The next day, Shen Mi went to Xie Rongzhuo's house to get the car keys, and drove his car to the airport half an hour early.
The big screen in the arrival hall showed that the flight that Xie Rongzhuo was on had arrived. Shen Mi lowered his head to check his clothes, shoes and bag, turned around and adjusted his bangs in front of the reflective glass, then stood at the exit gate and waited.
Without looking for him deliberately, Shen Mi saw Xie Rongzhuo in the crowd at a glance.
He was wearing a dark business windbreaker and had a tall and straight figure. His noble temperament was out of tune with the other people at the airport. In addition, he was accompanied by a group of bodyguards and assistants. Passengers passing by him would subconsciously take a second look at him, wondering in amazement which celebrity he was.
Shen Mi was also one of this group of people, and his eyes unconsciously lingered on Xie Rongzhuo.
As if sensing something, Xie Rongzhuo suddenly raised his head, his gaze passed through the dense crowd and met Shen Mi's eyes.
Shen Mi smiled and stopped where he was, waiting for him to come out, then took his luggage and asked him about his well-being: "Master, are you tired? I want to order a meal, do you want it to be eaten at the restaurant or delivered to your home?"
Xie Rongzhuo stared at her for a few seconds.
"Shen Mi, be normal."
"… "
Shen Mi asked again in a normal tone.
Xie Rongzhuo: "Have you eaten?"
Shen Mi: "No."
Xie Rongzhuo: "Let's go out and eat."
Shen Mi: "Okay."
Xie Rongzhuo: "Eat Western food."
Shen Mi: "Okay."
Xie Rongzhuo lowered his head and looked at the girl who was very frugal with words: "I told you to be normal, I didn't ask you to say just one word."
Shen Mi: "Okay."
Two words.
Xie Rongzhuo: “…”
"What have you been busy with these days?" he asked again.
Shen Mi: "Not busy."
Still two words.
Xie Rongzhuo's eyebrows jumped slightly: "You are still not normal."
Shen Mi seamlessly switched styles: "I've cleaned up your room. I've changed the sheets, quilt covers, and curtains for you."
Xie Rongzhuo: "Did you earn the salary from housekeeping?"
Shen Mi said: "Auntie charged 500, I charged 250!"
Xie Rongzhuo looked at her: "Are you short of money?"
She is always short of money: "It's OK, a little bit adds up to a lot."
Arriving at the parking space, Zhang Wenzhu and two other assistants got into Lao Zhou's car. Shen Mi waved at them, turned around and opened the back door, and asked, "Master, are you free tomorrow? Zhao Baili wants to discuss the shareholding ratio with you. I will transfer the money to her after the contract is signed."
"Need not."
Xie Rongzhuo didn't sit in the back, but walked around to the other side and said, "This money went into my personal account, so I'll just lend it to you."
Shen Mi: "Lend it to me?"
Then she would really be getting something for nothing!
Is there such a good thing in the world
Xie Rongzhuo sat in the passenger seat: "The white-eyed wolf apprentice who lent me this is a good guy who got nothing for nothing."
He had a cold temperament and expressionless face, and his words were not actually humorous. Instead, Shen Mi felt an invisible attack.
Could it be that he knew that she had met Ke Zhan
Shen Mi felt inexplicably guilty.
I closed the back door, got into the driver's seat, glanced at the man next to me, and muttered, "… Why are you saying the same thing?"
"Who else has said that?" Xie Rongzhuo tilted his head, and the pair of captivating black eyes behind the lenses stared at her.
It was as if he was waiting for her to confess.
Shen Mi glanced at him secretly and was caught by Xie Rongzhuo.
He said: "It's not free, you have to pay interest."
Shen Mi felt a little flustered when he stared at her: "Of course, of course, I have to pay the interest."
Even if she mortgaged herself to the bank, she couldn't borrow such a huge sum of money. If she made a profit, she only needed to return the principal to Xie Rongzhuo. If she lost, she couldn't pay it back even if she was sold, so Xie Rongzhuo would be the one who lost. It would be better for him to invest in anything than to lend her money and earn interest.
