52 Come out and play
◎What else does Liang Youwei have besides her face?◎
It was exactly nine o'clock. A heavy bell rang in the distance for nine times. The air was filled with two completely different aromas, colliding and blending.
"I want to live a life free of denial and prejudice. I want to be able to get what I want in return if I give enough. I also want to openly express my likes, preferences, desires, and goals."
The night wind turned Zhao Lingyu's eyes red and also made her voice mute.
"But Sister Zhihui, I can't do it. I don't seem to have the courage, nor the ability. I often wondered if this world couldn't accommodate a woman stepping into the spotlight, until I saw you."
“You can dress however you want and wear your hair long and feminine because no one will question your ability because of your beauty.
You can directly order your favorite dishes at a dinner party, and everyone at the table will follow your taste and drink small hanging pear soup and coconut milk yogurt;
You can go out shopping or strolling in the park like an ordinary person, and be happy to respond when someone meets you and wants to take a photo with you, always being so peaceful and calm;
You can refuse all unreasonable requests with a smile, interrupt topics you don't like or hate, point out the wrong topics, and control the rhythm yourself..."
Liang Zhihui listened quietly without saying a word the whole time.
Finally, after Zhao Lingyu finished speaking and her emotions gradually stabilized, she spoke.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't noticed you were paying so much attention to me."
She frowned slightly, and a hint of hesitation and consideration appeared in her eyes. Her fingers unconsciously rested on the wooden railing and stroked it gently.
Liang Zhihui rarely heard such straightforward words.
For thirty long years, Liang Youwei had been the only one who remained straightforward, and she often took Youwei's frankness well. But Zhao Lingyu was unfamiliar to her, and with a full eleven years between them, she truly didn't know how to treat this child.
If the words are too distant, it will make her sad; but if the words are too intimate, I cannot say them to a strange child.
While my brain was still thinking, a long and thin "cigarette" suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Huh?" She was stunned.
“…Don’t you like smoking this?”
Zhao Lingyu knew Liang Zhihui was a heavy smoker and drinker. She had secretly observed him several times, and whenever he showed this expression and rubbed his fingers, it meant he needed something to distract himself.
Liang Zhihui was stunned: "How did you know?"
Saying "You are my dream" had exhausted all of Zhao Lingyu's pride and courage. She didn't want to say such perverted remarks as "Because I've been watching you all the time", so she simply turned sideways, lowered her head, and fell silent.
But his hand was still stubbornly offering the cigarette.
For the first time, Liang Zhihui was helpless in front of an outsider in a non-work setting. She sighed softly and took the "cigarette".
She was a heavy smoker when she was young, and the first time Liang Ting'an spoke harshly to her was because of this. The few quarrels between the brother and sister were also because of her not-so-healthy personal hobby.
During one particularly heated argument, Liang Zhihui lost his temper and even threatened to sever their sibling relationship. Liang Ting'an was furious, but immediately admitted his fault and made three rules for her: she could smoke, but she had to build her own production chain, and she could only smoke "cigarettes" that contained very little nicotine.
The company's self-built production chain wasn't large, and annual production was limited. Many people viewed Huikang as a niche brand with a limited, niche audience. Consequently, most people in the industry were unaware of this incident, let alone Liang Zhihui's subtle moves and personal interests.
Now that Zhao Lingyu suddenly handed over the brand she was used to smoking, it would be a lie to say she wasn't surprised.
What made Liang Zhihui even more silent was that after she took the cigarette, the other party took out a grinding wheel lighter from somewhere. His crystal clear willow-shaped eyes stared at her without blinking, full of concentration, as if he was gazing at the stars.
Feeling helpless, the woman slightly extended her finger.
Zhao Lingyu was quiet and lit the fire for her.
Although she allowed the other party to light a cigarette for her, Liang Zhihui still did not take a puff - she would not smoke when there was another person present, this was her basic upbringing.
After thinking for a long time, she took the initiative to speak.
"...Lingyu, I'm actually not as perfect as you imagine, and you don't need to deify anyone. Your understanding of me is one-sided, perhaps from Liang Youwei or other outsiders, but you have to understand that what they see is not the complete and true me."
Liang Zhihui paused, letting the misty smoke blur her face. The night was cool, but her voice was gentle and inclusive.
"Of course, I understand why you see me as a goal. It's human nature. