I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 82

Time at the postpartum confinement center flew by, and soon Zhou Youling finished her postpartum confinement and could move about freely.

In fact, postpartum confinement is now very scientific, and it’s no problem for new mothers to go out. So during her confinement, Zhou Youling even discussed plans for filming food videos and areas that needed adjustment with Huo Lianghan.

The plan Huo Lianghan made was flawless for someone like Zhou Youling, who was a complete outsider, but Zhou Youling still made some adjustments based on her own strengths and situation.

Huo Lianghan then took these verbal adjustments from Zhou Youling and went back to revise the plan.

Almost on the very first day Zhou Youling finished her confinement, Huo Lianghan came to her, asking her to spare two days no matter what to film the first episode.

Zhou Youling couldn’t resist Huo Lianghan’s persistence, so after her confinement, she joined the filming.

The filming location was Zhou Youling’s Food and Color restaurant, the B City branch.

Speaking of which, since the B City branch finished renovations and opened, Zhou Youling herself hadn’t had a good look at it. Although she had seen the renderings long ago, seeing the restaurant full of customers still filled her with endless satisfaction.

The new store’s opening came with a wave of promotional activities, which boosted the dining rate and helped Food and Color’s reputation spread in B City. Many first-time customers said they had long heard of the Food and Color restaurant in Nanzhou City.

Zhou Youling was happy, and she put even more effort into Huo Lianghan’s filming.

The first episode was about noodles, with the theme being Zhou Youling making wheat flour from wheat in the field, then making noodles from the flour.

Zhou Youling joked, “Why not start by planting the wheat yourself?”

Huo Lianghan waved his hand and said, “That would be too fake. After all, we can’t really spend a few months growing wheat right now.”

“I’m just kidding,” Zhou Youling said. If she really had to plant wheat, she wouldn’t have the skills for that.

Nowadays, there are many food bloggers on social media, and “beauty” bloggers like Zhou Youling are not uncommon.

Zhou Youling actually wasn’t confident she could bring much traffic to Huo Lianghan, but since she agreed, she wanted to do her best.

The first day’s filming went very smoothly. The content originally planned for two days was all finished in a day and a half.

Next, it was up to Huo Lianghan to go back and edit.

It was clear that Huo Lianghan was very satisfied with this shoot, and he even encouraged Zhou Youling: “I believe it will definitely succeed!”

“Good luck!”

Filming ended a little after four in the afternoon, a time when there weren’t many customers in the restaurant.

Zhou Youling wandered alone around her own restaurant, front and back, feeling a surge of indescribable emotion.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. In the past, Zhou Youling only talked about opening a restaurant, never imagining she could actually do it. Even after opening, she never thought she could succeed. Now, this was her second restaurant.

A few waiters changing shifts didn’t recognize Zhou Youling. When they saw her heading toward Area C, which wasn’t open yet, they stopped and politely said, “Excuse me, ma’am, our Area C, which is where you are now, isn’t open yet.”

Zhou Youling smiled at the waiter in front of her. “Are you a summer temp?”

The waiter was tall and looked about seventeen or eighteen.

It was June, right after the college entrance exams.

Zhou Youling already knew the restaurant had hired a batch of summer temps who had just graduated from high school.

The waiter scratched his head shyly and said, “Yes.”

Zhou Youling nodded and said, “I’m just looking around. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“But…”

The waiter was about to say something else when the restaurant manager called out from not far away, “Boss Zhou.”

The waiter followed the restaurant manager’s gaze to Zhou Youling, and for a moment couldn’t believe it.

The woman in front of him looked just over twenty, like a college student, and she was the legendary Boss Zhou?

Zhou Youling smiled and nodded at the restaurant manager. “I’m just looking around.”

The restaurant manager came over and said to Zhou Youling, “Let me walk around with you.”

“Alright.”

After Zhou Youling and the restaurant manager left, a few waiters gathered together, chattering away.

“She really is our boss. So young!”

“Not just young, but so pretty. At first, I thought she was some big celebrity.”

“I’ve heard the boss is young and beautiful. Seeing her today, I really think she’s amazing.”

“By the way, why hasn’t Boss Zhou come before? It’s been almost a month since the store opened, right?”

“We don’t know. The boss is so young and capable, she must have a lot to handle.”

“That makes sense.”

Recently, Zhou Youling had been running back and forth every day between the restaurant and home. On one hand, she had to take care of the restaurant, and on the other, she also had to look after little Mumu at home.

