9 – With Me Here, No One Dares Bully You
Zhuang Hui developed a postoperative infection.
Fortunately, it was caught in time and handled properly—he was now out of danger.
Afterward, Zhuang Hezhi stayed at the hospital to have dinner with Zhuang Hui. The private chef’s dishes his assistant had packed tasted bland and unappetizing.
At this hour, he should have been at the Imperial Grand Hotel…
Zhuang Hui lay in the hospital bed, weighed down by illness, listless and lacking energy.
His features bore a five or six out of ten resemblance to Zhuang Hezhi’s, though he looked considerably older.
Noticing his brother’s distracted demeanor, Zhuang Hui asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Hezhi? Food not to your liking?”
Zhuang Hezhi replied in a flat tone, “Nothing. Just not hungry.”
Zhuang Hui didn’t believe that for a second.
His younger brother was withdrawn by nature, emotionally detached, and disinclined to reveal much. Only he himself truly knew what was on his mind.
Like right now—he was sitting here dutifully keeping him company at dinner, yet his thoughts were clearly somewhere else entirely.
He wondered how someone with such a disposition would manage on his own in the future.
Zhuang Hui let out a silent sigh.
“You’re not getting any younger. Take some time to think about your personal life. Stop being so cold and distant—you’ll scare off any girl who comes near.”
“That’s right, Dad. You should talk some sense into Uncle.” Alison sat nearby, her voice sweet and cloying as she hinted heavily, “If he waits any longer, Sister Ye Jun will be past her prime.”
Zhuang Hui picked up the thread and asked him directly, “How are things between you and Ye Jun?”
Ye Jun?
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
Zhuang Hezhi searched his memory but came up with nothing.
“What do you mean, how are things?”
Zhuang Hui said bluntly, “I think she’s a good girl. Suitable match, and she’s interested in you too.”
If not for her insistence on studying abroad back then, perhaps…
“There’s nothing between us.” Zhuang Hezhi denied it outright, his expression indifferent, his emotions barely stirring. “There wasn’t before, and there never will be.”
“How can there be nothing—” Alison tried to interject but was silenced by a cold glare from Zhuang Hezhi.
He wouldn’t reprimand her in front of Zhuang Hui, but that didn’t mean a younger generation member could freely butt into the conversation.
“Big Brother needn’t worry about other matters. Just take good care of your health.” Zhuang Hezhi gestured at the dishes, telling Alison to properly attend to Zhuang Hui during the meal.
Say less of what shouldn’t be said.
His face remained expressionless as always, but what he saw on his phone caused his eyes to darken slightly.
In the dimly lit environment, against a backdrop of neon lights and revelry, the pixel quality wasn’t great.
But he spotted a certain alluring, captivating figure at once.
She wore a pink strappy slip dress, lazily swaying her hips, the hem barely reaching mid-thigh, revealing long, straight, shapely legs. In one hand she held a glass bottle, her head tilted to the side as she freely extended her elegant swan-like neck.
Full, fair curves threatened to spill out under the provocative play of the lights.
She was hazy with intoxication, utterly defenseless against any danger.
The expressions of the men beside her couldn’t be made out clearly, but they were all looking in her direction.
Zhuang Hezhi suddenly felt heat surge to his head, his breath growing warmer.
“I’m full. There’s still work at the company. Take your time eating.”
He moved too quickly—Zhuang Hui’s admonishment was left far behind him: “Hey? Hezhi, don’t spend your whole life between the company and work! You’ll be twenty-seven after the New Year! Hurry up and sort out your personal life!!”
The only response was the hurried sound of Zhuang Hezhi’s retreating footsteps.
“Ahh…” Zhuang Hui let out a heavy sigh, his body sinking weakly back into the bed.
“That brat. Every time we tell him to find someone, he makes up an excuse to run away!”
When will you bring a wife home?
“Sweetie, you’re always around Hezhi—if there’s any good news, tell me right away.”
Alison agreed readily: “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll keep an eye on Uncle.” She’d make sure he didn’t step out of line!
The only person she recognized as her aunt was Ye Jun.
Those flashy, scheming women outside—they could dream on!
Zero Degree Bar.
Qiao Yun snapped back to reality and realized that the little troublemaker was already swaying unsteadily, barely able to stand.
She felt a headache coming on and reached out to snatch the wine glass from Qin Zhiluo’s hand.
“Stop drinking. You’ve had a bit too much tonight.”
“It’s fine… I know my limits.” Qin Zhiluo dodged nimbly.
Goblet in hand, she smiled brightly.
She wasn’t a heavy drinker—she just enjoyed the feeling of being slightly tipsy.
Following her emotions, she let all the pent-up pressure in her chest pour out freely, and her whole body felt lighter for it.
“I still want to… sing~”
Qiao Yun sighed helplessly and rubbed her forehead, knowing she couldn’t stop her, so she let her be.
Qin Zhiluo, glass in hand, wandered dizzily to the side. Finding her high heels troublesome, she kicked them off one by one, sending them flying.
Barefoot, she went up and briefly spoke with the resident band.
Everyone was easygoing, and the band was quite professional—occasionally, guests could go up and sing if they wanted.
