Edited by Elv
Coincidental Opportunities
The style of the article seemed familiar...
Suddenly, Zhou Kao looked up, realisation dawned on him!
It was unmistakably……. the style of Wen Le.
In an instant, numerous memories flooded Zhou Kao's heart.
Tea leaves, the mountainous areas, the southwestern region, the busy Wen Le who was said to be engrossed in her career and seldom seen... When these pieces were connected, everything seemed to have an answer.
Was this article actually written by Wen Le?
A week later, Wen Le finally returned. Zhou Kao drove to the airport to pick her up.
At first, Wen Le didn't recognize Zhou Kao's car until he walked over to help her into the vehicle, then she realised that Zhou Kao had changed his license plate at some point.
Zhou Kao touched Wen Le's hair, then looked at her cheeks, "You're tanner now."
Wen Le took out her phone and looked at her reflection, complaining, "Is it that obvious? I don't think it's very noticeable. They still say I'm quite fair."
Zhou Kao opened the passenger door for Wen Le, letting her get in before moving to the driver's seat. As he closed the door, he said, "It's different. Outsiders won't observe you as closely as I do."
Wen Le sulkily responded, "I don’t think I'm that tanned."
She actually did care about this, as no girl doesn't care about her looks.
Zhou Kao turned to gaze intently at Wen Le.
Feeling the intense heat of Zhou Kao's gaze, Wen Le put down her phone, lifting her head to meet his eyes, filled with deep affection.
Startled, Wen Le's hand paused mid-air, her heart feeling as if it had been touched by a flame, warm, as if a spark had ignited her blood, stirring her emotions.
Zhou Kao leaned in to capture Wen Le's chin and kissed her.
Wen Le let out a soft gasp, reaching up to wrap her arms around Zhou Kao's shoulders, responding passionately, their longing communicated between their lips and teeth.
They couldn't linger long at the airport and soon ended their kiss.
Zhou Kao started the car.
Neither dared to look at the other too much, fearing they would get entangled again.
As the car left the airport, they finally calmed down.
Still concerned about her earlier question, Wen Le asked, "Am I really that tanned?"
Hearing this, Zhou Kao laughed, "It seems you really have no awareness of your own skin tone. How much tanner could you possibly get with your complexion?"
Indeed, although Wen Le's skin seemed a bit tanner, it was only in comparison to her previous self; in reality, her naturally fair complexion still glowed brightly.
"Why did you change your license plate? I almost didn't recognize it at first," Wen Le asked.
Zhou Kao replied, "My dad thought the one I had wasn't suitable, so he changed it."
"Your family really keeps a low profile," she remarked.
Zhou Kao responded, "Your family does too."
Suddenly, Zhou Kao turned to her and said, "Let's go to my place."
Wen Le was puzzled, "Why go to your place?"
"For a date," Zhou Kao said.
"A date at your house?" Wen Le laughed.
Zhou Kao declared, "You come to my place, and I'll cook for you personally."
Wen Le raised an eyebrow, "You can cook?"
Zhou Kao smiled, "Today, you'll see your boyfriend can do anything."
"Come on."
Wen Le refused, "I don't want to, it's too scary. Every time I go to your house, we bump into your mom."
Zhou Kao laughed heartily for a while. As the car stopped at a red light, he turned to Wen Le and whispered, "I've changed the password to the front gate."
Wen Le blinked, laughed for a bit, then suddenly asked, "Your mom doesn't have a key or something, does she?"
It seemed Wen Le was genuinely worried.
Zhou Kao pinched Wen Le's cheek with a smile, "No, don't worry."
Wen Le was still not reassured, but Zhou Kao knew she was tempted by his suggestion.
"What about your dad? Or brothers and sisters?" Wen Le asked.
Zhou Kao said helplessly, "Looks like I have to take you to my place today, otherwise you'll never overcome this fear."
Wen Le remained skeptical.
Zhou Kao assured her, "Really, there's no one."
Finally, Wen Le nodded, still half in doubt.
The car journeyed all the way to Zhou Kao's residential area.
Zhou Kao led Wen Le inside, then changed the passcode of the lock in front of her, showing her the new combination.
Wen Le couldn't help but laugh as she felt like they were up to mischief.
After changing the passcode, Zhou Kao hugged Wen Le from behind and gently nudged her forward.
It was already 11 o'clock, as Wen Le's flight had landed at 10.
Zhou Kao went to the kitchen and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Leaning against the counter, Wen Le smiled and said, "I'll eat whatever you make."
