Chapter 43: Forty-Third Day as a Salted Fish
Only Xiao Rui and Xu Xueqing remained in the private room. After the server cleared the table, only a pot of tea was left behind.
Xiao Rui lit a cigarette. With Qin Jiaojiao in the room earlier, he had held back from smoking. Now that only Xu Xueqing was left, he didn’t bother showing much restraint.
He and Xu Xueqing were kids who had grown up in the same military compound, attending the same middle and high schools. During his school days, he indeed had a slight crush on her. Before graduating high school, Xu Xueqing asked him to help create an opportunity for her to confess her feelings to Zhou Shaoli. He extinguished his romantic feelings right then and there, choosing to treat her purely as a friend.
After Zhou Shaoli rejected her confession, Xu Xueqing got dead drunk at a bar, and it was Xiao Rui who ultimately piggybacked her home. Shortly after, she ran off abroad without uttering a single word.
Over the past few years, he and Xu Xueqing had maintained intermittent contact. Whenever she returned to China, he would meet up with her. Zhou Shaoli was always buried in work and never showed up—a disappointment Xu Xueqing felt deeply, which Xiao Rui noted in full.
Turns out this girl still hasn’t given up.
Zhou Shaoli’s sudden marriage had come as a massive surprise to him. He hadn’t attended the wedding since it was held elsewhere, but hearing that it was a business alliance astonished him greatly.
No one in his circle had ever heard of the Qin family. If Zhou Shaoli was going to enter a business alliance anyway, why hadn’t he chosen a woman whose family background matched his own?
Word around their circle was that Zhou Shaoli and his wife were on bad terms. That was precisely why Xu Xueqing harbored thoughts she shouldn’t have. She hadn’t even notified him upon returning to the country, instead organizing a gathering to beg Zhou Shaoli for help. Yet, by running off to make an appearance right in front of Zhou Shaoli, she ended up ruining everything herself.
Holding his cigarette between two fingers, Xiao Rui spoke up: “Out of respect for our past friendship, this is as far as I can help you. The rest depends on how Qin Jiaojiao communicates with Brother Shaoli.”
To him, Xu Xueqing was merely an acquaintance with whom he shared a bit of history. Zhou Shaoli was his brother. If Xu Xueqing hadn’t come to him crying and begging for help, he truly wouldn’t have wanted to wade into these muddy waters.
During their initial meeting, he had felt a spark of interest toward Qin Jiaojiao, only to discover she was his brother’s wife. Now, he actually had to turn to his brother’s wife to plead for a woman who had once been in love with his brother—what a utter, tangled mess.
Xu Xueqing gave a small nod, her face appearing somewhat pale. First love or affection meant nothing when weighed against her family’s corporate survival.
The moment she saw Qin Jiaojiao, she realized she had lost completely. It wasn’t just that her looks were outshone by Qin Jiaojiao, but rather an indescribable feminine intuition warning her:
Through day-to-day interactions, Zhou Shaoli would inevitably fall for Qin Jiaojiao.
The office was empty.
Zhou Shaoli should be in a meeting at this hour. Delayed by mushroom poisoning during the variety show filming, he had been forced to adjust his schedule and push back several tasks. Upon returning, he had been buried in work non-stop.
Visiting for the second time, Qin Jiaojiao felt far more relaxed than her first. She walked straight over to sit on the sofa, tossing her exquisite little handbag aside and leaning comfortably against the plush cushions.
Having lied to Zhou Shaoli last night by hiding her meeting with Xu Xueqing, she had a lot on her mind, making her expression look a little heavy.
Her ‘furious’ stride on the way up had already set the internal company group chats ablaze.
【President Zhou’s wife is here at the company!】
【She looks super unhappy. They won’t start fighting in the office, will they?】 (Peeking Emoji)
【President Zhou doesn’t seem like the type to argue with people. One glance from him and I’m terrified to the point of dropping to my knees.】
【+1】
【I thought I was the only one terrified of President Zhou.】
【President Zhou’s wife looks so pretty in her outfit today—way prettier than entertainment industry celebrities.】
【’The feng shui of the Forbidden City nourishes beauty.’ You can tell at a glance that President Zhou’s wife is a heiress raised in luxury. With such a noble aura, how could celebrities in the entertainment industry compare?】
【Speaking of which… did you guys see that trending search?】
In a world with advanced internet, even if certain trending topics were scrubbed quickly, plenty of people still possessed resources—and many would take those leaked resources to sell for cash.
