Mr. Zhou Doesn’t Want to Work Hard Anymore!

After the two of them came to the room, Zhou Chenxi was attracted by the view outside the window as soon as he entered.

The three sides of the hotel were surrounded by the sea.The rooms have huge french windows, looking outside of it was the beach and the endless (stretch as far as the eye can see) sea. No wonder Father Zhou and Mother Zhou were keen on traveling so much. He would like to do the same as them in the future (when he is old) , take his pension money to go out and spend it extravagantly!

Zhou Chenxi took out his exclusive gudetama pillow from his suitcase, plunked and took a fall onto the bed.

[Gudetama literally mean lazy egg]

Here the pic of Gudetama pillow:

Ever since the last time, the program team had specially sent staff members to be in charge of helping them move their luggage into the hotel.

The presidential suite altogether had two bedrooms, a guest bedroom and a master bedroom. Besides that, the other rooms were the study room and the living room. Could be said, it was just perfectly right for two people to sleep. Zhou Chenxi was not picky either so he took the initiative to enter the second room, lay down lazily on his bed, and didn’t want to get up anymore.

His room door was not closed, Lu Ji came over as he politely stood outside and knocked on the door: “When do you plan to go to dinner?”

Zhou Chenxi’s body bounced on the bed, feeling that this bed was so soft: “I don’t know ah! Whenever you are okay ba…..” he said in a daze, “If you are hungry, you can call me. I sleep … sleep ….sleep ….” and then there was no more sound.

Lu Ji: “…..” He really instantly went to sleep.

When he saw Zhou Chenxi fall asleep just like this, he hesitated for a while before he came in gently. He pulled ‘the gudetama back cushion’ that Zhou Chenxi pressed under his chest out carefully, put it on his side,and then he took a thin blanket to cover him. He noiselessly retreated,in passing he also helped him close the door.

This time he slept especially well. The sky outside was already all dark when he woke up. Zhou Chenxi touched all around, reached out to his back cushion, feeling very safe while he rolled on the bed, and his awareness gradually became sober.

——Not right! What time is it?

He didn’t oversleep, did he?

Oh no!

Zhou Chenxi hurriedly sat up and found that it was nearly seven o’clock.Only then, did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Good, luckily, it’s not too late.

He remembered that he had eaten two cakes in the afternoon to fill his stomach yet Lu Ji hadn’t eaten anything. He stood up immediately, opened the door and went out. He found Lu Ji was sitting beside the french window in the living room, concentrating on his work.

A dim floor lamp was lit up in the corner, Lu Ji was holding a cell phone in his hand and put the laptop on the big office table, seemingly discussing something with someone.

Seeing Zhou Chenxi come out, he ended the call in a few words, closed the notebook, and said to Zhou Chenxi: “Awake?”

There was an unconscious gentleness in Lu Ji’s voice.

“Didn’t you say that the purpose of vacation is not to work hard?” Zhou Chenxi blinked and deliberately said, “Why are you so hardworking that you don’t even wake me up for dinner?”

“Seeing you sleeping well, I didn’t have the heart to call you,” Lu Ji went over to turn on the living room lights and looked at his watch, “Now the time is just right. Come on! Let’s go eat together!”

“Hn.” Zhou Chenxi nodded his head.

He had just woken up so his tone had a little nasal sound in it, sounding soft and fluffy.

Lu Ji took their room card and the meal voucher and walked behind him.

Zhou Chenxi thought to himself, Lu Zong (Director Lu) seemed to be a person who said that he didn’t work hard but yet he was the person who worked with all of his might to rush up to the top.

No wonder, the book said he had a stomach illness.

He suddenly realized that Lu Ji was just like him, he was just an ordinary person inside and outside the book anyway. If there was no such luck like Luo Xinghe, everyone should only rely on their own efforts to find a way and get what they want ba?

When they arrived at the restaurant, the hotel had reserved a place for them, a double seat by the window. It was quite distant from the noisy hall. The table was set with roses and candles, looking romantic to the extreme.

Just by one glance, it immediately showed that it was prepared for lovers.

Zhou Chenxi thought to himself, somewhat regretfully, it was a pity that their status was not right.

