Treasury of Treasures: Intertwined Destiny

Welcome, everyone, to the Treasury of Treasures channel.

My life, as Tang Yao Yao, is a series of ridiculous events, the climax of which occurred on that day. In an ancient temple, as I was sincerely praying and burning joss paper, a sudden gust of wind swept the ash directly onto the expensive fur coat of the man standing right in front of me.

Fire! It’s burning!

My heart stopped as I saw three perfectly round, black holes scorched onto the pure white fabric. “Oh my god, I’m ruined!” I nervously called out: “Excuse me, sir, that…”

The man, tall, imposing, and with a cold demeanor, seemed to have lost all patience with my hesitation. He turned his head, his dark, profound eyes showing a hint of annoyance, and asked curtly: “Speak. What do you want? WeChat or phone number?”

I bit my lip, stammering: “AliPay, please. My WeChat account is out of money.”

Resentment flared within me. Who wears such an expensive fur coat to a temple, anyway?

My family wasn’t poor, but my parents firmly believed that their responsibility ended when I turned 18. After taking the university entrance exam, my sister Tang Zhi Zhi and I were kicked out to earn a living, even paying for our own tuition. For four years of college, I was literally the “destitute scholar” on campus. Thanks to that, I managed to save a little, but looking at my bank balance—less than five digits—I despaired. That coat was a pre-ordered item, and my money wasn’t even enough for the deposit.

I called my sister for help: “Sis, save me!”

“I have a mortgage to pay right now, I don’t have spare money for you. If I hadn’t asked you to come with me this morning to pray for a good love life, you wouldn’t have torn someone’s coat. Figure it out yourself.”

Tang Zhi Zhi’s voice was cold, and she hung up immediately. I was desperate. “Maybe it’s a fake?”

“Who told you that?” A low, warm voice suddenly spoke up.

“Damn it, is it really an authentic piece?” I excitedly jumped up from the bed, asking tentatively: “How much does it cost?”

“108,000 yuan.”

“How much?” I froze.

He looked at me, his voice unwavering: “I apologize for the disappointment, but I’ve never worn a counterfeit item.”

After my fervent pleas, he finally settled on: monthly installments of 100 yuan. Even without interest, it would take me a full five years to pay off this “terrifying” debt.

After graduating, I luckily secured a job at a branch of the Zhou Group. My intern salary in Hai Cheng was a meager 4,500 yuan. After deducting rent and living expenses, I was left with only 700 yuan to survive. Now, deducting another 100 yuan for the debt, I had 600 yuan left.

This morning, the receptionist gave me a strange look. She sighed: “Good luck to you.”

I was eating my rice noodle roll while taking the elevator, finding it odd that it was empty today.

“Tang Yao Yao, why are you just arriving now?” Xiao Yu, a colleague, panicked.

“What’s wrong? I still have 5 minutes.”

“Didn’t you check your email? Working hours were moved up by half an hour this week!”

I almost choked on my rice noodle roll. Cough, cough, cough!

“Yao Yao, Little CEO Zhou summoned you to his office!”

I quickly put down my breakfast, grabbed my notebook and pen, and rushed up to the 18th floor. Through the glass door, I saw a well-dressed, powerful man sitting in the CEO chair. Surely, CEO Zhou won’t make things difficult for a fresh graduate like me, right? I hesitated, then knocked.

He looked up as I entered. “Tang Yao Yao.”

I quickly ran over, trying to flatter him: “Oh, CEO Zhou, what can I do for you?”

“Nothing,” he replied casually. **“Just wanted to let you know, my name is Zhou Yi Cheng, and also… Remember to pay the 100 yuan this month.”

“Yes. 100 yuan… Wait, what?”

I lunged forward, pressing my face close to his. “You! You’re… the 108,000 yuan guy from the God of Wealth temple yesterday!?”

“So, the little stutterer.”

Zhou Yi Cheng’s eyes were pitch black, staring straight at me. I felt possessed, reaching out to touch the small mole at the corner of his eye. The moment my fingertip touched his skin, both of us froze in alarm. My left foot tripped over my right, and I tumbled right into his lap. As if afraid I would hit my head on the desk, Zhou Yi Cheng quickly reached out to cushion my fall.

