Chapter forty-three

Over the past few years, Zoe should have been accustomed to all of Lindsay's behaviors.

But recently, she doesn't know why, she has been influenced several times and felt dejected for Lindsay's sake several times.

Perhaps it's because she returned to Haishi, a city where she saw too many familiar scenes and emerged with too many memories, making even her nerves fragile.

The former Zuo family was well-known in the upper crust of Haishi.

Zoe, as the only daughter in the family, was loved by her parents and enjoyed the best of everything.

She was not afraid of falling into obscurity, but feared losing even her parents' love.

Zoe lost it all too thoroughly.

She held it in and said, "The noodles are ready."

Nick furrowed his brows and rubbed her chin with his fingertips, "You don't want to talk about it?"

How could she talk about such an embarrassing thing?

Zoe shook her head, "I've been a bit sentimental lately."

Nick raised his eyebrows, "Yeah, you've become like Lin Daiyu."

Zoe was amused and glared at him, pushing his hand away.

She turned to fish out the noodles and pour the soup. If the noodles sit for a while longer, they'll get soggy.

Nick let go of her and leaned slightly against the stove, his gaze falling on the phone with a black screen. Even if Zoe didn't say anything, he could probably guess.

At this moment, who else could hurt her?

It must be her mother.

Coincidentally, he happened to know about her mother's several attempts at self-destruction.

Zoe carried the noodles out of the kitchen, picked up her phone, and came to the dining table, putting it down.

Nick followed behind, sat down, and ate. The noodle soup smelled delicious, though not spicy, but surprisingly suited his taste.

Zoe bent down and took a spoonful of the sauce made by her grandmother from the drawer, putting it in Nick's bowl.

Nick picked up a noodle, pinched it, and put it to Zoe's lips. Zoe had no appetite and shook her head.

"No, I don't want it."

Nick pushed the chopsticks closer to her lips, "Take a bite, it's a bit sticky."

"How could it be sticky?"

Zoe didn't believe him, lowered her head, bit into it, and sucked up the noodles.

Nick propped his chin on his hand, watching her suck. When she had sucked up about a third of it, he reached out and clasped her neck, pressing her down.

As she stared wide-eyed, he bit into the other end of the noodle and ate it in two or three bites.

Zoe hurriedly bit off the noodle, and his thin lips came up to her, blocking her mouth and forcefully sucking in, prying open her lips with his tongue tip and sliding in.

Zoe's hands rested on the table, unable to move, allowing him to take what he wanted.

Her knees went weak, and he hooked her, pulling her into his arms.

His hands started to grope again, and Zoe struggled, saying, "Eat the noodles, eat the noodles."

"I'll eat you."

With distinct bone joints, his fingers went up and unbuttoned her blouse.

Zoe moaned twice, her eyes somewhat dazed as they fell on the sunlight streaming in through the window.

After a while.

Nick pressed her down on the table and chuckled, "Let's eat the noodles now."

Zoe: "..."

Zoe left the dining table and ran into the bathroom, buttoned up her blouse, and emerged slightly composed.

She just wouldn't go near that table again.

Looking up Lindsay's phone number, she pondered for a long time and hesitated before dialing it.

Soon, the call was answered.

Zoe held the phone to her ear and stepped out onto the balcony.

For a moment, both mother and daughter were silent. After about a second, Lindsay spoke with a laugh, seemingly unconcerned, "Yiyi, have you started school already?"

Zoe closed her eyes and replied, "Yes, I'm back in school, Mom. Did you go to Dong City?"

Lindsay chuckled, "Yes, I came here to visit a friend and check in on the restaurant. Business is good, and this location is indeed excellent."

Zoe asked directly, "Did you go to see the account books with the manager?"

"Ah? Yes, after all, we also have a stake in it. Since you're not here in Haicheng, I thought I'd take a look for you." Lindsay responded with a casual and matter-of-fact laugh.

Zoe spoke coldly, "Grandma said before that there's no need to check the account books unless the manager is replaced. You're making it difficult for the manager. Mom, please don't go to the restaurant anymore."

Almost every time, Zoe had to be forced to say such harsh words.

Lindsay fell silent for a moment, and then her laughter disappeared. She said, "You dare to mention your grandmother? You hold so much money in your hands, yet I, your mother, live in such austerity. I even have to choose discounted skincare products, yet you ignore my hardships. Is that how you act as a daughter?"

Indeed, because Zoe had taken the money from her grandmother.

Lindsay had no right to use it, so she always felt that Zoe was heartless, and the mother-daughter relationship had become estranged since then.

Zoe gritted her teeth and said, "And is that how you act as a mother? Favoring your stepdaughter, not fighting for your own daughter's education, forcing her to start working in a restaurant at a young age. What's wrong with her wanting to make her own way?"

"How do I act as a mother?

Yiyi, originally, I should have a share of your grandmother's money, but you hold on to it so tightly, disregarding my well-being."

Lindsay's tone softened a bit, not as sharp as before, probably realizing that being too harsh would just make Zoe do the same thing as before, which was to go away and enroll in university, spending a significant amount of money.

Zoe was tired of hearing these words. In the past, Lindsay wouldn't be so blatant. But now, she clearly accused Zoe, and Zoe pinched the flower leaves on the balcony with her fingertips, saying, "The manager won't show you the account books. You don't have the qualification anyway. Please leave the restaurant sooner."

Lindsay: "I'm not leaving."

