Chapter 13: Thirteenth Day as a Salted Fish
Zhou Shaoli’s faint, clear voice sounded: “There’s a remote control for the curtains on the nightstand.”
So he just wanted to close the curtains; he startled her.
Qin Jiaojiao reached out, grabbed the remote, and turned over to hand it to him: “Here.”
Zhou Shaoli took the remote and closed the curtains, returning the room to pitch darkness. She kept her eyes open, still unable to fall asleep. After lying in one position for too long, her body grew stiff and achy, so she gently shifted positions under the thin blanket.
Zhou Shaoli’s sleeping posture was as perfectly standard as a vampire count’s. He lay flat on his back not far from her, his breathing steady, showing not a single hint of discomfort.
Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t help but envy his calm composure. She truly couldn’t fall peacefully asleep with a man right beside her.
How on earth did Zhou Shaoli manage to sleep as if there was no one beside him? She turned over again, only to find herself facing Zhou Shaoli’s direction, locking eyes with him…
“…”
Both parties were rendered speechless.
So he hadn’t fallen asleep yet either. She had thought he was already asleep. This was awkward.
Qin Jiaojiao blinked her bright, watery eyes, thinking about what to say to break the awkward silence between them.
Ever since he was a child, Zhou Shaoli had been placed in his own separate room by his parents. As a toddler, he was looked after by a nanny, and once he started school, he became completely independent and lived alone. This was his first time sharing a bed with someone of the opposite sex.
He was a very light sleeper. With someone next to him occasionally shifting around, he naturally couldn’t fall asleep.
“You can’t sleep?” Qin Jiaojiao broke the silence.
In the past, she had quite enjoyed chatting in bed with friends after the lights were out. But now, the person she was attempting to casually chat with was Zhou Shaoli. What could she possibly chat with him about? Awkward small talk?
“Mhm.” Zhou Shaoli didn’t mention that her constant tossing and turning had been somewhat affecting him.
This hour was normally his bedtime. He needed to maintain adequate sleep so he could wake up early the next morning for work.
Zhou Shaoli was well aware that he and Qin Jiaojiao were cohabiting solely for the variety show recording. Outwardly, they were a loving couple, but privately, they were merely unfamiliar partners in a contract marriage.
Sharing the same bed, it was indeed a bit difficult for Qin Jiaojiao to fall asleep peacefully.
Zhou Shaoli stayed silent for a moment before throwing off the blanket and saying, “I still have some work to handle. You go to sleep first.”
Qin Jiaojiao pretended to be considerate and asked, “Handling work this late?”
Zhou Shaoli gave a hum of affirmation, then put on his slippers, turned on the lights, and left the bedroom. As the soft click of the door closing echoed, Qin Jiaojiao instantly relaxed. Snuggling into the soft blanket, she comfortably rolled over.
Zhou Shaoli’s bed was just like him, carrying a faint, cool scent of ebony agarwood. Smelling this pleasant fragrance, drowsiness gradually washed over her.
After falling asleep, she wasn’t even sure if Zhou Shaoli had returned to the room to sleep. The next day, she slept until she naturally woke up. The room was dim, so she picked up the remote and opened the curtains.
Dazzling sunlight poured into the room. Sitting on the bed, she lazily stretched her back, genuinely loving this salted fish lifestyle of sleeping until she naturally woke up.
Several uneventful days passed like this. Every night, Zhou Shaoli would handle work in the study, only returning to the bedroom to sleep after Qin Jiaojiao had dozed off.
Before officially announcing the second season of Romantic Lovers, the production team invited the three married couples to the photography studio to shoot individual promotional photos and the show’s cover.
On that day, Qin Jiaojiao woke up early and sat in the dining room eating breakfast with Zhou Shaoli.
Assistant Han had arranged Zhou Shaoli’s itinerary in advance. He didn’t go to the company today, clearing out the entire day for the photoshoot.
A sudden crack of thunder boomed in the sky. Qin Jiaojiao set down her spoon and picked up her phone to check the weather forecast. Since she stayed at home every day, she didn’t have the habit of checking the weather; she only just realized there was going to be a heavy downpour today.
