The pushover offended a top-tier boss

He turned around.

A woman stood at the entrance of the club, the dim light casting a long shadow upon her. She wore high heels, a cashmere coat, and her long, chestnut-brown curly hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her makeup was impeccable, and she carried a crocodile-skin Kelly bag.

Xu Shihan.

She took two steps forward, her high heels making a crisp sound.

"Dad said you chose to marry into the Shen family."

"So you like brainless rich girls like Shen Lin?" Her tone was tinged with contempt.

Zhou Huaijin frowned slightly.

"Ms. Xu, please show some respect for others."

Xu Shihan was stung by his words. She looked up at him, her eyes shining.

"Back then, I had no choice... I had no other option..."

Xu Shihan's voice lowered, trembling slightly, "You just can't get over this? Five years, I've waited for you for five years..."

That year, her younger brother, a disappointing figure, got into a murder case with a group of wealthy young men. In a moment of folly, she used her status as the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family to pull strings and mediate. Although the matter was eventually resolved, the truth eventually reached the Zhou family.

Like his father, Zhou Huaijin was upright and incorruptible throughout his life. After that incident, he broke off the engagement without any room for negotiation.

Xu Shihan regretted it, but there was nothing she could do. She and Zhou Huaijin had known each other since childhood. When her parents said they wanted her to marry into the Zhou family, she was secretly delighted. She liked Zhou Huaijin; he had always been outstanding, with excellent grades, good character, and handsome looks. While other second-generation rich kids were indulging in pleasure and sponging off their parents, he was already strategizing and maneuvering in the officialdom.

After the annulment of the engagement, Xu Shihan has remained single all these years and has not dated anyone else.

"I've already said it," Zhou Huaijin said calmly, "I don't accept anything that violates my principles."

Xu Shihan tightened her grip on the bag strap.

"Zhou Huaijin, people are living beings; they have warmth and feelings. If someone makes a mistake, will you never be able to let it go for the rest of your life?"

She took a step forward, her eyes already reddening.

"We've known each other for so many years, I've liked you for so many years, and what about you?"

"You've always been this cold and indifferent. Don't you have even the slightest bit of affection for me?"

Zhou Huaijin looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.

"Shihan, I respect you." His voice was lower, less deliberately distant than before, and more earnest. "I used to respect you as my future wife."

"As for affection—" He paused, as if choosing his words carefully, "I've always been stationed in other places, and I only see them a few times a year. There's no need to make it sound like we're deeply in love."

Xu Shihan's lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"If you had really been in trouble back then, you could have just told me, and I might have been willing to help you."

"Back then, did you ever think about loyalty or obligation? And how much of that loyalty or obligation did you actually have?"

Xu Shihan was speechless for a moment.

"You've always said to the outside world that you've been waiting for me all these years, but in reality, you've just been waiting for the highest bidder. The Xu family just doesn't want to sever ties with the Zhou family."

Zhou Huaijin chuckled softly, but his gaze was cold.

"We're all smart people, there's no need to say anything too harsh."

The alley was quiet for a few seconds.

Xu Shihan didn't speak. She took a deep breath, raised her head, forced back the tears in her eyes, and smiled slightly, a smile that contained a hint of stubbornness and a touch of bitterness.

"Zhou Huaijin, I don't believe you can stick to your principles and bottom line for your whole life and never break the rules for anyone."

The night wind blew in from the alley entrance, lifting the hem of his coat. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, there was no emotion in them.

He opened the car door and got in. Only then did he remember that he had just drunk alcohol.

I picked up my phone and called the driver.

"What are some good places to eat in Beijing?"

"Foods that kids like to eat."

He rubbed his temples and added another sentence.

"Is there a kind of yogurt with milk skin? Where can I buy it?"

"Okay, bring it along too."

-

It was already quite late when Zhou Huaijin returned to Yuyuan in Binzhou.

He changed his shoes and bent down to put them in the shoe cabinet. His gaze fell on a pair of women's slippers, creamy white and fluffy, with a chubby rabbit ear sewn onto the upper. She hadn't put them away when she left; they were just tossed crookedly on the outside, as if waiting for their owner to return and put them on.

Zhou Huaijin looked at the slippers for a few seconds, then reached out and straightened them, placing them side by side with his dark gray cotton slippers.

He was carrying several paper bags, which he had brought back from Beijing.

There are quite a few kinds, mostly pastries and snacks.

The other bag contained several boxes of yogurt with milk skin.

Buying all these things late at night, and from different places at that, was quite a feat for the family driver, who managed to bring them all over in under an hour.

He put the yogurt in the refrigerator, closed the refrigerator door, and stood in the living room, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

Normally, the living room lights would be on at this time. Ye Zhenzhen was nestled on the sofa, hugging a cushion. On the coffee table were fruits, snacks, and the cartoon mug she had brought from her rented apartment. She would sometimes get so engrossed in her dramas that she would lose track of time, only reluctantly putting down her phone to take a shower when he urged her to. Sometimes she would be busy in the kitchen, making a racket.

During meals, she would chatter on and on about all sorts of random things, never stopping for a moment.

Now, it's so quiet I can hear my own breathing.

He glanced at his phone; the WeChat icon was quiet, without any red dots.

This Ye Zhenzhen, she's started again.

I run wild as soon as I get home, and once I'm free, I forget all about him. What time is it today? Not a single message.

With a stern face, he made a video call.

It rang several times before the other end answered.

On the screen, Ye Zhenzhen was lying in bed, wearing a cream-colored nightgown that revealed a glimpse of her collarbone. She had a face mask on and wore a black cat-ear headband.

Her eyes curved slightly—she was smiling.

"Boss!" Her voice came through the face mask, sounding a little muffled. "You've gone back to Bin City? I thought you'd be spending the weekend in Beijing."

Zhou Huaijin looked at the face on the screen, which was covered by a face mask, leaving only the eyes and mouth visible.

"Why aren't you back yet?" he asked her with a stern face.

I'm going back tomorrow.

"Oh, right, boss, one of the videos we filmed today has gone viral again!" Her voice suddenly rose, tinged with excitement. "I suddenly had a brilliant idea: I got County Chief Yang to do a dance to warm up for tomorrow's livestream to help farmers. It's hilarious! Netizens are saying it gives off a feeling of an honest guy going all out, hahaha!"

She laughed for a while, then continued, "Some people say he's dressed too conservatively and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to sell anything. They say he'll figure things out eventually and know how to dress."

"Haha, next time I'll definitely make him film a scene with his clothes off." She laughed heartlessly. "I wonder if County Chief Yang has abs. He looks quite thin, but he works in the countryside all year round, so he should be in good physical condition."

As Zhou Huaijin listened to the chattering on the other end of the screen, his brows furrowed more and more.

"Ye Zhenzhen." He called her name, his voice turning somber. "Can't you think about anything serious all day? Are you really that curious about other people's abs?"

It's not like I haven't seen it or touched it!

Ye Zhenzhen's laughter stopped abruptly.

"It's not that I want to see it, it's that netizens want to see it..." she argued softly, "I'm doing this for Nan Jing's career development..."

"What kind of leader are you in Nanjing?" Zhou Huaijin questioned her coldly, then added, "It's none of your business. Come back tomorrow."

"Oh." Ye Zhenzhen pouted, her voice muffled.

It's so inexplicable. I even called myself over the weekend to yell at myself.

He was clearly working overtime. For his job, for the development of his hometown, and for promoting his new county head, not only did he not appreciate it, but he also yelled at her.

She snorted, and after hanging up the phone, rolled her eyes.