Chapter 121 Boost

Chapter 121: A Helping Hand

"Hmph, you know what you did. Don't try to trick me; I'm not repeating what happened last night."

Yan Zhoubai had grown smarter, realizing Zhan Jiayu was deliberately teasing him, so he wasn't falling for it.

"Getting clever now?"

Zhan Jiayu gently tapped Yan Zhoubai's nose, a satisfied smile on his face. It was good that he was learning—less likely to be fooled.

"Hmph!" Yan Zhoubai lifted his chin proudly.

"The reason you didn't feel uncomfortable is because I cleaned you up properly, and I've been saying all along that I wasn't too rough last night. I made sure to prepare you carefully…"

Before Zhan Jiayu could finish, Yan Zhoubai pinched his lips shut, physically silencing him.

"Stop talking, I get it."

Heat rose to Yan Zhoubai's face. He knew exactly what Zhan Jiayu was about to say and cut him off preemptively.

"Alright, have you rested enough? Let's go down to eat."

Zhan Jiayu tugged at Yan Zhoubai. It was just the right time to freshen up and head down for brunch.

He had woken up early, checked some work emails—nothing urgent—and then stayed in bed cuddling Yan Zhoubai until he woke up a little after ten.

When the two of them went down to the restaurant, they ran into Lin Qihua again. This time, however, she wasn't alone—there was a man beside her.

"Qi Hua…"

Yan Zhoubai almost greeted her as "Sister Qihua" but remembered his promise to Zhan Jiayu from the night before and quickly corrected himself, "Hello, Qi Hua."

He still felt that using her full name was too distant, so he ended up dropping the surname. Then he heard Zhan Jiayu chuckle softly beside him.

Annoyed, Yan Zhoubai elbowed Zhan Jiayu lightly.

"Xiao Bai, President Zhan, you're here to eat too?"

Lin Qihua's demeanor today was completely different from yesterday.

Yesterday, she had likely been caught off guard by unexpectedly running into Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu, but today she was prepared.

Unlike Zhan Jiayu and Yan Zhoubai, who were dressed casually in T-shirts and shorts, Lin Qihua was impeccably dressed, as if ready to attend a press conference at any moment. It was clear she had plans to take photos today.

"Did you have fun yesterday?"

"It was great, thank you for recommending the couples' hot spring, Miss Lin."

Zhan Jiayu took advantage of Yan Zhoubai's elbow nudge to grab his hand, making it look as though they were holding hands.

Yan Zhoubai knew the man's old habit was acting up again—whenever he faced Lin Qihua, he unconsciously went into combat mode.

Lin Qihua's gaze drifted from Yan Zhoubai's face down to their clasped hands, and she gave a knowing smile.

The reason Lin Qihua was much more composed today was indeed because yesterday's encounter had been unexpected. She hadn't known the two were together, let alone expected to run into them at a hot spring resort.

After returning yesterday, she had someone look into it and was surprised to find that not only were they together, but they were already living together—progressing quite quickly.

Realizing they were likely here on vacation, Lin Qihua knew there would be more chances to run into them in the coming days, so she was much more relaxed about meeting them again.

"And this is…"

Yan Zhoubai didn't want to continue discussing the couples' hot spring topic. Luckily, he noticed the man beside Lin Qihua, whom he didn't recognize, the moment they entered the restaurant. The two were dining together and seemed quite intimate.

"This is a friend of mine," Lin Qihua said with a smile, offering no further explanation.

The man was tall and quite handsome—Yan Zhoubai wondered if he might be a minor celebrity.

The man also came over to greet Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu.

Lin Qihua invited them to join her, but Zhan Jiayu declined, preferring to spend time alone with Yan Zhoubai.

Lin Qihua didn't press the matter and returned to her seat.

Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu found a table a bit further away from Lin Qihua.

The restaurant was spacious and beautifully decorated. Most importantly, it was quiet, with few guests, which made Yan Zhoubai feel it was a pleasant experience.

Once they found a table, Yan Zhoubai eagerly went to get food. After all, he had engaged in "high-intensity" physical labor the night before and slept until almost noon—he was absolutely exhausted.

The restaurant offered a wide variety of dishes, and Yan Zhoubai took a little of everything. As soon as he sat down, he began eating heartily, as if he hadn't eaten for days.

In contrast, Zhan Jiayu started with a cup of Americano, sipping it leisurely as if he weren't hungry at all.

"Last night, you said that I didn't know what Lin Qihua truly wants. Do you know what it is?"

Yan Zhoubai put down his chopsticks, leaned toward Zhan Jiayu, cupped his hand over his mouth, and whispered quietly.

