Chapter 9

Chapter 9

But soon, I regretted it.

Especially when Meng Yunchuan shoved a drunken Zhou Hegui into my arms.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Before me, the man’s head hung low, his pale face flushed with intoxication. He was unsteady on his feet, and with one push from my brother, he tumbled right into me.

His dark hair brushed against my neck, sending a ticklish sensation through me.

If it were any other handsome guy, my heart would be fluttering like a trapped bird, but the person in front of me was Zhou Hegui!

I was trembling all over as I carefully supported his swaying body.

“Brother, maybe you should hold him…”

Before I could finish, I saw my brother winking at me. “Don’t worry, I’ve checked for you-he doesn’t have a girlfriend!”

He continued with a proud tone, “If other girls have handsome boyfriends, my sister must have one too!”

I looked down at the drunken Villain Boss in my arms. “This isn’t something I can just take!”

But my brother wasn’t listening.

He sighed to himself. “I saw through your feelings for him a long time ago. Why else would you be so good to him? You always get him something when you buy me gifts, you always order two cups of milk tea, and you even made sure I remembered his birthday!”

Me: “…”

Is it possible that I just wanted your friendship to last forever?

But I couldn’t say that out loud.

Just as I was struggling to find an explanation, a breeze blew by, and the man who seemed drunk began to sober up slightly. Those dark, deep eyes landed on me, softening with a touch of tenderness as he called out, “Yuexi.”

His voice was low and magnetic.

My ears turned red, and I answered blankly, “Huh?”

Zhou Hegui pulled a box out of his pocket and handed it to me, his eyes crinkling slightly. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

In his drunken state, the man’s usual coldness had faded, replaced by a gentle warmth.

But today was Valentine’s Day!

Giving me a gift on Valentine’s Day?

I suddenly felt like the gift was a hot potato.

Beside us, Meng Yunchuan stared at us intently, nodding repeatedly as he commented, “At least he’s got some sense, knowing he should prepare a gift…”

Me: “…”

I felt like I was dreaming.

After that day, the contact between Zhou Hegui and me suddenly increased.

He wasn’t usually a man of many words, but sometimes when I opened our chat history, it was filled with messages from him.

[Have you eaten yet?]

[Are you still in class?]

[I ordered the beef brisket rice you like for you.]

[There’s also a fruit bowl; remember to eat it.]

[Your brother and I are going to Paris for a three-day business trip. The plane is about to take off, and I’m turning off my phone, so I won’t receive messages. You can message me first, and I’ll reply later.]

[…]

There was even one time when I fell ill at school.

He rushed over in the middle of the night, took me to the hospital, and stayed awake by my side all night.

Scrolling through the chat history, I sighed.

I suppose I was bound to be moved by such sincerity eventually.

As the company flourished, my brother became increasingly generous toward me. For my twentieth birthday, he bought me a Maserati.

Zhou Hegui gave me a jade bracelet.

Supposedly, that jade bracelet was worth four million.

Upon hearing this news, my brother stayed up all night to get me a five-million-dollar necklace as a supplement.

Me: “…”

My brother’s habit of showing off… is actually quite nice.

Later on, my brother and I attended someone’s wedding banquet.

When I saw the names and photos on the sign at the entrance, I froze.

Shen Xianyin and Fu Jingyue.

Aren’t these the female and male leads?

They’re just… getting married like that?

My brother’s expression was calm. “This is a high school classmate of mine; we’re on decent terms.”

I stared at my brother’s composed face.

Fine, fine. You really nailed the cool act this time!

Beside me, Zhou Hegui placed a piece of beef in my bowl, his voice gentle. “Eat it while it’s hot.”

I snapped back to reality. Seeing his natural expression-not even sparing a glance toward the stage-my heart stirred. “Okay.”

Realizing what was happening, my brother immediately grabbed a large crab and started upping the ante. “Sister, wait a moment. Big brother will peel this crab for you.”

I tilted my head, looking at the young man who was acting skilled despite his clumsy movements. I couldn’t help but want to tease him, so I intentionally pushed another crab toward him.

I said with a grin, “I want to eat two, Brother~”

Meng Yunchuan: “…Fine!”

Zhou Hegui: “…”

But a moment later, my bowl was silently piled high by Zhou Hegui.

Me: “??”

Meng Yunchuan was buried in the task of peeling the crab for me, completely unaware. By the time he finished, I was almost full.

He erupted in impotent rage: “Zhou Hegui!”

Zhou Hegui gave him a cool glance. “The food won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

My brother’s fire was instantly extinguished, looking quite aggrieved.

The corners of my mouth curled up as I took the bowl filled with crab meat. “Wow, Brother, you peeled this so well!”

My brother’s eyes lit up again.

I thought to myself:

In this moment, I am standing right in the middle of happiness.