Volume 1, Chapter 53: Ye Wu, Come to Yuncheng with Me!

Zhou Jinghuai sensed the gaze fixed on his back.

He spoke softly, "When I was in my early twenties, I lived abroad alone for a period of time. I learned it back then."

Ye Wu did not press further.

Their relationship was ambiguous now; sharing a moment of intimacy didn't mean anything, and she had no intention of baring her soul to him. Besides, she was somewhat tired right now and wanted to avoid a confrontation with him.

Zhou Jinghuai's pasta was quite well-made, and Ye Wu ate more than half of it.

Then, she politely asked him to leave.

As he was leaving, Zhou Jinghuai gave her a deep, lingering look. "I'll come back tomorrow."

Ye Wu thought he was joking. Zhou Jinghuai was at the helm of a corporate group with twenty thousand employees; he simply couldn't have that kind of free time. Yet, the next day when she returned from the art gallery, the apartment was brightly lit, filled with the aroma of Western cuisine and red wine.

That particular bottle of red wine was one of Ye Wu's cherished treasures, which she had been reluctant to drink.

Now, it was sitting on the dining table, uncorked and breathing.

Ye Wu slowly closed the door. She looked at her prospective ex-husband with a hint of mockery. "Playing the devoted homemaker hiding out here really humbles a noble scion like you, Zhou Jinghuai. Aren't you supposed to be very busy? Why do you keep showing up at my place?"

Zhou Jinghuai walked out of the kitchen, dressed entirely in black, looking dignified and striking.

He gazed at Ye Wu with intense focus, as if appraising some fine work of art, and then spoke in a voice as warm and smooth as jade: "Once I met you, I had time. I've already walked the dog, and I called your grandmother earlier. Tonight, it's just the two of us."

Ye Wu dropped her briefcase, sat down on the sofa, and glared at him. "When are you going to sign the papers?"

The man sidestepped the question. "Let's eat."

Ye Wu retorted, "Zhou Jinghuai, can't you tell that I find you annoying?"

Zhou Jinghuai stared at her steadily and replied softly, "Then I'll stay until you don't find me annoying anymore."

Ye Wu:……

There was nothing she could do about Zhou Jinghuai. She could only give him the cold shoulder, hoping he would take a hint and leave, but Zhou Jinghuai clung like a high-grade medicinal plaster that refused to be shaken off, and he even had the audacity to steal Xiao Bai's sleeping spot at night.

Ye Wu simply buried herself in her work to avoid any physical contact with him.

The night was silent—

Under the warm yellow glow of the desk lamp, Ye Wu meticulously reviewed the ledgers.

The art gallery was merely the beginning; her ambition was to establish her own auction house and eventually ring the bell for an IPO. Ye Wu planned to achieve her goals within two years, so she could not afford to slack off.

Having strained her eyes for a long time, they began to sting, when a cup of Mandheling coffee suddenly appeared before her.

Ye Wu looked up to find Zhou Jinghuai standing over her, looking down with utmost gentleness as he said, "Refresh yourself."

This was a tacit understanding they had shared in the past.

Ye Wu didn't take the coffee. Zhou Jinghuai gently set it down, then bent over and kissed her—a soft, tender kiss completely devoid of any physical desire between a man and a woman...

After a long moment, he asked in a low, husky voice, "How does that feel?"

Ye Wu answered, "Not great."

Ye Wu paused to collect herself, then said very seriously, "Zhou Jinghuai, I admit that when you put your mind into pursuing a woman, you are very charming and hard to resist. But I suffered so much hardship because of you; I'm scared. As for last night... yes, I admit I enjoyed it, but that was just a physiological reaction and it doesn't mean anything, let alone that I'm willing to return to your side. If you have time, please just sign the papers."

Zhou Jinghuai had never been rejected by a woman.

This was the first time.

Instead of flying into a rage, he said very gently, "I'll come again tomorrow. Get some rest early."

Ye Wu refused to look at him.

A moment later, the sound of the man's retreating footsteps echoed behind her, and the apartment door opened and closed.

Silence returned to the surroundings. Ye Wu stared at the cup of coffee on the desk, lifting her chin slightly to suppress her rising emotions...

She had already decided to forget Zhou Jinghuai, yet he refused to let her go.

The next day, Zhou Jinghuai did not come, and Ye Wu didn't care.

