CH 28

Chapter 28: Hot Topic

He took a close look at the long windbreaker on Jin Yang, noticing that both the workmanship and fabric were of medium-to-high quality. This coat would not cost less than a few thousand yuan.

Strangely, the atmosphere in the private room did not become awkward with Jin Yang’s arrival.

Zhou Mushi couldn’t help but tug at the corners of his mouth when he saw the guest’s fake smile.

“Come, come over here. This is Zhou Mushi, the youngest son of Mr. Zhou. He just returned from abroad. Mushi, this is my godson, Jin Yang,” Jin Liansheng warmly introduced them as they sat down.

Jin Liansheng’s planning hadn’t been wasted on his godson. As soon as he finished speaking warmly, Jin Yang extended his hand and said, “Hello.”

A faint smell of tobacco emanated from the person’s body, causing Zhou Mushi to unconsciously wrinkle his brow. But he quickly composed himself, putting on a poker face as he shook the hand that was extended in front of him and said, “Hello.”

Zhou Qingwen thought he understood his son’s personality well, and when he saw that Zhou Mushi’s face didn’t drop, he knew that there was a chance of success with this matter.

Next, the dishes were served, but they were just exchanging exaggerated compliments about each other’s children and boasting about how good they are. The two fathers eagerly stared at each other while exchanging WeChat information, and then each found an excuse to slip away.

The two of them left, leaving only Zhou Mushi and Jin Yang in the spacious private room. They sat there and the atmosphere suddenly dropped from the initial excitement to freezing point.

One sat there silently, while the other just kept stuffing food into his own mouth without saying a word.

“Long time no see,” the older man said, trying to break the quiet atmosphere.

Zhou Mushi had a piece of crispy sweet and sour pork in his mouth and mumbled back, “Long time no see.”

Jin Yang smiled. Even though it was still snowing outside, it felt like a warm and sunny ray of light had entered the private room. “Just returned from abroad?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Zhou Mushi lazily responded and then went to pick up some broccoli on the side.

Since there was no one else around, Jin Yang simply took the plate of food off the revolving glass tray and put it in front of Zhou Mushi.

It was difficult to say whether it was due to some consideration from their past or if this person had become slick from spending too much time in the business world.

In the room, only the sound of Zhou Mushi using chopsticks to pick up food and the sound of chewing could be heard, which seemed a bit strange. Before long, the person who was sitting not too far or too close also picked up their chopsticks and started eating the food in front of them with their head down.

He appeared genuinely hungry and wasn’t particular about what he ate. He grabbed a bowl of rice and stuffed the food from the two plates in front of him into his mouth.

Zhou Mushi wasn’t a child, so he didn’t have the desire to compete with others about who could eat the most. After finishing his meal, he stood up and grabbed the coat that was draped nearby.

“Isn’t it a bit early to go home now?” Jin Yang spoke up.

Of course, Zhou Mushi understood what he meant. Those two old men were just trying to establish a connection by any means necessary. If Zhou Mushi were to return home so early, he would inevitably be criticized.

“I’m going out for a walk and to see some friends,” he said, and then left the private room.

As he walked up to the front desk, he realized that he still owed half of the bill for the meal. He didn’t want to take advantage of the situation any further.

The snow was getting heavy, so Zhou Mushi put on his headphones and pulled his hat over his head. On such a cold day, the best thing to do was to curl up in bed, rather than wander around outside.

Next to the window on the second floor, there was a person standing by the curtain, looking down. They watched as the young man who had just left the private room took a few quick steps and arrived under the umbrella of a man.

It was a large, deep blue umbrella that was big enough to obscure the person’s face, but it couldn’t hide Zhou Mushi’s joyful, bouncing steps as he walked towards the person who had arrived.

The air conditioning in the private room was turned up high, and the smell of the previously fragrant food now made one feel a bit nauseous.

When Zhou Hang came back, he was wearing a long down jacket that covered him from head to toe. After spending two days on the set, he had become like those actors, who liked to wear such extremely warm, oversized clothes.

Zhou Mushi hopped under his umbrella and looked at the person’s face, which was beaming with happiness. It was clear that they had been living well lately.

“What’s up? I heard you invested in a TV drama?”

“Well, it’s just to advertise our company’s new product.”

Zhou Mushi curled his lips and bluntly said, “You know very well why you did it.”

Zhou Hang raised his eyebrows, looking as if he was about to say something but not actually saying it, and casually replied, “For what? What else could it be for?”

“Enough, let’s not talk about those useless things. Since it’s snowing so heavily, where should we go?”

“Today is the weekend, and it’s snowing so heavily. Why did you still come out?”

Zhou Mushi didn’t answer. He got into the car, pushed the passenger seat back, and half lay on the car, enjoying the smell of RMB (official currency of the People’s Republic of China).

Zhou Hang is not someone who flaunts his wealth, but he likes cars. Each of his cars costs several million, providing a luxurious experience.

“Join a social gathering with my dad.”

“A social gathering? What kind of social gathering? Is it a blind date?” Zhou Hang took a moment to react, then asked with a mischievous smile.

Zhou Mushi rolled his eyes and then turned his head to see that the sticker on his hat had stuck to the inside of his sweater. Compelled by his OCD, he leaned over and helped him fix it.

He didn’t expect that just as he leaned over, a camera hidden in the corner clicked the shutter button.

“Drive, I’ll come to your place and stay for two days.”

Their families have had a great relationship since their fathers’ generation. Although they share the same surname, they are not actually related. However, they are good friends, and as the saying goes, “good friends are better than distant relatives.” It’s not a big deal for Zhou Mushi to stay at his friend’s house for two days.

Zhou Hang’s house in Z city was decorated under the supervision of his mother and had a very cozy feeling. As soon as you walked in, you felt at home, except for the absence of a female hostess.

He wasn’t in a hurry to go to work, so he thought about staying at Zhou Hang’s house for two more days.

“On the second day of sleeping at Zhou Hang’s house, around noon, Zhou Mushi was still groggy while holding his toothbrush. He never imagined that a simple and honest person like himself could actually become a hot topic on Weibo.”

The hot search title is straightforward: Female celebrity Xinyuan’s boyfriend has a private meeting with a young lover to spend a passionate night together.

Attached below are the picture of the two people facing each other in the car and the picture of them pulling the curtains together at Zhou Hang’s house.

Fortunately, the image was blurred and because Zhou Mushi was not a celebrity, his identity was not revealed through the exposure of his appearance.

The big websites exploded in an instant, and while Jin Yang, the director who was busy in the office, was having lunch, he had already heard several colleagues discussing this gossip. He didn’t pay attention to the entertainment industry and didn’t care, but he couldn’t resist the simultaneous push notifications from several apps on his phone.

Initially, he intended to delete it with a single click. But as soon as he opened the webpage, the familiar down jacket and half-profile face came into his view.