It's easy to guess that she took advantage of Xie Rongzhuo.
Shen Mi knew that Xie Rongzhuo was helping her, but she also wanted to hear him say it in person.
"Master, it's such a huge amount of money," she observed Xie Rongzhuo's expression, "what if I can't pay it back by then? Aren't you afraid of betting on the wrong horse?"
Hearing this, Xie Rongzhuo tilted his head, and his eyes slowly scanned her body, finally slowly landing on her face, and commented: "She is a treasure."
After saying that, he added: "I just don't know if it's mine."
"Of course I'm yours!"
Shen Mi quickly expressed his loyalty: "From now on, I will be your treasure, Master. We will share the hard times and make money together!"
Xie Rongzhuo leaned back in his chair, a barely perceptible smile on his lips: "Why do I sound more like a bottle than a treasure?"
Shen Mi was stunned for a moment: "... burden?"
Xie Rongzhuo: "That's not what I said."
Knowing that he was teasing her, Shen Mi snorted: "Then my burden might be an antique. It can appreciate in value, make money for you, and you can take it home to display it."
Xie Rongzhuo glanced at her and said, "I don't dare to hug you."
Maybe it was because of the long-distance flight, he looked a little lazy, and even his tone became ambiguous.
The space inside the car was small, Shen Mi felt a little nervous for some reason, and subconsciously asked: "Your waist is not in good condition, are you afraid of hurting it?"
Xie Rongzhuo: “…”
She seemed to have killed the conversation again.
Shen Mi fastened his seat belt and held the steering wheel: "It's time to drive. Chatting with the driver is prohibited."
The one who answered her was Xie Rongzhuo's cold profile.
*
On the weekend, Shen Mi found Zhao Baili to sign the contract and transferred the money to her.
Zhao Baili invited Shen Mi to her company and took out another contract: "Sisters should be clear about accounts. Here, the equity distribution. Sign after reading it."
Shen Mi finished reading and raised his head: "So many?"
Zhao Baili: "Twenty million, what do you think?"
Shen Mi joked: "Then give me some back."
"Once it's in my pocket, don't even think about taking it back!" Zhao Baili handed the contract to the company's legal department with a smile, "The more you invest, the more you earn. You are the second largest shareholder of our project."
Shen Mi: "What can I do for the company?"
"Just wait for the money to be divided." Zhao Baili stood up and picked up the bag. "Okay, Mr. Shen, I'm here to work for you."
Shen Mi: "Boss Zhao is too modest. The body is the capital of revolution. You have to make money, but don't work too hard."
"I have to earn your money back before I die." Zhao Baili stretched out his hand: "Happy cooperation!"
Shen Mi stretched out his hand and shook hers: "It's a pleasure to work with you."
"By the way," Zhao Baili said, "there is another boss who doesn't care about anything. Please help me give the contract to her. She said she is too lazy to sign it. Let's go through the process so that our company looks more legitimate."
She treats money like dirt, so it's obvious that she is Xie Rongzhuo's rich niece.
Shen Mi called Zhang Zhiqing and said, "Mr. Zhang, you have quite a bit of private money."
Zhang Zhiqing teased, "You're in a good mood, Mr. Shen."
Shen Mi: "It's OK."
"Tsk, it's different after buying a house. Has our Mr. Shen met a noble person? Your house is in a Feng Shui treasured place."
"When will Mr. Zhang be free to come to my house and add some money to my humble abode?"
"If you want to ward off evil spirits, go find my uncle!" Zhang Zhiqing said, "He is the living God of Wealth, okay? Whenever I am short of money, I go to pray to my uncle, and I will have money in three seconds!"
really.
The God of Wealth never gave her money, but Xie Rongzhuo did.
Xie Rongzhuo is the living god of wealth on earth.
