Chapter 25: The Confrontation Between Chinese Seafood and Western Seafood…

Bai Yuanzhi looked at Duoluoxi with a faint smile.

Despite Duoluoxi being armed to the teeth today, it precisely proved one thing—she was feeling guilty.

Duoluoxi felt extremely uncomfortable.

This was the second time she had seen Bai Yuanzhi.

The first time was yesterday—she had witnessed Bai Yuanzhi, dressed simply in jeans and a T-shirt yet radiating vibrant energy, getting into Zhou Weihao’s car. The handsome man and beautiful woman made a perfect match.

The second time was now—Bai Yuanzhi was wearing a maid uniform, looking both obedient and pretty.

But no matter which occasion it was, Bai Yuanzhi’s beauty, youth, and well-proportioned figure… every aspect made Duoluoxi feel inferior.

She stared blankly at Bai Yuanzhi, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Ms. Duoluoxi?” Bai Yuanzhi asked, “May I ask… what exactly did you want to see me about?”

Duoluoxi took a deep breath—

She decided to go all out!

“Miss Bai, I don’t know if you’ve heard of me,” Duoluoxi said, trying her best to use the most elegant tone to overpower Bai Yuanzhi, “…I am Zhou Weihao’s girlfriend.”

Bai Yuanzhi showed just the right amount of surprise. “Oh, really?”

“Miss Bai, I’ve heard that you’ve been getting quite close to Mr. Zhou lately, is that true?” Duoluoxi asked.

Bai Yuanzhi thought for a moment. “Mr. Zhou and I are good friends.”

—This was the explanation she and Zhou Weihao had agreed upon beforehand.

According to Zhou Weihao’s request, if Duoluoxi ever came to cause trouble for Bai Yuanzhi, he hoped she could show restraint.

So, Bai Yuanzhi decided to follow her client’s instructions.

After all, she had received 100,000 Hong Kong dollars from him, and the money did feel a bit too hot to handle.

But Duoluoxi grew agitated. Clenching her fists, she shouted at Bai Yuanzhi, “Don’t you have any manners?”

“You know perfectly well that he already has a girlfriend, yet you still rush to fawn over him!”

“Do you think I don’t know what you’re scheming?”

“You just saw a wealthy young man and thought you could climb the social ladder using your body!”

“Bai Yuanzhi! How can you be so shameless! Don’t you have any dignity? Any dignity at all!” Duoluoxi screamed.

Bai Yuanzhi was stunned.

Her impression of Duoluoxi came from:

The first time she went to a restaurant for breakfast with Lily, she had overheard Marry and Duoluoxi’s conversation. So, Bai Yuanzhi knew very well—Duoluoxi had deceived Zhou Weihao.

Apart from that, all of Bai Yuanzhi’s impressions of Duoluoxi came from Zhou Weihao’s descriptions.

In Zhou Weihao’s words, Duoluoxi was gentle, kind, modest, and perfect in every way…

Bai Yuanzhi had already prepared herself for the possibility that Duoluoxi might be a two-faced person—she likely had one face for Zhou Weihao and another for everyone else.

But there were still common traits: insecurity, timidity, cowardice, and submissiveness.

Yet the Duoluoxi before her now caught Bai Yuanzhi completely off guard.

—Where was the cowardice in Duoluoxi?!

She was clearly fierce!

Bai Yuanzhi had no intention of taking any action.

To be honest, she didn’t care whether Zhou Weihao and Duoluoxi’s love story would have a happy ending or a tragic one.

She only hoped that Zhou Weihao wouldn’t turn against her and take back the 100,000 dollars…

At least before she signed the purchase contract with the original homeowner, she didn’t want any accidents to happen.

So, Bai Yuanzhi didn’t want to push Duoluoxi too far.

But—

It seemed too late.

Because Zhou Weihao had already arrived.

Yes, Bai Yuanzhi was no fool.

She knew Marry would target her.

To protect herself and to avoid giving Marry any leverage, Bai Yuanzhi forced Marry to issue an official transfer order, temporarily reassigning Bai Yuanzhi to the seventeenth floor…

During this gap, Bai Yuanzhi used the internal phone in the duty room to call Zhou Weihao and briefly explained her situation.

At the time, Zhou Weihao comforted her over the phone, “It’s okay, Ah Zhi. Duoluoxi is a good person. She might just be a bit uneasy… Ah Zhi, don’t worry. When you meet Duoluoxi later, just stall for time.”