Zhou Kao approached her with a smile and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Since when did my girlfriend become so sweet?"
Wen Le pushed Zhou Kao away playfully. "Go cook, I'm hungry."
"Alright," Zhou Kao replied.
Feeling a bit dirty from the trip, Wen Le said, "I'll take a shower. Is there a bathroom in the guest room?"
Exiting the kitchen, Zhou Kao replied, "Go to the master bedroom; there's nothing in the guest room."
Wen Le nodded, not feeling shy at all. "Okay."
Zhou Kao escorted Wen Le to the master bedroom, provided her with a towel, and then went back to the kitchen.
In Wen Le's luggage, there were mostly clothes, some clean, some worn. She couldn't remember which were washed and which weren't.
There was only one clean outfit left, a white bohemian sundress she brought for photoshoots, but she realised it wasn't suitable after she arrived for the photoshoot.
So, she grabbed that dress and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
After showering, Wen Le emerged from the bathroom wearing the sundress with her hair still wet, and she went to the kitchen to see what Zhou Kao was cooking.
Upon seeing Wen Le, Zhou Kao coughed awkwardly. "You were out like this?"
Wen Le smirked at Zhou Kao. "Are you jealous?"
"What do you think?" Zhou Kao replied.
Wen Le chuckled, "I've never worn this. You've seen the photos; I always wear a white T-shirt and black pants."
Zhou Kao sighed in relief, "Girls need to stay safe outside."
Wen Le teased, "Looks like you're the one feeling insecure."
Zhou Kao nodded helplessly, "Yeah, I'll rely on my girlfriend for a sense of security then."
The mention of this incident made Zhou Kao feel uncomfortable. When the video of Wen Le wearing short shorts and fighting with him was posted on the forum, netizens were enamored with her long legs, and screenshots of Wen Le were circulated. It bothered Zhou Kao a lot.
Wen Le approached Zhou Kao, kissed him on the cheek, and hugged his waist from behind. "What are you cooking?"
She smoothly changed the subject.
Zhou Kao said, "Just some home-cooked meals. It's not ready yet; you can sit for a while."
Zhou Kao kept the dishes simple, mainly because it was getting late. He made a braised dish, boiled some noodles, cooked sweet and sour spare ribs, and stir-fried some light vegetables.
Although the dishes weren't overly complicated, they all smelled, looked, and tasted great.
Wen Le looked at Zhou Kao with starry eyes, practically saying, "My boyfriend is so handsome," with her twinkling gaze.
Zhou Kao felt a bit smug under Wen Le's admiring gaze. "Try it and see how it tastes."
Wen Le cautiously picked up a chopstick, tasted the food, and her eyes lit up immediately.
It unexpectedly tasted delicious.
Wen Le didn't hesitate to shower Zhou Kao with praise, "Oh my god, Zhou Kao, you're amazing! My boyfriend is truly talented."
"When did you learn to cook? You're so good at it. What kind of amazing boyfriend..."
Wen Le showered Zhou Kao with compliments, making him a bit embarrassed.
Zhou Kao coughed lightly. "I learned during the summer vacation of my senior year."
Honestly, Wen Le was genuinely surprised. She had tried cooking before and confirmed she had no talent in this area.
Zhou Kao said, "I asked Auntie to marinate the spare ribs before picking you up. Otherwise, how could you eat this dish in such a short time?"
Wen Le looked at Zhou Kao with a smile. "So, you planned this in advance. Did you plan to bring me here?"
Zhou Kao admitted directly, "You said you wanted to come and have a date with me. Are you thinking of backing out now?"
"But I didn't say it was today."
"But you didn't say it wasn't today either."
Bantering back and forth, after finishing the meal, Wen Le volunteered to do the dishes.
However, Zhou Kao pushed her towards the bedroom. "I know you're tired from your trip. Go take a nap."
Wen Le clicked her tongue a couple of times, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Look at this perfect boyfriend. You're such a gentleman."
Zhou Kao pinched Wen Le's nose. "Stop flattering me. There’s something you have to explain yourself about later. Go wait for me in bed."
Wen Le went to Zhou Kao's bedroom. They had been together for so long that it wasn't the first time Wen Le had been in Zhou Kao's bed. Back then, not long after they got together, Wen Le came to take care of Zhou Kao when he was sick, and when they were lying in bed together, Zhou Kao's mother came back home. At that time, Wen Le was so scared that she hid in the closet.