The man beneath me groaned slightly in pain. “CEO Zhou, are you alright?”

Zhou Yi Cheng looked at me with resentment: “Tang Yao Yao, could you please remove your hand first?”

My hand was placed exactly on his left chest. “Well… if I said it was unintentional, would you believe me?”

I scrambled off him. Internally, I acquitted Zhou Yi Cheng: His figure is really perfect. That rumor about him being “skinny as a bone” was truly immoral! When I pressed down, there was a slight rebound—that elastic feeling was truly intoxicating.

Cough, cough, cough. Suddenly, many people were standing outside the office door, staring at us wide-eyed.

Zhou Yi Cheng adjusted his shirt collar, calmly re-buttoning the button I had dislodged. If his ears hadn’t been slightly red, I would have been fooled by his cold expression.

I lowered my voice: “CEO Zhou, I’ll be going now.”

“Mhm, remember to accept the WeChat friend request.”

As I left the office, I felt the curious gazes of the managers following me.

The department group chat was buzzing with messages. Xiao Yu messaged me privately: “Yao Yao, are you still alive?”

“Mhm, I’m fine.”

The next second, Zhou Yi Cheng posted in the main group: “Tang Yao Yao from Department Three was late today. Remember to send your self-reflection report to my email. Even during probation, company rules must be observed. And I emphasize again, no eating strong-smelling breakfast in the office, such as rice noodle rolls.”

Looking at the now-cold rice noodle roll next to me, I sank into silence. Hmph, I thought he was decent, but it turns out he was just waiting here to settle the score!

The newly appointed CEO Zhou was generous, treating the whole company to a dinner at an expensive seafood restaurant. I chose a secluded corner, focusing on eating according to the principle: speak little, do much.

“Continue to work hard this year. On behalf of the company, I invite everyone in Department Three to a toast.”

The low, warm male voice resonated right behind me. Zhou Yi Cheng stood there, raising his wine glass as a sign, then tilting his head back to empty it. I quickly grabbed my glass and joined the crowd.

When he moved away, I was about to sit down, but Sister Wang poured me more wine, pulling me in front of Zhou Yi Cheng.

“Little CEO Zhou, our Yao Yao made a mistake this morning. I hope you won’t hold it against her.”

Zhou Yi Cheng looked at me, saying calmly: “Just be careful next time.”

Sister Wang secretly pinched me: “Quickly apologize to Little CEO Zhou.”

I raised my glass and stepped forward. “Zhou Yi Cheng… no, CEO Zhou, I sincerely apologize for being late this morning. I will penalize myself three glasses here… no, I’ll offer you three glasses to show my sincerity.”

After downing three glasses of white wine, tears streamed from the corners of my eyes due to the sting. Looking up into Zhou Yi Cheng’s dark eyes, I thought I saw a faint smile at their edges.

Dizzy, I obediently returned to the table with Sister Wang. Xiao Yu was the first to notice I wasn’t well, gently rubbing my head: “Yao Yao, are you drunk?”

I nodded blankly. She smiled and took the wine glass in front of me. Unsure what was happening, I immediately stood up to grab it back. The next second, she handed me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. “Drink this.”

I obediently sat down, sipping the orange juice. Suddenly, my emotions erupted, and I hugged her, sobbing uncontrollably. “Waaah! Mom, I’m miserable!”

This loud cry caused quite a few people to turn and look. Sister Wang quickly rushed over. “What’s wrong with her? Is she drunk? She only had four glasses.”

Xiao Yu hugged me helplessly: “Yeah, well, it’s going to be a long night. Call someone from her family to pick her up.”

Xiao Yu gently wiped my tears: “Yao Yao, let’s go home.”

I looked at her, then closed my eyes. “Yes, good night, Mom.”

A moment later, Xiao Yu patted my face, trying to lift my head. “Yao Yao, open your eyes.” After unlocking my phone, I shakily pressed the pinned contact’s chat window. I put the WeChat call to my ear.