“I’ll come over right away. Leave everything to me.” That’s what Zhou Weihao told Bai Yuanzhi.

So—

At this moment, Duoluoxi stood with her back to the door, furiously shouting at Bai Yuanzhi.

But Bai Yuanzhi saw that Zhou Weihao had already used a master key card to unlock the door.

This was probably the first time Zhou Weihao had ever seen Duoluoxi in such a furious state, and he froze in place.

Now, Bai Yuanzhi was also at a loss.

She could only glance at Duoluoxi, then at Zhou Weihao.

However, in Duoluoxi’s eyes, Bai Yuanzhi’s flickering gaze only seemed suspicious.

—What else could this be but guilt!

Duoluoxi grew even angrier, raising her arm high and swinging it toward Bai Yuanzhi’s face. “You shameless bitch! Lowlife… a whore who only wants to seduce men!”

Bai Yuanzhi had promised Zhou Weihao she would absolutely not clash with Duoluoxi.

But that didn’t mean she was willing to be hit.

So she took a step back—

Duoluoxi, likely enraged, grew even angrier when she saw Bai Yuanzhi dodging and raised her arm higher as she chased after her!

Bai Yuanzhi had ten thousand ways to avoid it.

But in that split second,

a bold idea suddenly flashed through Bai Yuanzhi’s mind.

So she stopped in her tracks, bit her lower lip, and said to Duoluoxi, “I’m not! Please don’t say that about me! I, I…”

“Slap!!!”

A crisp sound of a slap rang out.

Bai Yuanzhi took the blow squarely.

Duoluoxi planted her hands on her hips and cursed, “I’m warning you, you bitch, get away from Zhou Weihao right now! If you dare seduce him again, I have ten thousand ways to make your life a living hell!”

Bai Yuanzhi covered her face and ran toward the door.

Zhou Weihao stood dumbfounded at the doorway, taking in the entire scene.

After slapping Bai Yuanzhi, Duoluoxi still wasn’t satisfied. Seeing Bai Yuanzhi trying to escape, she chased after her.

However—

Just as Duoluoxi reached the doorway, she suddenly caught sight of Zhou Weihao.

She froze, her face instantly turning pale. Her hands, which had been planted on her hips, dropped limply to her sides as she murmured his name in confusion, “Ah… Ahao?”

Zhou Weihao stared at Duoluoxi in shock, as if he didn’t recognize her.

Bai Yuanzhi covered her face and sobbed to Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, please step aside. I need to go to work.”

Only then did Zhou Weihao snap back to reality, looking at Bai Yuanzhi in astonishment.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say sorry to Bai Yuanzhi…

Bai Yuanzhi paid no heed, covering her face as she swiftly fled.

Behind her came Duoluoxi’s sobbing, “Ahao! Ahao, listen to me! It’s not what you think…”

Bai Yuanzhi lowered her head, smiling faintly, then quickly composed her expression and pushed the cleaning cart away without looking back.

After returning to her post, Bai Yuanzhi boldly continued working with the slap mark still visible on her face.

—Yes, she had done it on purpose.

A Xi and Xiao Yu watched Bai Yuanzhi with concern, wanting to ask several times what had happened, but they were deterred by the deliberately feigned look of sorrow and grievance on Bai Yuanzhi’s face, and in the end, they let it go.

As for Sister Marry, who had specifically come to “inspect (harass)” Bai Yuanzhi’s work, although she couldn’t find any mistakes in Bai Yuanzhi’s performance, she was satisfied to see the slap mark on Bai Yuanzhi’s face, revealing a smug and gloating expression.

After finishing her shift at noon, Bai Yuanzhi ignored Zhou Weihao.

She went to St. Maria Hospital.

Zhou Sier’s condition had improved significantly compared to three months ago.

However, she was still in a vegetative state.

The reason her condition was said to be better was that her stress responses were more pronounced.

—She would open or close her eyes depending on the intensity of light, open her mouth and chew when the caregiver fed her, and cooperate when the caregiver massaged, bathed, or handled her toileting needs.

She even responded when the doctor spoke to her.

However, Zhou Sier still couldn’t control her limbs freely;

though she responded, her sounds were incoherent, producing only unconscious syllables.

The doctor told Bai Yuanzhi, “Your sister is truly resilient. Her vital signs have stabilized, which is the most critical step. But brain injuries are no joke—this might be a very long recovery process. I hope the family won’t rush it. Encourage Zhou Sier more and give her more time.”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded repeatedly.

