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The next day, Shen Mi first went to Xie Rongzhuo’s house to pick up the car keys, driving his car to the airport half an hour early.
The large screen in the arrival hall showed that Xie Rongzhuo’s flight had landed. Shen Mi looked down to check her clothes, shoes, and bag, then turned to the reflective glass to adjust her bangs before standing at the exit waiting.
Without needing to search deliberately, Shen Mi spotted Xie Rongzhuo’s figure in the crowd at a glance.
He was wearing a dark business coat, tall and slender, with an air of elegance that set him apart from the other people at the airport. Accompanied by a group of bodyguards and assistants, passengers passing by couldn’t help but take a second glance, wondering which celebrity he was.
Shen Mi was also one of those people, her gaze unconsciously lingering on Xie Rongzhuo.
As if sensing her, Xie Rongzhuo suddenly looked up, his gaze cutting through the dense crowd to meet Shen Mi’s eyes.
Shen Mi smiled brightly, standing still as she waited for him to approach. She reached out to take his luggage and asked with concern, “Master, are you tired? I’ve ordered dinner; should we eat at the restaurant or should I bring it to your house?”
Xie Rongzhuo stared at her for a few seconds.
“Shen Mi, act normal.”
“…”
Shen Mi rephrased her question in a normal tone.
Xie Rongzhuo: “Did you eat?”
Shen Mi: “No.”
Xie Rongzhuo: “Let’s eat out.”
Shen Mi: “Okay.”
Xie Rongzhuo: “Have Western food.”
Shen Mi: “Good.”
Xie Rongzhuo lowered his head, looking at the girl who was sparing her words: “I told you to act normal, not to only say one word.”
Shen Mi: “Okay.”
Two words.
Xie Rongzhuo: “…”
“What have you been busy with these past few days?” He asked again.
Shen Mi: “Not busy.”
Still two words.
Xie Rongzhuo’s brow twitched: “You’re still not acting normal.”
Shen Mi seamlessly shifted her style: “I cleaned your room for you. I changed the sheets, the duvet cover, and the curtains.”
Xie Rongzhuo: “Did you take the housecleaner’s job?”
Shen Mi said: “The cleaning lady charges 500, I charge 250!”
Xie Rongzhuo looked at her: “Are you short of money?”
She’s never short of money: “It’s okay, little by little it adds up.”
Reaching the parking spot, Zhang Wenzhu and the other two assistants got into Old Zhou’s car. Shen Mi waved to them, turned and opened the backseat door, asking, “Master, are you free tomorrow? Zhao Balisha wants to meet with you to discuss the shareholding ratio. I’ll transfer the money to her after the contract is signed.”
“No need.”
Xie Rongzhuo didn’t get in the back, he went around to the other side and said, “This money will go through my personal account, consider it a loan to you.”
Shen Mi: “A loan… to me?”
So wouldn’t she be getting something for nothing?!
Could there be such a good thing in the world???
Xie Rongzhuo settled into the passenger seat: “Lent to my white-eyed wolf apprentice, empty glove white wolf.”
His temperament was cold, his face expressionless, and paired with such words, it wasn’t actually humorous. Shen Mi felt a sense of invisible attack.
Could it be that he knew she had gone to see Ke Zhan?
Shen Mi felt inexplicably guilty.
Closing the backseat door, she got into the driver’s seat, glancing at the man beside her, muttering: “…how come you say the same thing.”
“Who else has said that?” Xie Rongzhuo turned his head, his piercing black eyes behind his glasses pressing down on her.
As if waiting for her to confess.
Shen Mi secretly glanced at him, caught by Xie Rongzhuo.
He said: “It’s not free, interest needs to be calculated.”
Shen Mi felt a little flustered under his gaze: “Of course, of course, interest must be paid.”
Even if she mortgaged herself to the bank, she wouldn’t be able to get a loan of that size. If she made money, she only needed to repay the principal to Xie Rongzhuo. If she lost, even selling herself wouldn’t cover it, it would be Xie Rongzhuo who lost. He could invest in anything, it would be better than lending her money and earning interest.