It seemed there was a segment in the original plot where the original owner and Zhou Shaoli were late for the promotional photoshoot, making the production crew and the other two guest couples wait for an hour.
Back then, it was because the original owner had calculated the exact travel time to the studio, but a sudden change in weather and heavy rain caused a traffic jam, leading to their tardiness. Being late for the promotional shoot caused a lot of dissatisfaction, sparking rumors that the original owner was acting like a diva and making everyone wait.
The photography studio was indoors, so it wouldn’t affect the shoot. However, to avoid being late like in the original plot, Qin Jiaojiao decided to leave early.
The Zhou family’s bottom line for agreeing to let her and Zhou Shaoli participate in the variety show was that she couldn’t bring any negative impact to the Zhuxing Group. For the sake of her ten-billion-yuan divorce fee, she had to be careful.
Seeing Qin Jiaojiao standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking worriedly at the sudden heavy rain outside, Zhou Shaoli spoke up: “Don’t worry. Old Li has already brought the car to the front door. You can head out as soon as you change your clothes.”
Qin Jiaojiao turned her head to look at Zhou Shaoli.
He had actually notified the driver in advance to get ready to leave!
“Okay, I’ll go up and change.” Qin Jiaojiao stepped onto the stairs, turned her head to look at him, and asked, “Are you going to change into a different outfit?”
Zhou Shaoli was wearing a set of casual loungewear at home. Even clothes with a simple design looked like they belonged on a runway model when worn by him.
When wearing a suit, he was noble and steady, a big shot with an oppressive aura. Today, dressed in casual clothes, that aloof, unapproachable sense of distance was diminished. He looked like an indifferent, elegant young master of a wealthy family—a different kind of handsome.
Zhou Shaoli stayed silent for half a second. His light brown eyes looked at her faintly as he asked, “Do you want me to change?”
“…Well.” Qin Jiaojiao sweetly praised, “This outfit you’re wearing is already very handsome. It’s perfectly fine for shooting the promotional photos.”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “Then I won’t change.”
Qin Jiaojiao went upstairs with brisk steps. Shooting promotional photos wasn’t like taking wedding or family portraits; she would just throw on something comfortable too.
After coming downstairs, she changed her shoes at the entryway with Zhou Shaoli. He pulled an umbrella from the cabinet, popped it open, and held it over her head.
“No need.” Qin Jiaojiao pulled another umbrella from the cabinet and said, “I’ll hold my own umbrella.”
Standing at the door to see the two of them off, Auntie Zhang looked at Qin Jiaojiao with an expression of disappointment, as if frustrated that iron couldn’t become steel1. If she had known, she would have hidden all the umbrellas in the cabinet and left only one.
Zhou Shaoli moved his umbrella back over his own head. Once Qin Jiaojiao opened hers, the two walked out side by side.
The torrential rain battered against the umbrellas with a crackling sound. Gripping her umbrella with both hands, Qin Jiaojiao quickly outpaced Zhou Shaoli, running towards the courtyard villa’s main gate. She turned her head and glanced back at him: “The rain is too heavy, let’s get to the car quickly.”
The driver had parked right outside the main gate. Seeing the master and madam coming out, he immediately wanted to get out, open his umbrella, and help them open the car door. Zhou Shaoli raised a hand to stop him, took a few strides with his long legs to Qin Jiaojiao’s side, and pulled the car door open for her.
After she sat inside, he closed the door, walked around to the other side, and got in.
Even with an umbrella, it was impossible to avoid getting a little wet in such a massive downpour. Qin Jiaojiao pulled a mirror from her bag and inspected her face from left to right.
Thankfully, her face didn’t get wet. She couldn’t let her beautifully applied makeup get ruined.
A well-defined hand reached over from beside her, handing her a clean white towel. The man’s voice was slightly deep, “Wipe off.”
“Thank you.” Qin Jiaojiao took the towel and wiped off the raindrops that had splashed onto her body.