She asked the doctor, “Aside from our family, has anyone else come to visit my sister?”

—Since Zhou Sier had been moved out of the ICU, the hospital had relaxed its restrictions on visitation.

In other words, anyone who wanted to visit Zhou Sier could do so as long as they registered.

The doctor told Bai Yuanzhi, “The manager from Bilanting Hotel seems to have visited, and a few of Zhou Sier’s classmates also came.”

Bai Yuanzhi found this strange and asked, “What about my sister’s boyfriend? Has he visited?”

The doctor thought for a moment, “Hmm, I don’t recall. Perhaps you could check the registration log at the nurses’ station.”

After thanking the doctor, Bai Yuanzhi went to the nurses’ station and borrowed the registration log. Upon reviewing it, she noticed something unusual.

—The two managers from Bilanting Hotel took turns visiting, about once a week.

—Zhou Sier’s classmates had likely visited her together once, with Monica and Jenny among them.

—George, the boy who had a crush on Zhou Sier, seemed to be the most frequent visitor aside from Bai Yuanzhi, coming about every three or four days.

—However, Zhou Sier’s official boyfriend, Song Junshu, had only visited once, half a month ago. He had come with a girl named Luo Jiaojiao.

Bai Yuanzhi fell into deep thought.

Unconsciously, she had already walked to Zhou Sier’s bedside and sat down.

Zhou Sier remained as stunningly beautiful as ever.

However, prolonged bed rest had left her like a pale, withering flower.

Bai Yuanzhi called out “big sister” and tightly grasped her hand.

Zhou Sier’s hand was already as thin and withered as a stick.

Yet it still emitted a faint warmth.

“Big sister, can you understand what I’m saying?” Bai Yuanzhi whispered softly.

Zhou Sier lay quietly, not moving at all.

“Big sister, the most important thing for you now is to recover as quickly as possible…”

“I think I need to tell you pessimistically—it has been three months since your accident. In these three months, they must have prepared a thorough response. So, no matter what you accuse them of, they will have reasons to deny it, and they might even produce evidence against you.”

“But big sister, none of that matters.”

“What matters is that you must survive.”

“As long as you live, there will always be a day when you can turn things around, and the truth will surely come to light!”

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t know if her big sister could hear her.

So, while no one was around, she repeatedly whispered into her big sister’s ear, “Big sister, if you can hear me clearly and understand what I’m saying… please remember, you must work hard to recover your body and mind. But in some people’s eyes, a Zhou Sier who never wakes up is the one who poses no threat. Big sister, you must listen carefully to what I’m saying…”

This sentence, Bai Yuanzhi spoke in her hometown dialect.

She deliberately spoke quickly and unclearly, lowering her voice to a whisper.

It wasn’t until the nurse came in to change Zhou Sier’s IV drip

that Bai Yuanzhi switched to a normal tone and slowly began to tell Zhou Sier about her recent life.

She told Zhou Sier:

She had found a formal job with a decent salary,

She was about to move out of her current rental and into a better apartment,

She said the weather outside was lovely, and if big sister could wake up, they could go for a walk in the nearby park together…

Finally, Bai Yuanzhi gently touched the cheek that Duoluoxi had slapped earlier that day and smiled softly, “Big sister, believe me, things will only get better for us!”

Bai Yuanzhi stood up and left.

Standing at the hospital entrance, she suddenly stopped.

In truth, she had always felt that since her rebirth, everything had gone smoothly.

Far more smoothly than in her previous life.

But now, she felt that the road ahead was long and treacherous.

Yet this time, she and her big sister would definitely survive, and they would live brilliantly!

Bai Yuanzhi started walking again, heading toward night school.

The next day, Bai Yuanzhi went to work at the hotel as if nothing had happened.

Zhou Weihao was waiting early at the entrance of Songhe Building, blocking her way. “Ah Zhi, I’m really sorry about yesterday—”

Bai Yuanzhi cut him off, “Mr. Zhou, I’m about to be late.”

Zhou Weihao: …

“Ah Zhi, you can be angry with me, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to make it up to you,” Zhou Weihao said sincerely. “I won’t disturb your work, but please… wait for me at the west gate after your shift at noon, okay?”

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t respond. She sidestepped Zhou Weihao and hurried upstairs.

She couldn’t be bothered to guess what had happened between Zhou Weihao and Duoluoxi after yesterday.

