WRA CH39

Chapter 39: Bestie: Your Husband is Zhou Sicheng?!

“I am not a capitalist.”

Zhou Sicheng stood rooted to the spot, stubbornly refusing to let go of Xiang Zhen’s hand.

Yet Xiang Zhen looked so miserable in his embrace, as if he were a filthy, money-grubbing merchant reeking of copper, utterly repulsive.

He had wanted a lover who wouldn’t fall in love with him because of his wealth.

He got his wish: Xiang Zhen loved him purely for who he was.

But because of his wealth, Xiang Zhen hated him.

Love and hate reversed; heaven and hell inverted.

If he had never obtained Xiang Zhen’s wholehearted love, if he had never possessed a sun that shone exclusively on him, if he had never experienced those ordinary, happy days…

The CEO of Zhoufu could have gone through his entire life without joy or anger.

Zhou Sicheng stared straight ahead: “There are no capitalists in our country. I am merely a young entrepreneur.”

Covering his mouth, Xiang Zhen felt sick with every breath. Zhou Sicheng’s words were like a hurricane churning the seas within his stomach: “Please stop talking.”

Zhou Sicheng squeezed his eyes shut and glanced at Xiang Zhen. In the past, he never understood why some people played mute in relationships.

When every word he spoke made Xiang Zhen want to vomit, what else dared he say?

Even explaining required hardening his heart.

Occupying a high position, Zhou Sicheng was well-versed in both business and politics, capable of delivering lengthy, eloquent speeches at a moment’s notice.

But this time, he was not invited to speak.

Zhou Sicheng asked one final question: “Who told you this?”

He didn’t believe his innocent, naive sweetpea could have reached this conclusion on his own.

Xiang Zhen: “I read The Guide… and Das Kapital.”

Zhou Sicheng remembered the few casual sentences they had discussed, striking his artery like a boomerang.

Was that why Xiang Zhen went and studied Das Kapital?

Zhou Sicheng composed himself. Fine, as long as he knew the cause.

There was no unbreakable deadlock in this world.

As long as Xiang Zhen still loved him.

And Xiang Zhen had said he still loved him.

With the tragic resolve of a warrior cutting off his own bitten arm, Zhou Sicheng released him and took two steps back. “If seeing me disgusts you, I won’t appear before you. But you must live here.”

“Wait for me to solve this problem.”

Sucking in light breaths and clutching his stomach, Xiang Zhen looked at Zhou Sicheng with a wronged expression.

He had been waiting for this sentence.

His husband was someone capable of solving any problem.

His husband would definitely find a way.

Yet as he thought this, his physical reaction worsened, as if every cell in his body were accusing him of betraying the proletariat and harboring illusions about a capitalist.

Under Xiang Zhen’s aggrieved, urging gaze, Zhou Sicheng fled out the door.

Every extra second he stayed meant another second of misery for Xiang Zhen.

Xiang Zhen had been perfectly fine talking with Uncle Zhang and Dou Manning, and even had the mood to trick Xiao Kui Bao when chatting with it.

It was only him he couldn’t speak to.

Zhou Sicheng ground his teeth together, practically tasting blood.

His mind remained clear, listing out a series of countermeasures one by one.

It wasn’t that his wife didn’t need him right now; on the contrary, Xiang Zhen needed him very much.

He couldn’t afford to panic.

Zhou Sicheng immediately opened the official website of his alma mater, navigated to the School of Marxism, and scanned the resumes and research focuses of various professors word by word with a sharp, clear gaze.

Ten minutes later, he locked his sights on a Professor Xu, who specialized in the Sinicization of Marxism.

A highly respected, authoritative scholar.

Most importantly, student reviews praised his lectures as flexible and humorous.

Zhou Sicheng personally called to extend an invitation: “Professor Xu, I would like to invite you to give a lecture for my spouse.”

Professor Xu pushed up his glasses, utterly shocked by this request. As a pure academic, unlike those engineering or business professors, he had almost no dealings with corporate enterprises.

“What is the topic of the lecture?”

Zhou Sicheng: “The difference between capitalists in old-school capitalist nations and the leaders of emerging technology industries in our country.”

Professor Xu took a moment to process this. “Ah… who is the target audience for this?”

He couldn’t easily lend his endorsement without knowing.

Zhou Sicheng: “My wife. Just one person. All you need to do is break it down clearly for my wife.”

Professor Xu: “I think you could explain that clearly yourself.”

Zhou Sicheng: “He won’t listen to me.”

This was truly a bizarre request. Professor Xu asked, “Why not? I haven’t even heard the news of your marriage.”

With complete sincerity, Zhou Sicheng told him the truth.