Even with her toes, she could think that she was taking advantage of Xie Rongzhuo.
Shen Mi knew Xie Rongzhuo was helping her, but she wanted to hear him say it directly.
“Master, such a large sum of money,” she observed Xie Rongzhuo’s expression: “What if I can’t repay it later? Aren’t you afraid of betting on the wrong horse?”
Hearing this, Xie Rongzhuo turned his head, his gaze slowly scanning her from head to toe, finally settling on her face, and he commented: “It’s a treasure.”
Then he added: “Just don’t know if it’s mine.”
“Of course I’m yours!”
Shen Mi quickly pledged her loyalty: “From now on, I’m only Master’s treasure, we’ll share the hardship and share the wealth!”
Xie Rongzhuo leaned back against the seat, a subtle smile curving his lips: “Why does it sound less like a treasure and more like a bottle?”
Shen Mi was stunned: “…A drag?”
Xie Rongzhuo: “It’s not what I said.”
Knowing he was teasing her, Shen Mi snorted: “Maybe this drag of mine is an antique, it can appreciate in value, it can make you money, and you can take it home and put it on display.”
Xie Rongzhuo glanced at her: “Don’t dare to hold it.”
Perhaps due to the long-haul flight, his expression looked a bit languid, and his tone became ambiguous.
The space in the car was cramped, and Shen Mi felt inexplicably nervous, subconsciously asking: “Your back isn’t good, afraid of getting a spasm?”
Xie Rongzhuo: “…”
She seemed to have killed the conversation again.
Shen Mi fastened her seatbelt, gripped the steering wheel: “Driving now, no chatting with the driver.”
Xie Rongzhuo’s cold profile was the only response she got.
On the weekend, Shen Mi found Zhao Balisi and signed the contract, transferring the money to her.
Zhao Balisi invited Shen Mi to her company and brought out another contract: “Sisters settle accounts clearly, here, equity distribution, take a look and sign it.”
Shen Mi finished reading and looked up: “So much?”
Zhao Balisi: “Twenty million, what do you think?”
Shen Mi joked: “Then you can give me some back.”
“Once it’s in my pocket, don’t even think about getting it back!” Zhao Balisi laughed and handed the contract to the company’s legal department, “The more you invest, the more you earn, you’re the second largest shareholder in our project.”
Shen Mi: “What can I do for the company?”
“Just wait to get your share of the money.” Zhao Balisi stood up, picked up her bag, “Okay, Shen General Manager, your humble servant is off to work.”
Shen Mi: “Zhao Boss is being humble. Health is the foundation of revolution, you need to make money, but don’t work yourself too hard.”
“Even before I die, I have to earn the money back for you.” Zhao Balisi extended her hand: “Happy cooperation!”
Shen Mi shook her hand: “Happy cooperation.”
“By the way,” Zhao Balisi said, “There’s another absentee boss, you help me give her the contract, she said she’s too lazy to sign. Let’s go through the process anyway, it makes our company look more professional.”
It didn’t take much guessing to know that it was Xie Rongzhuo’s wealthy niece.
Shen Mi called Zhang Zhiqing: “You have a lot of private money, Zhang General Manager.”
Zhang Zhiqing retorted: “You’re in a good mood, Shen General Manager.”
Shen Mi: “Pretty good.”
“Tsk, buying a house makes a difference, our Shen General Manager has met a noble person? Your house is a feng shui treasure land.”
“When will Zhang General Manager have time to come over to my place, add some money vibes to my humble abode?”
“For warding off evil spirits, you should find my uncle!” Zhang Zhiqing said, “He’s the real God of Wealth, you know? Whenever I’m broke, I go pay my respects to my uncle, and within three seconds, I have money!”
It’s true.
The God of Wealth has never given her money, but Xie Rongzhuo has.
Xie Rongzhuo is the living God of Wealth.
“What’s up? What do you want?” Zhang Zhiqing asked.