Because—

as soon as she saw Sister Marry’s reaction, Bai Yuanzhi would be able to figure it out.

Soon enough, Bai Yuanzhi saw Sister Marry’s reaction.

Sister Marry glared at Bai Yuanzhi with a murderous look in her eyes.

So Bai Yuanzhi understood: yesterday, Zhou Weihao and Duoluoxi had not reconciled, and Duoluoxi might have even taken her anger out on Sister Marry.

So what?

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t need to show Sister Marry any respect at all!

When Sister Marry accused Bai Yuanzhi of disobeying her authority,

Bai Yuanzhi fired back directly, “Sorry, Sister Marry, I’m a cleaner at Bilanting Hotel, and I work according to the employee handbook. I’m not a Filipina domestic helper, so I don’t have to obey you in everything.”

Sister Marry was so angry she nearly choked.

When Sister Marry nitpicked Bai Yuanzhi’s work, saying it wasn’t up to standard,

Bai Yuanzhi said bluntly, “Sister Marry, I’m following the handbook. Why do you think my work isn’t good enough? Is it because you think you’re more important than the hotel? Then, Sister Marry, are you more important than the chairman? Otherwise, why won’t you let me follow the rules approved by the chairman, and instead demand I meet your standards?”

Sister Marry was so angry she rolled her eyes.

When Sister Marry threatened Bai Yuanzhi, saying she would report her to the administration, fine her, and fire her,

Bai Yuanzhi said straightforwardly, “No problem, Sister Marry, go ahead and report me! When the administration comes to question me, I’ll repeat everything you just said word for word and ask them if they authorized you to punish employees privately…”

Sister Marry was so angry she couldn’t speak.

Bai Yuanzhi continued, “Including what happened yesterday.”

Sister Marry’s eyes widened.

Bai Yuanzhi added, “Yesterday, you did personal work during office hours—you were supposed to be working, but you were with your cousin! Also, yesterday you reassigned me to the seventeenth floor without reason, wasting both my time and the seventeenth-floor cleaner’s work! I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this… I can also ask the administration to thoroughly investigate your attendance records!”

“What do you think, Sister Marry?” Bai Yuanzhi asked again.

Sister Marry nearly fainted from anger!

But she couldn’t find any words to refute Bai Yuanzhi, so she could only storm off angrily.

As soon as Sister Marry left—

A Xi and Xiao Yu gathered around, worriedly saying:

“Ah Zhi, why provoke her? She’s our direct supervisor… why bother? It’s better to offend the king of hell than a petty devil!”

“Yeah, Ah Zhi, this job is hard to come by. Just endure it if you can, no need to argue with someone like her.”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled, “I know what I’m doing.”

After work, Bai Yuanzhi went to the west gate.

Zhou Weihao was already waiting there early. Seeing Bai Yuanzhi arrive, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ushered her to his car, even opening the door for her:

“Ah Zhi, I’ve already talked to Duoluoxi, and she knows about our agreement… so she feels very regretful. We made you suffer yesterday, so today we’re treating you to a meal as an apology.”

Bai Yuanzhi remained silent for a moment before getting into the car.

Zhou Weihao drove her to an upscale seafood restaurant. “Last time, I heard you say you liked fresh shrimp and crab roe wonton noodles. I thought maybe you prefer seafood… so this time, we didn’t go to a Western restaurant. By the way, Duoluoxi should have already ordered the dishes…”

Bai Yuanzhi followed Zhou Weihao into the private room.

Sure enough, Duoluoxi was already seated there.

Today, Duoluoxi was no longer dressed from head to toe in designer brands like yesterday.

She wore simple clothes, wore no makeup, and tear stains were still visible on her face.

Seeing Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi enter, Duoluoxi quickly stood up. “Ahao!”

Zhou Weihao stepped aside, letting Bai Yuanzhi take the main seat, then gave Duoluoxi a meaningful look.

Duoluoxi bit her lower lip. “Miss Bai…”

“I’m really sorry about yesterday. I was very rude. Please forgive me,” Duoluoxi said softly.

Zhou Weihao pointed to several gift boxes placed on a nearby seat and said to Bai Yuanzhi, “Ah Zhi, Duoluoxi knows she was wrong. Today, she even prepared some gifts for you. I hope you won’t mind what happened yesterday.”

Bai Yuanzhi put on a professional smile and said a distant “thank you.”