Professor Xu hadn’t been very keen on giving a lecture originally, but after hearing the reason, he was practically ready to book a flight immediately.

Zhou Sicheng’s wife threw up in disgust upon finding out he was a capitalist?!

It was simply unbelievable! He absolutely had to meet this steadfast proletarian warrior!

Someone who stayed this true to their original aspirations was perfectly suited to be his graduate student.

That night, Xiang Zhen tossed and turned. Sleeping on Zhou Sicheng’s bed, which was several meters wide, he couldn’t reach the edges no matter how he rolled.

Such a massive, massive bed. Had Zhou Sicheng always slept in a bed this big? The blanket definitely wouldn’t fall on the floor at night.

Zhou Sicheng had such a nice bed, yet he had still been willing to sleep with him in the rental apartment and even let him step on his abs.

Xiang Zhen kicked his feet under the covers.

When he couldn’t see his husband, he missed him; when he did see him, he threw up. Why couldn’t Zhou Sicheng just be a rideshare driver? Why did he have to be a capitalist?

Lying on his side, Xiang Zhen sent a voice message to Dou Manning: “Manning, I’m so envious of the husband you found.”

Xiao Kui Bao slid over to the bedside, fawningly offering a glass of water: “Baby Xiang Zhen, drink some water to moisten your throat before chatting with your friend.”

In the study, Zhou Sicheng—eavesdropping from the shadows—nearly crushed the water glass in his hand.

Any man would explode hearing his wife say someone else’s husband was better.

Shen Ku had ultimately become his enemy.

In what way was he inferior to Shen Ku?!

Xiang Zhen took the water from Xiao Kui Bao, moistened his throat, cleared his voice, and continued his voice message: “Because your hubby is a glorious worker.”

Zhou Sicheng: “…”

Hah?

It was just a difference in job types. Did Xiang Zhen believe he couldn’t turn Shen Ku into a capitalist too?

Dou Manning: “Zhenzhen, are you feeling any better tonight?”

Xiang Zhen: “Much better as long as I don’t see Zhou Sicheng.”

Dou Manning: “Then do you want to come back and stay here?”

Hearing this, Zhou Sicheng’s eyes darkened. Stay where? I’m the one who paid a year’s rent for where Dou Manning is staying!

Zhou Sicheng suddenly remembered that when Dou Manning visited earlier that day, he seemed to have brought a book. The book had zero presence, so he hadn’t paid it any mind. Thinking back on it now, it was actually the Das Kapital Dou Manning had brought along!

They had been conducting a live seminar!

Xiang Zhen knew nothing. He believed whatever short videos told him, and he believed whatever Marx said even more.

Originally, Xiang Zhen was just having trouble adjusting to his sudden identity change, compounded by a stress reaction from heatstroke; he would have recovered slowly with time.

Now look what happened. He had been directly labeled the villain.

He had been careless. From now on, anyone visiting his house would have to pass through a security checkpoint.

Why couldn’t Xiang Zhen make a few friends who actually wished him well?

Hmm?

Pondering for two seconds, Zhou Sicheng decisively assigned a task to Fan Hao.

Things couldn’t possibly get any worse than they were now. What difference did it make if one friend advised breaking up versus two friends advising breaking up?

Receiving a task late at night, Fan Hao didn’t dare mock Zhou Sicheng for messing things up. When a couple’s relationship was good, you could crack jokes; when their relationship was breaking down, you’d better shut up and stay quiet. Zhou Sicheng was currently looking for a punching bag to vent his anger on.

A minute later, Fan Hao ostensibly created a group chat with Xiang Zhen’s two colleagues.

[Group Chat: Fan Hao, Yu Yueyue, Liu Xiaofang]

[Fan Hao: Just letting you guys know, Xiang Zhen has suspended work and taken a leave of absence for a family emergency, so you don’t need to worry.]

[Yu Yueyue: Can I ask what happened?]

Yu Yueyue had every reason to suspect that Fan Hao had stolen Xiang Zhen from his husband, throwing his family into chaos.

[Fan Hao: Sigh.]

[Fan Hao: I’ll tell you two, but don’t spread this around. It’s private.]

[Fan Hao: Actually, Xiang Zhen’s husband is Zhou Sicheng. If you don’t know who that is, look it up online. He previously hid his identity to date Xiang Zhen. Now that Xiang Zhen knows who he is, he’s throwing a fit and threatening to break up.]

[Yu Yueyue: ?]

That cheapskate husband?

…

Just as Xiang Zhen was getting ready to scroll through some short videos, Yu Yueyue suddenly bombarded him with over a dozen messages.

[Yu Yueyue: Encyclopedia_Image.jpg]

[Yu Yueyue: This is your husband?]