"What's the matter? What do you want from me?" Zhang Zhiqing asked.
Shen Mi stuffed the contract into his bag: "Are you home? I'll come find you now."
Zhang Zhiqing walked out of the elevator: "It's at my uncle's house, just come up."
This was her first time to come to Xie Rongzhuo's house this year, and she brought two bottles of red wine to Xie Rongzhuo on her grandfather's orders.
Seeing the couplets posted on the door, Zhang Zhiqing was a little puzzled. Xie Rongzhuo never posted these in previous years and never celebrated the New Year. He just worked overtime all day long, but this year he made it so festive.
She rang the doorbell, and after a while the door unlocked automatically. Zhang Zhiqing pushed the door open, looked around and said, "Uncle, it's already March, why haven't you cut out the window paper-cuts for the New Year?"
Zhang Zhiqing walked to the wine cabinet, put down the red wine in her arms, walked to the French window, and said attentively: "Let me help you tear it off!"
Xie Rongzhuo: "Don't touch it."
"Oh." Zhang Zhiqing quickly retracted her hand in fear, not understanding why she had to be stabbed even for helping out. She pointed to the sofa in the distance and said, "I'll sit there."
Xie Rongzhuo glanced at her: "Anything else?"
This means seeing someone off.
"I wanted to wait for Mimi here." Zhang Zhiqing got up from the sofa, "Then I'll ask her to come to my house."
"Yeah?"
Xie Rongzhuo raised his chin and said, "Just sit there and wait."
Without her grandfather's support, Zhang Zhiqing dared not utter a word in front of Xie Rongzhuo. She didn't want to stay here but didn't dare to say anything, so she had to sit back. She didn't dare to play with her cell phone. She was usually chattering, but now she was as quiet as a chicken.
When she reached out to tear the window paper-cut just now, there was obvious anger in Xie Rongzhuo's eyes.
Isn't it just an ordinary window paper? Why do you treasure it so much
Was it a gift from a girl?!
No wonder they suddenly put up couplets at home! Zhang Zhiqing realized that she felt very familiar with the words she saw just now.
It's obviously handwritten!
Zhang Zhiqing snorted in her heart, what's so great about being able to write calligraphy? Shen Mi can write it too.
The little goblins outside have already come to her door, she can’t just sit there and wait for death!
Zhang Zhiqing looked at Xie Rongzhuo from a distance and called out, "Uncle."
"explain."
"Did you have a good time dining with Mimi last time?"
Xie Rongzhuo stared at his phone without looking up: "What?"
"That day... was actually Valentine's Day."
Zhang Zhiqing asked tentatively: "You know that, right?"
Xie Rongzhuo said "hmm" lightly.
Zhang Zhiqing: "You don't mind, do you?"
Xie Rongzhuo finally raised his head: "What do you want to say?"
Zhang Zhiqing immediately adjusted her sitting posture and said, "It's like this. I feel like I can't be so decadent anymore!"
Xie Rongzhuo sneered: "So?"
Zhang Zhiqing clenched her fist: "I am ready to work hard, endure hardships, and strive for self-improvement!"
Xie Rongzhuo: "So you squandered your grandfather's money without even looking at it, and invested 10 million in Zhao Baili's project?"
“… I, didn’t watch it, but Mimi did!” Zhang Zhiqing argued, “I won’t go wrong if I vote with her.”
Xie Rongzhuo sneered: "You can trust her."
"Of course I believe in her. I have to believe in her. She is my future aunt--" Zhang Zhiqing stopped talking suddenly and changed her words: "She is the candidate for the little lady."
Xie Rongzhuo didn't respond, as if he was too lazy to pay attention to her.
"There's one more thing..." Zhang Zhiqing asked in a roundabout way, "You lent money to Mi Mi because you didn't want to make Sister Bi Jinglin sad, so you didn't buy the shares in your name. Right?"
Xie Rongzhuo asked casually: "Am I familiar with her?"
"Didn't you give her flowers last time? Everyone knows about it, and they even spread the rumor that you two are in love."
