Chapter 17: Are You There?

Chapter 17: Are You There?

Zhan Zilang asked, "What's wrong, Ms. Zhou?"

Ms. Zhou snapped back to attention and shook her head, saying it was nothing.

The sender was Han Chubin. He had sent two messages—the first was [emoji], and the second read: [Are you there?]

In situations like this, Ms. Zhou usually assumed the other person didn’t have anything urgent. After all, those with real emergencies would get straight to the point.

She replied: [I’m here.]

The message box immediately showed he was typing.

[Am I interrupting your work?]

[Not too busy right now. What’s up?]

[Yes, I need your help. It’s Du Yu’s birthday at the end of the month, and I don’t know what to get her. I was hoping you could give me some ideas.]

[You could just ask her directly.]

[If I ask her, there’d be no surprise. That’s why I thought of asking you—you’ve known her for so long, so you must understand her better than I do.]

Ms. Zhou used to love giving advice, but as she got older, she became less eager to help—partly due to past mistakes. Still, when it came to matters involving Du Yu, she was willing to assist.

[Then... maybe you could share your budget first?]

[Money isn’t an issue.]

Ms. Zhou’s fingers suddenly stopped. She no longer felt like helping.

She set her phone down and tapped her fingers restlessly on the table, drawing Zhan Zilang’s attention.

"Ms. Zhou, what’s the matter?"

"Nothing. Just another rich-person problem rubbing it in."

Seeing Zhan Zilang’s confused expression, she quickly added, "Not you."

His expression immediately brightened, even turning a little curious. "Then who?"

So Ms. Zhou briefly explained the situation. When Zhan Zilang heard the last line—"Money isn’t an issue"—he quirked a brow, amused. "This guy’s interesting."

"What do you mean?"

He smirked. "If money really weren’t an issue, why would he need to ask you for advice?"

"Huh? I’m his girlfriend’s best friend—of course I’d know her best."

"Ms. Zhou, you’re not getting it," Zhan Zilang said. "Picking a gift within a set budget is called gift selection. But if there’s no budget, does the choice even matter? Take the simplest example—if I gave you a seaside villa, would you care what flowers are planted in the yard?"

Now Ms. Zhou understood. When the value of a gift reaches a certain level, the thought behind it doesn’t matter.

Come to think of it, that made sense.

"Forget a villa—if someone gave me a one-bedroom apartment in this city, I’d owe them my life."

"Ms. Zhou, are you looking for a place? I have a few apartments I could rent to you."

Zhou Zuofei shot him a glare and immediately waved her hand. "Don’t go off-topic—let’s focus! But according to my friend, her boyfriend’s loaded."

As she spoke, she noticed Zhan Zilang's lips curling slightly. Though he said nothing, Zhou Zuofei already understood—he was mocking.

Still, she defended Han Chubin. "Maybe that’s just his way. As long as he treats my friend well, that’s what matters."

"Then tell him to buy your friend’s company and make her the boss," Zhan Zilang said casually, spreading his hands. "Better to be the boss than the employee. After all, money’s no object."

Zhou Zuofei couldn’t help but burst out laughing, even though she knew her stance made it inappropriate. But she was always quick to laugh.

"That’s brutal, hahahaha..."

"Didn’t he say it himself? You asked about his budget, and he said money’s no object. Why hold back?"

"True."

If he had given a specific amount, she could have found something suitable within that range. But with no limits, it’s a free-for-all.

She kinda liked Han Chubin’s idea. After years of being a wage slave, who wouldn’t want to be the boss?

While they were talking, Han Chubin sent a few more messages.

[Did I make it too hard?]

[I just think Du Yu’s happiness matters most. Money’s whatever.]

Seeing his sincerity, Zhou Zuofei replied with genuine advice.

[Without a budget, there’s too much choice. Maybe just give her a fat cash gift so she can buy whatever she wants? I think that’s the simplest solution.]

After sending the message, she noticed Zhan Zilang glancing at her repeatedly, looking downright nosy.

She waved her phone at him. "Want to know what he said?"

