Chapter 15
For a moment, silence filled the restroom.
Seeing one seated and the other standing facing each other, most customers coming in and out couldn’t help but stop and take a glance.
Both of them were truly pleasing to the eye.
After a short pause, Zhou Yuqi was the first to speak, smiling lightly, “Is it inconvenient?”
Li Shanshan snapped back to reality, raising an eyebrow. “Not inconvenient at all; I’m more than happy to assist you.”
What was there to fear?
He was currently incapacitated; he surely wouldn’t harm himself.
With that thought, Li Shanshan stepped forward boldly and roughly supported Zhou Yuqi. “You’re really tall. If I were even a little shorter, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold you up.”
She was considered tall among women, standing at 1.72 meters, but Zhou Yuqi was twenty-one centimeters taller than her!
Not only tall, but with a straight and well-proportioned posture.
He had never grown complacent in his life.
One had to admit, fate had always favored him exceptionally in his past life.
Zhou Yuqi draped one arm over her shoulder, placing half his body weight on her. “Thank you, I am extremely grateful.”
Li Shanshan gritted her teeth. “You’re welcome.”
A clear smile flashed in Zhou Yuqi’s eyes as he successfully washed his hands.
Li Shanshan helped him back into his wheelchair and handed him two paper towels from the side. “May I leave now?”
“No rush,” Zhou Yuqi said gracefully, finishing wiping his hands, crumpling the towel, and with a swift motion, accurately tossing it into the trash bin. Then, smiling, he looked at Li Shanshan. “There’s an old saying passed down from our ancestors that I find quite reasonable.”
“What saying?” Li Shanshan asked, slightly regretting her casual question.
“Deliver the Buddha to the West,” Zhou Yuqi replied.
Li Shanshan retorted, “Have you taken monastic vows?”
Very clever.
Should she say she truly was his future wife?
She must send Xiang Hui a grand gift later. If he hadn’t revealed this secret, she would never have known what a remarkable person her future wife was.
As for the age difference between them, Zhou Yuqi saw it as no problem at all.
He smiled with elegance and composure, his tone deep and gentle. “Though I have not taken monastic vows, I always abide by the strict rules of the temple. The Buddhist and Taoist masters say I possess wisdom.”
Li Shanshan blinked a few times.
What did he mean?
Before she could grasp the fleeting hint in her mind, Zhou Yuqi’s bodyguard approached, holding a phone not available on the market. “Sir, your call.”
Zhou Yuqi frowned slightly.
He was still a new bodyguard; he needed a proper reminder. Was this really the time to take a call?
Seeing him raise his hand to answer, Li Shanshan quickly slipped away.
A sudden storm was brewing!
In this lifetime, Zhou Yuqi actually initiated conversation with her.
Truly unbelievable.
In the previous life, it had been her who took the initiative.
Back then, she had been tricked by colleagues into a newly opened upscale bar in Fengcheng. Naïve and inexperienced, she didn’t know Long Island Iced Tea was alcoholic and, without suspicion, drank a large glass. She encountered many lecherous hands and felt doomed. Drunk and disoriented, she happened to see Zhou Yuqi calmly seated on the sofa amidst the chaos—wealthy and handsome. Thinking it was a gain, she went straight for him.
And just like that, she ascended.
She got pregnant, got engaged in Fengcheng, then registered in the United States, and finally held the wedding in Hong Kong.
Although she and Zhou Yuqi came from vastly different backgrounds, social status, wealth, and culture, both sets of parents and Zhou Yuqi himself gave her full respect, never missing a single wedding ritual.
One must know, many women married into wealthy families without ever having a wedding.
Li Shanshan remembered nearly drowning in jealousy at the wedding.
Ah!
Why was she thinking of her past life again?
All because of Zhou Yuqi’s appearance.
Li Shanshan quickly returned to her seat, overhearing Xu Huihui whisper mysteriously, “Someone’s paying for us.”
Li Shanshan reflexively asked, “Who’s paying?”
Zhou Yuqi never paid for others casually. When dining out, it was always his personal assistant, bodyguard, or secretary who settled the bill—a habit unchanged for decades.
Xu Huihui nodded toward the man behind them. “The boss in the black leather jacket. Do you recognize him?”
Someone nearby whispered, “That leather jacket costs seven thousand yuan.”
“Such a wealthy person! The shirt alone is worth thirteen hundred.” The speaker was a provincial leader’s driver, clearly envious.
Curious, Li Shanshan looked for the man in the expensive jacket. He wore a Montagu silk shirt unbuttoned at the chest, a heavy gold chain around his neck, a phone on the table, and a big gold chain, a gold Rolex, and a gold ring with the character for wealth on his left hand. Catching her gaze, he raised his glass with a dazzling smile.
He was in his thirties, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding a somewhat shady aura.
“I’ve never seen him before,” Li Shanshan said with no recollection.
It wasn’t her treat anyway; the payment was surely for the leaders.
She quietly turned back and picked up her chopsticks just as Zhou Yuqi’s bodyguard pushed him back over, still holding the phone to his ear. Though his face remained calm, Li Shanshan knew his mood was terrible.
The caller was definitely unwelcome.
Li Shanshan secretly smirked, thinking he would finish the call in the restroom before returning!
About half an hour later, the leaders and John’s group were finally full and left Yipin Xian, deliberately greeting Zhou Yuqi one by one, showing their faces.