“Hello, Mom, Yao Yao feels unwell. Waaah, waaah, waaah, I want to go home…”

The person on the other end was clearly stunned. “Tang Yao Yao, what are you doing, going crazy?”

My head was a mess. I held the phone, crying uncontrollably without a coherent word. Xiao Yu, sitting beside me, couldn’t take it anymore and snatched the phone. “Hello, Auntie, Yao Yao is drunk. Could you please come pick her up?”

A moment later, a husky male voice sounded. “Drunk?”

Xiao Yu was dumbfounded: “CEO Zhou?”

“Yes, it’s me. Please look after her for a bit, I’ll be right there.”

Zhou Yi Cheng arrived quickly. Seeing him, I pouted, the tears I had managed to hold back started falling again. He walked up to me, bent down, and sighed: “My little drunkard.”

I wiped my tears and reached out to him. “Hubby, carry me.”

Zhou Yi Cheng chuckled softly, embracing me, lifting me up gently yet decisively.

Sister Wang was startled, pondering for a moment before stepping forward: “CEO Zhou, the two of you…”

The man holding me nodded at Sister Wang: “We know each other. Tang Yao Yao, I’m taking her home first.”

On the way to the parking lot, I was restless, pinching him one moment, then slipping my hand under Zhou Yi Cheng’s shirt the next. He was truly angry. He grabbed both my hands and threw me into the backseat.

I cried out: “What, that hurts!”

As I sat up, Zhou Yi Cheng leaned down, pinning my hands against my chest, and kissed me fiercely, without any gentleness. He suddenly let go, resting his head tiredly on my neck. “You little brat, pretending you don’t know me.”

Just as Zhou Yi Cheng was about to get up and leave, I grabbed his collar, relying on the last shred of my sobriety. “No, you can’t drink and drive. Officer told me: Don’t drink and drive, don’t drive and drink.”

He laughed in exasperation: “I didn’t drink at all, I had water.”

Zhou Yi Cheng tried to pull my hands away, finding it impossible. The tighter he pulled, the more tightly I wrapped my arms around his neck. Zhou Yi Cheng had no choice but to retract his leg and call Assistant Song.

When Little Song opened the car door, he saw me tangled up in Zhou Yi Cheng’s lap. “CEO… CEO Zhou, I, I didn’t see anything.”

“Drive to my place.”

“Tang Yao Yao, if you rub against me one more time, I swear I’ll dump you out of the car.”

Zhou Yi Cheng pulled out a charging cable from his pocket and tightly bound my wrists. Yet, I continued to snuggle into his chest. “Hmph, hmph, hmph, I’m a little piggy, so smelly and sweet.”

“Yes, a little piggy.”

“Waaah. Hubby, my little piggy hands hurt. Blow on them, please.”

The man beside me stiffened, then tenderly unfastened the cable from my wrists. His cool fingertip lightly touched the red mark on my wrist, gently massaging it. I waved my hand, holding it up to my cheek to form a heart shape. “Thank you, my mighty Hubby, I love you.” As if that weren’t enough, I lunged forward, cupped his face, and gave him a big, loud, “Mwah!”

Song Ming, gripping the steering wheel, couldn’t help his hands from shaking as he chuckled, quickly apologizing: “I’m sorry, CEO Zhou.”

Zhou Yi Cheng’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He took off the tie he was wearing and bound my hands again, leaning down and gritting his teeth in my ear: “Tying it tighter this time. You five-layer shish kebab.”

In the middle of the night, I woke up with a dry throat. Groggy, I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and gulped it down.

“Want more to drink?”

I nodded instinctively. “Mhm.”

A moment later, it dawned on me, “There’s no man in my house.”

“Man?”

I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Zhou Yi Cheng’s handsome face, still closed in sleep. Oh my god, I woke up too abruptly and saw my creditor. I rubbed my eyes. Zhou Yi Cheng still lay there, quiet as before. No, that can’t be right. Maybe I sat up in the wrong posture. I closed my eyes again, crawled back under the covers, slowly sat up, and cautiously opened my eyes. He was still there! What? This time, it must be the wrong angle.

