Chapter 41 Regret

Chapter 41: What Might Have Been

"Alright, thank you."

Of course Zhou Zuofei had a small mirror in her bag, but she hadn’t taken it out because she didn’t think wiping sweat needed such formality. Besides, she had already shown her worst side before Xiao Wang—so be it. Rather than meticulously preserving appearances, she’d rather leave an impression of authenticity and ease.

But since Secretary Xiao had kindly pulled down the mirror for her, of course she’d use it. However, the angle of the mirror was awkward, forcing her to tilt her chin up to see clearly.

Xiao Wang needed to glance occasionally at the side mirror to check the road conditions, which inevitably meant catching sight of Zhou Zuofei’s movements.

She was tilting her chin up, facing the mirror, carefully dabbing away the sweat on her face. Her extended neck traced an elegant line, lazily extending downward until it disappeared beneath her collar.

Her skin was fair, even more vibrant than the pure white of her blouse. Porcelain-like, it glowed softly under the sunlight, with a delicate texture that reminded him of the jade sculptures Xiao Wang had seen at an art exhibition not long ago.

Her collar was slightly open, the top button undone, faintly revealing the necklace resting above her collarbone. A thin silver chain brushed against her skin, the pendant swaying gently with her breath.

He was studying her with unconscious fascination, taking in every detail related to Zhou Zuofei.

"Done."

Zhou Zuofei finished wiping her face and was about to put the visor away when Xiao Wang, just as he was about to look away, spotted something in her hair and spoke up.

"There’s something in your hair."

"Ah, where?" Her hands flew up to search, but after patting around blindly, she couldn’t find anything.

Secretary Xiao tried guiding her for a while, but when she still couldn’t locate it, he volunteered to help at the next stop. "Want me to get it for you?"

Zhou Zuofei agreed and leaned closer, waiting patiently for his assistance.

From his angle, he could see the downy top of her hair and her slightly trembling eyelashes, like a bird’s wings quivering before flight, each movement sending a subtle, sweet scent his way.

Steadying himself, Xiao Wang tried to keep his hand stable and precise, avoiding any clumsiness that might bother her. But when his fingertips brushed against her soft, cloud-soft and silk-smooth strands, they trembled slightly despite his efforts.

After Zhou Zuofei’s earlier attempts, the foreign object had shifted somewhere else. He carefully combed through her strands, cautious not to disturb her.

Back when he used to see shampoo commercials on TV, where female models’ hair was depicted as flowing like fabric or water, he’d always assumed it was exaggerated advertising. But now, experiencing it firsthand, he realized those ads had some truth to them.

Some people’s hair really was cloud-soft and silk-smooth.

After some searching, he finally found the foreign object—a small fragment of a petal.

"Got it."

"Hm? What was it?" Zhou Zuofei took the petal fragment, guessing it might have brushed off the flowers on her desk earlier. She thanked him and tucked it away to discard later.

Afterward, they chatted idly. Zhou Zuofei thanked Secretary Xiao for the meal last time, saying both she and Du Yu had enjoyed it.

"Oh, by the way, Secretary Xiao, Du Yu wanted to ask if you like oranges. The ones from her hometown are truly special, and she’d like to bring you some."

"That’s kind, but please thank her for me."

Secretary Xiao’s response was exactly what Zhou Zuofei had expected, but she pressed on. "Their oranges are truly special. I go through piles of them yearly."

She’d already discussed this with Du Yu—how best to thank Xiao Wang. Ordinary gifts wouldn’t work—he already had everything, so it was tough to pick something that mattered. But if they wanted to convey sincerity, they’d at least need to understand him well enough.

Yet Zhou Zuofei knew painfully little about Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang explained, "I don’t particularly enjoy sweet-and-sour flavors. Oranges always carry a hint of acidity, so I’m not very fond of them."

"Then what kind of fruit do you like, Secretary Xiao?"

"As long as it’s not sour, anything is fine." Xiao Wang had already guessed Zhou Zuofei’s intention and smiled. "Don’t bother. Honestly, I don’t eat much fruit in general."

"Do gym-goers have to watch their sugar?"

"If you have high standards for yourself, then yes. But I don’t have such strict requirements."

"Got it… Here, have some chocolate." Zhou Zuofei pulled out a small packet of chocolate from her bag. It was from that box Zhan Zilang gave her. Since the packaging was too bulky, she had divided the chocolates into smaller portions using resealable bags, always keeping a baggie on hand for cravings.

"Don’t let the looks fool you—this is pricey handmade stuff."

