Chapter 5: Fifth Day as a Salted Fish
Qin Jiaojiao remembered the book’s description of Zhou Shaoli: he was a man born with a detached nature, never putting anyone in his eyes.
He wasn’t the type of person who acted arrogant or rude just because he had money and power. Having grown up under the strict discipline of the Zhou family, he treated others with gentle, gentlemanly politeness—a perfect aristocratic young master.
But… from beginning to end, he maintained a faint sense of distance from everyone.
Being suddenly notified that he needed her help to act as his plus-one for a banquet had already surprised Qin Jiaojiao enough, but she certainly hadn’t expected Zhou Shaoli to personally come to the beauty salon to pick her up.
Furthermore, he had taken the initiative to give her his card to swipe!
Swipe my card. What beautiful words.
Yang Yutong muttered in her ear: “He put down his work to personally come pick you up for a banquet, and you still claim there’s nothing going on between you and Zhou Shaoli? Jiaojiao, you’re eating this well but still hiding it from me? If you don’t treat me like a friend, you better confess everything the next time we meet…”
“Okay,” Qin Jiaojiao replied in a low voice.
After swiping the card, Qin Jiaojiao handed it back to Zhou Shaoli. He didn’t take it, simply saying, “You hold onto it.”
Qin Jiaojiao froze for a moment, while Yang Yutong pinched her arm hard from the side. Take it, that’s a black card!
Qin Jiaojiao stuffed it into her bag.
With a faint smile on his face, Zhou Shaoli said, “Miss Yang, I will have my assistant call a car to take you back.”
“No need, no need,” Yang Yutong hurriedly said. “You guys go ahead and get busy. I have other things to do later anyway.”
Zhou Shaoli gave a slight nod. “See you next time.”
“Okay, see you next time.” Yang Yutong blinked at Qin Jiaojiao. Seize the opportunity well!
Qin Jiaojiao was made uncomfortable by her ambiguous gaze. Turning around, she clicked her high heels and marched outside.
Zhou Shaoli took a few strides with his long legs and caught up with Qin Jiaojiao in just a few steps, walking side-by-side with her.
When they reached the car, the assistant sitting in the passenger seat quickly got out and opened the door. “Madam.”
Qin Jiaojiao gave him a polite smile and got into the car.
On the other side, the driver had already gotten out to open the door for Zhou Shaoli. The man sat inside. Even though the luxury car’s interior was very spacious, the moment Zhou Shaoli sat down, Qin Jiaojiao felt the space shrink a little.
A faint fragrance emanated through the air. It was a kind of ebony agarwood, mixed with the scent of sandalwood and cedar vanilla, pervasively drilling into her nose.
It made one feel as if they were standing in a pine forest buried in snow, or perhaps situated inside a chanting, sandalwood-scented Buddhist hall. Amidst the noble elegance, there was a self-disciplined, ascetic vibe.
Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t help but quietly take a breath. In the next instant, she felt as if her entire body was infected and enveloped by this fragrance, forming a net from top to bottom. She was a butterfly trapped in the net, unable to struggle free.
She couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at Zhou Shaoli. His hair was meticulously styled and properly combed, with a few stray black strands falling over his forehead. The lines of his side profile were smooth and exquisite. He was mature and composed, yet also exuded a slight youthfulness.
It was truly hard not to be captivated by this face.
Sitting in the front, the assistant glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror and thought to himself, The young couple speaks so little; the atmosphere in the car is so depressing.
The number of times President Zhou and Madam met at home could be counted on one hand. If something happened at home, the servants would notify him first, and he would select a few important matters to report to President Zhou.
Miss Qin was young and playful, loving to eat, drink, and have fun outside with her socialite friends. President Zhou indulged Miss Qin’s outside playfulness; as long as she didn’t violate the terms of their contract marriage, he wouldn’t interfere with her life.
As Zhou Shaoli’s assistant, he had only seen Qin Jiaojiao once during the wedding. The last time he escorted President Zhou home was their second meeting. At that time, Miss Qin had been wearing a flowing long dress, her black hair draped smoothly over her back. She looked like a sprite suddenly appearing in a night garden—so beautiful that one couldn’t tear their eyes away.
Such a delicate and lovely girl was instantly likable. He had greeted her, thinking this arrogant eldest miss would ignore him, but she had actually replied with a polite “Hello.”