After all, the other party was a client, and there was no need to make things too tense.

But she didn’t respond to Duoluoxi’s apology either, as she still needed to rely on that slap to evoke Zhou Weihao’s guilt.

Perhaps Zhou Sier’s future comeback would depend on this lingering sense of guilt from Zhou Weihao.

Zhou Weihao quickly tried to smooth things over. “Ah Zhi, please sit! Sit… Duoluoxi, have you already ordered? Then let them serve the dishes!”

Bai Yuanzhi said nothing.

Duoluoxi got up to instruct the waiter.

Zhou Weihao wanted to lighten the atmosphere but didn’t know what to say.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Soon, the waiter began serving the dishes.

Herb lemon cheese cod fillet,

Cheese-baked lobster pasta,

Onion butter stewed mussels,

Garlic breaded fried scallops…

Zhou Weihao’s expression darkened.

He glanced at Duoluoxi.

Duoluoxi said gently, “Ahao, I thought since Miss Bai rarely visits Jiahong, I ordered Western-style seafood dishes…”

Then, she looked at Bai Yuanzhi. “I wonder if Miss Bai… is satisfied?”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled.

She could sense the hidden malice beneath Duoluoxi’s smile.

Yesterday, she was willing to endure that slap in front of Zhou Weihao… with the intention of leveraging the favor.

But today, there was no need to hold back anymore.

Bai Yuanzhi asked Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, may I order a few dishes?”

Zhou Weihao nodded. “Of course.”

He immediately called the waiter and brought over the menu.

Bai Yuanzhi ordered steamed grouper, boiled tiger prawns, ginger and scallion stir-fried crab, and sea urchin fried rice.

Zhou Weihao was surprised. “Ah Zhi, you really know how to order! These are all Jiahong’s signature dishes!”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled faintly.

Jiahong Seafood Restaurant was one of the most luxurious seafood restaurants in Hong Kong City, specializing in traditional Cantonese cuisine.

In her previous life, Bai Yuanzhi had quite enjoyed coming here for seafood.

However, due to the high prices, she rarely visited.

Beside them, Duoluoxi seemed somewhat unwilling. “Oh, why order so many dishes… I already ordered!”

Zhou Weihao remained silent.

Bai Yuanzhi spoke to Duoluoxi word by word: “Ms. Duoluoxi, if you sincerely want to apologize to me by inviting me to a meal, shouldn’t you consider my taste and dietary preferences? But these dishes you ordered are what you like yourself, aren’t they?”

Duoluoxi’s face instantly flushed bright red.

 

Bai Yuanzhi pointed to the gifts nearby and said to Duoluoxi, “And these, Miss Duoluoxi, I hope you don’t mind if I open these gifts now?”

Duoluoxi was startled, looking at Bai Yuanzhi with disbelief.

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t indulge her at all. She reached out, took the beautifully gift-wrapped boxes, and began tearing off the wrapping.

Duoluoxi only managed to utter a single “No…”

Bai Yuanzhi had already torn off the wrapping paper, revealing the box inside—it was actually a tissue box!

Duoluoxi probably hadn’t expected Bai Yuanzhi to open the gifts in public. She shuddered and stood up.

Bai Yuanzhi smiled and said, “Wow, it’s Tempo tissues! I really like them. They truly are the aristocrats among paper products.”

Duoluoxi was so embarrassed she wished she could disappear.

Bai Yuanzhi opened another gift—it was a promotional bottle of peanut oil.

Since it was a promotional item, the bottle was very small. If one only looked at the outer packaging, it could easily be mistaken for a perfume.

Bai Yuanzhi also unwrapped a box of chocolates, but the box had clearly been opened before, and several pieces from the neatly arranged chocolates were missing…

Duoluoxi fidgeted uneasily.

Meanwhile, Zhou Weihao’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Having achieved her goal, Bai Yuanzhi smiled sweetly at Duoluoxi, thanked her, and tidied up the gifts.

She didn’t take the box of chocolates that had several pieces missing.

Just then, the waiter returned to serve the dishes.

These were the dishes Bai Yuanzhi had ordered.

As several large Chinese-style bone china plates were laid out, they immediately made Duoluoxi’s Western-style seafood dishes look pitifully shabby.

To make matters worse, the waiter then said to Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi, “Good afternoon, sir and madam… Your order has exceeded three thousand yuan. Our restaurant is offering a complimentary bottle of French Burgundy Nuits-Saint-Georges Leroy red wine. Would you like to enjoy it now, or shall we pack it for you to take home?”