Now, most of Zhou Youling’s focus was on the shop in B City, though she would occasionally go to the branch in Nanzhou City to check on things. But a round trip to Nanzhou City took more than two hours, so Zhou Youling often asked her dad, Zhou Zhishan, to go there on her behalf to see how things were going.

Ever since becoming a mom, Zhou Youling had more things weighing on her mind. As long as she thought of the little one waiting for her at home, all the day’s exhaustion seemed to turn into boundless energy, and she just wanted to finish her work quickly and go home.

That day, after Zhou Youling finished her work, she encountered an “unexpected guest” on her way home.

Fu Xunzhou suddenly appeared in the neighborhood where Zhou Youling lived.

The last time Zhou Youling had seen Fu Xunzhou was when she finished her postpartum confinement. That day, Fu Xunzhou was also at the postpartum confinement center. He watched her leave with his own eyes but didn’t follow her.

From that day until now, Zhou Youling hadn’t seen Fu Xunzhou again.

Zhou Youling saw Fu Xunzhou while waiting for the elevator. It was already June, and B City was slowly entering summer, so it was time to wear short sleeves.

Fu Xunzhou was standing at the elevator entrance in a plain short-sleeved shirt. His broad shoulders and narrow waist made the shirt especially flattering on him.

Zhou Youling was slightly stunned as she looked at him.

Strangely enough, she felt that Fu Xunzhou’s aura seemed to have changed somehow, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

Fu Xunzhou had obviously arrived earlier than Zhou Youling and was waiting for the elevator on the first floor.

Zhou Youling didn’t take the initiative to speak, but Fu Xunzhou greeted her first.

Like an old friend she had known for years, he said softly, “You’re back.”

Zhou Youling nodded and subconsciously asked, “Where are you going?”

Just then, the elevator doors opened and a few people came out. After everyone had exited, Fu Xunzhou gestured for Zhou Youling to enter the elevator first. Zhou Youling didn’t hesitate and stepped in ahead of him.

Once inside the elevator, Zhou Youling pressed the button for her floor, then watched as Fu Xunzhou pressed the button for the floor just below hers.

Zhou Youling turned to Fu Xunzhou in confusion and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Naturally, I’m going home,” Fu Xunzhou replied honestly.

That casual remark left Zhou Youling a bit bewildered. “You’re going home? Do you live here?”

Fu Xunzhou nodded.

Zhou Youling frowned.

Fu Xunzhou said to Zhou Youling, “Do you want to come over for a visit?”

Zhou Youling asked Fu Xunzhou, “When did you move here?”

Fu Xunzhou answered truthfully, “It’s been a few months.”

“A few months?” Zhou Youling could hardly believe it. So this man had been hanging around right under her nose all this time, and she hadn’t noticed?

Seeing the playful look in Zhou Youling’s eyes, Fu Xunzhou pretended to take a step back and said, “I bought a place here to live. That’s not illegal, is it?”

Zhou Youling rolled her eyes at Fu Xunzhou. “You can live wherever you want.”

As she spoke, the elevator stopped at Fu Xunzhou’s floor. He didn’t rush to get out, but instead said to Zhou Youling, “I’ve been in Nanzhou City recently helping Fu Hexu manage the company. There are still a lot of things he doesn’t understand, so I haven’t been around.”

Zhou Youling frowned even deeper. “You don’t have to explain that.”

Fu Xunzhou said, “I thought I didn’t need to explain, but I realized that it’s because I talk to you too little about these things that the misunderstandings between us keep piling up.”

These words made Zhou Youling pause for a moment.

Fu Xunzhou took the opportunity to step out of the elevator and said to Zhou Youling, “Goodbye.”

The moment the elevator doors closed, Zhou Youling leaned gently against the wall.

Thinking back on all the moments between them, it really was the lack of communication–Zhou Youling kept too many things buried in her heart, and even when she felt wronged, she was unwilling to mention it to Fu Xunzhou. As for Fu Xunzhou, no matter how much pressure he faced at work, he never shared any of it with Zhou Youling.

Zhou Youling let out a soft sigh as the elevator doors opened. She immediately rushed home, missing Mumu terribly.

And as for Fu Xunzhou’s so-called “goodbye,” it really was a quick “see you again.”

Almost as soon as Zhou Youling started playing with Mumu, the doorbell rang.

Zhou Youling went to open the door. The moment she saw Fu Xunzhou, she frowned. “Why are you here?”

Fu Xunzhou was holding two things in his hands. He smiled and said, “There’s no food at home, so I came over especially to mooch a dinner.”

Zhou Youling never expected Fu Xunzhou could be so shameless!