Chapter 67 Dog

Chapter 67 The Dog

Zhou Zuofei froze, her hand holding the makeup mirror involuntarily curling.

This was way too corny!

Though she had imagined having a boyfriend before, thinking about it and actually hearing it said aloud were two entirely different feelings.

Xiao Wang, seeing Zhou Zuofei’s dazed expression, felt his mood soar instantly: "Still not used to it?"

Zhou Zuofei shook her head honestly, making the mirror wobble in her grip.

"It just feels weird. Who even calls their girlfriend 'girlfriend'?" she muttered.

Most of Du Yu’s boyfriends were from the same industry, so their pet names could get pretty weird—hardly a useful reference. But calling someone "girlfriend" just felt off to her.

"Then what should I call you?" Xiao Wang edged a little nearer.

Though his movement seemed casual, in the cramped car, every move felt magnified.

A rich but subtle scent drifted toward Zhou Zuofei. Before she could even identify it, her body responded before she could think.

"Call me…" Zhou Zuofei paused as a flush of heat, laced with embarrassment, crept from her ears to her cheeks. Even as she floundered, she forced herself to appear composed.

She decided to throw the question back at him—a tactic she rarely used, but one that seemed particularly effective on Xiao Wang.

"How should I know? Shouldn’t you be the one deciding?"

After speaking, she couldn’t help but press her lips together. Even though she had drunk plenty of water today, her lips still felt dry and tight, no matter how much she licked them.

"Then let me think. You mentioned your colleagues call you Zhouzhou or Zuofei, and Du Yu calls you Mu Mu…" Xiao Wang calmly ticked off the names, his gaze fixed on Zhou Zuofei’s ears.

He had noticed this little secret of hers long ago—whenever she was nervous or shy, her ears would turn red, even trembling slightly as all the blood rushed to her earlobes. The longer it went on, the deeper it got, like cherries candied in honey, irresistibly tempting.

"So, what’s your childhood nickname?"

"It’s just Xiaofei, but it barely comes up now. Even my parents don’t call me that anymore."

"Then I’ll call you—"

Before Xiao Wang could finish, Zhou Zuofei’s phone suddenly rang. She glanced down and immediately showed the screen to Xiao Wang—it was a call from Lawyer Lu.

Xiao Wang immediately turned serious, his tone solemn as he urged, "Answer it quickly."

Zhou Zuofei nodded and held the phone to her ear. "Hello, Lawyer Lu."

"Ms. Zhou." Lawyer Lu’s voice, usually steady and professional, sounded unusually grave today. "There’s something I need to inform you about. There’s a snag in the negotiations."

"What happened? Did the other side back out of the settlement?"

"Not exactly. Their lawyer notified me that the settlement talks are on hold. I asked around today, and it seems details of the deal got out."

Lawyer Lu’s tone turned serious. "So there’s something I must confirm with you—aside from me, who else knew about this?"

"Only us and Xiao Wang," Zhou Zuofei replied firmly. From the very beginning, when she first consulted Lawyer Lu, he’d drilled into her how crucial secrecy was, and she hadn’t breathed a word to anyone.

Even Xiao Wang only knew the basics—she had never shared the specifics.

Hearing his name, Xiao Wang gave her a sharp glance. Zhou Zuofei shrugged at him, letting him know she was just as clueless.

"Well, that’s a relief."

"But how did this get out?"

"Now word’s going around that senior executives at Shirui are involved in sexual harassment of female employees and are hiring lawyers to settle quietly. So, I think it's more likely the leak came from the opposing lawyer, though the specifics are probably only known to the parties involved."

"It’s gotten this out of hand...?" Zhou Zuofei tsked in disbelief. Suddenly, a nasty idea popped into her head—what if the other side assumed she was the one behind it?

But then she reconsidered. No way this could be blamed on her. Spreading such rumors wouldn’t benefit her at all, and Xie Huai, if he’s got half a brain, would know that too. So she shrugged it off just as fast.

"Anyway, that’s the situation now. This might have to sit on the back burner for now."

"Alright, I understand."

Lawyer Lu added a few warnings before hanging up.

Zhou Zuofei set down her phone and immediately met Xiao Wang’s concerned gaze. "What happened?"

"It’s not really my problem..." She briefly summarized the situation and asked Xiao Wang, "Have you heard anything about this?"

"Not at all, but..." Xiao Wang frowned, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

The rumors didn’t match the facts at all. So who spread them, and what did they stand to gain?

He chewed on it but couldn’t figure it out. Just as he was lost in thought, he noticed Zhou Zuofei watching him curiously, looking totally unfazed by the drama.

"Aren’t you curious?"

"Of course I am," Zhou Zuofei replied. "If someone told me the truth, I’d definitely listen. But if I had to stress over it, no thanks—because this has nothing to do with us anyway."

This rumor had nothing to do with her, so there was no need to worry about exposure. Besides, compared to her, wasn’t Xie Huai the one who should be most concerned?

At that thought, she even felt a little pleased.

With a hint of glee, she said, "Xie Huai’s probably sweating bullets right now, huh?"

Now that you mention it...

Xiao Wang realized he had instinctively overcomplicated things—a leftover work habit. When reporting work progress to Ling Yu, he not only had to track the status but also understand related details and even long-term implications.

