After staying at home for two nights, Su Zelin went to Lin'an again.
First, the annual meeting was held.
With the expansion of the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Luzhou regional markets, the company's staff structure became larger, and the scale and budget of the second annual meeting of the new century were raised to a higher level. Together with the expenses for contracting hotels, distributing year-end bonuses, and drawing lotteries, a full one million yuan was spent.
There were also two groups of special guests at this annual meeting.
The first batch was Lao Ma and several senior Ali executives.
New Century and Gold Rush, which signed a long-term contract, have become long-term partners and allies. The two sides have a good relationship. Later, Su Zelin went to Ali headquarters to have tea with Lao Ma twice, so he invited these people to show his support.
The second group of guests was someone Su Zelin had not expected—the CCTV interview team.
Reports from news media in Zhejiang Province, Shenghai and Suzhou were of course indispensable, but the central bank's initiative to send reporters to Lin'an to cover the New Century Annual Meeting was indeed a pleasant surprise. I wonder if the last time we cooperated with Taojin and spent 5 million to buy value-added services attracted the attention of the central bank.
For New Century, which intends to expand nationwide and aim to become a domestic digital chain giant, the interview with the central bank is undoubtedly great news and exciting.
This means that the influence of this company has a tendency to radiate across the country. As long as it works hard in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Luzhou regions for another year or two, it will be able to impact the entire Xiaguo market.
After the CCTV news was broadcast, some people complained that in the new century, there are fewer stupid people with a lot of money, and instead, the rich are willful.
Then two days later, the three giants of the New Century also became the guests of honor at the Gold Rush Annual Meeting. Ali returned the favor, and Lao Ma was really grateful to Su Zelin. The five million gave a good start to the value-added services of Gold Rush, and the promotion was smoother than expected.
After attending the annual meeting of Taojin, when leaving the hotel, Su Zelin suddenly remembered something and took out his cell phone to make a call: "Hello, Qiuwen, I plan to visit your house tomorrow. Can you ask if your parents are free?"
This is the last important matter before the New Year. We have already made an appointment and I must go to Yan's house, otherwise it would be very rude.
"If you are free, come over."
From the other end of the phone came Yan Qiuwen's calm and emotionless voice, as if that of a biological girl.
Her father was a scholar who disliked socializing. Whenever he had free time, he would study or spend time with his family. Others knew the couple's personalities and rarely disturbed them. Guests were very rare, and they would just stay at home idle during the Chinese New Year.
"Okay, I'll go there tomorrow."
"Wait for you!"
"… "
The next evening, at the lakeside villa.
When Su Zelin arrived at Yan's house according to the address Yan Qiuwen sent him, he was a little surprised.
Don’t be fooled by this old villa’s inconspicuous appearance. It is hidden among the trees and even a little difficult to find.
However, considering its prime location beside the West Lake, it is not an exaggeration to call it the Siheyuan of Lin'an!
Yan Qiuwen's parents are both professors and scholars, and are affiliated with the Guojia Academy of Social Sciences. Su Zelin expected that her family conditions should be good, but he did not expect that she would own such a residence.
It seems that the couple had a good eye for investment when they were young. If it were today, it would not be easy to buy such a lakeside villa with money. It has a unique location and is a Feng Shui treasure house. The owners are all wealthy people in Lin'an who regard it as a symbol of status. Unless they are bankrupt, no one would be willing to sell it casually.
Su Zelin pressed the doorbell, and after a short while, the vermilion lacquered door opened.
The person who opened the door was Yan Qiuwen. The Yan family did not hire any servants and lived here with just the three of them.
It was a cold December day with a lot of snow and the temperature was a bit low. Today, Yan Qiuwen wore a cloak-like white fox fur hooded coat. The style was a bit retro, but it suited her temperament very well.
This style of clothing can be seen on many women in costume dramas, but it is a big test for the actors' appearance, figure and temperament.
If you can't hold on, you will look like a nouveau riche.
If you can hold on, you will look very fairy-like. For example, Yan Qiuwen now has a simple and elegant ancient style side bangs braid, which makes Su Zelin, who has seen countless girls, can't help but take a few more glances.