Shen Mi stuffed the contract into her bag: “Are you home? I’m coming over to find you now.”
Zhang Zhiqing stepped out of the elevator: “I’m at my uncle’s place, just come up.”
This was her first time coming to Xie Rongzhuo’s house this year, she brought two bottles of red wine for Xie Rongzhuo as instructed by her grandfather.
Seeing the couplet posted on the door, Zhang Zhiqing was a little puzzled, Xie Rongzhuo never posted these things in the past, nor did he celebrate the New Year, all he ever did was work overtime, why was he being so festive this year.
She pressed the doorbell, and after a while, the door lock automatically opened. Zhang Zhiqing pushed the door open and looked around, saying: “Uncle, it’s already March, why haven’t you taken down the New Year’s window decorations?”
Zhang Zhiqing walked to the wine cabinet, put down the red wine in her arms and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window, offering to help: “I’ll help you take them down!”
Xie Rongzhuo: “Don’t touch them.”
“Oh.” Zhang Zhiqing quickly retracted her hand, not understanding why even offering to help with chores would earn her ice-cold stares, she pointed to the sofa in the distance, “I’ll sit over there.”
Xie Rongzhuo glanced at her: “Anything else?”
That was a sign to leave.
“I wanted to wait for Mimi here.” Zhang Zhiqing got up from the sofa, “I’ll tell her to go to my place then.”
“Really?”
Xie Rongzhuo lifted his chin: “Just sit there and wait.”
Without her grandfather’s backing, Zhang Zhiqing didn’t dare to breathe a word in front of Xie Rongzhuo. She didn’t want to stay there but she didn’t dare to speak up, so she could only sit back down. She didn’t even dare to play with her phone. Usually she was chirping and chattering, but now she was quiet as a chicken.
When she had reached out to tear off the window decoration, Xie Rongzhuo’s eyes clearly held anger.
It was just a simple window decoration, why was he so precious about it…
Was it from a girl?!
No wonder he suddenly put up couplets at home! Zhang Zhiqing realized, she had found those words familiar when she saw them.
They were obviously handwritten!
Zhang Zhiqing snorted in her heart, what was so great about being able to write calligraphy, Shen Mi could write too.
The little vixen outside had already come knocking, she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing!
Zhang Zhiqing looked at Xie Rongzhuo from afar and called out, “Uncle.”
“Speak.”
“You had dinner with Mimi last time, did you have a pleasant time?”
Xie Rongzhuo stared at his phone without looking up: “What about it?”
“That day… was actually Valentine’s Day.”
Zhang Zhiqing probed: “You know, right?”
Xie Rongzhuo gave a faint “hmm.”
Zhang Zhiqing: “You don’t mind, do you?”
Xie Rongzhuo finally looked up: “What are you trying to say?”
Zhang Zhiqing immediately adjusted her posture to sit upright: “It’s like this, I feel like I can’t be so decadent anymore!”
Xie Rongzhuo scoffed: “So?”
Zhang Zhiqing clenched her fist: “I’m going to strive for excellence, endure hardship, and be self-reliant!”
Xie Rongzhuo: “So you took your grandfather’s money and squandered it, without even looking, you just threw ten million into Zhao Balishi’s project?”
“……I, I didn’t look, but Mimi did!” Zhang Zhiqing argued: “I invested with her, it won’t go wrong.”
Xie Rongzhuo sneered: “You sure trust her.”
“Of course I trust her, I have to trust her, she’s my future… ” Zhang Zhiqing abruptly stopped, changing her words: “She’s a strong candidate.”
Xie Rongzhuo didn’t respond, as if he was too lazy to pay attention to her.
“There’s one more thing…” Zhang Zhiqing beat around the bush, probing: “You lent money to Mimi because you didn’t want to make Sister Bi Jinglin sad, so you didn’t invest in your own name. Right?”
Xie Rongzhuo said casually: “I’m that close to her?”
“Didn’t you send her flowers last time? Everyone knows, they even say you’re in love.”
