Zhou Jinbei spent the entire summer break loafing around at home, but the day of school finally arrived.
Her father had put a great deal of effort into getting her into Nanda's Business Administration program.
On the first day of school, he sent the driver and housekeeper to accompany her to report for registration.
Zhou Jinbei, quite unhappy, whined to her aunt.
"All the people under my dad are old and stiff, utterly boring. I don't want them following me; it's embarrassing enough."
"Auntie, any one of my second brother's subordinates could be a male model. Can you have him lend me a couple of people?"
"It's my first time on the Nanda campus; I don't even know my way around. I don't want to go alone."
At that time, Madam Zhan was in high spirits, having recently drawn a line between herself and Jiang Nan Fang after Zhan Bei Jue sent the child abroad and spread news of their supposed death.
Therefore, she was amenable to Zhou Jinbei's every request.
Seeing her adorable niece looking pitiful, she immediately called Zhan Bei Jue, asking him to send someone young, handsome, and capable to accompany Zhou Jinbei for registration.
Ah Zhong was in front of Zhan Bei Jue making him coffee when he received the call.
With a glance at him, Zhan Bei Jue said,
"Ah Zhong, I recall you studied at Nanda for university, right?"
"Yes. Business Administration. What's up, President Zhan?"
"Zhou Jinbei is starting school today and doesn't even know how to register. Go over and help her settle in."
Thus, forty minutes later, Ah Zhong drove to the Zhan residence and picked up Zhou Jinbei.
Zhou Jinbei was very satisfied with her second brother's efficiency.
Looking at the impeccably dressed Ah Zhong, her gloomy mood finally lifted a little.
"Brother Zhong, it's been a while since we last saw each other after your girlfriend situation. Are you okay?"
The unspoken question was, have you gotten over the heartbreak?
Her last relationship had been a complete failure, and she had been so immersed in work that she hadn't even realized when her girlfriend had changed her mind.
Ah Zhong didn't want to bring it up again.
"The sun is so bright today, Miss Zhou. Let's talk about something else."
It seemed he hadn't quite moved on.
So sensitive.
Zhou Jinbei enjoyed teasing these rigidly upright men.
"Don't be so sentimental. These days, devotion doesn't count for much, especially in men."
"Being too devoted not only invites ridicule but also makes you an easy target."
"You're so handsome, and so young, and you work for my second brother. There must be many girls who admire you."
"Didn't Eileen Chang say that to get over heartbreak quickly, you need time and a new love?"
"If you want, I can introduce you to a couple of new people. Don't be so glum all the time."
This girl was sharp-tongued and dared to say anything.
Ah Zhong, mindful of his position, couldn't joke around with her, so he could only smile.
"Miss Zhou is young, beautiful, and has a great personality. There must be countless talented young men who admire you."
"Is this how you usually behave? Only flirt without falling in love, never being a fool in love?"
Zhou Jinbei kicked off her shoes and propped her feet on the dashboard, looking perfectly at ease.
"Of course. Someone like me, an ethereal being, is not worthy of any man. I wouldn't fall for them."
Ah Zhong: "So, at a critical moment, you don't even have anyone to send you, and you have to trouble your second brother?"
So that's what she was getting at.
Mocking me? Zhou Jinbei almost blurted out "Bullshit."
But then she remembered her "ethereal being" persona and held back.
"Who says I don't have anyone? I just don't want to."
"If I wanted to, I'd just have to beckon, and those men would scramble to get to me!"
"It's by chance that you're following my second brother, so you got lucky. Otherwise, how would you have the chance to interact with an ethereal being like me?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Ah Zhong said with a smile. "I'm lucky, I got a great deal."
They chatted all the way to the school.
Ah Zhong, familiar with the procedures, helped her with the registration.
Since she wasn't staying in the dorms, she could leave soon.
Ah Zhong was supposed to take her back to Zhan Bei Jue's place, but Zhou Jinbei pouted.
"I don't want to go back."
"At home, my parents nag me every day. At the Zhans', my aunt nags me every day. It's so annoying."
"It's rare to have a legitimate excuse to go out today. I won't go back if I can't have fun to my heart's content!"
Ah Zhong asked her, "So, are you going to call those admirers of yours, those fools, to keep you company now?"
Zhou Jinbei rolled her eyes at him.
"Are you genuinely stupid or just pretending? Mr. Zhong, if I remember correctly, you still owe me a favor for helping you sort out your girlfriend situation last time."
"We agreed you'd treat me to a meal. When are you going to fulfill that?"
Ah Zhong, swamped with work every day, had indeed forgotten about it.
Being reminded made him feel stingy, so he quickly agreed.
"I'm sorry, I forgot. Alright, since we still have plenty of time today, tell me, what do you want to eat? I'll treat you."
Zhou Jinbei got back into the car and, with her usual leisurely air, propped her legs up again.
"Then I won't be polite. From now on, whatever I say, you do. No complaining, no stinginess with money, and no lack of cooperation!"
"Fine."
Ah Zhong thought to himself: I'll let you have your fun today. I don't believe you can bankrupt me.
As expected, Zhou Jinbei was a woman who knew how to enjoy life.
She directed Ah Zhong to drive to a hot spring hotel in the suburbs. After changing clothes, she asked Ah Zhong to accompany her for a soak.
"You don't seem like someone who's into wellness, so why the sudden urge for hot springs?"
Watching Zhou Jinbei, clad in a golden bathrobe, hair tied up, and walking barefoot ahead of him, Ah Zhong was deeply puzzled.
Zhou Jinbei said, "Can't I enjoy hot springs if I'm not into wellness? You have no idea how stressed I've been lately."
"I haven't been to school for months, and my parents have been bombarding me with life philosophies. If I don't come to soak and relieve some stress, I'll be depressed."
So that was it.
But Ah Zhong was still puzzled.
"Don't you have many friends? If you're so stressed, why not ask them to come out and have fun with you?"
"Let me tell you upfront. I follow President Zhan; usually, I'm either working or on my way to work. I'm good at writing documents, but I'm not good at playing. I can't offer you any creative suggestions."
"That's for the best," Zhou Jinbei said.
"Everyone I know is so noisy. I'm not in the mood to chat and laugh with them recently because I'm feeling down."
"You're quite suitable. We have no conflict of interest and no emotional entanglements. We can say what we want, or stay silent if we don't feel like talking. Isn't that good?"
He hadn't expected this girl, who seemed so frivolous and chatty on the surface, to be so clear-headed about what she wanted.
The more Ah Zhong interacted with her, the more interesting he found her.
They first went to soak in a milk bath.
It seemed Zhou Jinbei was indeed under a lot of stress lately.
She didn't say a word while soaking, just stared blankly with a poker face the whole time.
After an hour, feeling a bit hungry, they went for a seafood buffet.
After eating their fill, Zhou Jinbei asked Ah Zhong to accompany her to the swimming pool, then to sunbathe, and finally take a nap.
This girl, at only 1.6 meters tall, looked small and slender next to Ah Zhong.
But she had a surprisingly voluptuous figure.
In her swimsuit, a pale white figure splashing in the water, she made Ah Zhong not know where to look.
To prove he was a gentleman, he deliberately put on sunglasses and lay on the shore, gazing at the sky, avoiding eye contact with her.
Unexpectedly, after only a few laps, Zhou Jinbei suddenly flew into a rage.
She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face, then angrily climbed out of the pool, wrapped herself in a towel, and left.
"Stop sleeping! Let's go home, I'm done playing!"