Trending topic alert: The mysterious fan site administrator of a top celebrity has been exposed.

Just as Qi Yuan, fueled by his boastful words and the effects of alcohol, finally couldn't hold on any longer, his body went limp, and he slid off the chair like a rag doll, about to make intimate contact with the balcony floor—

Just moments ago, Zhou Ai appeared drunk and dazed, as if she were about to pass out at any moment. However, she suddenly stood up nimbly, nimbly sidestepped Qi Yuan, and perfectly avoided his fall. She even managed to steady herself by grabbing the corner of the table.

He even turned his head with an "innocent" look and looked at Chu Yi, who was standing at the balcony door and had subconsciously tried to catch Qi Yuan when he suddenly collapsed, but there was no trace of drunkenness on his face.

Those peach blossom eyes shone brightly in the night and under the balcony lights, gleaming with cunning and triumph, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.

He lowered his voice, a hint of smugness in his tone:

"Wow! We can finally throw this giant light bulb out!"

Chu Yi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. Looking at the man in front of her who had been "pretending to be drunk" so flawlessly but whose eyes were now clear, and then at Qi Yuan who was lying on the ground snoring, she was speechless for a moment. She could only helplessly raise her hand to rub her hair, feeling both amused and exasperated.

In the end, Chu Yi directed the "sober" Zhou Ai, and the two of them together dragged the sluggish Qi Yuan from the balcony back to the living room and settled him on the sofa. As soon as Qi Yuan touched the soft sofa, he groaned twice, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep.

After settling Qi Yuan in, Chu Yi went to the kitchen and made each of them a cup of warm kudzu flower water to help them sober up. Although he could tell that Zhou Ai was mostly faking it, he had still drunk quite a bit.

Zhou Ai took the glass and obediently sipped it. He was sober, but the physical effects of alcohol couldn't be faked. After a few bottles of beer, a clear flush of alcohol appeared on his otherwise impeccable face.

Under the light, his fair skin glowed with an alluring blush, which spread from his cheeks to the corners of his eyes, and even his delicate earlobes were tinged with a rosy hue, as if he had applied the finest rouge.

Those alluring peach blossom eyes now appeared even more shimmering with moisture due to the slight intoxication.

Her eyes held an unconscious languor and a dreamy quality, her long, thick eyelashes occasionally fluttering slightly, casting a faint shadow on her lower eyelids.

He tilted his head back slightly as he drank, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with each swallow, giving him a strangely sexy, wild charm. He exuded a languid yet dangerous allure.

Zhou Ai obediently drank the hangover tea in her hand, without taking a break. She casually pulled over a single sofa, propped her chin on one hand, rested her elbow on her knee, and squinted her hazy, drunken eyes, watching Chu Yi, who was bending over to clean up the mess and mop the floor, without blinking.

His gaze seemed to carry a tangible warmth, tender and focused, lingering unabashedly on Chu Yi.

Chu Yi was focused on mopping the floor. With each back-and-forth motion, the hem of his soft loungewear T-shirt would occasionally lift up, revealing a glimpse of his supple, fair waistline.

His skin glowed with a delicate sheen under the light, and his waist dimples were faintly visible. As he walked, the loose cuffs of his house trousers swayed slightly, occasionally revealing glimpses of his slender, delicate ankles, which seemed so small they could be grasped in one hand.

Zhou Ai leaned back lazily, as if admiring a masterpiece, her gaze fixed on the fleeting "scenery" that appeared from time to time, a satisfied yet dangerous smile playing on her lips.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Chu Yi straightened up, put down the mop, and went to open the door.

Standing outside the door was Cheng Yingzhi. He seemed to have arrived in a hurry, and there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

His gaze passed over Chu Yi and immediately fell on Qi Yuan, who was sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep.

In the living room, Zhou Ai abandoned her lazy "observation" posture when the doorbell rang, but still maintained the position of resting her cheek on her hand. Her gaze swept lightly towards the door, and her eyes briefly met Cheng Yingzhi's in the air.

Chu Yi looked at Cheng Yingzhi, who was clearly anxious outside the door. Instead of immediately stepping aside, she smiled playfully, crossed her arms casually, and leaned against the door frame, blocking Cheng Yingzhi's steps into the room.

He raised his chin, a rare hint of roguishness in his tone: "President Cheng, coming to pick someone up so late at night, empty-handed? Aren't you going to offer anything?"

Cheng Yingzhi was taken aback when he was stopped, and then looked at Chu Yi, who was acting as if he owned the place.

She glanced again at Zhou Ai, who was also leaning back on the sofa in the living room, looking over here with the same expression, and instantly understood what was going on.

He lowered his head and shook his head with a hint of amusement, his tone tinged with helplessness and indulgence: "You brat... when did Zhou Ai lead you to become so bad?"

He raised an eyebrow, pulled out his phone, and waved it in front of Chu Yi. "So, what do you want to say? You can't expect me to go buy flowers right now, can you?"

Chu Yi maintained her crossed arms and slowly began to do the math: "What do you mean? That kid Qi Yuan swindled 1.5 million yuan out of me, saying he was going to make some kind of 'life-saving' health tea for staying up all night, but I didn't even see a single cup of milk tea, and he almost died living off me..."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone chimed with a clear "ding".

Chu Yi paused, took out her phone and glanced at the screen—a bank transfer notification, amount: 2,000,000.00.

He raised an eyebrow, immediately put away his phone, stepped aside to make way, and smoothly made a "please" gesture, his tone instantly becoming extremely polite:

"Please come in, Mr. Cheng. He's on the sofa, fast asleep."