“You should remind your good sister about this.” Xie Rongzhuo seemed a little unhappy, “Tell her to stop attracting peach blossoms for me.”
So it was Shen Mi who bought the flowers.
Zhang Zhiqing analyzed the situation slightly and quickly came to a conclusion: “So, you lent money to Mimi because you like her!?”
Xie Rongzhuo’s hand flipping through the documents paused.
He hadn’t originally planned to lend money to Shen Mi.
For him, twenty million wasn’t much, but for Shen Mi, it was a big test. He didn’t want her to taste success only to fall later, he wanted her to take things one step at a time, to gain more experience, to see the true nature of the industry, to be steady and reliable.
But the workplace was extremely unfriendly to women, he couldn’t stand seeing Shen Mi being humiliated and ridiculed by those men, and having to fawn over them.
She didn’t need that kind of experience.
If she fell, he could catch her.
When Shen Mi arrived, Xie Rongzhuo had already left. Zhang Zhiqing was curled up on the sofa, tilting her head in deep thought, as if she was stuck on something.
“What are you thinking about?” Shen Mi placed the contract on the table and observed Zhang Zhiqing’s expression: “Did you get dumped?”
“What are you talking about, can’t you say something nice! It’s all for you.” Zhang Zhiqing sat close to Shen Mi: “I just asked my uncle if he likes you, guess what he said?”
Shen Mi’s curiosity was instantly piqued: “What did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything!”
“…”
“What do you think he means? Give me a straight answer about whether he likes you or not, tell me, not him! He’s being all mysterious, it’s making me so anxious!”
“Sign first.” Shen Mi handed her the pen: “What’s the difference between telling you and telling me?”
Zhang Zhiqing was stunned: “You’re right, I’d definitely tell you anyway, if the answer was no, you’d be so embarrassed.”
“No, I wouldn’t be embarrassed,” Shen Mi buried her head in Zhang Zhiqing’s shoulder: “I’d just be heartbroken.”
Zhang Zhiqing turned to ask: “You’re in love with my uncle?”
Shen Mi’s lips pursed slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering up and down, her beautiful eyes captivating.
Zhang Zhiqing almost got tricked by her beauty, “You’re not answering either?” She blew on her bangs in annoyance: “You’re becoming more and more like my uncle!”
She signed the document quickly and tossed the pen aside: “Can you tell? I’m angry!”
“I can tell.” Shen Mi snuggled up to her, speaking frankly: “Actually, I don’t know if I like Xie Rongzhuo.”
Zhang Zhiqing was confused: “How can you not know?”
“Have you…” Shen Mi was a little embarrassed: “Ever had an online relationship with a guy?”
“I’ve done everything with Qin Zimo since I was little, with him around, how could I have time for an online relationship?” Zhang Zhiqing was stunned for two seconds, then was greatly shocked: “You’ve had an online relationship with a guy!?”
“Who is it?”
“Could it be your master?”
Shen Mi didn’t dare to say.
During her brief silence, Zhang Zhiqing had already quickly imagined all the scenarios: “It didn’t work out? Why? He’s so mysterious, has great skills, is low-key, and doesn’t flirt with girls. Could it be that he, doesn’t look good?”
Shen Mi: “He’s good-looking.”
“Then he didn’t like you?” Zhang Zhiqing gasped: “His standards must be so high, almost as high as my uncle.”
Shen Mi: “…”
You guessed right.
“It’s good that it didn’t work out, what would you do if you two got together? Where were we? Oh, you feel about my uncle like an online relationship, then what?”
Shen Mi described to Zhang Zhiqing: “It’s like, that kind of feeling that’s both real and unreal, a mix of truth and falsehood, do you understand?”
Zhang Zhiqing shook her head: “Real is real, fake is fake, how can they be mixed up…” She suddenly realized: “Oh! I get it, it’s like chasing a star, the feeling of raising a big star, right?”
“Right!” Finally finding a way to make a comparison, Shen Mi said: “It’s like you chasing a star, you love him very much, right? But if he walks up to you and wants to date you, you’ll be stunned, you’ll be afraid, you’ll have a lot of concerns, right?”
