It was for this reason that she spaced out for a while before lowering her eyes and responding to Zhao Hanchen's words, "Okay."
Truly, she was exceptionally well-behaved.
Zhao Hanchen was very satisfied, patted her hair, and praised her, "Ningning is really good, go ahead."
Cheng Weiyue then left.
Zhou Jingwei, sitting on the couch, watched this scene unfold before him, his eyes darkening with suppressed emotions.
He was a lawyer, and he possessed an exceptional ability to observe people's personalities and their true inner thoughts.
He could tell that she wasn't happy.
Zhao Hanchen hadn't taken good care of her, had he?
The thought was like poison, causing a pain in his chest as if sulfuric acid had been poured on it.
For a moment, Zhou Jingwei wanted to call out to Cheng Weiyue.
He wanted to ask her, "Are you unhappy?"
But that would be overstepping his bounds, and it would be too abrupt.
She didn't even know him.
He lowered his head, discreetly pressing his temples with his knuckles.
Zhao Hanchen was already sitting opposite him, his smile triumphant. He raised his eyebrows and smiled at Zhou Jingwei, "Her name is Cheng Weiyue, she's my girlfriend."
Weiyue....
Weiyue....
What a pleasant-sounding name.
Zhou Jingwei paused in his movements, slowly put them down, and when he looked up again, he adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
A series of small actions finally masked his most genuine emotions.
He didn't answer Zhao Hanchen, but simply tossed the documents in his hands in front of Zhao Hanchen.
Zhao Hanchen didn't notice anything unusual, and he wasn't surprised by Zhou Jingwei's silence.
He knew that Zhou Jingwei had always shown little interest in women.
Therefore, he just shrugged his shoulders and picked up the documents from the table, flipping through them.
Zhao Hanchen's expression remained gentle as he read the contents, until he reached the last page, where his expression became inquisitive and intrigued, "Why is this risk assessment so high? Jingwei, you aren't trying to rip me off, are you?"
Zhou Jingwei maintained his lazy and aloof demeanor. He quirked the corner of his lips, speaking indifferently, "If you find it expensive, you can find someone else."
Employing Zhou Jingwei as a legal consultant, the cost of a single case was already approaching nine figures. Delaying like this truly meant that money was burning by the second.
"Don't say that, who else could I trust if not you? Jingxing absolutely must be redeveloped, and it can't have the slightest flaw. Otherwise, I, as the CEO, might find my position unstable," Zhao Hanchen said, shaking his head as he sighed with a mixture of sincerity and jest, and a mischievous smile in his eyes, "If I were you, I wouldn't go back to take over the Zhou Family. Earning your own money and spending it yourself is much better than serving those old men."
Zhou Jingwei smiled without responding, maintaining an amiable atmosphere.
When the conversation was nearly over, Zhao Hanchen took out a cigarette from his suit pocket, "Want one?"
Zhou Jingwei glanced at the complicated pattern on the cigarette box and looked away, "This brand is too strong, smoking too much isn't good for the lungs."
Zhao Hanchen's smile grew even deeper as he leaned down, took out a pack of cigarettes from a compartment in the table, and tossed it in front of Zhou Jingwei, "I know you don't like that kind, so I got you the type you usually smoke."
The packaging was white with a sketch of tobacco leaves on it.
They both silently lit their cigarettes in a moment of tacit understanding.
Zhao Hanchen tapped his cigarette ash into the ashtray and sat back on the sofa, taking another deep drag before saying, "After you returned to China, did you visit the Zhou Family? Uncle Zhou misses you a lot, and so does your cousin."
Zhou Jingwei slowly exhaled the smoke, and through the light haze, his face carried an indescribable air of haughty nonchalance.
He replied slowly, "Do you want to ask about my cousin, or my cousin's wife?"
Zhou Jingwei's cousin, Zhou Siheng, had married the Qiao Family's only daughter, Qiao Jingxue.
She was Zhao Hanchen's first love.
Zhao Hanchen's hand, holding the cigarette, stiffened before he casually brought it to his lips again, laughing self-mockingly, "Jingwei, don't make life harder than it already is."
There was a hint of helplessness in his words.
Zhou Jingwei couldn't help but think of Cheng Weiyue, who had been standing at the entrance of the reception room just moments ago.
She looked so innocent, so stubbornly in love with the man before her.
As the cigarette burned down to the end, Zhou Jingwei pinched it out with his fingers, the pain bringing him back to his senses.
His tone was heavy, with a warning edge, "Zhao Hanchen, people should learn to be content."
Zhao Hanchen rarely heard Zhou Jingwei speak like this.
The man before him was usually careless, as if nothing mattered to him. But today, it seemed he was a bit angry.
Zhao Hanchen was stunned, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Ye Cheng, sensing the tension between the two men at the door, hastily tried to smooth things over, "Mr. Zhao, Mr. Zhou, I think it's about time. You two can go to Yipin Restaurant for dinner now."
Zhao Hanchen smiled and said, "Indeed, Yipin Restaurant has added a few new dishes in the last two years. Weiyue loves them; you should try them too later."
Zhou Jingwei was not particularly concerned about the food, but the phrase "Weiyue loves them" mentioned by Zhao Hanchen struck a chord in him.
He laughed casually, adjusting his glasses before saying, "Then let's go together."
Seeing Zhou Jingwei's change in attitude, Zhao Hanchen was, of course, happy to see it, and laughed, "Great, I'll drive."
In the luxurious private room of Yipin Restaurant, Cheng Weiyue ordered some of her favorite Cantonese dim sum, while Zhao Hanchen, who enjoyed spicy food, ordered several spicy dishes.
With the dishes served, Cheng Weiyue figured the men's business should be nearly done, so she called Zhao Hanchen.
At the time of Cheng Weiyue's call, Zhao Hanchen was driving. He glanced at the phone beside him and said to Zhou Jingwei, who was seated in the passenger seat, "It's Weiyue calling, help me answer it."
The phone screen glowed with a blue light, displaying the name "Weiyue" and a string of numbers.
Zhou Jingwei's gaze lingered on those numbers for a moment before he picked up the call and switched to speakerphone.
Cheng Weiyue spoke with the soft, gentle accent of Jiangnan women, her voice tender and delicate.
She said, "Hanchen, what does your friend like to eat? I've ordered what we both enjoy, and now only your friend's preferences are left."
Zhao Hanchen laughed, "How would I know what he likes to eat? Just ask him directly, he's got the phone."
Cheng Weiyue remembered the dispirited and languidly poetic man in the office.
She seldom interacted with strangers, let alone with such a stunningly captivating man.
Zhou Jingwei, sensing her unease, kindly took the initiative to say, "Miss Cheng, hello, I am Zhao Hanchen's childhood friend, my surname is Zhou, Zhou Jingwei."
Cheng Weiyue hurriedly replied, "Mr. Zhou, hello, my name is Cheng Weiyue. Cheng as in journey, Weiyue as in a not-so-full moon. My father said I was born on June fifteenth, which should have been a full moon, but unexpectedly the moon wasn't very round, hence the name Weiyue. My father also said..."
She paused, perhaps feeling she was rambling, and fell silent.
Zhou Jingwei said gently, "He also said what?"
Cheng Weiyue summarized shyly, "My father said, the June fifteenth moon, unique and unmatched."
The young lady was nervous, eager to share her entire background, fearing to neglect any detail.