Just as I was about to crawl back under again, Zhou Yi Cheng turned over and pulled my blanket off. His eyes were still heavy with sleep. “Tang Yao Yao, what’s wrong? Is there a cow in my blanket?”

The pressure from my boss made my voice tremble. “No, no there isn’t. It’s me… I had a hemorrhoid attack. Yes, a hemorrhoid attack.” What the hell? My mind must have been heavy just now. Is it too late to regret?

Zhou Yi Cheng actually believed it. He was genuinely startled, sitting up abruptly, taking off his shirt as he headed to the dressing room. “Wait for me to change. We’re going to the hospital immediately.”

I quickly chased after him, blocking his path. “No, no need.”

Zhou Yi Cheng was still very tense: “No, this needs a hospital visit. Oh, do you have your ID card?”

Seeing my awkward expression, he paused, then offered comforting words, gently stroking my head. “Tang Yao Yao, it’s alright. It’s a common condition. Just maintain a balanced diet, proper rest, and cooperate with treatment, and you’ll be fine.”

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to admit: “I lied to you. I can’t believe you actually believed it.”

Zhou Yi Cheng wasn’t angry. His gaze was calm, like a Capybara. He even sighed in relief, quietly returning to bed. “Sleep. It’s almost morning.”

The buttons Zhou Yi Cheng had unbuttoned remained undone. My eyes were immediately drawn to his firm, pale chest, which was adorned with a row of faint, red hickeys. I nervously looked down at myself. Thankfully, aside from my jacket, I was fully clothed.

Zhou Yi Cheng simply stared at me without speaking. Finally, I broke the silence. “CEO Zhou, how much is that? I’ll compensate you.”

“What?”

“How much for a night with you?”

Zhou Yi Cheng’s expression nearly broke. He frowned. “Wait, you misunderstood. I mean, how much compensation for taking your virginity?” I even pointed specifically at the hickeys. It’s over, the more I talk, the more wrong it gets. I should have pretended not to know.

Zhou Yi Cheng curved his lips, raising five fingers and shaking them.

I, being slow-witted, thought he wanted a high-five and reached out my hand to touch his. His hand was enormous; my palm was only half the size of his. Zhou Yi Cheng raised an eyebrow, naturally grabbing my hand and placing it down, then raising his other hand and shaking it again. “Oh, so it’s a quote.”

“500 yuan is acceptable.” I thought my bank balance might just cover it.

“No, 5 million.”

His husky voice rang in my ear: “Why so expensive? You’re not a god, you shouldn’t be worth that much.”

Zhou Yi Cheng sat up, lazily resting his head on his hand, staring at me. After a moment of thought, I let go of his hand, gave a strained smile, unbuttoned my shirt, and lay back down on the bed, looking resigned. “Go on.”

He hesitated for a moment, then reached out, tracing my collarbone, moving to the back of my neck, holding my neck, and gently biting it. Only a light teeth mark was imprinted on my skin. “The rest can be paid in installments, along with your 100 yuan, all at once.”

“Ah, so you’ll be nibbling on me for five years?”

“Mhm. Go to sleep. I’ll take you back later.”

I angrily turned my back on him. Zhou Yi Cheng was truly a capitalist; they knew how to exploit people and never took a loss. The debt on me was like a snowball, growing bigger and bigger.

Four hours later, I was sitting at my desk, sipping soy milk through a straw, letting out a long sigh.

“Oh, isn’t that Little CEO Zhou’s girlfriend? Why is she still working?”

I didn’t need to look up; I knew from the sour voice it was Zhu Ruo Xue, the gossip queen. “She thinks she’s hot stuff now, doesn’t care about us anymore. Who knows what tricks she used to hook Little CEO Zhou.”

Xiao Yu came out: “Come on, Zhu Ruo Xue, say less.”

She jumped up: “Why can’t I speak? She dares to do it but doesn’t dare to let people talk about it?”

I snapped. I picked up the hot soy milk, intending to splash it in her face. “What do you know? You talk too much. Besides your mouth, what else do you have?”