Having followed Zhou Shaoli for seven or eight years, he had never seen President Zhou get close to any other woman. He was a bit worried that President Zhou would be lonely for the rest of his life. He was more than happy to facilitate the relationship between President Zhou and Madam, which was why he had brought up Qin Jiaojiao when Zhou Shaoli needed a female companion for the banquet.
“Madam, I’ve selected two gown boutiques that do styling,” the assistant asked, holding a tablet. “I wonder which style you prefer?”
Hearing the assistant’s words, Zhou Shaoli cast a glance at Qin Jiaojiao.
Qin Jiaojiao sat up straight and asked, “Can I see them?”
The assistant quickly twisted around and handed the tablet over: “Of course. If Madam has a preferred gown boutique she frequents, I can have the driver head straight there.”
“I don’t.”
Holding the tablet, Qin Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and looked at the two gown boutiques the assistant had selected. One was a boutique that catered to the modern, elegant socialite route, while the other focused on a retro style.
She tilted her head to look at Zhou Shaoli, deciding to ask for his opinion.
After all, they were attending his friend’s banquet tonight.
“Umm, what do you think?” She still didn’t know what to call Zhou Shaoli. “Husband” was inappropriate, “Mr. Zhou” felt weird, and calling him by his full name didn’t seem right either.
The original owner probably had a specific gown boutique she frequented, but she had no idea where it was. Anyway, she was just going as Zhou Shaoli’s tool-like plus-one tonight, so she tossed the question to him.
“Go to whichever one you like,” Zhou Shaoli said.
Zhou Shaoli exuded a faint, gentle aura all over. On the surface, he looked like he was easy to talk to, but she knew he didn’t take anything to heart.
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at him and asked again, “Which one do you think is suitable for tonight’s dinner party?”
She didn’t want to carefully select a gown only for it to be completely inappropriate for tonight’s party and make a joke of herself.
Zhou Shaoli looked at her and said, “Either is fine.”
Qin Jiaojiao: “…Then I’ll just pick randomly.”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “Mhm.”
His voice was exceptionally pleasant. Though it was a simple Q&A, to the ears of the driver and the assistant, it inexplicably sounded somewhat doting.
Whatever you like, just pick randomly. When had President Zhou ever spoken to anyone with such gentle patience? Normally at the company, his tone was cold, and a single look from him could make people subconsciously tense up.
Qin Jiaojiao handed the tablet back to the assistant and pointed at the retro-style gown boutique. “Let’s go to this one.”
“Understood, Madam.” The assistant happily told the driver to change routes.
Qin Jiaojiao asked, “How long will it take to get there?”
“About half an hour,” the assistant replied.
Qin Jiaojiao took out her phone, deciding to play some mini-games to kill time.
A new mini-program game similar to Match-3 had recently come out. You had to quickly find three identical items to eliminate them. Later on, there would be more and more messy items, and the time limit would get shorter.
Normally, she wasn’t interested in this kind of game, but Yang Yutong had forwarded it to her, howling that she couldn’t pass the level and challenging her to try if she was brave enough.
Proclaiming herself a gaming genius, Qin Jiaojiao accepted the challenge. Then, she died halfway before even clearing the level. Refusing to believe in her bad luck, she got close to winning several times, but just couldn’t beat the level.
Completely focused, she rapidly tapped the screen, poking wildly. Occasionally, she would bite her lip in frustration, not even noticing a few strands of hair falling beside her cheek.
Hearing her softly sighing, Zhou Shaoli cast his gaze over. Then, his eyes landed on the mini-game she was playing, staring fixedly without moving.
That was until the assistant’s voice came from the front, “President Zhou, Madam, we’ve arrived.”
“We’re here already.” Qin Jiaojiao put away her phone. Without waiting for someone to open the door for her, she opened it herself and got out.
Once out of the car, breathing in the fresh air, Qin Jiaojiao took a deep breath, her face full of anticipation. What kind of gown should she pick later? She was going to get a beautiful styling done.
Zhou Shaoli noticed her taking a deep breath and frowned slightly. Did he have some sort of unpleasant smell on him?
As a high-end custom gown boutique, general clients needed to make an appointment in advance. But since there weren’t many people today and the assistant had called ahead, the group was directly welcomed into the store by the staff.
