Zhōu Shíyì couldn’t fathom what was going through her mind at this moment, unable to understand why she suddenly came to terms with things and was willing to recover on her own.
Previously, Níng Quē had gently asked him why he didn’t just let Zhōng Yì recover.
She clearly had no intention of doing so, so why force her into a difficult position?
The phone on the desk vibrated—a message from his cousin.
Zhōu Sùjìn: 【Chén Chén’s hairpin is probably with Zhōng Yì, right?】
Zhōu Shíyì: 【It’s with me.】
Zhōu Sùjìn: 【You don’t need it, so have someone bring it to me another day.】 No matter if it was cheap or expensive, he was used to keeping his daughter’s belongings carefully.
Zhōu Shíyì transferred some money immediately: 【Buy Chén Chén a few more.】 As for those two cherry and strawberry hairpins, he had no intention of returning them.
Zhōu Sùjìn was puzzled: 【You have enough money here to buy twenty, why keep those useless hairpins?】
Zhōu Shíyì: 【I’ve transferred you so much money, and you still have so much to say?】
Zhōu Sùjìn:
Having grown up together, this was the first time someone told him he talked too much.
Five minutes later, the phone vibrated again.
Zhōu Shíyì thought it was his cousin again but when he opened it, it was Zhōng Yì asking: 【Are you free tonight? My parents are coming back tonight, and they want you to come over for dinner.】
Zhōu Shíyì glanced at his watch—it was 4:50 p.m.—and replied: 【I’m free.】
He asked again: 【What time do you finish work? Want me to pick you up?】
Zhōng Yì: 【Next time try to turn your question marks into periods. If you come to pick me up, I’d definitely be happy.】
Zhōu Shíyì: 【I’ll call you when I get there.】
Although he had met his in-laws before, tonight would be his first formal visit to their home.
He went downstairs and instructed the butler to prepare a gift for the visit.
This wasn’t the first time he had prepared a gift for meeting the family.
Several years ago, when Zhōng Yì had just graduated from university, she once said that when she returned to the country again, she wanted to take him to see the small town in Jiangcheng where she grew up, and introduce him to her parents.
***
The next day, he told Zhan Liang to start preparing a gift.
He secretly asked her about her future in-laws’ preferences, and she said her father ran a small company, just enough to support the family, with no special hobbies.
As for her mother, she said she liked movies the most.
After carefully selecting the right gifts, when he asked her when she would return to China, she told him the family was dealing with some matters recently, and her parents weren’t in a good mood. They would go back after the family issues were settled.
“I just graduated, so I’m not in a hurry to meet the family.”
He nodded and didn’t say more; the gifts were already prepared.
He asked if anything was wrong at home or if she needed help.
She said no, that her parents’ matters were none of anyone else’s business.
The next evening, when he returned from the company, she was upstairs on the phone, happily calling her father, chatting with him cheerfully throughout, giving no sign that anything was wrong at home or that her parents were in a bad mood.
Later, until they broke up, she never mentioned going back home again.
Maybe she never really planned to introduce him to her parents—it was just something she said casually.
When Níng Quē asked him before what had caused such a rift that they hadn’t seen each other for three years, he said it was many things.
One after another, bit by bit, some things he didn’t even remember clearly, but the emotions piled up like this.
He was used to weighing everything with practical benefits; whether something worked or not was just a matter of words.
So Níng Quē couldn’t understand why he was so straightforward about everything else, yet with Zhōng Yì, no matter how much she pushed, it was useless.
Because only with her was it personal.
“I’ve prepared three gifts.” The butler wasn’t sure if a third gift was necessary and didn’t want to overdo it, so he came to ask.
Zhōu Shíyì said, “No need for that many, just two.”
The one meant for Zhōng Yì wouldn’t be useful; she wasn’t interested in bags, clothes, or jewelry. Giving it would only make her think he was trying to arrange a marriage.
【I finish work at 5:30 today.】
Zhōng Yì sent the message just as the car was leaving the villa district.
Zhōu Shíyì: 【On my way.】
Zhōng Yì: 【Drive slowly, no rush.】
She put down her phone, took out a large laptop bag, and packed her work computer along with an old notebook.
knock knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
“President Zhōng?”
“Come in.”
The door was pushed open with an elbow, and Níng Quē’s assistant walked in carrying a stack of books.
“What books?”
“On data recovery technology. President Níng personally picked out a few, saying you might find them useful.”
“…Thank you. Put them over there.” She pointed beside the computer.
“You’re welcome.” The assistant set the books down and asked, “President Zhōng, would you like some coffee? I can get you a cup on my way to the pantry.”
Zhōng Yì thanked her again: “No overtime today.”
“Okay, good luck with your work.” The assistant left, closing the door behind her.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but she felt that after taking a month off, Zhōng Yì’s usual icy aura wasn’t as strong as before.
Even when Níng Quē stood in front of her, her presence was oppressive, so Níng Quē was always the one who bowed first.
Zhōng Yì didn’t open the books and put them directly into the bookshelf.