Human curiosity was infinite, and gossip was hardwired into everyone’s bones. In China, it was called ‘watching the drama online’.
The internal employee chat instantly went dead silent. Discussing President Zhou and his wife’s marital relations in the group—who gave him the courage? Was he not afraid of getting fired on the spot?
The employee who asked the question quickly realized something was off and hastily recalled the message.
Shortly after Qin Jiaojiao sat down in the office, Zhou Shaoli’s secretary knocked and stepped inside, asking respectfully, “Madam, what would you like to drink?”
Having woken up early today, Qin Jiaojiao felt a bit sleepy and let out a yawn: “A cup of coffee, please.”
“Understood, Madam. Is there anything else you need?” the secretary inquired gently.
Qin Jiaojiao shook her head. She had just eaten lunch, and though she hadn’t eaten much, her stomach wasn’t hungry.
The secretary closed the door and stepped out. Inside the office, Qin Jiaojiao pondered how to bring the subject up with Zhou Shaoli later, considering Xiao Rui was, after all, his friend.
Just as the secretary emerged from the pantry carrying the coffee, she happened upon Zhou Shaoli and Han Xiao walking over one after the other.
Han Xiao asked, “A guest in the office? There are no scheduled meetings at this hour; who came without an appointment?”
The secretary replied hastily, “It’s Madam.”
Han Xiao turned to look at Zhou Shaoli.
Zhou Shaoli’s gaze landed on the coffee. Lightly touching the cup, he felt iced coffee and issued a calm instruction: “Go swap it for room temperature.”
Qin Jiaojiao’s stomach ache remained vivid in his memory. Auntie Zhang had nagged him repeatedly to keep an eye on her whenever he was around, telling him to let her consume less ice.
“Understood, President Zhou.” The secretary returned to the pantry.
Zhou Shaoli pushed open the office door and scanned the room, his eyes alighting on Qin Jiaojiao, who sat on the sofa playing on her phone.
It was clear Qin Jiaojiao had dressed up meticulously today. Hadn’t she said she was going with a friend to check out a trendy influencer shop? Why had she suddenly run over to corporate headquarters? The fact that she was willing to visit his workplace brought a faint wave of delight to his heart.
“How long have you been here?”
Hearing his voice, Qin Jiaojiao looked up and offered a smile: “Just arrived. Are you done with your meeting?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “Today is quite busy, so I might have to get off work late.”
Qin Jiaojiao blurted out: “It’s fine, I’ll keep you company.”
A faint smile glinted in Zhou Shaoli’s eyes. In the past, living under the same roof, they wouldn’t even meet to talk; now she actively came to find him.
With his wife keeping him company at work, handling heavy corporate duties suddenly felt far easier.
Sitting behind his desk, Zhou Shaoli lowered his head to handle his work first. Originally, he would have needed to work until nine o’clock tonight before getting off, but with Qin Jiaojiao keeping him company, he needed to speed up his work pace to get off as early as possible.
The secretary soon brought the coffee in, placing it on the table: “Madam, your coffee.”
Qin Jiaojiao picked up the coffee and took a small sip. The flavor was quite nice, just not cold enough—she should have told the secretary to add two ice cubes.
Sipping her coffee, her gaze rested on Zhou Shaoli, who was working intently, before shifting to his attire.
Qin Jiaojiao froze for a second. Did Zhou Shaoli like the tie she gave him that much? If it didn’t need washing, he’d probably wear it every single day. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was mistreating Zhou Shaoli—that a grand CEO worth hundreds of billions couldn’t even afford a few ties.
Qin Jiaojiao mused internally: should she give Zhou Shaoli a few more ties? Either way, she was swiping his black card.
As she stared blankly at Zhou Shaoli, he likely felt her intense gaze and looked up at her: “Do you have something to say?”
Qin Jiaojiao snapped back: “Focus on your work first.”
She still needed to deliberate on how to frame it.
Suddenly running off to meet a woman who was involved in scandal with her husband felt a bit strange. Although Zhou Shaoli was her husband in name and Xu Xueqing didn’t count as a romantic rival, perhaps deep down, she was curious about this ‘rival’ and wanted to outshine her?
Qin Jiaojiao looked somewhat annoyed with herself. She shouldn’t have agreed to Xiao Rui’s request to meet Xu Xueqing in the first place. How had she agreed just out of a bit of curiosity and a bizarre sense of competitiveness—even dressing up so meticulously?
She had truly gone mad.
Finishing the work at hand, Zhou Shaoli looked over at Qin Jiaojiao. Seeing her looking utterly distracted with a touch of self-annoyance, he couldn’t help standing up.
“Weren’t you going out to play with your friends today? You didn’t go?”
Qin Jiaojiao looked up at the man who had walked over to sit on the sofa, holding her teacup as she answered: “I went.” She let out a sigh and said, “I’ll be honest with you—I went to meet Xu Xueqing today.”
“She asked to meet you?” Zhou Shaoli’s brows furrowed.
The last time fake rumors were leaked online, he hadn’t taken his anger out on Xu Xueqing. As a married man, he shouldn’t be involved with other women, even if the other party was a past acquaintance.
He didn’t want to bring even a bit of negative impact on Qin Jiaojiao, which was why he had ignored Xu Xueqing’s pleas for help.
“No.” Qin Jiaojiao set down her teacup and said, “Xiao Rui invited me out, saying he wanted me to give Xu Xueqing a chance to apologize in person.”
Zhou Shaoli’s handsome face turned cold, his gaze somewhat chilly. Xiao Rui had come to him over the past few days asking him to help Xu Xueqing, and when he didn’t agree, that kid had gone to Jiaojiao, wanting her to persuade him to help—what a calculating move.
Qin Jiaojiao said: “Xu Xueqing said she couldn’t get in touch with you to apologize face-to-face, so she wanted me to pass along a message on her behalf.”
“If you’re willing to second talent to help her, she will have her group’s subsidiary supermarket chain negotiate a partnership with the villagers of Nancheng Ancient Town, buying up the villagers’ unsold fruit at the highest market price…”
So this was the source of her annoyance and dilemma.
Zhou Shaoli spoke in a calm, steady tone: “You don’t need to worry about agricultural aid. After returning, I had Han Xiao look into it—the company will have a perfect solution.”
“Really?” Qin Jiaojiao looked at him with sparkling eyes. The villagers of Nancheng Ancient Town had met a true benefactor; with Zhou Shaoli stepping in to aid agriculture, the entire village would grow prosperous within two or three years.
Zhou Shaoli raised his hand and couldn’t resist lightly stroking her head, saying: “The primary reason the villagers’ fruit is unsold and stagnant is inconvenient transportation, high logistics and shipping costs, paired with buyers colluding to maliciously drive down prices, creating an unbalanced supply and demand. I can resolve their transportation issues, provide a fast logistics chain, and find appropriate buyers.”
Qin Jiaojiao didn’t understand much about corporate affairs, but hearing that he could solve it put her mind at ease: “That’s wonderful then.”
Zhou Shaoli offered a gentle smile: “Don’t worry too much. If anything comes up, just tell me and I’ll handle it.”
“Mm.” Qin Jiaojiao trusted him completely.
“As for Xu Xueqing…”
Qin Jiaojiao recalled the haggard-looking Xu Xueqing, which inexplicably reminded her of the description in the original plot. When the Qin family was on the brink of bankruptcy, Qin Jiaojiao had also gone around begging everyone, only for those who used to flatter her to turn around and trample on her.
Inexplicably, a momentary wave of sympathy overflowed within her.
Zhou Shaoli said indifferently: “The Xu family won’t collapse as easily as you think. She constantly relies on external help and can’t hold down her position securely.”