The heat had made the chocolate a little melty, but it didn’t affect the taste. It was just a bit messy to handle.

Zhou Zuofei wrapped a piece in a tissue and handed it to Xiao Wang. Her fingers grazed the melted chocolate, and out of habit, she licked them clean after handing it over.

Xiao Wang took the chocolate, quickly looking away when he caught her little habit.

Even though Zhou Zuofei hadn’t even noticed she’d done it, he’d started zeroing in on her little quirks ever since that day. He refused to overthink why, only trying his best to avoid similar situations in the future.

Once he’d driven Zhou Zuofei home, he turned the car around and headed for his next destination.

Today, he was meeting his college senior who’d brought him into the studio. They hadn’t seen each other since graduation, but the senior happened to be in town for business, giving them a chance to reunite.

He went to the hotel where the senior was staying. After dinner, the two went to the executive lounge on the 16th floor to chat.

Now a successful founder, his senior had launched his startup a few years back and secured funding just last year. Over the city skyline, they swapped college stories.

Most of Xiao Wang’s university life had been occupied by studies and studio work, leaving little time for personal pursuits or socializing. The senior had been one of the few people he spent significant time with.

Startup life was all stress and schmoozing. Between complaints, the senior couldn’t help but long for the days when they worked on projects in the studio—back when they only needed to focus on solving problems, without worrying about everything else. Now, as the boss, he had to consider every angle.

Xiao Wang, seasoned and well-connected, freely dished out advice.

By the time they parted, it was already late at night. A little drunk, the senior bragged about his wins but also vented about the grind. Before leaving, he gave Xiao Wang a firm pat on the back and heartfelt well-wishes.

"Wang, you’re doing better than I am now, so I won’t lecture you. But don’t just focus on work—take care of yourself, man."

Xiao Wang hugged him goodbye and returned to his car. The parking lot was nearly dark, just a few dim lights cutting through the late-night quiet.

He fired up the engine and sparked a cigarette, the growl drowning out the stillness.

Life, to him, was just one trade-off after another. If his senior hadn’t chosen entrepreneurship back then and had instead taken a corporate job like him, he might have had the stable life he claimed to want. But would that truly have been the life he desired?

Bottom line? People always want more. With his senior’s personality, he would never have been content with such an ordinary existence.

Regrets existed precisely because those choices were never the priority to begin with—they were destined to be abandoned. Even if he hadn’t taken this path, something else might have led him to forsake it anyway, leaving it as nothing more than a spoken regret.

Just like how his father always said he regretted not fighting for custody. Yet in all these years, he had never made any real effort to do so. Say 'sorry' enough times, and it just sounds like an excuse.

Better to be like Xiao Wang—live in the now, no strings attached, no drama.

He crushed out the cigarette and was about to leave when his gaze fell on the crumpled chocolate wrapper. He picked it up casually—the chocolate had been left in the car for too long and had started to melt. Normally, he would have just thrown it away in this state.

But he recalled Zhou Zuofei’s enthusiastic tone that afternoon as she introduced the chocolate to him, like it was the world's greatest delicacy.

Was it really that good?

Copying Zhou Zuofei's move, he scooped up some melted chocolate with his finger and tentatively touched it to his tongue. The rich cocoa taste cut through the tobacco bitterness lingering in his mouth.

Truthfully, he thought it was just chocolate made with slightly better-quality cocoa beans—not exactly worthy of being called "the best." But with Zhou Zuofei’s enthusiastic endorsement, it somehow tasted better.

If she were here...

He closed his eyes, leaning back against the headrest, savoring the flavor.

Today, Shirui's people showed up again.

This time, Zhou Zuofei wasn’t called up to receive them. If it were her every time, what would be the point of having other colleagues? They may as well put her on double salary.

Still, she caught snippets of coworker gossip. Word was that Shirui was discussing a new collaboration project with Universal, possibly one of the company’s most important projects in recent years.

Zhou Zuofei worked while listening to the chatter.

Zhan Zilang was also at his desk, which likely meant Xie Huai hadn’t come today.

Ever since she hung up on Assistant Bai last time, things had gone quiet without further incident.

But just hearing the name "Shirui" today set Zhou Zuofei's mind racing again.

Because she truly couldn’t figure out—what about her could possibly attract Xie Huai? With his status and looks, he could easily date a celebrity. So why would he take an interest in her?

Rich people really have it too good—they abandon their orderly, comfortable lives to seek out some excitement for themselves.

If they swapped lives with her and experienced some hardship, they'd straighten right out.

