Chapter 38: Thirty-Eighth Day as a Salted Fish
Qin Jiaojiao rubbed her eyes as her phone played Yang Yutong’s voice message.
“Men really aren’t good things, not a single one!”
“…”
The silence was deafening!
Qin Jiaojiao had never expected that accidentally getting face mask essence into her eyes would sting this badly, sending tears flowing uncontrollably from physiological pain. Struggling out of bed, she didn’t even pay attention to Zhou Shaoli standing by the door as she sprinted straight into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
She had already embarrassed herself in front of Zhou Shaoli plenty of times and had zero desire for him to see her looking like a mess.
Watching her run into the bathroom crying and slamming the door, Zhou Shaoli’s heart shook. It felt as though a bee’s stinger had pierced into his heart—itchy, painful, a fine and dense ache.
She was crying; did that mean she cared about him a lot?
Zhou Shaoli quickly stepped up to the bathroom door and spoke in a deep, low voice through the barrier: “Did you see the trending search on Weibo?”
Weighing his words carefully, he explained, “Xu Xueqing’s family company ran into some trouble, so she wanted my help. I only exchanged a few words with her outside the hotel entrance.”
Inside the bathroom, Qin Jiaojiao had the faucet running, lowering her head to rinse her eyes. With the loud rushing water right by her ears and a door separating them, Zhou Shaoli’s voice sounded like a distant voiceover, completely impossible to hear clearly.
“I can’t hear you!” Qin Jiaojiao shouted loudly as she splashed water over her face and eyes. “We’ll talk later!”
Zhou Shaoli stood at the bathroom door like a door guardian god, utterly motionless.
She didn’t want to hear his explanation right now?
In just a few short minutes, thousands of thoughts raced through Zhou Shaoli’s mind. Pursing his lips, he decided it was better to wait for her to come out before slowly explaining.
In the past, he, Xiao Rui, and Xu Xueqing had lived in the same residential compound. For a long time, Xiao Rui had been the one hanging out with Xu Xueqing. Back in high school, Xu Xueqing had suddenly confessed her feelings to him, but he had turned her down.
Later, Xu Xueqing went abroad, and if Xiao Rui hadn’t brought it up, he would have forgotten all about it.
Xiao Rui had mentioned the mess at the Xu Group in front of him before—Xu Xueqing had no brothers, and after coming back from studying finance abroad, her young age failed to earn her the respect of the company, so she wanted his help to borrow some talent.
Zhou Shaoli didn’t have much of a friendship with Xu Xueqing or the Xu family. If Xiao Rui had organized a proper gathering where Xu Xueqing earnestly asked for help like any other executive seeking a partnership, he might have helped the Xu family out of respect for Xiao Rui.
Yet she just had to use a business banquet hosted by someone else to stage a clever reunion.
Over all these years, just because Zhou Shaoli didn’t have women around him didn’t mean women didn’t try to get close to him. He had seen every trick in the book: pretending to be lost in underground parking garages, feigning drunkenness, intentionally getting into the wrong car, or even directly sending women straight into his bed—all kinds of endless schemes.
Xu Xueqing’s petty schemes were nowhere near enough to catch his eye.
He hadn’t taken it to heart.
The night of the Starlight Gala, Jiaojiao had gotten drunk and caused quite a fuss. He had been entirely focused on taking care of her and later forgot to bring it up with her, not intentionally hiding it.
Zhou Shaoli pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a touch of helplessness and anxiety.
A few more minutes passed.
Qin Jiaojiao emerged from the bathroom, damp strands of hair clinging to her smooth forehead, her bright eyes flushed red, making her look pitiable and delicate.
Zhou Shaoli asked in a deep voice: “Did you see the trending search online?”
Qin Jiaojiao didn’t know which trending search he was referring to—the mushroom poisoning, or the rumors of him cheating?
“Mhm.”
“It’s my fault for not telling you sooner.” Zhou Shaoli lowered his eyes, his voice gentle with apology: “I should have mentioned it to you right away. Xu Xueqing and I only happened to run into each other at the business banquet that day. Her family’s company ran into some trouble, so she came to ask for my help. I didn’t expect to get caught on camera by the paparazzi.”
Qin Jiaojiao caught the key detail: “She’s Xu Xueqing?”
Xu Xueqing was the woman Xiao Rui had mentioned at their last gathering—gorgeous, capable, brilliant, and noble, the ultimate match for Zhou Shaoli.
She had assumed it was some wealthy heiress pestering Zhou Shaoli, but it turned out to be the rumored Xu Xueqing.
Zhou Shaoli observed her expression; she wasn’t angry at all, her face even holding a hint of curiosity.
He looked at her bright red eyes again—if Qin Jiaojiao was feigning a lack of heartbreak, then she truly didn’t care about the news of him cheating in the slightest.
