On New Year’s Eve, cold air moved southward and light rain fell in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Zhong Lini got up early, had breakfast with her son, and then began to arrange flowers and plants in the small living room. She wanted to have the entire Luo family decorated with flowers that she had arranged herself during the New Year.
Her brother Zhong Liming came to see Luo Jiaming to discuss something, but he didn't know what. Since Luo Jiaming was still in a meeting upstairs, he waited in the living room downstairs.
Zhong Limin was bored watching Zhong Lini arranging flowers and couldn't help but say, "Can't we just ask the florist to arrange them and send them over? It's such a waste of time to do it yourself."
Zhong Lini disagreed: "Isn't my time just wasted? I still have something to do if I arrange flowers myself."
"Taking good care of your son is more important than anything else. Take him out for a walk more often when you have time, don't keep him at home all the time."
"Felix doesn't want to go out, and I can't force him. He doesn't feel safe outside."
Zhong Limin pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses with his hand, "He just hasn't been allowed to play outside since he was young. If you take him out for exercise more often, he will only get fatter if he stays at home."
Zhong Lini couldn't stand people saying her son was fat, so she waved her hands and said, "Okay, stop talking. What did you come to see Jiaming for today, brother?"
Zhong Limin replied perfunctorily: "Business matters."
Zhong Lini cut off half of the flower branch with a pair of scissors, "Why can't you tell me?"
"We want to develop commercial real estate. We recently spotted a piece of land. It seems your Luo family also likes it. When the time comes, we will definitely not be able to win the bid. I am here to discuss with him and see if we can develop it together. It is a good opportunity for me to learn some experience from the Luo family."
Zhong Lini lowered her voice, "Even if he agrees, the old woman won't agree."
Zhong Limin walked forward and sat next to Zhong Lini: "This is just a small matter in your Luo family. Why does she even care about this?"
"She may not care about other things, but she will definitely take care of our Zhong family's affairs. Don't have any illusions."
Zhong Limin shook his head in disappointment, "Can't you mend your relationship with her?"
Zhong Lini put the cut branches into the vase and said angrily, "I wish she would pay attention to me. In her eyes, I am like air."
"It means you're not thick-skinned enough."
"Who is like you!"
Zhong Limin crossed his legs and said, "You should learn from your elder brother. I will give you a book called Thick Black Studies someday. The key to being a good person is to be thick-skinned and black-hearted."
Zhong Lini: "Since you are so shameless and treacherous, you have been running around trying to take Song Rong Ji public. What good will it do you? What good will it do to our Zhong family? With just your small amount of shares, after the listing, who will benefit in the end? It will still benefit that country boy! He is the major shareholder of Song Rong Ji!"
Zhong Limin looked around and found that there was no one around. He whispered, "Do you think your brother is stupid? Taking Song Rongji public, raising money, and emptying it out is my strategy!"
"Now that it's on the market, with so many people watching, you can just empty it out if you want? That's too naive." Zhong Lini put a pot of flowers aside and prepared to put in another one.
"That girl named Ye is easy to deal with. She doesn't come to Hong Kong often from Shenzhen and is not familiar with this place. Luo Shen is the one keeping an eye on her. Hey, think of a way to send her to college abroad. As long as she leaves, everything will be easy here."
"I can't get involved in his affairs at all."
"You think of a solution. Giving Luo Jiaming advice to study in a good university abroad is also for Luo Shen's good, isn't it?" Zhong Liming's voice became lower and lower, for fear that someone might hear it.
Zhong Lini put down the scissors, took off her gloves, turned around and took a sip of hot water. She didn't agree, but she didn't refuse either.
Of course, she hopes that the Zhong family can rise again. Only when her mother's family is powerful can she have a status in this family.
As it is now, not only does Old Lady Luo look down on her, but Guo Xuyan, who is not even half the master, also doesn't even look at her. Even that Aunt Feng dares to go against her. This is what makes her most unhappy.
As the brother and sister were talking, Zeng Xiang came down from the stairs. Ever since she was poured bonito and salted chicken porridge, Zhong Lini's attitude towards Zeng Xiang, at least on the surface, has become much better.
She smiled and asked with concern: "Luo Shen, today is New Year's Eve, are you still going out? It's raining outside."
Zeng Xiang responded in his throat, and he nodded to Zhong Limin and said hello: "Good morning, uncle."
Zhong Limin smiled and said, "Luo Shen, why don't you come to the Song Rongji annual party? I wanted to wait for you to come and draw the lottery."