She had her own matters to attend to.

A week later, at night, Ye Wu signed a new painter. Although unknown, Ye Wu was extremely optimistic about him; the artist's work possessed a genuine, vibrant aura.

Ye Wu bought twenty of his finished pieces and wrote a thirty-thousand-dollar check, leaving the man thoroughly satisfied.

Ye Wu smiled faintly.

After he left, Ye Wu explained to the bewildered Annie, "I know you're wondering why I offered such a low price. I didn't want money to erode his inspiration prematurely. Among all these young artists, I am most optimistic about his paintings—they even surpass Bai Chuchun's back in the day. When the time is ripe, I will launch him into the spotlight. By then, his paintings will be worth a fortune, and even a small piece will fetch at least a million."

Annie had always trusted Ye Wu implicitly.

Having finished their business, they left the club and said their goodbyes in the parking lot.

Just as Ye Wu pulled open her car door and prepared to get in, a familiar, mocking voice sounded behind her. "Making up with my cousin?"

Ye Wu turned her head to look at Zhou Jingyao and said coldly, "Does it have anything to do with you?"

Zhou Jingyao sneered. "It doesn't have much to do with me, no. But I warned you long ago that my dear cousin is like a wolf or a tiger, swallowing people whole without leaving bones. At the end of the month, he's signing with Meiya. Do you really think he'll still pamper and humor you once you've lost your utility value?"

Zhou Jingyao's expression turned ruthless. "By then, you'll just be an eyesore of a stepping stone."

Ye Wu remained unmoved. "Even if that were true, it still has nothing to do with you."

The neon lights filling the sky cast mottled patches of color across Ye Wu's face, bringing a vividness to her otherwise aloof expression.

Zhou Jingyao stared at her face, suddenly struck by a bizarre, intrusive thought: What kind of expression would Ye Wu wear beneath Zhou Jinghuai? Would passion make her lose herself in a daze?

Realizing where his thoughts had wandered, a wave of annoyance washed over him—

He had always despised Ye Wu.

Yet now, he found himself feeling jealous of Zhou Jinghuai.

Ye Wu quickly drove away.

Returning to her apartment, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it quietly for a moment, lost in thought.

That night, she grabbed two cans of beer and headed up to the apartment's rooftop.

In the spring night, the breeze carried the fragrance of acacia blossoms.

Ye Wu looked up at the starry sky, her mood gradually calming. Thinking of the past and the future, she smiled with a sense of release—

Time could truly heal all wounds.

Zhou Jinghuai, let him just be a youthful dream.

Just as she thought of Zhou Jinghuai, he appeared. He was also holding two cans of beer, and the brand was the exact same as hers.

Ye Wu turned her head to study him. The night wind tousled her long hair, making her look somewhat youthful and innocent.

Disregarding his expensive high-end custom suit, Zhou Jinghuai sat down beside Ye Wu with the beer, popped open a can, and spoke softly, "Ye Wu, come with me to Yuncheng! Bring your grandmother too."

Ye Wu remained silent.

Zhou Jinghuai fixed his gaze on the boundless night sky and continued, "I don't trust anyone else with the Meiya project. I expect to stay there for at least half a year. Ye Wu, I trust you even less staying here in Beijing. Come with me."

Ye Wu offered a faint smile. "Zhou Jinghuai, we are getting a divorce."

"I love you."

"Ye Wu, I love you."

Zhou Jinghuai's gaze deepened as he confessed with utmost sincerity, "Not as partners in high society, and certainly not as the matriarch of the Zhou family, but as my wife, Zhou Jinghuai's wife—for all our lives, never to betray or forsake."

Ye Wu was momentarily stunned.

A trace of bitterness crept into Zhou Jinghuai's voice—

"A-Wu, truth be told, the best years of our lives were spent supporting one another."

"When I say I love you, I mean it."

"Even now, A-Wu remains the most important thing to me."

Ye Wu no longer dared to believe it.

She smiled serenely, tilting her head back to look up at the starry sky.

Zhou Jinghuai took off his own jacket and gently draped it over Ye Wu's shoulders. When his fingers brushed against her shoulder, a sudden warmth flared in his heart.

Ye Wu had always been Zhou Jinghuai's home.

And now, he wanted to give Ye Wu a home.