t like Su Hao as a type, as long as he treated her as a friend, that was enough.
—
After afternoon tea, Su Hao watched a mermaid movie with Su Qian. It was actually quite scary. Su Hao was pretty scared, but Su Qian was even more so, so she had to be brave.
In the end, she couldn’t leave. Su Qian cooked dinner herself again. Su Hao stayed for dinner, and afterward, the Zhou family’s driver drove her back to Huahui residential complex.
As soon as she opened the door, her phone rang.
She looked down.
**Shen He:** Hao Hao, I’m coming to Li City tomorrow!
**Su Hao:** Okay.
**Shen He:** Wait for me.
**Su Hao:** Mm. It’s the weekend, fortunately.
**Shen He:** Yes, yes, yes!
—
A black Volvo sped down the road. A faint smell of alcohol lingered inside the car. Soon, the car arrived at Yi Wan Shanshui. Zhou Yang loosened his tie and stepped out of the car, his long legs wrapped in black suit trousers. He leaned against the car door, rested his chin on his hand, and let the alcohol dissipate a little. That bastard Li Yi had been toasting him all night.
And with nothing but hard liquor.
“Sir?” The driver walked up, pushed open the villa’s door, and then turned back to call him. Zhou Yang’s long, narrow eyes swept over—in the darkness, there was a hint of coldness, but it quickly faded. He curled his lips into a smile. “No need to help. I’m not drunk.”
“A little alcohol like that isn’t a problem for me.” He pressed his tongue against his cheek, took the keys from the driver’s hand, grabbed his jacket, and walked toward the villa. “You go back. Take the other car.”
“Ah, okay.” The driver stood still, watching him walk into the yard. The tall figure disappeared into the villa, and only then did the driver turn and leave.
Only a few lights were on in the villa. Zhou Yang casually set down his keys and jacket, walked over, and poured himself a glass of water. Late at night, like Xu Dian, he didn’t like having extra people around the villa. After finishing the water, he was mostly sober. Zhou Yang walked upstairs, idly fiddling with his phone.
Soon, he reached the master bedroom.
He tossed his phone aside and went into the bathroom to shower.
Steam covered the walls. Before long, Zhou Yang came out in black pajamas. Droplets of water rolled down his neck and disappeared into his collar. The smell of alcohol was gone, leaving only the faint scent of shower gel and the aroma of the room’s diffuser. He pulled back the covers, lay down, and fell asleep.
In his dream.
Something swayed. A slender branch of a willow tree wrapped around his arm. The man turned over, his brow furrowed. In the dream, he seemed to push many people away.
But he couldn’t wrap his arms around that soft, fragrant, slender waist.
—
Daybreak.
Zhou Yang woke up. He sat up, a little irritated, reached out, and put a mint tablet under his tongue. His phone beeped incessantly. He glanced at it.
**Wen Zeli:** Tch. Shen He is going to Li City for work again. I really have to thank you for introducing that Jiangnan beauty to my brother-in-law. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.
**Zhou Yang:** Oh. He’s coming again?