Zeng Xiang said: "Uncle Qi is participating on our behalf. It is enough for Song Rongji to have you and him here."
"You have to come to the New Year's Spring Festival party." Zhong Liming actually didn't want him to come. He just wanted Luo Shen to stay as far away from Song Rongji as possible.
Zeng Xiang certainly knew what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "Let's talk about it after the New Year. Uncle, I'm going out first."
Looking at Zeng Xiang's leaving figure, Zhong Limin said, "What a little fox."
Zhong Lini said disdainfully: "What a little fox, Qi Lian'an can play with him enough. I heard Luo Jiaming say that he wants to be a policeman in the future. I think he can only be a reckless man with empty martial arts! If it weren't for that woman named Guo, he would have been eliminated long ago!"
Zhong Limin: "Don't talk about this anymore, it's so stupid! You and Luo Jiafei are just two pigs! Luo Jiafei deserves to never get up in his life, and Lifen is unlucky to marry him."
Zhong Lini: "Yes, yes, we are all pigs, but you are the smartest. You can't even say a nice word on New Year's Day. Go away now, I'm so annoyed."
Ye Zhao had been busy with company matters before the New Year, and only arrived in Hong Kong on New Year's Eve. She stayed in a luxury suite at the Summer Hotel. Zeng Xiang was afraid that she would refuse, so he communicated with her early on. This time he used his own money to pay for the room, and did not use the Luo family's connections.
Zeng Xiang drove a small sports car to pick her up. After she got in, he fastened her seat belt and asked, "What did you eat this morning? Are you hungry?"
"I ate a big bowl of noodles. I'm not hungry."
After starting the car and entering the main road, Zeng Xiang said, "I have ordered a New Year's Eve dinner at the hotel tonight. I will come to accompany you after I finish dealing with my family. On the morning of the first day of the New Year, I will accompany my grandmother to burn incense. You can sleep in the hotel. At noon, we will go to the movies and go shopping together. On the second day of the New Year, we will go to my aunt's house for dinner. On the third and fourth days of the New Year, we will go to the mountains to play."
Listening to Brother Xiang finish the arrangements in one breath, Ye Zhao quite enjoyed this kind of brainless journey. She smiled sweetly and said, "Okay, you make the arrangements. I am your little tail now, I will go wherever you tell me to go."
Zeng Xiang smiled: "I really want to take you to meet my grandma. I think she will like you and you should be able to conquer her."
Ye Zhao: "Why are you so blindly optimistic? Aunt Qiao didn't conquer your grandmother back then, how can I do that?"
"The key lies in my dad. If my dad had stood on my mom's side, my grandparents would have been willing to accept my mom sooner or later. Even if they couldn't live together, things wouldn't have become so strained now. It's a pity that my dad is not..." Zeng Xiang had seen through these relationships a long time ago. Although his mother always liked to blame others, he knew that others were not the main reason. The real core was that his father was Chen Shimei.
Ye Zhao nodded in agreement: "Your father is indeed the key. Another very important thing is the gap between the families. Aunt Qiao said that she feels uncomfortable staying in the Luo family, and this is difficult to change."
Zeng Xiang smiled and said, "The difference between our social status is that your father thinks I am a village boy from Zengwuwei and not worthy of you."
"The one I like is you from Zengwuwei."
When they stopped the car at the traffic light, Zeng Xiang took her hand and said with a cocky smile, "I know. You liked me when you sat on the back of my motorcycle."
"What?! I was so innocent at that time that I never thought about whether I liked you or not..."
"Not pure now?"
Ye Zhao was so angry that she laughed. She wanted to take her hand back, but he held it tightly and she couldn't move.
Bking continued to ask: "Then when did you fall in love with me?"
"I don't know." She really didn't know. She fell in love with him without knowing it.
"I don't know either. I fell in love with her unconsciously." He finally let go of my hand, drove the car forward, and turned right after the traffic light.
Ye Zhao leaned back in his chair, looked at him lovingly, and asked with a smile: "Brother Xiang, why do you like me? Because I'm beautiful, or because I'm awesome?"
"Pretty and awesome!" He felt something was wrong after saying that. "Even if you're not pretty or awesome now, I still like you."
Ye Zhao couldn't hold back and smiled foolishly, "Am I so charming?"
"I miss you every day I don't see you."
"Okay, stop talking about it, it's so corny and gives me goosebumps."
He insisted, "It turns out that liking someone is such a happy thing. Don't you miss me?"
It was over. Ye Zhao found out that her brother Xiang was a little in love, but she didn't seem to be that serious. She thought more about money every day. She felt a little guilty and lied sweetly, "I miss you too, very much."
