Chapter 23
Zou Ping didn't expect that she would sleep so deeply. She was just leaning against the easel and wanted to close her eyes for a short while.
When you are too sleepy, your dreams will be particularly vivid.
She dreamed that her mother was calling her name. There was no blame or alienation in her tone. Her voice was as gentle as when she coaxed her to eat when she was a child. Such a gentle mother made her feel a little strange.
She dreamed that the children in the studio were running around her, calling her "Teacher Zou" with a smile, and Mai Tian was fascinated by the painting book she gave her. She said, "This is the most beautiful dream I have ever had."
Then the end of the dream was Tang Yuchuan, standing on the foggy street, his expression blurred, and it was unclear whether he was approaching or moving away.
In her dream, she seemed to ask, "Why did you stand me up after you made an appointment?" But there was no sound. Fortunately, there was no sound. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved. She pretended to be indifferent. Perhaps this was her best way to deal with it at the moment.
When Zou Ping woke up, it was around seven in the morning. She was wearing a coat, but she didn't know when she had put it on.
In a daze, she did not get up immediately, but just sat there, quietly looking at the unfinished painting, as if trying to find the remaining echoes of her dream from it.
She slowly stood up and walked across the floor of the room. Her hair hung slightly messy on the side of her neck. Her fingers were still stained with dried paint, and her knuckles were slightly cold.
Walking through the living room, the house was completely quiet.
The wooden floor made a very light sound underfoot, as if awakening the sleeping space.
She walked very lightly, as if she was afraid of waking something, perhaps afraid of waking up some unspoken thought.
The door of the study was half-open, and a beam of morning sunlight slanted in through the gap, cutting out a piece of warm yellow on the floor.
Tang Yuchuan sat at his desk, his computer screen lit up, a dense list of debts and balance sheets spread out before him. His brows furrowed, his expression solemn, as if he were engaged in a battle without the smoke of gunpowder.
She couldn't help but stop and look inside, but didn't disturb him.
Sunlight streamed down his body through the gaps in the curtains. His shirt was a little wrinkled, his sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of his arm. His fingertips tapped rapidly on the keyboard. His expression was focused, almost cold, a side of him she rarely saw.
It's like sorting out someone else's mess, but you're unconsciously losing yourself in it.
"Awake?" He suddenly realized and spoke without turning his head.
The sunlight hit the side of his face, pulling his handsome features out of the night and illuminating the faint red under his eyes.
Zou Ping pushed the door open and walked in, saying in a gentle tone, "Last night...you came back."
"I came back this morning." He stopped typing, rubbed his brow, and turned to look at her. "I saw you were asleep, so I didn't wake you."
Zou Ping lowered her head: "Last night..."
"I'm sorry." Tang Yuchuan said.
How can you just brush it off like that? Is saying sorry enough?
Why did she feel he was so sincere with just three simple words? Was she having a filter for him? Right, right.
Zou Ping felt a little helpless about herself. Since he downplayed it, she would try to downplay it as well.
"It's okay." Zou Ping said as he walked a few steps closer and took a look at the content on his screen. He found that it was Hongsheng's debt restructuring plan.
"Hongsheng?" Zou Ping felt a little familiar with the name, but couldn't remember it for a moment.
"Well, my father passed away yesterday from a sudden heart attack. Everything under his name was left to Tan Jing. I have signed to confirm that I am aware of it, but... she can't handle it and wants to give it to me." Tang Yuchuan's tone was so light as if he was talking about an accident that had nothing to do with him.
Zou Ping was stunned for a moment, and after two seconds, she hesitated and said, "Are you... okay?"
"I'm fine." He lowered his head and closed a document, his voice steady. "My relationship with him has never been good."
Zou Ping was stunned and didn't react for a moment: "...Tan Jing is it?"
"They got married more than two months ago." Tang Yuchuan was a little unsure how to address Tan Jing. Stepmother? He couldn't bring himself to call her that.
"You mean..." Zou Ping suddenly recalled the night more than two months ago when Tang Yuchuan was drunk. The beef brisket with tomatoes in the freezer of the refrigerator had not been finished, and neither of them thought of throwing it away.
So...it's her?!
"You drank too much before, and you said...first love..." Zou Ping didn't know what was wrong with her. She couldn't organize a complete sentence. Maybe she was afraid of offending others, or maybe she was afraid to face the truth.
