Volume 1, Chapter 3: A Guest Arrives—It Is Zhou Huaiqing

As Wen Li passed by the parking lot at the old residence’s entrance, she noticed a car with a license plate starting with “Jing,” and thought perhaps there were guests at home. After Grandpa Wen retired, he returned to Nancheng to enjoy his old age, and it was common for his old comrades to visit during festivals—it wasn’t anything unusual.

She had come back secretly, without informing her family beforehand, fearing unwanted attention and unnecessary trouble. Keeping her head down, she took a detour, walking quickly to avoid the main hall and central areas, sticking close to the wall.

Despite her low profile, she accidentally collided head-on with someone in the secluded corridor.

Oh no, trouble again.

Wen Li touched her forehead, and before she could say “Sorry,” a familiar voice called out from a moderate distance.

“Ali.”

She touched her chest, relieved it was Wen Yang—no big problem.

Only Wen Yang in the Wen family would address her so affectionately, making her feel she wasn’t entirely detestable.

Wen Li looked up, her words rushing ahead of her thoughts as she apologized to the person in front of her, “Brother, I didn’t mean to... huh?”

But seeing the other person, she suddenly felt at a loss.

Years apart, Wen Yang had completely changed.

His tone was cool and distant: “Open your eyes wide and look carefully. In your own home, don’t go pretending to be relatives with me.”

His face plainly said “We’re not close.”

Wen Li widened her eyes and looked closely.

Zhou Huaqing? It was him.

She had thought that even if her brother had a second growth spurt, he couldn’t have turned into such a cold, unrecognizable figure who disowned his own family.

Coughing nearby caught her attention, and she glanced around.

There stood Wen Yang behind him, confirming the connection between face and voice.

Wen Yang waved to the person in front, signaling him to move aside, while Wen Li took small hurried steps toward Wen Yang, saying, “Brother, I didn’t mean to.”

Zhou Huaqing, dressed sharply in a suit with one hand in his pocket, looked exasperated. “You bumped into me. Why are you telling your brother it was on purpose?”

He added, “Wen Yang, your sister has been studying at a German university for so many years, yet she hasn’t improved at all. Her brain still isn’t very sharp.”

Wen Yang didn’t respond but gave Wen Li a pointed look, reminding her to greet guests properly, or else it’s rude.

The Wen and Zhou families were close; Wen Yang and Zhou Huaqing were the same age and as close as brothers, while Wen Li was six years younger.

By family seniority, she should call him “Brother.”

But since he loved to tease her, Wen Li harbored no fondness for him.

Reluctantly, she muttered, “Huaqing…”

She hesitated to say the next “brother” aloud, but Zhou Huaqing cut her off sharply: “Stop right there. I don’t need a dumb little sister. Life as an only son suits me just fine.”

He forcefully smoothed the wrinkles on his suit, as if flicking off dust. “You’re an adult now. How can you be so careless walking around?”

He even muttered a German insult under his breath: “Dummkopf.”

Wen Li cursed silently, “Look at you, so noble and precious—could it be that the guest at home is you?”

What bad luck, no respect for the elders.

Wen Yang changed the subject, asking Wen Li, “Why did you come back all of a sudden without telling me first?”

Before she could speak, Zhou Huaqing jumped in: “Sneaking around like this, surely you’re hiding some misdeed from the elders, or secretly meeting some wild man and afraid of ghostly knocks at midnight, planning to hide under the bed?”

“Right, former would-be cousin-in-law?”

Wen Li fell silent as Zhou Huaqing looked at her with a teasing and provocative expression.

It had to be deliberate.

Nancheng wasn’t too big or small; in those social circles, relatives connected to relatives.

For example, Jiang Chen’s mother, Zhou Minzhi, was Zhou Huaqing’s aunt, making Jiang Chen and Zhou Huaqing cousins.

Later, as Mr. Zhou was promoted, the whole Zhou family moved to northern Jing.

While Zhou Huaqing was still in school, he often returned to Nancheng during holidays and frequented the Wen household to visit Wen Yang.

Even after graduation, Wen Li often saw him around Wen’s place, always teasing her mercilessly, claiming Jiang Chen was blind to have chosen her.

Whether this continued in recent years, Wen Li didn’t know.

Wen Yang frowned beside her, saying, “That’s all in the past. Why bring it up now?”

“To warn her not to provoke my pure and kind little cousin again.”

Zhou Huaqing’s words sounded like a deliberate warning to Wen Li.

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. I won’t come back to Nancheng unless necessary.”

Implying he would keep his distance from Jiang Chen.

Seeing her reluctant mouth refuse to relent, Zhou Huaqing sneered, “Your schedule’s pretty tight. Doing research is a waste of talent. Why don’t you just become a time management master? That’s a great job—making money lying down without using your brain.”

No one replied, so he spoke bluntly: “Plane tickets aren’t free, and your family, even with all their wealth, can’t afford you running back and forth like this. Or have you bought shares in the airline, wanting to contribute to the nation’s aviation industry?”

No one took his meaning—only found him annoying.

“...Does that even make sense? And none of it’s your business.”

The Zhou family seemed to have a hereditary talent for gossip. Among relatives and acquaintances, Jiang Chen was no exception; Zhou Huaqing was even more skilled.

None of them liked reasoning with others.

However, on the other hand…

The whole scandal involving Jiang Chen had stirred the entire city, but Zhou Huaqing, out of respect for Wen Yang, had worked hard behind the scenes to help the Wen family escape unscathed from the public uproar.

In the end, the matter was quietly settled with a “broken engagement,” and no one dared to bring up the truth behind the scenes—so to this day, it remained unknown.

Wen Li owed him some gratitude, and besides keeping her distance, she respected him.

Provided he didn’t provoke her without cause.

Seeing Wen Li lower her head in silence, Wen Yang spoke up to calm the situation: “Huaqing, the girl has a thin skin. Be careful not to frighten her.”

He wanted him to say less.

Zhou Huaqing turned slightly and said, “I don’t look scary, do I?”

Wen Yang ignored him and turned to Wen Li: “Since you’re back, it’s okay to stay until after the New Year.”

Noticing her worry, he added, “I’ll take care of telling Mom and Dad.”

Then he asked, “Can you take time off work easily?”

Wen Li nodded indifferently, “Yes,” though inside she was pleased.

Zhou Huaqing snorted nearby—not proud, not mocking, but strangely amused.

Wen Li sensed his ill intentions, as if he were holding back some big trick, ready to strike at any moment.