Zhou Yanxing looked down at Chi Zhan, brow raised.
“What were you thinking about? You can’t even walk straight.”
Chi Zhan felt the world spin around him. Startled, he snapped out of his daze and instinctively reached an arm around Zhou Yanxing’s neck to steady himself.
Their eyes met—and suddenly Chi Zhan remembered he had something more pressing to take care of.
…He’d have to set the whole Chu Xingxiao situation aside for now.
He steadied himself and said, “It’s nothing.”
Just as he tried to step past Zhou Yanxing, the man shifted to the right and blocked his path.
“Secretary Chi, didn’t you forget something?”
“lThe hot spring,” Chi Zhan replied. “When are we going?”
He’d agreed to Zhou Yanxing’s invitation purely out of curiosity—he wanted to find out who it was Zhou Yanxing had said he “really wanted to see.” Since they were only allowed to choose one hot spring session, Chi Zhan had thought long and hard before ultimately declining Qi Song’s offer.
Qi Song only responded with a single word: “Okay.”
But Chi Zhan felt like there should’ve been an emoji after that… maybe even a sarcastic one.
Zhou Yanxing studied him.
“In ten minutes.”
“So, you specifically asked Tao Ran to come?” Chi Zhan asked, glancing around to see where Zhou had left his coat… ah, in the wardrobe!
“Unfortunately, the surprise got spoiled early.”
“No, actually, I’m already really happy. It’s been so long since I last saw him. Thank you, President Zhou.”
Tao Ran was indeed the person Chi Zhan most wanted to see—Zhou Yanxing wasn’t wrong.
But Zhou seemed displeased.
“I didn’t do all this just to hear you say thank you.”
“Then what should I say?” Chi Zhan shot back. “Better luck next time?”
Maybe it was the relaxed vacation atmosphere, but Zhou Yanxing wasn’t as stiff or domineering as usual. Chi Zhan even dared to joke with him.
Zhou didn’t get angry. He just said, with an ambiguous look in his eyes, “You know what I want.”
Debts of gratitude—those that couldn’t be repaid with money—were the hardest kind.
And President Zhou was certainly not short on money. With millions rolling in every minute, even if Chi Zhan emptied out all his savings, Zhou wouldn’t so much as glance at it.
Chi Zhan thought for a moment—then suddenly, an idea struck him.
“I know what you want.” A playful smile tugged at his lips. “You’ll get it soon. Time to repay the debt.”
This time, it was Zhou Yanxing’s turn to be surprised.
He poured himself a glass of water while watching Chi Zhan rummage through the wardrobe, meticulously straightening his coat—almost like he was about to take a steamer to it.
So… domestic.
Zhou genuinely thought so.
He could make coffee, tie a tie, and now he was even tidying his clothes for him.
That was more than enough for Zhou Yanxing to magnify Chi Zhan’s strengths tenfold.
His gaze softened as he looked at Chi Zhan.
Spending a lifetime with someone like this… wouldn’t be so bad.
Chi Zhan, however, was completely unaware of Zhou Yanxing’s thoughts. As he continued rifling through the coat, he noticed Zhou was watching him and had to pretend he was just straightening it—though in truth, he was starting to panic.
The item was small, easy to find by touch alone. Yet after searching every pocket and seam of the jacket until it was practically polished from overhandling, there was still no sign of the jade pendant.
Where had Zhou put it?
Secretary Chi was half-buried in the wardrobe by now. His slim waistline was striking, legs long and straight, his whole posture curved like a taut, graceful bow.
A phrase suddenly popped into Zhou Yanxing’s mind:
You seductive little troublemaker.
Chi Zhan had been searching for so long and still found nothing. If he kept going, Zhou would definitely start to get suspicious. Left with no choice, he hung the coat back neatly and looked around—nothing on the table, nothing on the cabinet. Could it be… in Zhou’s pants pocket?
“President Zhou, are you going to change before we go? It’s going to be really warm in the hot spring—no need to wear so much.”
If not for the clarity in Chi Zhan’s eyes, Zhou might have thought he was being flirted with.
“No need. We’ll have to take it off anyway.”
“……”
Seeing it was nearly time, Zhou led the way.
The changing area was divided into small individual stalls. Everyone stored their clothes in lockers. Since this was a boutique hot spring resort, the locker room wasn’t very large. Chi Zhan quickly changed into a bathrobe. When Zhou came out, Chi Zhan said, “I’ll put your clothes away, President Zhou. Why don’t you go ahead?”
This kind of proactive hospitality was completely unlike the usual Secretary Chi. Zhou eyed him strangely for a second before giving a low hum and handing over his clothes, then walked off.
As soon as Zhou left, Chi Zhan launched into another round of furious searching.
Five minutes passed. Nothing.
Chi Zhan refused to believe it. How could it not be here? He had been watching Zhou the whole time—it wasn’t like the man could’ve pulled a magic trick and teleported the gift somewhere else.
But another five minutes later, he had to admit defeat.
It really wasn’t here.
There was only one explanation left.
Zhou Yanxing must’ve tossed the gift.
It did look cheap—despite the gift box, it was still something bought in a local tourist shop. Zhou had probably accepted it just to save Chi Zhan’s pride, but never intended to keep it.
Chi Zhan sighed. At this point, there was nothing he could do. If it really was gone, he’d just have to get up early tomorrow and buy another one.
It hurt to spend the money again—but he couldn’t exactly confront his boss about it. Not unless he was ready to quit.
Today had been a rollercoaster. So many unbelievable revelations, followed by stress, confusion, even fear. Now that things had finally quieted down, the exhaustion hit him.
Zhou was already in the hot spring, and Tao Ran hadn’t shown up yet—probably still unpacking.
When a hot spring is full of people, the atmosphere is relaxed and cheerful. Conversations flow easily and no one feels awkward.
But when it’s just two people…
The air suddenly feels charged with something else entirely.