After lunch, Zhou Zuofei got a notice about a package that needed to be signed for downstairs. Leaving the cafeteria, she parted ways with Ye Ru and headed for the elevator.

As she waited, her eyelid suddenly started twitching uncontrollably. She figured it was from lack of sleep the night before and thought about grabbing a quick nap after retrieving the documents.

Just then, the elevator doors opened. With one hand covering her eye, she stepped inside without looking up, only catching a glimpse of several pairs of dress shoes in her peripheral vision. She automatically scooted over.

She rubbed her eye until the twitching subsided, but the heavy carb intake from lunch made her drowsy, and she couldn’t hold back a yawn.

Mindful of the others in the elevator, she covered her mouth to muffle the sound.

But when she finally looked up, she froze—Xie Huai was standing right beside her, flanked by Ling Yu and Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang, who seemed to have been watching her, smiled and nodded in greeting.

She cut off her half-yawn.

Seriously, what are the odds?!

She realized her luck lately had been crazy. In three years of working here, she’d barely run into Ling Yu a handful of times. Now, she kept bumping into big shots every other day. Maybe she should buy a lottery ticket?

If she won five million, she wouldn’t even need to work anymore.

With rising prices, a million wasn’t enough to live comfortably for life, but five million? That would be more than enough for her to return to her small hometown and play landlord back home.

Though the elevator was crowded, no one spoke. Zhou Zuofei noticed that both the first floor and basement buttons were lit—Xie Huai and his group must be leaving.

She snuck a glance at Xie Huai from the corner of her eye. He seemed spaced out, looking indifferent. His eyes, with their heavy whites and strikingly dark irises, gave his gaze an unnervingly deep stare.

Especially under his gaze, it felt like being watched by a snake—a primal fear hardwired into human DNA.

Zhou Zuofei really didn’t want to dwell on it any longer. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she bolted out first, ignoring the muffled chatter behind her.

She went to the front desk, signing for her mail like it was second nature.

Technically, the receptionists were coworkers, and Zhou Zuofei knew them well. Plus, it was lunch break, so of course everyone was gabbing away.

At the moment, everyone’s attention was on Xie Huai, who had just appeared.

"Don’t you think President Xie is so hot? I think he’s way hotter than President Ling!"

"No way, I think President Ling is better-looking. His bone structure is just sharper. President Xie doesn’t quite measure up."

"Seriously? Your standards are way too high! For a CEO to be this handsome is already perfect! What do you think, Zuofei?"

Zhou Zuofei didn’t even lift her head, focused on finding her own document among a pile of express envelopes. "I think you’re both right, but I’m ride-or-die for Secretary Xiao."

The receptionist couldn’t help but laugh. "How could we forget you’re Secretary Xiao’s number one fan?"

"Secretary Xiao is definitely hot too, but since he’s not a CEO, he doesn’t have that CEO mystique."

"Blasphemy! Talking smack about Secretary Xiao like that!"

After searching for a while, Zhou Zuofei finally found her mail and happened to see Luo Jing’s documents, figuring she’d save him a trip.

Just as she was signing, she suddenly noticed the office buzz suddenly died.

It felt eerily similar to when a noisy classroom goes silent during a school break—seriously creepy.

"Why’s it so quiet all of a sudden?"

Zhou Zuofei looked up and saw the receptionists’ gazes fixed on something behind her. She turned around and saw a vaguely familiar guy walking toward the front desk—someone she’d just seen in the elevator. He looked like he was returning guest badges.

"Hello, I’m here to return these badges."

The moment she heard his voice, Zhou Zuofei recognized him—it was Assistant Bai, the man she’d talked with over the phone.

But he probably didn’t recognize her since she hadn’t spoken in the elevator.

Just as she was thinking that, she heard him greet her: "Miss Zhou, could you come with me for a moment?"

Figures he’d recognize her.

If Xie Huai really had any interest in her, her file was probably already on his desk.

So much for personal data protection in this novel universe.

Zhou Zuofei agreed, leaving the documents at the front desk to retrieve later, and followed Assistant Bai toward the elevators. He led her down to the underground level.

Then, he guided her to a jet-black luxury sedan with a striking emblem of a goddess on the hood—that so-called "bare-bottomed angel" Zhan Zilang had once joked about.

Assistant Bai opened the car door for her. Inside, Xie Huai sat looking completely at ease, legs crossed naturally, showing off mirror-shined shoes.

He glanced at Zhou Zuofei and motioned with an inviting hand.

"Got a minute to talk?"