There was a corridor beside their place, if you moved further in, there was a self-service restaurant. Many other customers who come to eat would pass by there. However, compared to other seats, their positions were quite secluded.Zhou Chenxi was quite satisfied. As soon as the two people sat down, a waiter came up and asked, “Would both of you like some red wine?”

Zhou Chenxi didn’t need it and Lu Ji also didn’t drink,hence the waiter began to serve the food.

The first two desserts were served, Zhou Chenxi thought Lu Ji must be hungry thus he gave him his own share too.

For the main course, they would have to wait for a while.

Not far away, a cameraman set up a video camera to shoot at them, Zhou Chenxi received the photographer’s signal and racked his brain to open the topic: “Did your family force you to go on a matchmaking?”

“？？” Lu Ji looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhou Chenxi summoned up his courage and said, “My mom and dad said I should be thinking about marriage at this age. They even asked my brother to find me several pictures of girls for me to pick.”

He had just been entrusted by the film director a moment ago to have the cameraman pass him a note, putting him in charge of guiding Lu Ji to talk about Shao Yunyi.

Because ever since the gossip about Shao Yunyi and Lu Ji came out, there has been a lot of attention regarding this matter on the internet. Many people want to see how the two of them interact with each other. The key figure in this case was of course Lu Ji’s mother. She once asked people to ask the program team several times to take an indirect approach (in making inquiries). One is the owner, the other one is the owner’s mother, since it was not good to offend these two therefore the director, under the cover of this period, planned to go through the motions, may as well have a good result or explanation (for Lu Ji’s mother).

The poor Zhou Chenxi has become cannon fodder again, but he has long been used to it. Anyway, just talk about it, it doesn’t hurt and doesn’t tickle. 

[不痛不癢 /bù tòng bù yǎng : lit. doesn’t hurt, doesn’t tickle (idiom); sth is wrong, but not quite sure what / fig. not getting to any matter of substance]

“Just how old are you?” Lu Ji, unable to help laughing, remembered that Zhou Chenxi was only twenty-three this year, “Is your brother married?”

“Not yet. But my brother brought me up as a child, just like my parents. He’s always worried about me more than he does about himself.”

Zhou Chenxi said while sucking on his juice.

Lu Ji didn’t express any opinion.

He was not sure about Zhou Chenxi’s family condition and was not in a position to comment, but he had already vaguely guessed the purpose behind Zhou Chenxi.

“What about you?” Sure enough, he heard Zhou Chenxi say, “There are many comments on the internet saying that you and Yun Yi Jie grew up as childhood sweethearts!”

[qīng méi zhú mǎ 青梅竹马

lit. green plums and hobby-horse (idiom) / fig. childhood sweethearts / a couple who grew up as childhood friends]

Here we go, here we go!

The cameraman behind the camera was in high spirits.

Zhou Chenxi, who was in charge of taking the lead, felt he would cross the line if he asked more questions. Facing the cameraman, he gave a signal to ‘stop here’, to express that I’ve tried my best so if Lu Ji does not want to talk about this topic, then there is nothing he can do.

Lu Ji thought about it deeply.

The film director had approached him before, saying that there were two meal vouchers for the ocean view suite tonight. He asked if he would like to have dinner with Shao Yunyi after winning the game, which he refused on the spot. This led to the freedom of them being put together in the same team and finally winning the game by their own efforts. That was how he could come to the restaurant with Zhou Chenxi.

Otherwise,there is still no telling who is going to sit face to face with him today.

Lu Ji did not like this kind of uncontrollable feeling, he mulled over it for a while. Just when he was thinking about what to say, at the same time, the waiter brought their main dish. It was two portions of steaks, each cut into the shape of half a heart, if the two portions were put together, it would form a heart . Zhou Chenxi felt a little awkward, he hurriedly took the steak knife first and cut his steak into many pieces.

“It’s not convenient to eat if you cut it like this.You have to cut it by following along with the line.”

Lu Ji brought his steak over, while helping him cut it, he straightened out his train of thoughts and said, “The two of us indeed have known each other since we were kids, but we have nothing to do with each other.”

Zhou Chenxi quietly turned his head around and spread his hands towards the (film) director. See?