But you had to have guts.
If there was one thing Qin Zhiluo had, it was guts.
She took the microphone with slender fingers and tilted her head, thinking for a moment.
“I want to sing… ‘Mercury Records.'”
Her voice carried through the mic to everyone’s ears.
Like a spring breeze in March—clear and gentle, without a hint of harshness.
Under the dim, ambiguous lighting, the young girl had delicate features, her long hair cascading over her shoulders like seaweed. Highlighter shimmered across her collarbones, and her pink dress hugged her graceful figure.
As the intro played, the bubble machine at the front of the stage released countless dreamy, colorful bubbles.
Beautiful! Dreamlike!
Like a little mermaid who’d wandered into the mortal world!
Absolutely stunning!
Qin Zhiluo’s naturally hazy fox eyes regained a hint of clarity as she stared blankly at the sea of bubbles, lips curving into a smile. Her sweet, soft voice carried a surge of emotion.
“Captivated by your eyes,
The Milky Way leaves a trace to follow.
Through the cracks of time,
It still truly
Draws my orbit…”
The melody was gentle and moving, rich with feeling. Everyone listened in silence.
A flicker of unease passed through Qiao Yun’s heart.
Little Gardenia’s mood was off tonight…
When the song ended, the little troublemaker was still savoring the moment amid the thunderous applause.
But her steps were unsteady, and she nearly stumbled.
And so she fell into a familiar, warm embrace.
In the next moment, the man’s broad suit jacket draped over her head, wrapping her petite frame in the fabric and shielding her from prying eyes.
His scent was clean and crisp, warm and comforting—so nice~
“Hm? Why… do you look so much like Zhuang Hezhi?”
The little ditz struggled to poke her head out, grabbed his face, and pinched it hard.
Mmm, so soft~
So smooth~
Feels amazing!
How could a grown man have such good skin?
Not even a single pore in sight, and so tender.
She wanted to lunge forward and take a bite.
Awoo~
Awoo awoo awoo~
Didn’t catch him!
Qin Zhiluo got pouty, wrapped her arms around his waist, and stubbornly burrowed into him.
Whining in a childish, coquettish way like a boneless kitten.
Zhuang Hezhi covered her mouth, restraining her squirming little body.
He let out a helpless yet indulgent chuckle.
“Be good, sweetheart. Not here—I’ll let you bite me when we get home.”
It took some effort to press her firmly against him, airtight and secure.
Li En and the others sobered up considerably in an instant, scrambling to their feet in perfect elementary-school posture.
“Mr. Zhuang… Mr. Zhuang…”
Why would he show up at a gathering like this?
And holding Qin Zhiluo in his arms, no less?
“Too many eyes and ears here. Aren’t you afraid of being photographed?”
His words made everyone realize—so he was worried about being caught on camera, which would reflect poorly on Fuli’s upcoming publicity. But this place had good privacy; paparazzi couldn’t get in. And their WeChat Moments posts were only visible to close friends anyway.
Explanations were pointless. Li En knew Zhuang Hezhi’s temperament well enough not to over-explain, keeping his head low.
“Sorry, Mr. Zhuang. We’ll be more careful next time.”
Qiao Yun had drunk a lot, but she still had some sense left—there was no way she’d stand by and watch Qin Zhiluo be taken away by someone. She rubbed her throbbing temples and made her way over through the booth seats.
“Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Zhuang. Give Zhizhi to me—I’ll take her home.”
The hem of her clothing slipped through her fingers, and she grasped nothing.
Qiao Yun: ??
She wanted to chase after them, but a tall, imposing figure suddenly appeared before her, blocking her path.
Zhang Heng wore a smile on his face: “Miss Qiao, why don’t you stay and enjoy yourself a little longer? Our Mr. Zhuang said all of tonight’s expenses are on him, and he’ll arrange for someone to see you home later.”
The shrewd Li En sidled up as well, pressing down on her shoulder to make her sit.
“Let’s not waste Mr. Zhuang’s kind gesture.”
“Come on, let’s keep drinking~”
In the silent parking garage, Zhuang Hezhi set her down in the passenger seat.
Before he could even buckle her seatbelt, his dark suit jacket slipped off and fell at his feet. He had to turn his head to the side, doing his best not to let his gaze wander toward her.
In the seat, the little troublemaker sat all crooked, her head bobbing up and down.
Her half-lidded, fox-like eyes were glistening and wet as she whined in a delicate voice: “Brother’s ignoring me.”
“I’m not ignoring you. Be good and don’t squirm—I’ll take you home.”
“Mm~ I don’t wanna go home. There’s a nasty person waiting for me at home, wants to bully me… wuu wuu wuu…”
Zhuang Hezhi remained bent over in the position of buckling her seatbelt, which conveniently allowed Qin Zhiluo to loop her arms around his neck, half-teasing, half-whining in the most spoiled manner.
Far away at his own house, Zhang Xuanyu sneezed violently. Why does it feel like someone’s cursing me?
Zhuang Hezhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he suppressed the emotions churning in his chest, coaxing her in a gentle voice: “Alright, we won’t go home.”
“Zhizhi, be good. As long as I’m here, no one dares to bully you.”