Zhou Yaozu was caught completely off guard, his jaw dropping in shock. “Brother, what are you doing here?”
Last night, he had eavesdropped on his brother’s phone call at home, and he clearly remembered hearing that he was going on a business trip today. Was he just messing with him?
Zhou Guchuan raised an eyebrow slightly. “Am I not allowed to be here?”
“No, it’s just… what a coincidence.”
Yin Lan had been watching the scene unfold for a while and now understood what was going on.
So, Zhou Yaozu still had these kinds of intentions—trying to drive a wedge between his brother and her. Interesting. It seemed the information she had read was accurate: the relationship between the two brothers really wasn’t great.
“Guchuan and I are about to go eat. Since we’ve run into you, would you like to join us?”
Any normal person in this situation would have declined, but Zhou Yaozu was anything but normal. Instead, he readily agreed.
“Since Miss Yin Lan has invited me, I’d be happy to accept.”
With that, he naturally walked to Yin Lan’s other side, subtly creating distance between her and Zhou Guchuan.
Yin Lan didn’t comment. She wanted to see how Zhou Guchuan would react.
But the man remained calmer than she had expected.
In the private dining room, Yin Lan sat in the middle, with Zhou Guchuan on her left and Zhou Yaozu on her right.
Zhou Guchuan picked up the menu first and skillfully ordered dishes Yin Lan liked.
Although they had never been to this restaurant before, after sharing a few meals with Yin Lan, Zhou Guchuan had a good idea of her taste preferences.
While Zhou Guchuan was reciting the dish names to the server, Zhou Yaozu took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Yin Lan.
“Miss Yin Lan, don’t be fooled by how smoothly my brother orders now. I still remember when he first came to our family and went out to eat for the first time—he was so timid he didn’t even dare to call the server.”
“Really? There was such a thing?”
Zhou Yaozu thought he was putting Zhou Guchuan down, but Yin Lan only felt heartache listening to his words.
Despite his decent background, he had been treated differently since childhood.
While his younger brother enjoyed a life of luxury in Jiangcheng, he had endured hardships in the countryside with his mother. It was remarkable that he had developed such a resilient character. No wonder her father had praised him that night.
“Exactly. Back then, he didn’t just hesitate to eat out—he was even afraid to buy clothes or go shopping, worried he didn’t have enough money.”
“Didn’t the family give him any money?”
By now, Zhou Guchuan had finished ordering. Hearing Zhou Yaozu recount his childhood embarrassments, he subtly reached under the table and took Yin Lan’s hand.
Feeling someone gently intertwine their fingers with hers, Yin Lan relaxed slightly, allowing the man to interlock their fingers.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yaozu continued chattering away, completely oblivious to the subtle interaction happening beneath the table.
The more Yin Lan listened, the more her heart ached. Zhou Guchuan really had been a pitiful child back then—his mother passed away early, his father showed him no affection, and he even got him a stepmother.
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on his hand under the table.
When the dishes were served, both men simultaneously reached out to serve Yin Lan.
At least Zhou Guchuan knew what Yin Lan liked and served her dishes she enjoyed. Zhou Yaozu, on the other hand, served her what he himself preferred.
Faced with two large bowls of food, Yin Lan pushed Zhou Yaozu’s portion back toward him. “You should eat these yourself. I don’t like them.”
Yin Lan didn’t eat scallions, ginger, garlic, or cilantro. Zhou Guchuan’s servings contained none of these seasonings, but Zhou Yaozu’s were full of them.
For example, when it came to picking up beef, the pieces Zhou Guchuan picked were clean and neat, just pure beef in the bowl, while the ones Zhou Yaozu picked were wrapped in a lot of cilantro.
But Zhou Yaozu didn’t understand these subtleties; he only felt that Yin Lan was deliberately making things difficult for him.
Throughout the entire meal, Yin Lan only ate the dishes Zhou Guchuan served her, barely touching anything Zhou Yaozu offered.
