Chapter 36

"Your photography skills are getting better and better." Zou Ping said with a smile in a cheerful tone.

"As long as you are satisfied." Tang Yuchuan handed the camera back to her, his tone as steady as ever.

He has only come twice in the past six months.

Tang Yuchuan was always busy and rarely appeared in public. Whenever he did, he would just stand behind the camera and snap photos for her. Fans would occasionally hear a deep male voice and knew she had a boyfriend who never showed his face, but they were never able to capture his appearance.

Zou Ping's channel became popular quietly.

Initially, she just wanted to leave some images. As Tang Yuchuan said, life is impermanent, and people must always leave some traces of themselves while they are alive.

When she meets people who are still working hard in difficult situations, she will set up a sketchbook on the spot and use a few minutes of lines to capture a smile; then, she will continue to help them by chance as she did the first time, and each time she will sweep up a large sum of money to help the person solve his urgent needs.

In the video, she has no makeup on and looks gentle.

The lights from the street corner or the afternoon sun shone on her hair. She knelt on the street or on the steps, and the tip of her pen rustled on the paper.

The people she paints always have light in their eyes.

She never emphasizes the amount and never shows off her emotions.

Material things can alleviate current difficulties; spiritual things can support hope for the future.

Fans commented: "What she captured was not the suffering, but the light that still shone amidst the suffering."

They remembered her painting a portrait of the blind girl under the dim streetlight. The girl sat on a simple bench, her eyes closed, but she carefully held an origami rose in her hands, smiling as if she could see colors.

They remember that she painted a little girl on the hospital rooftop who was undergoing chemotherapy. She had a bald head and still wore a pink hairpin. The girl smiled like a daisy swaying in the wind and said it was her "battle hairpin."

They remember how she had painted the gentleness of the woman hunched over as she mended her nets at the fishing harbor before dawn, her face etched with the warmth of wind and frost. The sea breeze fluttered the hem of her clothes, as if a lifetime of hardship were hidden in that quiet movement.

They remember her painting the calloused hands of an old man holding a hurdy-gurdy on a windswept street. He was gazing up at the gray sky, and though the painting was silent, the sound of the hurdy-gurdy, the old man's longing for his deceased loved ones, seemed audible.

…

Not only did they remember, but he also silently watched her every move.

Tang Yuchuan knew that the hand that was accidentally extended half a year ago had quietly changed the trajectory of her world.

He saw her gradually becoming gentle and resolute in the light and shadow, and he liked her like this.

"How about I take you to a newly opened local restaurant tonight?" Tang Yuchuan looked at her sideways and spoke in a low voice.

"Sure, but - I'm treating you today." Zou Ping smiled, with a hint of playfulness in her brows.

Tang Yuchuan saw her expression and immediately understood: "It seems that something good has happened."

"Well," Zou Ping stroked her temples casually, but couldn't hide the glint in her eyes. "I won the prize for the Shefik Bursale Painting Competition. How's that for a good reason? It's a great excuse for you to celebrate with me."

Tang Yuchuan was slightly stunned, then his smile deepened. His gaze stayed on her face for a few seconds, as if he wanted to freeze that moment with his eyes.

Zou Ping's eyes and brows were lively with joy, and compared with her usual calm and self-possession, she seemed particularly childish.

She is only in her twenties, but she often acts like an adult who has seen through the world too early. Her complicated family makes it rare for her to shine simply because of a small good thing like she is doing now.

Tang Yuchuan looked at her like this, and his heart moved slightly.

"Of course," he chuckled softly, his tone so gentle it almost melted. "This excuse is enough for me to concentrate on celebrating with you tonight."

Zou Ping pursed her lips and smiled, then avoided his gaze somewhat embarrassedly.

This year, she not only recorded vlogs and walked the streets to paint the faces of those who remained positive in difficult situations, but also continued to create her own works - those oil paintings that were inspired by her feelings, which she often completed quietly at night and occasionally submitted to various awards.

She suddenly felt that she liked her current life a little bit.

Sometimes life is very wonderful. It seems that there is nothing special about it. You just live like this, live hard, and one day your life will get on track and slowly get better.

Looking back, I feel that everything is just a coincidence, a gift from God to those who work hard.

"Probably after the New Year. If you have time, can you accompany me to Turkey? There seems to be an event there. I wonder if it's an award ceremony or just a simple exchange." Zou Ping spoke slowly.

"Okay." Tang Yuchuan agreed quickly.

"You agreed so readily? You haven't asked for the specific date yet. Aren't you very busy?" Zou Ping was a little bit unbelieving. She was just trying it out. She has never been the kind of person who needs others to put down their work to accompany her. Tang Yuchuan had apologized to her many times before because of work.

