We're All Adults Here

In the presidential suite of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Chen Zhi ultimately couldn't bring himself to be harsh on Li Zhiyi.

This girl knew exactly how to handle him. The moment her eyes turned red and she softly called his name, all of Chen Zhi's wicked ideas dissolved into a long sigh, eventually turning into honest hugs and kisses.

After a session of tenderness, tossing about until past nine in the evening, Chen Zhi finally escorted Li Zhiyi back to the East Gate of Renmin University.

Wearing a long white puffer jacket, Li Zhiyi shrank into the oversized coat, her hands tightly gripping the hem of Chen Zhi's shirt, her face full of reluctance to part.

"Go on back, you have classes tomorrow." Chen Zhi helped pull her scarf up a bit to cover her slightly red, freezing nose.

Li Zhiyi nodded and was just about to turn around to scan her face to enter the campus.

Suddenly, a crisp female voice came from the side.

"Zhiyi? What a coincidence, just getting back?"

Chen Zhi turned his head toward the voice.

From behind and to the side walked a striking-looking girl. She wore a high-quality khaki trench coat and exquisite light makeup.

Beside her was a tall, handsome boy dressed head-to-toe in designer brands. A luxury watch peeked out faintly from his wrist, and he carried himself with an air of arrogance.

"Hello, Director Jiang." Seeing the newcomer, Li Zhiyi greeted her obediently.

The girl called Director Jiang smiled, her gaze falling on Chen Zhi as she looked him up and down.

Chen Zhi was dressed very casually today in a plain long black puffer jacket. His entire outfit cost less than a thousand yuan, making him look like just an ordinary college boy.

"So this is your mysterious boyfriend?" Jiang Ke took the initiative to extend her right hand. "Hello, I'm Jiang Ke, Zhiyi's classmate."

Chen Zhi extended his right hand, lightly grasping half of her fingers before immediately letting go.

"Chen Zhi."

Jiang Ke withdrew her hand and half-jokingly started the conversation, "So you're Li Zhiyi's boyfriend. I've heard so much about you. You snatched away the beauty of our law school; a lot of the guys in our department are pretty upset about it."

Chen Zhi didn't even bother with pleasantries, directly stuffing his hands back into his jacket pockets.

"Then let them deal with it."

As soon as these words came out, the air instantly went quiet.

The smile on Jiang Ke's face stiffened.

Shouldn't a normal person be a bit modest upon hearing this, saying polite things like "not at all" or "I just got lucky"?

Why wasn't this guy playing by the rules at all?

For a moment, Jiang Ke felt a bit awkward, not knowing how to respond.

Seeing this, the tall, handsome boy standing next to her frowned and took a step forward.

"Bro, we're all adults here, don't speak so aggressively." The boy had his hands in his pockets, his tone carrying a clear sense of lecturing.

"You should know that at a top university like Renmin, the students or teachers you meet could be the highest-class people you'll ever come into contact with in your life. Next week, a senior partner from a top-tier law firm is coming to our department for a lecture. Jiang Ke is a vice president of the student union. Do you have any idea how many resources she holds in her hands?"

This boy was clearly used to showing off his maturity and steadiness in front of girls, conveniently stepping on Chen Zhi to highlight his own superiority.

Watching his bossy demeanor, Chen Zhi almost laughed out loud.

The highest-class people?

Not long ago, he had just discussed financing plans in a conference room with President Wang of Jingtou Group and Wall Street capital tycoons. In the afternoon, he had been planning a multi-billion dollar market in a top-floor office at the World Trade Center.

And now a student was running over to talk to him about social class?

Chen Zhi nodded, looking at the boy with a face full of agreement.

"You're right, one really shouldn't offend people casually." Chen Zhi changed the subject. "But I have a question I'd like to ask."

The boy thought Chen Zhi had backed down and slightly raised his chin: "Go ahead."

"Are you this Jiang girl's simp, or my Zhiyi's simp?" Chen Zhi asked.

The boy's face instantly flushed bright red.

"What the hell did you just say?" He took a step closer, his voice rising a few notches.

Jiang Ke was also stunned, clearly not expecting Chen Zhi to speak so bluntly.

Chen Zhi completely ignored the boy's anger and continued to rub salt in the wound: "If you're Jiang's simp, then you should perform well and not try to find a sense of presence in front of someone else's boyfriend. If you're my Zhiyi's simp, then I'm sorry, you have no chance. Hurry up and change your target, don't waste your time here."

"Are you looking for a death wish!" The boy was furious, pointing at Chen Zhi with a red face and thick neck. "What school are you from? How dare you be so arrogant at the gates of Renmin University?"

Chen Zhi took a half step back, shielding Li Zhiyi behind him.

"Peking University."

Chen Zhi lifted his eyelids and looked at him.

"What's wrong? You want to fight me right here?"

The boy's hand, raised in mid-air, froze.