It was the first time he saw Qiu Wen in this costume. She really looked like the well-educated and well-mannered young lady from a scholarly family in ancient costume dramas.
"Come in, my parents are waiting for you."
Yan Qiuwen closed the door, moved lightly on her lotus feet, and led the way.
In the wind and snow, the lonely and proud figure seems like a misty and cold fox.
Su Zelin took the opportunity to observe the environment of the courtyard. There was no luxurious decoration, but there was even a small vegetable garden. It seemed that Yan Qiuwen's parents liked rural life very much.
This is the most prosperous place in Lin'an, but also the quietest place, like a paradise on earth.
It feels a bit like a hidden treasure in the city.
As you enter the hall, you can smell a rich fragrance.
This fragrance is very strange, as if the scent of honey, frankincense and flowers are blended together. It smells very pleasant and my mood becomes peaceful instantly.
Agarwood!
Su Zelin made a quick judgment.
This is exactly the smell of agarwood, because he had played with this thing in his previous life.
Fuming agarwood has many benefits. The first is to purify indoor air, kill germs and viruses, and it can especially prevent diseases during the flu season.
But the more important effect is to regulate emotions and relieve mood.
The aroma released when it burns can directly affect the human central nervous system, control anxious emotions, calm the mind, deeply relax the brain, and improve sleep quality.
After Qin Shiqing left in his previous life, Su Zelin broke off relations with his parents. He became extremely depressed and irritable for a while and often suffered from insomnia at night. Later, he found this thing to calm his nerves, and it was indeed somewhat useful.
There is an incense burner in the hall, and the aroma is wafting.
The furniture is all made of rosewood, antique and there are large calligraphy hanging on the walls.
“Being calm leads to far-reaching goals”, “Be willing to give up”, “Be clear-minded and clear-minded”, “The highest good is like water”, “Be tolerant and you will be great, be honest and you will be at peace”…
The styles of the characters vary, but they all have distinct characteristics, some are elegant and free, some are smooth and flowing, some are simple and elegant... You can tell at first glance that they are the work of a famous artist.
Most of these scholars like calligraphy and painting. This time when Su Zelin visited the house, he spent some money to find a painting by a famous local artist in Lin'an as a gift to please the scholar.
After all, if you hope to continue using someone else's daughter, you have to spend some time to please the two elders of the Yan family.
Taking a step back, even if Yan Qiuwen really didn't plan to stay after the internship, it would be beneficial to have a relationship with respected people like her parents, after all, they are honorary members of the Academy of Social Sciences.
The strict father did not look like the old scholar as imagined. He was an elegant middle-aged man with a fair face and no beard, and looked very easy-going.
As for Yan's mother, Yan Qiuwen looks very similar to her, as if they were printed from the same mold. However, compared to her daughter's coldness, Yan's mother always has a faint smile on her face.
Time has not left many traces on this female professor. There is not even a single crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.
When Yan Qiuwen and her mother stood together, they actually looked more like sisters.
The daughter looks mature and the mother looks younger, which makes them closer in age.
Some people are like this. When they are young, they are more mature than their peers, but as they approach middle age, they look younger and younger. It seems that this mother and daughter are of this type.
In later generations, people often post short videos on Douyin to distinguish between mother and daughter. If Yan Qiuwen and her mother were to take a video together, many netizens probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart, and there would be a lot of lsp comments below.
"Uncle, hello auntie!"
Coming up to the two of them, Su Zelin simply greeted them.
Professors being too polite can easily create distance.
No matter how you look at it, Yan Qiuwen and I can be considered friends, so there's no problem with calling her uncle or aunt.
"Hello, young man, we have heard about you for a long time from Qiu Wen."
Yan Shiqian said in a friendly manner.
Tian Jinqiong pointed to the chair opposite and said with a smile: "Please sit down. There is no need to be restrained. Just treat it as your own home!"
"Thank you, uncle and aunt!"
After sitting down, Su Zelin presented the gift he had brought.
The two of them accepted it without much hesitation.
