HGG - 16

While waiting in the beauty salon’s lobby for her classmates to finish negotiating, Song Yi finally got a chance to speak privately with Chi Zhao.

“How did you find me?” She gently nudged his shoulder.

Usually, Song Yi strictly adhered to the behavioral standards expected of a secretary, but today, she felt unusually buoyant, as if her heart was about to take flight.

After asking, she turned her head away, her lips downturned, but her eyes betrayed a glimmer of excitement.

Chi Zhao reached out and handed her the reunion invitation she had casually left on the table. The time and location were clearly written on it.

When he made his grand entrance, several classmates were stunned, especially the class monitor, who still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Her college roommate nudged Song Yi teasingly: “Didn’t you say it was a misunderstanding?”

Before Song Yi could respond, Chi Zhao leaned over, blocking the conversation: “Sorry, I’ve been so busy with work these past few days that I couldn’t accompany her. We even had a little argument.”

The classmates seemed to discover a new side to her: “Dry Ice, you actually sulk?”

“Dry Ice?” Chi Zhao subtly moved closer to Song Yi.

“It’s Song Yi’s nickname from college,” they eagerly seized the opportunity to talk to Chi Zhao. “By the way, are you two really a couple?”

Boss and secretary exchanged a glance, silently communicating within half a second. Chi Zhao then draped his arm around Song Yi’s shoulders. At that moment, Song Yi recalled something Zhan Heqing had said to her recently.

She replied: “We’re a match made in heaven.”

The female customers were inside receiving treatments, while the male customers waited outside in a separate room.

They passed the time playing poker, but Chi Zhao wasn’t particularly interested and sat to the side fiddling with his phone.

This was when Liu Jun approached him.

Seeing him draw near, Chi Zhao put away his phone and naturally flashed a perfunctory smile.

Liu Jun said: “I’m truly grateful to see Song Yi find such an excellent friend like you.”

Chi Zhao remained silent, seemingly waiting for him to continue.

“When I first met Song Yi, I never imagined she’d be like this.”

Chi Zhao finally showed some interest, smiling as he asked: “Like what?”

“Well, wearing matching outfits, getting upset because I didn’t spend time with her…” Liu Jun listed off the examples. “And saying things like ‘a match made in heaven.’ She doesn’t seem like someone who would do those things. I guess she really didn’t love me after all.”

Chi Zhao studied him for a long moment, his smile spilling over like water filling a container.

Liu Jun had no idea what he was laughing at and looked utterly confused, forcing himself to finish his words: “At this point, everything is in the past. Song Yi is a good girl. Thank you for taking care of her.”

Given the atmosphere, perhaps Chi Zhao should have said something like, “I’ll take good care of her.” However, he instead pulled out his phone and absentmindedly opened a game.

Out of the corner of his eye, Liu Jun noticed this and couldn’t help interjecting: “Don’t you have anything to say?”

Chi Zhao, still focused on the game, countered: “What do you want me to say?”

Liu Jun fell silent for a moment.

“I think you just want to indulge in self-satisfaction. You don’t need any response from me,” Chi Zhao’s tone was indifferent. “Besides, I have nothing to say to someone who justifies their own infidelity.”

Liu Jun felt like cold water had been poured over him, making him squirm uncomfortably. He tried to force a laugh, but his throat was dry, and as he stood up, he nearly stumbled.

Meanwhile…

In the beauty treatment room, it was Song Yi’s first time visiting. She lay stiffly flat, listening to her classmates chatter while a technician worked on her face.

Who got married, who went bankrupt, who got plastic surgery—gossip was an enduring interest among women. However, today, everyone inevitably paid extra attention to Song Yi.

“Dry Ice, I never would’ve guessed you’d end up with such a handsome boyfriend.”

“I saw his car keys—are you marrying into wealth?”

Liu Jun’s girlfriend chimed in sarcastically: “I can’t figure out what he sees in you.”

Someone interjected: “Such a great man, Song Yi. Congratulations.”

One of her former roommates, now married, passionately shared her advice as an experienced senior: “Dry Ice, you need to be cautious. While appreciating his strengths, don’t overlook his flaws, especially for someone wealthy like him. By the way, does he have any habits that bother you?”

Listening to others discuss her, Song Yi almost felt suffocated. When it was her turn to speak, she faced this very question.

To identify Chi Zhao’s flaws, she thought deeply and seriously.

“He… can be a bit childish, and his hobbies are quite unique. But he earns money from them, and he’s dependable in critical moments, so it’s not really a flaw,” Song Yi explained earnestly. “He doesn’t listen to others’ advice about lifestyle choices, but when I say something, he tries his best to follow it… People say he has a strange temper and is unpredictable. At first, maybe he did, but now, I think he’s much easier to get along with than most people… Honestly, I’m not sure—he’s just kind of all over the place…”

The beauty room suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Song Yi thought she might have said something wrong, but the technician attending to her burst out laughing. “You and your boyfriend must be very close.”

“Huh?”

Her roommate slowly came to a conclusion: “Looking at it this way, you two really are a good match.”

“Are we?” Song Yi was completely baffled.

By the time the treatment ended, Song Yi felt significantly more relaxed. At the counter, she hesitated over the package options.

Liu Jun’s girlfriend clung to him, coquettishly saying a few words, and Liu Jun reluctantly purchased an annual membership for her. The staff immediately seized the opportunity to promote memberships to the others.

