-025- Mrs. Zhou, You Lost.
-025-
The black G-Class slowly drove out of Yunlu Villa, following the winding mountain road toward the city center. Since he had to drive, Zhou Dang had substituted drinks for alcohol during the meal, so he was more sober than Xuan Yang in the passenger seat. When he received Polina's transfer message on his phone, he only glanced at it briefly and didn't reply.
The car's air conditioner blew warm air, creating a cozy warmth. The outskirts were quiet. With the slight swaying of the car, Xuan Yang leaned back in her seat, drowsy. She had drunk a bit with Polina and had been working hard all day, so she was already tired. She had wanted to stay awake and chat with Zhou Dang, but the car was too comfortable, and the alcohol was making her lazy. She felt soft and limp, clutching her seatbelt, her head tilted as she peacefully fell asleep in the gentle rocking.
She had completely lost the wariness she had when she first started interacting with Zhou Dang.
Zhou Dang's peripheral vision kept landing on the passenger seat, a faint smile playing on his lips. Was it because the dinner had gone well and Xuan Yang had gotten along with his mother, or because of Xuan Yang's initiative when she got out of the car? Either way, the moon was beautiful tonight. His mood was wonderful too.
The black G-Class drove all the way from the quiet, cold suburbs back to the brightly lit city center. When they arrived at Shangtian Mansion, the night was deep. Xuan Yang in the passenger seat still hadn't woken up; she seemed to be in a deep sleep. Zhou Dang didn't disturb her. He drove directly into the underground garage, with no intention of sending her back to her rental apartment.
Only after the car was parked securely did Zhou Dang turn off the engine and turn his head to quietly watch Xuan Yang, who was sleeping soundly in the passenger seat. After watching for about ten minutes, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, walking around to the passenger side. Gently, he lifted her out of the car. Xuan Yang cooperated like a quiet doll, letting Zhou Dang carry her princess-style toward the elevator.
The man walked steadily, not fast, and thoughtfully covered her head with the shawl to prevent the cold white light in the garage from startling her awake. But even so, Xuan Yang had actually woken up long before. By the time she was in Zhou Dang's arms, her eyes were covered by the shawl, and she could vaguely sense some light. What bothered her most was the warmth of Zhou Dang's embrace and the strength of his arms supporting her. His hands were warm and strong, his palm against her thigh, holding her shoulders. Xuan Yang felt a continuous source of warmth transferring from Zhou Dang to her. She wanted to wake up, but it seemed like she had missed the perfect moment. If she opened her eyes now, she would have to face the reality of being held by him, which would probably be awkward. After thinking it over, she didn't move and continued pretending to be asleep.
Zhou Dang carried her through the fingerprint lock and headed to the master bedroom. He didn't turn on the lights; moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a hazy, ambiguous glow. He carried Xuan Yang to the master bedroom and laid her on the bed. His movements were gentle, as if afraid of waking her. Little did he know, the moment Xuan Yang was placed on the bed, she became tense and even held her breath. The shawl was still covering her face, and she was still hesitating.
That was when Zhou Dang pulled the shawl away. Xuan Yang felt her stifled breath become smooth again, the air fresh. But she still didn't dare to wake up. She debated whether to wait until Zhou Dang left before opening her eyes. She listened carefully. Because of this, she felt Zhou Dang's breath very close. He seemed to still be in the position of bending over to place her on the bed, one hand supporting himself on the bed, looking down at her. Xuan Yang wasn't sure, but she vaguely felt that Zhou Dang's gaze was fixed on her face. He didn't move, like a beast stalking its prey. Unconsciously, her heartbeat became strong. She wanted to swallow but was afraid of revealing that she was already awake.
They remained in a stalemate. Xuan Yang had no idea what Zhou Dang was thinking. What was he looking at? Why wouldn't he leave? Just as Xuan Yang's nerves were stretched to the breaking point, a low laugh broke the silent air—deep and pleasant. She froze, suspicious. Zhou Dang, who was looking down at her, leaned in, his breath hovering near the tip of her nose. His thin lips moved, carrying the cool scent of mint and his low, magnetic voice, which hit Xuan Yang like a double blow: "Mrs. Zhou, you lost."
Xuan Yang: "?"
Zhou Dang turned his head, his warm lips brushing against her earlobe, seemingly intentionally or not, then pressed against her ear: "Your eyelids moved."
His warm breath and that elusive touch sent an electric current through Xuan Yang's ear, brain, and whole body. Her heart tightened, and she unconsciously grabbed the bedsheet, feeling awkward enough to curl her toes. She bit her lip and frowned, holding out for a moment, then gave up struggling and opened her eyes.
What met her eyes was the ceiling of the dim room and Zhou Dang, who was leaning over her. He had moved away from her ear, his handsome face close, his brows slightly raised, looking at her meaningfully. His light-colored deep eyes held a flirtatious smile, teasing and passionate, making Xuan Yang's heart skip a beat. She turned her head to avoid his gaze.
Zhou Dang reached out and naturally brushed the hair from her forehead, then stood up and turned on the bedside lamp. The warm light came on, and Xuan Yang finally realized: Zhou Dang must have known she was awake all along!
"Since you're awake, you can take care of washing and bathing yourself?" Zhou Dang sat back down on the edge of the bed, unbuttoning his suit jacket with one hand. "Or should I help you all the way?"
Xuan Yang came back to her senses and looked at the man again. Zhou Dang sat there casually, looking at her as he loosened his tie with one hand. Somehow, Xuan Yang thought he looked handsome doing that. His natural movements made her heart flutter.
