Chapter 16: Gift

Chapter 16: Gift

Zhou Zuofei detected the arrogance in his tone and didn’t know how to take it. Du Yu, noticing her expression, immediately cracked up and explained, "Don’t mind him—he’s actually somewhat of a trust fund kid."

Han Chubin complained right away, "Ugh, that label is the worst."

Du Yu quickly amended, cradling his chin in her palm and giving his cheeks a playful squeeze with her thumb and fingers. "Then how about 'Lord Dongye'? How does that sound?"

"It’s up to you. Call me whatever you like."

As the couple began their flirty back-and-forth, Zhou Zuofei tactfully feigned interest in the restaurant’s decor.

This was an unavoidable situation when hanging out with couples—the classic third-wheel struggle. She understood that well.

After the meal, the three decided to catch a movie.

At the theater, Zhou Zuofei pulled out her phone while asking Du Yu, "How much was the bill just now?"

Before she could even finish, Du Yu waved her off. "Come on, do you really think I’d ask you to pay? Save your cash for the director’s snack fund."

With that, she got up to use the restroom, leaving Zhou Zuofei and Han Chubin alone.

Zhou Zuofei wasn’t socially awkward, and since they used to run in the same circles, she naturally felt a sense of familiarity.

After shooting the breeze for a minute, Han Chubin took out his phone and gestured to her. "Wanna swap socials?"

"Sure!" Zhou Zuofei took out her phone, and they exchanged social media accounts. Once added, she automatically dove into his profile to browse.

Han Chubin’s page was active, posting almost daily—ranging from anime and gaming content to food and travel photos. He seemed like someone who loved life and stayed busy, which actually matched well with Du Yu.

Before long, Du Yu returned and saw both of them silently scrolling through their phones. Thinking they had nothing to talk about, she wondered why—weren’t they both pretty outgoing?

"Why aren’t you two talking?"

Zhou Zuofei immediately showed her the screen. "We just swapped socials. I was checking out his posts."

Du Yu leaned in to look as well. "His page is always popping. Every post has tons of comments."

The two of them gabbed away, leaving Han Chubin with no chance to interject. He could only watch them until the announcement for their screening played.

After the movie, the three walked out of the theater, and Han Chubin asked Du Yu, "Where to next?"

Du Yu and Zhou Zuofei exchanged a glance, and without Zhou Zuofei even speaking, Du Yu said,

"Let me guess—you want to go home."

Zhou Zuofei immediately laughed. "You read me like a book."

Her social energy had an expiration time. Like a draining battery, she could be lively at first, but once exhausted, she just wanted to go home and rest.

Du Yu had already predicted her answer and shook her head. "Alright, you head back. We’ll stick around a little longer."

Zhou Zuofei had been waiting for this. "Great! Have fun on your date!" She then waved cheerfully at Han Chubin. "Bye! Great meeting you!"

Han Chubin smiled in response, his gaze lingering on Zhou Zuofei’s face for a moment longer.

Du Yu’s style, much like her appearance, was glamorous and in-your-face. Anyone standing beside her would automatically fade into the background.

All his past girlfriends had been like Du Yu—flashy and confident. Being with them was not only easy on the eyes but also gave him a huge ego boost.

In contrast, Zhou Zuofei's appearance was much softer. At first glance, people might not call her beautiful, but there was something undeniably comforting about her, mixed with a smart, capable vibe—not like anyone Han Chubin had met before.

Han didn’t look away until Zhou Zuofei was out of sight, then offhandedly asked Du Yu, "So, what does your friend do?"

Du Yu gave him a look, annoyed that he hadn’t even remembered Zhou’s name. "Her name is Zhou Zuofei. At least get her name right."

"Alright, alright, got it. So, what does Zhou Zuofei do?"

"She works in administration, at Universal. Not bad, huh?"

Du Yu sounded a little proud. Han Chubin came from a well-off family and was well-traveled, so he couldn’t help sounding a little superior.

And Du Yu was into that. She believed a man showing off wasn’t a bad thing—as long as he could actually back it up. Han Chubin checked all her boxes.

