Chapter 37: Team Building
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That priceless “Whisper of the Milky Way,” along with the dazzling blue-diamond starburst brooch, had entered Apartment 1601’s dressing room under the grand pretext of a “grand prize,” delivered there by Zach Chen as brazenly as two heavy bombs.
They hung silently in the most conspicuous place. Deep blue velvet seemed to flow beneath the lights, while the starbursts embroidered in silver thread flickered soundlessly. The profound blue diamond on the brooch refracted a cold gleam, reminding Evelyn Yu at every moment of that utterly absurd afternoon.
In the end, Evelyn stopped asking questions. Zach’s explanations—“my luck is simply unbelievable,” “it was a shopping-mall promotion,” and “I was entered automatically”—were riddled with holes. Yet whenever she faced his innocent, guileless smile, touched with the foolish pride of a husband whose wife had such good fortune, all the strength drained from her interrogations.
If she pressed further, she would only receive more carefully woven lies—or tear open a curtain she neither wanted nor dared touch for the time being.
She chose silence. It carried the mentality of an ostrich, yet also a certain sweet, self-deceiving quality.
She accepted the “grand prize.” One night, she even found herself unable to resist quietly switching on the dressing-room light. Her fingertips brushed cautiously over the cool, smooth velvet of the skirt, tracing the subtle raised embroidery of the silver threads as she imagined what it would be like to wear it.
The vanity and satisfaction of being utterly indulged began to grow quietly in her heart like a vine, winding itself around the seed called “doubt” and lulling it temporarily to sleep.
Life seemed to have returned to its old course, wrapped once more in Zach’s “clingy syrup.”
He was still the devoted husband who wore a little-whale apron and fried her the perfect runny egg; the practical, budget-conscious man who carefully selected every item before the supermarket shelves and knew every discount by heart; and the mysterious man who had given away a priceless brooch during the Quinn Zhou fiasco and played the role of the “lucky husband” in the shopping-mall grand-prize incident. He shifted effortlessly among these identities, and amid the sweetness and confusion, Evelyn gradually learned not to look too closely.
On a weekend morning, Zach was busy in the kitchen with his back to the doorway. He wore loose gray cotton lounge pants and a simple white undershirt. The fabric outlined the broad, smooth lines of his shoulders and back and the narrowness of his waist. The muscles in his arms flexed faintly as he turned the frying pan, radiating strength.
Wearing a comfortable nightdress, Evelyn leaned lazily against the kitchen doorframe, taking in the pleasing, homely scene.
She had only just woken. Her hair was still tousled, and her eyes held the hazy satisfaction of sleep. Zach’s movements as he fried the eggs were fluid and effortless. With a slight flick of his wrist, a perfect sunny-side-up egg with a runny center slipped lightly onto the pristine bone-china plate beside him. Golden, crisp bacon and toast baked to exactly the right degree completed the breakfast.
“Awake?” Zach asked without turning around, as though he had eyes in the back of his head. His low voice was husky with the morning and touched with pleasure. “Have you washed up? Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”
He turned off the stove, lifted the two artfully arranged plates, and turned around.
Sunlight fell just right across his face. His amber eyes held a tender smile, as though filled with melted honey. A few loose strands of hair clung damply to his brow, casually resting against his eyebrows. He looked fresh and sensual, possessing a homely, utterly unguarded charm.
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat without warning.
She watched him approach with breakfast in hand. Sunlight danced across his lashes, while the fragrance of food mingled with the clean, refreshing scent of soap clinging to him, creating a comforting happiness that belonged solely to morning.
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“Wow! It smells wonderful!”
With a bright smile, she went to meet him and naturally rose onto her toes to plant a quick kiss on his lightly perspiring cheek.
“A reward for you, Chef Zach!”
Her voice was crisp, carrying the sweet, slightly dazed innocence of someone newly awakened.
Zach clearly had not expected such a sudden reward. His hands holding the plates paused slightly. Then the smile in his eyes spread outward like ripples across a lake struck by a stone, so tender it seemed capable of drowning a person.
He turned his face slightly and rubbed the tip of his nose against the crown of her head.
“That’s all the reward I get?” His deep voice had a rough, magnetic texture. “It isn’t enough.”
He made as though to kiss her lips.
Laughing, Evelyn dodged away and snatched one of the plates from his hands.
“Greedy! Go bring the coffee!”