Zhou Weihao replied, “Pack it, please. I drove here, so I can’t drink.”

The waiter left.

As soon as the waiter mistakenly assumed Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi were a couple, Duoluoxi was furious.

She glared at the waiter, wanting to speak up and correct him.

But the waiter was quick-witted and rattled off his entire spiel without pausing for breath!

Duoluoxi then resented both Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi.

She thought to herself, Zhou Weihao was clearly her boyfriend. Why didn’t he speak up to correct the waiter?

And that Bai Yuanzhi, being mistaken as Zhou Weihao’s wife… Was she feeling smug about it?

With this thought, Duoluoxi looked at the handsome, refined young man and then at the beautiful, charming young woman. The more she looked, the more she felt they were a perfect match—handsome man, lovely woman. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and her anger grew.

Bai Yuanzhi, on the other hand, didn’t mind at all.

Her attention was already captivated by the array of seafood!

“Mr. Zhou, could you please start the meal?” Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t help but urge. “I can’t wait any longer!”

Zhou Weihao had been silently fuming over the shabby gifts Duoluoxi had given Bai Yuanzhi.

Suddenly hearing Bai Yuanzhi’s words,

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

As the host, he quickly picked up his chopsticks, casually took a piece of steamed grouper for himself, and then said to Bai Yuanzhi, “My apologies for the poor hospitality. Please bear with me.”

As he spoke, he also picked up the teapot and refilled Bai Yuanzhi’s cup with a little more tea.

Bai Yuanzhi tapped her fingers lightly on the table a few times before picking up her chopsticks and digging in!

The steamed grouper was indeed tender and delicious!

The boiled tiger prawns had firm, springy, and refreshing meat. Even without dipping sauce, they were naturally sweet and savory.

The ginger and scallion stir-fried crab was both fresh and sweet!

It was truly too delicious…

Zhou Weihao was also enjoying the meal immensely.

For a moment, he wondered if he was getting a bit older,

as he felt that the Western-style meals he usually ate were far less suited to his taste than Chinese cuisine…

Duoluoxi observed the interaction between Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi.

She was consumed with jealousy!

She had figured it out:

—Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi had great chemistry!

—Bai Yuanzhi was willful and even competed for favor right in front of her, Duoluoxi, yet Zhou Weihao indulged and tolerated Bai Yuanzhi!

—Both she and Bai Yuanzhi had ordered dishes. Since she usually cooked these same dishes for Zhou Weihao herself, he should have preferred the dishes she ordered! So why did Zhou Weihao only eat the dishes Bai Yuanzhi ordered, without even glancing at the ones she had ordered for him?

On the other side, Zhou Weihao and Bai Yuanzhi had almost finished eating, and their previously unpleasant moods had been soothed by the delicious food.

So Zhou Weihao began discussing with Bai Yuanzhi:

“Ah Zhi, as we mentioned last time, the Xu Family is holding their annual banquet in a few days, and you’ll be going with me. So, do you need me to take you to get a formal dress?”

“No need, Mr. Zhou. I’ll arrange the dress myself, and I’ll come to you for reimbursement later.”

Zhou Weihao agreed repeatedly, “Alright, alright! That’s only fair.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Duoluoxi and then at the “gifts” Duoluoxi had given Bai Yuanzhi.

He said to Bai Yuanzhi, “After all, it’s someone else’s annual banquet. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to dress too extravagantly, since they are the main focus and we’re just there to join in the fun. In short, the dress doesn’t need to be too flashy—just appropriate and dignified.”

He took out his checkbook, wrote the amount, signed it, tore off the check, and handed it to Bai Yuanzhi, adding, “This money isn’t just for the dress. Whatever is left, consider it a real gift from me and Duoluoxi. We just don’t know what you like, so buy something you enjoy!”

Bai Yuanzhi looked at the words “Eight Thousand Yuan Only” on the check and smiled sincerely.

—Indeed, real money was much more appealing!

“Thank you, Mr. Zhou, and thank you, Duoluoxi!” Bai Yuanzhi said cheerfully as she carefully put away the check.

Watching this scene, Duoluoxi, standing nearby, bit her lower lip in resentment, overwhelmed with jealousy.

She thought to herself: She was Zhou Weihao’s official girlfriend, so why wasn’t he taking her but instead taking Bai Yuanzhi?