Zhou Zuofei, on the other hand, thought much more simply—yet she hit the nail on the head. First, she wasn’t involved. Second, Xie Huai would be in trouble.

So she was happy.

Her eyes crinkled like a mischievous fox’s, playful and sly, like a smug little fox.

"You’re right," Xiao Wang exhaled, ditching his earlier worries. "It’s none of our concern."

"Exactly! Let the bigwigs deal with that mess. After work, we should just live our own lives. Move it—my cat’s waiting!"

Listening to her urging, Xiao Wang’s gaze turned fond, quickly agreeing.

How could he refuse such a request? If Zhou Zuofei wanted it, he’d agree to anything.

When they reached the neighborhood gate, Zhou Zuofei wasn’t in a rush to get out. She dragged out unbuckling her seatbelt while looking at Xiao Wang and asked, "Did you forget something?"

Xiao Wang thought for a moment before remembering their earlier unfinished conversation. "Ah, right. We didn’t finish talking."

"Exactly! Your memory’s the worst!" Zhou Zuofei lightly complained. She’d been waiting the whole time for him to mention it, but he’d been focused on driving—she had to remind him herself.

"So, what are you going to call me?"

Zhou Zuofei was dying of curiosity—what kind of nickname could Xiao Wang possibly come up with?

Having lived for over two decades, she felt like all possible nicknames had already been exhausted. There were only so many variations—he couldn’t seriously be thinking of calling her "baby," could he?

So corny… but not a total dealbreaker.

Xiao Wang smiled faintly, his lips curving slightly as his eyes brimmed with an irresistible tenderness. "How about 'Fei Bao' (literally 'Precious Fei')?"

Clearly, Zhou Zuofei had underestimated Xiao Wang’s imagination—and overestimated her own ability to handle it.

When those two syllables left his lips, laced with honeyed affection, she was utterly speechless.

Outwardly, she might have seemed composed, but internally, she was already screaming.

This’ll be the death of me! How can his voice sound so good? How can he say it so tenderly?!

He waited a moment, but when she still didn’t respond, he prompted, "What do you think?"

"I think…" Zhou Zuofei cleared her throat, trying not to choke on her words. *Not bad? Try perfect.*

Right now, all she wanted was for Xiao Wang to say that name a few more times while she pressed against his chest, listening to the resonance of his voice reverberating deep within him, the vibrations traveling through his skin to hers…

The mere thought sent shivers down her spine. Wasn’t this way more interesting than playing games?!

Lost in thought, Zhou Zuofei spaced out completely.

Her face betrayed every fleeting emotion, and Xiao Wang couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going through her mind.

Perhaps it was only when facing Zhou Zuofei that he felt such a burning curiosity, eager to understand every single one of her thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." She snapped back to reality, biting her lower lip, her earlier thoughts stirring an itch to close the distance.

Something about their pace felt off compared to most couples, but was a hug *really* crossing a line?

Her friend Du Yu had needed only a month of coy glances to officially start dating someone, while she and Xiao Wang had known each other for four years. This wasn’t some rash decision—they’d built up their feelings for a long time.

Zhou Zuofei kept scrambling to rationalize her impulse, searching for justifications for why she should act on it.

Now, just *looking* at Xiao Wang, her fingers itched to reach for him. It was the same as how she’d naturally throw an arm around Du Yu—just an instinctive desire.

"There’s something I want to do…" After confessing her feelings, Zhou Zuofei had come to appreciate the benefits of taking the initiative, so this time, she didn’t overthink it.

In one fluid motion, she unclicked her seatbelt, leaned toward Xiao Wang, arms outstretched, thinking that as long as he reacted, she could boldly embrace him.

He had been closely watching her movements, not only responding but even blocking the gearstick so she wouldn’t bump it.

"Careful."

Zhou Zuofei sank into Xiao Wang’s embrace, resting her head on his shoulder while her fingers sought his.

She loved the feeling of holding hands too—especially when their fingers intertwined, it gave her a bone-deep certainty: *this* was where she belonged.

"I actually like this name." Zhou Zuofei turned slightly and whispered into Xiao Wang's ear, "My boyfriend’s a total genius."

Not just a genius, but someone who makes delicious sandwiches. Why had she hesitated for so long over such a perfect partner? That was so dumb of me.

That alone made Xiao Wang’s heart swell. He tightened his embrace around Zhou Zuofei, pulling her even closer.

Her sweet scent made his breath hitch.

"Hmm… what do I call you?"

Xiao Wang struggled to regain his composure and replied, "Friends my age say ‘A-Wang,’ older folks go with ‘Xiao Xiao.’"

"And what about your family?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Zuofei winced. He never talked about family—why’d she bring it up?

"Well... let me think." Zhou Zuofei hurriedly tried to shift the conversation. "I really need to come up with a good name for you… 'Little Wang' definitely won't do, but 'Wang-Wang' sounds like I'm calling a puppy."

She tested it out, instinctively adding two more syllables at the end.

"Wang-Wang, c’mere boy!"

Xiao Wang laughed, like he couldn’t argue.

Zhou Zuofei fake-whined, “This is so hard,” while propping herself up to wrap her arms around his neck. Her soft chest brushed against his, like a staticky cloud.

She tilted her head, lashes fluttering, "So… wanna be my puppy?"