I love you
Zhuang Jinghao felt that she could no longer stay in this family.
In the middle of the night, she was too hungry to sleep - dumplings are easy to fill you up immediately, but they also digest quickly. So she got out of bed and went to the kitchen to get some fruit.
As soon as I went down to the living room, I heard that sound.
She was no longer a child, and almost instantly knew what was happening in a certain room the moment she heard the sound. She was so frightened that her scalp went numb, and she went back the same way she came.
While repeating in my mind "Don't look at or listen to anything indecent", I marveled at it.
Oh my god! It's only been half a month, and isn't this couple's progress bar moving too fast? Will they already have the big red book in another half a month?
Suddenly, I felt a little distressed: Zuo Xiao sounded like she was having a hard time. Did her brother make her suffer too much?
Then he thought about it, and it felt like the sky was falling: his brother, bright and tall, like a pine or bamboo, upright and self-respecting brother, turned out to be such a lustful man...
Zhuang Jinghao endured the hunger and searched her room, but couldn't find a single snack. She wanted to go to bed hungry, but she was too restless to fall asleep.
I waited until three in the morning, thinking it was time to rest. But before I even finished going down the stairs, I heard a loud "bang".
This was followed by heart-wrenching curses: "Beast! Bastard! Pervert!"
Her head was buzzing, and countless images exploded before her eyes in an instant.
She knew she should stay away, but her legs, filled with lead, couldn't move. Pitiful cries and curses, one louder than the last, pierced her ears. For a moment, she thought Zuo Xiao was being tortured, and wondered if she should call the police. Then, a bone-meltingly soft moaning sounded, and she realized they were playing a game—something inappropriate for children.
It seems that their night will be long...Zhuang Jinghao could only cover his ears and run quickly to the kitchen.
At 7 o'clock in the morning, when she came downstairs with huge dark circles under her eyes, her brother was already dressed in a suit and tie, ready to go. He looked tall and straight, and looked refreshed.
Blushing, Zhuang Jinghao couldn't help but wonder: Can people in love really lose their sleep? Or was last night's chaos all just her imagination?
The Toyota Alpha was parked outside the yard, and the brother and sister dragged their luggage towards the door.
Suddenly, the brother stopped. When Zhuang Jinghao was wondering, he heard him say, "Wait for me for two minutes." Then he let go of his hand and rushed up the stairs.
The agreed two minutes were stretched to five. Zhuang Jinghao thought his brother went upstairs to look for something important, but when he came down, he found nothing.
"Brother, are you looking for something?" she asked stupidly.
"No." The brother smiled and licked his lower lip lightly.
Zhuang Jinghao understood almost instantly. With a familiar face, she silently got into the car, her mind filled with only one despairing thought:
It's over, her brother has become a big pervert...
After six hours of driving, then flying, then back, Zhuang Jinghao finally arrived at her hotel. Then came a non-stop schedule. She drank two cups of black coffee to keep herself from falling asleep during the various meetings and conferences.
At 10 o'clock in the evening, she went upstairs and knocked on her brother's door.
The company had booked him an executive suite. When Zhuang Jinghao entered, he was on a video call. His grandmother's voice came from the phone: "Is everything okay?"
"Grandma! It's me!" Zhuang Jinghao suddenly rushed in front of the screen. Zhuang Yu'an pulled her to sit on the sofa, brought her a bottle of purified water, and then sat next to her, smiling, "It's been a busy day, Jinghao, you've worked hard too."
On the screen, the smiling faces of grandparents huddled together. The elderly couple offered numerous instructions, urging them to eat well and rest well in Hong Kong. Zhuang Jinghao then urged them to click on the link she had sent them at 9 a.m. tomorrow to watch the live broadcast of the company's listing ceremony. She also said she would take them on vacation after this busy period.
After the call ended, Zhuang Jinghao's heart was still pounding. Turning around, she saw her brother looking calm.
"Brother, are you nervous?" She was genuinely curious. Her brother, always so calm, wasn't he really nervous at all on the eve of the highlight of his life?
"A little bit," my brother said with a smile, "I'm afraid the stock price will break even tomorrow."