"Hongsheng's debt restructuring was finalized last week," he said, his tone sounding like a brief update on the weather, yet hinting at the intense pressure and hassle of months past. "Several major creditor banks agreed to extend the repayment period and introduce local government industry support funds. While profit margins won't look great in the short term, at least our long-time employees' jobs are safe, and the brand hasn't been cut off."

He tapped his fingertips casually on the steering wheel twice, as if leaving all those complicated negotiations and countless meetings behind.

The street lights outside the car window faded one by one, and the slightly cool winter night air passed through the window cracks. The hustle and bustle of the city now became a silent background.

"Over at Jingchuan," Tang Yuchuan's eyebrows arched slightly, with a rare hint of relief, "the solid-state battery we collaborated on with Blue Arc Laboratories in Switzerland this year has completed sample testing, and the data is very impressive. The mass production line at the new factory in Jiangling is also about to officially start production. Several rounds of strategic investment have been successfully received, and the output value and delivery before the end of the year have exceeded expectations."

At this point, his tone softened, as if he were sharing a little secret with her. "This year has been incredibly busy. Several major milestones have been piled on top of each other, and sometimes I feel like I can't catch my breath. After the New Year, Secretary Miao's mother happened to be having surgery in the US, so I wanted to give her a break, and by the way, I'd like to take some time off too."

Zou Ping was stunned for a moment, and a hint of tenderness flashed across her eyes as she looked at him.

She had always known how complex his world was, the boardroom maneuvers, the investors' cold stares, the ups and downs of the industry—he'd never told her much. But when he spoke of this now, his expression was calm, as if he'd taken off some of his armor.

She had no interest in specific bonds, funds, data, tests... but for some reason, she liked listening to him share these things, as if this would bring her closer to him.

"I heard that you let Miss Tan...Ms. Tan join your company." Zou Ping suddenly asked.

Tang Yuchuan's eyes swept across the front, his fingers still tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel: "Who told you that?"

Zou Ping felt a little guilty. She didn't expect that his first reaction was to ask for the source of the information.

She was silent for a moment, not wanting to expose the person who leaked the information to her, nor did she want to lie, so she simply asked back, "Can't I ask?"

Tang Yuchuan turned his head gently to look at her, his eyes gentle and a smile on his lips: "Is this considered jealousy?"

"Alright!" Zou Ping couldn't help but laugh out loud, a hint of mischief in the corner of her eyes. "Who said we should keep public and private affairs separate?"

Two months ago, she had offered to help out in his company.

At that time, both companies under Tang Yuchuan had not yet overcome the crisis. Because Jingchuan took over the debt-ridden Hongsheng, it was also at risk of being dragged down by Hongsheng.

Tang Yuchuan goes out early and comes back late every day, and his face is often frighteningly pale.

She had asked to join the secretariat, without salary, to serve tea and water and help share some of his burden.

But Tang Yuchuan refused at the time, saying in a serious tone that public and private matters must be kept separate, "I don't want you to be involved in the company."

"The situation is different," Tang Yuchuan explained slowly, his tone calm and rational. "I don't think you can fully demonstrate your brilliance in the car company. Tan Jing is different. She studied car design, and her psychologist also recommended that she participate in work appropriately. Hongsheng was invested in her over a decade ago, and having her back now is a kind of continuation of her efforts."

Zou Ping's hands were clenched slightly on her knees, then slowly released, her fingertips seeming to unconsciously stroke the corners of her clothes.

She looked up at Tang Yuchuan, and there was a complex light in her eyes for a moment, not jealousy, nor blame, but a slight daze mixed with surprise and unwillingness.

In her heart, she had a vague feeling that she was being left on the periphery, while another person was allowed to return to the center of his world because of the past.

She lowered her head slightly, her breathing short, but she tried to keep her expression calm.

After a moment of silence, she raised her eyes and tried to force a smile: "I understand."

"What do you understand?" Tang Yuchuan said.

"I understand that your relationship of nearly twenty years has been different." Zou Ping tried to keep herself calm. After all, she knew about Tang Yuchuan's past before she was with him.

If you mind, you shouldn't love him or choose him.

Since you can't control your own heart, you can't force anything.

Zou Ping reminded herself again and again in her heart not to be greedy, but the bitterness and sorrow in her heart still spread.

She looked at Tang Yuchuan in silence.

During those youthful years, he couldn't deny that Tan Jing had completely occupied his heart. Over a decade of concern followed him like a shadow, love and hate tangled into an inextricable thread that couldn't be easily erased.

More than a decade ago, when Tan Jing chose to be with his father, he knew there was no possibility between them anymore. Morality was like an invisible wall, separating all possibilities.

So, when Tan Jing said that day that she wanted to start over with him, he suddenly realized that he had liked her for many years. But he was the first to give up on wanting to be with her, and he had given up on it for many years.

Ever since he and Zou Ping got together, he was determined to make her the only one in his world of love. But the past could never really fade away, and his concern for Tan Jing was folded into his care and respect for his family.

