Chapter 19
The sun had long risen in the sky, shining its rays upon the world. But Zhou Chao and Guo Yan, still lost in their dreams, showed no intention of getting up. They continued to wander in their dreams.
“Bzzz.” Zhou Chao was abruptly awakened from his slumber by the sound of his phone. He reached out groggily and answered the call. “Hello, who’s this?”
“Chao, you’re still sleeping? It’s almost noon. Did you do something naughty last night?” came Li Yang’s teasing voice from the other end of the line.
“Big Bro, don’t make things up. I accompanied my sister to Disneyland all day yesterday. I’ve never been so tired. Is there something you need?”
“When did your sister arrive in Modu? You didn’t even tell me, so I, as her brother, could show my hospitality,” Li Yang said, feigning offense.
“She just arrived in Modu a couple of days ago. How about you come to our place for a meal one of these days, and I’ll introduce her to you?” Zhou Chao suggested.
“I’ll come when I have time. By the way, do you remember what I told you before?” Li Yang asked.
“You mean the gathering of the second-generation rich in Modu? I remember. What’s the matter?” Zhou Chao inquired.
“We’ve set the date for the gathering in two weeks. We’ll meet at the Modu Metropolitan Yacht Club. You can bring your sister along to join the party,” Li Yang informed.
“Alright, I’ll remember that,” Zhou Chao replied. He lay in bed for a while longer before finally getting up and going downstairs. He glanced at the food in the fridge, prepared a simple meal of two dishes and a soup, and ate a little.
“Ding ding dang dang.” The cheerful symphony of the kitchen filled the air. Just as Zhou Chao finished cooking, Guo Yan came downstairs. Zhou Chao looked at her sleepy eyes and said with a smile, “Little lazy cat, did your stomach wake you up?”
“Hmph, stinky brother.” Despite her words, Guo Yan sat down at the dining table without hesitation.
“Brother, hurry up. I’m starving,” she urged.
“Coming, coming. Don’t you know how to serve yourself?” Zhou Chao walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of rice in one hand.
“I have a good brother to serve me.”
“Oh, now you’re calling yourself a good brother. But who was calling me a stinky brother just now?”
“Brother, you must have misheard. It wasn’t me, I didn’t say that,” Guo Yan denied with three consecutive statements, leaving Zhou Chao completely speechless. (＊￣（エ）￣)
“This afternoon, I’ll take you shopping at IFC Guojin Center,” Zhou Chao casually mentioned while eating.
“Brother, I have enough clothes myself, and the ones you buy are so expensive. How do you expect me to wear them to school? What if I ruin them?” Guo Yan protested.
“If they get ruined, we’ll buy new ones. It’s not a big deal. As long as you like them, we can buy anything,” Zhou Chao reassured her.
Guo Yan fell silent and started eating her food at a much faster pace than before.
“Take your time, no rush. We have plenty of time this afternoon,” Zhou Chao said hastily, seeing his sister devouring her meal. Guo Yan slowed down and sheepishly buried her face in the bowl.
At 2 p.m., the two of them set out from home. Since IFC Guojin Center was just across the street from The Palms Residence, they decided to walk instead of driving.
They chatted aimlessly along the way. As they reached the plaza of IFC Guojin Center, they were suddenly stopped by a beautiful woman, accompanied by a cameraman.
“Hello, young man. Would you and this young lady like to participate in a quiz? If you both answer correctly, we’ll give you a delicate gift,” the woman said with a smile.
Zhou Chao furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing her words. He had seen countless street interviews on short videos, and some of them were tricky. While a few asked about general knowledge or historical figures, others posed difficult questions just to embarrass the participants.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not convenient for us. Thank you for the invitation,” Zhou Chao declined with a wave of his hand.
“Sir, this is a legitimate knowledge quiz. The questions won’t be too tricky. Please trust us,” the host quickly explained, eyeing the handsome and charismatic young man in front of her. He could definitely attract a lot of attention.
Zhou Chao listened to the host’s explanation, and his tightly knitted brow relaxed a bit. He glanced at Guo Yan and said to the host, “This is my sister, not my girlfriend. Please don’t make any assumptions.”
“Xiao Yan, do you want them to blur your face?” Zhou Chao asked.
“It’s fine,” Guo Yan pondered for a moment.
“Thank you. We are recording the video right now, and we will edit and upload it on Douyin later. I hope you don’t mind.”
Zhou Chao wasn’t too keen on appearing on a public platform like that, but seeing Guo Yan’s hopeful expression, he nodded in agreement.
With Zhou Chao’s consent, the host was delighted. She took out the question cards and began the quiz.
“The highest peak in the world is Mount Everest. Can you tell me the name of the second-highest peak?”
Zhou Chao was dumbfounded. He hadn’t been paying attention.
“Mount K2,” Guo Yan blurted out immediately.
“Do you know the exact height of Mount K2?”
“8,611 meters.”
“Impressive! Now, can you name the Four Books and Five Classics?”
“The Four Books are The Analects of Confucius, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and Mencius. The Five Classics are the Book of Changes, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Songs, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.”
“Now, can you tell me the era when gunpowder was first used in military applications?”
“The late Tang Dynasty.”
As the host and Guo Yan engaged in the quiz, Zhou Chao stood by, unable to interject. He could only silently stand there, serving as a backdrop.
The host asked twelve questions in a row, and Guo Yan effortlessly answered all of them. The host and Zhou Chao applauded enthusiastically. The host took a gift from one of the staff members and presented it to Guo Yan. She received it with great joy, while Zhou Chao remained a background prop throughout the process.
“You guys should follow us on Douyin. I’m sure you’ll become popular.”
“Okay,” Zhou Chao replied, and he led Guo Yan into the IFC Guojin Center. They headed straight to Armani on the third floor. The store manager from their last visit had left a good impression on Zhou Chao, so he went there again.
As soon as Zhou Chao entered the store, he saw the store manager assisting customers and guiding the sales staff. The store manager noticed Zhou Chao’s arrival and quickly approached him. “Mr. Zhou, welcome back. Please come inside.” Zhou Chao smiled and gestured to Guo Yan, “This is my sister. Help her pick out a few outfits suitable for her age.”
“Of course, no problem. Your sister is like a living mannequin. Mr. Zhou, please rest in the lounge for a while.”
Guo Yan followed the store manager to try on clothes, while Zhou Chao could only sit there and play with his phone, scrolling through short videos.
Time silently passed by as Zhou Chao waited.