Ask him one more question, ba!

The (film) director’s brow beaded with sweat, gesturing to him.

——It was not easy to be a sandwich cookie!

[ jiā xīn bǐng gān 夹心饼干 : sandwich cookie / (jocularly) sb who is caught between two opposing parties / sb who is between the hammer and the anvil]

Zhou Chenxi sighed in his heart, to have no alternative but to turn his head back and forced himself to say : “Isn’t it because you are not very good at expressing yourself?”

Zhou Chenxi’s mind spun around and realized that it was very possible, because he had seen Lu Ji take the initiative to greet Shao Yunyi before, but the other party ignored him.

Unrequited love?

The more Zhou Chenxi thought about it, the more he felt that he had discovered the truth. Suddenly he was inspired to send the Buddha to the west and give Lu Ji an advice: “It’s actually very easy to chase a girl. As long as you exude your own charm, you’re halfway there!(to success)”

“Oh?” Lu Ji cut the steak while he smiled, which did not look like a smile and said, “How do I release my charm?”

He had an expression of “humble in seeking advice and listening earnestly”, Zhou Chenxi felt great, picked up a rose from the center of the table, put it in his mouth, stood up and walked to Lu Ji’s side and said: “Like this.”

He pressed one hand on the table, lowering his head, looked at Lu Ji while deliberately lowering his voice and said : “This gentleman, on this special day, I wonder if I have the privilege to invite you to dance together?”

Zhou Chenxi pointed toward a corner inside the restaurant.

Several musical instruments was placed there, a piano, a violin, before then a band just came in from outside, ready to sit there, probably the restaurant’s pre-arranged Tanabata  segment.

The candle light suddenly circulated inside the deep black eyes of Lu Ji, he looked at Zhou Chenxi continuously until the gaze entered into his eyes.

Suddenly, he smiled faintly and said in a deep voice that was even lower and nicer than his: “If you are willing, then I am honored.”

I’m dying! I’m going to die! (Tl notes: because of embarrassment, if it doesn’t make sense in English) Unable to tease but instead being teased! 

Zhou Chenxi almost forgot that he had been accidentally teased by Lu Ji before. His whole face burst into red as he was about to back away when he suddenly felt something was wrong.

The surrounding area was awfully quiet.

He looked back and realized that he was blocking the aisle. Behind him stood several guests who were preparing to go to the self-service restaurant to eat, all looking at them with a smile and blessing.

Next to them was Shao Yunyi, she was wearing a white dress and politely holding Zhuang Jingle by her side with one arm.The two of them also looked like they were passing through here by coincidence.

Zhou Chenxi was struck dumb.

Everyone was looking at them.

The expression on Zhuang Jingle’s face was complicated and not easy to express succinctly.He looked at the two steaks in front of Lu Ji before he looked at the rose in Zhou Chenxi’s mouth.He felt like he had crashed into something really big.

It’s over now! Would he be beheaded by his boss in this kind of Asura Field situation?

[Asura Field is used to describe a tragic situation or a person who is fighting to the death in a difficult situation. It also often refers to scenes where interpersonal relationships are intricate and complicated (in romance). ]

Zhou Chenxi thought to himself in despair, even if he jumped into the Yellow River now, he would not be able to wash (his name) clean.

What was even better, after a few seconds of silence, someone suddenly led the people to applause together with him.

Some people from the band also came, the violinist who played the violin and the saxophonist that played the saxophone, as they were very enthusiastic and hospitable. Listen carefully, the song they performed was a wedding march!!!

“May your love be eternally last!” A passerby kindly wished both of them well.

A foreign gay couple or lover beside them also join in the fun and foolishly shouted: “Get married! Get married!”

The result took shape in a mass effect, the entire dining room was in an uproar.

Even Shao Yunyi who was beside him covering her mouth and secretly laughed.

I don’t want to live anymore.

Zhou Chenxi closed his eyes, his heart was like dead ashes. 

[心如死灰 xīn rú sǐ huī : One’s heart is like dead ashes — utterly dissipated.]

Was there something that could make him lose his memory instantly?

Or he could just directly dig a hole and bury himself here aaaaah!