"You should remind your good sister about this." Xie Rongzhuo seemed unhappy, "Tell her not to attract romantic interests to me."
It turned out that the flowers were bought by Shen Mi.
Zhang Zhiqing analyzed the situation briefly and quickly came up with the answer: "So, you lent money to Mi Mi because you like her!?"
Xie Rongzhuo paused while flipping through the documents.
He didn't intend to lend money to Shen Mi at first.
Twenty million is not a lot for him, but it is a big test for Shen Mi. He doesn't want her to fall after tasting the sweetness, he wants her to take one step at a time, gain more experience, see the real face of the industry, and take steady steps.
But the workplace is extremely unfriendly to women. He couldn't stand Shen Mi being humiliated and ridiculed by those men and had to flatter and please them.
She doesn't need such experience.
She fell and he caught her.
*
When Shen Mi arrived, Xie Rongzhuo had already gone out. Zhang Zhiqing was curled up on the sofa, tilting her head and thinking hard, as if she was troubled by something.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Mi put the contract on the table and observed Zhang Zhiqing's expression: "Broken heart?"
"What? Can't you say something nice? It's all for you." Zhang Zhiqing sat next to Shen Mi: "I just asked my uncle if he likes you. Guess what he said?"
Shen Mi's curiosity was instantly aroused: "What do you mean?"
"He didn't say anything!"
"… "
"What do you think he means? Just give me the answer if you like it or not. Tell me, not you! You're pretending to be profound. It makes me feel uncomfortable just guessing!"
"Sign first." Shen Mi handed her the pen: "Is there any difference between telling you and telling me?"
Zhang Zhiqing was stunned: "That's right, I will definitely tell you right away. If the answer is that you don't like it, you will be so embarrassed."
"No, I'm not embarrassed," Shen Mi buried his head in Zhang Zhiqing's shoulder: "I'm just sad."
Zhang Zhiqing turned around and asked, "Are you in love with my uncle?"
Shen Mi pursed her lips slightly, her curled eyelashes fluttered up and down, and her pair of affectionate eyes were intoxicating.
Zhang Zhiqing was almost fooled by her beauty, "You don't answer either?" She was so angry that she blew her bangs, "You really become like the people you are with! You look more and more like my uncle recently."
She signed quickly and threw the pen away: "Did you see? I'm angry!"
"I can see that." Shen Mi leaned against her and told the truth: "Actually, I don't know whether I like Xie Rongzhuo or not."
Zhang Zhiqing was bewildered: "How could you not know?"
"You..." Shen Mi was a little embarrassed: "Have you ever had an online romance with a man?"
"I have done everything with Qin Zhimo since I was a child. With him around, how could I have the chance to have an online romance?" Zhang Zhiqing was stunned for two seconds and was shocked: "You have had an online romance with a man!?"
"Who is it?"
"It's not your master, is it?"
Shen Mi didn't dare to say it.
During her brief silence, Zhang Zhiqing had already quickly imagined all the plots in her mind: "It didn't work? Why?! He's so mysterious, has good skills, is low-key, and doesn't flirt with girls randomly. Is it him? Let me tell you about his appearance."
Shen Mi: "It looks good."
"That means he doesn't like you?" Zhang Zhiqing gasped, "How high is his standard? He's almost as good as my uncle."
Shen Mi: “…”
What an accurate guess.
"It's best if it doesn't work out. What if you two become my uncles? Where were we just talking about? Oh, your feelings towards my uncle are like an online romance, then what?"
Shen Mi described it to Zhang Zhiqing: "Just, that kind of mixed feeling of truth and falsehood, can you understand it?"
Zhang Zhiqing shook her head: "True is true, false is false, how can we confuse them..." She suddenly realized: "Oh! I see, it's like chasing stars, cultivating the feeling of becoming a big star, right?"
