He was lost in thought while Assistant Ye Cheng sat in the passenger seat, looking at the man's weary and bewitching face, and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Zhao, are you sure about Mr. Zhou and Miss Cheng having dinner together?"
"What's there to worry about?" Zhao Hanchen chuckled, lowering his head to check the text message Cheng Weiyue had sent an hour ago on his phone.
It read, "Hanchen, I'm having dinner with your friend Mr. Zhou."
The young girl told him everything, clearly having no ulterior motives.
As for Zhou Jingwei...
That guy was never one to fall for anyone, after all, to be extremely calm is to be coldhearted.
Zhao Hanchen didn't want to explain further and merely instructed indifferently, "After we arrive at the hotel, bring me the minutes of the meeting we just had."
"Yes, Mr. Zhao."
...
Zhou Jingwei hadn't waited long before he saw Cheng Weiyue running towards him.
She had changed into a white sailor suit, the skirt reaching her knees, revealing a stretch of pure white legs, shimmering and straight in the sunlight.
Her legs were beautiful.
Zhou Jingwei got out of the car to open the door for her, and the young girl looked up at him with a flushed face, slightly out of breath, "Mr. Zhou, I... my door was locked, so I was a bit delayed."
"No worries, don't rush." Zhou Jingwei took the umbrella from her hand and put it in the trunk, then he fetched a bottle of mineral water.
The cap was loosely unscrewed and handed to her.
"You're breathing so heavily, have some water."
Cheng Weiyue smiled as she took it, "Thank you."
In the intense midday sun, Cheng Weiyue sat in the passenger seat while Zhou Jingwei occasionally turned his face pretending to do so inadvertently, and could glimpse her rosy and fair skin in the sunlight, and the excessively beautiful and delicate curve of her profile.
Cheng Weiyue drank half the bottle in one go before saying, "I didn't bring my keys, and when I climbed over the wall into my house just now, I accidentally knocked over a basin of water."
That's when Zhou Jingwei realized why she had changed clothes.
"Don't do such dangerous things next time," he paused, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and casually complimented, "That dress looks very pretty on you."
His words were sincere and straightforward, and Cheng Weiyue's eyes shone as she looked at him, smiling shyly with her lips pressed together.
She was still such a young girl at heart.
Zhou Jingwei's eyes held a lazy and elegant curve as he gave a light smile, chatting with her about career plans.
The man was mature and composed, and listened patiently, allowing Cheng Weiyue's floodgates of conversation to open easily.
"You want to be a director?" he asked as he turned the steering wheel, encouragingly, "I believe you can tell really good stories."
Cheng Weiyue felt encouraged, her expression lightening, "I've wanted to be a director since I was little. A director can turn stories they like into movies, I... I have many stories I want to turn into movies."
Zhou Jingwei's voice was calm and gentle, "If you don't mind that I lack an artistic sense, you can talk to me about them in the future."
"Okay," Cheng Weiyue said, gripping the water bottle a little nervously, "It's good Mr. Zhou doesn't mind my chattiness."
The restaurant Zhou Jingwei had picked was in West City, with a Western-style decor. The hall exhibited paintings, and Cheng Weiyue recognized one of them as "Girl with a Pearl Earring."
Classical style reliefs decorated the dome ceiling, with crystal chandeliers hanging, reflecting bright and clean light.
In the center of the restaurant stood a grand piano, which likely hosted performances at specific times.
The two sat down in a semi-private booth to the side, and Zhou Jingwei handed over the menu with a refined tone, "What would you like to eat?"
Cheng Weiyue wasn't really into Western cuisine; when she took the menu with both hands, her immediate attention wasn't on the names of the dishes but on the three or four zeros following each price.
The Yipin Restaurant Cheng Weiyue frequented operated on a private membership basis, without menus; she would just name dishes, billed directly to Zhao Hanchen's card.
Whenever she dined out with Zhao Hanchen, he would pre-order everything, so she simply ate whatever he ordered, hence she never realized how costly dining at such a place could be.
Cheng Weiyue closed the menu and made a megaphone shape with her hand over her mouth, "Mr. Zhou..."
Zhou Jingwei had a hint of a smile in his eyes as he amiably watched her, "Hmm?"
"It's a bit expensive." The young girl's expression was serious.
Zhou Jingwei was momentarily startled, the amusement in his eyes growing richer as he seriously nodded, "Indeed, it is."
Cheng Weiyue hadn't expected him to agree with her, and her compulsion to vent surged, "My daily meal budget at school is only 60 yuan, and 30 yuan can already get me a really tasty bowl of noodles."
After she finished speaking, she probably felt Zhou Jingwei paid no mind to the price of food and awkwardly reopened the menu, "I'll see what I'll have..."
She didn't notice, under the light, the rare tenderness on Zhou Jingwei's refined and elegant face.
The next moment, he picked up the suit jacket lying beside him and walked over to Cheng Weiyue, who was engrossed in comparing prices on the menu, and said in a low voice, "Let's go."
Cheng Weiyue was taken aback, "Go where?"
"To have the good value noodles you mentioned," Zhou Jingwei replied with a smile, his demeanor relaxed and gentle, "I can't be taken advantage of every day, I'm not a sucker."
For Cheng Weiyue, there was a natural barrier between people like Zhao Hanchen from her circle and herself. Many sought entry into Jingcheng's most prestigious circle, but Cheng Weiyue didn't want to—she stayed only for Zhao Hanchen.
It was laughable but indeed all for love.
So even when sharing space with those well-dressed and well-fed young masters and mistresses, she was acutely aware that they were not from the same world.
But Zhou Jingwei was different from everyone.
He didn't take for granted that Cheng Weiyue would be satisfied with entering their circle; on the contrary, he was willing to step into her world.
This was the first time Zhou Jingwei saw sincere joy on Cheng Weiyue's face, her eyes as clear and pure as a deer's, unwaveringly fixed on him, curving into a smile.
She said, "Then let me treat you to a meal."
Zhou Jingwei felt a warmth in his chest as he looked down at Cheng Weiyue. The girl's gaze seemed like invisible threads wrapping around his heart, leaving him breathless.
In his 28 years of life, it was the first time he accepted a girl's invitation to be treated to a meal, seemingly led by her as he uttered "okay."
Beijing University wasn't far from there.
They drove there right around mealtime, and the noodle shop Cheng Weiyue mentioned was already seated with quite a few people.
The two chose a spot by the window and sat down, quickly attracting the attention of students dining nearby.
After all, such a handsome man with a beautiful woman was indeed eye-catching.
Cheng Weiyue ordered a serving of braised beef noodles, then turned to the man sitting across from her, "Zhou Jingwei, what would you like?"
Zhou Jingwei, hearing Cheng Weiyue change the way she addressed him, smiled slightly and said, "The same as you."
"Great, I'll tell the owner to add two poached eggs!" Cheng Weiyue, obviously feeling much more relaxed, grinned at Zhou Jingwei and said, "Both for you."
Zhou Jingwei smiled without a word.
They sat waiting for their noodles, and during that time Zhou Jingwei's mobile phone rang.