Zhan Zilang nodded eagerly. "Of course! You can’t just leave me hanging."

"I told him to give my friend a fat cash gift. She’s practical, so I think this works best."

"That’s it?" Zhan Zilang looked disappointed. "Zhou, I noticed you’re going easy on him. If it were anyone else, you’d have mocked them by now."

"It’s just because we’re not close. Isn’t it normal to be polite? Jumping to mockery would be rude."

Still, after this exchange, she wasn’t feeling Han Chubin anymore.

To avoid future trouble, it was better to keep interactions minimal—so Du Yu doesn’t get stuck in the middle.

"True."

Recalling recent events, Zhou Zuofei studied Zhan Zilang and found herself appreciating him more.

"You know what, Zhan? You’re alright."

Zhan Zilang perked up. "Now we’re talking. Zhou, keep the compliments coming."

"Hmm..." Zhou Zuofei thought seriously for a moment, then shrugged. "That’s it."

"That’s it?"

"How else do you want me to praise you? How about you pay me? Five stars cost you five cents, one star’s a dollar."

"Why does a negative review cost fifty cents more than a positive one?"

"Because negative reviews come with emotional damages."

As their afternoon break was ending, Zhou Zuofei motioned for Xiao Zhan to head back to the office. But he was still stuck on the whole positive and negative review thing, pestering her for an explanation.

Zhou Zuofei was getting fed up. Since entering the workforce, she had never encountered someone so noisy.

At her limit, she suddenly shouted, "Quiet!"

Xiao Zhan immediately fell silent.

The instant silence made Zhou Zuofei smirk, and seeing no colleagues around made her even more satisfied.

Almost at the same moment, the elevator doors slid open. Clearly, the person inside had heard Zhou Zuofei’s outburst and looked slightly startled.

The moment Xiao Zhan spotted Xiao Wang inside, his face lit up with a cheerful smile. "Good afternoon, Secretary Xiao."

"Good afternoon," Xiao Wang replied. Noticing that Xiao Zhan had already stepped in while Zhou Zuofei remained unmoving, he pressed the door-open button and gave her a questioning look. "Aren’t you coming in?"

Zhou Zuofei finally snapped to attention, shaking off her embarrassment as she hurried into the elevator.

She really had to get a grip on her temper. How could she lose her cool just because Xiao Zhan provoked her a little?

Fortunately, Xiao Wang didn’t bring up what had just happened. Like her, he knew how to keep things professional.

Xiao Zhan, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered at all. He still hadn’t fully switched to workplace mode—he still thought bantering with Zhou Zuofei was perfectly normal.

If you start it, you’d better finish it. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be hypocritical?

So, acting as if nothing had happened, he picked up the earlier topic with Zhou Zuofei.

"Zhou-jie, what if he says a cash gift is too low-effort? How would you respond?"

Truth be told, Xiao Zhan felt he understood this type of person better than Zhou Zuofei did. He had plenty of people around him who were all talk—full of empty promises but never delivering.

"I’d just send it to my friend and let her choose. If he wants to buy something, fine. If not, then he’s just blowing smoke..."

Zhou Zuofei didn’t say the last word out loud, only mouthing it silently. After all, Secretary Xiao was right there—one had to keep it PG.

Xiao Zhan lost it laughing. His Zhou-jie really wasn’t a hypocrite!

Zhou Zuofei quickly glanced at Xiao Wang’s expression. He didn’t even blink—clearly used to this, so she didn’t say anything.

Once Xiao Zhan finished laughing, he realized he might have been a bit too loud and pulled himself together with a guilty grin, apologizing sheepishly to Xiao Wang. "Sorry, Secretary Xiao. Did I disturb you?"

"It’s fine. Seems like you’ve found your groove here."

"Oh, absolutely. Mostly thanks to Zhou-jie’s guidance." Xiao Zhan knew a thing or two about office dynamics—buttering up Zhou Zuofei in front of the boss never hurt.

Zhou Zuofei immediately waved it off. "It’s not just me. Xiao Zhan is sharp and picks things up quickly."