Although discussing the subject so close to the person involved carried a high risk of being overheard, Yan Zhoubai's curiosity got the better of him once he was full. If they hadn't run into Lin Qihua at the restaurant, he might not have remembered Zhan Jiayu's offhand comment from the night before.

Zhan Jiayu watched as Yan Zhoubai, full and happy, began quietly discussing gossip with him, and reached out to ruffle his hair.

He couldn't help it—Yan Zhoubai was just too adorable.

"What she truly wants is to enjoy the Lin family's wealth and status while being free from their responsibilities, all while keeping the Lin family under her control, with her calling the shots," Zhan Jiayu said with a smile.

"?"

Yan Zhoubai made a vividly confused expression, as if a question mark had materialized above his head.

"Isn't that a bit unrealistic? Who wouldn't want that? But you can't have it all, can you?"

Yan Zhoubai didn't quite understand. He felt it was nearly impossible to achieve and thought Lin Qihua, being smart, wouldn't have such an impractical idea.

"Of course it's possible. She just needs to find a husband who's willing to work himself to the bone for her and the Lin family."

Zhan Jiayu took a sip of coffee, speaking very casually.

"Once you interact with her, you'll see she's very strong-willed. There's no way she'd be content as a wealthy wife who just spends her days socializing and raising children. The reason she agreed to meet Bu Qiran and enter an arranged marriage is because she already has a plan."

"What plan?"

Yan Zhoubai still didn't fully grasp it. If finding a husband willing to sacrifice everything for the Lin family would achieve her goal, then she shouldn't have agreed to marry into the Yan family.

The Yan family had its own companies and businesses. Even if Bu Qiran wasn't the one to eventually take over the Yan family, he wouldn't submit to serving the Lin family.

"As the only daughter, she needs to guard against men who might covet the Lin family's wealth. Although Bu Qiran wouldn't work his fingers to the bone for the Lin family, the Yan and Lin families have a good relationship and know each other well. Choosing Bu Qiran for the marriage alliance is risk-free."

"To minimize this risk, she can accept not being completely hands-off with the business. It would be enough if Bu Qiran could contribute to the Lin family's business."

Zhan Jiayu spoke so convincingly that Yan Zhoubai was completely dumbfounded.

"How do you know what she thinks, and how do you know it so clearly? Did she tell you herself?"

Yan Zhoubai felt a bit irritated seeing Zhan Jiayu's cool, collected attitude, as if he knew everything and had everything under control. It made Yan Zhoubai feel foolish, and he had this nagging feeling that Zhan Jiayu was teasing him.

"Of course she wouldn't say it herself—we're not that close. I picked up on it during our business negotiations, mainly because I'm familiar with a similar mindset."

Zhan Jiayu made it clear that his relationship with Lin Qihua was strictly business, that they weren't close, and that there was no need to misunderstand their connection.

"What similar mindset?" Yan Zhoubai was confused again.

"Jasmine. Jasmine's thinking is almost the same as hers, with the only difference being that Jasmine doesn't need to be the one running the show in the Zhan family."

Of course, Jasmine didn't need to—even if she wanted to, it wouldn't matter. Only Zhan Jiayu had the final say in the Zhan family.

"Are you saying Jasmine doesn't want to manage the Zhan family's affairs either? If she doesn't want to, then she doesn't have to. After all, you're the head of the Zhan family."

Yan Zhoubai was quite surprised. Based on his brief encounter with Jasmine, she struck him as an outgoing and efficient woman. Having grown up under the Zhan family's cutthroat upbringing, she should be highly capable—not the type to be hands-off.

"Xiao Chuaner, the Zhan family's business in Country A is actually quite extensive. Such a large enterprise can't be sustained by me alone. All my siblings are highly capable, but most of them have been weeded out. The two who remain must contribute to the Zhan family—otherwise, why should they stay?"

"But isn't she your real sister?"

Yan Zhoubai didn't understand. He felt that Zhan Jiayu, while saying this, had an edge to him he rarely saw, quite different from the Zhan Jiayu he knew. It reminded him more of the image he had of a ruthless crime boss before he met Zhan Jiayu.

"The Zhan family's business is no less dangerous than walking on a knife's edge. That's why the Zhan family can't afford to support anyone who doesn't contribute but still wants to enjoy the comfortable life the family provides. This applies to everyone, including my siblings."

As he said this, Zhan Jiayu tried to be as tactful as possible, softening his edge and putting down his coffee. He wanted to appear less detached and less condescending while discussing such a topic, but he could tell that Yan Zhoubai was still taken aback by his words.

"So you believe that everyone around you must be of use to you or your cause to stay?"

Yan Zhoubai's voice had a barely noticeable tremor. His hands, resting on his legs, unconsciously balled into tight fists.

"What about me?"

-----------------------