Zhang Zhiqing nodded vigorously: “That’s right! I’m the only fan of my baby, no one, including myself, can touch him!”
Shen Mi nodded: “I feel that way now.”
Zhang Zhiqing gave an “OK” gesture: “Understood. My uncle is your idol, you admire him, respect him, and love him, but you don’t dare to touch him, right?”
Shen Mi wasn’t sure: “……That’s about right.”
As for Xie Rongzhuo’s feelings for her.
It should be similar to the love a high-quality idol has for his fans, making her feel like he likes her too.
“Then it’s over,” Zhang Zhiqing said with a worried frown: “I’m never going to be able to date my baby in this lifetime…”
Seeing her like this, Shen Mi started to doubt whether the analogy was appropriate and considered whether to start over: “Why?”
Zhang Zhiqing replied, “Because she’s a girl.”
“……”
Shen Mi thought that her feelings for Xie Rongzhuo might really be just like chasing a star. After working so hard to finally get close, she was blinded by his dazzling light and didn’t even dare to look more, let alone get close.
Yet that feeling of love surged within her.
As she stepped out of the elevator, Shen Mi looked down to fumble for her keys.
When she looked up, she saw Chen Guifang sitting in front of her door and couldn’t help but furrow her brows: “How did you know I lived here?”
Chen Guifang beamed with a smile: “Oh, come on, don’t you welcome your fourth aunt?” She stood up and dusted off her pants, saying, “Since your cousin is on vacation, our whole family came out for a trip, so I thought I’d hurry over to see you.”
Shen Mi felt very annoyed: “You barging into my house like this, next time I might just call the police.”
“Oh, you silly child, what are you saying? Fourth Aunt knows you’re still mad at us. Last time, your cousin pushed you, making you lose face in front of your boss, it was his fault, and he regrets it now, always talking about how he shouldn’t have pushed his little sister. Fourth Aunt is here to apologize for him.”
“Did Opeilan send you?” Shen Mi took a deep breath, “Does she know my address?”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand, I found it myself. Actually… I don’t agree with your mom’s actions either, she’s too selfish, we’ve stopped talking to her.” Chen Guifang tried to get close, “This house is about 50 square meters right? It’s a bit small, but it’s enough for a single girl…”
Shen Mi interrupted her: “What do you want?”
“Well, your sister-in-law wants your cousin to buy a car, otherwise she’ll divorce him… She just gave birth, and the household expenses are already high, your cousin’s company hasn’t been doing well this year, and he recently got his year-end bonus deducted because of you… Oh, Fourth Aunt isn’t blaming you, it’s just that I’m a bit short on cash, you see, you have a house, and you’re a girl, you don’t need to buy a car, could you lend your cousin some money?”
The same old tune about how girls should be this way or that, Shen Mi scoffed: “Why wouldn’t a girl need to buy a car?”
“Ordinary girls can’t afford a car anyway, those are all relying on men, doing improper jobs. You’re different, you’re a girl with real talent.”
“You’re a woman too, is it appropriate for you to have such malice towards women?”
“Yes, yes, Fourth Aunt doesn’t know how to talk, don’t take it personally. Shen Mi, can you talk to your boss, ask him to lend you a million, and then you lend it to me?”
Shen Mi: “?”
“Your boss is so rich, a million to him is like a hundred bucks to us, he might not even ask you to pay it back, you might even make a profit!”
Shen Mi laughed angrily: “Sorry, no money.”
“No money?” Chen Guifang said, flipping her face as quickly as she could: “Don’t think I’m stupid, if you don’t want to lend it, just say so, you’re by the bank boss, you say you have no money? Haha.”
“Fine, I’ll be straight.” Shen Mi said with a cold face, word by word: “No. Lend. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”
She picked up her phone and pressed 110.
