Would Teacher Sheng like to invite me to dinner?

Long time no see?

But they had clearly never met each other before.

Guessing it was just a casual remark, Sheng Sui didn’t dwell on it much, instead feeling uncomfortable under everyone’s various gazes around her.

She had never dealt with someone in such a high position. Stiffening her back, she stepped forward and calmly explained: “The other student’s parent is still on the way. I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

Zhou Shiyu’s gaze fell on her embarrassed expression. Taking the initiative as host, he picked up the water pitcher on the table, poured a cup of warm water, and pushed it in front of Sheng Sui, his voice gentle and comforting:

“It’s fine, I came early.”

The man’s voice was clear and soft, his well-defined hands cold and white as jade. After withdrawing from the cup, only light mist slowly rose from the rim.

Through the curling white vapor, Sheng Sui met Zhou Shiyu’s deep, dark eyes. Hidden behind his lenses, they appeared gentle and refined no matter how you looked at them.

Yet somehow they inexplicably made one feel undercurrents surging beneath, like trying to discern flowers through fog.

Seeing how the director was trembling with fear, she had thought Zhou Shiyu would be arrogant and dismissive, but so far, at least his treatment of her seemed gentle.

Sheng Sui relaxed slightly in her heart.

Soon, Qi Yue brought the two students downstairs, and Zhang Hang’s parents also arrived quickly.

The couple strode into the conference room with their heads held high, their luxury watches and designer bags clearly displaying their status and position.

Seeing the two of them made Sheng Sui’s scalp tingle. Then she saw Zhang Hang’s father point his finger directly at her face, opening his mouth to scold.

The man’s peripheral vision swept behind her. After seeing who was there, he immediately fell silent, while the woman behind him looked completely shocked, her eyes wide.

Completely changing his aggressive demeanor, the man nervously handed Zhou Shiyu his business card: “I didn’t expect to encounter Mr. Zhou. I’m Zhang Xue, Asia-Pacific Regional General Manager of Huagu Technology—”

Zhou Shiyu didn’t respond, nor did he reach out to take it. His well-defined index finger just tapped lightly on his leg, his eyes half-lowered in thought, thin lips curving into a faint arc.

His emotions were indiscernible, making it impossible to tell if he was even listening.

The silent pressure spread through the deathly quiet conference room.

From the corner of her eye, Sheng Sui saw the two students still standing in the corner, their faces young and innocent, their eyes clear. She couldn’t bear to see the children dragged into the adult world of fame and fortune.

Though she was intimidated by the couple, she gritted her teeth and stepped forward to mediate: “There’s no conflict between the students, and Zhang Hang’s injury has been treated by the school nurse. If everyone could reconcile peacefully, it would set a good example for the children.”

“Such a hasty resolution definitely won’t work,” but Zhang Hang’s father insisted on complicating matters at this moment. “Mr. Zhou, how about this—we’ll visit your home another day to apologize—”

“That’s fine.”

Sheng Sui was feeling helpless about someone creating unnecessary complications when she heard this and froze.

She looked up toward the man who had been silent for so long, and happened to meet Zhou Shiyu’s gaze.

Their eyes met, and Zhou Shiyu nodded slightly at her, a faint smile at the corners of his lips. Sheng Sui was momentarily dazed as his warm, low voice reached her ears clearly, word by word:

“Let’s do as Teacher Sheng suggests.”

What had started as a major commotion ended hastily with just one sentence from Sheng Sui.

Even she herself hadn’t expected this outcome.

She didn’t want to get entangled further with the couple, plus her blind date had called three times after work—she really should respond.

After saying goodbye to the students’ parents, Sheng Sui left the conference room and quickly turned into the stairwell at the end of the corridor to return the missed calls.

The dial tone rang, and soon a man answered.

Her blind date Zhou Qi was impatient, his loud voice echoing clearly in the corridor:

“The matchmaker said you want to meet next week, but I’m going on a business trip the day after tomorrow. How about changing it to tomorrow at 6:30 PM? If that works, I’ll book the restaurant.”

Sheng Sui knew she couldn’t postpone: “Alright.”

“Then it’s Yuxing Tower, a Hong Kong-style restaurant,” the other party made the decision without asking her opinion. Before hanging up, he didn’t forget to confirm:

“We haven’t gotten our marriage certificate yet, so we’ll split the bill for dinner. You don’t have any objections, right?”

Having said everything himself, Sheng Sui gave a mocking smile: “No—”

The latter half of her sentence was cut short as she looked down and saw two shadows overlapping on the ground, realizing someone was outside the stairwell.

Embarrassment at being overheard swept over her. Just as Sheng Sui was about to hang up the phone, when she turned around, she discovered the person had already stepped away.

Only her solitary shadow was reflected on the tile floor.

Her blind date was still chattering on endlessly. Sheng Sui had no interest in dealing with it and hastily hung up, deliberately lingering in the stairwell for a while, wanting to wait for the person outside to leave before going out.

But unexpectedly, after just a few steps out, she ran into Zhou Shiyu in the corridor.

