Are we still going to that hotel today

"Don't you dare!"

Chen Zhi looked down at her.

"I won't allow you to go to her." Li Zhiyi's voice trembled. "If... if you dare walk out that door, I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?"

Chen Zhi didn't move, watching her with great interest.

Li Zhiyi froze. She held it in for a long time before finally blurting out, "I'll never talk to you again!"

As soon as she said it, her own eyes grew red. She let go of him, turned her back to Chen Zhi, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Chen Zhi sighed.

He reached out from behind, wrapping Li Zhiyi entirely in his arms, and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I was just teasing you."

Li Zhiyi didn't say a word, her head lowered with her long hair hanging by her ears.

"Zhiyi."

Chen Zhi gently turned her around and used his thumb to wipe away the teardrop hanging at the corner of her eye.

"I was only joking with you, don't take it seriously."

"Then... then what do you want?" Li Zhiyi sniffled, looking up at him.

Chen Zhi smiled.

"Give me a kiss."

Li Zhiyi paused for a moment. She glanced left and right to make sure there was no third person in the private room, then quickly pecked Chen Zhi on the lips.

"You call that a kiss?"

Chen Zhi cupped the back of her head with one hand, lowered his head, and pressed his lips against hers.

Li Zhiyi let out a muffled groan. She pressed both hands against his chest and tried to push him away twice, but when he didn't budge, she simply gave up resisting.

By the time Chen Zhi let her go, Li Zhiyi had gone completely soft, leaning against his chest and panting.

"Six thousand three hundred," Chen Zhi suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"The bill Jiang Ke just paid at the front desk was six thousand three hundred and twenty yuan."

Li Zhiyi looked at him in bewilderment.

Chen Zhi pinched her cheek.

"Did you think I didn't know? I had the waiter keep an eye out. Her bank card was declined the first time. She made a phone call, and two minutes later she received a transfer, accurate to the single digit."

Li Zhiyi opened her mouth.

"Don't blame her, she might just..."

"I'm not blaming her," Chen Zhi interrupted. "She's much more complicated than you think, but being complicated doesn't mean she's bad. Some people are just born having to live by their wits."

Chen Zhi pulled Li Zhiyi along as they walked out of the private room.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to school."

Outside the restaurant, Chen Zhi took out his phone and called for a car.

While waiting for the ride, Li Zhiyi stood quietly next to him. After a while, she spoke up in a small voice.

"Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?"

"You did that on purpose earlier, didn't you? Purposely acting fierce toward her, purposely saying those harsh things."

Chen Zhi turned his head to look at her.

"Were you trying to test her reaction?" Li Zhiyi analyzed seriously. "You wanted to see what she would do after being rejected—whether she would throw a fit on the spot, or silently swallow it."

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.

This girl usually looked a bit silly, but her mind was actually quite clear at crucial moments.

"And then?" Chen Zhi neither admitted nor denied it.

"And then she didn't throw a fit, nor did she beg you. She even took the initiative to pay the bill." Li Zhiyi counted on her fingers. "She used her actions to tell you that she's not here to freeload and take advantage. She has her own backbone."

Chen Zhi smiled.

"Pretty smart, aren't you."

Li Zhiyi felt embarrassed by the praise and shrank her neck.

"Then why did you agree in the end?"

"Because the six thousand three hundred she used to pay the bill wasn't her own money."

Li Zhiyi was stunned.

"Her card was declined, she made a phone call, and received a transfer within two minutes." Chen Zhi raised his hand to hail a taxi. "A freshman girl who claims her family leeches off her and that she can't even afford to eat, can casually borrow over six thousand yuan in cash in under two minutes."

"It shows she isn't as simple as she appears." Chen Zhi opened the car door and gestured for Li Zhiyi to get in first. "You don't have many friends. Seeing how hard you tried to help her, I figured you two must be pretty close. I wanted to help you see what kind of person she really is."

Chen Zhi got in the car and gave the driver the address for the East Gate of Renmin University.

Li Zhiyi sat in the back seat, digesting these words for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Chen Zhi.

"Aren't you afraid that after she joins the company... she might do something bad?"

"Afraid of what?" Chen Zhi leaned back against the seat, his eyes half-closed. "A little wolf cub is much safer kept in a cage than left to run wild outside."

The taxi stopped at the East Gate of Renmin University.

Chen Zhi walked Li Zhiyi out of the car.

The lights at the school gate were dim, and a few students returning late hurried past.

Li Zhiyi stood in front of him, her head lowered, hesitating to speak.

"Is there something else?"

"Um..." Li Zhiyi held it in for a long time before speaking in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "Are you... still going to that hotel tonight?"

Chen Zhi glanced at her.

"Do you want to go?"

Li Zhiyi's face instantly turned bright red again, and she shook her head frantically.

"No, no! I was just asking! You go do your thing, I'm heading back to the dorm!"

With that, she turned and ran, her backpack bouncing behind her.

After running about a dozen meters, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and waved at Chen Zhi.

"See you tomorrow!"

Then she plunged into the school gate.

Chen Zhi stood there, watching that small figure disappear into the tree-lined avenues of the Renmin University campus.

His phone buzzed.

Pei Ningxue: Meeting tomorrow morning at nine. Don't be late.

It buzzed again.

Pei Ningxue: Where are you staying tonight?

Chen Zhi typed a reply: School dorm.

Pei Ningxue: Oh.

Just one word.

Chen Zhi stared at that "Oh" for three seconds, and for some inexplicable reason, a layer of goosebumps rose on his back.

He quickly added another message: I'll accompany you for lunch after the meeting tomorrow.

It took a full minute before Pei Ningxue replied.

Pei Ningxue: No need. I'm very busy.

Pei Ningxue: Go keep your campus beauties company.

Chen Zhi sighed and dialed her number.

It rang five times before connecting.

The other end was silent.

"Boss Pei," Chen Zhi started.

"Speak."

"I missed you."

The line went quiet for two seconds.

"Give it a rest." Pei Ningxue's tone softened a bit. "Do you think I haven't heard this kind of talk before?"

"Then how many times have you heard it?"

"You've said it no less than twenty times."

"That just means every single time was true."

A very faint scoff came from the other end of the line.

"After the meeting tomorrow, I have some free time in the afternoon." Pei Ningxue paused. "I want to eat Wagyu beef."

"Understood, Boss Pei."

Shortly after hanging up, his phone rang again.

Lin Wanwan: Hubby! The new song demo is out! It sounds amazing! I'll let you listen to it tomorrow, okay?!

Chen Zhi closed his eyes.

He typed a reply to Lin Wanwan.

"Alright, I'll listen to it tomorrow."

Then he locked his screen and headed back to Peking University.

The moment he walked through the door of Dorm 404, three pairs of eyes instantly swept over him.

Guo Yang, sitting on his bed hugging a pillow, opened his mouth and said:

"The scumbag is back."

"Piss off."