On a clear, cloudless summer morning, the blazing sun beat down on the earth, instantly making the air hot.
On the street, pedestrians come and go in an endless stream, including adults in work uniforms, students in school uniforms, and elderly men and women going to buy groceries or stroll in the park.
Dressed casually, Zhao Honghui mingled with the crowd as he walked toward his and Yao Yao's new home.
A while ago, he hired an experienced decorator to renovate the house inside and out, striving to restore it to its original state. Today, there is only a little finishing work left.
After dropping Yao Yao off at the film set entrance, he turned around and went to his new home to clean up the construction debris.
When he arrived at his doorstep, he took out his key to unlock the door. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw a letter lying at his feet.
Zhao Honghui looked around and, finding no suspicious persons, bent down to pick up the envelope.
On the front of the envelope were several large, crooked characters: "To Comrade Zhao."
Zhao Honghui frowned, took the envelope, and stepped into the main hall.
Once inside, he opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper and a photograph.
In the photo, Xie Yuyao and Ye Xingchang look into each other's eyes, their faces beaming with joy.
Zhao Honghui's face instantly turned dark.
Looking at the letter again, the handwriting was still crooked and messy, describing how Xie Yuyao frequently met with Ye Xingchang in secret, and that there must be something shady going on behind the scenes.
After reading the letter, Zhao Honghui snorted coldly, and his heart, which had been pounding, was now mostly at ease.
It was obvious that this was the work of someone who was jealous of Yao Yao, not the enemy agent he initially suspected.
The moment he saw the photo, he was genuinely afraid that enemy agents were lying in ambush around Yao Yao, taking the picture and deliberately leaking it to him to sow discord between him and Ye Xingchang.
Judging from the handwriting, it is both messy and delicate, most likely written by a young woman with her left hand. The strong sense of jealousy and speculation between the lines is completely inconsistent with the investigative capabilities of enemy agents.
Thankfully, it wasn't a major conspiracy.
Zhao Honghui found a chair and sat down. He picked up the photo and examined it carefully. Looking at Xie Yuyao's beaming face, his heart softened. He hoped that his girl would always be happy and have a smooth life.
Having been back in Beijing for some time, Zhao Honghui was well aware of Xie Yuyao's relationship with Ye Xingchang and the Ye family. He knew that such a small photo could not possibly stir up trouble.
However, if he had seen this photo while struggling to survive on the Miya Glacier, he wouldn't have been so calm. At that time, facing certain death, he had only one thought: he had to go back to see Yao Yao.
If he had seen this photo back then, he wouldn't know whether he should have been happy that Yao Yao could still face life with a smile even without him, or he should have secretly wished that Yao Yao would also miss him and never forget him.
He knew that after a hundred days of surviving on the glacier, he had suffered great psychological trauma and had an almost pathological obsession with Yao Yao, wishing that she would never leave his sight.
But he also understood that if he let his obsession run wild, it would inevitably hurt Yao Yao, which was not what he wanted. Therefore, he concealed his madness well, pretending that he was the same as before, a psychologically healthy and sunny normal person.
No one knows that in the dead of night, he often dreams of returning to the icy plains, reliving those near-death moments, and enduring the baptism of despair and longing.
He felt like a ghost crawling back from hell, as if these days were stolen and he didn't know when he would lose everything again.
Having a severe lack of security, he only felt truly alive again when he returned to the familiar surroundings of his lover and brothers during his time in Beijing.
The thought of how Yao Yao had been treated by the letter writer while he was away filled him with malice, and he wished he could repay Yao Yao a hundredfold for the harm she had suffered.
"Squeak"
The experienced contractor in charge of the renovation pushed open the door and entered the yard to get to work.
Zhao Honghui composed himself, put away the photos and envelope, and went out to greet him.
"Master Liu, I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Here's the remaining balance. You can go home once you're done. I'll come back to you if there are any problems." Zhao Honghui took out banknotes from his wallet to settle the final payment.
Mr. Liu was taken aback for a moment, then took the banknotes. "Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I'll definitely get it sorted out for you."
His ancestors were craftsmen who worked in a wood factory. After retiring, they took on private jobs introduced by acquaintances. The cooperation method for this house was a contract system, which means that the entire house was renovated at a fixed price, and the cost of materials used during the process was calculated separately.
He didn't expect that the employer would come to help every day and even provide lunch.
If it weren't for the fact that every lunch consisted of fine rice, meat, and vegetables, and that he himself was well-dressed and generous, he would have mistakenly thought that his employer was using the renovation as an excuse to steal his skills.
After all, when the employer encounters something they don't understand, they will ask questions.
Fortunately, the employer had a good temper. Whether he explained things calmly or gave vague answers, I always looked like I had learned a lot. In addition, the employer was also quite tactful and didn't pry.
A few days ago, he jokingly said that he would pay his employer a wage. What did his employer say at that time?
He said he was just too bored and wanted to find something to do to pass the time.
During his conversation with his partner, Mr. Liu learned that he had a legitimate job in another city and was currently in Beijing to be with his girlfriend, which made him deeply moved by his affection.
In these turbulent times, couples often turn against each other; such people are extremely rare.
He didn't expect that, at the end of this process, his employer encountered some trouble, and the anger beneath his calm face was nowhere to be hidden. He wondered if his hasty departure would lead to trouble.
"Boss!" Master Liu called out to Zhao Honghui, who was about to leave, "Don't forget to bring your girlfriend to inspect the property."
Zhao Honghui smiled slightly, feeling a ray of sunshine illuminating the darkness in his heart. "Okay."
*
Money makes the world go round. Zhao Honghui hired a private investigator, and all sorts of information about Yao Yao after she came to Beijing kept coming to him. He quickly identified Yao Qian as the suspect.
He had already learned everything about Yao Yao's arrival in Beijing from Ye Xingchang, and he understood why Xie Yuyao had accepted the role.
The thought of her inner turmoil yet forced to throw herself into filming made Zhao Honghui's heart ache, and he regretted not returning sooner.
However, Yao Qian continued to cause trouble for her during her difficult time, and this was not something that Yao Yao could get away with with just one slap.
Xie Yuyao was unaware that Zhao Honghui was secretly plotting something. She could sense that Zhao Honghui was extremely insecure, so she wanted to finish filming as soon as possible and return to Qingshantun with Zhao Honghui, back to the place where he was born and raised.
Only when he gets there can he better heal his psychological trauma.
But because of this, she didn't have much time to spend with Zhao Honghui.
That's just how people are. Regardless of their wealth or poverty, everyone has their own responsibilities and obligations. They can't really disregard everything and act recklessly.
Fortunately, such days always come to an end. On this day, Xie Yuyao's scenes were finally completed, and the crew held a farewell banquet for her.
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