Chi Zhan paused for a moment.
So Zhou Yanxing had been worrying all this time… worried that he might be afraid?
But how could he have been kidnapped three or four times? The man clearly knew how to fight—and he even had the nerve to say he’d give his opponent a two-hand handicap.
Or maybe… it had happened much further in the past.
Just as Zhou Yanxing looked like he was about to doze off again, Chi Zhan quickly pulled him upright. Zhou’s face was full of irritation, but Chi Zhan handed him the bowl.
“Drink a bit. You can sleep after.”
“If it weren’t for Secretary Chi…”
Zhou muttered as he took a sip, his expression instantly twisting in disgust.
“Terrible.”
President Zhou’s notoriously picky taste made itself painfully obvious the moment he tried the hangover remedy.
“I thought it was pretty decent,” Chi Zhan replied calmly. “Try another sip?”
Zhou Yanxing took another reluctant mouthful, his face practically shouting: Are you messing with me?
“By the way,” Chi Zhan suddenly realized, “you’re not going to remember any of this tomorrow, are you? So—back at the bar last time, were you actually drunk?”
At that, Zhou Yanxing abruptly started coughing.
Guilty.
He was definitely feeling guilty!
Chi Zhan immediately seized the upper hand.
If he wasn’t drunk, why the hell had he called him over?
“I thought something was off. You sobered up a little too fast,” Chi Zhan mused. “So it was an act, wasn’t it, President Zhou—”
Before he could finish, the world flipped sideways. In an instant, Chi Zhan found himself pinned to the bed.
Zhou Yanxing had somehow gotten up, one leg slotted between Chi Zhan’s knees, one hand pressed against his shoulder, and in the next second, he downed the entire bowl of hangover soup.
“Done talking?”
His voice still carried the haze of intoxication—not the usual poised tone of Zhou Yanxing, but something more languid, a little drawling. Yet his gaze was deep, dark as an abyss where not even a flicker of light remained.
His tall frame blocked out all the light in the room, casting a heavy shadow over everything.
Chi Zhan had a bad feeling. He tried to escape, but it was useless.
“You asked me so many questions. Now it’s my turn.”
“…What is it?”
Chi Zhan could already sense a storm looming.
Zhou Yanxing narrowed his eyes slightly, exuding an oppressive intensity. His voice dropped low, breath warm against Chi Zhan’s ear—like a predator in the shadows, taking its time before the final strike.
Chi Zhan’s nerves tightened; the tension in the air was palpable. His heartbeat began to race uncontrollably.
“It’s time we settle the score for the past few weeks.”
***
Chi Zhan hadn’t expected this move—he was stunned speechless.
Was Zhou Yanxing drunk or not? If he was faking, then his alcohol tolerance was insane. But if he was drunk, how the hell was he still this coherent—and still so hell-bent on settling scores? Was this man an accountant in a past life?
Completely unaware of Chi Zhan’s chaotic inner monologue, Zhou Yanxing simply stared down at him.
The light shifted faintly.
Zhou Yanxing’s features were sharp and defined. The angles of his brows and nose cast delicate shadows. His lips were thin—people said thin-lipped men tended to speak sharply, even cruelly.
He fit the stereotype perfectly.
“President Zhou,” Chi Zhan said with exasperation, “it’s late. Stop fooling around and go to sleep.”
“You’re so biased,” Zhou Yanxing said, voice slurred with drunken resentment. He still hadn’t let go of that incident in the car. “How long have you even known that streamer? Throwing money at him, speaking up for him… how much have you spent? I pay your salary, not so you can support some stray man.”
Chi Zhan couldn’t help but laugh. How the hell did we jump to this nonsense?
“You wear his scarf, smile at him, let him lean on your shoulder—he’s nothing but a male vixen! Don’t tell me you can’t see it?” Zhou Yanxing grumbled drunkenly. “And he’s not even that good-looking. What happened to your taste?”
…Male vixen? If only. At least then he might crack a smile once in a while. But that man was all iceberg and aloof elegance. Where the hell did “vixen” come from?
“You’re all smiles with other people. But with me?” Zhou Yanxing leaned in, resting his forehead against Chi Zhan’s, then reached out to hook a finger at the corner of Chi Zhan’s mouth. “Smile for me.”
Even drunk, President Zhou still carried that same overbearing edge in his voice.
Chi Zhan felt like Zhou Yanxing’s circuits had completely shorted. But Zhou’s gaze was fixed intently on him, clearly unwilling to move on until he got what he wanted.
Left with no choice, Chi Zhan pressed his lips into a smile.
His eyes weren’t large, more narrow and defined, with irises that gleamed a warm honey-amber under the light. When he smiled, his eyes curved gently, radiating a soft, approachable warmth. Yet up close, the faint upward tilt at the corners became more apparent—like a tiny hook that, whether intentional or not, caught right on Zhou Yanxing’s heart.
“See? That’s the one,” Zhou frowned. “Totally fake. You think I can’t tell? You never smile at me like that. But with that damn streamer?”
“I smile like that at Cen Chi too.”
“But with you, it’s all fake smiles—plastic, skin-deep. I told you to stay away from him. That guy has an agenda. And you fall for his smooth-talking every single time. How can you be this naïve…” Zhou’s irritation only grew. “He’s got an angle. When will you finally get that?”
“Well, you treat me really well too,” Chi Zhan replied seriously. “So what’s your reason?”
Zhou Yanxing fell silent.
He seemed to think for a long while—so long that Chi Zhan actually started getting drowsy.
“I treat you well… What other reason could there be?” Zhou murmured. “I’m not like Cen Chi.”
Chi Zhan finally understood what Zhou Yanxing was like when drunk.
He talked a lot. And he had a penchant for cracking open the vault of his memories and dredging up every single grudge he’d ever held.
“They’re not even as good-looking as me,” Zhou muttered, frowning. “You really need to work on your taste.”
“Yeah, you’re the best-looking. World’s number one heartthrob. Happy now? Even if you were working the docks, you’d be worth at least ten grand a night.”
Zhou Yanxing suddenly went quiet.
