HGG - 32

Since the incident where Chi Zhao had “abdicated” his position as the children’s “big brother” in a game of Gomoku, every day a group of kids would gather outside Song Yi’s house and shout: “Big Brother! Big Brother! Come play with us!”

Their home was a single-story bungalow. While Song Yi was hanging laundry, her grandmother was watching TV. Song Yi called out Chi Zhao’s name from the yard.

Then, the window near the outer wall opened, and he leapt out, buttoning up his shirt collar as he ran outside: “Coming—”

Grandma always laughed behind her hand: “He’s so adorable.”

Not long after morning passed, Chi Zhao would return. Sucking on fruit candies given to him by the children, he sat beside Grandma and waited for Song Yi to head out together.

Grandma didn’t usually watch Peking Opera or care about the news—her favorite shows were romantic dramas.

Previously, Chi Zhao had given Song Yi several DVDs of such melodramas, which she brought back after resigning. Grandma loved them.

On the TV screen, the female protagonist shouted fiercely at the villainous supporting character: “Haven’t you caused enough trouble? Please show some self-respect, thank you.”

In front of the TV, Grandma watched with great interest.

Song Yi once again dressed in her “country girl” outfit. Straw hat, labor gloves, and recently added—an old pair of rose-tinted sunglasses that had belonged to Grandma when she was young.

Chi Zhao, as usual, dressed casually, only adding an extra pair of work gloves. Even during their fishing trip, Zhan Heqing and others wore fisherman hats, but Chi Zhao, showing no concept of sun protection, remained unscathed—though he hadn’t gotten sunburned anyway.

“Ah,” as they were leaving, Grandma cupped her face and said, “Song Yi, since we’re planning to rent out the field, couldn’t we just let the tenants handle the weeding?”

Song Yi calmly replied: “Giving others convenience is hoping they’ll do the same for us.”

Grandma burst into laughter and turned to Chi Zhao: “Look, our Song Yi is so stubborn. She clearly considers others but makes it sound like she doesn’t care.”

Chi Zhao simply smiled.

At this moment, Grandma paused, then added: “Young man, when we go to your place, can I really live with Song Yi?”

Song Yi walked over, crouched in front of Grandma’s chair, and carefully adjusted her skirt hem: “The employee dormitories at Chongyou are spacious, and the benefits are good. Family members can live together.”

“That’s wonderful,” Grandma said, looking at Chi Zhao again. “Young man, when the time comes, please visit us often.”

Chi Zhao nodded with a smile.

Together, they went to the fields.

Originally, Song Yi thought Chi Zhao would never do manual labor like weeding, but as soon as they arrived, he began working briskly.

Those cold hands were more suited to pulling out a sleek black credit card at luxury stores or turning a pressure-sensitive pen on a keyboard—but pulling weeds looked completely incongruous.

Standing nearby, Song Yi asked: “How do you know how to do these things?”

“Did you think I’d never ridden a bus before?” Chi Zhao chuckled, keeping his head down.

“Because…” Song Yi hesitated before continuing, “Mr. Chi truly doesn’t seem like someone who would do this kind of work.”

Chi Zhao quickly brushed past that topic, lightly stirring another ripple: “When we get back, make sure to catch up on all the work you’ve missed. There are quite a few documents Xia Fan hasn’t had time to review. The temp workers’ confidentiality agreements aren’t sufficient, so I can’t trust them with it. It’s piling up more and more—what a hassle.”

“Okay, I understand,” Song Yi nodded lightly, taking on the task in a businesslike manner.

A few days earlier.

They stood on the road in the night fields. Facing Song Yi, who had mustered the courage to confess everything, Chi Zhao responded: “Is that all?”

Song Yi looked at him, bewildered, and heard Chi Zhao continue: “You resigned just because of this?”

Her mind blank with confusion, Song Yi nodded, then shook her head.

Chi Zhao laughed. Turning around, he asked calmly and nonchalantly: “That ‘someone else’ is Zhan Heqing, right?”

“It’s… Wait, huh?” Rare panic appeared on Song Yi’s usually overly calm face. She frowned. “You knew?”

“Yes,” Chi Zhao admitted frankly without hesitation. “I knew.”

Song Yi was even more astonished: “And Vice President Zhan…?”

“He probably doesn’t know. He’s probed me several times. He’s been very cautious about this. If it were used against someone else, I’d definitely praise him.” Chi Zhao spoke casually as he took measured steps.

“So, may I ask when you found out who I am?”

