HGG - 21

A living room is just a living room.

That was Song Yi’s first thought.

It’s not like she hadn’t slept in strange places before. When her family had to flee to a relative’s house one night because of debt collectors, she even slept on someone else’s coffee table.

Zhan Heqing drove directly up the mountain. The villa was indeed neglected, but it still had its own charm. Made entirely of wood and even equipped with a fireplace, it felt somewhat like something out of a fairy tale.

Chi Zhao, who had been sleeping soundly in the car, was now wide awake. Upon seeing the house that perfectly suited his taste, he quickly turned to Zhan Heqing and said, “Quick, sell me this place!”

Zhan Heqing ignored him as he was busy getting his fishing gear ready.

Zhou Shuhua also looked around, feeling quite pleased. She took a few selfies with Song Yi. When taking photos, Zhou Shuhua handed her phone to Song Yi, leaned her head slightly, placed her hand on Song Yi’s shoulder, and revealed her long, flowing hair and delicate, cute face.

Song Yi wasn’t very good at taking selfies. She felt awkward in front of the camera, didn’t know how to find the right angle, and her expression was stiff. Her whole body felt like stone.

The only bedroom available was relatively warm but not spacious; it would be cramped for two people. They would have to sleep on the floor in the living room. When it came to deciding sleeping arrangements, all four looked at each other hesitantly.

Song Yi spoke up first: “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“I don’t mind either,” Zhou Shuhua smiled. “But Song Yi, you’re so thin, aren’t you afraid of catching a chill? Wouldn’t it be better if we take care of you a little?”

Caught off guard by being called out, Song Yi responded quickly like lightning: “No need, thank you.”

“I’m fine with it too,” Chi Zhao tilted his head, his hair tips wet from the light outside. He scrutinized Zhou Shuhua for a moment before slowly turning his head and saying, “Little brother, you’re so delicate, why don’t you sleep in the bed?”

Zhan Heqing immediately exploded with anger: “Get lost! Who are you calling little brother!”

After a few more rounds of discussion, Zhou Shuhua suddenly pulled Song Yi aside and timidly said, “Sorry, Song Yi. Actually, my period just ended, and it might be cold to sleep on the floor. Could you say something on my behalf?”

Song Yi was taken aback. It wouldn’t be appropriate to mention such personal matters in front of the two men, so she could only get straight to the point: “Why doesn’t Shuhua take the bed?”

Neither Zhan Heqing nor Chi Zhao objected, and the matter was settled.

Then they went down the mountain to go fishing.

Song Yi knew nothing about fishing, but since she was there, she could at least take a walk and breathe in some fresh air.

Her home was in the city, but every year she would visit her grandmother’s house in the countryside. The mountain roads there were rugged, and she often walked on grassy slopes, so Song Yi was quite familiar with such terrain.

Chi Zhao moved ahead effortlessly, discussing fishing with Zhan Heqing.

Zhou Shuhua walked carefully, and Song Yi stopped every now and then to wait for her.

At this moment, looking at Zhan Heqing’s back, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly serious about dating. How could fishing be more important than courting a girlfriend?!

When they finally caught up, asking what they were talking about, Chi Zhao, playing with a blade of grass in his hand, laughed and said, “I bought an assembly plant in Vietnam.”

“Eh?” Song Yi, who had just extended her hand to help Zhou Shuhua, turned her head. “When did that happen? Did you tell Assistant Xia? What about the finance department...”

“No worries,” Chi Zhao replied nonchalantly, knowing she was slipping into her secretary mode. “Besides, I sold it right after buying it.”

“What?”

Chi Zhao made it sound as if acquiring assets in a game was effortless: “I resold it at a higher price to those Koreans who argued with me yesterday.”

Zhan Heqing was also smiling, looking as though he had no choice but to accept Chi Zhao’s behavior: “Secretary Song, don’t worry, he’s always like this, it’s fine.”

Chi Zhao suddenly approached, his expression calm as he neared Song Yi.

Instinctively, Song Yi became alert, withdrawing her hand from supporting Zhou Shuhua. But she didn’t retreat, staring squarely back at Chi Zhao.

Standing in front of her, Chi Zhao suddenly reached out his hand.

Song Yi reflexively closed her eyes, then felt a strand of her hair being grabbed. When she opened her eyes again, Chi Zhao was removing a leaf from her head, walking back to the front and saying, “We’re on vacation now, relax.”

However, his follow-up was — “The server will open soon; prepare to work overtime until you drop.”

Song Yi watched his retreating figure. When she turned back, she saw Zhou Shuhua’s expressionless face.

By the pond, Chi Zhao and Zhan Heqing fished while Zhou Shuhua and Song Yi sat watching the scenery.

It was about time, and Zhan Heqing decided to return to the car to fetch some mineral water.

When Chi Zhao got up and said, “I’ll come with you,” he was stopped.

“Who will watch the fishing rods if you leave?” Zhan Heqing replied, “I can manage alone.”

Carrying water was still somewhat strenuous. Song Yi, who had been squatting, stood up and said, “Then I’ll go with you.”

Zhan Heqing didn’t refuse. At this point, Zhou Shuhua, who had remained silent, finally spoke. She smiled apologetically: “Sorry, I think I sprained my ankle a bit…”

“No problem, no problem.” Zhan Heqing seemed to suddenly remember the purpose of this outing, promptly showing concern. “Are you okay? Do you need the first aid kit? Just sit here and rest, don’t move.”

“Thank you, Vice President Zhan.” Zhou Shuhua also responded considerately.