Fortunately, she was good at lying, and the man next to her was arrogant. He didn't believe that Ye Zhao didn't miss him, so he said proudly: "I knew it."
When they got to the hotel, he helped her carry her luggage to the room, turned on the heater with the remote control, and waited for her to take off her coat. He then pushed her into a corner and asked her, "How much do you mean you miss me so much when you said you miss me so much?"
Help! She regretted lying.
His breath sprayed on her face, and she felt a sudden heat on her face. Ye Zhao, who had only held her hand since they began dating, felt his heart beating wildly.
He put his arms around her waist and leaned over to kiss her. Her soft lips were surprisingly sweet!
Soft and sweet! She couldn't help but be intoxicated.
The two of them blended their breath together and kissed passionately without any rules.
Ahhhhh, she was conquered by male beauty.
The two young people with thriving hormones kissed for who knows how long, and when they separated, their lips were still wet!
Ye Zhao was so shy that she buried her whole face in his arms.
He hugged her tightly, his heart filled with happiness.
He whispered in her ear: "Do you want to call room service in the room, or go out for dinner?"
Ye Zhao felt that if they continued to stay in this room, they might not be able to resist doing something bad, which was too dangerous. She whispered softly, "Let's go out to eat. I want to go out for a walk."
Zeng Xiang bent down and kissed her again, "Please clean up first. I'll go downstairs and buy you a hot drink."
Ye Zhao packed her luggage and they went out for lunch together. Afterwards, Brother Xiang went back to Luo's house for a reunion dinner while she wandered around.
She bought several sets of clothes, and also bought a sweater and a scarf for Brother Xiang. When she went to the bookstore, she went in and bought several books on securities.
Around three or four o'clock, more and more shops began to close and people went home for reunion dinners. Ye Zhao stopped shopping and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Zeng Xiang returned home, chatted with his grandmother for a while, and had the New Year's Eve dinner on time at six o'clock. His two cousins and their families came to eat. It was only during those one or two days that Old Mrs. Luo was more tolerant than usual, and the Luo family was unusually lively.
Zeng Xiang didn't eat much. He just drank the soup and ate some vegetables. He wanted to save his stomach for the reunion dinner with Ye Zhao in the evening.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, he was forced by his father to play checkers with his slightly autistic brother. When they started playing mahjong, he finally got away and drove directly back to the Summer Hotel.
Before he left, he called the hotel to prepare the dishes, and when he arrived, the reunion dinner in the room was also ready.
She showed him the cover: A Guide to Securities Investment.
She said, “Traditional Chinese characters make my eyes hurt.”
"You still read this kind of books during your break?"
"I didn't understand it at all before, but now I have time to catch up on my knowledge." Ye Zhao's biological father in the original world was a financial investor, but unfortunately his failed investments ruined his family, so she used to dislike the financial industry and had never learned any related knowledge.
She had always wanted to be a small landlord and thought she could avoid the financial industry, but she found that Song Rongji's listing involved financial knowledge, and buying and selling Shenzhen Agricultural Cooperative stocks also involved financial knowledge.
If she wants to continue to develop her career, she will inevitably encounter more and more such knowledge blind spots in the future.
So, she had to learn literacy in time.
The two sat down at the dining table and prepared to eat. The dishes he ordered were simple, all seafood and leafy vegetables that Ye Zhao liked.
Zeng Xiang asked: "Why are you suddenly interested in securities knowledge?"
"If all goes well, Song Rongji should be able to go public this year. I need to learn more about the relevant knowledge to prevent myself from being fooled by Zhong Limin."
"Besides Uncle Qi, I have asked other people to keep an eye on it, so don't worry." Zeng Xiang picked up a piece of crab meat for Ye Zhao. He ordered a king crab, and the crab meat had already been removed, so he didn't have to peel it himself.
Ye Zhao: "This crab meat is so tender."
"Then eat more." Zeng Xiang picked up another piece for her and continued the previous topic, "Why did you buy so many Shenzhen Agricultural Cooperation shares this time?"
Ye Zhao didn't even think about it and said directly: "To make money."
"I asked someone to check the information of Shenzhen Agricultural Cooperative. They have been losing money in recent years and the bad debt rate is very high. After the integration and reform of several credit unions, although the losses are not so severe, it is not easy to make a lot of money from dividends. At most, they can make a small amount of money."
