Shi Yang intentionally gave Third Brother more work responsibility, and Qu Chaozong also deliberately observed while working, feeling that Third Brother was indeed a good person. He never slacked off while working and got along well with everyone.
After finishing work in the evening, Qu Chaozong routinely invited the group for a meal at a restaurant. After the meal, everyone dispersed, and Qu Chaozong took a taxi home by himself.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but once he leaned back against the car seat, it felt as if his whole body fell apart, and he just wanted to close his eyes and doze off until morning.
He closed his eyes to rest but didn’t dare to truly fall asleep. It was only five or six stops to his home, and in a blink, he would be there.
When the car stopped at the first red light, Qu Chaozong’s phone rang. He glanced down to see it was Zhang Xin calling.
He had previously blacklisted that number, but this was another number from Zhang Xin.
Qu Chaozong answered the call.
Zhang Xin’s voice quickly came through the phone: "Chaozi."
Qu Chaozong leaned back more comfortably and replied, "Yeah."
Zhang Xin asked, "What are you doing?"
Qu Chaozong felt a bit speechless, but he didn’t hang up the call. He received these kinds of contentless, purely chatty calls almost daily.
The timing was always just right. Every time Qu Chaozong dragged his tired body into a taxi, the phone call would come in no time.
Initially, he tried to refuse the calls, but Zhang Xin’s persistent dialing wore him down. Whenever he blacklisted a number, she would invariably switch to another one the next day.
Qu Chaozong was cornered. He answered; each time was filled with mild concern and greetings. Over time, he got used to it.
After a tiring day, having a gentle-voiced woman to chat with on the phone slowly turned into a kind of mental relaxation and enjoyment.
Qu Chaozong casually responded, "Taking a cab home."
The conversation paused briefly before Zhang Xin suddenly asked, "Not coming home?"
Qu Chaozong raised an eyebrow, instinctively glancing down.
Ever since Zhang Xin started clinging to him, Qu Chaozong had repeatedly examined his face in the mirror. No matter how thick-skinned he tried to be, he couldn’t place himself in the handsome category, at most just bearable to look at with a manly appearance.
He truly couldn’t figure out what Zhang Xin saw in him.
While Qu Chaozong was lost in self-reflection, the taxi made an abrupt stop, the screeching brakes piercing deeply into his ears.
Before Qu Chaozong could regain his composure, he heard the taxi driver angrily roar, "Idiot! Do you even know how to drive!"
Qu Chaozong gathered himself and saw a private car darting in front of the taxi, cutting off its path with an abrupt lane change.
The taxi driver slapped the steering wheel, ready to get out and argue with the other driver. Just as he opened the door, Qu Chaozong grabbed him from behind.
The driver turned back in surprise.
Qu Chaozong saw Zhang Xin stepping out of the car ahead, walking towards them with a smile as dazzling as a peony blossom. His temples throbbed, about to explode.
Qu Chaozong apologized, "Sorry, driver, they’re here for me! Here’s the fare, I have to get out."
The taxi driver probably just realized the gleaming Mercedes emblem and the well-dressed, brand-name-clad Zhang Xin standing there, neither of whom seemed to be someone you would want to mess with. He swallowed his complaints, accepted double the fare from Qu Chaozong, and after he got out, stepped on the gas, put the car in reverse, and drove away.
Getting out of the taxi, Qu Chaozong was hit by the cool night breeze, intensifying his headache.
He glanced at the car already parked in the middle of the road behind Zhang Xin, said nothing, and automatically sat in the passenger seat.
Zhang Xin followed, stepping into the car in her high heels, and with one press on the accelerator, the car continued driving along with the flow of traffic.
Qu Chaozong sighed inwardly; it was fortunate that the evening rush hour was over and there were few cars on the road. Otherwise, a sudden stop like hers might have caused a huge pileup.
Zhang Xin turned her head to glance at Qu Chaozong, "Why didn’t you ask why I suddenly came to find you?"
Qu Chaozong slumped back in the seat, rubbing his forehead with his hands, "You’ve been tailing me like the paparazzi every day; appearing right at my doorstep was only a matter of time."
Zhang Xin paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "How did you notice?"
Qu Chaozong exhaled heavily, "You always time it so precisely, calling as soon as I’m in a taxi, no matter if it’s day or night. You’re not the worm in my stomach."
Zhang Xin laughed again, "And you aren’t asking where I’m taking you now?"
Qu Chaozong replied self-deprecatingly, "I’m a guy, you’re a girl, you’re prettier than me, and apparently richer too. Wherever we go, it seems I won’t lose out much."
Zhang Xin lifted her chin, "True."
This time, Qu Chaozong slightly turned his head, seriously looking at the self-satisfied woman beside him. After staring for a couple of seconds, he silently turned his gaze away, sighing inwardly, thinking she really was beautiful and probably had the right to be shameless.
The air conditioning in Zhang Xin’s car was set to a perfectly comfortable temperature. Qu Chaozong leaned back and dozed off a bit.
In a half-conscious, half-awake state, he marveled at how different a good car felt, much more comfortable than a taxi. And there was a faint fragrance wafting through the car, quite pleasant; was it perfume? It didn’t smell like car freshener, so it must be from Zhang Xin...
"Hey! You’re not asleep, are you?"
Just as Qu Chaozong felt he might have dozed off, he was abruptly awakened. Opening his eyes, he gazed around before getting a grip and glanced outside the car window, quickly turning to look at Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin flirtatiously tossed him a wink, "Alright, what are you sitting there foolishly for? Come on, get down and relax."
Qu Chaozong looked at the brightly lit spa center outside, hesitated but didn’t move.
Zhang Xin suddenly laughed, leaning over to challenge him, "What? Afraid I’ll eat you up?"
Qu Chaozong stayed silent, glancing sideways at Zhang Xin.
Zhang Xin’s beautiful eyes squinted for a moment. She reached out, pushed open the car door, and a gust of cold air rushed into the car, dispersing the warmth inside.
Zhang Xin lightly brushed her eyelids, "Don’t worry, I’m not interested in dirty and smelly men. Even if I were to eat, you’d have to be clean and fragrant first."
With that, Zhang Xin stepped out of the car, casually swinging the door shut.
Eventually, Qu Chaozong followed her out of the car. A free bath? No reason to refuse, and he’d been to this spa center before; it was quite reputable.