Men, being prideful, often couldn’t resist the pressure. After some deliberation, Song Yi ultimately decided against signing up.

“Not getting one?” Chi Zhao asked.

“Mm,” Song Yi replied. “I won’t have time to come recently. Besides, the prices might be cheaper by the end of the year.”

Chi Zhao nodded thoughtfully, showing no interest in flaunting his wealth.

However, after glancing around, he suddenly turned to the manager sitting nearby at the salon: “This place is privately owned, right?”

The manager didn’t understand what he was getting at: “Yes.”

He looked back at the condition of the decor, casually saying: “If it’s not for sale, a partnership could work too. Please have your boss give me an estimate.”

Upon hearing this, all eyes converged on him. But Chi Zhao, oblivious to the attention, was engrossed in inspecting the ceiling. Song Yi tugged at his sleeve and asked: “Are you planning to buy this place?”

“Mm.” He nodded. “I forgot to give everyone gifts on Women’s Day, so I’ve been feeling guilty for a long time.”

Motivated by her duty as a secretary, Song Yi realized his intention. After calculating mentally, she approached the manager and handed over her business card: “Looking forward to your response.”

As they stepped out of the shop, Song Yi noticed none of her classmates had followed. She turned back: “What’s wrong?”

Their faces were filled with astonishment.

The class monitor stepped forward, intending to say something, but when he saw Chi Zhao’s limited-edition JAGUAR bought at auction, he decided against it.

Thus, Song Yi’s class reunion came to a perfect close.

The internal testing of ACDF began, and the company was bustling again. Chi Zhao ordered afternoon tea delivery for the employees and added a strawberry cake for his office.

When Song Yi opened the box, she saw the words “Happy Birthday to Chi Zhaozhao” written in strawberry sauce across the top.

Faced with the question, “Why ‘Chi Zhaozhao’?” Chi Zhao didn’t even look up, replying while drawing on his tablet: “More characters mean more strawberry sauce.”

After cutting the cake, Song Yi happened to get the slice with the words “Chi Zhao” on it. She stared at it for a while before stabbing her fork forcefully into the soft sponge and bringing the melting cream to her lips.

Lately, Chi Zhao also frequently logged into ACDF . By chance, Song Yi discovered that his account name was “Ice Dream Butterfly Sorrow.”

Misinterpreting her unblinking gaze, Chi Zhao cheerfully offered: “Since you like it, this account is yours.”

When she logged in after work, she found two users in the friend list.

One was “Youth Digest.” Zhan Heqing used this name for many of his social accounts.

And another—”Who is ‘Sunshine Boy’?” Song Yi muttered to herself.

“It’s me,” Xia Fan answered impassively from beside her.

After好不容易 having a day off, Song Yi rested all day. In the evening, she went out to buy some food but unexpectedly ran into Shan Jingyi.

He was coming out of Chi Yu’s house.

Song Yi was somewhat wary of him and politely inclined her head: “Mr. Shan.”

Chi Yu had already closed the door. Song Yi intended to leave as well but was stopped by Shan Jingyi: “Would Miss Song care to join me for dinner?”

“Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Shan, but I have other matters to attend to.” She responded. In her mind, she wondered what business Shan Jingyi could have with Chi Yu.

However, Shan Jingyi seemed to see through everything and spoke just as she was about to close the door: “Miss Secretary doesn’t want to know what Mr. Chi Yu and I discussed? It’s related to Chi Zhao.”

Song Yi froze in her tracks.

“Let’s have dinner together,” Shan Jingyi smiled.

In the end, she went to the restaurant with Shan Jingyi.

They sat by the window seat, the red wine aromatic, the city night view breathtaking, and the atmosphere of solitude naturally arising.

“How is it? Actually, I wanted to take Miss Song to another restaurant,” Shan Jingyi said.

Song Yi put down her knife and fork to thank him.

“Miss Song is beautiful, smart, and shows no interest in me,” he said. “Honestly, you’re a rare type I seldom encounter.”

Shan Jingyi’s words held hidden meanings, but Song Yi’s mind was elsewhere. What had he told Chi Yu?

She pondered how to bring up the question. Shan Jingyi was talking nonstop, and Song Yi’s gaze drifted to the side. There were other tables around, and she saw a woman’s back.

They were strangers, but at a glance, Song Yi recognized her.

It was the woman from Chi Zhao’s painting.

She finished dining with her companion and slowly turned her head. Song Yi saw her face.

Though nearing fifty, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

So familiar. Song Yi gazed at her absentmindedly. The woman stood up to leave. She seemed to possess some enchanting aura—not only did Song Yi, but many in the restaurant couldn’t help but cast their gazes toward her.

Shan Jingyi noticed Song Yi’s line of sight. He glanced once and, smiling, turned back: “Even though she doesn’t make movies anymore, she’s still so beautiful.”

Song Yi remembered now. This sense of familiarity wasn’t baseless; she was the woman from Chi Zhao’s painting and also a double award-winning actress, a former Miss Hong Kong.

Her knife and fork suddenly slipped to the floor. As Song Yi lowered her head, Shan Jingyi, who was cutting his lamb chops, suddenly recalled something.

“Come to think of it, Miss Song probably doesn’t know,” Shan Jingyi’s tone was casual, “She’s Chi Zhao’s mother.”