"Public and private matters must be clearly distinguished." Tang Yuchuan spoke slowly, his tone calm, but every word clear: "You are private, so naturally you cannot enter the company."

Zou Ping's eyes drooped slightly, and she felt a little confused.

She knew that half of his words were sincere. He was promising that since he had chosen her, he would not do anything to let her down.

The other half was just coaxing her. Tan Jing had never really been classified into the "male" world.

Tan Jing's existence is like a shadow, lying across his world, both vaguely and clearly.

Zou Ping could sense that Tang Yuchuan's sense of morality and responsibility underpinned every word and every choice he made. He let go of the past without ever completely denying it; he committed to the future without easily drawing a line in the sand.

"We're here." Tang Yuchuan parked the car.

Zou Ping unbuckled her seat belt. She felt that the car arrived at the right time, helping her to interrupt the topic about Tan Jing and also interrupt her thinking.

It was obvious that she was the first to bring up this topic every time, and she was also the one who became unhappy while talking about it.

Zou Ping didn't know why she kept repeating the same mistakes again and again. She was the one who learned from her mistakes.

"Did you like this taste when you were a child?" Tang Yuchuan picked up a piece of braised pork and handed it to Zou Ping.

"I don't have any particular impression... You know, I can't remember a lot of things from my childhood." Zou Ping frowned slightly, then picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. "But this taste seems to have been seen somewhere before. It's delicious."

"It's familiar, isn't it?" Tang Yuchuan said softly, his tone calm but full of meaning. "Just like some things that belong to you, they will return to you sooner or later."

"There are some things that I thought I would never find. Perhaps, just because they are not born to be mine, they will always belong to me." Zou Ping's hand that was picking up the food paused slightly.

"Sometimes, what you thought you had lost may appear when you least expected it." Tang Yuchuan picked up the pickled pork with preserved vegetables, the thick soup with the sweetness of spring bamboo shoots and the aroma of pork, and gently placed it in her bowl.

Zou Ping looked down at the soup in the bowl, her heartbeat quickened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Zou Ping looked at the steamed yellow croaker on the table. The fish was decorated with shredded ginger and green onion, and the steamed juice was shining.

She picked up the fish and put it in the bowl, saying softly, "The fish is so tender and smooth, even the bones are easy to pick apart. Life is always a little bumpy, but if you handle it properly, it can be smooth sailing."

Tang Yuchuan smiled and gently put down his chopsticks: "I understand what you mean."

Zou Ping took a sip of tea, the fragrance of the tea spread between her lips and teeth, but it could not hide the complex feelings surging in her heart.

For the past six months, her days with Tang Yuchuan have been filled with laughter, busyness, warmth, and untouchable secrets.

Zou Ping was a bit confused. After that day, she learned about her life experience and Tang Yuchuan's concealment. Later, she also learned that the strange man who approached her was called Gu Xing, and he was the adopted son of her biological parents.

Her first reaction was loss, confusion, and even pain at Tang Yuchuan's concealment, but she ultimately did not question him.

False warmth, one day longer is better than another.

She thought, she chose to remain silent, chose the peace at this moment, chose to pretend that she knew nothing, and chose not to destroy the happiness in front of her.

Tang Yuchuan looked at her quietly from the opposite side, with an imperceptible worry in his eyes.

Ever since Gu Xing found her and told her the truth, it felt like a crack was quietly opened in his heart, and guilt and worry were intertwined.

He didn't know how much Zou Ping understood, nor did he know why she didn't question him, but he knew that there was a slight confusion in her eyes, a mixture of shock, dissatisfaction, but also a hidden calmness.

He remembered the promise he had made to Gu Xing. His previous tolerance and protection had now become the shackles of silence.

No lie can be concealed for a lifetime, but her career has been on the right track and her positive life in the past six months has made him less and less willing to expose anything. He hopes that she can be safe, even if there is a shadow of the truth hidden behind that safety.

False stability, every day is a day longer.

Zou Ping picked up a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus lotus root and gently brought it to her lips.

The sweet fragrance diffused on the tip of her tongue, but her eyes fell on the lotus root slices in the bowl, as if she was weighing the sweetness and bitterness of the days.

"No matter how hard life is, a little sweetness will make it all better." She whispered softly, her voice gentle but with a hint of relief. "Actually, compared to many people, we are already considered happy."

She smiled gently and put a piece of candied lotus root into Tang Yuchuan's bowl. Her movements were slow and thoughtful, as if this sweetness was not only food, but also her understanding of life. The sweetness was accompanied by warning and acceptance.

Tang Yuchuan looked at Zou Ping and smiled. Life doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, nor does it have to be worry-free. It is enough to be able to feel warmth from the tiny sweetness. Perhaps this is what the two of them understand tacitly at this moment.

The sweet osmanthus fragrance of the candied lotus root wafted away, lightly falling between the two people's breaths.