“From the beginning,” Chi Zhao answered without hesitation.

This time, it was Song Yi’s turn to fall silent.

“How about it?” Finally, Chi Zhao said, “Do you still want the job?”

Song Yi bowed her head, reflecting deeply for a full half-minute.

“Thank you, Mr. Chi,” she eventually conceded to survival.

Back in the daytime fields, after Song Yi and Chi Zhao had worked for several hours, they went to the nearby village store.

Sitting at the entrance to rest, Chi Zhao asked: “How are your parents doing?”

Song Yi glanced at him, then calmly replied: “Dad is still at home. Mom, I heard, was diagnosed with mental health issues and sent to the hospital.”

“Who’s covering the medical expenses?”

“I’ve paid part of it, and Dad seems to have started working again.” Just as Song Yi finished speaking, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Zhan Heqing’s name on the caller ID.

After getting Chi Zhao’s permission, Song Yi answered: “Hello, Vice President Zhan.”

On the other end, Zhan Heqing’s voice sounded worried: “Hello?! Hello! Song Yi, Song Yi, is Chi Zhao with you?”

Song Yi calmly confirmed: “Yes.”

“Oh, where has he gone off to… Huh? Is he there?” Zhan Heqing’s tone trembled with disbelief. “He’s really there?! Huh?! So does that mean…?”

“He knows,” Song Yi’s tone remained flat. Turning her head, she saw Chi Zhao waving at her. “Vice President, would you like to speak with Mr. Chi?”

“Wait! Not now, no, don’t give him the phone! Ah!” Zhan Heqing cried out in alarm, but he still heard Chi Zhao’s voice through the receiver.

Chi Zhao held two cups of water in his hands and simply turned slightly. Meanwhile, Song Yi leaned forward, holding the phone close to his ear.

As she pressed the phone to Chi Zhao’s ear, he glanced at her briefly, then smiled: “Your screen is cracked badly. When we get back, I’ll buy you a new phone as a welcome-back gift.”

Song Yi didn’t refuse, only quietly asked him to respond to Zhan Heqing promptly.

“Hello,” Chi Zhao said, “Little Zhan, it’s me.”

Who knows what Zhan Heqing felt upon hearing his voice.

“Well,” Chi Zhao didn’t reproach him but continued in a gentle tone, “All these years, you and Uncle Zhan have worked hard to care for me. You’ve both been very considerate.”

On the other end, Zhan Heqing remained silent, his breathing audible through the receiver.

Chi Zhao concluded his words: “I’ll be back soon, with Secretary Song. See you then.”

With that, he gestured for Song Yi to take the phone back. She brought it to her ear and solemnly bid farewell to Zhan Heqing.

While holding the phone for Chi Zhao, Song Yi couldn’t help but gaze at his profile. His eyelashes, like moth wings, cast a shadow under the eaves, and without a smile, his face seemed lifeless yet undeniably beautiful.

As she became lost in thought, Chi Zhao suddenly shifted his eyes. Catching her gaze, he looked at her questioningly.

Song Yi neither explained nor panicked, simply turning her face away indifferently.

“You and Vice President Zhan are very close,” Song Yi said after hanging up, putting her phone away. For some inexplicable reason, she made an untimely comparison: “Closer than brothers, it seems.”

“Yes,” Chi Zhao didn’t mind. “Second Brother still needs protection, but Heqing doesn’t.”

Before her boss’s privacy, Song Yi remained silent, quietly raising her eyes.

Chi Zhao stood up, facing the sunlight, but his silhouette fell into a shadowy abyss.

“That’s why I couldn’t tell Yu,” he said. “‘Big Brother committed suicide.’”

Meanwhile, in the vice president’s office, Zhan Heqing moved the phone away.

His expression was dazed, and he absentmindedly raised his head to look at the photos on the shelf. There was a group photo from when he first joined Chongming Games, along with an awkward snapshot of him drunk at a year-end party.

His gaze finally settled on an old photo taken at the amusement park with Chi Zhao and Zhan Luo.

In the picture, Zhan Luo still smiled quietly, Chi Zhao ate strawberry-flavored ice cream with a composed expression, while only Zhan Heqing looked unhappy.

He vaguely recalled that, as a youth, he had complained to Chi Zhao: “You’re stealing my dad!”

But Chi Zhao hadn’t minded, only replying with a smile: “Ah, sorry about that. As compensation, I’ll be your dad…” Before he could finish, Zhan Heqing cut him off with a sharp “Shut up.”

