Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 397: Meeting the Cousin-in-Law Again

"So what the fuck if I wear your clothes?!"Li Qiang was clearly in the wrong, yet at this moment, he was shouting at the top of his lungs. His neck was strained, his face was flushed red, and tears were even streaming down his cheeks.

His current state genuinely frightened Chang Hao.

Having recently seen news online about a university student in southern Yunnan hammering his roommate to death, Li Qiang's behavior made Chang Hao feel a bit weak in the knees. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "No, it's not that. If you want to wear them, just wear them, but why did you smash the lock?"

Although a full-blown conflict didn't break out in the end, Li Qiang had shouted so loudly that people in other dormitories heard it. Meanwhile, Chang Hao's reaction became a topic of eager discussion.

Chang Hao felt depressed too. He complained that he had never seen such a person. Damn it, the other guy was clearly in the wrong, so why did it end up feeling like he was the one who made a mistake?

But there was nothing he could do. Li Qiang's recent state was indeed off; he would bury himself under his blanket and cry bitterly late at night. This kind of behavior seemed somewhat familiar.

Chang Hao asked Li Qiang what had happened.

However, Li Qiang just kept crying, refusing to say a word no matter what was asked.

In the afternoon, Zhou Yuwen took Jiang Xinyi to the Zhongshan International Golf Course.

This golf course was located at the foot of Zijin Mountain, covering an area of over six hundred acres. It featured endless stretches of manicured lawns, along with corresponding hotels and other supporting facilities.

Since it was Zhou Yuwen's first time visiting, he was somewhat unfamiliar with the place.

Fortunately, Jiang Xinyi was there to guide him.

It was already late February; the green grass was growing lushly under the bright, radiant sun.

The entrance to the golf course was filled with high-end individuals here to play. The men were generally a bit older, sporting prominent bellies and wearing gold-rimmed glasses that gave them a gentle, refined appearance. They were invariably accompanied by long-legged young girls wearing shirts and shorts, who attended to them with meticulous care.

Zhu Hong appeared a bit older compared to that demographic of girls. Moreover, in contrast to their short shorts, Zhu Hong dressed more conservatively. She wore a purple polo shirt paired with knee-length shorts and sneakers, topped off with a white sun hat.

She was wearing special golf gloves, something Zhou Yuwen didn't really understand, and the golf bag she pushed contained various clubs.

When Zhou Yuwen spotted Zhu Hong, she also saw him and immediately smiled, greeting him, "President Zhou, you're here."

Zhou Yuwen replied that since this was a casual gathering between siblings, calling him President Zhou seemed a bit inappropriate.

Hearing this, Zhu Hong couldn't help but chuckle. "You sure are good with words. If you didn't already have a girlfriend, I'd be tempted to pursue you myself."

As soon as Zhu Hong said this, Jiang Xinyi, who had accompanied Zhou Yuwen, furrowed her brows slightly and looked at him. Zhou Yuwen chuckled lightly. "Sister Zhu, since when do I have a girlfriend? You must be misremembering."

"Oh? You don't have a girlfriend?" Zhu Hong asked, her red lips curling into a smile.

Zhou Yuwen explained that he used to have one, but they had broken up.

"Well, President Zhou certainly moves fast. By the way, I just got a new assistant. I can introduce her to you later," Zhu Hong said.

"Oh? Then I'll have to take a good look. If she's suitable, I might just poach her."

Zhu Hong burst into laughter. "Then you'll have to put in quite a bit of effort. This assistant of mine is quite extraordinary."

As they were talking, Zhu Hong looked behind Zhou Yuwen and said, "Here she comes."

Zhou Yuwen turned around to look.

Lu Wanting was a few years younger than Zhu Hong and unmarried, right in the prime of her youth. Thus, her outfit was more fashionable than Zhu Hong's. She wore a pale yellow sleeveless shirt paired with a white A-line skirt, and just like Zhu Hong, she also wore a sun hat.

She had come together with Zhu Hong, but as an assistant, she had to coordinate with the golf course staff and arrange for a caddy.

She had been busy until just now, finally finishing the arrangements to enter the course.

As she walked over and saw Zhou Yuwen chatting happily with Zhu Hong, she opened her small mouth in surprise. "Zhou Yuwen? Why are you here?"

Zhou Yuwen was equally surprised to see her.

Meanwhile, Zhu Hong asked curiously, "What? Do you two know each other?"

Looking at Lu Wanting, Zhou Yuwen roughly figured out the situation and explained, "She's my older cousin's girlfriend, so I guess she counts as my cousin-in-law. Is she your newly hired assistant, Sister Zhu?"

Hearing that Lu Wanting was Zhou Yuwen's sister-in-law, Zhu Hong laughed and remarked that it was truly a misunderstanding between allies.

"President Zhou, it seems we are truly fated."

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen thought to himself, 'If I had known it would be Lu Wanting, I wouldn't have brought Jiang Xinyi along. I wonder if she'll start blabbing nonsense.'