"Zhou-jie, you flatter me. I’ve learned so much just by following you."

Watching the two go back and forth like a ping-pong match, Xiao Wang couldn’t help but smile. It was clear Xiao Zhan was thriving in the administrative department.

And why wouldn’t he be? The back-office team had no internal or external competitive pressure. Add to that an easygoing boss, and the team vibes were chill—especially with Xiao Zhan working alongside Zhou Zuofei.

When he first learned Xiao Zhan had chosen the administrative department, Xiao Wang immediately thought of Zhou Zuofei. They were around the same age and shared similar interests. Having her show him the ropes worked out perfectly.

For Zhan Zilang, it meant fitting in at work more easily, while for Zhou Zuofei, it was also an opportunity.

However, staff assignments were handled internally by the administrative department. He could weigh in but shouldn’t overstep, so he merely suggested assigning him to Ye Ru’s team to increase Zhou Zuofei’s chances of being selected. To his surprise, he was right.

"Keep it up."

The elevator reached Xiao Wang’s stop first. He said goodbye to them and had just stepped out when he seemed to remember something. Turning back to Zhan Zilang with a polite smile, he said, "But next time, try to keep your voice down a bit in public spaces."

Flustered, Zhan Zilang replied, "Uh, yeah."

Xiao Wang nodded at him, then glanced at Zhou Zuofei with a friendly look before leaving.

As the elevator doors closed, Zhou Zuofei burst out laughing—now it was her turn to laugh.

Zhan Zilang gradually realized something was off. "What’s so funny, Sis Zhou?"

After laughing, Zhou Zuofei held out her palm to him. "Gimme a yuan."

"Huh? Why?"

Zhou Zuofei counted on her fingers. "What’s wrong with your memory? Didn’t I just tell you that a good review costs fifty cents? I praised you for being sharp and picking things up fast. Don’t you owe me one yuan?"

Zhan Zilang was momentarily speechless and could only sheepishly dig for change. However, after rummaging through his pockets, he couldn’t find any.

He asked, "What if I don’t have one yuan?"

Zhou Zuofei waved her hand dismissively. "Just owe me—pay me back when you hit 100."

After work, Zhou Zuofei received another message from Han Chubin. Naturally, he wasn’t into the cash-gift idea, though he phrased it tactfully. By then, she had lost all patience and simply screenshotted the whole convo to Du Yu.

At the end, she added three words:

[Deal with this!]

This happened to be when Du Yu was always online, so she immediately started replying.

[Ugh, I can’t decide… I don’t know what to ask for.]

Zhou Zuofei immediately thought of Zhan Zilang’s idea and typed back enthusiastically.

[Then tell him to buy your company and make you the boss!]

[Pfft, he’s not *that* loaded.]

[Well, what *should* I say then? Hurry up!]

[Wait, wait!]

After a while, Du Yu sent her a photo of a handbag.

[This one. I’ve been wanting it for a while.]

Zhou Zuofei instinctively zoomed in on the picture and recognized the logo as a designer brand. The design was trendy and great for career girls—many of their colleagues owned similar pieces.

[Got it. I’ll send it to him. Just play dumb later.]

[Don’t worry, I’ve got that down.]

Zhou Zuofei immediately switched to her chat with Han Chubin, forwarding the handbag photo along with the address of a local boutique to be helpful.

Incidentally, there's a luxury mall near Universal that has a boutique of this brand.

She had already put so much effort into her suggestions—if he still didn’t take them… she could only suggest he stop asking for advice altogether in the future.

But this time, he didn’t raise any objections. Instead, he readily agreed and thanked her.

Zhou Zuofei didn’t think much of it, simply considering it a small matter settled—a little push for her friend's love life.

But she didn’t expect to receive another message from Han Chubin the very next day at noon.

He sent her a photo—the exact bag Du Yu wanted. From the background, he was already at the boutique.

She hadn’t expected him to act so quickly. But in terms of initiative, this could also be interpreted as being thoughtful about Du Yu.