Thinking about that incident, Wen Le's face still felt a bit warm.
Wen Le got into Zhou Kao's bed, sinking into the soft blankets. The fabric of the bohemian sundress was as soft as silk, and after a few days of traveling, Wen Le felt drowsy as she smelled the scent of Zhou Kao's body and a hint of his cologne.
Wen Le, however, couldn't sleep as she thought about what Zhou Kao wanted her to explain. She lay stiffly on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. After a while, she took out her phone and started playing with it.
Zhou Kao finished tidying up and entered the master bedroom, where he found Wen Le lying on his bed, engrossed in her phone.
Raising an eyebrow, Zhou Kao approached and leaned over the bed, trapping Wen Le between him and the mattress with the blanket. Wen Le put down her phone and pushed his face away, asking, "What are you doing?"
Zhou Kao whispered in Wen Le's ear, "Since you don't want to sleep, let's do something else."
Wen Le withdrew her hand from under the blanket, slowly and gracefully reaching for Zhou Kao's neck. Her snow-white arm moved elegantly like a swan, and her slender fingers gently brushed Zhou Kao's cheek, exuding charm and allure.
Originally, Zhou Kao was just joking, but Wen Le's teasing gaze darkened his mood, and he leaned in to kiss her.
However, Wen Le chuckled and dodged his kiss, then pushed Zhou Kao onto the bed, rolling on top of him. With her arms supporting her on Zhou Kao's chest, she looked down at him and asked, "What do you want?"
Zhou Kao's voice husky, he replied, "What do you think I want?"
Wen Le's fingers traced slowly from Zhou Kao's cheek to his throat, her smile charming yet cold, "I'm not here for that. I'm tired."
Zhou Kao glanced at her irritably, but his gaze inadvertently caught sight of the snowy expanse peeking out from Wen Le's low-cut sundress due to her prone position.
Feeling a rush of heat, Zhou Kao cleared his throat and said hoarsely, "If you don't want to do anything, then don't tease."
Wen Le looked down and saw her half-bared chest, her face flushing red as she quickly climbed off Zhou Kao. However, in her haste, she accidentally tugged on her dress, causing her to lose her balance and fall back onto Zhou Kao.
Zhou Kao grunted as he felt the softness pressing against him, driving him almost insane.
Realising the situation, Wen Le blushed even deeper as she noticed the bulge against her waist, suddenly feeling timid.
Zhou Kao helped Wen Le sit up, pinching her waist as he spoke in a husky voice, "Seems like you've lost your nerve now. I bet you won't dare tease me recklessly again."
Wen Le didn't say anything, but in her heart, she thought, "I still dare."
Getting up from the bed, Zhou Kao said to Wen Le, "You should go to sleep. I'm going to take a shower."
With that, he headed to the bathroom.
Before, Wen Le had been feeling drowsy, but now she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to find rest.
After a while, Zhou Kao emerged from the bathroom with damp hair, wearing a black bathrobe that accentuated his sexiness.
Wen Le couldn't help but admire Zhou Kao's neck and the exposed chest beneath the bathrobe, feeling both envious and self-deprecating as she stole glances.
Seeing Wen Le still awake, Zhou Kao sat down beside her on the bed, his voice low and gentle, "Can't sleep?"
Wen Le's ears tingled as she shrunk her neck and shook her head, "No, I can't sleep."
"I’m thinking about what you asked me to confess to you earlier."
Zhou Kao saw Wen Le wasn't sleepy, so he picked up his phone from the side and opened the PenPoint app to find that popular article. He handed it to Wen Le and asked, "Did you write this?"
Wen Le glanced at the article and asked him in surprise, "Why would you think I wrote it?"
Zhou Kao replied, "Just a feeling."
"So, was it you?"
Wen Le smiled, "You guessed right."
"It was actually unexpected. I thought I needed to write another article to gain some attention, but I didn't expect this one to take off first."
Although Zhou Kao had already guessed it, he was still somewhat surprised to hear her admit it.
Seeing his surprised expression, Wen Le couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Kao shook his head, "I just didn't expect your writing skills to be this good now."
Wen Le looked somewhat proud as she said, "Of course, I've never stopped writing all these years."
After feeling proud for a moment, Wen Le admitted, "Actually, I had my grandfather help me with this article. I followed his advice for revisions and only published it after he approved it. I couldn't have written it to this level by myself."
Zhou Kao couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, thinking about how people were speculating about which famous author wrote this prose, only to be shocked when they found out it was a recommendation from an influencer.