Tang Yuchuan didn't nod, nor did he deny. He just leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the densely packed numbers on the computer screen: "My first love is now my nominal stepmother."
The air was suddenly quiet for a few seconds, as if some imperceptible thread was suddenly broken.
Zou Ping's throat felt a little tight, as if she understood where the tired look in his eyes came from. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but he changed the subject first.
"Hongsheng has assets on its books, but they're just an overly packaged shell. Based on the information I've obtained so far, it's already over 100 million in debt, with inventory piled up, and even second-tier suppliers in the supply chain are running out of stock. That's not an inheritance at all; it's a debt pile with a ticking time bomb."
"Then Tan Jing..." Zou Ping said the name softly, but an indescribable feeling arose in her heart, as if it was not only jealousy, but also curiosity.
"She signed and accepted everything." He paused, "I don't know what she was thinking all these years..."
"Are you going to take over Hongsheng?" she asked softly.
"I haven't thought about it yet." He shook his head, his tone calm but firm. "I can't ignore Hongsheng, but I can't drag Jingchuan down with me just to save Hongsheng. Jingchuan isn't mine alone; I have to be responsible to the other shareholders. Hongsheng has invested too much in its old fuel-powered vehicles, and the market has been tough over the past two years. I estimate that the assets have depreciated by at least 40%... If liquidation is carried out, it will be bad for all creditors."
Looking at Tang Yuchuan in front of her, Zou Ping felt that he was carrying a heavy burden. She suddenly felt a surge of sadness and heartache, and even a little powerless.
She approached gently, almost instinctively wanting to reach out and hold his hand, but hesitated, afraid of disturbing him and afraid that she was not qualified.
"Tang Yuchuan, if you need my help... I will absolutely do my best to help." Zou Ping looked at Tang Yuchuan and said, she didn't know anything about cars, new energy, she was just a painter, she didn't know how she could help, but she said this sincerely, she wanted to help him.
Maybe he could think of where he could use her.
Zou Ping was ready to obey orders, but she didn't expect to hear Tang Yuchuan's apology, "I'm sorry."
"Ah?" Zou Ping was stunned for a moment. "Isn't it just a stand-up? Everyone has problems sometimes, especially yours is such a big deal."
Didn’t I just say “I’m sorry”? Zou Ping thought.
Why did you say that again? ! ! !
Besides, yesterday wasn't a special day, and it was a major event like her father's death. How could she not understand? Could it be that in his heart, she was someone who couldn't understand such a thing?
Tang Yuchuan felt even more sorry when he looked at Zou Ping.
I asked her out for dinner yesterday, originally wanting to celebrate her birthday, a birthday that should have belonged to her.
He found that he owed him more and more things, including family background, the truth, birthday... he could not pay it back.
As expected, people still can't lie. Why should I agree to Gu Xing's lie... But, thinking of Gu Xing, if it happened again, he would probably agree to him.
Tang Yuchuan was silent for a moment, as if he was weighing something, and finally said softly: "Make a wish."
Zou Ping was stunned: "...Huh?"
"Make a wish." He said it again, his tone was not as calm as usual, but with a hint of low apology.
"Why are you asking me to make a wish all of a sudden?" Zou Ping smiled, trying to ease the sudden seriousness. "No candles, no shooting stars... What's the point of making a wish? Or are you trying to be Aladdin's lamp?"
"Birthday wish." He looked at her with calm eyes, but there was a hint of stubbornness that he refused to explain.
"Whose birthday is it?" Zou Ping was a little surprised. She was about to blurt out "Mine has passed a long time ago", but before she could finish her words, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She looked at him, her expression slowly subsiding.
Is it Tan Jing? She guessed, but didn't ask.
If you can't give it to her, then give it to me?
Birthday, can it be... like this?
He just shook his head, as if deliberately avoiding the topic, and said, "I stood you up yesterday. I'm making up a wish for you to apologize. What do you want? As long as I can do it."
Zou Ping stared at him for a few seconds. She felt like he was looking through her. At first, she hadn't felt that way, but he had exposed himself, saying her portrait resembled someone. Lately, he had been going too far, his gaze becoming unbearable.
She cared so much, but her emotions were always complicated and disobedient, like a thorn hidden deep inside. Even if she suppressed it and didn't touch it, as long as her heart was still beating, she would feel a dull pain.
But she also knew that she had no right to be jealous or complain. He had given her more than enough. Moreover, at this moment, the man in front of her was carrying a storm, and she didn't want to become another gust of wind.