Zhu Ruo Xue realized I wasn’t easy to bully and forced a laugh. “Haha, I was just kidding, don’t take it too seriously. Are you unhappy? She bent down and put the lid back on my soy milk, pushing it towards me. If you’re unhappy, then I won’t talk anymore.”

Before she left, I glared at her: “It’s best to keep your mouth shut.”

Xiao Yu was shocked: “Oh my god, Yao Yao, you were fierce. But Zhu Ruo Xue is a sly fox, the most senior person here. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Who cares? I’m about to quit anyway.”

“Oh, right. How can Little CEO Zhou’s girlfriend keep working?”

“Who said he and I are dating? You called him ‘Hubby’ last night and demanded he carry you. Everyone said so after you left. I don’t remember any of that. But he and I don’t have that kind of relationship. I ruined his coat at the temple a few days ago. He’s probably just afraid I’ll default on the debt.”

“I don’t think so. I can tell he likes you. Definitely.”

“Tsk tsk, gossiping during work hours, are we?”

My message wasn’t even sent when Zhou Yi Cheng smacked me on the back of the head. What’s worse than being caught slacking by your boss, when the conversation is about the boss himself?

I quickly closed the chat with Xiao Yu, flipped my phone face down, and slowly rubbed the back of my neck. Zhou Yi Cheng glanced down, his eyes lingering on my screen. Before leaving, he dropped a sentence: “Come to my office now.”

I dragged my feet, tidying my desk for half a day, finally standing up reluctantly and shuffling towards Zhou Yi Cheng’s office. This time, I didn’t even bother to knock, pushing the door open directly. “CEO Zhou, I think we should clarify our relationship once and for all.”

He stopped typing on his keyboard and looked up at me.

“I currently owe you exactly 16,200 yuan and a pile of hickeys. Although you are my creditor, within the company, we are still superior-subordinate. If you keep summoning a regular employee to your office like this, it will create a bad impression. People outside are already gossiping that we have a relationship.”

Zhou Yi Cheng’s lips curved slightly upon hearing this. “What kind of relationship?”

“Hmph, still playing dumb with me. It’s a bad relationship, whatever it is. But I don’t care. What does it matter to you?”

“I do care.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Zhou Yi Cheng’s face slowly faded. His eyes held a hint of hurt, and his expression was profoundly disappointed. I panicked slightly, trying to cover his eyes with my hand. “Hey, hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s like I caught a fish and then dumped it.”

He lowered his head: “Isn’t that exactly what happened?”

I was bewildered, racking my brain but unable to match anyone with Zhou Yi Cheng. “See? You’ve completely forgotten about me. You used to call me ‘Hubby’ so sweetly.”

“I’m sorry for bumping into your coat without looking that day, but I genuinely don’t know you.”

Zhou Yi Cheng said nothing more, simply holding his phone in front of me. Looking at the screenshots of the chat, I fell silent. “You heartless person, do you remember now?”

“Mhm. Can I ask, does online dating count as dating?”

The memories I thought I had buried began to attack my brain, forcing me to recall that foolish time. Near graduation, my normal university and University C next door held a One-Week Trial Dating event. I was dragged into signing up by my roommate to fill the quota.

I had said: “I want someone quiet, preferably mute.”

Yet, Su Zheng introduced me to the most eloquent, most talkative person—his gaming ID was Man Man. The event required maintaining a 99+ message count daily.

We chatted: “What are you doing? – Eating. – What about now? – Still eating. – What about now? – Eating. – What about now? – Taking the rice bowl back to the dorm.”

Su Zheng laughed hysterically. I tried hard to follow my roommates’ advice. That night, I made rapid progress. “Hubby, have you eaten yet? [Rabbit hugging carrot GIF]. Why aren’t you replying to my messages? Yao Yao misses you so much, I want to play hide-and-seek on your abs. Are you mad at Yao Yao? [Pouting GIF]. Yao Yao was wrong. I promise to say good night on time from now on.”

The person who usually replied instantly had no response for five whole minutes. I grabbed my phone and ran to find Su Zheng: “Master, please help me. Why isn’t he replying?”

