Chapter 580: 517 Chinian, I deceived you
He wasn’t oblivious to Chinian’s gaze.
The little puppy in his hands felt really nice to stroke... it was very comforting.
"Xiao Qi."
Zhongli Wuzhi spoke to Snow Ball in a murmur, yet his gaze stubbornly didn’t shift to Chinian.
Chinian pursed her lips, waiting for Zhongli Wuzhi to continue.
"Thank you."
"..."
Chinian was slightly taken aback.
She continued to blink her eyes at Zhongli Wuzhi, seemingly puzzled by his sudden expression of gratitude.
Yet, seeing that Zhongli Wuzhi had no intention of speaking further after thanking her, she became a bit anxious and gently tapped him,
——What are you thanking me for?
She typed the question on her phone and showed it to him.
Zhongli Wuzhi stood up, and Snow Ball also turned himself around, wagging his tail as he circled Zhongli Wuzhi’s legs,
"Just knowing you is already something that makes me happy."
——You... have lost a lot of weight.
"Have I?"
Zhongli Wuzhi touched his own face.
——Where have you been this past week?
"Didn’t go anywhere."
Zhongli Wuzhi said indifferently.
Chinian noticed that Zhongli Wuzhi seemed to deliberately avoid the question she wanted to ask.
She quickly wrote down the question that was on her mind, tiptoed with her head tilted back, and lifted her phone screen to his eyes,
——You and Lu Xiaoer have made up, haven’t you?
"..."
Zhongli Wuzhi’s eyes grew heavier.
Chinian’s grey pupils appeared exceptionally clear and bright in the sunlight.
She was still the same shy and timid Seventh Princess, only, in front of him, she feigned confidence.
——I understand. There’s no need for you to hesitate; I wish you both well.
She extended her arm, saw that Zhongli Wuzhi had finished reading, and then retracted her phone.
She smiled at him, a smile that was brighter than the sunlight, but there was a hint of moisture glittering in those grey eyes.
Zhongli Wuzhi swallowed, watching Chinian with a faint smile,
"Xiao Qi, I’m not the sort of man worthy of a lifetime’s commitment as you might imagine. Rather than wholeheartedly loving one person, I might be more adept at wavering."
"..."
Chinian’s expression changed slightly.
"So, I hope you can clear your eyes."
——Why do you speak so poorly of yourself? Don’t you... like Lu Xiaoer very much?
"I just feel that since we’ve met, it’s good to give you some friendly advice, not to fall for someone too easily, let alone too deeply."
Zhongli Wuzhi’s hands were in his pockets, his tall figure standing straight.
He slightly lowered his head to look at Snow Ball still circling at his feet,
"Men and dogs are different. Not all are grateful and understanding, gladly wagging their tails for a bit of kindness; nor can they recklessly seek someone’s affection without considering the consequences like dogs do."
"..."
"I came here today to see Wen Nian."
Zhongli Wuzhi spoke calmly.
Chinian’s brows furrowed, and she grabbed Zhongli Wuzhi,
——Have you broken up with Lu Xiaoer?
"..."
——You also... didn’t intend to ask me for the black bracelet. That afternoon, you said, if you hadn’t made up with Lu Xiaoer, you would come to me to ask for the black bracelet...
"I lied to you."
Zhongli Wuzhi’s lips curled up, speaking very nonchalantly.
Chinian’s facial expression stiffened.
"Alright, go back to your game."
Zhongli Wuzhi said and turned to walk towards the main entrance.
Chinian stood there, watching as Snow Ball followed Zhongli Wuzhi’s heels, and then because the leash wasn’t long enough, got pulled back and wrapped around again.
She pursed her lips, her face expressionless.
————
Zhongli Wuzhi came to find Wen Nian, not for personal matters.
When Song Lili saw Zhongli Wuzhi, she too was quite surprised,
"You look... have you lost quite a bit of weight?"
Zhongli Wuzhi had never been chubby, but there used to be some flesh on his handsome face. Now at first glance, his cheeks seemed as if they had been carved away.
"Can you even tell?"
Zhongli Wuzhi joked.
Song Lili looked at Wen Qichen playing in the living room. Wen Qichen had been born for over three months now.
The little girl was crawling all over the soft carpet that had been laid out.
"Why is Qichen so quiet?"
Zhongli Wuzhi asked Song Lili, pointing at Wen Qichen.
Song Lili was sitting on the edge of the sofa, watching her, "She’s like Ah Nian."
"Like Ah Nian... that must be quite boring."
Zhongli Wuzhi said, shaking his head as though he couldn’t imagine.
Song Lili laughed softly,
"I’ll be sure to relay your words to Ah Nian unchanged."
Zhongli Wuzhi leaned on the sofa and said nothing, just casually picked up a child’s toy from the side and fiddled with it.
Song Lili always felt something was off, looking at Zhongli Wuzhi squinting and fiddling with the toy...
From her angle, his cheeks indeed looked much leaner.
Thinking about it...
Since Lu Xiaoer said she wanted to date Zhongli Wuzhi last week, she hadn’t seen Lu Xiaoer and Zhongli Wuzhi together again.
She had thought about calling Lu Xiaoer, but felt it was too abrupt to show concern.
Besides, Lu Xiaoer and Zhongli were adults; their relationship was theirs to resolve.
"By the way, I heard that Mr. Zhongli is thinking of handing the Zhongli Group over to you to manage?"
Song Lili initiated a topic.
"The President’s wife is quite well-informed..."
"I heard it from Wen Nian, and also... your father Zhongli Yuting, from the past up until now, has always seemed to favor your older brother more. Now he suddenly wants to hand the Zhongli Group over to you to manage, which is quite surprising."
"That cunning old fox, I can’t fathom what goes on in his mind."
Zhongli Wuzhi said offhandedly,
"But if he dares to trust me with the group, I have no reason not to take it over."
Song Lili laughed lightly,
"I heard from Xiaoer that you still like mechanical design. If you take over the Zhongli Group, it’ll be hard to continue doing what you love, won’t it..."
"Compared to a corporation like the Zhongli Group with a market value in the hundreds of billions, what is a small hobby?"
Zhongli Wuzhi slightly tugged at the corner of his mouth,
"After all, not everyone is like her, disregarding everything for their little ideals."
"..."
Song Lili’s eyebrows lifted slightly as she heard Zhongli Wuzhi talk about Lu Xiaoer...
"You and Xiaoer... you haven’t made up yet?"
That question...
Zhongli Wuzhi looked at Song Lili, quite amused, "My President’s wife, make up with her? You tell me, which man in the world could be that magnanimous?"
"..."
Song Lili was taken aback.
Zhongli Wuzhi laughed softly, naturally assuming that Song Lili and Lu Xiaoer were very close and talked about everything. He presumed Song Lili knew about last week’s events.
"In the future, it’s better not to mention Lu Xiaoer around me."
"Ah Zhi, last weekend—"
Song Lili had barely started speaking when Zhongli Wuzhi already stretched out his hand to cut her off,
"Alright, I really don’t want to talk about her anymore. I’m not interested in any news about her."