When it came to taking care of Yin Lan, Zhou Guchuan ranked second, and no one dared to claim first place. He even understood her better than the servants at home.
Yin Lan enjoyed the meal thoroughly, Zhou Guchuan took care of her effortlessly, and only Zhou Yaozu felt frustrated the entire time.
An hour later, the three of them emerged from the private dining room, with Zhou Yaozu still trailing behind the two like a little tail.
His level of shamelessness was unmatched by most people.
“I’m heading home now. You two… do as you please?”
“Lanlan, I’ll walk you home.”
“Miss Yin Lan, I’ll walk you home.”
The two spoke almost simultaneously, leaving it up to Yin Lan to choose.
But Yin Lan chose neither. “No need. Both of you should head home. My driver is here to pick me up.”
“Oh, and Guchuan, invite your parents over this weekend. Let’s have a meal together.”
“Alright.”
“Well… see you this weekend.”
Zhou Yaozu heard everything clearly. The two families gathering for a meal over the weekend was undoubtedly to discuss the engagement.
Was there really no room for negotiation? Did he have no chance at all?
After getting into the car, Yin Lan sent Zhou Guchuan a message on WeChat. During the meal, with Zhou Yaozu around, many things had been inconvenient to say.
【Your younger brother is quite something. Why does he keep sticking to us like that? Does he really enjoy being a third wheel?】
【It’s all because Lanlan is too charming. My younger brother seems to have taken a liking to you.】
【Taken a liking to me? More like taken a liking to the Yin family’s money, I bet.】
Yin Lan knew her own worth. She wasn’t as universally appealing as money, nor was she someone every man would fall for at first sight.
【A bit of both, I’d say.】
【Seems like my charm is just too overwhelming.】
Zhou Guchuan sent over a pitiful emoji. 【So many people are after you. I don’t feel secure.】
Even though Zhou Yaozu’s appearance today had been part of his plan, Zhou Guchuan was the first to act aggrieved.
But Yin Lan was unaware of this. She was completely taken in by Zhou Guchuan’s act of gentle vulnerability.
【Relax, relax. No matter how many men appear around me, you’ll always be my one and only main squeeze.】
Zhou Guchuan frowned. Something about this phrasing felt a bit off.
【What do you mean, ‘main squeeze’? Are there other men out there?】
【No, no, I was just joking.】
With Zhou Guchuan, Yin Lan only dared to tease him occasionally. If she really pushed him too far, she’d be the one in trouble. He was notoriously difficult to placate.
Zhou Guchuan: 【Our date was ruined by him today. I didn’t even get to kiss you before you left.】
Yin Lan: 【？？】
Weren’t they just having a normal conversation? How did it suddenly turn into something so inappropriate?
Zhou Guchuan: 【How about you ask your driver to turn back? I’ll kiss you before you go.】
Yin Lan’s face flushed red as she stared at her phone screen. What kind of outrageous talk was this? It didn’t match his cool and aloof appearance at all.
【No, the driver’s already halfway there. Let’s not go back. It’s fine if we didn’t kiss today. You should head home soon too.】
【Can I kiss you next time we meet?】
【Yes.】
Only after sending the word “yes” did Yin Lan realize something was off.
She had fallen right into his trap. How had she suddenly agreed to “next time”?
Zhou Guchuan stared at his phone with a satisfied smile. Xiao Chen, who was driving in front, noticed his boss looking so happy and casually asked, “Boss, what’s got you so cheerful?”
Zhou Guchuan’s smile immediately vanished. “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Is the Xie family taken care of yet?”
“Almost there. After all, the Xie family still has some influence in Jiangcheng. If we wipe them out directly, it might raise suspicions from the authorities. We’re slowly eroding them bit by bit.”
“Speed it up. I want to hear news of the Xie family’s bankruptcy before the engagement.”
“What?! Boss, you’re getting engaged?!”