Unable to withstand even this bit of storm, paired with an inability to open up connections, the Xu family would go downhill sooner or later; no amount of help would work.
Qin Jiaojiao was finally relieved, a relaxed smile surfacing on her face: “Then should I turn her down on your behalf?”
Zhou Shaoli’s voice was warm: “No need, I’ll speak with Xiao Rui myself.”
“Okay,” Qin Jiaojiao replied.
Communicating with emotional stability truly was the most lighthearted thing in the world. Qin Jiaojiao suddenly felt hungry and blinked her eyes: “Can I eat takeout in your office?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “Of course.”
Qin Jiaojiao picked up her phone, ready to order a few tasty items to fill her stomach.
Zhou Shaoli: “Didn’t eat lunch?”
Qin Jiaojiao glanced up at him and said, “With that kind of atmosphere at noon, how could I have an appetite?”
“Should I have the internal corporate dining hall send over some food for you first?” Zhou Shaoli prepared to stand up and dial the internal line.
Qin Jiaojiao said: “No need, no need! I’ll just order it myself. Don’t you have a lot of work? Go ahead and stay busy.”
Zhou Shaoli let out an mm and said, “If you feel bored, you can leave early.”
“I said I’d wait for you to get off work.” Qin Jiaojiao flashed a smile at him, adding, “I’m someone who keeps my promises.”
A faint smile glinted in Zhou Shaoli’s eyes as he sat back behind his desk, handling his work in a joyful mood.
After ordering her takeout, Qin Jiaojiao sat on the sofa reading webnovels out of boredom before calling her ‘Little Bro’ to play games together. Ever since Little Bro suddenly spoke up last time, their voice interactions had gradually increased.
Little Bro would occasionally spout out a game meme or two, which was quite fun. Lately, though, Little Bro had been pulling frequent disappearing acts, saying he had to participate in scrims.
Qin Jiaojiao only played games and didn’t follow the esports scene, so she didn’t know what scrims were. Since she only played games without prying into the other party’s private life, she didn’t ask further.
The afternoon passed smoothly with eating delicious food, desserts, and playing games. Since it was summer, the days were hot and dusk came late. By the time Zhou Shaoli finished his work, the evening sky was still bright.
Zhuxing Group didn’t encourage overtime work. If work was truly too overwhelming and urgent to complete within the set timeframe, overtime employees received double overtime pay—a remarkably great benefit package.
Zhou Shaoli and Qin Jiaojiao left the office, taking the elevator downstairs, and ran into quite a few employees off work.
Employees they met along the way greeted them one after another.
“President Zhou, Madam.”
Zhou Shaoli maintained a calm demeanor, while Qin Jiaojiao responded with a reserved, subtle smile.
The company group chats erupted in gossip once more.
【President Zhou and Madam didn’t fight!】
【President Zhou really has a way with coaxing his wife. When Madam stepped out of the office, she was visibly much happier.】
【President Zhou and Madam’s gorgeous romance is so delicious to ship! Everyone hurry and join me in following the Yueli Super Topic to ship this CP!】
【The sweetest wealthy couple title definitely belongs to President Zhou and Madam!】
On the drive back to the garden villa, Qin Jiaojiao looked out the car window at the students carrying backpacks and suddenly asked, “Which high school did you attend back then?”
In all this time, this was the first time Qin Jiaojiao had asked about his past.
Zhou Shaoli: “Beijing No. 1 High School.”
As expected of the number one ranked school in Beijing. Qin Jiaojiao wasn’t surprised in the least. The original host had also attended high school in Beijing right next door to Beijing No. 1 High School, at a private experimental high school.
With their schools so close, they had surprisingly never met.
Qin Jiaojiao asked casually: “How many years has it been since you returned to your alma mater?”
After graduating, Zhou Shaoli had only returned to his alma mater once. The school had created an Outstanding Alumni Hall of Fame and invited graduates back to give speeches to motivate current students.
He hadn’t given a speech, but had donated a sum of money to the school to improve the living conditions of students from impoverished backgrounds who had gotten in on pure merit.
Spurred by a sudden impulse, Zhou Shaoli asked: “Do you want to go check it out?”