"I'll do it myself," Xuan Yang said, sitting up and getting out of bed before Zhou Dang could say another word. She wanted to go back to the second bedroom. Technically, she should have returned to her rental apartment. But it was already late, and Zhou Dang had brought her back to Shangtian Mansion. If she insisted on leaving, it would seem ungrateful. So it took her only three seconds to accept the fact that she would be staying at Shangtian Mansion tonight.
She dashed out of the master bedroom, rushed into the second bedroom, and closed the door behind her. The whole process was almost seamless.
In the master bedroom, Zhou Dang was still sitting on the edge of the bed. He casually tossed the undone tie onto the bedside table, leaned back slightly, one hand supporting him on the bed, and pulled out his phone from his trouser pocket to read Polina's message carefully.
Polina: [Son, Mom is leaving Jingbei on tomorrow evening's flight. I'll come back to see you and Yangyang another time. Take care of each other, and be good to Yangyang.]
Polina: [I transferred some money to your card. Please pass it on to Yangyang.]
Polina: [Consider it a red envelope for meeting me for the first time.]
Polina: [Remember to send me Yangyang's WeChat. She can reach out to me for anything from now on.]
Polina: [Take care of yourselves. Leave your father to me.]
Zhou Dang replied: [Thanks, Mom.]
Then he forwarded the red envelope money from his mother to Xuan Yang via WeChat.
At that moment, Xuan Yang had already calmed down completely. She was soaking in the second bedroom's bathtub. During dinner with Polina, she had put her phone on silent mode. Now, soaking in the tub and holding her phone, the first thing she did was turn off silent mode. Recalling how Zhou Dang had exposed her pretense of sleep, her face still felt hot. She didn't know when she had been discovered, nor did she know what Zhou Dang was thinking. Since he knew she was awake, why didn't he call her out earlier? And the things he said just now... She felt there was a hint of teasing in it.
Xuan Yang's mind was in turmoil, full and swelling. She didn't know what she was feeling upset about. She turned around, lying on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the quiet, hazy moon outside the one-way glass, her thoughts wandering.
Xie Xinglan's video call came at the perfect time, rescuing Xuan Yang from that nameless restlessness and strange sensation. When the video connected, Xie Xinglan exclaimed, "Whoa, what's going on? Are you taking a bath?"
In the video, Xuan Yang's long hair cascaded like a waterfall, half draped over one shoulder, making her skin look pale and flawless, with a fresh, elegant beauty. Her face was clean, without makeup, yet her skin was as smooth as a peeled hard-boiled egg. Even though Xie Xinglan was used to seeing Xuan Yang's beauty every day, she was still amazed every time. Her eyes turned lecherous. "Bathing at this hour—could it be post-coital?" Xie Xinglan grinned, her expression full of dirty thoughts.
Xuan Yang was stunned for a moment before reacting, her fair face flushing red as she glared through the video: "Post-coital my ass. I just got back from Yunlu Villa."
Xie Xinglan knew that, of course. She just wanted to tease her. Lately, she had noticed that Xuan Yang had become less resistant to teasing. Whenever someone brought up her post-marriage progress with Zhou Dang, she would blush and look flustered. That was nothing like Lawyer Xuan's usual style. Xie Xinglan stopped at the right point, afraid that if she went further, Xuan Yang would get annoyed and hang up. She still had serious matters to ask about. "So you've met Polina and had dinner?"
Xuan Yang rested her chin on the back of her hand, lazily humming in acknowledgment at the camera, still affected by Xie Xinglan's earlier suggestive question, her heartbeat a bit fast.
Xie Xinglan: "How was it? Is Polina easy to get along with?"
Xuan Yang couldn't deny that. "She's a wonderful elder and a great mother."
Xie Xinglan propped her cheek on her hand: "See? I think so too. After all, she's someone even my cousin approved of." Xie Xinglan thought of some old memories, of her cousin Zhou Zechuan, and her cheerful expression fell as she sighed. "If only my cousin were still here."
Xuan Yang knew about Zhou Zechuan, the originally designated next head of the Zhou family. He was also Zhou Dang's half-brother. Xuan Yang had a deep impression of him—a gentle, refined, noble, and gentlemanly older brother. Speaking of which, Xuan Yang remembered Xie Xinglan mentioning before that Zhou Dang had only changed drastically and entered the Zhou Group after Zhou Zechuan and his wife passed away. She also remembered Zhou Dang asking her to understand him better. Xuan Yang couldn't help but think that Zhou Dang must have respected and loved his brother deeply. That was why, after his death, he learned to take over the Zhou family's power and live up to his image as a mature, steady person. Over the years, it must have been hard for him. But precisely because he had come so far, Xuan Yang didn't understand why he had agreed to marry her. The post-marriage Zhou Dang was also hard for her to fathom.
Xie Xinglan accompanied her in thinking about it and finally came to a conclusion: "I think he's probably like you—just wants to be in charge of his own marriage as much as possible. If he chose Huo Yuntang, he might be constrained by the Huo family in the Zhou Group in the future. But if he chose you, he not only gets a beautiful wife and a proper marriage but also doesn't get controlled. Why not?"
Xuan Yang was skeptical but also found it plausible. For someone like Zhou Dang, since he chose her as his marriage partner, it must prove that she had some value to him. If that were the case, she didn't need to feel secretly guilty, thinking that marrying him was dragging him down. She should settle down early, stand firm in this marriage, and move forward with determination.