Ye Zhi anxiously followed to the doorway. Just as she was about to enter, she realized it wouldn't be appropriate and stopped herself.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Ye Zhi turned back and looked at Qi Xuan. "Can I come in to look for Zhao Cai?"
Qi Xuan sighed inwardly. It was too late.
It was obvious Ye Zhi had already seen the satellite model. When he had followed her, he had seen Ye Zhi gazing enviously at the model.
"Go ahead," Qi Xuan said in a deep voice.
Ye Zhi strode inside. Earlier, while standing at the doorway, she had seen the light on in the storage room and, trying to track Zhao Cai's hiding spot, had glanced inside.
At that moment, she had been immediately captivated by the satellite model in the center of the room. Now that she was inside, Ye Zhi didn't want to appear too impolite, so she first scanned the room.
On the shelves in the room were many exquisite handicrafts, all clearly valuable. However, Ye Zhi still felt that the satellite model in the center was the coolest.
No, she was here to find her cat and couldn't stare enviously at Qi Xuan's satellite model.
Soon, Ye Zhi found Zhao Cai hiding in a corner of the room.
"Oh, my little ancestor, thank goodness..." Ye Zhi picked up Zhao Cai, relieved. "Glad you didn't knock over anything on these shelves, otherwise your value would have doubled..."
Qi Xuan was amused. "If it had really knocked anything over, would I still have asked you to pay?"
"I would still have to pay, but other than that, no matter how expensive, I could afford it. If you had broken that satellite model, wouldn't that be heartbreaking!" Ye Zhi said wistfully. "That model must have been hard to get, right?"
Indeed, it hadn't been easy. They had launched a satellite, and only then did Nandu send him this model.
"Do you like it?" Qi Xuan asked gently. "Then I'll give it to you."
"Ah?" Ye Zhi looked at him, surprised. "Is that appropriate?"
"To me, it's just a model," Qi Xuan said calmly. "It's better to give it to someone who likes it, so it can have more value."
"Ah..." Ye Zhi looked at the model in front of her with delight. Should she decline a couple of times? But she couldn't bring herself to say it!
"Such a precious gift..." Ye Zhi said with some hesitation. "I don't even know what to give you in return. How about this..."
Suddenly, Ye Zhi thought of something. She picked up Zhao Cai and reluctantly presented it to Qi Xuan. "This is my most precious pet. I know you like it very much too, so I'll just give it to you!"
Zhao Cai: Meow?
Qi Xuan: ...
He didn't want it, thank you.
He was good to Zhao Cai entirely out of love for Ye Zhi, and more importantly, because as long as Zhao Cai was with him, Ye Zhi would come to his house every day to pick up the cat.
If he gave Zhao Cai to her, what if Ye Zhi stopped coming?
"I don't like raising cats," Qi Xuan refused directly.
"Oh, oh, I understand," Ye Zhi said, realization dawning. "You like Zhao Cai to visit and play with you, but you don't like taking care of its food, drinks, and sanitation, right?"
Qi Xuan: "...You could say that."
Ye Zhi reached out and petted Zhao Cai's head, saying with a smile, "Little Zhao Cai, you can come here every day to play with Qi Xuan, and go home to sleep at night. I approve, you can have your cake and eat it too!"
Qi Xuan: ...
Ye Zhi's use of that idiom left him speechless.
"Let's go," Qi Xuan said faintly. "I'll have someone send the model to you later."
"Okay, okay," Ye Zhi nodded, holding Zhao Cai as she came out of the storage room.
The two returned to the living room, and Qi Xuan instructed the butler to arrange for the model to be delivered.
The butler was anxious. Seeing that Ye Zhi hadn't left yet, he couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Miss Ye, I remember you once said that if anyone sent you a satellite, you would let them pursue you, right?"
Ye Zhi froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I almost forgot about that! Uncle Butler, please don't tease me. I only used that condition back then to reject a guy who was overly confident in himself! You shouldn't take those words seriously!"
The butler: ...
Their young master's satellite was already in orbit, and Ye Zhi was only saying now that it shouldn't be taken seriously?
He finally understood why Qi Xuan had been hesitant.
The biggest obstacle to pursuing Ye Zhi wasn't the threshold of a satellite, but whether she herself was interested in dating.
"So, if someone really sent you a satellite," the butler asked reluctantly, "would you agree to be with him?"
"Of course not!" Ye Zhi said without hesitation. "Even if someone really sent me a satellite, I would still have to see what kind of person he is, whether our values align, and if we can get along! Relationships are for a lifetime, you can't treat them as a game!"
The butler: ...
That actually made a lot of sense!
He wanted to ask more, but he could only silently swallow the rest of his words.
Later, a servant delivered the satellite model to Ye Zhi's home.
Ye Zhi held Zhao Cai and looked at the model in front of her with delight. Not long after, Ye Zhi saw the word "Nandu" printed on the base of the model, and her heart immediately felt a pang of sourness.
Why did Nandu send Qi Xuan a satellite model and not her? She had come first, and it was she who had cooperated with Nandu. This should have been double the joy, so why did it suddenly turn sour?
Never mind, Qi Xuan had given her the satellite model anyway.
Suddenly, a thought couldn't help but dart into Ye Zhi's mind. What if Qi Xuan had given her a real satellite instead of a model...
Ye Zhi's heart felt a bit lost. If Qi Xuan wanted to pursue her... it seemed not impossible?
All the little moments she had spent with Qi Xuan floated to the surface of her mind with this thought, and Ye Zhi's lips curved into a faint smile. If the romantic partner were Qi Xuan, it seemed not bad... Wait, what was she thinking!
Ye Zhi suddenly jolted awake and slapped her cheeks hard.
She couldn't help but scold herself inwardly a few times. Was it because she had been emotionally barren for too long, or was her period approaching, causing her hormones to go haywire, making her start fantasizing about her good friend?
No, no, absolutely not. Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow! Moreover, Qi Xuan was even more indifferent than her when it came to relationships. After knowing him for so long, even his cats were male!
If Qi Xuan found out that she had had such impure thoughts about him, they might not even be able to remain friends!
Besides, Qi Xuan had invested so much money. If she had such thoughts, it would be like tricking him into launching a satellite!
Forget it, she definitely couldn't have this thought!
Ye Zhi took a few deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the thought.
*
At this moment, the Ou residence was in chaos.
Ou Minghan was going mad. He had already tried many avenues today to salvage Flying Dragon Live, but there had been no progress.