She sighed deeply: “Go away. Don’t tell anyone I taught you. I told you to learn how to be a sweet girl, not a clueless idiot.”

After a long while, Man Man finally replied: “Little sister Yao Yao, I was giving a presentation just now. Thanks to you, the whole class now knows I have a girlfriend who loves to act spoiled.”

Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed! I lost face even at their university! I dared not reply anymore. That evening, just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone suddenly rang. When I answered, the other end was silent, only the sound of our breathing. I tried to speak in a squeezed, high-pitched voice: “Good evening, Hubby.”

Hearing that, the person on the other end let out a soft chuckle. “Little sister Yao Yao…” It was the first time I had heard his voice; it was so pleasant and seductive.

“I… it’s me. Do you have a cold?”

“No. What’s wrong?”

“We haven’t met yet. How about dinner tomorrow?”

“Sure. See you tomorrow. Good night.”

He asked me out for dinner! What should I wear? A dress? Was this a trap?

The next day, it turned out I had overthought things. He didn’t show up at all. I waited for a long time at the hot pot restaurant until the waiter came to ask for the third time. I realized I had been stood up.

I messaged him; there was no red exclamation mark. Perhaps he came, saw me, and ran away?

Eating hot pot for two by myself was depressing. I chewed a few mouthfuls, finally telling the waiter to cancel the untouched dishes, paid quickly, and left.

On the way back, I couldn’t help but call him, sitting quietly on a flower bed listening to the ringing. Just as the call was about to end, someone picked up. On the other end was a sweet, pleasant female voice. “Hello, may I ask who this is?”

I froze. I instinctively assumed this was his girlfriend. “I… I’m looking for the owner of this WeChat number.”

“Oh, he’s a little busy right now. I’ll ask him to call you back later.”

“Is he busy, or does he not want to? No need. I’m sorry.”

I tried to suppress my tears and spoke up as a warning: “Sister, look closely at the person next to you. Run while you still can, alright?”

Her voice was full of surprise. Whether she believed me or not, I felt powerless. I resolutely hung up. The moment I ended the call, my nose stung, and tears rolled down. I wiped my tears and deleted all means of contact with him. He has such a gentle girlfriend and is still flirting around. Scumbag, I hope he gets hit by a car!

This dating thing was not for normal people. I had a flight back to Hai Cheng that night, but because of this hot pot dinner, I changed it to a late-night flight. I washed my face, grabbed my luggage, and rushed out of the dorm. On the way to the airport, I cried another round, startling the taxi driver. But perhaps it was better to cut my losses early before my feelings deepened.

The sudden workload in Hai Cheng left me no time to mourn. Finally, it was the weekend, and I was looking forward to playing games at home. Damn it, I forgot to delete the game ID. Man Man immediately joined my game. He could enter my room directly because we were linked as a couple. Although I quickly kicked him out, he rejoined a second later. Fearing I would kick him again, he immediately turned on his microphone. “Yao Yao, wait. That night was my fault. But something unexpected happened, and I couldn’t react in time.”

I was cold. “Hmph, what? Did your girlfriend catch you? I can explain about that dinner… I was in a car accident on the way.”

“Ha, that’s such a lame excuse. I suddenly felt dizzy and lost consciousness. When I woke up in the hospital, you had already blocked me. Yes, I tried to contact you but couldn’t.”

“My face is not marked with the words ‘Gullible Fool,’ friend.”

“I’m telling the truth. Forget it. Remember to un-link our couple account. Go take care of your girlfriend.”

After leaving the room, I sent a request to cancel the couple link. To my surprise, he rejected it. Hah, you think I can’t handle you? I deleted him from my friends list to get him out of sight.

I scrolled through the photos he had sent later. One showed him in a cast in the hospital, and another was a doctor’s note. So he really was in an accident? Wow, he recovered quickly.

Zhou Yi Cheng silently stood up, pressed a switch near the glass door, and locked the office. “CEO, CEO Zhou, if there’s nothing else, I’ll, I’ll excuse myself and go downstairs.”

