Chapter 123: Take your pick

In just a few days, Zhou Yinhe was called away by Second Uncle Zhou.

Wen Ling didn't want to live alone in Chen Yue Fu, so after Zhou Yinhe left she packed up and returned to Lang Po Wan.

He left in the morning, and by evening Zhou Yinhe had placed a video call.

He was a bit too nagging, and Wen Ling felt a little annoyed.

Zhou Yinhe felt a bit wronged: "Do you find me annoying? You've only been apart from me for less than a day and already you're complaining I'm annoying."

"No, Baobao." Wen Ling glanced at him with a slight smile and casually soothed him.

Zhou Yinhe wasn't so angry anymore; Wen Ling took in his surroundings and curiously asked, "Where are you right now?"

Zhou Yinhe turned the camera to show her a neat drill field, empty all around and very quiet.

"It was hard enough to get this phone from my second uncle just to video-call you, and you still find me annoying."

Seeing he was about to complain, Wen Ling immediately cut him off and changed the subject.

"When are you coming back?"

Zhou Yinhe pouted, "A month. I have no idea what my second uncle is thinking—my older brothers are still on the phone handling company matters."

Imagining those usual suit-wearing CEOs having to run and jump every day, sporting buzz cuts and sweating, Wen Ling couldn't help but laugh.

Just as Zhou Yinhe was about to speak, a scolding voice came from beside him, so he had to end the video call first.

Having been sent back to the dorm by his uncle, his three older brothers were busy working on their own computers; seeing him return, they gave him a brief glance then looked away.

Zhou Yinhe sighed, crawled back onto the bed and lay down, then let out another deep sigh.

Zhou Jingyuan, who had hung up first, came over, smiling as he sized him up, his eyes full of meaning.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"You look lovesick, it's amusing."

Zhou Jingyuan raised an eyebrow and said, "If you drag us into this too, you haven't considered that we could at least help you keep an eye on Wen Ling—if she ever dumps you, we brothers could still step in to stop her."

Zhou Yinhe gave a silent eye-roll, turned his back, and said, "No need for you to watch over me; she won't leave me."

Zhou Congyu slowly climbed onto the bed, yawned, and drawled, "So confident?"

"Of course."

Zhou Jingyuan amusedly regarded his stiff-backed posture and said, "You've only been out a day and you're already glued to the phone, and she doesn't find you annoying?"

Zhou Yinhe's face darkened for an instant; Zhou Jingyuan couldn't see it, but Zhou Congyu could see it clearly and said lightly, "Never mind him—if Miss Wen really doesn't want him anymore, will you coax her?"

"I won't coax her."

Zhou Jingyuan turned back to his own stool, sat down, propped his legs up and fiddled with his phone, chuckling, "Pathetic—a grown man clinging to his girlfriend all day."

"At least Xiao Wu has a girlfriend—what about you?"

Second Uncle Zhou pushed the door in, hands behind his back, a cold stare on his nephews and sons, and scolded, "Hurry up and sleep; tomorrow at five you'll get up, each run ten laps, then go eat breakfast."

Zhou Jingyuan stared at his own father in disbelief and said, "Dad, did we offend you somewhere?"

"Yes, when you finally bring a girlfriend home I'll forgive you—but for now you have to listen to me."

——

Just after Zhou Yinhe left, Wen Ling didn't particularly miss him; in fact she thoroughly enjoyed having no one clinging to her.

Lu Zhaoye invited her to the company and she went; Chu Yao and Fu Huahua invited her out to play and she attended every one.

That day, Fu Huahua came with her boyfriend, the two leaning sweetly against each other and feeding each other.

Wen Ling stared, stunned; after looking away she felt her chest tighten.

She lowered her gaze to play with her fingers, stayed silent for a long while, then picked up her phone and sent a message to Zhou Yinhe.

【When can I come see you?】

Zhou Yinhe was probably still training, so the message wouldn't be seen until evening; Wen Ling sighed, lifted her drink and idly looked around.

Chu Yao poked her with an elbow; Wen Ling looked over, puzzled, and Chu Yao said, "Why do you look so unhappy?"

"I'm fine." Wen Ling didn't tell her.

Chu Yao blinked and asked, "Are you missing Zhou Yinhe?"

Wen Ling openly admitted, "A little—we'd been glued together all the time lately, and suddenly being apart feels a bit off."

"Indeed, this feeling must be what they call withdrawal," Chu Yao said, propping her chin, smiling. "Why not, while he's away, I find you a few handsome guys?"

"No." Wen Ling shook her head in refusal, but Chu Yao had already waved and called over the nearby manager.

The manager hurried over, bent down to listen seriously to Chu Yao's instructions, then nodded and left.

Wen Ling couldn't be bothered with her, and continued lounging on the sofa, scanning the surroundings.

Not long after, the manager returned, trailing several tall, slender men behind him.

"Ling Ling, Ling Ling, hurry up and look." Chu Yao forcibly turned Wen Ling's body toward the men, saying, "Which one do you like? Pick any—you can have them all, I'll foot the bill."

Wen Ling's forehead darkened with black lines as if they were substance, and she said, "You're serious?"

"Of course." Chu Yao lifted her chin, "Don't worry, it's just to have him keep you company while you drink—nothing more."

Jiang Jibai had just come in from outside, casually glanced over, and happened to see Wen Ling, already standing before her were those few men.

He let out a soft hiss as if amused by the spectacle, took out his phone and snapped a photo, examined it closely, lightly tapped the back of his finger on the screen, chuckled, and sent it to Zhou Yinhe.

They'd made Zhou Yinhe spout nonsense in front of his mother, then outright put a lockdown on the house, so for a while he didn't dare stay out late playing.

He swayed back to his private room, still humming a tune, while Ke Chengyu and Qi Zhan and a few others were playing cards inside; seeing him so pleased, they asked him something.

Jiang Jibai didn't tell them, instead he sat back alone on the sofa, sipping his drink sip by sip, waiting for Zhou Yinhe's reaction after he got the phone.

Zhou Yinhe had just gotten his phone back from his second uncle, glanced at his three brothers slumped on the ground, cigarettes dangling, utterly uncaring about their image, leaning against the wall to check his own message.

He didn't open Jiang Jibai's message box first; he opened Wen Ling's, saw her message, smiled with pursed lips, and placed a video call to her.

Wen Ling ended the video call; he frowned, sent a question mark, then opened Jiang Jibai's message and glanced at it.

Zhou Yinhe muttered a curse, straightened up and strode toward Zhou Xuexiao's office, fuming.

Zhou Yanqiu shouted at him, but he ignored her, so she had to stride after him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going out." Zhou Yinhe had a cold face, shook off Zhou Yanqiu's hand, pushed open Zhou Xuexiao's office and walked in, and also closed the door behind him.

Zhou Yanqiu almost had her nose bumped, furrowed her brow and stepped back; Zhou Congyu and Zhou Jingyuan, who had followed up, were also a bit confused.

The office door couldn't block Zhou Yinhe's voice filled with anger.

"Second Uncle, I must go out!"