Neither of them is a shy person.
The gifts include tea and calligraphy.
If you want to give gifts to scholars, you can basically not go wrong by choosing these two things.
"The heart of Taoism is as quiet as a mountain hiding jade, and the taste of books is as clear as water raising fish. Good sentences and good words!"
Yan Shiqian unfolded the calligraphy and took a look at it, then he clapped his hands in admiration.
It seems that he is the one in the couple who loves calligraphy and painting, and he asked Yan Qiuwen to hang it in the living room immediately.
Several people were chatting casually in the hall, and then Tian Jinqiong was surprised to find that the young man's real mental age was actually over 35, and he was more mature and stable than young men of this age.
His demeanor, movements, tone, and some unintentional little details when he spoke all reflected a lot of things, and he was surprisingly worldly-wise.
Although he behaved very modestly, he still had the aura of a superior, the kind of aura that comes from being very successful in his career and looking down on all other mountains, like a deep mountain or a lurking abyss. It is not sharp, but rather restrained and low-key.
This was something that Yan Qiuwen didn't see, but Tian Jinqiong saw it, after all, she was more experienced. However, it made Yan's mother very puzzled.
Logically, although Su Zelin's career has developed well, he has not yet reached the point where he can look down on others. Moreover, people who have just become successful will only show off their talents instead of being as powerful as a mountain or as lurking as an abyss.
After a while of drinking tea and chatting, the mother and daughter went to cook.
Yan Shiqian asked: "Zelin, it seems that you also like calligraphy, can you write?"
"A little."
Su Zelin nodded.
"How about one?"
Yan Shiqian made a suggestion.
"Okay, uncle, I'll show you how ugly I am."
This philosophy professor would not ask himself to write for no reason. There must be some deeper meaning behind it.
Yan Shiqian came to the study, found the four treasures of the study, and spread out a piece of rice paper on the table.
"please!"
The strict father pointed to the main seat.
"good!"
Su Zelin did not hesitate. After sitting down, he adjusted his posture slightly and held the pen in his right hand.
Yan Shiqian realized at first glance that the gangster was not simple.
Calligraphy is a delicate job. You can tell whether a person is a layman or an expert before he puts pen to paper, just like Kung Fu tea.
Take the sitting posture for example. The basic requirements are: head straight, body upright, arms open, feet stable. It sounds simple, but not many people can really do these eight words well.
At first glance, some people's sitting posture seems to be quite standard, but their limbs are stiff, their movements are rigid, and they cannot control the strength as they wish, so it is impossible for them to write well.
Su Zelin is different. His posture is standard and he looks relaxed and free.
However, Su Zelin's writing gesture was not so standard.
Modern people tend to use the five-finger pen-holding method, which is also the most widely used. All five fingers of the right hand are used, and the pen is held steadily by the method of "pressing, pressing, hooking, pushing, and resisting", so that each finger performs its function.
Su Zelin's writing is very casual, but strangely enough, it is not the casual style of a layman, but rather has a bit of his own style.
Hunzi had learned calligraphy. In his previous life, he studied calligraphy under a famous calligrapher for a period of time. When he first entered university, he showed off his calligraphy at the first class meeting of the Finance Management Class, which impressed everyone. However, he used chalk at that time. (See the previous article for details)
His calligraphy teacher also used the same pen-holding gesture, and he explained this to Hunzi.
Su Dongpo, a great calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, used the pen differently from ordinary people. When someone pointed out that his pen-holding method was wrong, he said, "There is no fixed method to hold the pen. It should be empty and wide."
This means that there is no fixed standard way to hold a pen, as long as your palm is empty and you can hold it flexibly.
In short, just follow your heart and do whatever is comfortable for you. This will make it easier to control the pen strokes. After all, everyone's five fingers are different and their strengths vary, so sometimes it may be a better choice to hold the pen differently for each person.
Su Zelin's calligraphy teacher liked Su Dongpo very much and was influenced by him in many ways.
After a brief hesitation, Su Zelin dipped the brush in ink and began to write.
Not long after, there was one more word on the rice paper, and only one word - sea!