Zhou Shaoli: “Yes, the Xu family used to live next door to Old Master, so she and I have known each other since we were young.”
Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t recall whether the original plot had a romantic storyline between Zhou Shaoli and Xu Xueqing. After all, in the original book, he was a lone wolf who stayed overseas after their divorce.
Qin Jiaojiao let her imagination run wild—could he and Xu Xueqing have had a romantic arc outside the main plot?
Lost in thought, her brows unconsciously furrowed into a slight frown.
Zhou Shaoli fetched a dry towel from the bathroom to wipe the wet hair sticking to her forehead, continuing his explanation in a deep voice.
“Don’t overthink it. She and I are merely acquaintances, not even friends.”
Xu Xueqing had trailed after Xiao Rui since childhood, so he hadn’t had much contact with her. By high school, he was already being brought by Old Master to handle the Zhuxing Group’s business. As for any youthful first love, he hadn’t cared for it at all.
However… if he had known Jiaojiao back then, perhaps he might have indulged in puppy love.
Qin Jiaojiao raised her head to look at Zhou Shaoli. He was gazing at her attentively while drying her wet hair, explaining at an unhurried pace, as if the online rumors about his cheating were truly no big deal and didn’t bother him in the least.
Looks like there really was nothing to it.
Qin Jiaojiao let out an oh, feeling more concerned that the fake cheating search might negatively affect her and his CP fans.
“Then are you going to take down the trending search?”
Zhou Shaoli put the towel back in the bathroom and said, “I’ve already had Han Xiao take it down.”
“That’s good.” Qin Jiaojiao climbed onto the bed and lay down, saying, “I wonder who bought that smear trending search against you. Do you want to look into it?”
“Mhm.” Zhou Shaoli’s phone rang, and he said, “You sleep first. I’ll handle the rest.”
Qin Jiaojiao gave him an OK hand sign. Once Zhou Shaoli stepped out with his phone, she looked at the closed door before returning the missed video calls to Yang Yutong.
Yang Yutong leaned in close to the camera, enlarging her gorgeous face as she asked urgently, “Jiaojiao, did you cry?!”
Qin Jiaojiao let out an ah and said, “I didn’t cry.”
“Then why are your eyes so red?” Yang Yutong frowned.
Qin Jiaojiao finally understood why Zhou Shaoli had offered so many explanations. He had actually thought she was crying out of heartbreak—what a wonderful misunderstanding!
He had seemed genuinely nervous and concerned about her feelings.
“I accidentally got face mask essence in my eyes,” Qin Jiaojiao explained.
Yang Yutong observed her expression suspiciously: “The internet says Zhou Shaoli cheated, and you’re not angry? Not sad?”
“Ah, that’s just a misunderstanding.”
In truth, Qin Jiaojiao had felt a tiny bit of discomfort in her heart, but she hadn’t shown it. After all, Zhou Shaoli was her husband in name, and when another woman tried to hook up with what belonged to her, anyone would feel a subtle sense of annoyance.
After Zhou Shaoli explained everything to her, that displeasure completely vanished. There were countless women outside who liked Zhou Shaoli; his good looks and immense wealth were bound to attract swarms of butterflies and bees. Since he didn’t care about those people, living her life obsessing over them would be way too exhausting.
Besides, their contract marriage terms explicitly stated that both parties had to maintain the reputation of their marriage in public. If one party breached the contract, the marriage would terminate early. If she breached it, ten billion yuan would vanish; if he breached it, he would unconditionally grant her ten billion yuan.
Therefore, Zhou Shaoli would strictly abide by his moral code within the contract marriage, so she didn’t need to worry at all.
“She’s just an acquaintance of Zhou Shaoli; they only exchanged a few words.”
Yang Yutong assumed a full Sherlock Holmes posture and said, “Doesn’t look like it to me. Let me break it down for you.”
“The location: a hotel business banquet. A married man, a female friend. The guy’s expression is unreadable, but the girl exudes ‘I’m interested in him’ from head to toe…”
“Jiaojiao, you need to have a sense of crisis!”
Qin Jiaojiao was amused by her, while Yang Yutong grumbled in dissatisfaction: “Don’t laugh! I’m analyzing this seriously for you!”
“Alright, alright, alright, I’m listening,” Qin Jiaojiao coaxed her.
Yang Yutong went on a wild analysis streak, ultimately arriving at a conclusion: “Zhou Shaoli didn’t cheat. Another woman actively threw herself at him, he decisively rejected her, and she couldn’t accept it, so she released the leak to damage his relationship with his wife!”
Qin Jiaojiao felt something was off: “Xu Xueqing doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
Yang Yutong remained skeptical: “You’ve never even met her face-to-face, do you really know what kind of person she is?”
Qin Jiaojiao shook her head.