@Endless wonderful stories, all found at Jinjiang Literature City
The data she had destroyed was theoretically impossible to recover. Now, the only hope lay in traces left in the cache when those photos were originally saved.
If they could find those cache traces, there might still be a chance to recover something.
If not, the last resort was to ask the Jinghe Group’s professional team to try to dismantle and rebuild the chip to find residual raw data.
The problem was that those photos were encrypted by her, so the encryption key would be needed during the process.
Having tidied up everything brought home, while waiting for Zhōu Shíyì’s arrival, she reorganized the bookshelf according to her own habits.
Níng Quē was left-handed, so the height arrangement of the books was completely opposite to hers, making it look awkward.
Once the books were arranged, Zhōu Shíyì arrived downstairs.
Zhōng Yì slung the canvas bag over her shoulder, carrying two laptops as she went downstairs.
In the elevator, she met colleagues from other departments.
“President Zhōng, hello.”
Zhōng Yì smiled faintly and greeted them.
Several colleagues simultaneously glanced at her canvas bag, the same one from before her vacation.
Zhōng Yì was used to her colleagues staring at her canvas bag.
According to Níng Quē, she was voted the most frugal person at Jinghe Group, commuting for years with the same canvas bag, never seen with a branded bag.
Bill!
What they didn’t know was that this canvas bag was worth as much as the most expensive limited-edition bags.
But carrying the same bag for three years did give the impression she didn’t care about appearances, though she really wasn’t a person who cared much.
Zhōng Yì sent a message to Yu Lǎoshī: 【I want another canvas bag.】
She joked: 【Here’s your chance to prove to my dad that you’re not completely out of ideas. Make the most of it.】
Yu Lǎoshī: 【I’d rather not prove anything to him!】
Yu Lǎoshī: 【But you, that’s too much! You and Auntie teamed up to trick me! Zhou Shíyì was there that day; I spared you and didn’t confront you.】
Zhōng Yì laughed: 【I’ll order you a box of loquats right away to cool down.】
Yu Lǎoshī didn’t argue: 【What kind of painting do you want?】
Only the two of them, father and daughter, could make him so angry yet still have him calm down on his own.
Zhōng Yì: 【Just something with windmill elements.】
After sending the message, she arrived at Zhōu Shíyì’s car.
@Endless wonderful stories, all found at Jinjiang Literature City
He used to pick her up from school often, and every time they met, she would hug him tightly first.
But now, sitting inside the car, he no longer received any spontaneous embraces from her.
Zhōng Yì closed the car door and noticed he had changed clothes—not the black shirt he wore when returning from the airport, but a white business shirt with black gemstone cufflinks.
Calm and elegant, exuding a sense of restraint.
“Did you attend the Kuncheng Project discussion this afternoon?” Zhōu Shíyì asked, tilting his head.
Zhōng Yì nodded; it was probably what Du said.
During the latter half of the meeting, there was an online discussion with the Kuncheng side, and Du brought some news.
The car was too quiet, so she discussed the project with him: “There’s a new regulation change. You know what that means.”
Although Zhōu Shíyì had only just taken over Kuncheng, he understood that regulation changes meant the entire model had to be retrained.
“Du wants us to develop more energy-efficient algorithms as soon as possible. This isn’t a problem of optimization anymore.”
As she spoke, their eyes met. “Du is excellent in market operations, but for technical integration, it’s best to have a specialist. Of course, this is just my suggestion.”
Zhōu Shíyì opened a bottle of water and handed it to her: “Are you taking charge of this project? I’ll handle the liaison.”
Zhōng Yì:
She didn’t expect the conversation to get here so quickly.
She didn’t say a word, tacitly agreeing as she took the water from him.
Originally, she hadn’t wanted to take it on, but knowing the large model had issues, how could she ignore his company just to save face?
Seeing that she was willing to take it, Zhōu Shíyì messaged Du that he would attend future meetings with Jinghe Group.
Du finally breathed a sigh of relief: 【I thought you’d just throw your hands up and give up.】
Zhōu Shíyì: 【Never.】
Du: 【Everyone outside is pessimistic about your takeover, saying you know nothing about cars, and Kuncheng will surely decline in your hands.
I’m getting old and can’t help for many more years, so let’s cooperate well and try for a good comeback!】
Zhōu Shíyì: 【Don’t be so sentimental, you’re not even fifty-five yet.】
Du on the other side of the screen laughed.
Zhōu Shíyì didn’t chat longer and exited the chat.
He never cared how the outside world judged him, but since Kuncheng Motors was in his hands now, he wouldn’t let it decline.
Putting away his phone, he said to the woman beside him, “If there are any issues with the project, contact Zhan Liang anytime.”
He paused, then added, “Or come straight to me.”
Zhōng Yì pondered for a moment and met his gaze.
“Let me say it clearly first: no matter what, work emotions can’t be brought home. Disagreements are not personal, nor are they grudges. When I work, I might be a bit firm in attitude.”