The playing area Lu Wanting had reserved was quite a distance from the exit. The group drove two golf carts, led by a caddy, toward the designated spot.

Zhou Yuwen and Zhu Hong sat in the first cart, while Lu Wanting and Jiang Xinyi rode in the second.

The weather today was truly excellent, and the air was incredibly fresh.

At the foot of Zijin Mountain, birds sang among fragrant flowers. In the distance, a winding stream meandered through the towering mountains, creating a vibrant scene of cascading greenery.

Zhu Hong even pointed at a bird by the water for Zhou Yuwen to see, remarking that the bird standing in the shallows looked like an immortal crane with its incredibly long legs.

Zhou Yuwen said it was too far away to see clearly.

When Zhu Hong claimed she wasn't very good at golf, she was actually just being modest. After all, as a formidable businesswoman, how could she not know how to play golf? As for the other girls, they all knew a little bit too.

Zhou Yuwen was the only one who had truly never touched the sport before.

However, it didn't matter. They were just playing casually according to the rules anyway, without worrying too much about proper posture.

Zhu Hong, however, paid attention to her form. She was a voluptuous woman with a graceful, curvy figure. When playing golf, she would tuck in her waist and lift her hips. As she swung the club, her face overflowed with confidence.

Zhou Yuwen was completely useless at it, but he had brought Jiang Xinyi along.

Jiang Xinyi was a loyal enthusiast of the game, and her posture was also very standard. She had a slimmer figure, and the sight of her long legs wearing white socks was quite pleasing to the eye.

Zhou Yuwen simply stood to the side, watching and drinking water.

Later on, after figuring out the rules, Zhou Yuwen also hit a few balls, but his posture was a bit off.

Zhu Hong couldn't help but laugh when she saw it. "Your swing posture is wrong; it'll mess up your form. Come, place your foot here."

Like a dedicated teacher, Zhu Hong proceeded to guide him hand-in-hand.

"Yes, just like that. Grip it tightly."

Zhu Hong wrapped her hands tightly around Zhou Yuwen's.

The two of them played golf surrounded by lush greenery.

In truth, their interaction was completely simple and innocent, but unfortunately, Jiang Xinyi was highly jealous. Staring intently at Zhu Hong from a distance, she asked, "Is your boss always like this?"

"Huh?" Lu Wanting was very confused.

Jiang Xinyi muttered, "Bringing little fresh meat to play golf just to take advantage of them?"

Lu Wanting paused for a moment, then burst into giggles. "If we're talking about Zhou Yuwen, he really is little fresh meat. What, do you like him too?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Jiang Xinyi's pretty face flushed red.

Zhou Yuwen was a fast learner; it only took him a short while to get the hang of it.

Zhu Hong stood to the side, clapping for him.

They played for a while longer, then carried their clubs and walked further down the course.

During the walk, it only took a few sentences for their conversation to shift to the recent food delivery price war. Zhou Yuwen stated that Meituan was acting dishonorably in this regard. First, they wanted to discuss an acquisition, but then they turned around and started poaching his people. "Those delivery riders were painstakingly trained by me, but in the blink of an eye, they've all become yours."

Hearing this, Zhu Hong smiled warmly and said, "That wasn't my idea. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator. Figure out who is trying to trap you, and go settle the score with them."

Zhou Yuwen continued, "Under an overturned nest, how can there be an intact egg?"

"Sister Zhu, you are also a member of Meituan. Even if you don't bear the primary responsibility, you're still secondarily liable."

The two strolled across the lawn as they chatted.

Meanwhile, the two young girls, Lu Wanting and Jiang Xinyi, trailed behind them.

When they reached the ball, Zhou Yuwen got into position, ready to swing.

Zhu Hong told him, "You might not understand the internal power structure at Meituan. In Jinling, Mr. Wang does indeed hold a dominant position, but the terms I offered you remain valid at all times. As long as you're willing, we can sign the contract at any moment and compensate you for your recent losses."

Zhou Yuwen focused on his shot as he replied, "It's too late for you to say all this now."

Zhu Hong asked with a smile, "Then, Yuwen, you must at least give me a clear price. I can only negotiate on your behalf if I know your price."

From the looks of it, Zhu Hong had significantly lowered her posture. It couldn't be helped; large corporations were always like this, fraught with factional struggles. Even though the general manager wanted to fight Zhou Yuwen to the bitter end, if Zhu Hong could successfully negotiate a price with Zhou Yuwen—pulling the rug out from under her rival—and report it back to headquarters, it would be a massive achievement for her.

Lu Wanting, however, didn't understand these underlying dynamics. She was simply curious as to why President Zhu would act so humbly toward Zhou Yuwen.

To be honest, Lu Wanting had already been utterly surprised when she saw Zhou Yuwen here. After all, before they arrived, Zhu Hong had told her that the person they were meeting was extremely important and could potentially affect Zhu Hong's position within the group, so they had to be incredibly careful.

Lu Wanting had mentally prepared herself, only to discover that this highly important figure was actually Peng Xiaoyong's younger male cousin.