“Exactly.” Yang Yutong asked, “What about Zhou Shaoli? Did you listen to his quibbling?”
She didn’t even address him as ‘President Zhou’ anymore, proving that a woman’s best-friend bond is the tightest. As long as one didn’t betray the country, she would unconditionally side with her best friend forever.
The corners of Qin Jiaojiao’s lips curved into a smile—her Yutong really had a sharp tongue. “He already explained it to me just now. He’s probably outside on the phone taking care of the trending search right now.”
“Alright then.” Yang Yutong said, “Get some good rest. If you feel wronged in any way, don’t bottle it up—tell me immediately, and I’ll fly over to pick you up right away.”
Feeling the warmth of her mother’s and best friend’s care, Qin Jiaojiao felt a gentle glow in her heart.
In the living room downstairs, Zhou Shaoli was on the phone with Han Xiao.
“President Zhou, the trending search has been taken down,” Han Xiao reported the status, adding, “The group’s legal department will sue the marketing accounts spreading rumors.”
Zhou Shaoli said calmly, “Keep a close eye on the trending searches over the next couple of days, and handle any issues promptly.”
“Understood, President Zhou.” Han Xiao carefully asked, “How is Madam doing?”
As avid CP fans, he and his girlfriend were terrified that their favorite couple’s relationship would hit a snag.
People who didn’t ship CPs probably wouldn’t understand—in movies or TV shows, when a handsome man and a beautiful woman meet for the first time, even exchanging just a few words or a single glance could make fans ship them fiercely.
This was the sense of destiny of a CP.
He and his girlfriend were super-fans in the Yueli CP Super Topic! They absolutely would not allow anyone to ruin their Yueli CP!
Zhou Shaoli said indifferently, “She’s fine.”
Han Xiao suspected that with President Zhou’s detached and indifferent personality, he probably hadn’t explained things to Madam. Women of any age needed to be coaxed, especially wives—failing to coax one’s wife was practically inviting lightning strikes.
Last time, President Zhou had even asked him how to coax a wife—had he already graduated now?
Han Xiao said with earnest concern, “President Zhou, please explain everything clearly to Madam so she doesn’t misunderstand. If necessary, I can call Madam directly and tell her that I was the one who drove Miss Xu home that night.”
Zhou Shaoli didn’t bother explaining to him, asking, “Have you been very free lately?”
Han Xiao: “…” Heartless capitalist!
With President Zhou away from the company, his workload had nearly doubled—where was he free? If it weren’t for the salary and bonuses… no, he was still more than willing to work at Zhuxing Group.
“President Zhou, rest early. I’ll hang up first.”
Just as Han Xiao was about to hang up, Zhou Shaoli added, “Investigate the person behind the leak.”
The marketing accounts were merely the public puppets; there was definitely someone else orchestrating it from behind, and he needed to uncover the truth behind the leak.
Han Xiao: “We’re already investigating it, results should come soon.”
“Report to me as soon as you find out,” Zhou Shaoli said.
“Understood, President Zhou.”
Hanging up the call, Zhou Shaoli sat on the sofa, his eyes slightly heavy, his mood not lifting much.
He finally understood the saying: From love springs worry, from love springs fear. A single trending search had raised thousands of waves, yet Qin Jiaojiao hadn’t cared much at all.
He didn’t know whether he should be happy or disappointed.
The phone rang again.
Zhou Shaoli glanced at it—it was Xiao Rui calling, so he picked up.
“Brother, it’s me.” Xiao Rui’s voice carried a hint of flattering eagerness. “I didn’t disturb you, did I?”
Zhou Shaoli said indifferently, “What is it?”
“Well…” Xiao Rui hesitated for half a second before saying, “You saw the trending search, right? Did Sister-in-law misunderstand?”
Zhou Shaoli’s tone was cool: “Speak directly if you have something to say.”
Xiao Rui cleared his throat and said, “It’s hard for me to explain this directly. Brother, when you finish recording the variety show and return to Beijing, let’s gather up, and Xu Xueqing can apologize to you in person.”
“She told me that the trending search wasn’t her doing. Brother, please don’t misunderstand.”
Zhou Shaoli felt a rare wave of impatience: “Got it. No need for a gathering.”
“Sigh, what a mess. Why do paparazzi in the mainland have nothing better to do every day than snap random photos and release leaks?” Xiao Rui said sheepishly. “Brother, Sister-in-law isn’t angry with you, right?”
“No.” Zhou Shaoli’s tone was flat. “Hanging up.”
Before Xiao Rui could stop him, he heard a beep as the call was disconnected, immediately feeling that things were bad. Zhou Shaoli was genuinely angry this time.
When three people hang out, one is bound to be difficult.
He had originally thought the naturally cold He Juanbai was hard to get along with, but it turned out the saintly-looking yet secretly cunning Zhou Shaoli was the hardest to deal with.