And those people couldn't even dream that while it wasn't written by a famous author, it was indeed reviewed by one.
Zhou Kao asked her, "How did you come up with this idea? So, you've been busy with this the entire winter break?"
At this, Wen Le became interested.
She turned to face Zhou Kao, her eyes sparkling, "Actually, it's a coincidence."
"Do you remember when you had acne during the final exams, and I gave you some detoxifying beauty tea?"
Zhou Kao nodded, "I remember."
"That tea is an old family recipe passed down in our family. It's said to have been prescribed by an old doctor during the Qing Dynasty, and it works wonders. After I gave you that tea, I impulsively shared the recipe on my account."
Wen Le's account had already gained quite a few fans due to the popularity of the Le Yin Orchid series production line. After Wen Le shared the tea recipe, the response was quite good.
There were often comments below asking where to buy this tea. Wen Le saw these comments, but since the tea was made at home and she had no place to buy it, she didn't reply.
But the next day after Wen Le posted the recipe for the beauty tea, Wen Le heard from Uncle Yu that although the tea harvest in the village this year was good, it couldn't be sold due to problems with the middleman, resulting in a surplus of tea leaves. This year might be difficult for them.
Wen Le knew about that kind of tea.
Due to the unique growing environment, the quality of tea leaves was quite good, but they were heavily discounted by middlemen due to the lack of reputation, resulting in limited profits. Therefore, even if the neighboring village grew tea, it didn't significantly improve their living standards. Though not a poverty-stricken village, the income was still not high.
When Wen Le heard this, she had a sudden inspiration. She remembered people online asking where to buy the beauty tea she shared. So, she asked Uncle Yu to find the son of the neighboring village chief. This young man was one of the few villagers who had attended college and returned to work in the village. He was familiar with online matters.
Wen Le told him if the tea didn't sell well, they could try a different approach. The popular recipe she shared online could be a ready-made solution. Wen Le's beauty tea recipe mainly consisted of tea leaves with added Chinese herbs for beauty and detoxification, which were inexpensive locally. By mixing them in proportion, the price could be increased several times.
Although the young man was skeptical, he decided to give Wen Le's idea a try. He opened an online shop on a popular e-commerce platform and followed Wen Le's advice to set the search keywords as "PenPoint Influencer Beauty Tea". Indeed, many people searched for and purchased the tea using these keywords, and sales were quite good.
Seeing the good sales volume, Wen Le felt that this method was feasible. She used her main account to find a doctor with a large number of followers and paid him to help promote the tea.
This doctor had a good reputation, but his reviews were also very strict. However, Wen Le was confident her beauty tea recipe would pass his review. After all, if this recipe had been passed down in her family for so long, it must have been reviewed by many competent doctors. How could it not pass the review of this internet-famous doctor?
Sure enough, after the doctor received the recipe, he actively approached Wen Le and offered to help promote it. After the doctor promoted the recipe, it became extremely popular. The number of people buying the beauty tea skyrocketed. The small shop opened by the village chief's son, which had set the keyword "PenPoint Influencer Beauty Tea" early on, had already appeared in the top ranks of sales on the e-commerce platform.
As a result, the number of orders surged. Within a week, the original stockpile was almost emptied.
The economic problems of the neighbouring village this year were thus solved by Wen Le's beauty tea recipe.
Wen Le still remembered the way the villagers looked at her and their warm attitude when she appeared in the neighboring village, which deeply touched her. She also remembered the tearful yet joyful expression of a dark-skinned auntie holding her son's hand, thanking Wen Le.
Her son had good grades, and the teacher said passing the entrance exam for a prestigious high school in the city in June would not be a problem. However, attending such a high school required a hefty tuition fee, which was a huge sum for their family. Unfortunately, this year, the tea leaves didn't sell well, and even before the exams, their family was worried about their son's tuition fees.
They wanted to borrow money from the village, but the situation in the village was the same. They thought their son wouldn't be able to gather enough tuition fees. Unexpectedly, Wen Le came up with this method, which solved the village's entire problem and increased the income of all the villagers. They raised enough money to send their son to school and even bought him a new pair of sneakers.
When Wen Le saw the tearful smile on the older sister's face, she was moved.
Suddenly, Wen Le thought that initially, she wanted to start a business just to compete with Zhou Kao. But now, she felt that she might have found a more worthwhile path.
So, Wen Le opened a new account and wrote down an article like that.