After that, Lindsay hung up the phone. Zoe tried to call back, but Lindsay had turned off her phone.

Then Zoe found the manager's phone number and called, asking, "Is she lingering at your restaurant?"

The manager said, "She's been like that for the past two days, leaving only after we close at night."

Zoe's face grew cold, and a chill surged up from her back. She glanced at the calendar and said, "I'll come over tomorrow afternoon."

The manager: "That would be a great help."

Then Zoe hung up the phone. She pressed down the corners of her eyes, lifted her head, and though her eyes were red, there were no tears.

She turned back to the living room, sat on the sofa, and fell asleep right there.

When she woke up, Zoe found a WeChat message on her phone. It was from Nick.

Nick: "I can't come back for dinner tonight. Find somewhere to eat by yourself. Be good."

Zoe looked at the time, it was already past six o'clock. The sky outside was getting dark. She got up, replied casually to Nick with a 'okay,' put on a coat, and went downstairs to buy some groceries.

She had originally planned to return to her dormitory at the university, but she felt groggy after waking up, so she decided against it. After all, there were still a few days before the official start of the semester.

After buying the groceries, Zoe made two dishes and cooked some porridge. She sat at the dining table, watching TV while eating. But as she ate, she felt that the food didn't taste right. Zoe picked up the dish that she hadn't eaten much of, took it into the kitchen, poured it out, cleaned up, and washed her hands before coming out.

Sitting on the sofa, she flipped through the channels with the remote control. She eventually stopped on a comedy variety show. Zoe peeled a mandarin orange and put it in her mouth, remembering the last time Nick fed her. She paused for a moment and then continued eating.

After watching the variety show for over two hours, Zoe's mood improved. The coffee table was filled with mandarin orange peels, which she threw into the trashcan. She stretched and got up to get her pajamas. Turning around, she looked at the living room and felt that the house was still too quiet.

Habits are indeed terrifying.

Nick suddenly had a business dinner arranged by a classmate from high school. The classmate, Jack, had just returned from Wall Street in the US and was in the same industry, so they had plenty to discuss. Nick arrived late, having been called several times by phone. As soon as he pushed open the door to the private room, he saw a group of men and women, all old classmates. Nick frowned and glanced at Jack, who smiled and said, "I didn't mean to turn this into a class reunion, but I hope you don't mind."

Leo followed behind and sat down with a smile, choosing a spot. "Of course not..."

Nick's face hardened, but he didn't leave immediately. He casually chose a seat and sat down.

Most of the female classmates, with their diverse charms, glanced at Nick and blushed. They whispered to each other, saying that Nick was still the same as before, only more handsome.

Everyone here, except for Jack who had gone abroad after graduating from high school, was still in college.

But Nick was the most impressive among them.

Before the high school graduation ceremony, he had earned over three million by trading stocks.

In his freshman year, Nick helped Angel Group with a successful acquisition. During his freshman summer, he acquired a struggling media company, revamped it, and sold it for a high price during his sophomore summer.

The amount of money he made from that deal made everyone envious.

Not to mention the company he works for now and the accounting firm he recently opened.

His starting point was the finishing line for others.

Jack knew that Nick liked spicy food, so he ordered quite a few spicy dishes.

After dinner, the group moved to a bar on the third floor.

Once seated, Jack leaned over and whispered to Nick, "Do you have any plans for a big deal?"

Nick casually tapped the ash from his cigarette onto the ashtray.

He asked indifferently, "Which one?"

"Angel Group."

When Jack mentioned the name, he smiled at Nick.

Nick raised his eyebrows, "You know?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't be interested."

After Jack finished, he tried to give Nick a friendly shoulder bump, but Nick shook him off. Next to them, Leo had been wanting to remind Jack, but when Nick gave him a stern look, he decided not to mention it. He chuckled, thinking that Jack was courting disaster.

Angel Group had already changed hands.

It belonged to Nick's uncle.

While the guys were chatting, the girls were playing on their phones, drinking, and occasionally glancing at Nick.

Nick leaned slightly to one side, revealing a bit of his collarbone under his open shirt. Under the dim lighting, even though he appeared indifferent and somewhat cold, he was inexplicably attractive. Nick took a sip of his drink, licked his lips, and listened to Jack's grandiose plans with his head lowered.

Leo quickly clinked glasses with Jack, trying to stop him from continuing.

A girl from the opposite side, seizing the moment when they paused, smiled and said, "Hey, do you remember Zoe?"

The moment that name was mentioned, Nick's hand paused mid-air with his drink.

Leo's smile also stiffened.

The girl smiled and held up her phone, "I invited her. She's still in Haishi. I heard her family went bankrupt. Let's invite her to join us for fun?"

This girl had been in the same class since high school freshman year and naturally knew about Zoe's crush on Nick and her pursuit of him.

Now, she looked at Nick with a teasing glint in her eyes, eager to see his reaction and a hint of smugness.

Everyone else present was from the same school, so this matter was no secret. Even those who weren't in the same class had heard about it.

Jack chuckled with interest, "Zoe? The heiress of Tianhai Group?"

"The one who used to chase Nick so aggressively?"

"Didn't her family go bankrupt later?"

"Yeah, I contacted her a few days ago. She's still in Haishi."

The girl giggled and tapped her phone, showing them the screen, especially for Nick's attention. She even shook the phone to draw his focus.

Nick lazily reclined in the couch, his handsome face hidden in the corner, where the dim lighting obscured his features. His eyes, like a wolf's, remained silent and unmoving.