Qin Jiaojiao turned her head to look at him: “Right now?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “There are many small shops around the school with delicious food.”
Qin Jiaojiao’s interest was piqued instantly: “Then let’s go right now.”
Zhou Shaoli instructed the driver to change routes and head toward Beijing No. 1 High School.
Half an hour later, the car arrived at Beijing No. 1 High School. The area was packed with cars and small vendor stalls. It was right around dismissal time, and the stalls were bustling with enthusiastic hawking.
Gazing at the somewhat unhygienic fried foods, Qin Jiaojiao swallowed her saliva and glanced at Zhou Shaoli.
“Want some?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “Buy whatever you want to eat.”
Ever since her school days, Qin Jiaojiao had loved eating street food from small stalls, a habit she still couldn’t break. Potato chips, spicy strips, desserts, and sweet drinks were all her favorites. Their private home chef rarely made fried food, and there were no street stalls around the garden villa like the ones outside the school gate.
Having a chance to indulge without restraint made her crave it desperately.
Qin Jiaojiao grabbed a plate, loading it with two skewers of chicken tenders, a skewer of squid, two skewers of cabbage, a skewer of potato rolls, a skewer of eggplant… filling the small plate to the brim.
Since his student days, Zhou Shaoli had never been interested in fried food. When recording the first episode of the dating show, he had only tasted grilled squid to keep Qin Jiaojiao company.
Handing the food to the stall owner, Qin Jiaojiao stared at the oil fryer with utter delight. Waiting for a bit and feeling the heat, she turned to Zhou Shaoli and said, “There’s a boba shop over there—go buy two cups of milk tea.”
In the past, she wouldn’t have dared order Zhou Shaoli around. Now, as their interactions grew increasingly natural, she spoke without hesitation or restraint.
“What flavor do you want?” Zhou Shaoli asked.
Qin Jiaojiao said: “Lemon grapefruit black tea—extra ice, half sweet.”
Zhou Shaoli walked toward the roadside milk tea shop. Dressed in an expensive tailored suit, he stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens amidst the crowd of students wearing school uniforms.
The students stole curious glances at this ‘society elite’.
It wasn’t until Zhou Shaoli walked back toward the fried skewer stall carrying two cups of lemon grapefruit black tea that the students exchanged giggling looks—turns out he was buying milk tea for his girlfriend!
The stall lacked tables or chairs, leaving Qin Jiaojiao holding her takeout box with a slight sense of awkwardness. She was no longer a student, so eating out in the open street felt a bit embarrassing.
Zhou Shaoli: “Follow me.”
Holding her packaged skewers, Qin Jiaojiao followed him along the school perimeter wall until they reached a quiet flower bed.
Zhou Shaoli took off his suit jacket, placing it on the stone bench of the flower bed to cushion it: “Sit.”
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at his jacket: “Is the jacket fine?”
Zhou Shaoli: “It’s fine.”
Sitting on his jacket, Qin Jiaojiao opened the box, picked up a skewer, and took a bite—her eyes instantly lighting up: “So delicious!”
She looked at Zhou Shaoli sitting beside her: “Do you want to try one?”
Zhou Shaoli leaned down, biting the meat off the bamboo skewer. Qin Jiaojiao froze, her face warming as she lowered her eyes.
The two sat on the stone bench by the secluded flower bed outside the school. Qin Jiaojiao finished off the skewers completely and drank most of her lemon grapefruit black tea, feeling thoroughly full.
Zhou Shaoli said: “Want to take a walk inside the school?”
Qin Jiaojiao had never been inside Beijing No. 1 High School, so she nodded: “Okay.”
Taking a walk around campus would be great for digestion.
With students pouring out, the two walked inside together. Qin Jiaojiao looked all around, taking in the sights left and right.
With the crowds following dismissal, Zhou Shaoli held her arm to prevent them from getting separated: “Follow me.”
Qin Jiaojiao trailed half a step behind him, gazing at his side profile.
She had never imagined that a day would come when Zhou Shaoli would show her around his high school alma mater.
She had stepped into his past.
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