Chapter 11
** Bring Her Along**
Hangover soup required quite a few ingredients. It could relieve headaches and sober someone up. Su Hao picked up her phone from the coffee table and glanced at the time. It was quite late.
She stood up. Her nightgown fell down around her. Even in this somewhat baggy cotton dress, her slender figure was still faintly discernible. She walked to the small triangular table by the sofa, picked up the phone, and called the front desk.
Soon, someone answered.
Su Hao listed a few ingredients, such as kelp, tofu, small fish, etc., and asked, “Do you have these ingredients available now?”
The front desk agent was startled for a moment. Seeing that the call came from this room, she immediately replied, “Yes, we can find them. Do you need them right now?”
Su Hao glanced back at Zhou Yang. Zhou Yang was resting his chin on his hand, still in the same position, looking at her. Their eyes met. Su Hao calmly looked away and said, “Yes, right now. If you can find them, please send them up. Thank you.”
After the agent said okay, Su Hao put down the phone and looked at Zhou Yang. “You lie down for a while. I’ll get things ready.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was brand new, with all the utensils. It was prepared specifically for Zhou Yang and his circle, so the hotel didn’t dare slack off. Even if not used often, they replaced things regularly.
Su Hao turned on the hot water, rinsed the kitchenware, took down the knife and cutting board, and opened the seasonings. Her slender figure moved about in the kitchen.
Zhou Yang’s neck was very red. The smooth lines of his arms were also faintly flushed. The veins on the back of his hand, which hung at his side, were prominent. He glanced at the phone, then at the woman in the kitchen. The smile on his face faded considerably. His long, narrow eyes were dark and heavy. Her seriousness made his own casualness seem like a joke.
He leaned back against the sofa, tilting his head back, and closed his eyes.
The reason he didn’t like women like Su Hao was precisely because they were too serious. So serious that it was impossible to just walk away. If you got involved with them, you’d get stuck. You couldn’t shake them off.
He was hot.
He tugged at his collar with his fingertips, pulling it open a little.
The alcohol and the fever hadn’t dulled his senses; on the contrary, they made them sharper. Every sound from the kitchen entered his ears without missing a beat. The sound of her footsteps as she walked, the sound of her reaching for something on the shelf, the sound of her wiping the table with a cloth, her fingertips wet with droplets of water, probably drying something.
The doorbell rang.
Footsteps came out of the kitchen, passed in front of the coffee table, walked to the hallway, and opened the door.
“Sorry to bother you. Thank you for your trouble.” Su Hao accepted the items. Her voice was gentle, every word extremely clear. Then, *thud*—the door closed. Su Hao came in carrying a bag. Her footsteps grew closer. Zhou Yang’s eyelids flickered, but he didn’t open his eyes. He looked completely exhausted.
As if he were very tired.
He heard a water glass being set on the coffee table. Then that gentle voice asked, “Asleep?”
“If you’re not asleep, drink some water.”
With that, she turned and went back into the kitchen. That soft, gentle voice followed her back. Zhou Yang finally opened his eyes, sat up straight, leaned forward, and looked at the glass water glass.
His chest, because of his heartbeat.
*Thumped.* Caused by the alcohol spreading through him.
He thought.
He picked up the glass, took a sip, then casually took out his cigarette pack, shook out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and flicked his lighter.
Orange light climbed up his brow.
The cigarette was lit. He blew out a smoke ring and played with the cigarette.
The phone on the table beeped incessantly.
They were all Su Hao’s messages.
Su Hao had her WeChat set to show incoming messages, including the sender’s name, but not the content.
One was from Shen He.
One was from T.
It was 10:30 at night.
Zhou Yang’s eyes swept over these two WeChat messages.
—
She hadn’t expected the ingredients sent by the hotel at this late hour to be so fresh. Then she realized that this was exactly the time when the vegetable wholesale market was just opening. All the major hotel restaurants went to the wholesale market at the same time to pick up their pre-ordered produce.
