A Zhong woke up in the middle of the night.
The quilt had been kicked aside, and he felt a bit cold in his daze. He reached out to grab it, only then remembering someone was beside him.
He quickly opened his eyes to look, but it was empty.
He couldn't find Zhou Jinbei anywhere, inside or outside the house.
Although Zhou Jinbei had cleaned up the scene thoroughly afterward, Ah Zhong wasn't stupid; he knew what had happened.
He felt a pang of regret.
He shouldn't have drunk so much that afternoon.
Zhou Jinbei was still young and hadn't had a boyfriend before. Perhaps she didn't understand these things at all.
After drinking, acting like that towards her, would it scare her, or even make her feel...
Unable to find her after searching everywhere, Ah Zhong was frantic and had to pull out his phone to call her.
As soon as he dialed, "The user you have dialed has turned off their phone."
This was bad!
She must have felt violated and disappointed in Ah Zhong, so she left overnight.
Ah Zhong feared she might do something rash, and even more, he feared an irreconcilable misunderstanding in the future.
Clothes were yanked out of the wardrobe, stuffed into a suitcase, and he grabbed it, ready to leave.
"Dad!"
Before leaving, he knocked on his father's door.
The door opened, and seeing him looking like he was about to go on a long trip, his father was startled.
"What happened?"
Ah Zhong lied, "Nothing. Beibei suddenly wants to go home, so I'm taking her."
"Since work is starting soon anyway, I won't be back after I drop her off."
"I'm sorry for coming back so hastily and not spending enough time with you. I'll definitely come back to spend time with you after the Lantern Festival, no matter what."
Driving alone on the highway in the dead of night, he was consumed by anxiety, calling Zhou Jinbei repeatedly.
However, no matter how many times he called, her phone was always off.
As dawn broke, Ah Zhong finally arrived outside the Zhou family's villa.
Before, when he accompanied President Zhan, he had a clear conscience and entered openly.
Today, even though he wanted to see Zhou Jinbei, after much hesitation, he didn't have the courage to step forward.
He parked the car by the wall, watched the sky gradually brighten, smoked several cigarettes, and finally mustered the courage to open the car door.
Unexpectedly, at that very moment, the front door of the Zhou family's living room also opened.
In groups of three and five, men and women dressed in luxurious attire, bidding farewell with laughter, walked out from inside.
He spotted the exceptionally young Zhou Jinbei in the crowd.
She hadn't changed clothes yet, still wearing the avocado-green fuzzy sweater from when she was with him yesterday.
Her smile was faint, and she seemed as if nothing was wrong.
Only Ah Zhong knew how much she was suppressing her emotions inside.
Ah Zhong's sense of self-blame intensified. Looking at her frail and repressed figure, for the first time in his life, he truly hated his own powerlessness.
There was a very popular question online before.
It asked: What are the signs that a man truly loves a woman?
The answer was: He will resent his inability to provide her with a good life.
Before, Ah Zhong only focused on working diligently and earning his salary to pay off the mortgage.
It was only at this moment that he realized how unmotivated he had been in the past.
Money is a man's foundation.
Without enough money, he wouldn't even have the nerve to propose to her parents.
Although Ah Zhong was driving a BMW 5 Series worth over five hundred thousand yuan, it still stood out in the villa area filled with luxury cars.
His parents were busy socializing, busy seeing their friends off.
Only Zhou Jinbei noticed the champagne-colored BMW.
As the crowd dispersed, she walked towards the car on her own.
Ah Zhong saw her approaching from afar, unlocked the car, and Zhou Jinbei got into the passenger seat.
After only a few hours apart, upon meeting again, both of them knew their relationship was no longer simple.
Unsure of what to say, they looked at each other, and Zhou Jinbei averted her gaze.
Ah Zhong started the engine, turned on the heater, and activated the seat warmer for her.
"Why aren't you wearing a jacket? Are you cold?"
As soon as she entered the house, Zhou Jinbei was nauseated by the smoky smell inside.
She still felt a bit sick, and with her mind preoccupied, her tone was not pleasant.
"I'll go down in a bit, don't bother."
"...Beibei, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have drunk so much yesterday afternoon..."
Zhou Jinbei knew what he was going to say and interrupted him.
"I drank too. There's nothing to apologize for."
"That's different."
Ah Zhong was very emotional. One thought, suppressed again and again, still couldn't help but gently cover her hand and speak it out.
"I've never been someone who plays with feelings, you know that. I wronged you yesterday, but..."
His hands were very beautiful.
Although his family background was average, he was his father's precious treasure, and his father never allowed him to do heavy work.
His hands were slender and long, with distinct knuckles, and his palms were warm.
To be honest, the moment he held her hand, Zhou Jinbei felt like throwing herself into his arms and agreeing to him without any reservations.
But she knew she couldn't.
The Zhou family before her, apart from its luxurious exterior, was hollowed out inside.
Her parents, to survive, desperately socialized and tried to build connections.
They had already spent ten million yuan, and her happiness along with it. She had no right to be willful.
She had to heartlessly pull her hand out of his: "I don't understand what you're saying."
Ah Zhong: "??"
"I did sleep with you last night, but is that a big deal?"
Zhou Jinbei feigned a sophisticated and indifferent demeanor, looking at Ah Zhong with a forced smile.
"You're not a young man anymore, what's wrong? You came all the way to my doorstep, do you want me to take responsibility for you?"
"No way, Zhong Ge. It's this day and age, playing such a boring game? Trying to extort me? And extorting me? Stop joking."
"Did you see those people just now? They were introducing me to potential partners."
"You probably don't know how picky my mother is. Out of so many, she didn't like anyone, thinking they weren't good enough for me. And you?"
"To be honest, I don't need them to introduce me. I already have someone in mind."
"If he hadn't angered me a few days ago, I wouldn't have gone to you out of revenge."
"But now that we've made up, I've come back."
"Please don't overthink this. He has already proposed to me and said he's meeting my parents tonight. We might get married soon."
"We're all adults. Let's just consider what happened last night an accident. I won't tell anyone, and I'd appreciate it if you don't cause trouble for me and keep your mouth shut."
Ah Zhong didn't know how he got home.
He had lived for almost thirty years and had experienced countless setbacks, big and small, but he had never felt so ashamed and indignant.
He had been wishful thinking.
Not only wishful thinking, but also a toad wanting to eat swan meat.
Every time he recalled Zhou Jinbei's disdainful expression and tone when she warned him, he felt so ashamed he wanted to kill someone!
What kind of mess is this!
Zhong Jiaming, men who are useless, incompetent, and can't earn big money are not worthy of love!
Stop having illusions about women!