The staff served tea and water, and the styling director personally came forward to ask: “President Zhou, are we doing a styling for Madam?”
Zhou Shaoli looked at Qin Jiaojiao: “You can tell her what kind of look you want.”
Qin Jiaojiao nodded. She had never attended a grand banquet before, and this was her first time at a store customizing a gown. Her eyes landed on the gowns displayed on the mannequins, overwhelmed by the beautiful choices.
The styling director said, “Mrs. Zhou, please sit over here. I’ll do a simple color test for you first.”
“Okay.” Qin Jiaojiao sat down in front of the vanity mirror.
The styling director brought over some color cards to test her, praising her with a polite, professional smile: “Mrs. Zhou, your skin is so fair, it suits all sorts of colors. What kind of look are you going for today?”
“Retro but still fashionable.” Qin Jiaojiao thought for a moment and added, “I’m attending a friend’s 10th-anniversary banquet tonight.”
“Understood,” the styling director said.
The store staff brought over a few gowns of different styles, displaying them in front of Qin Jiaojiao for her to choose. At a glance, Qin Jiaojiao picked out a black gown.
“I’ll go try this dress on.”
A moment later, Qin Jiaojiao came out wearing the black mermaid tail gown. The stylist let out a gasp of admiration, “Wow, Mrs. Zhou, this dress suits you perfectly. It’s as if it was tailor-made for you. So beautiful.”
“It just seems like something is missing around the neck… Let me go grab a necklace for you.” The stylist hurried away.
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, Qin Jiaojiao looked at the beautiful girl in the reflection, a flash of amazement in her eyes. She had chosen the gown based on feeling, and hadn’t expected it to look this good.
Qin Jiaojiao was a little over 1.7 meters tall, with a slender figure that had curves in all the right places. The long black mermaid skirt wrapped around her bumpy figure, perfectly highlighting her graceful curves.
The retro, chest-level mermaid skirt featured a backless design. Fortunately, her long hair covered it; otherwise, she would have felt a bit uncomfortable.
Soon, the stylist brought over a diamond necklace and said, “Mrs. Zhou, let me put this on for you.”
“Mhm.” Qin Jiaojiao moved her hair aside.
The stylist fastened the necklace around her neck. Looking at the girl with a noble temperament in the mirror, her eyes were filled with awe as she said, “Too beautiful. Mrs. Zhou, let me do your hair.”
Qin Jiaojiao sat in the chair, letting the stylist do her makeup and pin up her hair.
The styling process took a very, very long time. She wondered in her heart if Zhou Shaoli would get impatient waiting.
“All done.” The stylist pinned a vibrant silk-pressed rose into her coiled black hair and asked, “Mrs. Zhou, are you satisfied with tonight’s look?”
Qin Jiaojiao smiled: “It looks great, thank you.”
The stylist: “President Zhou definitely really wants to see how you look. Let’s go out.”
Qin Jiaojiao clicked out in her high heels, feeling inexplicably nervous. A faint anticipation grew in her heart, though even she didn’t know what for.
When the assistant saw Qin Jiaojiao walk out, he blanked out for a moment.
Zhou Shaoli raised his eyes, watching the girl walking towards him step by step. Qin Jiaojiao’s appearance was top-tier among the socialites of the Beijing circle, which was one of the reasons the Zhou family had chosen her in the first place.
He knew she was beautiful, but he hadn’t expected this look to be beautiful to such a degree. She was like a red rose blooming in the dark night, exuding a one-of-a-kind elegance.
No matter who it was, they would want to pluck this rose and take it home to hide away.
Of course, not everyone had the right to take this peerless red rose home. She currently belonged to him.
Qin Jiaojiao stared closely at Zhou Shaoli, a smile pulling at her lips as she asked, “How is it?”
“Not bad,” Zhou Shaoli nodded faintly, maintaining his handsome, otherworldly appearance that seemed untouched by mortal desires.
A flash of disappointment crossed Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes. She thought she would be able to amaze Zhou Shaoli a little bit. He truly lived up to the book’s description of a cold, ascetic man—he remained entirely unmoved even when faced with a beauty that made her own heart flutter.
The car drove smoothly along the street, heading towards the seaside manor in the eastern suburbs where the banquet was being held.