Zhou Yuqi put down his spoon and said softly, “Take care, everyone.”
He glanced at Li Shanshan.
She had originally planned to look away, but then thought, why avoid him? They were strangers after all; being too deliberate might arouse suspicion.
So when Zhou Yuqi looked at her, she bared her little tiger teeth at him.
Who was afraid of whom?
The smile in Zhou Yuqi’s eyes deepened.
John didn’t notice, but several seasoned officials, sharp and skilled at reading people, thought Li Shanshan’s face was truly captivating. When had she won Mr. Zhou’s favor?
He was someone even John treated with utmost respect!
On the way back, the leaders were exceptionally friendly to Li Shanshan.
Chen Bing, responsible for the economy, asked her to sit with him in the same car, kindly saying, “I’ve been thinking and believe your idea about the foreign trade surplus goods business has great potential. Although Fengcheng’s economy has developed significantly since the reform and opening, most families remain ordinary and naturally prefer good-quality, affordable clothing and footwear. Tell me, would you prefer a spot near the Fengcheng clothing and footwear wholesale market, or a few stalls inside the market?”
Li Shanshan wanted to settle it quickly.
After careful consideration, she replied seriously, “Stalls inside the market would be more suitable. When I last went to purchase goods, I noticed many stalls were vacant. Would you consider renting some to me? I can pay a deposit first.”
She still had thirty thousand yuan available.
Chen Bing smiled. “I said you don’t have to pay rent.”
“That won’t do. I don’t want the government or previous stall owners to suffer losses,” Li Shanshan said. “Besides, the business I want to do is trivial to John. He might not take it seriously. It’s fine if he remembers; if he forgets, the business won’t get off the ground, which would be awkward.”
Chen Bing raised an eyebrow. “So you still want to rent stalls?”
“To wholesale clothing and footwear, I must have stalls. If I had money, I’d buy them outright, but I don’t, so renting is the only option,” Li Shanshan admitted, feeling truly poor. “I want to pursue this business. Even if John forgets to help, I’ll wait until the holidays to personally seek other suppliers. Guangzhou is huge; Ms. Yang’s factory isn’t the only one.”
She knew several people who could guide her.
Chen Bing was quite approving. “Alright, I’ll have some adjacent stalls cleared for you.”
Li Shanshan returned the favor by revealing that John was the real mastermind behind the scenes.
She hadn’t found the right moment to say it before.
She didn’t know if others had noticed, but since she knew, she felt it was her responsibility to inform.
Chen Bing was genuinely surprised. “No wonder Mr. Xiang can’t rest easy, and John still naturally brings up investment matters. I understand now. I’ll focus my efforts on John next.”
As for Xiang Hui, just giving face was enough.
Upon returning to the hotel, they found Xiang Hui waiting downstairs with a cold expression.
Having relieved his leg soreness through massage and stepping out of the presidential suite, Xiang Hui was furious when he learned John and the Fengcheng leaders had played ball and dined at Yipin Xian together. He felt disrespected.
He was unaware of the leaders’ changed attitude.
Extremely angry, regardless of being in a public lobby, he vented his displeasure openly, showing no respect to the leaders.
Yang Hailin often praised him, saying she liked his straightforward temperament.
Although Li Shanshan’s rejection had bruised his confidence, thinking of Yang Hailin gave him renewed vigor.
Compared to the merely beautiful Li Shanshan, Yang Hailin held a higher social status.
At socialite gatherings, she always occupied the center seat.
Before the leaders could speak, Zhou Yuqi’s bodyguards arrived, escorting him inside. The hotel general manager, who had come down to mediate, didn’t hesitate to leave the group and, along with the lobby manager and others, hurried forward to greet him.
“Mr. Zhou,” he bowed.
He had reported work to headquarters before and had met Zhou Yuqi, especially since Zhou’s personal assistant Chen Zhao had arrived earlier.
Zhou Yuqi surveyed the scene with a calm expression. “What’s going on?”
Xiang Hui, who had just been furious, instantly fell silent, as if someone had grabbed his throat out of nowhere. His face flushed red, and after a long moment, he recovered, showing a mix of bluff and timidity. “Mr. Zhou, what brings you here?”
Was he here to see Li Shanshan?
Xiang Hui glanced at Li Shanshan among the crowd, noticing she didn’t show the astonished admiration others did for Zhou Yuqi. He felt a secret joy, believing his rebirth had indeed changed Zhou Yuqi’s fate.
Thinking of Yang Hailin’s career and his own wealth surpassing Changning Holdings and Zhou Yuqi, Xiang Hui straightened his chest proudly.
In Hong Kong, Zhou Yuqi was practically untraceable.
Zhou Yuqi seemed oblivious to Xiang Hui’s thoughts. “I’m here to inspect work. May I ask Mr. Xiang’s purpose? Is it that the hotel’s service was inadequate, causing displeasure?”
“Yes.” Xiang Hui promptly shifted blame to Ronghua Hotel.
Zhou Yuqi immediately instructed the general manager to handle it personally. “All expenses incurred by Mr. Xiang during his stay will be waived.”
Profiting from Zhou Yuqi’s goodwill, Xiang Hui was extremely pleased.
His happiness made him let go of previous grievances.
Thus, the entire commotion faded away into nothingness.