He had originally thought that this boyfriend Li Zhiyi had been hiding away was, at best, a poor student from a regular tier-one university, coming to Renmin University to climb the social ladder.

Otherwise, why would she never talk about anything related to her boyfriend?

Who would have thought this guy was actually from Peking University next door?

In the university circles of Beijing, students from Tsinghua and Peking University came with their own halo. If they really made a scene, he absolutely wouldn't gain any advantage.

What's more, Chen Zhi's fearless, rogue-like demeanor made his heart pound with apprehension.

The boy swallowed hard, his momentum instantly deflating.

Seeing the situation was going south, Jiang Ke quickly grabbed the boy's arm.

"Alright, alright, we're all students here, there's no need to make things so tense." Jiang Ke forced a smile and pulled the boy away. "Zhiyi, I'll treat you to a meal when you have time next. We have some things to do, so we'll get going first."

After saying that, she dragged the still-muttering boy and quickly walked into the campus gates.

Watching their backs disappear into the night, Li Zhiyi finally tugged gently at Chen Zhi's sleeve.

"Chen Zhi, don't be angry." Li Zhiyi's voice was soft. "Jiang Ke isn't actually a bad person. She's our class monitor, and she became a vice president of the student union in just her freshman year. She also works part-time off-campus to make money. She's hardworking and very capable."

Chen Zhi turned his head, looking at Li Zhiyi's cautious manner as she explained on someone else's behalf, and the last bit of anger in his heart completely dissipated.

"Alright, for the sake of my Zhiyi, I'll be nicer to her in the future." Chen Zhi reached out and ruffled her hair.

"I just couldn't stand the look on that guy next to her. Still wet behind the ears, yet he comes over to talk to me about social class, acting all high and mighty. If I didn't scold him a bit, I wouldn't even be able to sleep well tonight."

Li Zhiyi nodded obediently. She didn't care how badly that boy got scolded, as long as Chen Zhi was happy.

"Hurry up and go in, it's too cold outside. I'll come see you again tomorrow," Chen Zhi urged.

"Mhm, be careful on your way back." Li Zhiyi walked into the campus gate, looking back at him with every step.

Watching Li Zhiyi's figure completely disappear, the smile on Chen Zhi's face slowly faded as he prepared to go find Pei Ningxue.

He walked to the side of the road and hailed a taxi.

"Driver, to Wanliu House."

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the entrance of Wanliu House.

Chen Zhi smoothly passed the facial recognition at the entrance, took the elevator straight to the top floor, entered the passcode, and pushed open the solid wood door of the duplex apartment.

The living room lights were off; only a sliver of dim, yellow light spilled from beneath the bedroom door.

Chen Zhi changed into his slippers and walked softly into the bedroom.

Pei Ningxue had already taken a shower. Wearing a burgundy silk nightgown, she was leaning against the headboard, reading a financial report entirely in English.

Hearing his footsteps, she looked up.

A stunningly beautiful smile instantly bloomed on her usually aloof face.

"You're back," Pei Ningxue said, setting down the report. She pulled back the blanket and patted the empty spot beside her.

Chen Zhi took off his coat, took a quick shower in the bathroom, and then slipped into bed.

The moment he lay down, Pei Ningxue pressed herself against him.

Like a cat, she snuggled into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her face in his chest.

"I thought you were going to stand me up tonight," she murmured, her voice muffled and laced with deep exhaustion.

Feeling her warm, soft body in his arms, Chen Zhi held her a little tighter.

"When have I ever broken a promise to you?"

Pei Ningxue didn't say anything; she just hugged him tighter.

The two of them just held each other quietly.

There was no flirtatious banter like usual, nor was there any overly intimate physical contact.

She really just wanted to hold him and sleep.

Chen Zhi looked down at the top of Pei Ningxue's head, smelling the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, a complex mix of emotions swirling in his heart.

This woman was the eldest daughter of the Pei Group, raised in the lap of luxury since childhood.

But for him, she had hurried back to the capital on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. She stayed in this cold, empty mansion eating takeout, staying up late every night reading reports and helping him deal with investors.

She had bought this luxurious apartment worth tens of millions, fantasizing about a future with him.

She had given the most and bore the greatest pressure.

But what about him?

Not only could he not give her a clear commitment, but right before coming to see her, he had been keeping another girl company.

Chen Zhi sighed and rested his chin on her forehead.

"You've worked so hard these past few days. Once the company's current round of financing is completely finalized, I'll take you out for a vacation."

Pei Ningxue rubbed against his chest, finding a comfortable position.

"I don't want to go," she mumbled with her eyes closed. "If we have that kind of time, you might as well just stay in bed with me for a few days."

"Go to sleep," Chen Zhi said, gently patting her back.

Pei Ningxue's breathing gradually steadied. She was clearly exhausted and soon fell fast asleep.

Chen Zhi maintained their embrace, staring up at the intricate crystal chandelier on the ceiling, the nerves that had been tense all day finally relaxing.