"I asked Zhao Hanchen for it." He paused, then spoke again, his tone tinged with a hint of amusement, "Why are you calling me Mr. Zhou again?"
Cheng Weiyue felt embarrassed and brought the phone closer to her ear, speaking in a serious yet soft voice on the other end, "I'm sorry, I... I rarely call men by their names like that."
The young girl's voice was soft and gentle, melting Zhou Jingwei's heart inch by inch.
Zhou Jingwei looked down, his fingers resting on the steering wheel, his posture lazy and refined.
He smiled brilliantly, his voice very gentle, "It's okay, you can call me whatever you're comfortable with."
The business on this street wasn't good, many shops had closed down.
Cheng Weiyue's hands were getting sore from holding the vase, so she squatted by a shopfront that wasn't open for business and said with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Jingwei said no thanks were necessary and asked for her location, only to discover it was right next to his office.
It was truly a coincidence.
It didn't take him long to drive out and see Cheng Weiyue squatting by the street, her clear eyes gazing into the distance.
Zhou Jingwei didn't know what she was looking at, but felt that those eyes just gazing and gazing seemed to hold a mist, watering his heart through and through.
Indescribable feelings.
Quite sour.
Cheng Weiyue had ridden in Zhou Jingwei's car once before. She got up with the vase in her arms and walked toward him, the flowers bouncing in her grip, making Zhou Jingwei worry they might fall out.
He parked the car by the roadside and opened the door for her, she smiled obediently and bent down to get in.
"Isn't it inconvenient to hold things?" Zhou Jingwei asked in a light voice, reaching over to pull the seatbelt for her and buckling it in.
He leaned in halfway, maintaining a respectful distance, his scent of cedarwood and aged sandalwood making him seem even more mature and steady.
It smelled good.
The moment he straightened up, Cheng Weiyue asked him, "Mr. Zhou, what perfume do you use?"
Zhou Jingwei's hand paused on the car door, his movements stopping as a hint of amusement shone in his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses, "Why do you ask that?"
Cheng Weiyue replied without hesitation, "October is Hanchen's birthday, and I want to get him a birthday present."
Zhou Jingwei's lips pursed almost imperceptibly before he returned to his nonchalant demeanor, "I haven't paid much attention, I'll tell you next time."
The car started, and the scent of flowers lingered in the enclosed air.
Zhou Jingwei glanced at the flowers in Cheng Weiyue's arms and asked seemingly casually, "Why were you sitting on the roadside alone with the flowers just now?"
Thinking of the argument she had earlier, Cheng Weiyue sighed, "I had a fight with my mom."
Seeing her downcast mood, Zhou Jingwei didn't pry further.
And Cheng Weiyue, dwelling on her own gloom, suddenly said, "Mr. Zhou, your umbrella is still at my place. I'll go home and bring the umbrella to you, and I can put the flowers away as well."
"Okay."
It was considerate of her to remember.
Cheng Weiyue's home wasn't far from there, and Zhou Jingwei parked the car in a nearby park.
He had a mature man's sense of measure, proper and meticulous.
He said, "The alley entrance is crowded during the day and parking there is too conspicuous. If I come over next time, I'll switch to a more common car."
Cheng Weiyue had never met a man like Zhou Jingwei before, who managed every detail so properly that nothing seemed amiss.
She smiled sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou. I can go by myself, just wait for me."
As Cheng Weiyue was getting out of the car, Zhou Jingwei called out to her.
His gaze fell on the vase in her arms, and he chuckled lightly, "The flowers are beautiful, can you give me one?"
Cheng Weiyue was startled and quickly said, "Yes."
Zhou Jingwei picked a magnolia flower, its stem still oozing with clear sap, fresh and full.
He watched Cheng Weiyue's retreating figure, twirling the delicate flower stem in his hand, until her figure had disappeared before he set it aside.
He then dialed Zhao Hanchen's number.
At that time, Zhao Hanchen had just left the Qin Group. That young master of the Qin Family, Qin He, was indeed not easy to deal with, a businessman through and through.
He had somehow learned about Zhou Jingwei's terminated cooperation with him and, fearing not to kick a man when he was down, was eager to extract every bit of profit.
Such a person, appearing so gentle and harmless, probably had a nature as dark as his own.
Zhao Hanchen was in a bad mood, and seeing Zhou Jingwei's call made it worse.
He answered with a cold face and a hostile tone, "Are you calling specifically to mock me for my failure to secure a deal?"
Zhou Jingwei rested one hand on the steering wheel, his fingertips casually tapping as he spoke slowly, "Have you talked to Weiyue about your plan to demolish Tinglan Alley?"
Zhao Hanchen's brow furrowed tightly, "Why would I need to tell her? This is a decision made by Jingxing's top management, not just my personal idea."
His words were cold, yet forthright.
Zhou Jingwei nodded slightly, "I understand."
"What do you understand?" Zhao Hanchen was getting impatient. He leaned into his Bentley and tugged at his tie, "Jingwei, we've been friends since childhood, why can't you just speak frankly?"
After a brief silence, Zhou Jingwei said softly, "I have arranged to have dinner with Weiyue."
Zhao Hanchen's hand, pulling at his tie, stopped, his face dark as water, "Weiyue has already texted me. If it's just dinner, then have dinner, but don't tell her about the demolition."
"Feeling guilty?"
"What do I have to feel guilty about? It's you who..." Zhao Hanchen chuckled coldly, "Your intentions couldn't be clearer! To make me give up on this piece of land, you're even targeting Weiyue?"
Is that how he interpreted it?
Without explaining, Zhou Jingwei kindly said, "If you yield this piece of land to the Zhou Family, we will bear all the losses. That's your best choice."
Zhao Hanchen felt his breathing constrict.
He pulled off his tie and set it aside, unbuttoned his collar button with a slight pant, anger flickering in his eyes, "What are you suggesting? Are you threatening me?"
Zhou Jingwei remained silent.
Zhao Hanchen's voice was icy, "Don't worry, I'll explain it to Weiyue myself, I wasn't planning on hiding it!"
"Since you're going to explain it to her yourself, I won't play the villain," Zhou Jingwei got the answer he wanted, paused for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, I promise not to tell her for now."
Zhao Hanchen felt a sigh of relief.
"If only you had said so earlier," he reclined in his car seat, asking lazily, "What are you and Weiyue going to eat tonight? She is allergic to alcohol, so be careful."
"Hmm."
Zhao Hanchen pinched the bridge of his nose, "Weiyue is about to start her internship. If you have any openings at your company, arrange a position for her. I feel more at ease with her at your place."
Zhou Jingwei's eyes narrowed slightly, a dark gleam flashed across them, and then casually, he said, "Okay."
Zhao Hanchen hung up the phone, lost in thought about Zhou Jingwei's words just now.
Would Cheng Weiyue blame him?
She was so well-behaved, she should be able to understand him.