I'm Just Getting Your Luck - Chapter 23

Once naive, twice wise.

Zhou Chenyi, arm in a sling, truly felt a little wronged.

He usually had a chauffeur, and the only two times he took the e-bike were with Ying Yu. He forgot to remove the key, and in a way, that was understandable.

The next afternoon, instead of eating his sick meal in the office as usual, Zhou Chenyi appeared in the cafeteria.

The cafeteria manager personally introduced the dishes next to him:
“Braised lion’s head, grilled fish, beef stew with potatoes, Coca-Cola chicken wings — President Zhou, what would you like?”

“Stir-fried greens, shredded potatoes, and cucumber salad.”

Zhou Chenyi calmly picked his food and, under everyone’s gaze, walked straight to the table where Ying Yu and her team were sitting.

The PR department always ate together. They were in the middle of a lively gossip session. When they saw Zhou Chenyi coming over, none of them moved to give up a seat. They all pretended to be clueless:

“President Zhou, sit! Don’t just stand there, treat it like home.”

“Exactly, someone give President Zhou a seat!”

“My spot faces south, it brings bad luck — you shouldn’t sit here, President Zhou.”

“President Zhou, that’s all you’re eating? Is going vegetarian trendy now?”

“You don’t understand, President Zhou is doing good deeds.”

“…At this point, does it still count if he starts eating vegetarian now?”

“For peace of mind. That’s what happens when people get older.”

Zhou Chenyi: “…”

What kind of life was this for a CEO?

Xin Ni, who couldn’t stand it any longer, pulled Zhou Chenyi over to the next table. They sat one aisle apart from Ying Yu’s group, close enough to hear everything clearly.

“There’s a new talent show out called One in a Hundred Miles. The girls on there are seriously too pretty — I can’t even keep up.”

“The male mentor is handsome too. Pian Su — that elegant older guy — was famous all over Asia when he was young! Honestly, I think he stayed unmarried because he’s still waiting for Qionghua.”

“No man is that faithful. Especially not one who’s rich and handsome. He probably already has kids.”

Right then, Zhou Chenyi happened to take a bite of pepper and coughed a few times.

Everyone turned to look at him at once. After a few seconds of silence, someone dared to ask, “President Zhou, you don’t have kids, right?”

Zhou Chenyi instinctively replied, “No.”

The PR department collectively gave him a thumbs-up.
“Mmm. Our President Zhou — rich, handsome, and an exception. A good man.”

Zhou Chenyi seriously wondered what kind of people he had hired into PR.

“But doesn’t President Zhou have someone he’s liked for a long time?” Cui Se bit into a chicken drumstick and pointed vaguely at Zhou Chenyi’s phone. “The photo on the back of your phone — I’ve seen that in a magazine.”

Now no one at the table was eating anymore — they were all smiling and turning to look at Ying Yu.

Ying Yu had been silent since Zhou Chenyi showed up, but now, under the teasing yet friendly stares, she had no choice but to speak up.
“Sese-jie, that photo is of me.”

“!”

Why do you all know this?!

Zhang Le tried to smooth things over:
“Even if the photo’s fake, the story is real. If he hadn’t experienced such a deep and unforgettable crush, how could he write with such heartfelt emotion? Walking the long way home just to walk with her a little longer, going to the teacher every break just to catch a glimpse — it made my heart flutter. President Zhou must’ve had an unrequited love!”

Ying Yu remembered something Zhu Yinghan had said that day and started poking her potatoes to bits with a spoon.

“It wasn’t me,” Zhou Chenyi elegantly ate a cucumber slice and then casually pointed at Guan Pingjin. “That stuff? That was all him. I would never.”

Everyone turned to Guan Pingjin.
“So that was your unrequited love story — was the girl in the story your wife?”

“Nope. Don’t let your ‘sister-in-law’ hear that, who knows where she is,” Zhou said.

Guan Pingjin, known for being totally whipped, straightened up when Zhou Chenyi gave him a look.

“I got totally rejected back then — you know why? Because the girl I liked had a crush on Zhou Chenyi. Back in school, he was quiet but good-looking and smart — the exact type everyone liked. Some girls even followed him home. He thought it was a break-in and nearly called the cops.”

“Our class goddess was smart though. She used the slow-and-steady approach. Homework, chores — always partnered with him. She was the only girl who could talk to him regularly. They were both set to go to Qingda University, but her parents made her go abroad. Man, she cried like crazy.”

“She came back last month, I think. Now she’s a TV host. Might see her at our class reunion next month.” Ignoring Zhou’s warning glare, Guan kept gossiping. “You’re going, right? I’m the class monitor — show me some face.”

“I’m done eating.” Ying Yu, for some reason, was suddenly upset. She got up with her tray and left.

The gossip went on.

Zhou Chenyi kicked Guan Pingjin under the table.
“You a cook or a PR guy? Stop embellishing. I already forgot her name — her crying had nothing to do with me.”

“Then why did you hand her tissues?”

“If you were sobbing and sniffling like that, I’d give you tissues too. I might even feed them to you.” Zhou grabbed a chicken wing from his tray and swapped it with a piece of ginger. “Stop talking about this at the office — you’re ruining my reputation.”

“Damn it, Zhou Chenyi! You know I hate ginger! I puke when I eat it — are you trying to kill me?!”

—

Ying Yu still hadn’t found her e-bike. After grabbing dinner on the way and strolling home, it was already 8:30 PM.