"Pooh, pooh, pooh!" Zhuang Jinghao pretended to be angry, "Why don't you say something auspicious!" Although it is common for new stocks to fall below the issue price after listing, she doesn't want this to happen to her own company.
The elder brother smiled and said, "Why do you look so haggard? Your face can hardly hold up the dark circles under your eyes."
It was a rare occasion for him to joke, but Zhuang Jinghao choked and thought: Why am I like this? Aren't you the culprit?
She shook her head, unable to express her pain. Suddenly remembering something, she said, "Zuo Xiao will watch the live broadcast tomorrow, right? Have you agreed with her?"
The elder brother pursed his lips and smiled: "No."
"Huh? Why don't you let her see it?"
"I'm afraid of being nervous," he said seriously, "and the live camera will make you look ugly."
The corners of Zhuang Jinghao's mouth twitched twice, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether her brother was joking or not.
But she didn't want Zuo Xiao to miss her brother's highlight moment, so after returning to her room, she sent her the address of tomorrow's cloud live broadcast, and reminded her that the ceremony would start at 9 o'clock and not to miss it.
At 9 a.m. on January 7, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Financial Conference Hall was crowded with guests.
Among the crowd, a tall figure stood out.
He wore a well-tailored dark blue suit, his attire standing out among the crowd of elites. What made him stand out was his nearly 5'9" frame and his sharply angular face, framed by a neatly shaved pubic hairline. A closer look revealed a resolute and determined expression, a righteous and resolute demeanor that didn't resemble someone from the business world, but more suited to a training ground.
The more Zhuang Jinghao looked, the more satisfied he became. He was sure that there was no man in the audience who was more handsome, manly, and elegant than his brother.
Suddenly someone patted my shoulder. I turned around and saw it was Luffy.
"Your brother is so handsome today." He said with a smile, "I wonder how many women will be charmed after the live broadcast."
Zhuang Jinghao laughed, suppressed his guilt, and thought to himself: What if your ex-girlfriend is among the people who were charmed?
After the HKEX representative delivered his welcome speech, Zhuang Yu'an was invited to the stage to deliver his remarks. On behalf of the company, he thanked investors, the exchange, partners, brand users, all employees, and the community for their support.
"Today, we're docking at Pet Planet not to go ashore, but to gather strength and set off to the next section of the starry sea. Thank you everyone!"
With the brief speech over, the most exciting part began.
At 9:30, Zhuang Jinghao watched his brother standing in the center of everyone's attention with an imposing manner, striking the golden gong with a hammer. At that moment, tears blurred his vision.
Behind the sound of the gong were seven years of day and night struggle, and even longer years of hard work. At this moment, her brother finally stood at the pinnacle of his life.
Everyone praised her name, "Peaceful and Tranquil Years." But only a few knew her fate had a catastrophic beginning, completely contrary to this ideal. It was her brother, bearing the burden himself, who brought her the peaceful and tranquil years that seemed innate.
After the simple ceremony, the guests posed for a group photo in front of the gong as media interviews were about to begin. Zhuang Jinghao was wiping tears from her eyes when Ge Xin patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Your eye makeup is all smudged. Go to the bathroom and fix it. Did you bring any makeup? I have some here."
Zhuang Jinghao closely monitored the stock price fluctuations throughout the day. To her delight, the company's stock price not only held above its IPO price but also saw an increase of more than 5%.
Because of this, the atmosphere at the celebration banquet that evening was particularly lively. Zhuang Yu'an, who rarely got drunk, got extremely drunk. In the end, he couldn't even stand steadily and was helped back to his room by Luffy and Chen Quan.
He collapsed on the bed and grabbed his friend's sleeve before he left.
"Luffy..." The alcohol made him lose his usual limbs as smooth as a pine tree and bell, and also made his face flushed, his eyes half-open and half-closed, making him look somewhat suave.
Luffy raised his lips and shook off his sleeve: "What the hell, you are not going to confess to me?"
Zhuang Yu'an let out a few laughs. "Yes... I want to confess my feelings to you..." He patted the quilt beside him, "You... sit down, I'll tell you slowly..."