This is a word full of philosophy.
The sea embraces all rivers and is vast because of its tolerance. It implies a broad mind and lofty ambitions.
The ocean comes from drops of water. Just like a person’s life, it also starts with small things. Only by doing these small things well can one achieve greatness.
The sea is the source of life.
The ocean is changeable. It can be peaceful and tranquil, or it can be powerful and unmatched.
…
This word is also very suitable to summarize Su Zelin's character.
He is ambitious and does things in a big way and with courage, but he is also bold and careful and pays attention to details.
He is always kind to his friends, but whoever provokes him will see his thunderous methods.
In addition, he is also a sea king. To put it nicely, he is as tolerant as the sea, but to put it bluntly, he is greedy and fickle.
“Good handwriting!”
Yan Shiqian nodded.
There was unconcealable admiration in his eyes.
The font is elegant, imaginative and untraceable.
Su Zelin's calligraphy already has the style of famous calligraphers, but it's just not yet fully mature.
"Su Dongpo was a leader in the literary world in the middle period of the Northern Song Dynasty. He learned from the strengths of various schools of thought in the Jin, Tang and Five Dynasties, and integrated the creative styles of famous writers such as Wang Sengqi, Xu Hao, Li Yong, Yan Zhenqing and Yang Ningshi, thus creating his own style!"
Yan Shiqian's vision is quite sharp.
'My calligraphy is inherently without rules', a typical style of Su Shi's calligraphy.
Just like Mr. Dongpo's personality and articles, it is free and unrestrained and unconventional.
"You have learned the Su character very well, not bad!"
There are not many young people willing to learn calligraphy in this era, and those who have achieved this level of accomplishment are even rarer.
But Yan Shiqian was not too surprised. He learned from his daughter that Su Zelin was an omnivorous genius who could learn a little bit of everything.
After a pause, he continued, “Zerlin, there are a few unpleasant words I want to say, and I don’t know whether I should say them or not!”
"Uncle, please give me some advice!"
The gangster said quickly.
"Many people desperately desire wealth, love, and status. After going through so much hardship, when they just get what they want, they feel extremely happy. But slowly this happiness keeps shrinking. In economic terms, this is called 'diminishing marginal returns'. Sometimes wanting to get more is a good thing, but it may not always be a good thing!"
Yan Shiqian spoke with deep sincerity.
This character "海" seems to be written freely and elegantly, but in fact the strokes are more solemn, which shows that this young man is not as proud and carefree as he looks on the surface.
This may have something to do with his strong sense of novelty.
People with this kind of personality will have a colorful life, but they may also encounter obstacles that are difficult to overcome, usually in the emotional aspect.
"If I'm not mistaken, you were standing at a very important crossroads in your life, not knowing what to choose."
Yan Shiqian looked deep and spoke slowly.
Su Zelin was shocked.
As expected, he is Qiuwen’s father, what a master!
I couldn't help but feel a little more respect in my heart.
"Yes, uncle, I do have such moments, uncle, please give me some advice!"
Yan Shiqian said calmly: "Standing at the crossroads of life, a person may be hesitant and indecisive. The factors that affect our determination are often not that things are too complicated or that our judgment is insufficient, but that we are unwilling to give up the choice we should make. We just want to have our cake and eat it too!"
Su Zelin was convinced.
Compared to those so-called "experts", this is a true philosopher, and he has such a clear insight!
After his rebirth, he had originally planned to give up Qin Shiqing and stay away from his childhood sweetheart. However, he was always unwilling to do so and kept making excuses for himself. In the end, he still stayed with Qin Shiqing.
"Uncle, what do you think I should do?"
Su Zelin became more humble and eager to learn.
Yan Shiqian smiled slightly, picked up the pen and wrote two words on the rice paper - "Shede".
"I'm willing to..."
The gangster muttered to himself.
Yan Shiqian put down his brush.
"That's right, life is like this, you can only gain if you give up something!"
"The Diamond Sutra once said: 'Nothing is gained, that is gain; because of this gain, there is nothing gained!'"