Outside the stairwell was a large floor-to-ceiling window. Zhou Shiyu stood leaning against the wall, with the vast sunset pouring down on his shoulders and the top of his head, light spots like broken gold outlining the man’s tall and graceful figure.

Even his slender shadow was tinged with orange-red, flowing to Sheng Sui’s feet, as if it might climb up her ankle in the next second and pull her toward Zhou Shiyu’s direction.

Why would he come here? Was he specifically waiting for her?

Maybe it was just a coincidence; Sheng Sui consoled herself mentally. Seeing she couldn’t avoid him, she could only steel herself and approach, feigning surprise:

“Zhou Yi’s father?”

The four-character address echoed in the corridor. She keenly caught the man’s slight raised eyebrow, then he straightened and turned to face her, a faint smile playing at his lips.

Zhou Shiyu’s gaze fell on her, his look direct but not offensive—not judgmental scrutiny or curious appraisal, but more like he simply wanted to look at her as a person, without any ulterior motive.

Sheng Sui coughed lightly in discomfort.

“Zhou Yi’s matter has troubled Teacher Sheng,” compared to her embarrassment at being caught in the corridor, Zhou Shiyu’s nonchalance made him seem even more composed. He inquired naturally:

“If it’s not presumptuous, would it be convenient to exchange contact information?”

After speaking, he took out a white phone from his pocket and handed it over, his fingers all cold, white, and slender, with prominent ulnar bones.

The man’s calm composure infected Sheng Sui. She was no longer nervous as she took the phone, also ignoring the momentary pause in the other’s movement when their fingertips touched.

“It’s no trouble, it’s part of my job,” she said, lowering her head to input her number. “The child is very well-behaved at school. If there are any problems, Zhou Yi’s father can—”

“Teacher Sheng.”

The latter half of her sentence was interrupted by the gentle male voice. Sheng Sui’s hand holding the phone froze in mid-air. She instinctively looked up and met Zhou Shiyu’s deep eyes, discovering the man was also looking down at her.

His gaze was so focused that Sheng Sui even had the momentary illusion that her most subtle expressions would be captured entirely in the other’s eyes.

“Zhou Yi is my younger brother,” Zhou Shiyu’s tone paused slightly, then he suddenly smiled faintly. “I don’t know why Teacher Sheng thought we didn’t look alike.”

“But I am indeed currently unmarried and single.”

Only after speaking did the man remember to take back his phone. Just as his hand was about to touch the screen, his movement paused again, finally only pinching a corner of the frame before returning it to his pocket.

Her mind went blank for a moment. Sheng Sui immediately apologized: “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Zhou.”

“It’s fine. This is also my first time being mistaken for someone’s father,” catching Zhou Shiyu’s deeper smile from the corner of her eye, his clear, low voice carried more meaningful undertones:

“I have to say, this feeling is quite novel.”

Sheng Sui’s ears turned slightly red. Beyond the shame of calling someone by the wrong title, she was also surprised by Zhou Shiyu’s private demeanor—that hint of effortless roguish charm hidden beneath his refined politeness.

Avoiding his gaze, she could only make up an excuse to leave: “I still need to catch the school bus. Is there anything else, Mr. Zhou?”

“Having delayed Teacher Sheng for so long, the bus has probably already left,” Zhou Shiyu’s thoughtful consideration was consistently overwhelming. He politely offered:

“I drove here. Would you like me to give you a ride?”

“No need, no need. I can still make it,” the fabricated bus obviously wouldn’t leave. Sheng Sui didn’t dare trouble him further. “Then, Mr. Zhou, see you later.”

“Alright, see you later.”

Watching the slender figure disappear from view, the gentleness faded from Zhou Shiyu’s eyes as he recalled how Sheng Sui had waved goodbye.

He had seen her back countless times, but this was the first time Sheng Sui had turned back to bid him farewell.

The sunset reflected on her skin like fine jade, the shallow dimple beside her pink lips catching the eye, her amber-like eyes bright and lustrous.

Zhou Shiyu looked down at the back of his left hand, at the spot where their fingertips had touched, as if her warmth still lingered there.

Mr. Zhou.

That’s how she had addressed him just now.

When her roommate came home at eight in the evening, Sheng Sui was still eating dinner.

“When will this damn project ever end,” the door slammed as Xiao Ming kicked off her high heels at the entrance. Coming in to see Sheng Sui still in the dining room, she glanced at the dinner table and raised an eyebrow:

“When I’m not home, you just make do with dinner again?”

Sheng Sui looked at the bowl of boiled vegetables and beef in front of her, smiling as she went over to massage Xiao Ming’s shoulders: “It’s not that pathetic, is it?”

Xiao Ming sat down beside her, disdainful: “Eating like you do, I’d have to become a monk within two days.”

Since high school, the two had been inseparable best friends, both accepted to Magic City University together. After graduation, Sheng Sui had always worked in education while Xiao Ming had switched to a chip technology company last year. Throughout these years, they had always shared an apartment.

Due to her diabetes, Sheng Sui had to limit her daily carbohydrate intake and avoid heavily oiled and salted foods. When Xiao Ming cooked at home it was fine, but when she cooked for herself, everything ended up boiled.