Cheng Yingzhi glanced at him helplessly and stepped into the living room. He walked to the sofa and tried to pull Qi Yuan, who was fast asleep, up.

But Qi Yuan was like a lump of soft mud; he was lifted up a little, but then slumped back down to the ground, even smacking his lips and sleeping even more soundly.

Looking at his carefree attitude, Cheng Yingzhi sighed and gave up on his plan to get rid of him immediately.

"Let him rest for a while and sober up," Chu Yi said, turning to pour Cheng Yingzhi a glass of warm water.

Cheng Yingzhi took the water glass and sat down on the single sofa next to him. He had come in a hurry and was indeed a little thirsty.

He watched Chu Yi bending down to refill his water, his gaze deep, and suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible gentleness: "You seem to be in much better shape than before."

After refilling the water, Chu Yi straightened up, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and put on that same expression that Cheng Yingzhi had described as "having been corrupted by Zhou Ai," asking with a hint of mockery, "Where did you get that idea? Have you become more handsome?"

Cheng Yingzhi took a sip of water, smiled upon hearing this, and glanced meaningfully at Zhou Ai, who was lazily admiring his wife again.

"No, not at all." He paused, his tone slightly teasing, "I've just become a bit cheeky, probably learned it from the girl next to you."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly put down his water glass, leaned towards Zhou Ai, and lowered his voice, which carried a hint of provocation and familiarity: "Hey, Zhou, the top star, according to seniority, shouldn't you also call me 'brother' like Chu Yi did?"

Zhou Ai lifted her eyelids, glanced at him lazily, and curled her lips into a smile that carried a hint of mischief and ambiguity. She lowered her voice and asked in return, "If I scream... can you handle it?"

Cheng Yingzhi was taken aback by his words, clicked his tongue in annoyance, grabbed a cushion from the sofa and threw it at Zhou Ai: "Get lost! I can't be bothered to argue with you."

After a brief commotion, Cheng Yingzhi sat up straight again, his expression becoming more serious as he looked at Chu Yi: "But to be honest, I really feel that you've changed a lot."

His gaze shifted between Chu Yi and Zhou Ai. "He's more... more down-to-earth than before. That aloofness he used to have, as if he were detached from everything, has faded a lot."

He spoke sincerely.

Chu Yi used to be excellent and polite, but she always seemed to be separated from people by an invisible glass dome, so aloof that it was difficult to get close to her.

Now, Chu Yi is still handsome, but the aloofness that kept people at arm's length has dissipated, and he exudes a vibrant, down-to-earth charm.

Chu Yi paused slightly upon hearing his words, and subconsciously turned her head to look at Zhou Ai beside her.

Zhou Ai was also looking at him, her peach blossom eyes filled with a gentle smile and understanding, as if to say: See, I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

Chu Yi didn't respond directly, but simply picked up her water glass, took a small sip, and couldn't help but smile.

Some changes are self-evident.

He was fully aware of the situation, but he was willing to accept it.

"Aunt Chu was asking me a few days ago if I had met with you." Cheng Yingzhi hesitated for a long time, wondering whether to tell the truth, but in the end he chose to be honest.

Upon hearing Chu Ruoyin's name spoken by Cheng Yingzhi, the relaxed smile on Chu Yi's face faded. He gave a very slight upturn of his lips but did not reply.

Several months have passed since the last unpleasant birthday party at the old house.

The mother and son seemed to have reached some kind of unspoken understanding, and neither of them took the initiative to contact the other.

Despite being the closest blood relatives in the world, they are pushed further and further apart by intricate calculations of interests, class distinctions, and forceful interference in each other's lives. The chasm between them seems even more difficult to cross than that between strangers.

Cheng Yingzhi observed Chu Yi's expression and continued, lowering his voice slightly, with a hint of reminder: "A few days ago, the Xie family even submitted a bid for a new project of the Cheng family, offering very generous terms. It seems that the cooperative relationship between the two families is becoming increasingly close..."

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly, clearly not optimistic, and added, "...However, in my opinion, this may not be a good thing. Xie Huaiming is a cunning man, and his father has been making quite a few moves in the board recently. Their eagerness to align themselves with the Cheng family is probably not just for business."

Cheng Yingzhi's gaze fell on Chu Yi's calm profile: "You... take care of yourself."

Chu Yi listened quietly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the warm rim of the cup. He didn't respond immediately; his long eyelashes drooped, obscuring the emotions in his eyes, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Zhou Ai, standing to the side, also abandoned his languid posture and sat up straight. Although he didn't speak, his eyes had turned cold, and the usual smile in his peach blossom eyes was replaced by a sharpness.

After several seconds, Chu Yi slowly raised her head. "Okay, I understand. Thanks for reminding me, Brother Ying."

He turned his head to look at Zhou Ai, who looked tense beside him, and reached out to gently place his hand on the back of Zhou Ai's hand, which was resting on her knee. His fingertips were slightly cool, but they carried a soothing power.

Zhou Ai felt the warmth from the back of his hand, and her tense nerves relaxed slightly. She then grabbed his fingers and held them tightly.

After seeing Qi Yuan and Cheng Ying off, only Chu Yi and Zhou Ai remained in the room, along with the lingering faint smell of alcohol in the air.

Zhou Ai looked in the direction the door had closed, slowly stood up, walked behind Chu Yi, reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, rested her chin on his shoulder, and breathed warmly into Chu Yi's ear with the smell of alcohol, her voice deep and sexy.

"Finally, all the third wheels are gone... Goodness, now it's my turn, right?"