As Zhan Heqing was lost in childhood memories, the phone suddenly rang. He answered; the assistant asked if he wanted to see an unannounced visitor.

“Who is it?” Zhan Heqing asked.

“She says… Excuse me, what’s your name? She says she’s ‘Wu Qi Qi’? She says she’s the one who chased you down three streets and made you fall.”

Zhan Heqing knew who it was.

With mixed feelings, he held his forehead and replied: “Let her come up.”

A few minutes later, the girl who had briefly worked at the company walked boldly into his office, carrying a bag of pineapples.

“Vice President Zhan!” Wu Qi Qi ran over, placing the pineapples on his desk. “I brought some gifts to apologize!”

Before Zhan Heqing could speak, she pulled out a pineapple peeler and enthusiastically said: “I’ll peel one for you right now!”

“No, Miss Wu, your kindness is appreciated, but…” Zhan Heqing’s expression was grave. “If there’s nothing else, perhaps we can have a quick cup of tea, and then you can go.”

He picked up the phone, pressing the shortcut to contact the secretary, and asked: “Coffee or plain water? Which would you like?”

“Hehe! Bubble tea, 30% sweetness, extra milk, thank you!” Wu Qi Qi sat down obediently.

She really isn’t shy, Zhan Heqing thought inwardly.

“How’s your work going?” Although she had brought pineapples all the way here, out of politeness, Zhan Heqing still asked.

“Mm! I’m a streamer now! This is something I’ve wanted to try since university,” Wu Qi Qi said. “I signed with a small platform!”

Having dealt with online media work himself, Zhan Heqing had no bias against it and simply nodded: “Wish you success.”

After Wu Qi Qi finished her bubble tea, Zhan Heqing escorted her out. He really wanted her to take the pineapples back, but they were too heavy for a young girl to carry, so he let her leave them.

At the elevator, just as Zhan Heqing was about to say goodbye to Wu Qi Qi, a white figure drifted gracefully down the corridor.

Zhou Shuhua lived up to her name, resembling a classical beauty inked onto a painting, elegantly walking toward them.

The moment his eyes met hers, Zhan Heqing reflexively turned to leave, but Wu Qi Qi grabbed him.

“What’s wrong, Vice President? Are you feeling unwell?” Wu Qi Qi turned her head as Zhou Shuhua waved with a radiant smile. “Who’s that?”

Though Zhan Heqing could now hold the upper hand, thinking of how Zhou Shuhua had manipulated him left him unable to raise his head.

“…Don’t hold me—I need to leave! She’s a witch, a witch! Didn’t you want to know where Secretary Song went? She was eaten by the witch, do you understand…” Zhan Heqing was nearly delirious, desperately trying to break free.

But it was too late. Zhou Shuhua had already reached them.

“Vice President Zhan, and you, miss, you look somewhat familiar…” Zhou Shuhua smiled elegantly. “Vice President, I haven’t seen you much lately. How have you been? I’m sorry—I’ve been thinking about you these past few days.”

“Really? Thanks to you, I’ve been having a terrible time,” Zhan Heqing replied, his face pale.

Zhou Shuhua looked troubled, then sighed softly, lowering her head with a hint of sadness flickering in her eyes: “I’m sorry. Vice President, I never meant to hurt you. Truly, you’re the person I respect most in the company.”

Zhan Heqing thought she was acting strangely. If he could, he’d turn and run back to his office to watch My Little Pony borrowed from Chi Zhao.

“I’ve always thought of you as a great older brother,” Zhou Shuhua said. “But Mr. Chi… Of course, it’s not Mr. Chi’s fault—it’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”

Wu Qi Qi’s tenure was too short to recognize all the employees, but from these exchanges, she sensed some underlying drama.

Blinking her bright eyes, she looked at Zhan Heqing’s lifeless expression, then at Zhou Shuhua’s sorrowful yet beautiful demeanor.

“Excuse me,” Wu Qi Qi smiled widely, turning to Zhou Shuhua with an utterly innocent tone. “Are people like you, big sister, what they call ‘green tea’?”

Her question carried no malice; her angelic smile shot arrows without any intent to harm.

Not only Zhou Shuhua but even Zhan Heqing was stunned. Taken aback, Wu Qi Qi looked puzzled by their sudden silence: “What’s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?”

Just from Wu Qi Qi’s single sentence, a whirlwind swirled around them.

However, compared to the situation three days later, this storm was merely a gentle spring breeze.

Because three days later, Chi Zhao returned.