"Right!" Shen Mi finally found a way to make an analogy, and said: "It's like you are chasing a star, you love him very much, right? But if he walks up to you and wants to date you, you will be confused, scared, and have a lot of concerns, right?"
Zhang Zhiqing nodded vigorously: "That's right! I am my baby's toxic fan, including myself, no one can get involved!"
Shen Mi nodded: "That's how I feel now."
Zhang Zhiqing made an "OK" gesture: "I see. My uncle is your idol. You worship him, respect him, and love him, but you dare not touch him. Is that what you mean?"
Shen Mi was not too sure: "... It's about like that."
As for Xie Rongzhuo's attitude towards her.
It should be the love that a high-quality idol has for his fans that makes her have the illusion that he likes her too.
"That's it," Zhang Zhiqing said with a sad face, "I will never be able to date my baby in my life..."
Seeing her like this, Shen Mi began to doubt whether he had played the game correctly and considered whether to overturn it and start over: "Why?"
Zhang Zhiqing: "Because she is a girl."
"… "
*
Shen Mi thought that her feelings towards Xie Rongzhuo might really be like chasing a star. After finally catching up with him, she was blinded by his dazzling light and dared not even look at him for too long, let alone get close to him.
But that kind of love is still there.
Walking out of the elevator, Shen Mi lowered his head and flipped over the key.
When she looked up, she saw Chen Guifang sitting in front of her house and couldn't help but frowned: "How do you know I live here?"
Chen Guifang was all smiles: "You kid, don't you welcome your fourth aunt?" She stood up, brushed off the dust on her butt, and said, "While your cousin is on New Year's leave, our family is going on a trip, so I came to see you right away."
Shen Mi was very disgusted: "If you break into my house like this, I will call the police directly next time."
"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? Fourth aunt knows that you are still angry with us. Last time, your cousin pushed you and made you lose face in front of your boss. It was wrong of him. Now he regrets it very much and often complains that he shouldn't have pushed his sister. Fourth aunt is here to apologize to you on his behalf."
"Operan asked you to come?" Shen Mi took a deep breath, "She knows my address?"
"No, no, don't misunderstand me. I found this place on my own. Actually... I don't agree with your mother's behavior. It's too selfish. We no longer have any contact with her." Chen Guifang said in a friendly way: "Your house is about 50 square meters, right? It's a little small, but it's big enough for a girl..."
Shen Mi interrupted her: "What on earth do you want to do?"
"It's like this, your sister-in-law wants your cousin to buy a car, otherwise she's going to divorce him... She just gave birth to a child, and the family expenses are already high. Your cousin's company is in a downturn this year, and his year-end bonus was deducted because of you a while ago... Oh, fourth aunt, I'm not blaming you, it's mainly because I'm a little tight on money. Look, you already have a house, and you don't need to buy a car as a girl. Can you lend some money to your cousin?"
It was the same old talk about how girls should behave. Shen Mi laughed in anger: "Why don't girls need to buy cars?"
"How can ordinary girls afford to buy a car? Those who rely on men have illegitimate jobs. You are different. You are a girl with real skills."
"You are also a woman. Is it appropriate to be so malicious towards women?"
"Yes, yes, my fourth aunt is not good at talking, so don't bother me. Shen Mi, can you tell your boss to lend you one million, and then you can lend it to me?"
Shen Mi: “?”
"Your boss is so rich, one million is just like one hundred dollars to us, maybe he won't ask you to pay it back, and you'll still make a profit!"
Shen Mi laughed in anger: "Sorry, I don't have money."
"No money?" Chen Guifang said, "Don't treat me as a fool. If you don't want to borrow, just say so. You are next to the bank boss, and you say you have no money? Haha."
"Okay, I'll tell you straight then." Shen Mi said word by word with a cold face: "No, I won't lend it to you. If you don't leave, I'll call the police."
She picked up the phone and dialed 110.
