Chapter 27: Take Out the Trash for Me

Clearly, that thing wasn’t on the bedside table yesterday.

I’m certain Father Zhou and Mother Zhou wouldn’t enter my room, and Zhou Zizi wouldn’t come either.

The only person who could have put it there is one.

The necklace gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, but to my eyes, it had lost all its luster.

A gift from someone I despise is an eyesore.

I slammed the box onto the bedside table with a bang.

The door creaked open gently, and Zhou Chenyang stood in the doorway. Though his face was expressionless, his gaze was subtly different from his usual cold indifference.

He glanced at me once, then turned his head away.

“Come downstairs for breakfast.”

He actually came to call me for breakfast?!

I immediately ran to the window to look outside.

The sun hadn’t risen from the west, nor was the sky raining knives—everything was normal.

He looked at me strangely. “What are you looking at?”

“Checking if the world’s ending…”

Zhou Chenyang’s face darkened. “Are you going to eat or not?”

“No. Seeing something stomach-turning first thing in the morning ruins my appetite.”

As to what exactly that thing was, it’s up to his own interpretation.

His expression darkened even more, and through clenched teeth, he spat out, “Are you talking about me or that necklace?”

“What do you think?”

Honestly, the necklace was innocent, but once it passed through the hands of someone I detest, it instantly lost its brilliance.

Zhou Chenyang ground his molars, muscles taut as if a storm was brewing. I almost thought he was about to lose his temper.

But this was the Zhou family.

I was certain he wouldn’t dare make too much trouble, so I met his gaze without fear.

After a moment, he suddenly deflated.

“I misunderstood you. That necklace is compensation for you.”

Oh!

He actually apologized!

Though his expression was stiff, he admitted his mistake.

I couldn’t help but touch my forehead and then reached out to touch his.

“Are you alright?”

“...Anyway, the gift is yours. Let’s just forget what happened before.”

“What do you mean, forget it just like that? Since when did I agree to make peace with you?”

What kind of tyrannical emperor behavior is this?

---

“What do you want me to do then?” Zhou Chenyang rubbed his forehead irritably.

I knew that expression well.

Whenever things don’t go as he expects or control slips away, he gets frustrated.

To put it plainly, Zhou Chenyang’s life had always been smooth sailing. The only setback was Zhou Zizi; failing to win the love of his beloved became his obsession.

Everyone else was beneath his notice.

I turned back to the bed and glanced at the necklace lying in the box, then snapped the lid shut.

“Mu Yan, why do you want to join the company?”

The person behind me suddenly asked.

“To develop my career.”

“You haven’t worked since the day you married me. Are you sure you can handle the complicated work and interpersonal relationships in the company?”

I actually heard sincerity in his tone.

“If it’s because of me and Zizi, there’s no need. We’re just colleagues at the company, nothing like you imagine…”

His voice grew noticeably annoyed toward the end.

I gave a faint smile and felt the need to explain.

“You’re overthinking it. I’m going to the company just to strengthen myself. I don’t want to stay home—it would make me a resentful woman.”

What is a resentful woman like?

Melancholy, weak, worthless, waiting pathetically in an empty room for someone who will never come home, only to be abandoned like trash.

I’ve already been that once.

Zhou Chenyang’s gaze was complex. “But you have no work experience.”

“Zhou Zizi doesn’t either. How can she go?”

Although I hadn’t deliberately asked about their affairs, I knew that the day after Zhou Zizi graduated, Zhou Chenyang, unable to resist her persistent clinging, took her into the company.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou never mentioned this, but I still knew.

Because it was the path of the previous life.

This time would be no different.

Zhou Chenyang pursed his thin lips. “She’s different from you. She doesn’t like staying home and fears boredom. Besides, her major in college was design…”

“I studied design too.”

Zhou Chenyang’s face stiffened, surprised. “You… you studied design too?”

Apparently, he had completely forgotten.

If this had been before, I would have been deeply disappointed. Now, I just leaned against the headboard and said slowly, “Whether you remember that I studied design is no longer important. The fact is, I’m about to join the company.”

It was Father Zhou’s decision.

No one could change that.

For the first time, Zhou Chenyang showed me a helpless expression. “If you really want to work, I can arrange for you to be placed outside. Since you have no experience, if anything goes wrong inside the group, Father won’t let you off easily.”

“Thanks, but no need.”

I lowered my eyes, hiding my sarcasm.

---

“Ah Yan, just agree to Sister’s request.”

Zhou Zizi suddenly appeared, looping her arm through Zhou Chenyang’s and coquettishly pouting right in front of me.

Zhou Chenyang said nothing.

She swung his arm gently. “Ah Yan…”

“Alright, alright, let her go,” Zhou Chenyang said, glancing at me before slowly withdrawing his arm and ruffling Zhou Zizi’s hair.

“Besides, Father has already agreed.”

Zhou Zizi smiled brightly. “I knew Ah Yan cares about me the most. No matter what I say, Ah Yan will support me. Sister Yan, Ah Yan agreed to let you join. From now on, we’ll be colleagues. Shall we take the same car to work tomorrow?”

“Are you feeling better?”

I studied her. Her complexion was still pale, but she insisted on going to work. Her intentions were obvious.

Zhou Zizi smiled radiantly. “Alright, alright. I feel super healthy now, full of energy!”

To prove it, she even jumped once.

Zhou Chenyang stopped her, claiming she hadn’t fully recovered.

Zhou Zizi appeared innocent and carefree, but only I, who had fought with her for a lifetime, could see the wariness and guardedness deep in her eyes.

She was on guard against me.

I almost laughed. Did this mean Zhou Zizi finally saw me as a real enemy?

She had always been arrogant, relying on disguise and acting to put on a show in front of everyone.

Invincible.

So why was she so flustered now?

I felt genuine joy deep within and didn’t mind their nauseating display of affection in front of me. “I’m going to wash up now. Could you two please leave?”

Yes, I was still in my pajamas, with unwashed face and messy hair, about to be forced to face the two people I hated most.

It was tough.

“Ah Yan, we won’t disturb Sister here anymore. Remember to come down for breakfast,” Zhou Zizi said.

“Of course.”

Watching them turn to leave, I suddenly remembered something. “Wait!”

Zhou Chenyang looked up, and I threw him the box.

It was the box holding the necklace.

He caught it in his hand. “What’s this?”

I smiled politely. “Please take out the trash for me.”