After wiping off, she cast a glance at the man beside her. Barely any raindrops had gotten on him; he was spotlessly clean, exuding a refreshing aura.
Qin Jiaojiao: Impressive!
The torrential rain raged on outside the car window, and quite a bit of water flooded the roads. Occasionally, people could be seen falling off their bikes on the street, looking miserable as they got drenched in the rain.
The bus stops by the roadside were packed with pedestrians.
The car drove for a while before suddenly skidding to the side. Qin Jiaojiao let out a cry of shock as she fell sideways. Zhou Shaoli turned his body and caught her shoulders firmly, his grip very strong.
The luxury car crashed into a roadside flowerbed and stalled on the spot. Driver Old Li looked towards the back seat with a guilty expression and said, “President Zhou, a cat suddenly darted out onto the road just now.”
To avoid running over the cat that had darted out, Old Li hastily jerked the steering wheel to the side. With the rainy, slippery road, he had no choice but to crash into the flowerbed.
Qin Jiaojiao was still recovering from the shock, her eyes full of fear as she looked at Zhou Shaoli. She had just crashed into him and thought she heard him let out a muffled grunt. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Zhou Shaoli frowned slightly and asked the driver: “Get out and see if you can fix it.”
Driver Old Li knew that the master and madam had a photoshoot to attend. If they only crashed into a flowerbed and caused public property damage, they could leave first if it was urgent and compensate for it later.
Soon, Old Li returned to the car. “Sir, the engine stalled and won’t start. It won’t be fixed anytime soon.”
There was no telling when the car would be fixed. If they kept waiting, they might be late for the photoshoot.
Qin Jiaojiao suggested: “Let’s take a taxi.”
“Alright.” Zhou Shaoli got out, opened his umbrella, and walked around to the other side to pull the car door open for her.
At this time, there were a lot of people heading to school and work. Because of the rain, the queue for ride-hailing apps was backed up for an hour. Taking a taxi to the studio was probably not going to work out. Thankfully, they had left early.
Qin Jiaojiao turned her head to look at Zhou Shaoli and said, “How about… we take the subway?”
The production crew’s photography studio was located in a building right next to a subway exit in Beijing. Taking the subway there would easily get them there on time.
Someone like Zhou Shaoli, who hailed from a prestigious wealthy family, always had a chauffeured car for his travels, or even a private jet. She didn’t know if he could adapt to taking public transportation.
“Let’s go,” Zhou Shaoli said.
As Qin Jiaojiao walked down the street with him, they attracted countless turning heads. In Beijing, where handsome men and beautiful women were everywhere, Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli’s looks were still absolutely top-tier; ordinary people couldn’t compare at all.
The two were dressed in obviously luxurious clothing and possessed an outstanding aura. Standing amidst the crowd waiting in line for the subway, they instantly drew everyone’s attention.
Many people secretly snapped photos with their phones and posted them on public platforms. In less than a few minutes after the photos of this peak-visual couple were posted, the traffic skyrocketed.
[Mother of god, they are way too good-looking.]
[Which wealthy family’s heiress and young master ran away from home on a rainy day to actually take the subway?]
[I took pictures too! Original camera, no beauty filters—too beautiful, too handsome!]
[Compared to them, I’m just a random mud splatter flicked off by Nuwa2.]
[These visuals completely destroy current entertainment circle stars.]
[…]
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli stood near the subway doors. The train was packed with people, so she was pressed very tightly against him. Out of habit, she faced away from the doors that didn’t open. As a result, she and Zhou Shaoli were positioned in a way that created the illusion of her being held in his arms.
Her height wasn’t considered short among girls, but since she wore a pair of sneakers today for ease of travel, her head only just reached his chest.
At such a close distance, she felt as though she could hear his heartbeat—steady, powerful, and rhythmic, beating one thump at a time.
The ebony agarwood scent she had smelled before drifted from him. Because they were at almost zero distance, this faint, bewitching fragrance became even stronger.
She couldn’t resist looking up, catching his warm and gentle eyes perfectly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing…” Qin Jiaojiao grumbled internally. He really smells so good.