Knowing that Shen Mi was determined this time, Chen Guifang simply tore her face off, glared at her, and cursed her viciously: "Bitch was born to be a bitch, no wonder you were slapped by the Ke family! Don't think that you are great just because you are with a big boss. With your status, you want to marry into a wealthy family. Are you worthy? Don't you look at what kind of person you are! Just like your bitch mother, you don't have the life of a princess, but you have princess syndrome!"
"She didn't even raise the bastard she gave birth to, and she asked us to raise it for her. Now that she's grown up, she's waiting to enjoy herself! I think you're a bastard, too. You recognize a mother like this, but you don't recognize those of us who raised you..."
Chen Guifang's voice gradually disappeared in the corridor.
The voice in Shen Mi's mind became clearer and clearer. The dark days of his childhood when he was insulted, ridiculed, beaten and kicked occupied all his senses. Memories that he thought he had forgotten long ago came flooding back and could not be shaken off no matter how hard he tried.
Most people may not remember what happened when they were four or five years old, but Shen Mi has a vivid memory. She was startled by a nightmare in the middle of the night and cried. Before she was fully awake, her mother threw her out of the door and locked it.
The countryside was sparsely populated, and the long country road was pitch black. The boundless darkness swallowed her up in an instant, and even the swaying grapefruit tree in front of the door became terrifying.
She banged on the door and shouted "Dad" at the top of her lungs, only to be beaten severely.
She finally stopped crying, but no matter how scared she was, and how well she pretended to be obedient with a trembling voice, she kept shouting over and over again: "Mom, I was wrong." The door did not open.
She was left in the dark all night.
She didn't understand why her parents refused to divorce despite their relationship problems, and why her mother took out her anger towards her father on her.
Why did you give birth to her but not raise her, instead sending her around to be bullied
Shen Mi still hasn't figured it out.
She squatted on the ground with her head buried in her knees. It was dark outside, just like that terrible night.
She was suddenly so scared that she wanted to hide and scream. Everything around her seemed unreal.
She could no longer hear any sound except the insults.
The cell phone rang for the third time.
Shen Mi suddenly stood up as if waking up from a dream, and grabbed it without caring about anything.
It doesn't matter who it is, as long as there's a human voice.
She trembled: "You, speak."
"What's with the sound?" It was Xie Rongzhuo.
He was like a ray of light that suddenly descended in the darkness. The horrific scene was dispelled by his voice. Shen Mi slowly raised his head, and finally couldn't hold it back anymore, and tears rolled out.
"without."
She tried to hold back her tears, but couldn't hide her inner fragility: "Master."
Xie Rongzhuo: “Yes.”
Hearing his voice, Shen Mi felt even more aggrieved, and choked up: "It's so dark outside, I'm scared."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds.
Xie Rongzhuo sensed her emotions: "Be good, don't be afraid." He whispered: "Go to the balcony."
His voice was soft, but his words were powerful. Those lingering images were shattered, disappeared, and faded from his mind. Shen Mi wiped away his tears and stood up with the help of a chair.
Wait until the dizziness disappears before slowly walking to the balcony.
The darkness swallowed up the night like a giant beast. Although the light was on on the balcony, Shen Mi could not feel any light.
She closed her eyes, her body still shaking.
Although she was afraid, she believed in Xie Rongzhuo.
Xie Rongzhuo asked, "Are we there yet?"
Shen Mi: "Yeah."
“Look forward,” he said.
Shen Mi obediently raised his eyes and looked straight ahead.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the building opposite. A faint light came out from the roof. The waterproof cloth that had been covering the roof for half a month was unveiled and slowly descended in the wind.
With a "click" sound, two headlights lit up, and a green color came into view.
It's a bamboo forest.
The wall of the building opposite was painted by the artist to look like the bamboo forest in Shen Mi's hometown.
The warm light shines down, and a vivid three-dimensional feeling comes to your face, just like a grand sunrise.
Quiet and warm, it was exactly the same green hometown as Shen Mi remembered.
"There is a light."
Xie Rongzhuo said: "You don't have to be afraid of the dark anymore."