Ye Zhao said: "I didn't buy it for the dividends, and I don't care about its operation. Isn't the Shenzhen Stock Exchange preparing for it? I heard that once the Shenzhen Stock Exchange opens, Shenzhen Agricultural Cooperative will be the first stock to be traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and the stock price will definitely rise. When the stock price is high, I will sell all of them."
"I thought you wanted long-term investment banking."
Shenzhen Agricultural Cooperative Bank had a very poor foundation. Its stock price rose very high in the first few years. However, its operating conditions did not improve later and its stock price fell to a few cents per share. It was then acquired by another commercial bank that wanted to go public through a backdoor listing.
Ye Zhao would not invest in such a bank. She shook her head and said, "I just want to make a quick buck."
"How much is your goal to earn?" At the dinner table, when the two were not talking about love, they talked about money, and the situation was quite harmonious.
Ye Zhao smiled slyly: "Brother Xiang, how much do you think I can earn?"
Double the profit, well, that's already a very high profit margin.
Ye Zhao said modestly: "I'll give it a try. If I make 8 million, what reward will you give me?"
"I belong to you from head to toe, inside and out. You can reward me however you want."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "I want your favorite motorcycle."
Zeng Xiang nodded: "If you want a motorcycle, I'll give it to you. There is no such thing as a favorite motorcycle."
He only has the one he loves the most.
Zeng Xiang did not go home that night. The two of them slept in the same bed, kissed and caressed each other. They kissed everything they should and shouldn't have kissed, the only thing that was missing was an accident.
For the rest of the trip, Ye Zhao followed Brother Xiang's arrangements completely. They went to see a New Year's movie in the afternoon of New Year's Day, and went to the beach to watch the fireworks show in the evening. After returning to the hotel, they did everything a couple in love could do. If there were no condoms, both of them would probably have done sit-ups.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year, the two of them slept until noon, had lunch, walked around the street for a while, bought some souvenirs, and then went to Guo Xuyan's house together.
Guo Xuyan goes to bed late and gets up late, and has deep dark circles under his eyes.
After getting up, she didn't go out, but stayed in the room, standing by the window and smoking. Ye Zhao was coming to visit today, and she was very nervous, even scared.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
The ringing of the phone startled her. She picked up the phone and said "Hello". It was Su Yingmin calling.
Su Yingmin rarely calls her, but today he called to wish her a happy New Year.
When Ye Dingguo passed away, he called her once and told her some things. Su Yingmin said, "I used to be a small follower under Ye Dingguo, but now I am a small follower under Ye Zhao. No, at my age, I can only be an old follower."
Guo Xuyan said softly: "Not funny."
Su Yingmin: "Did you know that Ye Zhao went to Hong Kong to celebrate the New Year?"
Guo Xuyan was silent for a while, then said, "I know. She will come to my house for dinner later."
Su Yingmin was surprised: "You recognized her?"
Guo Xuyan: "No. Don't tell her that I am hers... Don't tell her the truth."
She is her biological mother, she can't say it.
Su Yingmin was stunned for a moment. Ye Zhao had already found out that his biological mother was not Jin Jingzhi but Guo Xuyan. As long as they met, Ye Zhao would definitely know it, but he couldn't tell the truth to Guo Xuyan. Her mental state was sometimes uncontrollable. He was afraid that if he told the truth, it would make things worse.
Su Yingmin said, "You don't know, Ye Zhao is very smart, she will guess it. She is smarter than you and Ye Dingguo put together."
Guo Xuyan bit his lower lip and said, "Ye Dingguo is already dead. As long as you don't say it and I don't say it, she won't know."
Su Yingmin advised: "What if, what if, she recognizes you, don't get excited, you have to control yourself, don't tell her about those bad things, and don't hurt her. If you really don't want to recognize her, just avoid her, okay?"
Guo Xuyan exhaled a puff of cigarette, lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked, "How to avoid it?"
"Actually... if you acknowledge her, it will definitely only benefit you. Your daughter is too smart, she is very good at doing things and making money. Her father just died, and I helped her defeat her competitor, and she took control of me, and I couldn't fight back. You know, right? Having such a capable daughter who can make money is the best support for you. You don't have to live under someone else's roof in the future..."
Guo Xuyan said excitedly: "I don't live under someone else's roof. I make a living based on my own ability. I don't need to rely on others."
"Yes, yes, I was wrong. You and Ye Zhao should not talk about mother-daughter relationship. Just stand on the standpoint of personal interests. Ye Zhao will become a big tree in the future, a big tree that can shelter you from the wind and rain. Why don't you acknowledge such a daughter? If I had such a powerful daughter, I would have acknowledged her long ago. As a friend, this is my most sincere advice to you. You have to believe me, Xu Yan."