With that thought, Zhou Zuofei’s impression of Han Chubin immediately improved quite a bit.

That's how people are—quick to judge someone they’ve just met, only to swiftly revise their judgment based on a single detail.

[Mu Mu, could you help me check if this is the right bag?]

[That’s the one.]

[Great. They’re running a promotion at the boutique right now, and I’d like to buy a few more items to meet the threshold. Could you help me pick?]

[Sure, what are you looking at?]

[Uh, there’s just so much here. If possible, could you come to the store and help me decide?]

[Which store are you at?]

He immediately sent a location. Zhou Zuofei checked—talk about coincidence—it was right near her.

Fine. Rather than letting Han Chubin just grab whatever, she might as well pick out something Du Yu would actually like.

Zhou Zuofei replied that she’d be right there and headed out.

On the way, she figured she shouldn’t make a wasted trip—she could swing by the nearby handmade chocolate store to grab something.

The mall was pretty empty during the lunch hour. From a distance, Zhou Zuofei spotted Han Chubin standing inside the boutique, accompanied by a store associate.

He was wearing an asymmetrical gray trench coat paired with Doc Martens—his style hadn’t changed much since their last meeting. Combined with his handsome features, he was certainly good-looking.

Du Yu's got good taste, Zhou Zuofei thought to herself before stepping into the boutique.

"I’m here."

The moment Han Chubin heard Zhou Zuofei’s voice, he turned around. His face brightened at the sight of her outfit.

If his last impression of her was merely that she had a distinct presence, this time, appearing in professional attire, she was absolutely perfect—checking all his boxes.

He had always thought his type was someone like Du Yu…

Zhou Zuofei didn’t notice Han Chubin's change in expression. Her attention was already captured by the wide selection of handbags in the store.

"So, what’s the situation?"

At her question, Han Chubin came back to reality, but the sales assistant reacted faster, concisely explaining the details.

In short, the store was running a spend-more-get-more promotion. After deducting the bag Du Yu had chosen, they were still a bit short of the required amount.

Zhou Zuofei quickly grasped the key numbers and immediately began browsing the store. First, she checked the prices, ruling out anything way over budget, then focused on filtering the remaining items that met the criteria.

She barely spoke throughout the process, and Han Chubin quietly trailed behind her.

The experienced sales associate quickly identified who the real decision-maker was and eagerly started recommending items to Zhou Zuofei.

Han Chubin kept stealing glances at her, only now realizing that she only flashed a polite smile when interacting with others. Once focused, her face went blank—but it didn’t come off as cold, but rather had a distinct charm.

It reminded him of those poised, sharp, and magnetic career women he had admired during his student days.

“What do you think of this one?” Zhou Zuofei picked up a small handbag—small but fits a phone. “It should be convenient for anime cons.”

Han Chubin examined it seriously before replying, “Looks good, but I don’t know much about these. You decide—I trust your judgment.”

“Miss, you might want to check out this one,” the sales associate chimed in, holding up another bag. “This is our headliner for the year. The burgundy red is a limited-edition color—our counter only has this one left.”

Zhou Zuofei thought it looked nice too, but it was way out of their price range.

“You can try it on if you’d like.”

Unable to resist the enthusiastic recommendation, she gave it a quick try before handing it back.

In the end, she selected a few items, the total barely over the budget—something Zhou Zuofei felt rather pleased about.

“That should do it. Just these.”

Without even checking, Han Chubin immediately told the sales associate to pack and ring them up, showing total trust in Zhou Zuofei’s choices.

This further improved her impression of him. Though he could talk big, he was pretty free with his money.

Checking the time, she realized she could still make it to the chocolate shop, so she said goodbye to Han Chubin, who was still waiting to pay.

“Everything’s settled, so I’ll head off now.”

“Now?” Han Chubin turned immediately, wanting to stop her. “That’s too bad—I was going to buy you coffee.”

“No need, I don’t really like coffee. Let’s catch up another time.”

“Alright.” He looked disappointed. “Then I won’t keep you from your work.”

“No biggie. Later!”