"Hey, that campus food delivery business, are you guys the ones running it?" Lu Wanting couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked Jiang Xinyi.

Jiang Xinyi glanced at Lu Wanting. "You didn't know?"

Looking a bit embarrassed, Lu Wanting said, "I have an impression of it, but I never imagined Zhou Yuwen was the boss."

"Didn't he say you're his cousin-in-law? Did he not tell your family when he went home?" Now it was Jiang Xinyi's turn to be curious.

Lu Wanting smiled and said, "Him? He hides things very well."

"It feels like he has a lot of secrets."

Jiang Xinyi agreed with this sentiment. There was always an elusive air of mystery surrounding Zhou Yuwen.

At this moment, Zhu Hong was asking Zhou Yuwen to state his price.

Zhou Yuwen didn't stand on ceremony. He hit the golf ball in front of him and calmly stated, "Twenty million."

As soon as those words left his mouth, before Zhu Hong could even register an expression, Lu Wanting, who was listening from behind, froze in shock.

'How much?'

Zhu Hong's actual bottom line was eight million, and that even included the expenses Zhou Yuwen had incurred during the recent price war.

Zhu Hong had intended to secretly sign Zhou Yuwen while Mr. Wang was busy applying pressure on him.

However, she never expected Zhou Yuwen to be so audacious with his asking price.

What's more, this twenty million didn't even cover the losses from the price war.

After hitting the ball, Zhou Yuwen looked at Zhu Hong and smiled.

Zhu Hong just shook her head helplessly. "You know that price is absolutely impossible."

"Of course I know. The Jinling market alone isn't worth twenty million. However, if I capture the entire campus market in Southern Jiangsu, let alone twenty million, even if I asked for thirty million, I bet you'd have people fighting to buy it."

"But you've already missed the best opportunity. Do you really think that with your current strength, you can still succeed now that we've entered the market?"

"That's hard to say."

Zhou Yuwen replied with a smile.

After playing golf all afternoon, the final result was a victory for Zhou Yuwen.

Everyone was somewhat surprised. Zhu Hong even asked Zhou Yuwen if he had learned how to play before and was just playing dumb to catch a tiger.

Zhou Yuwen replied that he was a child from a poor family; where would he have had the chance to learn such things?

"If you don't believe me, ask my cousin-in-law. Right, cousin-in-law?"

Zhou Yuwen's continuous address of 'cousin-in-law' left Lu Wanting feeling quite bashful.

Although she was his cousin-in-law, her current identity was an assistant. She had to follow her boss's orders and attend to Zhou Yuwen—like right now, handing him water or a towel.

Since it was a rare trip to the golf course, they would naturally have dinner together here afterward.

Unfortunately, the subsequent negotiations were unsuccessful.

After playing golf, they went to the accompanying hotel to take a shower and change clothes.

The environment here was indeed exceptional. The resort hotel was built to five-star standards, but it wasn't open to the public; it strictly operated on a membership system. The rooms featured large terraces that faced the golf course directly.

After Zhou Yuwen finished his shower, there was a knock on the door.

Zhou Yuwen asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Wanting."

Lu Wanting called out from outside.

Zhou Yuwen opened the door to find that Lu Wanting had already changed into a pale green OL suit skirt and heels. She was holding a bag in her hand.

She said, "President Zhou, President Zhu asked me to bring you some clothes."

Zhou Yuwen was still wearing his bathrobe. He chuckled and said, "Cousin-in-law, there are no outsiders around right now. Calling me President Zhou makes me feel a bit awkward. Bring it inside."

"Okay, sure."

Zhou Yuwen stepped aside to let her in. Lu Wanting hesitated for a moment but then walked straight inside. She naturally had an open and generous personality; earlier, with Zhu Hong around, she had been too embarrassed to speak much. Now that there was no one else around, Lu Wanting couldn't help but smile. "I really never expected that the important person President Zhu mentioned would be you. Yuwen, you have business with our company; why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Uh, what's the point of mentioning it? Besides, we only have an intention to cooperate, but we can't really say we are working together yet," Zhou Yuwen replied.

Lu Wanting nodded, her gaze toward Zhou Yuwen clearly holding a hint of admiration. "I didn't expect you to be a real person who keeps his true capabilities so well hidden."

Zhou Yuwen said it was honestly nothing much.

"Meituan is a very excellent company. Cousin-in-law, you've already become an assistant to a small boss at such a young age. Your future is truly limitless."

"Pfft! Stop calling me cousin-in-law with every breath, will you? You're making me embarrassed."

Lu Wanting giggled and then hesitated for a moment. She felt that previously, she had only helped Peng Xiaoyong lie because they were at Zhou Yuwen's house and she assumed they wouldn't cross paths again. Now that she and Zhou Yuwen were essentially colleagues, it wouldn't be good to keep hiding the truth.

Therefore, Lu Wanting confessed, "President Zhou, there's actually something I lied to you about..."