She hurried toward the dining room with the plate, like a little cat that had successfully stolen a bite of fish.
Watching her light-footed retreat and the tips of her ears flushed red, Zach let out a low laugh that rumbled in his chest. He turned to fetch the coffee pot, tenderness and satisfaction nearly overflowing from his eyes.
Mornings like this, exchanges filled with coy complaints and sweetness—these were priceless treasures no amount of wealth or power could buy. He savored the solid warmth of being depended upon and drawn close by her, like a desert traveler drinking from a fresh spring.
The two of them ate breakfast together in the sun-drenched dining room. The atmosphere was relaxed and sweet. Evelyn chattered about the dream she had had the night before, while Zach listened with a smile, refilling her coffee from time to time and placing peeled, soft-boiled eggs onto her plate.
“Oh, right.” Biting into a crisp strip of bacon, Evelyn suddenly remembered something. “Our department is apparently having a team-building trip next week. We’re going to a hot-spring resort in the neighboring city, for two days and one night.”
She spoke casually.
Zach’s hand, holding the coffee cup, paused almost imperceptibly. He looked up at her.
“A team-building trip? When?”
“We’re leaving next Friday afternoon and coming back Saturday evening.”
Evelyn failed to notice his slight hesitation.
Zach lowered his eyes to the dark-brown liquid in the cup. His thick lashes concealed the fleeting glimmer in his gaze.
Two days and one night? Outside his field of vision?
His fingers tightened faintly around the cup, the knuckles paling almost imperceptibly.
Although Vivian Zhang’s trouble had temporarily been suppressed, the hidden surveillance had not disappeared completely. More importantly… he could not bear the thought of going so long without seeing her, especially now that she was becoming increasingly dependent on him and increasingly unguarded in his presence. An emotion mingling concern with an intense possessiveness began to take root in silence.
“A hot-spring resort…” He set down the cup, his tone carrying a hint of longing and regret. “Sounds nice. Unfortunately, next week I… well, there’s an important project milestone. I may have to work overtime over the weekend.”
His face assumed precisely the right expression of helplessness and apology brought on by work.
Evelyn answered with a disappointed little “Oh.”
“All right. I was going to ask whether you could come with me.”
Seeing her lips purse slightly, Zach’s heart melted completely. He hurried to make amends.
“Next time! If there’s another event like this, I’ll clear my schedule well in advance and go with you. This time, just enjoy yourself and relax.”
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He paused, then added as though casually, “By the way, which resort are you staying at? What’s the environment like? Is it safe?”
His voice was full of concern.
“It’s called Summit Hot Springs, I think. I hear it’s pretty good—a five-star place, so it’ll certainly be safe.”
Evelyn gave it no further thought.
“Good.” Zach nodded. He picked up his phone and tapped rapidly across the screen, as though looking something up. “Summit… Its reputation seems decent.”
He set down the phone and placed another piece of fruit on Evelyn’s plate.
“Eat more. You need the vitamin C.”
Evelyn was completely unaware that his apparently casual questioning amounted to an inspection. She simply enjoyed being fed, already beginning to plan what clothes to pack for the hot-spring trip.
The lazy afternoon sunlight spilled across the living room.
Curled up on the sofa, Evelyn was reading a light novel. Zach sat beside her in a single armchair, his unremarkable-looking laptop resting before him. His fingers flew across the keyboard, producing a crisp, steady tapping.
The screen still displayed streams of code Evelyn could not understand, yet his focused profile appeared sharply defined in the sunlight, carrying a quiet allure.
Evelyn’s gaze occasionally lifted from the page and settled on him. Watching the slight furrow between his brows, watching the rhythm with which his long fingers danced across the keyboard, she felt a peaceful, grounded happiness fill her heart.
She even thought that simply staying beside him and listening to the sound of him working was a pleasure in itself.
She set down her book, picked up her phone, and secretly snapped a picture of him from the side as he worked. Sunlight outlined the straight bridge of his nose and his intent brows and eyes, while points of light danced across his fingertips.
Looking at the photograph on her phone, she smiled without realizing it.
Just then, a sudden, persistent vibration shattered the tranquility.
Bzzz—bzzz—bzzz—
The sound came from Zach’s phone, lying on the coffee table. Its screen lit up, displaying an unfamiliar number with a long international dialing code, flashing frantically:
+1 (650) XXX-XXXX.
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