Zhou Shaoli looked down at his messages; Han Xiao hadn’t been able to call through, so he sent a text instead.
Tonight’s defamatory trending search was orchestrated by an obscure entertainment subsidiary under Meng Brothers Pictures. It seemed Shen Xiaoshan’s team had wanted to suppress the trending search about the guests’ mushroom poisoning, so they hired someone to leak dirt and divert netizens’ attention.
Zhou Shaoli issued an order to Han Xiao, opened his laptop to quickly resolve his remaining work, and went upstairs.
After finishing her call with Yang Yutong, Qin Jiaojiao received Han Xiao’s explanation, replied with a “got it” sticker, and felt a wave of sleepiness overcome her.
Since her body hadn’t fully recovered yet, sleepiness hit fast, and she quickly drifted off.
When Zhou Shaoli came up, she was sleeping soundly on her side with her hands resting outside the duvet.
His brow relaxed as he walked over to place her hands back inside the blanket, leaving only a single nightlight on, before quietly stepping into the bathroom to shower.
After showering, Zhou Shaoli slipped into the covers. The sleeping Qin Jiaojiao seemed to sense his presence, habitually rolling over to his side and hugging his arm.
Zhou Shaoli looked down at her, pulled her into his embrace, and turned off the nightlight.
When Qin Jiaojiao woke up, her entire body felt comfortable and full of vitality. After washing up in the bathroom, she put on a pretty dress and headed downstairs.
She didn’t see Zhou Shaoli in the kitchen, and after looking around, she realized he wasn’t inside Yueli Courtyard at all.
Did Zhou Shaoli go for a run?
Returning inside, Qin Jiaojiao wanted to check the fridge for breakfast options when she spotted a sticky note stuck on it.
Buns and milk are warming in the rice cooker, don’t forget to eat.
– Zhou Shaoli.
Zhou Shaoli had elegant, sharp, and grand handwriting that looked very pleasing to the eye.
Qin Jiaojiao peeled off the note and turned toward the kitchen.
Opening the rice cooker, sure enough, several meat buns were warming inside beside a cup of warm milk.
Putting on heat-resistant gloves, Qin Jiaojiao brought her breakfast over to the dining table. Sitting down, she ate while browsing her phone, surprised to find that the trending search regarding the guests’ mushroom poisoning—which had previously been suppressed by Zhou Shaoli’s cheating news—was now sitting firmly at number one.
Trending searches rose and fell, but almost no topic stayed at the top spot overnight.
Clicking into it, Qin Jiaojiao saw Shen Xiaoshan getting ripped to shreds by commenters. The search remained pinned at the top, constantly drawing in new netizens to watch the drama, with various fan bases leading the public emotion to mock, ridicule, and angrily berate Shen Xiaoshan.
This was truly an unexpected surprise.
Qin Jiaojiao felt that even the unsweetened milk tasted sweet.
Just as she finished one meat bun, she caught sight of Zhou Shaoli outside dressed in casual wear, carrying a ladder into the courtyard.
Huh???
Taking a big gulp of milk, Qin Jiaojiao held her bun and pushed open the door, only to discover a wooden board and a thick rope sitting in the courtyard.
With a ring of milk around her mouth, she looked curiously at Zhou Shaoli, who was wearing tattered work gloves: “What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you want a swing?” Zhou Shaoli said nonchalantly. “I happen to have time today, so I’m building a swing for you in the courtyard.”
Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes widened: “I was just saying that casually! The tree is so tall, don’t bother!”
Zhou Shaoli: “It’s fine, I have a ladder.”
Qin Jiaojiao was still worried: “This tree looks really old. Can it really hold a swing? Won’t the original owner scold us if they find out?”
Zhou Shaoli calmly raised his eyes and said, “I bought the courtyard.”
Qin Jiaojiao: “…?”
What a rich person flex.
Zhou Shaoli went inside to plug in the power drill, grabbing a paper towel from the living room on his way out. Standing in front of her, he gently wiped her mouth: “You got milk on your lips.”
Qin Jiaojiao’s earlobes turned warm, and she quickly said, “I’ll wipe it myself.”
Zhou Shaoli rolled up his sleeves and busied himself in the courtyard while Qin Jiaojiao sat on the long bench under the porch, her eyes fixed on him, occasionally glancing down at her phone.
She had assumed that someone like Zhou Shaoli, who had never done manual labor, wouldn’t know how to do anything, but he was actually doing a remarkably proper job.
Hmm, he’s pretty strong too, lifting that heavy wooden board effortlessly.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Jiaojiao stood up, ran inside to pour a glass of water, and walked up to him: “Do you want some water?”
Zhou Shaoli set down the rope, took the glass, and drank.
Watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down, Qin Jiaojiao suddenly felt an urge to reach out and touch it, but she forced herself to hold back.
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