“Don’t call me Vice President, it’s too formal.” Zhan Heqing was overly warm, making one’s skin crawl. “Just call me by my name.”

Song Yi had met with him many times in the smoking room or nearby cafes but had never seen Zhan Heqing act this way.

She glanced at Chi Zhao, who looked as if he wanted to strangle him with the fishing line.

In short, Song Yi and Zhan Heqing went to fetch water from the parking spot together.

When they were alone, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward. Based on their private cooperation agreement, Song Yi was earning a decent income.

She thought of Li Mei and couldn’t help but ask: “Can I request an advance on my salary here, Vice President?”

After locking the car door, Song Yi carried the first aid kit while Zhan Heqing held the water. Together, they started walking back.

“Do you urgently need money recently?” Zhan Heqing asked.

Song Yi shook her head, then nodded: “Not exactly.” She admitted she hadn’t yet decided what to do.

“But it’s possible,” Zhan Heqing said. “But can you help me out a bit more?”

“What?”

Approaching the pond, Zhan Heqing bent down to place the water, winking at her: “Find out what Miss Zhou thinks of me!”

With that, he placed the water down first. Understanding, Song Yi turned around.

She slid a few steps down the slope and saw this scene.

Despite the coolness of spring, Chi Zhao was already wearing short sleeves. His hands, pale yet strong, played with a blade of grass as he casually stared at the float in the water.

Zhou Shuhua sat beside him, close. She smiled, her long lashes fluttering as she spoke softly.

Beautiful.

The sunlight and rustling wind through the trees created a serene beauty. Both of them were extremely attractive individuals, their temperaments harmonious. At first glance, they resembled the protagonists of a romantic drama.

Song Yi lingered where she stood until Zhan Heqing patted her from behind, bringing her back to reality.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming down?” Zhan Heqing asked.

Hearing the noise, the two by the pond turned their heads. Zhou Shuhua, who had been sitting beside Chi Zhao with her head bowed, stood up, smiling charmingly and waving at them.

However, her sprained foot seemed to hurt again as she immediately winced and bent over.

After going down, Song Yi and Zhou Shuhua applied medicine under the shade of a tree.

Song Yi squatted down, examining Zhou Shuhua’s foot. It was slightly red and swollen but not severe.

“I’m sorry for troubling you, Song Yi,” Zhou Shuhua said humbly. “My pain tolerance is quite low; even minor injuries feel unbearable. Sorry.”

Song Yi focused intently on checking the injury, casually replying, “It’s fine.”

Song Yi handed the medicine to Zhou Shuhua and stood up while waiting for her to apply it herself.

As Zhou Shuhua bent over to spread the ointment, she suddenly looked up and gave Song Yi a bitter smile: “Actually, I envy you, Song Yi. You’re so strong and capable, helping Mr. Chi a lot. He’s really hard to deal with, right? Everyone in the office says so. If I were half as excellent as you, that’d be great.”

“You flatter me.” Song Yi absentmindedly observed the branches, momentarily recalling Zhan Heqing’s request. “Speaking of which, what do you think of Vice President Zhan?”

Zhou Shuhua, unprepared for this question, panicked and waved her hands: “Ah! Why do you suddenly… What am I supposed to think?”

“When you told me before, you knew the vice president was pursuing you,” Song Yi continued. “What do you think of him?”

Zhou Shuhua fell silent for a moment. When she looked up again, she sighed lightly.

“I guess I’m still a bit unused to it.” Zhou Shuhua smiled, exuding a clear and transparent aura. “I know he’s very kind to me, but… he feels more like a brother to me.”

Having resolved the question she wanted to ask, Song Yi nodded: “I see.”

Even after lunch, Song Yi didn’t find an opportunity to speak privately with Zhan Heqing.

She accompanied the injured Zhou Shuhua back to rest, while Chi Zhao and Zhan Heqing continued fishing.

When Song Yi and Zhou Shuhua returned to the house, Zhou Shuhua came out after washing her makeup off and applying moisturizer. Song Yi was sitting on the wooden sofa, looking at her phone.

Her intention was to check on her parents’ recent situation, but she accidentally swiped when she entered the social media app.

Then she saw that Zhou Shuhua had posted such a public update.

The text described the spring outing, accompanied by pictures of the landscape, the villa, a selfie with Song Yi, and a photo of her and Chi Zhao together.

The only word to describe it was “beautiful.” Chi Zhao was fishing, completely ignoring the camera, while Zhou Shuhua smiled with her eyes closed beside him.

She tilted her head, and without careful observation, it looked as if she was leaning on Chi Zhao.

Seeing this picture, Song Yi held her phone. After a moment, she spoke without emotion: “Miss Zhou.”

Zhou Shuhua blinked after standing up: “Hmm?”

“Please delete any photos that may negatively affect Mr. Chi,” Song Yi stated clearly and mercilessly.

Meanwhile, the two fishing men, bored, also took out their phones to pass the time.

Chi Zhao rarely browsed social media, but Zhan Heqing saw Zhou Shuhua’s update.

“Wow, rare to see a photo of Secretary Song.” He raised an eyebrow, thinking nothing of it, and showed it to Chi Zhao.

Chi Zhao, who had been listlessly playing a game, turned his head lazily. He squinted, then swiped the screen, his expression gradually darkening.

Finally, he turned back, expressionless, and said: “Make her delete it.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Song Yi looks so good, but this photo makes her look bad, and she still posts it.” Chi Zhao said, “That woman is so weird.”