He took measured steps towards me. I was forced to back away until my back hit the desk. I braced my hands against his chest, swallowing nervously. “CEO Zhou, be rational. This is the office.”

Zhou Yi Cheng raised an eyebrow: “Are you saying it’s okay if it’s not the office?”

He pulled my hand, trapping me between the desk and his body. Zhou Yi Cheng did nothing, just looked down at me. His eyes were full of aggression, making me tremble and worry uncontrollably. I pretended to be calm, rubbing the part of my waist pressed against the sharp edge of the desk. “Listen to my excuse first. Ah, I mean, explanation. I waited for you at the hot pot restaurant for a long time that day. Then, when I called you, a girl answered. Anyone would misunderstand. Besides, we were only online dating, we had never met.”

Zhou Yi Cheng’s hand quietly slid behind me, pulling my waist closer, his palm covering the sharp desk edge. “So you advised her to break up with me.”

“No, I just told her to run while she still could. Is there a difference?”

“No.”

Zhou Yi Cheng finally laughed, but it was a laugh tinged with helplessness. “She was my academic advisor.”

What? How embarrassing! I told the advisor to run for her life. But seriously, we never met, how did you know what I looked like?

“Tang Yao Yao, the University C event was sponsored by the Zhou Group.”

I gasped, asking tentatively, “You, you had a crush on me?”

“Mhm, something like that.”

“Love at first sight in college? But we clearly didn’t attend the same school.”

He smacked my head in exasperation: “Tang Yao Yao, my liking for you was never a sudden whim.”

I looked at him blankly, “But I really don’t remember who you are.”

Zhou Yi Cheng loosened his embrace. His face also became cold, his voice husky and devoid of emotion. “You can go. You don’t need to pay the debt. I won’t bother you anymore.”

His icy voice genuinely frightened me. I quickly left the office, closing the door behind me.

At home, I immediately messaged my best friend Jiang Xiao Duan. She called me right away. “What’s up?”

“Do you know Zhou Yi Cheng?”

“Sounds familiar. Who is he?”

“That guy you had a massive crush on in junior high. Did you forget? You even asked for his QQ number and gave him breakfast for a whole week, and the guidance counselor called you into the office for it.”

“What? Right. You crushed on a lot of people back then. You liked anyone who was good-looking. That’s called expanding my network. The more handsome guys, the better. It’s about long-term vision.”

“But why are you suddenly asking about him? I remember he didn’t take the graduation exam and was directly admitted to a top university.”

“The 108,000 yuan coat the other day was his.”

“You’ve got my full attention now. With my years of experience, I suspect he did it all on purpose.”

“Jiang Jiang, he’s my boss, but I think I made him angry today. He said I don’t need to pay the debt anymore.”

“It’s okay. Next time, tell me this sooner. CEO Zhou seems easy to appease. Try acting cute and spoiled. It might work.”

After hanging up, I asked my mother to find my junior high yearbook photos. In the photo, directly behind me was Zhou Yi Cheng wearing the exact same uniform. Hai Cheng Junior High always arranged the entire ninth grade in a semicircle for one huge panoramic graduation photo. He was half a head taller than everyone else, standing out in the crowd. I clearly remember there was a girl standing there back then; I even talked to her. But no matter what, Zhou Yi Cheng shouldn’t have been in that spot.

For over a week, I didn’t see Zhou Yi Cheng at the company. The message I sent that night was never answered. A sense of emptiness suddenly overwhelmed me. I realized that if Zhou Yi Cheng didn’t want to see me, I truly had no way of finding him in the company.

I slumped over my desk, just catching the eye of Xiao Yu at the next table. “Yao Yao, what’s wrong?”

“Xiao Yu, do you know where CEO Zhou has been recently?”

She shook her head, walking over to pat my shoulder. Only Zhu Ruo Xue swaggered over. “CEO Zhou went on a business trip to the US with Manager Hua. Didn’t he tell you? Manager Hua is both beautiful and capable. CEO Zhou probably didn’t want you to overthink things.”

Only half of what she said was believable, but the first half was likely true. Did he go abroad because I made him angry? Probably not. I don’t have that much influence. But a business trip…