“When you clench your hands, what you can hold is limited; when you open your hands, the world is in your hands!”
"Of course, as to what can be given up and what cannot be given up, as long as you ask yourself, you will have a conclusion!"
"… "
Throughout the evening, even while eating, Su Zelin was savoring the meaning of these two words.
Finally, my mind suddenly became clear.
Yes, I do need to give up some things in order to get more of what I want!
First of all, you can’t spend as much as you did in your previous life.
Su Zelin had been considering whether or not to find all his lovers from his previous life after graduation. He had been struggling with this for a long time, but now he had made up his mind.
Some of my former bedmates would have lived a good life even if they hadn't met me.
There is no need to tease these people, just let them go.
A person's time and energy are too limited. With more than a dozen lovers around you, no matter how hard you try or how cleverly you use the "cost-effective special moments", what each person can get is ultimately very limited.
However, some girls who had a bad fate in their previous lives or who would not be happy without you cannot be abandoned.
For example, Qin Shiqing and Huang Panpan, even if I deliberately distance myself from them, they will not be happy.
There are also Song Yuwei and Nanazi, who are also people with bad luck. If I intervene in their lives, they can make their fates less bumpy, and I can keep it in my heart.
Being willing to give up something varies from person to person. I'm so handsome, smart and capable, so of course I can't be used as a standard by ordinary people. I can be a little greedy, but not too greedy.
My current girlfriend is enough, and I can add one or two more as appropriate.
Another thing to give up is career.
Of course, not now.
When the time is right, you can retreat while the going is good.
In my previous life, I devoted half of my heart to my career, and there was no end to making money.
In the end, money has become a game of numbers. It no longer helps improve one's quality of life, but takes up too much time and energy.
It would actually be more meaningful if you use this time and energy to accompany your girlfriend.
When New Century becomes a nationally renowned chain giant and I have made enough money, I will retire from society with a few girlfriends. When I have free time, I will enjoy their talents in playing various musical instruments and singing. Wouldn't that be wonderful
Hunzi found that he benefited a lot from the conversation with Yan Shiqian and even thought of the ending.
After dinner, Su Zelin stayed at Yan's house for a while and then said goodbye.
Yan Qiuwen sent him out the door and couldn't help asking, "Hey, what did you talk about with my dad?"
While eating, she found that Su Zelin was always thinking, and then he suddenly figured something out, as if he had suddenly realized something.
“I’m willing to give it up!”
"Are you willing to give it up?"
“That’s right!”
Su Zelin grabbed her hand, then let it go, and said with great joy: "Now I understand what needs to be grasped and what needs to be let go!"
"Oh, can you tell me about it?"
Yan Qiuwen asked with interest.
"I can't tell you the details, it's private." Su Zelin coughed dryly, "In short, people shouldn't be too greedy, so that they can get more of what they want most!"
"oh!"
Don't be too greedy, that would be a bit greedy.
Give up being a sea king.
However... he's still a scumbag!
I just don't intend to be that bad anymore.
After saying goodbye to Yan Qiuwen, Su Zelin called Ding Lina after getting in the car.
Nanako has to go home to celebrate the New Year tomorrow, so of course we have to have a good date tonight.
We went to see a movie first. In the dimly lit cinema, we sat in the couple seats in the last row. It was quite interesting, but I could always hear suppressed humming sounds around me. It seemed that quite a few couples were live streaming their sex lives.
Fortunately, the Internet is not well developed nowadays and there are not many mobile phones equipped with cameras, otherwise it would be easy to become a hot topic.
After watching the movie, we went to eat some kebabs and then went home.
We didn't go to the hotel. All the other girls in the class went home, leaving Nanazi alone, so we went directly to her dormitory. Ding Lina seemed to like this kind of atmosphere, and of course Hunzi liked it too.
It was a bit cold as it was snowing in the twelfth lunar month, and Luo Xi's bedding was requisitioned again that night.
The next morning, before leaving school, Nanako called her best friend.
"Ah Xi, if I accidentally used your stuff, just for one night, you wouldn't blame me, right?"
Luo Xi: “???”
…