“Tell me, if I hadn’t suddenly shown up today, would I have seen this scene? I wanted to give you a surprise, but Zhou Cheng, you gave me quite a shock!”
Xia Xiaolan kept a stern face, while Zhou Cheng found her jealous expression incredibly adorable.
No, he couldn’t laugh – if he laughed now, his wife would surely be angry.
“I never even properly looked at her, she’s Old Fang’s girlfriend. Xiaolan, you can be jealous, but please don’t link me with other women – it hurts my heart!”
Xia Xiaolan knew she was being somewhat unreasonable.
But there was still anger in her heart.
“What hurts your heart? When women show interest in you, you’re probably overjoyed.”
“Not happy at all. She’s not my wife, not as beautiful as my Xiaolan, and not as generous either. After you’ve sent several lambs to my unit today, who would dare try to steal you away?”
Zhou Cheng had it all figured out – if Gao Fei mentioned introducing her cousin again, he’d ask how many lambs she could send, and for how many days.
His men, having eaten Xiaolan’s lamb, would surely keep a close watch on him for “Sister-in-law’s” sake. Not only would women not dare approach Zhou Cheng, but even female mosquitoes wouldn’t dare come near.
The more Zhou Cheng thought about it, the more adorable he found Xia Xiaolan. Alone in the room, without any unwanted third wheels, Xia Xiaolan’s cheeks flushed red as her feelings were exposed. The more he looked, the more he liked her, and he couldn’t help but lean down to kiss those red lips.
Zhou Cheng’s move was so sudden that Xia Xiaolan froze completely.
So this was how his wife tasted? He had kissed Xiaolan?
Xia Xiaolan was caught completely off guard.
Zhou Cheng was innocent, and she wasn’t exactly experienced either. It took them quite a while to separate, and Xia Xiaolan felt her ears burning like hot coals.
Zhou Cheng was still savoring the taste – sweet, with a hint of orange.
Xia Xiaolan wasn’t wearing makeup, just some orange-flavored lip balm.
“You!”
Zhou Cheng was overwhelmed with excitement and hugged Xia Xiaolan tightly:
“So this is what kissing feels like! Xiaolan, I like you so much, what should I do?”
A soft, fragrant wife should be held tight and never let go. Zhou Cheng wished he could wake up tomorrow at a marriageable age so he could take Xia Xiaolan to get their marriage certificate. Then he could kiss and hug her whenever he wanted, legally and openly!
Xia Xiaolan initially wanted to push Zhou Cheng away, but they were pressed so close together that she could feel his heartbeat.
It was beating so rapidly.
Zhou Cheng was too young – young people’s love was always sincere and passionate.
This was Zhou Cheng’s first kiss.
She was Zhou Cheng’s first love!
The feeling was truly wonderful. Xia Xiaolan felt this was her first love too – Zhou Cheng liked her, and her feelings for him weren’t mixed with any ulterior motives. Simple, pure attraction made Xia Xiaolan feel like she was eighteen again.
So she didn’t rush to push him away.
Why should she? She was enjoying it too.
Because of one kiss, any awkwardness from their time apart vanished, and their intimacy grew even stronger than before.
When Kang Wei came knocking, Zhou Cheng was very reluctant to let go.
However, in broad daylight, they were still just boyfriend and girlfriend, not husband and wife. Staying behind closed doors for too long might lead to inappropriate speculation. Zhou Cheng didn’t care for himself, but how could he let others gossip about Xia Xiaolan?
Despite his reluctance, Zhou Cheng opened the door.
Kang Wei spoke cautiously, “Brother Cheng, Sister-in-law mentioned something to me on the way here, and I’d like to discuss it with you.”
“Come in, let’s sit and talk.”
Zhou Cheng had a single room – not large, but it had a bed, chairs, and a desk by the window with a small lamp. Xia Xiaolan sat on the bed while Kang Wei took a chair. What Kang Wei wanted to discuss was Xia Xiaolan’s proposal to partner in the building materials business at the Pengcheng People’s Bridge Small Commodities Market.
Kang Wei wanted to hear Zhou Cheng’s opinion.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford the 50,000 yuan – he could provide the money, but Xia Xiaolan needed capital, and Zhou Cheng was wealthy.
Kang Wei needed Zhou Cheng’s approval to feel at ease about doing business with Xia Xiaolan.
Zhou Cheng’s first reaction was also about Xia Xiaolan’s insufficient capital.
With insufficient capital but wanting to expand, of course, she needed partners to invest. Not just 150,000, but even 200,000 yuan Zhou Cheng could provide. If Xia Xiaolan wanted to start a new business, she didn’t need other investors.
But thinking again, Xiaolan was returning to Beijing for university, and Pengcheng was quite far away. Holiday visits would work, but the business needed regular supervision. The partnership wasn’t necessarily about lacking money – it was about needing trusted people to help manage the business.
Zhou Cheng didn’t immediately answer Kang Wei, instead calling for Bai Zhiyong.
“Captain, you called for me?”
Xia Xiaolan curiously observed Bai Zhenzhu’s older brother.
He shared similar features with Bai Zhenzhu, though ironically, Bai Zhiyong’s skin was fairer than his sister’s.
“Zhiyong, I need to discuss something with you.”
Zhou Cheng briefly explained Xia Xiaolan and Kang Wei’s plan to partner with Bai Zhenzhu in business. Bai Zhiyong saluted: “Sister-in-law has helped my sister tremendously, as Zhenzhu mentioned in her letters. Our Bai family isn’t ungrateful – we’ll follow Sister-in-law’s instructions in everything!”
“Zhou Cheng, you don’t need to do this…”
Xia Xiaolan thought, it’s just a business partnership, why make it sound like a military oath?
Business partnerships form because of similar views and aligned interests; if conflicts become irreconcilable, partners naturally go their separate ways.
But Zhou Cheng insisted, “Zhiyong can make decisions for the Bai family, this is his call.”
Xia Xiaolan was very surprised.
Why should Bai Zhiyong decide for Bai Zhenzhu? In modern society, everyone’s equal – she hadn’t realized Zhou Cheng still held such traditional views. Xia Xiaolan grew suspicious, remembering when Zhou Cheng took matters into his own hands with Zhu Fang.
Zhou Cheng had many attractive qualities that drew her to him.
But when she wasn’t so caught up in emotions, Xia Xiaolan felt Zhou Cheng’s male chauvinism was a bit strong.
Zhou Cheng completely ignored Bai Zhenzhu’s wishes – if he treated a stranger this way now, would he treat her the same way in the future? Since Xia Xiaolan rarely visited Zhou Cheng, she suppressed this slight discomfort.
Zhou Cheng listened very carefully to Xia Xiaolan’s business strategy and industry outlook.
The admiration in his eyes was genuine – he discovered that Xia Xiaolan seemed very optimistic about real estate, not only encouraging him to buy more houses in Beijing but also wanting to enter related industries.
Xia Xiaolan talked at length, and before they knew it, the aroma of lamb had drifted over. The lamb soup that had been simmering for hours was ready, and the roasted lambs were crispy on the outside.
“Captain, Sister-in-law, the lamb is ready!”