The banquet officially started at 8:00 PM, giving the guests plenty of time to get there. However, this was the evening rush hour, so there was a slight traffic jam.
The car was stuck on the overpass for about twenty minutes. As the time for the banquet drew nearer, Qin Jiaojiao looked at the slow, ant-like crawl of traffic outside, feeling a bit anxious.
She turned her head to look at Zhou Shaoli and asked, “Is it okay if we’re late?”
Zhou Shaoli’s voice was calm: “It’s fine.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt a bit relieved. It was a bit rude to be late for someone’s 10th wedding anniversary, but if Zhou Shaoli said it was fine, then it was fine.
During this season, the sun set late. The evening glow from the sunset outside the window shone through the glass, casting a dazzling afterglow over the man. His expression couldn’t be seen clearly, but his whole being exuded a mature and elegant aura.
Qin Jiaojiao slowly relaxed, leaning back against the seat to admire the sunset outside the window.
Soon, the traffic cleared, and they rode in silence all the way to the seaside manor. By the time they arrived, night had enveloped the brightly lit estate, and the moon hanging high in the sky cast down a silver glow.
After getting out of the car, Zhou Shaoli waited quietly for her at the entrance. Qin Jiaojiao walked up to his side, ready to go in together.
“Link arms with me.” The man’s deep, slightly magnetic voice drifted past her ear along with the sea breeze.
Hearing this, Qin Jiaojiao glanced at him and reached out to link her arm through his. Her steps in the stiletto heels became much steadier, and the unease in her heart dissipated significantly.
The banquet was held indoors at the manor. Arm-in-arm with Zhou Shaoli, wearing a luxurious retro mermaid gown and a diamond necklace around her slender neck, Qin Jiaojiao felt like a proud white swan.
The two of them entered the banquet hall just in the nick of time. Zhou Shaoli was very famous in the business world, and for his contract marriage with Qin Jiaojiao, they had only invited a portion of their relatives and close friends.
Therefore, the circle had only heard that Zhou Shaoli was married; they knew absolutely nothing about his rumored wife, Qin Jiaojiao.
Zhou Shaoli’s lack of intention to introduce his wife to the circle led many to guess that, like many other arranged marriages in wealthy circles, they had a bad relationship and would sooner or later get a divorce.
This could be considered the first time Zhou Shaoli had brought a female companion to a banquet.
Since the manor’s host was throwing a 10th-anniversary banquet, no one would be stupid enough to bring a mistress or a lover. This young, beautiful woman had to be Zhou Shaoli’s wife.
“Qin Jiaojiao is too beautiful, right? They look so compatible together.”
“No wonder Zhou Shaoli never brings her out. If she looked this good, I’d hide her at home too.”
Qin Jiaojiao held onto Zhou Shaoli’s arm tightly, calmly facing the various gazes and sizing-ups, a smile curving her lips.
Zhou Shaoli led Qin Jiaojiao to the hosts to greet them: “President Xu.”
“Shaoli, you’re here,” President Xu smiled.
Beside President Xu was his wife. Looking at Qin Jiaojiao, she asked, “Is this your wife, President Zhou?”
Zhou Shaoli nodded: “Yes, her name is Qin Jiaojiao.”
“Hello, Mrs. Xu,” Qin Jiaojiao smiled politely. “Wishing you and your husband a happy Tin Anniversary, and long-lasting happiness.”
The couple’s faces were full of happy smiles. After thanking them, President Xu said, “The guests are here, I need to go greet them. Shaoli, I’ll come entertain you a bit later.”
“Alright,” Zhou Shaoli smiled faintly.
Qin Jiaojiao followed Zhou Shaoli and met many people. She maintained a professional smile on her face the whole time, earning a lot of goodwill from others.
Seeing this situation, the people around were astonished. Who said Zhou Shaoli didn’t care about his wife? He clearly liked her very much; his eyes were full of his wife.
Qin Jiaojiao’s gaze landed on the pastries laid out on the banquet table. Her stomach was a bit hungry. She hadn’t eaten anything since the afternoon, and after forcing down a couple of sips of wine just now, her stomach was feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Following her gaze to the cakes on the table, Zhou Shaoli turned his head and said in a low voice, “I still have some things to discuss over here. You can go walk around by yourself.”