“Tomorrow night I’ll make soup to nourish you,” Xiao Ming squinted comfortably under the massage, her gaze sweeping over the computer on the table. She made a sound of surprise:

“You’re looking up Zhou Shiyu’s information? What, are you investigating my future sugar daddy for me?”

Sheng Sui was completely confused.

She was just browsing out of curiosity, casually searching to pass time.

“I went through so much trouble tonight to get tickets to the gala just to meet Zhou Shiyu, the CEO of Chenghe Capital,” Xiao Ming gestured to the low-cut dress she was wearing. “But I didn’t get to say a single word to him—wait a minute.”

She suddenly felt something was off: “You don’t know about this, so why are you looking up Zhou Shiyu?”

Sheng Sui truthfully told her about Zhou Shiyu coming to the school—of course, matters concerning Zhou Yi and other private details were all omitted.

“You mean to say, you just saw him come to your school and don’t know anything else?”

Xiao Ming fell into thought. A few seconds later, she pressed both hands on Sheng Sui’s shoulders and said seriously: “Baby, you need to figure out a way to become principal quickly and help me find a chance to meet Zhou Shiyu, so I can kneel and beg for Chenghe’s investment.”

Sheng Sui didn’t understand the tech industry, only hearing Xiao Ming constantly mention recently that their company was in angel round funding, with Chenghe Capital as their first choice target.

Hearing her best friend’s exaggerated tone, she couldn’t help but chuckle: “Is he really that impressive?”

“You don’t work in the industry, so you don’t understand Chenghe’s position in the venture capital world.”

Xiao Ming clicked her tongue: “Put it this way—companies that want to go public need money. Chenghe’s investment is more like an industry benchmark than just money. As long as he invests, other companies will inevitably follow suit, and going public is basically a done deal—after all, there’s never been a project Zhou Shiyu favored that didn’t take off.”

“Science college entrance exam top scorer, entered venture capital and became a legend,” Xiao Ming looked at Sheng Sui with repeated sighs:

“Tell me, Zhou Shiyu is only two or three years older than us, so how is he commanding the business world while we’re just bottom-tier workers?”

Sheng Sui smiled and ruffled her best friend’s hair: “You’re already amazing.”

“Only you would say that about me.”

The two best friends chatted about this and that for quite a while, until the matchmaker called, saying she had already passed Sheng Sui’s WeChat to the man, who would add her as a friend shortly.

After ending the call, Sheng Sui saw Xiao Ming watching her with arms crossed, so she raised both hands and confessed honestly: “You heard right, I’m going on another blind date.”

“Your mom’s forcing you again, right?” Xiao Ming angrily slapped the table, speaking as rapidly as machine-gun fire: “She’s the one who left without a word when you were sick, and she’s also the one who insisted on giving you money when you went to college. Is she treating you like a monkey?”

“It’s just one meal,” Sheng Sui lowered her eyes and smiled with forced lightness. “Besides, once they know I’m sick, they’ll be eager to avoid me. How could there be a second meeting?”

Xiao Ming wouldn’t let her belittle herself, reaching out to pinch her cheeks: “That’s because you mention being sick right from the start. If you were willing to wait a few days, there’d be plenty of men begging to marry you.”

Sheng Sui obediently leaned down to cooperate despite having her face pinched: “A few days would still be deception.”

“Then those men are just blind.”

The topic ended there, and they each returned to their bedrooms to rest.

After washing up and snuggling into the warm bedding, Sheng Sui lay on her side holding her phone, wondering what the probability would be of the other party canceling their date if she directly texted about her diabetes.

Xiao Ming’s words weren’t without merit. If she developed feelings first and then revealed her illness, the other party might not mind out of affection for her.

But she really had a personality incapable of loving others. Watching the other person invest emotions while being unable to respond, and then asking them to accept her physical defects—she couldn’t do such a thing.

If there was a type of person naturally unsuited for marriage and romance, it would probably be someone like her.

Looking down with an indifferent smile, Sheng Sui wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, preparing to sleep.

As drowsiness approached, her phone beside the pillow vibrated. Opening it, she discovered a new friend request notification.

The profile showed it was a male user with an avatar of a mixed-colored cat that clearly wasn’t a purebred.

The nickname was even simpler—just the single character “Zhou.”

It should be the blind date Zhou Qi that the matchmaker said would add her as a friend.

Sheng Sui didn’t have a good impression of this person. After accepting the request, she dropped a single message to fulfill her obligation:

【S: Hello Mr. Zhou, just to confirm one last time, tomorrow’s meeting place is Yuxing Tower at 6:30 PM】

Her unwillingness to chat further couldn’t be more obvious.

Whatever the other party replied, she would pretend to be asleep and not see it.

Just as she was about to put down her phone, the chat window showed “The other party is typing,” and the next second, a message popped up on the bright white screen.

【Zhou: Would Teacher Sheng like to invite me to dinner?】

【Zhou: That would be fine】

The form of address was too familiar. Sheng Sui’s fingertips froze, and when she looked at the single-character nickname again, she suddenly realized, her pupils contracting.

“……”

The person who added her was Zhou—Zhou Shiyu?