Chapter 39 Mutual Sustenance

ex emotions in words. He felt a heavy weight in his heart, as if it had sunk into an unfathomably deep abyss, making him feel suffocated and unable to escape.The events of the previous night caught hi...Chapter 39: Mutual Support in Adversity

In a situation where the other party had no idea who she was, Yan Luoxi still focused on this unreliable contract for整整一週.

At that time, she wasn't very familiar with business negotiation techniques and didn’t know how to get close to or build relationships with clients. Although she had worked at Any International for over a month, thanks to Li An’s influence, she was still as inexperienced as a new graduate, unable to speak confidently on the phone like others did when discussing business matters.

Each time, she could only stiffly present her case, leading to many instances where the other party wouldn’t listen for more than half a minute. They would either say they were in a meeting or that it was inconvenient to talk because they were out of town.

In the beginning, Luoxi felt embarrassed, but after getting used to being rejected, she became more composed.

She had been disheartened before, yet seeing Zhou Guangtao’s worried expression made her unwilling to give up.

He was so outstanding and handsome, yet he carried so much sorrow and trouble. She would do anything for him, willing to smooth out the frown lines on his forehead and create warm happiness for him.

The essence of Luoxi’s character was that she was stubborn, especially when it came to doing something for her beloved boyfriend; she wouldn’t easily change her mind.

When calling and not getting through, she would go directly to their company to talk. She slightly modified Zhou Guangtao's business plan, lowering the risk assessment in early reports, which also kept costs at a minimum. The other party, seeing her sincerity, re-examined this proposal.

This contract ultimately fell into place for Yan Luoxi, even though the profit was not as substantial as initially budgeted, but the price was still reasonable. Although she felt a bit disappointed, this was her first order for the company, and she was incredibly excited about it.

As she stepped out of that company, Yan Luoxi picked up her phone, intending to give Zhou Guangtao some good news when his call came through instead. She restrained her excitement and listened as Zhou Guangtao spoke enthusiastically: "Luoxi, I have some great news! Today, I finally secured a huge order!"

"Ah!!! That's wonderful!" Yan Luoxi was almost jumping with joy at the sound of his voice; she could feel her heart trembling from happiness, excitement, astonishment, and exhilaration.

What would make Zhou Guangtao so thrilled must certainly be a significant order. Their luck had finally turned for the better, and their hard times were over.

"Luoxi, where are you I'll come to pick you up; let's go out to celebrate," said Zhou Guangtao in an almost uncontrollably cheerful voice.

Yan Luoxi looked around quickly and gave him her location, then happily stood by the roadside waiting for Zhou Guangtao.

When Zhou Guangtao arrived in his car, it stopped at a red light. From where he was sitting, he could see Yan Luoxi not far away standing on the side of the road looking around casually. She wore a white dress today and a wide black belt around her waist that emphasized how slender she had become—her waist barely more than an inch thick.

When she used to be in school, Yan Luoxi had had a bit of baby fat. After going through what Li An put her through, she became much thinner with prominent cheekbones. Now looking at her, she seemed even slimmer than before.

I always said I would fatten her up, but during this period while I was busy with company matters, I completely forgot about Yan Luoxi. Unbeknownst to me, she had lost so much weight again.

Zhou Guangtao closed his eyes, a wave of心疼 spreading from his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. The immense joy of success seemed diminished; he drove the car beside Yan Luoxi and rolled down the window, calling out to her in a soft voice, "Luoxi!"

"Brother Guangtao!" Yan Luoxi opened the door and stepped inside swiftly, flashing before Zhou Guangtao with a joyful smile. "Congratulations! You finally took this historic step!"

She tilted her head slightly, squinting at Zhou Guangtao with eyes full of admiration.

Zhou Guangtao's deep gaze stared straight into Yan Luoxi’s face, brimming with an unfathomable depth of affection that could drown a person. "Luoxi, I’ve caused you so much trouble during this period!"

"I don’t think it was troublesome at all!" Yan Luoxi waved her hand dismissively. "Success rarely comes without its trials and tribulations; only after enduring some hardships will our memories be rich and fulfilling when we look back in old age!"

Hearing Yan Luoxi mention their later years, Zhou Guangtao’s guilty expression softened somewhat, as if he too began to憧憬a life of shared companionship. There are only two kinds of romance that can truly be called romantic: one is growing old together; the other is forgetting each other in the vastness of the world.

Without a doubt, their romance was the former—growing old together—a wonderfully happy and beautiful aspiration to look forward to. Zhou Guangtao felt his heart lift with happiness.

Seeing Zhou Guangtao staring at her dumbly, Yan Luoxi giggled and pulled out the recently signed contract from her bag, holding it up in front of Zhou Guangtao’s eyes as if presenting a treasure, swinging it slightly. "Brother Guangtao, take a look! I also closed a small deal today!"

"Really" Zhou Guangtao was surprised and half-believing when he took the file folder from Yan Luoxi's hand, opened it to extract the document, and read through it carefully. He felt warmth in his heart and tears welling up in his eyes.

He couldn't help but raise his head to look carefully at Yan Luoxi's face. Her fair cheeks, after being exposed to wind and sun during her travels, were slightly flushed, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes. He felt a pang in his heart and didn't have the courage to look at her slender face again.

Zhou Guangtao leaned forward, reaching out to embrace Yan Luoxi into his arms. Seeing cars passing by outside the window, she tried to struggle free, but heard the man beside her say softly, "Be good and don't move; let me hold you for a while."

The two of them sat embraced in the car, each feeling myriad emotions.

Zhou Guangtao had a faint minty scent, yet he exuded an air of weariness. Yan Luoxi knew that seeing her so hardworking and exhausted must have pained him greatly. After thinking for a moment, she murmured, "Brother Guangtao, does this mean we're living up to the saying 'the husband leads and the wife follows'"

Zhou Guangtao gently stroked her long hair on his shoulder and chuckled softly, "I suppose so."

The girl in his arms was so good. She was kind and brave, and her fragrance could make anyone lose their way. Such a beautiful woman truly deserved to be cherished.

In the next moment, Zhou Guangtao's warm lips descended upon hers, his eyes glowing with passionate intent. The sudden kiss came like a storm, catching Yan Luoxi off guard; she closed her eyes obediently and instinctively held him tighter.

Zhou Guangtao suddenly felt joy and impulse to let everyone in the world know that he owned Yan Luoxi and was very happy now.

They stayed embraced in the car for a long time until Zhou Guangtao heard her stomach rumbling. He then released her, smiling as he pinched her small face gently, "Luoxi, I'll take you to eat something nice. I will definitely make sure you gain some weight so that I don't worry about you being blown away by the wind!" her head to look at him, her gaze empty.In this moment, Li An's breath seemed to have stopped out of fear, dreading what Yan Luoxi might say next: "Let's break up.""Li An, let's separate." Finally, Y...