After being reborn, the aloof female CEO became a paranoid.

Shortly after Zhou Yu sent the email, his phone beeped with a WeChat notification.

He quickly clicked on it. "Boss, I'll get started on the coordination now. When would be a convenient time for you to meet with them?"

Zhou Yu smiled faintly and replied, "No rush. Confirm all the details first and then I'll set a time to meet!"

He knew that the Ji family must be in a hurry, but he also knew that the Ji family and the Xu family had cooperated for many years and had a complicated relationship. He wouldn't act rashly before figuring out whether the Xu family was involved.

After making the arrangements, Zhou Yu breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing. Before long, an irresistible drowsiness quietly crept over him, and he unknowingly fell asleep.

I woke up again to a commotion downstairs.

He strained his ears to listen carefully, and it sounded like his father was cursing.

Zhou Yu jolted awake, rolled out of bed, quietly walked to the stairwell, and peeked down.

The father, Zhou Zhengwen, was glaring angrily at Zhou Ze, while Zhou Ze kept his head down, looking gloomy and his expression was unreadable.

Just then, Zhou Ze suddenly looked up, his gaze meeting Zhou Yu's from upstairs, a flash of resentment in his eyes.

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart, but he still forced himself to remain calm and went downstairs.

"Dad, what's wrong? Did Xiaoze make you angry?"

Zhou Yu walked over to Zhou Zhengwen, trying to ease the tension.

When Zhou Zhengwen saw that it was Zhou Yu, his expression softened slightly, but he still looked somewhat helpless.

"It's all because of you. You didn't go to that banquet tonight, and President Xu was very unhappy, so he left early."

"Me?" Zhou Yu was taken aback, pointed to himself, and looked blank. "What does this have to do with me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ze could no longer contain himself. He rushed forward, grabbed Zhou Yu by the collar, and demanded, "Stop pretending! What exactly is your relationship with President Xu? Why is she angry because of you?"

Zhou Yu was caught off guard by Zhou Ze's sudden action. He pushed Zhou Ze away and explained, "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't know President Xu at all."

But Zhou Ze clearly didn't believe it. He sneered, turned around, went upstairs, and returned to his room, leaving Zhou Yu and Zhou Zhengwen looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zhou Zhengwen sighed and shook his head. "Xiao Yu, President Xu knows you're not feeling well and specifically said he'd come to visit you tomorrow. You... should prepare in advance."

"Visit?" Zhou Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at his father with a puzzled expression.

He clearly remembered that at that time, he didn't know Xu Xinran at all!

He tried to calm his inner turmoil, nodded, and agreed in a low voice.

"It's getting late, go back to your room and rest," Zhou Zhengwen said, before turning and going back to his room.

But for Zhou Yu, this night was long and agonizing.

He lay in bed, tossing and turning, his mind filled with images of Xu Xinran.

If Xu Xinran really comes tomorrow, how will he face her?

……

The silence of the room was broken early the next morning by a maid's knocking. "Young Master, Mr. Xu has arrived."

She really came!

Zhou Yu lay on the bed, pulling the blanket tighter around him, his brows furrowing more and more deeply.

Memories of Xu Xinran flooded back: her betrayal after marriage, her distrust, her determination to get him unjustly imprisoned, her cruelty in hiring people to torture him, and her cold words—all of these were etched in his memory.

If he could do it all over again, he would just want to get away from this person and live his own life.

But why did she have to come looking for me?

Now, that woman was downstairs, so close to him. Zhou Yu felt a sense of suffocation; he truly didn't know how to face her.

……

In the living room downstairs, a woman sat on the sofa. She had beautiful features, slightly parted red lips, and exquisitely delicate features.

A light pink dress accentuated the woman's femininity, yet her every move exuded competence and elegance.

Several pots of tea had been changed, and the atmosphere was unusually heavy. The servants had gone upstairs twice to urge him, but Zhou Yu still hadn't shown up. Zhou Zhengwen was somewhat displeased; his eldest son was usually quite proper, so why was he behaving so strangely today?

Xu Xinran seemed completely unconcerned. She took a sip of tea, her face calm and composed, as if she didn't care whether Zhou Yu would appear or not.

At this moment, Zhou Ze also came downstairs.

He was dressed differently today than usual, in a simple white shirt and black trousers, looking clean and energetic. He strolled leisurely to the sofa and naturally sat down opposite Xu Xinran.

His intentions were too obvious, and Zhou Zhengwen couldn't help but feel embarrassed when he saw this, and secretly glanced at Xu Xinran.

However, Xu Xinran seemed not to notice and continued to leisurely drink her tea.

After a while, Zhou Yu finally came downstairs, albeit reluctantly.

He was wearing pajamas with a casual jacket over them, and he hadn't shaved. He looked like he'd just been dragged out of bed.

"dad."

Zhou Yu stood at the top of the stairs, greeted Zhou Zhengwen, and then slowly walked towards the living room.

Zhou Zhengwen gave him a wink, and Zhou Yu then steeled himself and slowly moved closer to Xu Xinran.

Zhou Yu stopped two steps away from Xu Xinran and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "President Xu, I'm so sorry, I'm not feeling well. Please excuse my poor health."

As he said this, he deliberately lowered his head, his eyes darting around, as if afraid of making eye contact with Xu Xinran.

He planned to simply come over, give a quick greeting, and then make an excuse to slip away. But to his surprise, after waiting for a long time, there was still no response from Xu Xinran.

The atmosphere became a little awkward, and even the air seemed to freeze.

Zhou Yu's heart pounded, and he finally couldn't resist sneaking a glance up. His eyes met Xu Xinran's.

Xu Xinran today seems quite different from her past life. Gone is her sharp and capable attire; her hair is casually draped over her shoulders, with a few stray strands gently brushing her cheeks, adding a touch of gentleness.

But those eyes were still as dark and bright as ever, unfathomable, making Zhou Yu's heart tremble.

He was about to say something when Xu Xinran suddenly stood up and walked straight toward him.

Zhou Yu was startled and instinctively tried to back away, but before he could make a move, Xu Xinran grabbed him and hugged him tightly!

This hug left everyone present dumbfounded.

Zhou Ze jumped up from the sofa, his face turning pale. Zhou Zhengwen was also surprised, but remained relatively calm. He looked at Xu Xinran, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Xu Xinran, seemingly oblivious to the reactions of those around her, simply held Zhou Yu tightly, tilting her head back and staring at him intently.

Her heart was pounding; the joy and excitement of finding what she had lost almost brought her to tears.

She held Zhou Yu in her arms, feeling the warmth and security his body gave her.

Unlike when she arrived at the prison, where she was holding a corpse that was cold and stiff.