That was why the ingredients were so fresh.
The small fish were still lively and jumping. They had sent her ten. As long as the ingredients were sufficient, Su Hao worked quickly. Before long, the aroma filled the air.
Su Hao found a large bowl, ladled the soup and ingredients into it, and carried it out of the kitchen.
There was a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the living room. The man was checking emails on his phone, a cigarette between his fingers. If it weren’t for the smell of alcohol and the unnatural flush on his neck and ears, you’d think he was perfectly fine. Su Hao set the bowl down, placed the spoon inside it, wiped her hands, and said, “Eat.”
Zhou Yang stubbed out his cigarette, curled his lips into a smile, and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You helped me a lot before.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yang’s fingers paused briefly. Then he picked up the spoon and ladled out some soup. His expression was unreadable.
Su Hao crouched down to look through the medical kit on the coffee table. Since she hadn’t looked for the fever medicine in here before, it was a bit hard to find now. Her nightgown had long sleeves and was somewhat baggy. As she searched, the sleeve slipped down to her elbow, revealing her slender, pale wrist, as white as the tofu in Zhou Yang’s hangover soup.
Zhou Yang picked up the bowl, rested his hand on his knee, and drank. His eyes fell on her wrist. “You have two WeChat messages.”
“Ah? Let me see.” Su Hao turned her head, lit up the screen, and looked.
After seeing who they were from, she didn’t open them immediately. She turned back to continue searching for the fever medicine.
Zhou Yang swallowed a piece of tofu, his brow exuding charm. “Besides Shen He, the other one is Tang Rui?”
Su Hao finally found the fever medicine. She paused, broke off a black pill, and said, “Yes.”
“The hangover soup is very good. Do you make it often?” It was very fresh. Zhou Yang was drinking it for the first time, since he’d never had a fever and alcohol at the same time before. His tone was casual, nonchalant.
Su Hao answered frankly. “Yes. It’s my mother’s specialty. Before my father got sick, he used to drink often. I made it for him occasionally. Tang Rui also likes to drink it when he’s had too much.”
“Oh?” Zhou Yang finished the soup in one go. The bowl was empty.
Su Hao placed the medicine beside his hand, then picked up her phone. “Take the medicine in two hours. I’m going back now.”
“Don’t take a shower. Wait until your fever breaks tomorrow morning.” Before leaving, Su Hao gave another instruction. Then she turned off the light at the entrance and left the suite.
She pulled open the door.
She withdrew the hem of her dress, and then the door closed, the hem disappearing with it.
The room fell silent.
Along with it, that faint scent of a woman dissipated. Zhou Yang looked at the door, then looked away. He picked up the pill from the table. The pills in this medical kit were black and white fever reducers. Last night, Su Hao had taken the black one. His fingertip still seemed to retain some warmth. A gentle personality was like a vine.
After it grew, it climbed up.
After it wrapped around and then retreated, it left traces.
—
Because she had gutted the fish, even though she had washed her hands thoroughly, there was still a fishy smell. Su Hao returned to her room, took another shower, changed into another set of pajamas, and went back to sleep.
Before closing her eyes, she thought about Zhou Yang’s attitude tonight.
It was actually a bit different from when he was younger. At least now, he was much gentler. The rebelliousness of his youth seemed to have been worn away by time.
This man was quite suitable to be a friend.
As she was thinking, she suddenly remembered she hadn’t replied to her WeChat messages.
She picked up her phone and opened it.
**Shen He:** Hao Hao, how much longer until you come back? Ahem, ahem, can’t you take a little break?
**Su Hao:** No, I have to do my job properly. I’m almost done. I’ll come back when I’ve finished.
**Shen He:** You’re not asleep yet? I thought you were.
**Su Hao:** About to be.
**Shen He:** Then get some sleep. And finish your work soon so you can come back. I’m on a business trip for once!!!
**Su Hao:** Alright.
She exited and looked at the other WeChat message.