[Yu Yueyue: !!!! Your husband is Zhou Sicheng??!! THAT man??!!]

[Xiang Zhen: Mn.]

[Yu Yueyue: How can I even believe this! Zhenzhen, you really bagged a billionaire! Where are you right now?]

Xiang Zhen snapped a photo of the bedroom and sent it to her.

[Yu Yueyue: Fk!!! How did you manage to keep this so tightly under wraps! If it were me, I would’ve blabbed it to everyone in a single day!]

[Xiang Zhen: I told you my hubby is very handsome.]

[Yu Yueyue: It’s not just handsome! He’s incredibly rich! The money is the main point! Oh my god, does Papa Zhou Sicheng know about all the times I cursed out your husband before? He’s so nice, he even bestowed a job upon me.]

[Xiang Zhen: I didn’t know he was rich either.]

[Yu Yueyue: I was wondering why Feng Chujun went bankrupt so inexplicably! Turns out the richest man was throwing money away for you! Zhou Sicheng being furious for the sake of beauty is just too damn cool!]

Xiang Zhen froze. Wasn’t Feng Chujun just in debt? What did that have to do with his husband?

Suddenly, it clicked. It wasn’t debt at all—Zhou Sicheng had launched a business war to crush Feng Chujun.

Staring at the phrases “throwing money away” and “furious for the sake of beauty,” Xiang Zhen’s heart suddenly began to pound violently—so violently he felt a bit like throwing up.

Xiang Zhen hurriedly took a few deep breaths. Oh, I’m not moved. I’m terrified by the capitalist’s massive moves.

A capitalist throwing away fortunes for him was repulsive; a capitalist erupting in fury for him was terrifying.

…But the underlying handsomeness of his husband was hard to conceal.

[Xiang Zhen: Yueyue, please stop talking. I feel a bit like throwing up.]

Yu Yueyue finally remembered the main issue: [Bestie, I’m begging you on my knees, absolutely do not, under any circumstances, let this billionaire go!]

What kind of lucky person gets to meet the wealthiest man pretending to be poor on a blind date?!

[Xiang Zhen: Yueyue, you’ve changed. You didn’t talk like this before.]

[Yu Yueyue: Before, I genuinely thought he was a rideshare driver!]

Xiang Zhen pouted. What’s wrong with being a rideshare driver?

[Xiang Zhen: I’d rather laugh in a BYD than cry in a BMW.]

[Yu Yueyue: Zhou Sicheng isn’t just a BMW, he’s a Ferrari, Maybach, Rolls-Royce, and Maserati. If you don’t like the BMW, you can just switch cars!]

[Xiang Zhen: Ferraris give me motion sickness.]

[Yu Yueyue: Baby, you might be stuck in an emotional rut right now. Don’t make any hasty decisions. Sleep on it first.]

[Xiang Zhen: Okay, I’ll go to sleep.]

The next day.

Professor Xu arrived on an early morning flight.

Zhou Sicheng personally welcomed him at the entrance of the villa complex, maintaining his elegant demeanor, though the bloodshot veins in his eyes suggested he hadn’t slept a wink all night.

“Professor Xu, thank you for your trouble.”

Professor Xu: “No trouble at all. It is my honor to have the opportunity to resolve problems for President Zhou.”

The speaking fee was certainly not low. If flight routes hadn’t been so tight, making it impossible to secure clearance, Zhou Sicheng had almost arranged a private jet to fly him over overnight.

Zhou Sicheng escorted Professor Xu to an empty room fitted with a projector, a blackboard, and a desk. Aside from that, there was nothing else; he feared that if the classroom was too luxurious, Xiang Zhen would have a stress reaction.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll go fetch him,” Zhou Sicheng said politely. “The entire session will be audio and video recorded, and the door will remain open during the lecture. I hope you don’t mind.”

Professor Xu: “As it should be. We have rules requiring open doors anyway.”

Zhou Sicheng had the butler fetch Xiang Zhen.

Xiang Zhen followed the butler to the classroom feeling a bit nervous. After all, the sunflower spirit had only audited compulsory education classes before; this was his first time attending a lecture by a renowned scholar.

Auntie Guihua, I’ve made it to university.

He sat obediently at the desk, looking up at the old professor with a white beard.

Professor Xu was kind and genial: “The writing of Das Kapital took place against a specific historical backdrop. Today, we will start with the violent and bloody Enclosure Movement in 15th-century England. How much do you know about the Enclosure Movement?”

Xiang Zhen replied honestly, “Professor, I haven’t graduated elementary school.”

Professor Xu froze: “…”

So much for taking him on as a graduate student. He’s functionally illiterate.