"I want you to be less tired." She said softly, "Take care of yourself, don't be perfunctory when eating, and don't stay up all night until dawn every time."
Tang Yuchuan lowered his head and smiled faintly: "I understand."
He paused, then looked up at her again, and said with a serious tone, "But this doesn't count. You have to make a... sincere wish."
"Isn't this honest?" Zou Ping raised his eyebrows.
He shook his head: "That's too broad, too gentle."
Zou Ping looked at him quietly for a few seconds.
There was a light in her eyes, a light that was slightly playful but seemed to indicate a real charge.
Then she whispered, "Then I'll change it."
"Um?"
"I want you—" She paused for a second, her eyes fixed on his, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, "to be my boyfriend."
Tang Yuchuan stared at her and did not answer immediately.
His eyes seemed to be moved by something, and he was stunned for a few seconds. Then he moved his Adam's apple imperceptibly and said in a low voice, "Okay."
Just like that - so easily - you agreed? ! !
Zou Ping was stunned.
It's not that she hadn't thought about him saying "OK", but she was more convinced that he would just smile, say "Stop it", or "You just woke up, you're talking nonsense", or at least laugh it off and then downplay it.
But he didn't.
When he said "OK", his tone was not strong, but it was like a nail driven into wood, silent but solid.
"...Are you serious?" She asked unconsciously, with a hint of uncontrollable temptation in her tone.
Tang Yuchuan nodded, his eyes serious: "If you are serious, I will be serious."
A trace of surprise flashed across Zou Ping's eyes.
Guilt, she thought. But he had nothing to feel guilty about, right? There was no reason!
The words he just said, from the opening "make up for a birthday" to the later "make a wish" which was not like his style, sounded too much like a person who wanted to make up for something, rather than a man who was truly infatuated with love.
So, did he agree to her because he was moved or because he was soft-hearted?
She couldn't explain it for a moment.
What's more... there is also a Tan Jing?
Could it be that he saw his first love, White Moonlight, yesterday and found that he couldn't forget her, so he wanted to fall in love to forget her.
Isn’t there a saying that the best way to forget someone is to fall in love with someone else?
Did she run into a gun?
What she wants is love, real love, not guilt, not filling in the gaps, not escaping.
But now, this sudden promise seems too easy and too heavy.
It was like a prize that had fallen from the sky. She didn't even have time to see it clearly before she caught it in her hands. She absolutely couldn't bear to let it go. But even as she held it, she felt something was wrong.
For a moment, she could neither say no nor express her joy.
Heartbeat and hesitation were tangled in her heart. She didn't know whether she should let go of her pride and accept it, or pretend to be cool and turn away.
So she fell silent, a little afraid to look at him.
Tang Yuchuan was still as considerate as ever, as if he could see through all her little thoughts.
She looked at him and lowered his eyes, as if he had found the most decent way out of this silence for her.
He chuckled softly, his tone a bit self-deprecating and relaxed: "So it was just a child's joke... It's really inappropriate."
Zou Ping looked up and saw the smile on his lips, and suddenly felt a little pain in her heart.
He didn't mean to blame her at all. Instead, as if he was afraid of embarrassing her and being abrupt, he took the initiative to add a soft layer of ground to this abrupt agreement: "I'm fourteen years older than you, an old man. If Hongsheng's problems can't be solved, I might be in debt. My family relationships are also complicated. Who would want such a life? If I really date a young girl like you, I'm taking advantage of you."
He spoke calmly and his tone seemed to be joking, but the dark look in his eyes could not deceive anyone.
"Don't force it." His voice was very gentle. "If you don't want this wish, change it. It doesn't have to be today. You can think about it slowly. Just think of it as a gift. I'll give it to you anytime when you have thought it through."
Zou Ping looked at Tang Yuchuan and once again felt that he was a really good person. He always considered others first and never forced anything.
But just like that, Zou Ping suddenly felt a surge of pain in her heart.
She couldn't bear to see him demean himself.
She didn't want him to think that he was unworthy of being loved.
She took a step forward, as if she had finally gotten rid of the hesitation in her heart. Without hesitation, she stood on tiptoe and gently kissed him on the cheek.
A very light kiss, but like a flame brushing across the quiet lake.
Tang Yuchuan was stunned.
Zou Ping took a half step back and looked at him, her tone a little stubborn and serious: "I want this gift. You just promised, you can't go back on your word."
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