QTIMP -Chapter 143 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 14)

“I’ve learned a bit about tea brewing, though I’m not very skilled at it. If Grandpa Zhou doesn’t mind, how about I make a fresh pot for you?”

The old man smiled. “Alright, today I’ll have a taste of your tea and your skills, little girl.”

The housekeeper who usually took care of the old man heard the conversation and quickly brought over a kettle of hot water, along with several plates of washed and cut fruit.

Si Qiu’s tea-making skills could hardly be described as merely “passable.” Her movements were practiced and graceful, prompting the old man to nod repeatedly in approval.

He gestured to the housekeeper beside him. “Go call Chenyu over. Let him have a taste of this girl’s fine tea as well.”

After saying that, he turned back to look at Si Qiu’s flushed face and the slight tremble in her hands as she poured the tea. A meaningful smile appeared on his face.

Zhou Chenyu was called out by the housekeeper. He wasn’t particularly pleased at first, since she had only said that guests had arrived and that his grandfather wanted him to come greet them.

He felt it was a waste of time. After all, his second brother assigned him tasks every day and would test him at night. If he didn’t perform well, his brother wouldn’t scold him—but that look of seeing him as if he were an idiot was more than enough to make him uncomfortable.

Aside from eating and sleeping, his free time was spent chatting with Si Qiu to maintain their relationship. His study time was already extremely tight—after all, the tasks assigned by his eldest cousin were never simple.

At the corridor entrance, he took a deep breath, put on a smile, and stepped out. The fake smile froze on his face for a moment before turning into a genuine one.

He almost ran over, but remembering his second brother’s recent “lessons,” he forced himself to walk forward with slightly hurried steps. He first greeted his grandfather.

“Grandpa.”

Then he turned to look at Si Qiu, who had already stood up, and said gently, “Qiuqiu, you’re here.”

Blushing, Si Qiu twisted her hands together. “Didn’t you say studying alone was boring? I brought my laptop. I thought we could study together and keep each other company.”

After speaking, she secretly glanced at Old Master Zhou. The old man raised his teacup to hide the corner of his mouth as he smiled. “Oh? So you didn’t come to bring this old man a gift—you came to keep someone else company while studying.”

Si Qiu hurriedly waved her hands. “N-no, Grandpa Zhou, I didn’t—” Her ears were already red as if they might bleed.

Seeing this, the old man decided not to tease her further and waved his hand. “Go on, go on. You young people don’t care for tea anyway. No need to keep this old man company. I’ve decided to enjoy this pot of tea all by myself.”

Zhou Chenyu took her hand and said quickly, “Then Grandpa, we’ll head to the study.”

With that, the two of them turned and left in quick steps.

Watching their retreating figures, the old man shook his head with a smile and began to savor the tea. “Well now… this girl really put her heart into it. The tea is quite good.”

When the two arrived at the study, Si Qiu was somewhat stunned. The room was truly enormous.

Two of the walls were lined from floor to ceiling with bookshelves, packed to the brim.

Another wall held cabinets resembling file storage units, with a large safe placed beside them, all securely locked.

Against the remaining wall stood an oversized desk, on which sat a desktop computer and a laptop, along with open books and a fountain pen.

Si Qiu was still taking it all in when Zhou Chenyu pulled her into his arms and let out a deep sigh. “Qiuqiu, you finally came to see me. I thought you wouldn’t come for quite a while.”

She tentatively hugged him back. “I missed you. We can only text every day, and we rarely even get to talk on the phone. If I didn’t come see you, I was afraid you’d forget about me.”

Hearing her words, Zhou Chenyu smiled helplessly. They exchanged over a hundred messages a day—how could he possibly forget her? Still, he truly had missed his girlfriend.

“Your study is really something!” Si Qiu couldn’t help but admire.

Zhou Chenyu pulled her over to sit across from the desk. “This isn’t my study—it’s my second brother’s. He said my own study has too many distractions, so he made me come here to study.”

Si Qiu really wanted to sympathize with him, but after a moment’s thought, she decided she should sympathize with herself instead. She had practically stumbled into a powerful family’s domain.

Zhou Chenyu had a heavy workload, so the two of them didn’t spend much time being affectionate. Soon, they each occupied one side of the desk and began studying.

Not long after, the housekeeper knocked on the door. “The old master asked me to bring you some fruit, pastries, and snacks. He said studying is important, but you shouldn’t overwork yourselves.”

The housekeeper looked to be in her forties. Her smile was warm and kind, but when she pushed the door open, her subtle glance around didn’t escape Si Qiu’s notice.

Smiling, Si Qiu stood up, took the tray, set it aside, and watched as the housekeeper left.

After stepping out, the housekeeper went to the living room and said to Old Master Zhou with a smile, “Both children are very well-behaved. Each of them is quietly studying at one corner of the desk. Seeing them like that, I almost felt like I was disturbing them.”

The old master put down the tea snacks Si Qiu had brought earlier and nodded. “They’re both good kids. Put these two tins of tea away for me. It’s the child’s thoughtful gift—I’ll take my time to savor it later.”

The housekeeper briskly picked up the two tea tins and withdrew.

At noon, Si Qiu and Zhou Chenyu had lunch with the old master. Around three in the afternoon, she took her leave, politely declining his invitation to stay for dinner.

As soon as she stepped out of the Zhou residence, Si Qiu let out a long breath. She felt as if an invisible pressure had been weighing on her, keeping every nerve in her body taut.

She had originally planned to spend a few days with Zhou Chenyu, but now that idea had completely fallen apart.

That evening, at the Zhou family’s dinner, Zhou’s eldest uncle and his wife also returned. The man was refined, and the woman carried an air of nobility—no wonder they had raised someone like Zhou Chengyu.

Genetics, after all, did seem to make some sense.

After washing their hands, the couple took their seats at the table. Zhou Chenyu also came out of the study, a gentle smile on his face.

“Uncle, Aunt, you’re back?”

“Chenyu, have you been studying all day again? You should go out and relax once in a while—balance work and rest.”

As soon as Zhou’s father finished speaking, the sound of a chair being pulled back echoed—Zhou Chengyu had arrived. He quickly covered his mouth with his fist and coughed lightly. “Of course, that depends on the individual. You’re full of energy, kid—studying more isn’t a bad thing.”

As he spoke, he sneakily glanced at his son, who sat there with an elegant, composed posture. Zhou’s father pouted slightly at his wife.

Madam Feng shot him a glare, took the ladle from the housekeeper, and began serving soup. “A-Yu, Xiao Yu is still young. Don’t push him too hard.”

“Mother, Xiao Yu is the only son in Third Uncle’s family. In the future, he’ll have to support the household. The hardships he endures now are paving the way for later. Third Uncle and Third Aunt both agree with this.”

Madam Feng rolled her eyes inelegantly. “Nonsense. Your third uncle and aunt might say it smells sweet, but everyone has different limits. Don’t push him too far.”

Zhou Chengyu nodded and said nothing more.

At that moment, Old Master Zhou spoke up. “You don’t need to worry so much. Look at his condition—doesn’t he seem much better today than the past few days?”