Su Yingmin spoke very sincerely, and Guo Xuyan was not stupid, so she understood.
"I know you're doing this for my own good, but I can't control myself... I don't want to get along with her, and I don't want to recognize her. I don't want to live in such pain."
Su Yingmin: "Okay, okay, I won't persuade you anymore, but you have to remember not to hurt her. Also, don't stop her from dating the young master of the Luo family. If you want to live in peace with her, then don't provoke her."
Guo Xuyan responded, which was considered as his agreement.
After hanging up the phone, Guo Xuyan sat in a chair and finished the cigarette in his hand. He made another call before getting up to wash his face, covering his dark circles with thick foundation, putting on makeup, changing his clothes, and going downstairs with a forced smile.
At about three o'clock, the mother and daughter of the Song family arrived first. They took the gifts and greeted Guo's father and mother as soon as they entered the door. Then a car honked outside the building and Zeng Xiang and Ye Zhao also arrived.
It was such a cold day that Guo Xuyan's palms were sweating with nervousness. She did not go out to greet them, but took Mrs. Song and Song Xinyi upstairs to see her collection of paintings.
It was when Ye Zhao was buying gifts that she learned from Zeng Xiang that Guo Xuyan's parents were also here. In other words, this time she would not only meet her biological mother, but also her biological grandparents.
It was drizzling outside the car. When Ye Zhao got out of the car, a servant came to meet her with an umbrella. Aunt Feng took the gift from Ye Zhao's hand and said with a warm smile, "Ms. Ye, Happy New Year!"
Although Aunt Qiao said that Aunt Feng was Guo Xuyan's spy, Ye Zhao was still sincerely happy to see such a familiar and enthusiastic person at this moment. She also smiled and said, "Happy New Year, Aunt Feng!"
Guo's father and mother were waiting in the corridor. Guo's mother was standing outside. She saw Ye Zhao first and whispered, "She's pretty, prettier than Miss Song. Oh, she's really pretty."
Father Guo also saw it. He was not very enthusiastic at first, but after one look, he couldn't help but wonder: "The little girl is really good-looking. Her eyebrows and eyes are a bit like yours."
"What do you mean a bit like me? He looks a bit like the eldest brother when he was a child." The eldest brother that Guo's mother mentioned was their eldest son, who now works in Beijing. Except for Guo Xuyan, all their other children are in politics.
"Where is Xu Yan? The guest that Mrs. Luo specifically asked her to greet is gone." After saying this, Guo's father looked back, but didn't see anyone either.
Ye Zhao had already walked up to the two elders, and Zeng Xiang introduced them: "This is my aunt's father and mother, Grandpa Guo and Grandma Guo."
Ye Zhao greeted them obediently: "Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma!"
Mother Guo hurriedly asked, "Xiao Zhao, is that you? Happy New Year! Is it cold? Your face is red from the cold. Come inside and sit down."
Ye Zhao: "It seems that this mountain is colder than the city."
Guo's father sighed, "After coming here for so many days, I finally heard someone who speaks Mandarin well."
Mother Guo turned around and whispered to the servant to quickly call Guo Xuyan down.
Ye Zhao went to university in Beijing. Not only did she speak standard Mandarin, she was also very familiar with Beijing's food and scenic spots. When she started talking to the two elderly people, they both felt like they had met an old friend in a foreign land.
Especially Mr. Guo, it seemed as if he had found a confidant.
Sitting down in the living room, Guo's father asked her, "Do you like fried liver, too?"
"I also love to drink soybean milk. Fried dough sticks with soybean milk taste amazing!"
Father Guo said with a smile: "I never knew that you know how to eat so well at such a young age! Next time you go to Beijing, come find Grandpa Guo and I will take you to eat the most authentic bean juice."
Guo's mother asked: "Xiao Zhao, where are you from?"
"My hometown is Wancheng, Hunan Province."
"So you came to Shencheng with your parents when you were young?"
Ye Zhao had already caught a glimpse of a figure coming down the stairs. She didn't look up, but said to Guo's father and mother, "I was born in Shenzhen. My parents were educated youth in Shenzhen back then."
"Oh, where can I be a sent-down youth in Shenzhen?"
Zeng Xiang answered for her, "It's in Zengwuwei."
Guo's father and mother were very surprised. After Guo Xuyan fled to Hong Kong, they lost contact for a while. The couple even went to Zengwuwei to look for him. Guo's father asked: "Is this too coincidental? What are your parents' names? Maybe we know each other."
(End of this chapter)