Even though He Zhiheng had developed quite a thick skin from spending years in their social circle, being softly addressed as “Brother Zhiheng” by Yu Huan—the very girl he had just jokingly called a “little ancestor”—made him unusually embarrassed.
The young woman had only just turned twenty. It was obvious that she had grown up surrounded by love and affection. There was nothing wrong with her being a little spoiled.
There was no need for him to make such a big deal out of it.
He Zhiheng nodded, slightly awkward, then quickly found an excuse to end the call.
“Hello. Ah He, I still have something to take care of, so I’ll hang up first. We’ll talk next time.”
Yu Huan looked up at Zhu Heqing, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
“Does your friend not like me?”
Usually, whenever people met her, they would desperately try to find things to talk about just so they could chat with her a little longer.
But Zhu Heqing’s friend had seemed eager to end the video call as soon as possible.
It was the first time in her life that Yu Huan had encountered something like this.
She touched her own face and put her rarely used brain cells to work—aside from exam periods, of course.
Could it be that she had eaten too much over the past few days and somehow become less pretty?
Zhu Heqing found her unbearably adorable and couldn’t resist kissing her cheeks several times.
“No. Everyone is going to like you.”
Yu Huan suddenly slapped his chest and blurted out, completely out of nowhere,
“I’m going on a diet!”
Zhu Heqing: “?”
He caught her slender wrist. One hand was enough to easily wrap around both of her wrists.
He shook her soft, delicate wrist and frowned.
“Baby, are you saying that you want to lose weight when you’re already this thin?”
Yu Huan stubbornly argued, “That’s only because your hands are so big. I’m still going on a diet. I must have gained weight.”
Yu Huan was twenty and loved all sorts of fun things, especially dressing up.
She had joined an anime club at university and occasionally dressed up in cosplay.
Because she wanted to look good in photos, Yu Huan cared a lot about her weight. She was always afraid that gaining even a little would make her look bad in her cosplay outfits.
Even though Zhu Heqing took meticulous care of her, her weight had remained more or less unchanged for years. Sometimes, she would even lose a few pounds whenever she got sick.
To make matters worse, Yu Huan was an extremely picky eater. There were countless things she refused to eat.
Because of this, Zhu Heqing had even taught himself how to cook, simply so he could get her to eat a little more.
Zhu Heqing patiently coaxed her.
“Baby, you look best just like this. You’ll look good in anything. CY has designed several new summer outfits, and they’ll be delivered tomorrow. Try them on first, then we can talk about whether you still want to lose weight, okay?”
CY was an independent fashion brand whose designers were all former head designers of top luxury brands. They now worked exclusively for the Zhu family.
Yu Huan thought for a few seconds before nodding.
“Okay.”
Zhu Heqing pulled her into his arms.
“Such a good girl.”
Before this, Zhu Heqing had never understood why people became so clingy after falling in love.
Even his assistant, who was usually extremely serious and expressionless, had started slacking off during work after getting into a relationship.
Zhu Heqing had caught him several times calling his girlfriend during working hours.
Once, Zhu Heqing had asked him,
“You normally hate talking on the phone with other people. Why are you willing to talk to your girlfriend?”
The assistant had answered happily,
“Because I want to share my life with her.”
“Doesn’t it get boring?”
“Not at all,” the assistant had said. “Sharing your life with the person you love is a very happy thing.”
Zhu Heqing hadn’t asked anything else. He had simply glanced at his assistant and said,
“Slacking off during work. Fifty yuan deduction.”
As the executive assistant at the headquarters of the Zhu Group, the assistant earned an annual salary in the millions. Fifty yuan meant absolutely nothing to him.
Besides, Zhu Heqing was a fairly humane boss. Since his assistant always did his work exceptionally well, he eventually turned a blind eye to his occasional slacking.
Now, Zhu Heqing finally understood what his assistant had meant.
Being in love meant being clingy and affectionate.
Zhu Heqing still couldn’t take Yu Huan on a trip.
The Zhu Group was expanding into a new field, and as the person who actually held the reins of the company, Zhu Heqing had to personally make decisions and give the final approval on countless matters.
For several days in a row, Zhu Heqing didn’t get home until the middle of the night.
Yu Huan had grown up surrounded by love and was an exceptionally thoughtful girl.
She would complain,
“Zhu Heqing, you’re so mean. Now I can’t even go to bed early.”
But despite her complaints, she would still turn on the lights in both the living room and bedroom every night, wrap herself in a pure cashmere blanket, and sit on the sofa waiting for Zhu Heqing to come home.
Whenever Zhu Heqing drove downstairs and saw the lights still on, he knew someone was waiting for him at home.
When he quietly opened the door, the first thing he saw was his girlfriend curled up on the sofa, propping her head up with one hand as she fought sleep.
The sound of the door opening pulled Yu Huan out of her drowsiness.
She gave a small yawn, tears naturally gathering at the corners of her eyes.
She opened her arms and, still heavy with sleep, spoke in a soft, clingy voice.
“Zhu Heqing, hold me.”
Zhu Heqing couldn’t help thinking that his girlfriend was simply too thoughtful—and far too adorable.
He walked over and pulled her into his arms. The sweet fragrance of Yu Huan filled his senses.
Yu Huan rubbed against his chest, finding a more comfortable position. Her eyes were already too heavy to open, yet she still remembered to remind him,
“Big Brother, there’s still some porridge warming in the clay pot. You have to finish it before taking a shower. I’ll check tomorrow.”
Zhu Heqing obediently agreed.
He carried her to bed, carefully tucked the blanket around her, and dimmed the lights to make sure they wouldn’t disturb her sleep.
Then, following his girlfriend’s instructions, he finished the porridge, took a shower, and returned to bed.
Holding her gently in his arms, he whispered,
“Good night.”
People often say that forming a habit can be a frightening thing.
When Zhu Heqing once again worked until the middle of the night and didn’t see the lights that should have been on, returning to an empty house, he was confused at first.
Then he remembered—
Yu Huan and her family had gone to Moscow on vacation three days ago.
Zhu Heqing took off his suit, unbuttoned his shirt, and sat down in Yu Huan’s favorite spot.
He thought about the time difference between them.
The more he thought about it, the more he missed her.
Eventually, Zhu Heqing picked up his phone and carefully looked through all the photos Yu Huan had sent him. He played her voice messages one after another.
It had become something he did frequently over the past few days.
Zhu Heqing even knew exactly which second Yu Huan would excitedly exclaim,
“Zhu Heqing, there are so many handsome guys in Moscow!”
Zhu Heqing was fluent in several foreign languages, and Russian was one of them.
So he could also understand the comments of the passersby that had accidentally been recorded in the voice messages Yu Huan sent him.
“She’s unbelievably beautiful!”
Late at night, it was easy for melancholy to take over.
Zhu Heqing leaned his head back against the sofa and couldn’t help thinking about the age difference between him and Yu Huan.
Seven years.
He and Yu Huan were a full seven years apart.
Yu Huan had only just entered her twenties, while he was already approaching thirty.
The usually confident and calculating President Zhu once again felt insecure because of his age.
His phone rang.
It was He Zhiheng.
Zhu Heqing answered.
“Ah He, we’ve got a little gathering going. Want to come over and have some fun?”
Zhu Heqing let out a cold laugh, his tone almost biting.
“It’s almost dawn and you’re still talking about having fun? You’re almost thirty. Stop pushing yourself like this. Your body isn’t getting any younger.”
He Zhiheng was completely dumbfounded.
He exchanged bewildered looks with the others around him.
What on earth was wrong with Young Master Zhu this time?