**T:** Asleep?
**Su Hao:** Asleep.
**T:** Looks like you’re not asleep. How’s the new job?
**Su Hao:** Okay.
**T:** Mm.
The last reply came very slowly. Su Hao was very sleepy. She put down her phone and fell asleep, so she didn’t reply.
—
The hangover soup was quite effective. Within about an hour, Zhou Yang felt the alcohol subsiding. He stood up, casually popped the black pill into his mouth, then unbuttoned his shirt and walked into the bathroom. He took off his shirt, revealing his abdominal muscles. He turned on the shower, and hot water cascaded down.
His hair immediately clung to his head. He braced himself against the wall, droplets of water on his brow.
He closed his eyes.
Besides the sound of the hot water hitting the floor, there seemed to be other sounds. The sound of the kitchen, the sound of footsteps walking, a slender figure, and the pale wrist revealed when a sleeve slipped down while searching for medicine.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. Droplets of water rolled down his neck.
The water splashed noisily.
The man’s voice was very low.
“Fuck.”
The medicine worked quite quickly. After his shower, wearing a bathrobe, Zhou Yang sat on the edge of the bed, lazily drying his hair. When his hair was somewhat dry, he lay down.
The medicine took effect.
But he fell into a dream—a dream of a slender waist like a willow branch.
—
A night’s sleep until dawn. Su Hao was woken by her alarm again. As the alarm rang, a call also came in. She opened her phone—it was Chen Yu calling. Su Hao paused, ran a hand through her hair, and sat up.
“Chen Yu, good morning.”
“Good morning, Sister Su Hao. When are you going to Festina?”
“In a little while. I just woke up.” Su Hao yawned, walked barefoot to the window, and pulled open the curtains, letting a little light from outside stream in. Chen Yu hesitated on the other end, then laughed. “Sister Su Hao, today can you adjust a transaction from March for me? It’s for Fengying.”
Fengying.
Wasn’t that the supplier from yesterday whose procurement price was different?
Su Hao was stunned for a moment, then realized. “You didn’t reconcile it at the time?”
Chen Yu hadn’t expected Su Hao to react so quickly. She lowered her voice. “It’s not that I didn’t reconcile it. I just didn’t notice the price fluctuation.”
“Can you find it for me and send it to me? I’ll organize the general ledger here, reconcile it with yours, and then submit it to General Manager Zeng. Don’t mention this to Zhang Xian or Lu Mimi for now.”
It was the same pattern again.
Su Hao remembered what Zhang Xian had said yesterday. She thought for a moment, then said, “Sister Zhang Xian knows everything. You shouldn’t try to be clever like this in front of her.”
“What do you mean?” Chen Yu’s words caught in her throat. She asked Su Hao in return.
Ever since Su Hao had arrived at the company, she and Chen Yu had gotten along well. Chen Yu had taken her to lunch, shown her around the company. When Zhang Xian and Lu Mimi hadn’t been very friendly, Chen Yu had helped her. Su Hao had always remembered that kindness. But at work, she really couldn’t bend the rules. Su Hao said, “Sister Zhang Xian found out about those accounts yesterday.”
“You told her?” Chen Yu asked again.
Actually, Zhang Xian had spoken to Chen Yu about it at the time, but Chen Yu had been busy looking at her phone and hadn’t paid attention. Now she had forgotten.
Her question put Su Hao in an awkward position.
She lowered her voice. “Sister Zhang Xian called and scolded me about it yesterday.”
“Is that so? Then why didn’t she tell me?”
Seeing how aggressive Chen Yu was being, Su Hao decided not to explain further. Her tone remained gentle, not aggressive, but firm. “From now on, I’ll help you with small things whenever I can. But for big things—like recording transactions incorrectly, being careless with reconciliation, and then wanting to change things after the fact—I will report those to Sister Zhang Xian. I hope you can understand.”
*Slap—*
The other end hung up.