"Get lost! Who has time to listen to a drunkard talk?" Luffy scoffed. "If you have to fart, do it now! Don't disturb my rest!"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yu'an reached out and fished in the air, but caught nothing. "You... you are the best friend and comrade in the world..." He smiled to himself, "Without you, Luffy, Zhuang Yu'an wouldn't be here today..."
"Hmph, you're quite self-aware." Luffy bent down and patted his shoulder. "I don't want anything else from you. If you really want to thank me, just help me win back my ex-girlfriend, okay?"
Zhuang Yu'an's smile faded and he shook his head: "No..."
"All talk and no action, huh?" Luffy glared at him and stood up straight. "Then I'll just treat it as a fart you just passed tonight!"
"I'm sorry..." Zhuang Yu'an smiled apologetically, "I hope you can meet someone more suitable..."
"Suitable for shit!" Luffy said harshly, "I wish you to be single forever!"
After the door was closed, the air became quiet and even the sound of air from the air conditioner vents could be clearly heard.
Zhuang Yu'an lay in bed, recalling the brief moment when the gong rang in his ears. He clearly felt the line of his life's musical score being crossed. The glorious end of the previous section was also the brilliant beginning of the next.
I started to cry while laughing.
After 7 years of hard work and 27 years of climbing, he understands better than anyone what the long years mean.
He was an accident that shouldn't have been alive, a child abandoned by his parents. His life was like climbing a cliff without a safety rope; a moment of laxity, a wrong step, and he could fall off the cliff.
As an orphan, I endured countless cold stares and ridicules, or even prying eyes and oppression disguised as care. After starting my own business, I repeatedly faced the brink of despair in this treacherous journey with no escape, repeatedly wandering amidst the unfathomable and capricious nature of human nature, and constantly questioning and tempering my own thoughts and character. The years were long, but what was long was not the time itself, but the endless self-doubt and endless repetition that accompanied them.
Even though he wasn't blessed by fate, he wouldn't shamelessly attribute his current success entirely to his own efforts. It's not like he didn't have luck. But if there were any experiences in his life that could truly be considered a one-in-a-million stroke of luck, there were only three.
The first was the birth of his younger sister. Her existence reshaped the meaning of his life, and her sincerity and beauty reassured him that life was worth living. There were times when he felt powerless to go on, but the thought of his younger sister's smiling face kept him going.
The second thing was Luffy's appearance. He played around with the world, but he devoted almost all of his life to the business they created together. Without him, Pet Planet wouldn't have experienced such rapid development, and Zhuang Yu'an's life story would likely have been different.
The third event was Zuo Xiao's arrival. She allowed him to experience the feeling of true love, injecting a sense of freedom, passion, and even madness into his orderly life, freeing it from a monotonous march. Because of her, he began to look forward to each day ahead.
What is ridiculous and despicable is that the lover who illuminated the second half of his life was snatched away from the comrades who supported him all the way in the first half.
Oh...how despicable he is.
Suddenly, piano music rang out in the quiet room - "Mia & Sebastian's Theme", the ringtone he specially set for her.
Tonight, he could reject anyone's call, but he would never miss her. Zhuang Yu'an got up, fumbled for his phone, and lazily lay back on the bed.
"Baby." He used her own nickname instead of "Hey".
The other party was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was deliberately cold, trying to cover up the shame caused by his sudden call of "baby" - that's what he thought.
"Have you rested?" she asked.
"Thinking of you," he replied.
"...Are you drunk?"
"Drank a little..." He chuckled, "Are you thinking about me?"
She was silent for a few breaths, then said, "I want to congratulate you on your successful listing."
"Thanks."
He paused, and a wild idea popped up in his mind, growing bigger and bigger like a balloon.
Before the balloon burst, he uttered the three words buried deep in his heart for the first time.
"I love you."
“…”
There was a long silence followed by a sigh: "You're drunk."
"Yeah, I'm drunk."
He thought to himself, in the past 27 years, he had never been as drunk as he was tonight, nor had he ever been so indulgent as he was tonight. What would be wrong with indulging himself a little more?
"But I love you." He said what was in his heart with a smile.
"Silly..." She paused for a long time and asked, "How much do you love me?"
He thought for a long time and finally said:
"I love you more than I love the heavens, the earth, the stars, and all living things..."
"More than I love myself."
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