Zhou Shaoli shifted slightly backward, freeing up a bit more comfortable space for her. In this tiny haven, she didn’t have to worry at all about getting jostled.
On the subway, she and he remained silent, occasionally meeting each other’s gaze.
Qin Jiaojiao felt a bit hot all over. She reached up to touch her cheek and lowered her eyelashes, trying her best to keep her heart from pounding like thunder.
The subway was very fast, and they arrived at the studio right on the dot at nine-thirty.
A man with a nerdy image, wearing rectangular glasses and a blue plaid shirt, extended his hand: “Hello, I am the PR Director, Chen Xian.”
Zhou Shaoli reached out and shook his hand: “Zhou Shaoli.”
“I’ve long heard of President Zhou’s great name, I’ve finally met you in person,” Director Chen said politely. “It’s an honor for us to have you participate in our program.”
Zhou Shaoli glanced at Qin Jiaojiao and said, “My wife likes this variety show.”
The implication was that he was only participating in the variety show for Qin Jiaojiao’s sake.
Director Chen chuckled, “You two are truly affectionate. The studio is currently shooting individual promotional photos for Teacher Jin and Teacher Chen. I’ll have to trouble you two to rest on the side and wait a moment.”
Sitting in the rest area, Qin Jiaojiao’s body relaxed. As long as they weren’t late, everything was fine.
“Qin Jiaojiao?!” A male voice rang out.
Qin Jiaojiao looked up. Meng Zi’ang, dressed in a handsome suit, and Shen Xiaoshan, wearing a long red dress, stood not far away looking in their direction.
Shen Xiaoshan’s expression shifted, and an ominous premonition swelled in her heart. She had gone through a lot of trouble to get Meng Zi’ang to agree to participate in the variety show, hoping to use his status to attract more buzz and help her elevate her status in the entertainment industry.
The show’s producers had promised that as long as she and Meng Zi’ang participated, their wealthy couple duo would take the C-position, and the screen time and editing would be biased in their favor.
Once Romantic Lovers aired, netizens all over the internet would definitely be filled with envy over her happy, wealthy marriage, and she would explode in popularity overnight.
Why didn’t the Romantic Lovers production crew tell her that Qin Jiaojiao would be participating with her husband, Zhou Shaoli?!
Meng Zi’ang’s face rapidly turned cold and somewhat ugly. Back then, Qin Jiaojiao had acted like she was catching him cheating red-handed, announcing to everyone that she was kicking him to the curb. This caused him to be the laughingstock of their circle for a long time.
Whenever he saw Qin Jiaojiao, he would be reminded of the humiliation of that day. He didn’t want to see this vain, gold-digging woman.
Shen Xiaoshan looped her arm through Meng Zi’ang’s and asked, “You’re also here to participate in the variety show?”
Qin Jiaojiao forced a smile: “That’s right.”
With nothing in common to talk about, half a sentence was already too much. Both parties sat down in two different spots in the rest area.
After the production crew finished shooting the individual promotional photos, they called the three couples over to prepare for the official announcement group photo with all the guests.
After taking a few shots, the photographer took the camera to discuss with the show’s PR and marketing team before returning to continue shooting.
Once the shoot was over, the guests were free to leave. Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli left the studio. The other guest couple, Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong, chatted with their team for a bit before also leaving.
Meng Zi’ang was just about to leave.
Shen Xiaoshan said, “Hubby, you go handle your business first. I’ll go check out the promotional photos and communicate with the team a bit.”
Meng Zi’ang was in a bad mood today and left without even turning his head.
The remaining Shen Xiaoshan went to the PR department. Finding the staff members who were currently editing, her expression instantly changed when she saw the photos on the computer screen.
Before coming to the shoot, she had meticulously dressed up, choosing an expensive dress, and picked out the most handsome suit for Meng Zi’ang. During the shoot, the two of them sat in the C-position, yet the resulting photos actually showed Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli as the most eye-catching.
It infuriated her!
Translator’s note:
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