Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ahead of the duo, a middle-aged couple had already entered the elevator.

Zhou Erhe gave them an extra glance, taken by their impressive aura, and wondered which influential family they belonged to.

"Hold still, don't fidget, lean against the elevator. I need to press the button," Zhou Erhe tried to free a hand to press the elevator button, but the previously docile Ning Yuyi became restless, preventing him from doing so.

Just as Zhou Erhe contemplated putting Ning Yuyi down, the couple behind them stepped forward.

"Let me." Lin Yiyi, arm in arm with Xie Lou and wearing black heels, asked, "Which floor?"

"Uh, el...eleventh floor," Zhou Erhe stammered, momentarily caught off guard.

He then saw Xie Lou pressing the button for the eleventh floor.

Ah, another day bittersweetly admiring someone else's love story.

Zhou Erhe sighed internally.

Lin Yiyue's gaze gradually shifted from Zhou Erhe's face to the figure of Ning Yuyi he was supporting, her expression softening over time.

A sweetness enveloped her heart, one she couldn't quite put into words.

They reached the eleventh floor. Zhou Erhe assisted Ning Yuyi out of the elevator, looking back to thank the others.

As the elevator doors closed, they blocked Lin Yiyue's view of the pair.

"Youth is wonderful," Lin Yiyue sighed.

"The present is also wonderful," Xie Lou said, gently caressing his wife's hand. "The child that young man was helping looks quite a bit like you."

"Like me?" Lin Yiyue asked in surprise.

"Yes, the eyes, eyebrows, and lips appear to be carved from the same mold."

"That child looks about the same age as Xiaomumu," Lin Yiyue observed, then paused, her eyes filling with disbelief.

Xie Lou caught on quickly and picked up his phone, instructing his assistant to retrieve information on the two individuals.

The assistant acted swiftly. Shortly after Xie Lou entered the penthouse, the retrieved information was sent to him.

"The ages match," Xie Lou tried to reassure his wife. "I'll have someone look into this. Stay calm for now."

"What if, if..." Lin Yiyue's face flushed with excitement, and her hand resting on her knee trembled slightly.

"No 'what ifs'. Everything is alright," Xie Lou held his wife close, attempting to comfort her. "The swimming pool has been prepared. How about we relax there for a bit?"

……

Ning Yuyi woke up in the middle of the night, clutching his pounding head, shocked at his own alcohol tolerance.

Though he knew he couldn't handle much alcohol, he thought he could manage ten small drinks at least. Surely not be knocked out by just three?

——Among the three, two were glasses of wine.

His body's alcohol tolerance was worse than he had imagined. Fortunately, Zhou was with him; otherwise, who knows what could have happened.

"Awake?" Zhou Erhe entered from the doorway. "I ordered some late-night snacks. Want some?"

"…Yes!"

After finishing the late-night meal, Ning Yuyi and Zhou Erhe both lay down on the bed.

"I thought you'd last longer," Zhou Erhe said with a stunned expression. "I really didn't expect you to be out after just three drinks."

Ning Yuyi, filled with embarrassment, stammered, "I... I didn't expect it either."

"After getting you into the room, I checked on room 1107," Zhou Erhe said, suddenly serious. "That Yu Sihan has a very malicious mind. There was already someone waiting there. Do you know who?"

"Hmm?" Ning Yuyi raised an eyebrow, wearing a "I already know, why did you even check?" expression.

"You're aware that Yu Sihan signed with Binghuo Entertainment, right?" Zhou Erhe began, "The person in room 1107 is a director from Binghuo Entertainment. He's somewhat wealthy, 56 years old, as fat as a dead pig, and unbearably greasy."

Thinking of that lecherous old man always leering at others, Zhou Erhe felt a tinge of disgust.

Ning Yuyi didn't even dare to entertain the thought, but he was also puzzled.

In the original story, while Yu Sihan wasn't particularly fond of him, and the author merely used "Ning Yuyi" as a stepping stone for Yu Sihan, he didn't expect things to get this bad.

Had he known earlier, even if Yu Sihan had taken to the skies, he wouldn't have returned.

"Let's make this the last time," Zhou Erhe said, pulling the blanket over himself, "I'm exhausted. Let's sleep here tonight and go home tomorrow morning."

Ning Yuyi, too tired, yawned and mumbled, "Sounds good."

……

They slept until the next afternoon. By the time Ning Yuyi woke up, Zhou Erhe had already freshened up.

"Freshen up, let's have lunch and then head home," Zhou Erhe pointed to the food on the table, "I must say, the cuisine at BS Hotel is top-notch."

After lunch, Zhou Erhe went to the front desk to check out. They parted ways at the entrance, each returning to their own homes.

Once home, Ning Yuyi cleaned the entire house, then headed to the supermarket before dark to buy groceries.

He knew how to cook; after all, he had lived on his own since he was very young and had to learn these essential skills.

After buying the ingredients, he rolled up his sleeves, sorted everything, and then chose tofu, minced meat, and a fish to prepare Mapo Tofu and braised fish for dinner.

Just as he sat down to eat, Ning Yuyi received another call from Yu Sihan.

This time, he didn't answer but swiftly added the number to his blacklist.

He always distinguished between gratitude and grudges. Due to the original owner's admiration for Yu Sihan as an elder brother, he had agreed to meet. But after what Yu Sihan had done, to pretend nothing happened and continue contacting him would be foolish.

Wearing a bathrobe, Yu Sihan anxiously dialed a number.

The first call went unanswered, and he muttered curses under his breath. On the second attempt, he realized he had been blocked.

Enraged, Yu Sihan threw his phone onto the floor, "Did Ning Yuyi never go to room 1107 last night?"

Wang Yinkou, who was at the receiving end of the director's anger, humbly apologized, and after ending the call, she glared at Yu Sihan.

"Is this your doing? Don't you know whether he went in or not?"

"I had him drunk and asked the attendant to escort him to room 1107," Yu Sihan said, trying to stay calm amidst Wang Yinkou's fury. "Sis, I admit I messed up this time."

"Zhou Erhe was right behind him! Were you blind? The moment you left, Zhou Erhe took Ning Yuyi away," Wang Yinkou's pent-up anger exploded, "We stood up Wang Jinfu last night. Deal with it yourself."

"Room 1107 again. Since Ning Yuyi didn't go, you'll have to take his place."

"Sis..." Yu Sihan's mouth twitched, "Can I possibly..."

"Unless you want to lose all those resources," Wang Yinkou said, casting a sidelong glance, her voice cold.

"I... I understand," Yu Sihan reluctantly responded.

The mere thought of the corpulent Wang Jinfu made him nauseous.

"He's impotent now and prefers using toys. Prepare yourself. You should know what's required to barter for resources," Wang Yinkou refreshed her lipstick, "If you want Binghuo to promote you, you have to pay the price."

"I understand."

……

Author's Note: There might be some discrepancies from the original story that Ning Ning read.