After a friendly chat, Ah Zhong watched the woman leave.
A moment later, Zhou Jinbei emerged from a corner.
Seeing Ah Zhong still looking in the direction the woman had gone, she nudged his chest.
"Stop looking, she's already gone."
"Don't you have her WeChat on your phone? You can still see her later, why are you so infatuated?"
What was that supposed to mean?
He'd kindly helped her, only to be criticized?
Ah Zhong felt speechless.
"Miss Zhou, she's someone you planned for all day, begging me to help her. Are you being reasonable?"
Zhou Jinbei replied, "It's true I asked for your help, but don't take it too seriously."
"If it weren't for this car, a woman like her would never have spared you a second glance. She's pregnant with my father's child and yet dares to flirt with you. How brazen."
"You men are so cheap. The moment you see a pretty face, you forget everything else. Otherwise, how could someone like her have an opportunity?"
Ah Zhong was resigned to her sharp tongue.
He never had a comeback when he was in front of her.
"Alright, alright, you're right. I'm cheap, and I'll get out of your way now, okay?"
"Regardless, my task today is complete. You can have the car towed yourself. I'm going home too."
Zhou Jinbei grabbed his arm.
"You can go home. Leave your phone with me."
"You just added her WeChat, it's a crucial moment to make a good impression. Tonight, I'll take your place and properly meet this woman."
What? Leave his phone with her?
Ah Zhong refused, "No. Although I'm off duty, I still have a lot of urgent work to handle. What if leaving my phone with you delays my work?"
"Then tell me your WeChat account, and I'll log in with my own phone."
Zhou Jinbei said, "Don't worry, I'll only use your account to chat with her, and I absolutely won't look at your secrets."
"Even if I accidentally see something, I promise I won't leak it to anyone, alright?"
Ah Zhong didn't dare to joke about his work with her, and he firmly shook his head.
"No. Because of my past work errors, President Zhan has already encountered a major problem. If it happens again, I can only atone with my life."
"You can have anything else, but not my phone. Don't say another word."
Seeing his firm refusal, Zhou Jinbei pouted.
"Then what should we do? I'm afraid if I chat with her tomorrow, she'll think you're insincere."
"How about this, I'll come to your place tonight."
"When there are work messages to reply to, the phone is yours. When there are no work messages, it's mine."
"You can watch me chat with her, and I promise not to pry into your privacy, okay?"
There was no better solution than this.
Ah Zhong agreed, "Then how will you explain to your family if you don't go back tonight?"
"That's easy. I can just ask a friend to make a call for me."
Zhou Jinbei went home with Ah Zhong.
As she had said, when there were no work messages to deal with, Ah Zhong sat aside and watched her chat with Fang Yuan.
Zhou Jinbei was skilled in the art of seduction. The two exchanged messages, and their conversation flowed as if they were a pair of soulmates who had met and instantly connected, enjoying a delightful chat.
At eleven o'clock that night, Zhou Jinbei made an excuse about needing to handle work matters, logged out of WeChat, and returned the phone to Ah Zhong.
"Truly shameless. This woman is spending my father's money and enjoying his care, while pretending to be single in front of other men."
"What if my father saw these chat logs? He'd want to kill her, wouldn't he?"
Ah Zhong advised her.
"Whatever your plans are, it's best to think them through before acting."
"If something goes wrong, not only will this matter be exposed, but it will also have a significant impact on other aspects of your family. Don't be willful."
Zhou Jinbei said she understood.
"If I didn't have so many considerations, would I need to waste so much time talking to this woman? I'd just go up and 'clip' her."
"..." Ah Zhong told her to take a bath.
"It's getting late, hurry up and wash up so you can sleep. You have school tomorrow."
The next day, Ah Zhong drove Zhou Jinbei to school.
Before getting out of the car, Zhou Jinbei instructed him.
"Unless I tell you to, you are not allowed to chat with her casually."
"If she becomes too shameless and messages you first, just use work as an excuse to give a perfunctory reply. Don't let the duck I've cooked get away."
Ah Zhong was speechless, "Understood. Although I'm not good at flirting, I'm not an idiot."
Zhou Jinbei patted him, "Alright. Then pick me up after school."
"These next few days are critical. I still need to chat with her at night, so I'll continue staying at your place."
And so, Zhou Jinbei moved into Ah Zhong's home.
Using the excuse that her car wasn't repaired, she only chatted with Fang Yuan on her phone.
A week later, the two had seemingly become an online couple.
Fang Yuan would become restless if she didn't receive a message from Zhou Jinbei every hour, proactively sending messages, and even suggesting a meeting.
Zhou Jinbei refused to meet, saying she needed to string Fang Yuan along for a while longer. Only when Fang Yuan was completely smitten and willing to do anything, would they meet.
Thus, they waited for another week.
The car was repaired, and on the weekend, at Fang Yuan's repeated invitation, Ah Zhong, dressed impeccably, went to the restaurant.
Fang Yuan was even more beautifully dressed than during their last meeting.
The two chatted shyly yet enthusiastically throughout, as if they were a couple meeting for the first time.
From their body language, it was evident that she was completely captivated by Ah Zhong.
After a superficial show of concern, Fang Yuan asked Ah Zhong, "Someone as excellent as you, how come you're still single with no girlfriend? Doesn't your family urge you?"
Ah Zhong replied according to Zhou Jinbei's instructions.
"A few years ago, I wanted to establish my career before settling down, so time just slipped away."
"Of course, they urge me. Now that I'm older, my parents constantly nag me to go on blind dates, wishing I'd meet someone today and bring them a chubby grandson tomorrow. They pester me endlessly."
Fang Yuan's expression suddenly darkened, "So, you've been on blind dates every day recently?"
Ah Zhong said, "No, I'm quite opposed to these blind dates that are solely for the purpose of marriage."
"I believe the prerequisite for marriage is having feelings, a connection. A marriage without feeling for the other party cannot last."
Fang Yuan was about to blurt out, "Then what do you think of me?"
But then she thought that with the burden in her belly, it was too early to say such a thing.
The two could only make small talk, and over an hour passed quickly.
Zhou Jinbei called, stating that there was a company matter that required Ah Zhong's attention, and they both stood up.
Fang Yuan was dressed lightly. As they left the restaurant, the temperature dropped. Ah Zhong took off his jacket and draped it over her.
"I'm sorry. I originally planned to spend more time with you tonight, but something urgent came up. I hope you can understand."
Fang Yuan said it was alright.
"We have plenty of time in the future, no need to rush. You go take care of your business."
"No matter how busy you are, you're more important than that. I'll take you back first."
Ah Zhong placed his hand on her shoulder.