Delivering lunch

The next morning, Shen Zeyu got busy in the kitchen as soon as he woke up. The butler asked several times whether he needed help, but Shen Zeyu turned him down each time.

Lu Cizhou had taken him out to unwind, and he hadn't seemed quite himself last night either, so Shen Zeyu decided to cook him a meal today as a thank-you.

After preparing four dishes and a soup, Shen Zeyu changed his clothes and got ready to leave. He planned to go to the company and eat with Lu Cizhou. He was alone at home anyway, so it made no difference where he ate.

After having the driver drop him off near the company, Shen Zeyu sent him back. He wanted to go home with Lu Cizhou, so there was no need to trouble the driver to wait around.

The company staff already knew Shen Zeyu, so he entered without any trouble and soon took the private elevator upstairs.

When the elevator doors opened, Shen Zeyu found Lu Cizhou already waiting outside.

"How did you know I was here?" He hadn't told Lu Cizhou he was coming.

"My secretary told me. Someone let me know as soon as you came in." Lu Cizhou looked delighted. He hadn't expected Shen Zeyu to visit the company today.

"All right, let's go eat in your office."

"You cooked for me?" Lu Cizhou was a little surprised.

"Yes, to thank you for taking me horseback riding yesterday."

Lu Cizhou followed behind Shen Zeyu. Just yesterday, he'd been jealous that he'd never tasted Shen Zeyu's cooking, and today Shen Zeyu had brought it right to his office.

Once they had laid the food out on the table together, Lu Cizhou looked at the enticing dishes and praised them. "They look delicious."

"Of course they do. Go on, try some. I learned to make these when I worked part-time at a restaurant."

"Part-time? What part-time job?" Lu Cizhou asked in confusion.

"Oh, I learned when I worked at a restaurant because I had nothing else to do."

"You actually worked part-time?" Lu Cizhou was deeply skeptical.

"Are you looking down on me? Eat, eat. It'll get cold."

Whew, that was close. I almost told him about my old life.

Hearing that, Lu Cizhou suppressed his doubts. Now he was certain that Shen Zeyu was hiding something, and it might not be anything minor.

After they finished eating, Lu Cizhou cleared the table while Shen Zeyu headed toward the lounge, apparently planning to lie down.

"You're going to rest already?" Lu Cizhou asked, a little helplessly.

Shen Zeyu nodded.

"Don't lie down right after eating. It's bad for you. Stand for a while first, or walk around to help your digestion."

Shen Zeyu wasn't set on resting right away, so he began walking around the office.

He walked up to the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the distance stood rows of towering buildings, while below, traffic streamed endlessly along the streets. It really was the most bustling part of the city, Shen Zeyu marveled.

After looking for a while longer, Shen Zeyu felt enough time had passed and headed toward the lounge again. This time, Lu Cizhou said nothing.

Once he was lying on the bed, Shen Zeyu opened his game, wanting to invite Bai Yi to play. It occurred to him that Bai Yi might not have time, but he sent him a message anyway.

Zeyu becomes a continent: Are you busy? Cat peeking.jpg.

"Cut!" the director called, signaling the end of Bai Yi's work for the day. Exhausted, Bai Yi returned to the lounge, picked up a snow-white towel, and wiped the sweat from his head.

"Ding!" The phone sitting on his travel bag vibrated. He picked it up casually and discovered a message from Shen Zeyu. Delight washed over him. He'd thought Shen Zeyu would stop talking to him after that day, but instead, Shen Zeyu had reached out first.

Yi: No, I just got a break.

Zeyu becomes a continent: Have you realized what you did wrong? Finger-pointing.jpg.

Bai Yi smiled at the reaction image. He knew Shen Zeyu meant that he could lean on his friends sometimes instead of trying to tough everything out alone. He'd thought it through too. He really didn't need to put on a brave face in front of his friends.

Yi: I've thought it through. I won't do it again.

Zeyu becomes a continent: Good. If I get in the way of something you need to do, tell me. I'll try to see things from your perspective too. Friends don't need to worry about all that.

Seeing this message, Bai Yi nervously sent another one.

Yi: Are we still friends?

Zeyu becomes a continent: Of course. What nonsense are you talking about?

That's a relief. Reassured, Bai Yi told him that the director had asked him to play Li Wei's role, and he might be joining the production soon.

Zeyu becomes a continent: Congratulations, then. Give it your best, and I'll come visit when I have time.

Bai Yi agreed. After chatting for a little while, he went back to work.

With the disagreement between the two friends resolved, Shen Zeyu was feeling pleased. He played on his phone for a while before growing sleepy.

After sleeping for who knew how long, Shen Zeyu finally woke up. His whole body felt weak. Perhaps he'd slept too much that afternoon.

He stayed in bed for a while longer to recover before slowly getting up to head outside.

Not wanting to disturb Lu Cizhou, he deliberately kept quiet as he left, but the sound of the door handle turning still drew attention.

Besides Lu Cizhou, several other people stole glances at him. "You're awake?"

Shen Zeyu nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. He'd thought Lu Cizhou was alone and hadn't expected anyone else to be there.

With an awkward smile, he said, "Please carry on. Don't mind me."

"All right, that's it for now. Go back and redo it."

Once Lu Cizhou finished speaking, the others nodded and left with their documents in their arms.

After everyone had left, Shen Zeyu checked the time. It was already four in the afternoon.

"What time are you finishing work today?"

Lu Cizhou glanced at his documents. "Half past five, probably." He didn't have a fixed finishing time; it depended on how many documents he still had to review.

"Then I'll go sit in the bubble tea shop downstairs for a while. If I haven't come back up by then, come find me downstairs." Shen Zeyu loved sitting in bubble tea shops and watching the scenery along the street. He found it wonderfully relaxing.

"All right."

After Shen Zeyu left, Lu Cizhou took out the background investigation report on him and read through it again. By the time he finished, his expression was unreadable.