Chapter 1191: Chapter 1191: Third Brother Will Stay With You

Zong Zhan stood with his hands on his hips, looking down at Xi Luo, who seemed thoroughly rebellious.

A few seconds later, he placed his palm on the back of her chair, leaned down, and with a hint of roguish charm in his smile, he said, “No problem, Third Brother… will accompany… you… to stay.”

Xi Luo quickly dodged to the side, just about to retort, when the man had already turned and left the balcony.

In that fleeting moment, the masculine aura emanating from him hit her, not a scent but pure hormonal essence.

Xi Luo pressed her temples, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite name.

Actually… she’d been scheming against Zong Zhan from the start and had gone out of her way to oppose him in the past year.

Zong Zhan seemed like a clear mirror in her eyes, yet he showed unprecedented patience.

Xi Luo lowered her gaze, a knowing smile tugging at her lips—he must be up to something.

As evening fell, the city’s sky lit up with a curtain of neon lights.

The March night breeze still held a chill, Xi Luo had been contemplating on the balcony for quite some time, and only then realized she was freezing.

She pushed the chair aside to go back inside, turned around to see the closed sliding door of the balcony, and almost cursed aloud.

No wonder it was so cold.

She said that Zong Zhan, this damned man, had ulterior motives!

Thinking the door was locked, Xi Luo kicked the door frame with her heel, opening it a crack.

Oh, she misunderstood him.

Xi Luo sulked as she entered the warm interior, the fresh scent of laundry detergent wafting immediately to her nose.

She looked around in confusion; within just over an hour, the room was spotless, the dust-covered coffee table and floor were as clean as new.

Hearing movement in the washroom, Xi Luo carefully walked over, peeking through the door crack, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Zong Zhan was doing housework, holding a cloth to wipe the wash basin.

Xi Luo stared blankly, unusually refraining from sarcastic remarks.

She had never seen Zong Zhan do housework, at least not in Imperial Capital.

The villas in Emperor View North Garden have cleaners regularly tidy up, even at the Military Department, his rank would ensure staff to manage his affairs.

Xi Luo suddenly recalled a saying, without knowing who said it: Men who do housework are the most charming.

She had to admit, at this moment, Zong Zhan seemed more down-to-earth than usual.

Then, the man, bent over wiping the wash basin, spoke with his back to her, “If you want to watch, just watch openly. Hiding outside, are you afraid I’ll make fun of you?”

Xi Luo: “…”

Men who do housework are indeed attractive, but dogs are not!

No matter how much he cleans the whole building, he’s still a dog.

Xi Luo glared at him, turning around and heading to her own bedroom.

The room had considerable dust, clearly untouched.

Xi Luo looked down at the marble floor by the bedroom door; a clear dust boundary perfectly separated her bedroom from the other areas.

It means Zong Zhan cleaned all the rooms, except for her master bedroom?

Unconvinced, Xi Luo turned to take a lap around the apartment, crossing her arms with a smile.

Every room, including the guest room, was spotless, even the bedding had been changed.

Taking a deep breath, Xi Luo strode into the master bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Forget it, she’ll do it herself.

…

After about twenty minutes, Xi Luo emerged from the master bedroom with a scowl, leaving chaos behind.

The double bed’s sheet was laid out unevenly, the quilt cover tucked onto only one corner, the other half drooped to the floor.

Not wanting to ask Zong Zhan for help, she decided to claim the clean guest room.

At that moment, the door was ajar, and as she pushed it open to enter, she was met by a wall of muscle, causing her to stumble back two or three steps, “Whoa…”

Zong Zhan was heading out as Xi Luo was going in, causing them to collide.

Despite the ordinary nature of the contact not causing sparks, Xi Luo leaned against the door frame, tilting her head to glance into the guest room, “What are you up to?”

Zong Zhan, nearly six feet tall, stood rigidly before her, taking a step forward that forced Xi Luo to retreat with intention to enter the room, “Done tidying up?”

He advanced, leaving Xi Luo no choice but to step back, the two stood in the hallway, staring each other down.

Ordinarily, under this setting, with darkness settling, an unchaperoned pair, and the lighting tending towards an ambiguous warmth, something would have happened between normal men and women.

But Ms. Xi never subscribes to the notion of living in the moment, and she nodded her chin towards the master bedroom across the hall, “Third Master, care to lend a hand?”

Zong Zhan looked down at Xi Luo’s composed face, stepping past her towards the master bedroom, “Can’t quite live up to ‘Master,’ ‘Third Brother’ will do.”

Xi Luo, this self-sufficient slacker, uncharacteristically refrained from a rebuttal, “Alright, Third Brother.”

In the next five minutes, Xi Luo would regret it again.

She could have hired a cleaning service and had it done a hundred times better than Zong Zhan.

Military Department graduates possess an extraordinary ability to organize affairs.

But Xi Luo had underestimated Zong Zhan’s mouthy quips.

Like: “Almost thirty, huh? Can’t even change sheets?”

Or: “Can’t tell the bedspread is inside out?”

And: “Who used to change them for you? Or don’t change at all?”

With a fake smile, Xi Luo leaned against the dressing table and found a polite exit, “There used to be someone else.”

Zong Zhan’s movements paused briefly as he arranged the sheets, “I suggest you call them next time.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Looking at the sheets dropped to the floor, Xi Luo huffed and hefted them into the washroom.

In the living room, Zong Zhan was smoking, bold smoke swirling around the hard edge of the man’s contour.

Xi Luo stepped forward, picking up the cigarette case on the table corner, unbothered by rhetorical questions; she lit one silently and inhaled.

Half a cigarette later, Zong Zhan broke the silence, “What’s for dinner?”

“Let’s go to the mall.” Xi Luo sprawled inelegantly with her legs up on the coffee table, “Just right to shop for some clothes.”

Zong Zhan pursed his lips, glancing at her slouched posture, “A lady of prestigious lineage from British Imperial Nobility, is this how you carry yourself at home?”

“Are you acting up again?” Xi Luo lazily glanced sideways at him, “Tagging women at every turn, did you graduate from a ‘Virtuous Women Academy’?”

Zong Zhan rolled his Adam’s apple, an ambiguous smile on his lips, “Ms. Xi, is accepting criticism and guidance so difficult for you?”

Turning her head to look at the floor-to-ceiling window, Xi Luo shrugged and chuckled, “Many haven’t figured life out themselves; what right do they have to criticize and guide others? Moreover, do you think being a Lady of prestigious families is so easy? All just to please men like you.”

“Been hurt before? Otherwise, why such animosity towards men?”

“Not really,” Xi Luo smiled thinly, “But at this moment, my malice is solely directed at you.”

Zong Zhan took a deep drag of his cigarette, “Well, I’m damn honored.”

A few more minutes passed, and the two stubbed out their cigarettes and left for the mall together.

Perhaps in the South Sea, outsiders are not easily mixed in, Zong Zhan’s control and restriction over Xi Luo were not as stringent as in the Imperial Capital.

They drove a Mercedes G-Class through the streets and alleys and soon arrived at a Seafood Sushi Restaurant nestled deep within an alley.

Walking in, Zong Zhan immediately bumped into He Chen carrying a takeout box.