Zhou Zuofei waved and left the counter, swinging by the chocolate shop to pick up some favorite snacks.

On the way, she didn’t forget to shoot Du Yu a message, letting her know the bag had been purchased. As for the rest, she didn’t say outright, only hinting at an extra surprise.

[So mysterious?]

[Well, surprises should be a little mysterious. But I have to adjust my take on him—the guy’s quick on the draw. He shops really fast.]

[That’s true. He acts on impulse, money included.]

Zhou Zuofei returned to the office with the chocolates and had just sat down when she noticed Zhan Zilang staring at her, so she beckoned him over.

He approached right away. “What’s up, Zhou-jie?”

“Treating you to something good.” She took out the chocolates and let him pick. “Try one—they shouldn’t be too sweet.”

Zhan Zilang sampled a piece and played along with praise.

To her surprise, the very next day, he brought over a huge box of chocolates.

"It's for you, Sis Zhou."

Zhou Zuofei was taken aback. "A box this big?"

"Yeah, I went home yesterday and realized we had a lot of chocolates, so I picked out a big one for you." With that, Zhan Zilang even winked at her smugly. "Pretty nice of me, right?"

"Way too generous." The box was so large Zhou Zuofei could barely hold it with one hand. Though she didn’t recognize the brand, anything from Zhan Zilang’s home had to be the good stuff.

"Of course. You eat this first, and when you finish, I’ll bring you another box."

Zhou Zuofei quickly brushed it off. "We'll see about that. I don’t even know how long it’ll take me to finish this one. Maybe I won’t even want more after this."

A box this big was hard to miss, and Luo Jing couldn’t help teasing her. "Such a huge box of chocolates, and only Xiao Zhou gets one?"

"Someone's jealous." Zhou Zuofei pretended to tear open the packaging. "Fine, I’ll open it now and share some with you."

Luo Jing hurriedly stopped her. "No, no, just kidding!"

Zhan Zilang also jumped in, saying it wasn’t necessary, then pulled out an identical box from his bag. "Bro Luo, you can have this one. We’ve got several at home, so I brought some for everyone to try."

"You came prepared, Xiao Zhan."

Zhou Zuofei was also impressed by his thoughtfulness and praised him sincerely. "Wow, impressive. Very considerate."

Zhan Zilang joked, "Sis Zhou, does this compliment count as five mao?"

"Nope, this one's on me. You gave me such a big box of chocolates—how could I still charge you five mao?"

Zhou Zuofei waved her hand grandly. "Forget about that last dollar. And tomorrow, I’ll treat you to afternoon tea—get whatever you want, the most expensive drink!"

"Sis Zhou is so generous!"

Zhou Zuofei looked down at the chocolates in her hands, at a loss for words.

Who was really the generous one here?

Maybe this was the difference between someone with money and an ordinary background.

Her habit was always to repay favors as soon as possible, but Zhan Zilang seemed totally casual about it, clearly not giving it much thought.

In other words, he didn’t care about money and wasn’t bothered by the cost.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Zhou? Seeing Xiao Zhan treat you so well—are you about to shed tears of gratitude?"

"Dream on. I don’t cry. Universal doesn’t believe in tears."

After the banter, Zhou Zuofei had Zhan Zilang take the box and distribute the chocolates. He immediately obliged, making the rounds like a hall monitor, offering chocolates to everyone he passed.

Watching this, Zhou Zuofei couldn’t help but laugh. Why was she making such a big deal about it? Having a colleague like Zhan Zilang made work a little more fun.

Not that it made her love her job, but making the best of it wasn’t so bad.

During lunch break, Zhou Zuofei left the cafeteria with Ye Ru and Qiao Qi. By now, Zhan Zilang had gotten familiar with the colleagues near his workstation, so he no longer ate with her.

Ye Ru was going on about her mother-in-law drama, and Zhou Zuofei was hanging on every word when her phone suddenly pinged. To her surprise, it was a message yet again from Han Chubin.

As usual, it started with a sticker, followed by his usual line.

[You around?]