Su Hao gripped her phone, exhaled, and stared out the window for a long time.
After standing there blankly for a while, she turned and went to take a shower, but there was a knot in her chest. Since Sister Zhang Xian had called and scolded her, why hadn’t she told Chen Yu? That had caused Chen Yu to vent her anger on Su Hao.
Su Hao frowned.
Then she thought about it. Sister Zhang Xian probably *had* told her. And considering Chen Yu’s usual work attitude…
Had she just not paid attention?
Thinking this, Su Hao felt much better. She changed into a different set of clothes. When she came out, her expression was no longer as dejected as it had been at first. The hotel breakfast had already arrived, left at the door. Su Hao brought it in, ate it carefully, then picked up her small bag and went out. At the elevator entrance, the man was wearing a white shirt and trousers, looking down at his phone.
Hearing her approach, he turned his head and looked at her.
“Here?”
Su Hao nodded, smiled, walked up, and asked, “Has your fever broken?”
“Yes.” Zhou Yang looked at her again. “You don’t look well. Didn’t sleep well last night?”
This man was very perceptive. Su Hao nodded. “I didn’t sleep well.”
She didn’t mention work.
Zhou Yang chuckled softly. “Oh? What were you thinking about?”
His long, narrow eyes carried a hint of a hook, a touch of flirtatiousness. Seeing this, Su Hao felt that his expression at that moment was somewhat familiar. She paused, then said, “Nothing.”
Then the elevator arrived. The two of them got in, but there was a momentary silence.
He coughed slightly and tilted his head a little.
Su Hao glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said, “Drink plenty of water. Drink more warm water today, so it doesn’t come back.”
Zhou Yang made a fist and put it to his lips. Hearing this, he turned his head to look at her, his brow full of amusement. “Okay.”
They arrived at the first floor.
There were still a lot of people. It was also very sunny outside.
The light was good here. Only then did Su Hao notice that Zhou Yang’s complexion was still a bit pale. It seemed his fever hadn’t completely broken. But even so, his presence was still strong.
Many people were staring at him.
After getting into the car, they quickly arrived at Festina. Su Hao again reminded Zhou Yang to drink plenty of water, then grabbed her small bag and hurried into the building. She was a little late.
Once inside the building, she went upstairs. Her phone beeped.
She took it out and looked.
**Zhou Yang:** Tell me, what kind of water should I drink?
Su Hao frowned.
This was even more flirtatious.
But she felt she couldn’t think that way about a sick person.
**Su Hao:** Warm water.
**Zhou Yang:** Okay.
Seeing this reply, Su Hao breathed a sigh of relief, stepped out of the elevator, and went to handle the next tasks.
—
Work that day was especially difficult. Chen Yu was uncooperative. Su Hao got annoyed with Chen Yu several times and finally had to ask Lu Mimi for help.
When Lu Mimi found out that Chen Yu wasn’t cooperating, she scolded Chen Yu. A few minutes later, Chen Yu finally sent Su Hao a WeChat message, and Su Hao was able to continue her work.
The cashier here, who was good at reading people, looked rather amused by the situation.
After handing Su Hao some receipts, she smiled and said, “The headquarters is full of demons and monsters too, Assistant Su. You’re too honest. You need to be careful.”
In truth, although Su Hao was honest, she was also smart and very perceptive. So after watching her reconcile accounts yesterday, the cashier didn’t dare look down on her.
She just couldn’t resist making snide remarks and seemed to want to share some gossip with Su Hao. Unfortunately, Su Hao didn’t want to know. Sometimes, the less you knew about certain things, the better.
—
Quitting time was delayed that day, probably because of the time that had been wasted. Zhou Yang’s driver still came to pick up Su Hao. Su Hao returned to the hotel, ate dinner, organized the accounts again, and then rested. She slept well that night. Over the next two days, Su Hao didn’t see Zhou Yang. He didn’t seem to have returned to the hotel. The driver took her back and forth.