Zhōu Shíyì looked at her. “Understood. Tech experts usually have big tempers.”
Zhōng Yì was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.
She always felt he was taking a jab at her.
As dusk fell, their car arrived at the doorstep.
Almost at the same time, a black Bentley pulled up as well.
Zhōng Zhuóhuá hadn’t seen Zhōng Yì for months. Recently, with the paparazzi watching closely, they had been cautious and didn’t meet privately even though they both were in Jiangcheng for a concert.
Zhōng Yì ran up holding flowers she had specially bought on the way.
“Congratulations, Sister Zhōng, on wrapping up filming smoothly!”
“You little brat, let Mom see!” Zhōng Zhuóhuá grabbed her into a hug, kissed her daughter’s cheek, too busy to take the flowers, and held her tightly.
No matter how tired she was, just holding her daughter brought immense contentment.
Jiang Jingyuan hadn’t seen his daughter in a while either. When his wife finally let go, he gently hugged her too.
Seeing his daughter and son-in-law return together was a rare comfort.
They entered the house, with Zhōng Yì linking arms with Zhōng Zhuóhuá walking ahead.
Zhōu Shíyì followed quietly behind his father-in-law. Every time they met, Jiang Jingyuan didn’t say much, only giving his son-in-law a pat on the shoulder.
At the dinner table, Zhōng Zhuóhuá didn’t forget to mention the wedding photos: “Your dad said you took two sets. Let Mom see them.”
Zhōng Yì replied truthfully, “I accidentally deleted them and am trying to recover them. Please wait a bit.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá was not surprised and seemed understanding.
After a pause, she asked, “Can deleted photos be recovered?”
Zhōng Yì explained, “It depends on how they were deleted. Some can be, some can’t.”
Zhōng Zhuóhuá nodded and no longer treated Zhōu Shíyì as an outsider, speaking directly: “I’ve deleted many photos before too. See if you can help me recover some.”
Zhōng Yì:
Jiang Jingyuan remained silent, quietly serving his daughter some food. @Endless wonderful stories, all found at Jinjiang Literature City
Zhōu Shíyì ate calmly, not curious to look at his father-in-law.
Zhōng Yì agreed to help and said she would assist when she had time off.
The most important thing tonight was still to recover her own wedding photos.
Zhōu Shíyì added, “I’m free tonight. I’ll work overtime with you.”
He had tried recovering once before and knew how hard it was to sit helplessly alone.
After dinner, they went to the study on the third floor.
Zhōng Yì gestured to Zhōu Shíyì, “Sit anywhere.”
The study was filled with a faint citrus scent, the same as her perfume.
There was a chair opposite the desk and a sofa by the window.
Not wanting to disturb her, Zhōu Shíyì sat by the window.
Zhōng Yì poured two cups of warm water and handed one to him.
She sat back at the desk, took off her watch, and put on her glasses.
Afterward, the quiet study was only filled with the sound of keyboard typing.
Zhōu Shíyì watched her focused figure in front of the computer. It had been a long time since they last shared the study.
When Zhōng Yì stopped for a moment, she couldn’t help but glance at the window, noticing he was watching her as well.
She quickly looked away, removed her glasses, and rubbed her nose.
She wondered what he was thinking and recalled the last time they were in the study together.
Back then, their relationship was full of conflict.
She said, “How did we end up like this?”
He said, “Maybe we just aren’t suited.”
She was stunned but knew he was telling the truth. They didn’t even meet at the right time.
Still, she was hurt and remained silent for a long while before nodding.
Another half minute of silence.
Facing reality, she said, “I also think we’re not suited. You’re outstanding and shouldn’t be with someone like me who isn’t even a friend. If one day we can’t go on and break up, I hope you find the right person.”
“I won’t leave.”
He came over and held her.
But some words, once spoken, are hard to take back, and she remembered his words long after.
Collecting her thoughts, Zhōng Yì put her glasses back on and focused on the computer screen.
Time passed by slowly.
Unknowingly, it was already past midnight.
“Too late, you should go home.”
Zhōng Yì urged him.
Zhōu Shíyì: “Going home doesn’t matter.”
Having had a couple of glasses of red wine with Jiang Jingyuan tonight, the alcohol was starting to take effect. Rubbing his temples, he forced himself awake and began reviewing project materials.
During this time, he went downstairs to the yard to smoke half a cigarette.
Not smoking more for fear of smelling like smoke.
His father-in-law was still awake, preparing coffee for an overseas video meeting later in the night.
He drank a cup of iced coffee and brought one to Zhōng Yì on the way back upstairs.
Returning to the study, Zhōng Yì was exhausted and had fallen asleep on the desk.
Zhōu Shíyì gently put down the coffee and glanced at the computer screen, where an endless deep blue sea suddenly appeared, with vast white clouds drifting above.
On the beach, two figures embraced.
It was their wedding photo shoot by the sea.
Only the residual cache traces remained, but they had painstakingly recovered more than a dozen photos.
For Zhōu Shíyì, it was enough.
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