Logically, she shouldn’t be angry about Zhou Chenyi’s school days — but she didn’t know why she was. Her chest just felt tight and stuffy.

Probably too much cola.

From afar, she saw a Bentley parked downstairs. She recognized it as Zhou Chenyi’s car. He was outside, fiddling with an e-bike — pressing this and poking that.

High beam on, high beam off. Horn beep. Turn signal blinking.

There was nothing on that bike he didn’t know how to use.

When he saw Ying Yu, Zhou Chenyi patted the brand new e-bike beside him and said:
“It was my mistake that made you lose your old one. Here’s a new one. The key’s yours.”

Ying Yu didn’t want to talk to him, but he had even gotten the plates registered for the new bike. She couldn’t help but say:
“What if the old one is found? Am I supposed to ride two bikes?”

“Alternate between them,” Zhou replied, rubbing his nose. “Or… I could ride one.”

“What did you say?”

Ying Yu didn’t hear clearly. She was wearing a light-colored knit sweater. The temperature had dropped, and she was feeling a bit cold.

She put the key in her pocket. “I’m heading up. You should go too.”

They weren’t in any sort of relationship — she had no right to ask anything.

Ying Yu kept telling herself: she just wanted Zhou Chenyi’s good luck — nothing more.

“Ying Yu, you’re being irresponsible.”

She was already at the stairs when she suddenly heard him say that.

“What did I do?”

“You were responsible for taking care of me while I’m injured — but I still haven’t eaten!” Zhou Chenyi stood at the bottom of the stairs. He spoke loudly enough for Ying Yu to hear but with a righteous tone.

“You’re not broke.”

“That’s not the point. You’re being irresponsible. Typical — once you got what you wanted, you dropped me. Yesterday you wanted to touch me, and today you act like I’m a stranger!”

Just then, a neighbor walked by, giving Ying Yu a “Wow, I didn’t expect this from you” kind of look.

“You promised, didn’t you? Some ex-cop you are. What happened to ‘serving the people’?!”

Zhou Chenyi was on a roll. Ying Yu was afraid he’d keep going until the neighbor thought she was some heartless player. She quickly dragged him back upstairs.

There was only one pack of instant noodles left at home, and the fridge was empty — not even an egg.

The portable stove they used for hiking was still out. As soon as she put the pot on, Zhou Chenyi turned off the flame.
“I smell gas — gives me a headache. Use the induction cooker.”

“… …”

Don’t fight an injured man. Be kind to the disabled.

Ying Yu explained, “The induction cooker’s broken. If you want food, stay out of the way.”

“I’ll do it myself,” Zhou Chenyi said, completely taking over the space and pushing her aside. “I want to experience the joy of cooking.”

“…Nuts.”

Fine. If he wanted to cook, let him cook. She had to pack for their trip tomorrow anyway — two sets of luggage, plus picking up Long Qiuqiu who had “escaped” again. They were taking the high-speed rail to Shanghai.

Even with a cast on, Zhou Chenyi wasn’t one to stay still. While the noodles boiled, he turned on the TV to a popular variety show.

Ying Yu was packing when she came out and saw the hosts being introduced.

The female host had a soft voice, wore a halter dress adorned with golden diamonds, and looked very elegant. Her wavy hair was draped over her shoulders, and even her smile was perfectly measured.

She said, “Hi everyone, I’m Guo Baiwei. The weekend’s coming — what plans do you have? Tweet us @HappyNow with your stories!”

Ying Yu couldn’t take it.
“Do you have to watch this? Change the channel.”

“It’s lively,” Zhou Chenyi replied, not budging.

Ying Yu didn’t know what came over her. She snapped with a hint of sarcasm:
“You like the lively show, or the pretty host?”

Guo Baiwei’s face was in a close-up. Zhou Chenyi didn’t react much.
“The male host isn’t as handsome as me. The female one… beauty’s subjective. I don’t know her — has nothing to do with me.”

“You don’t know her?” Ying Yu was stunned. The anger inside her fizzled, though she wasn’t sure why. She blinked.
“She was your high school classmate. Don’t you remember? Guo Baiwei — the one who ‘slowly boiled the frog’.”

“Stop making things up. Qingda isn’t some farmer’s market — you can’t just go if you want to. I worked my way there all on my own.” Zhou Chenyi also corrected her metaphor. “I’m not a frog. No one boiled me.”

Once naive, twice wise.

Zhou Chenyi slouched on the sofa, changing channels like he owned the place — more like a host than she was.

He kept ranting about how she believed rumors, how she was ruining his clean name.

“Zhou Chenyi.”

Ying Yu stood in front of him and leaned in to make eye contact.

Her pajama collar was loose, and when she bent forward, a bit of soft curve peeked out. Zhou Chenyi immediately turned away in panic.

He had to admit — Ying Yu’s face was dangerously tempting. With them so close, noses almost brushing, he could even smell her perfume.

His brain short-circuited, adrenaline spiking, pushing him toward reckless thoughts.

If Ying Yu said she wanted to kiss him right then — he just might let her.

“Zhou Chenyi.” Ying Yu called him again, eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Your noodles are burning.”

!

The smell of scorched soup base filled the apartment.

After replacing her e-bike, he now owed her a new pot.

Oh — and an induction cooker. And slippers. He refused to wear ones others had used.

Zhou Chenyi added them all to the shopping list.