By the time she had finished processing all the ledgers, Assistant to General Manager Zeng called her. “Su Hao, we’ve bought your plane ticket. You can come back this afternoon.”
Su Hao was startled. “Okay.”
Assistant Zeng added with a smile, “General Manager Zhou is still busy. He’ll probably stay in Haishi for two more days.”
Oh. So that was it.
Su Hao began packing her luggage. The driver came to pick her up and took her to the airport. Again, it was business class. Su Hao traveled alone. She arrived in Li City at 3 p.m., took her suitcase directly to the company, submitted the accounts to Zhang Xian, and went home.
Chen Yu kept her head down, processing receipts.
Only Lu Mimi greeted Su Hao.
Su Hao smiled, glanced briefly at Chen Yu, and then left.
At home, she put her clothes in the washing machine, cleaned the living room and bedroom, and felt a sense of settled belonging. Su Hao leaned back on the sofa, feeling a bit lazy.
Just then, a WeChat message popped up.
She picked up her phone and looked.
**Shen He:** Hao Hao, you’re back? I still have two days of work. Let’s meet up in two days.
**Su Hao:** Okay.
—
The next two days were also quite busy for Su Hao. The accounts here needed to be consolidated, the disbursed funds needed to be rechecked, and there were many reimbursement forms to process.
Su Hao was so busy her feet barely touched the ground. Aside from work-related matters, she and Chen Yu didn’t chat at all.
Two days later, things finally slowed down. Su Hao left work early and checked her phone.
Shen He had sent a WeChat message.
**Shen He:** I’ll come directly to your company to pick you up, okay?
Su Hao had to stop and reply.
**Su Hao:** Okay.
As soon as she sent the message, a black Mercedes pulled up and stopped at the entrance. The window rolled down. Shen He waved. “Hao Hao.”
Su Hao smiled, walked up a few steps, opened the door, and got into the passenger seat.
“What do you want to eat?” Shen He was wearing a black hoodie and jeans tonight. He looked very young. Su Hao thought for a moment. “Anything is fine. I’m not very familiar with this area.”
“Okay, then let’s have Japanese food.” Shen He started the car. He turned his head and sneakily glanced at Su Hao. She was wearing a black off-the-shoulder dress. Her figure was slender.
Her hair was tied up, a little messy.
Still very beautiful.
—
As night fell, a Porsche arrived at the airport. The tall man loosened his tie, bent down, and got into the car, crossing his long legs. His brow carried a trace of fatigue, but it didn’t diminish his charm.
Assistant Lu adjusted the rearview mirror and asked, “General Manager Zhou, back to the company?”
Zhou Yang held his phone and opened WeChat.
In the group chat, several people were chatting and inviting.
**Li Yi:** Everyone free? Come over for a drink.
**Jiang Yu:** To your winery?
**Li Yi:** Yes.
**Li Yi:** @Zhou Yang, have you arrived?
Zhou Yang took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, didn’t light it, chewed on the tobacco, and typed with his fingertips.
**Zhou Yang:** Arrived. Dead tired. Still drinking? Tch.
**Li Yi:** So you’re not coming?
**Wen Zeli:** My brother-in-law is still in Li City. He’s on a date tonight.
**Xu Dian:** Oh? That’s a first. That bastard Zhou Yang played matchmaker?
**Wen Zexin:** Yes. Who would have thought General Manager Zhou would become a matchmaker? Hahahaha. When will you introduce someone to me? I need one too! A Jiangnan beauty, gentle as water, just like that Su Hao.
Outside the car window, light swept in, falling on Zhou Yang’s chiseled face, making his expression hard to read. He looked at the scrolling chat page, then took a tissue, spit out the chewed tobacco, exited the chat box, and tapped on Shen He’s profile picture.
**Zhou Yang:** Come over for a drink. They have that Liangjiu you’ve been looking for.
**Zhou Yang:** Bring Su Hao. Don’t let her go home alone.