Knowing that Shen Mi was determined this time, Chen Guifang simply tore off her mask, glared at her, and cursed viciously: “A bitch’s offspring is a bitch, no wonder she got slapped by the Ko family! Don’t think you’re great just because you’re with a big boss, with your status, you want to marry into a wealthy family, are you worthy? Don’t even look at what kind of trash you are! Just like your bitch mother, no princess destiny yet you have princess disease!”
“You don’t even raise your own bastard, you want us to raise her, now that she’s grown up, you’re waiting to enjoy the benefits! I think you’re also a bitch, you recognize such a mother but not us who have raised you…”
Chen Guifang’s voice gradually disappeared in the hallway.
But the voice in Shen Mi’s mind became clearer and clearer, the dark days of childhood being verbally abused, mocked, punched and kicked, occupied all her senses, memories that she thought she had long forgotten came flooding back, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get rid of them.
Most people probably don’t remember things from when they were four or five years old, but Shen Mi remembers vividly. That night, she was awakened from a nightmare and cried, before she was fully awake, she was thrown out the door by her mother, who locked the door from the inside.
The countryside was sparsely populated, the long country road was pitch black, the boundless darkness swallowed her up in an instant, even the swaying pomelo tree in front of the door became terrifying.
She pounded on the door, shouting “Daddy” at the top of her lungs, only to be met with a beating.
She finally stopped crying, but no matter how scared she was, how tremblingly she pretended to be obedient, how many times she repeated “Mommy, I’m sorry”, the door wouldn’t open.
She was abandoned in the darkness for the entire night.
She didn’t understand why her parents wouldn’t get a divorce even though they weren’t getting along, why her mother would take out her anger towards her father on her.
“Why did she give birth to her but not raise her, constantly sending her away and letting others bully her?
Shen Mi still hasn’t figured it out.
She crouched on the ground, burying her head in her knees. It was dark outside, just like that terrifying night.
She suddenly felt so scared, wanting to hide, wanting to scream. Everything around her felt unreal.
Except for the insults, she couldn’t hear anything else.
The phone rang for the third time.
Shen Mi finally woke up as if from a dream and stood up abruptly. She grabbed the phone and answered without hesitation.
No matter who it was, as long as there was a voice.
She trembled, “You…speak.”
“What’s wrong with your voice?” It was Xie Rongzhuo.”
“He was like a beam of light suddenly descending from the darkness, his voice dispelling the terrifying scene. Shen Mi slowly raised her head, finally unable to hold back, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“No.”
She suppressed her sobs, but couldn’t hide the vulnerability in her heart. “Master.”
Xie Rongzhuo: “Yes.”
Hearing his voice, Shen Mi felt even more wronged, her voice choked with tears. “It’s so dark outside, I’m scared.”
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.
Xie Rongzhuo sensed her emotions: “Good girl, don’t be afraid.” He said softly, “Go to the balcony.”
His voice was soft, yet his words were filled with power. The lingering images were shattered, vanished, fading from her mind. Shen Mi wiped away her tears and stood up, holding onto the chair.
When the dizziness subsided, she slowly walked to the balcony.
Darkness swallowed the night like a giant beast. The balcony was brightly lit, but Shen Mi couldn’t feel the light.
She closed her eyes, her body still trembling.”
“Although she was afraid, she trusted Xie Rongzhuo.
Xie Rongzhuo asked, “Are you there?”
Shen Mi: “Yes.”
He said, “Look ahead.”
Shen Mi obediently raised her eyes and looked straight ahead.
A rustling sound suddenly came from the building opposite. A faint light appeared on the rooftop, and the waterproof cloth that had been covering it for half a month was lifted, slowly descending in the wind.
With a “pop,” two large lights lit up, and a patch of green came into view.
It was a bamboo forest.
The wall of the building opposite was painted by an artist to resemble the bamboo forest of Shen Mi’s hometown.
The warm light poured down, creating a vivid and three-dimensional effect, like a grand sunrise.”
“Quiet, warm, just like the lush greenery of Shen Mi’s hometown in her memories.
‘There are lights.’
Xie Rongzhuo said, ‘You won’t have to be afraid of the dark anymore.’