In her eyes, Zhou Zuofei’s job was nothing to sneeze at.

Sure enough, Han merely nodded slightly. "Universal, huh? That’s legit. No wonder she’s laying low these days."

"It’s not like she’s completely out. She just doesn’t like going out much these days. Honestly, she’s at home gaming all the time."

"Sounds kinda hermit-like," Han replied absentmindedly, his words still directed at Du Yu while his mind wandered elsewhere.

That night, as Zhou Zuofei was scrolling through a gaming forum, Du Yu suddenly sent her a message.

[So, what do you think of him?]

Zhou typed with one hand while holding her phone with the other, swiftly replying.

[He’s alright.]

[That’s it? Are you seriously gaming right now?!]

[If you’re into him, that’s all that counts. I only met him once, what else can I say?]

From appearances alone, they seemed well-matched, shared similar interests, and his family background was good. From Zhou’s perspective, there wasn’t anything to fault.

[I think he’s alright too. We’ll just see how it goes.]

[Go for it. Oh, your birthday’s coming up, right? Go through your wishlist and send me any links for stuff you want.]

Du Yu bombarded her with emojis—shy faces, kisses—then went silent.

Zhou Zuofei set her phone down, relieved. Good, now she had at least an hour to browse the forum in peace.

It wasn’t until she was about to sleep that Du Yu finally sent the link. Zhou was too tired to even open it, replying with just an "OK" before turning off her phone.

Du Yu’s job often required late nights, so her sleep schedule was erratic, but Zhou couldn’t keep up.

The next morning, while brushing her teeth and scrolling through her phone, Zhou finally opened Du Yu’s link—it led to a purchase page for an anime figurine. After a quick glance at the shipping details to confirm it was in stock, she placed the order and paid.

She was done in under a minute, and she hadn’t even finished brushing her teeth.

At that moment, Zhou suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Compared to her student days of scrimping and saving to buy things, she no longer had that problem now.

So, even if she hadn’t pursued the career she loved, she had chosen money instead—and with it, she could buy more of the things she liked. Wasn’t that a sort of 'backdoor win'?

After finishing her morning routine, Zhou messaged Du Yu to confirm the purchase, but no reply came for ages.

Zhou Zuofei had a feeling something was wrong and checked Du Yu's social media updates, only to find that the other had posted a photo of stargazing in the mountains at 3 a.m. No wonder she hadn’t replied—she must’ve just fallen asleep.

"Now that’s dedication..." Zhou Zuofei muttered while zooming in on the photo to examine it closely.

This was one of her habits—always noticing seemingly insignificant details.

The photo was taken inside a convertible, with the surroundings suggesting a wide-open area. Having lived in K City for seven years, she didn’t even know there was a spot suitable for stargazing.

Du Yu was in the passenger seat, and a small portion of the driver’s upper body was visible in the corner of the photo. The outfit looked like Han Chubin’s.

Zhou Zuofei tapped the like button without thinking and scrolled down, finding a ton of comments from friends. The comments were all over the map—some admired Du Yu’s ability to stay up late, others complimented the car, and a few even asked who was in the driver’s seat.

She scrolled through, entertained, jumping in on the funnier ones. Phone in hand, she wandered from the bathroom to the living room before collapsing onto the couch, with her dog Director curled up by her feet.

The house was quiet, with only the occasional sound of children playing outside the window.

After replying to messages, Zhou Zuofei set her phone on the table as sleepiness started creeping over her again. She yawned and decided to take a nap right there.

What seemed like an ordinary weekend always gave her ample rest.

The next day, she left for work feeling recharged.

Mondays were always the busiest. Zhou Zuofei worked nonstop all morning, took a short break at noon, and then immediately got straight to setting up afternoon tea.

Of course, she didn’t forget to bring Zhan Zilang along. Working together sped things up considerably.

Once everything was done, the two found a quiet corner to sit. Zhan Zilang shed his suit jacket and loosened his tie, fanning himself to cool down, while Zhou Zuofei pulled out her phone—she had heard it buzz several times earlier but hadn’t had a chance to check.

Seeing the flashing notification icon, she blurted out a confused, "Huh?"