“I’ll come find you later.” Qin Jiaojiao let go of his arm and went to the buffet area. She grabbed a plate, stabbed a piece of cake, and took a bite.
Soft, sticky, sweet, and fragrant. So delicious.
After eating a whole piece of cake to fill her stomach, Qin Jiaojiao picked up a glass of champagne from the table and took a small sip. Then, she spotted an unexpected person in the crowd.
Qin Jiaojiao hadn’t expected to run into Shen Xiaoshan again at the banquet tonight.
A look of surprise appeared in Shen Xiaoshan’s eyes. She had thought that when Qin Jiaojiao bumped into her this afternoon, she had intentionally called Zhou Shaoli over to back her up. To think she’d actually see Qin Jiaojiao at President Xu’s dinner party tonight.
Shen Xiaoshan tightened her grip on the arm of the man beside her and bit her lip hard. The man beside her had clearly spotted Qin Jiaojiao as well, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
Qin Jiaojiao looked at the man whose arm Shen Xiaoshan was holding. He was wearing a white suit, looked quite handsome, and was staring at her with a heavy gaze.
Not to be outdone, Qin Jiaojiao glared right back.
Zhou Shaoli walked over and greeted: “President Meng.”
“President Zhou,” Meng Zi’ang said in an icy tone. Back when Qin Jiaojiao kicked him to the curb and turned around to marry Zhou Shaoli, he had been laughed at quite a bit in the circle.
Zhou Shaoli reached out and wrapped an arm around Qin Jiaojiao’s waist. Extending a long finger, he wiped away a crumb of cake from the corner of her lips, his tone carrying a trace of doting: “Is the cake good?”
Qin Jiaojiao’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “It’s quite sweet.”
The two’s intimate interaction was completely unlike the rumors of their bad relationship. Meng Zi’ang’s expression instantly turned even uglier.
If Qin Jiaojiao had been given the cold shoulder and left to sleep in an empty room after marrying Zhou Shaoli, he could have sneered and said she deserved it. But this scene right now viciously pierced his pride.
Meng Zi’ang picked up a glass of wine from the table. Staring at Qin Jiaojiao, a cold sneer curved his lips: “President Zhou, you and your wife have a truly wonderful relationship.”
Zhou Shaoli held up his wine glass and clinked it against his, his attitude noble and reserved: “Thank you.”
Meng Zi’ang took a sip and led Shen Xiaoshan away.
After they left, Zhou Shaoli loosened his grip. Qin Jiaojiao could still feel the lingering warmth of his hand on her waist.
Qin Jiaojiao spoke up, “Meng Zi’ang and I…” She didn’t know how to explain.
Zhou Shaoli slightly lowered his eyelids to look at her, a dark undercurrent seemingly surging in his light brown eyes.
“He and I are completely in the past,” Qin Jiaojiao said.
“Mhm.” The corners of Zhou Shaoli’s lips hooked up slightly.
Qin Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling a bit dizzy, she said, “It’s getting late. Can we head back first?”
“We can.” Zhou Shaoli led her to say goodbye to President Xu.
The two walked out of the manor. The driver had already brought the car to the entrance. After getting in, Qin Jiaojiao felt a wave of dizziness. Her alcohol tolerance seemed to be quite poor; she easily got tipsy after just a few glasses.
Qin Jiaojiao kept her eyes tightly shut to rest, reminiscing about the envious gazes she had reaped at the banquet today. Not long after, drowsiness struck, and she fell asleep.
After falling asleep, her head tilted sideways and leaned against Zhou Shaoli’s shoulder. He took a glance but didn’t push her away.
Perhaps because the temperature in the car was a bit low, Qin Jiaojiao, wearing only a gown, felt cold and unconsciously burrowed toward his embrace.
Zhou Shaoli spoke up: “Turn the AC up a bit.”
“Right away, President Zhou,” the driver replied.
Zhou Shaoli pushed Qin Jiaojiao’s head to the other side, took off his suit jacket, and draped it over her.
Smelling the faint ebony agarwood scent, Qin Jiaojiao shrank down into the jacket, rubbed against it, and slept even more sweetly. The car drove smoothly toward the courtyard villa.
“We’ve arrived, President Zhou,” the driver said.
Zhou Shaoli cast a glance at Qin Jiaojiao, who was still sleeping sweetly, and said, “We’re home.”
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