"Girlfriend?"
Nathaniel Fu's lips curved faintly. "Everyone knows Mr. Zhou is the city's most eligible bachelor. What kind of woman could have possibly captured your heart?"
Zachary Zhou looked up from his seat, the corner of his mouth lifting. "She's here."
Without another word, he rose and walked toward the door.
Nathaniel turned his head—and froze. Standing in the doorway was a familiar, slender figure. His eyes narrowed, the air between his brows tightening.
It was… Celia.
Celia was here.
"Celia," Zachary greeted warmly, stepping forward and pulling her into an easy embrace.
She tilted her small, delicate face up at him, her voice soft and sweet. "Senior, what are you doing here?"
"Jess sent me a message saying you needed a boyfriend," he replied, his tone teasing. "So I came to meet the man you were supposedly entertaining."
Jess's rented boyfriend turned out to be Celia's senior from school.
"I'm not playing around with anyone," Celia protested.
Zachary's smile deepened. "Then why don't you look up and see if you've been playing with Mr. Fu?"
Celia hesitated, then slowly lifted her gaze—only to meet the tall, imposing figure of Nathaniel Fu. His chiseled features were set in cool indifference, yet his eyes locked on her with an unreadable intensity.
Celia's breath caught.Her life really was full of… encounters.
Zachary, seemingly unaware of the tension, slipped an arm casually around her shoulders and guided her toward Nathaniel. "Celia, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Fu. Nathaniel, this is Celia—my girlfriend."
Nathaniel's gaze lingered on her, his expression unreadable. He didn't speak.
The air grew taut.
Zachary looked between them. "So… you two know each other?"
They answered at the same time.
Nathaniel: "Yes."Celia: "No."
Behind Nathaniel, Secretary Song froze mid-step. "…?"
"Mr. Fu," Zachary asked lightly, "do you know Celia or not?"
Nathaniel's eyes flicked to Zachary's hand on her shoulder, then back to her face. His voice was like ice on glass.
"Whatever she says… is the truth."
Without another glance, Nathaniel turned and strode away.
Secretary Song quickly followed, almost jogging to keep pace.
Just then, Jess rushed in, slightly out of breath. "Mr. Zhou, Celia—I'm sorry I'm late. Hey… why do you all look so tense?"
Zachary pointed toward the direction Nathaniel had gone, an amused glint in his eyes. "I might have just told Mr. Fu I was Celia's boyfriend. I think that annoyed him."
Jess scoffed. "Serves you right! Honestly, I don't get what's got Mr. Fu so worked up. If he doesn't want to be Celia's boyfriend, why not let someone else take the role?"
Celia cast her a pointed look toward where Nathaniel had disappeared. "Jess, enough. Let's just go eat."
"Fine."
Nathaniel sat in the plush seclusion of a private dining room. Perhaps it was cruel fate—but directly across from him, in another private booth, sat Zachary, Celia, and Jess.
From where he was seated, Nathaniel had an unobstructed view.
The waiter set a steak before Zachary. Without hesitation, Zachary cut the meat into small, neat bites and placed them on Celia's plate. His care was natural, unforced—like it had always been his place to do so.
Nathaniel's jaw tensed, the light in his eyes darkening. He hadn't realized before just how effortlessly she drew men in. Even the CEO of CC seemed to orbit around her.
No wonder she got into CC…
Across the room, Jess nudged Celia with her elbow. "He's been staring at you this whole time," she whispered.
Celia didn't need the warning—she could already feel Nathaniel's gaze, sharp and cold, cutting across the space between them. The food on her plate suddenly tasted like nothing.
Then Jess, with deliberate mischief, raised her voice. "Mr. Zhou, you and Celia have just reunited after a little time apart. Once we're done eating, you two should head back to the hotel and… rest."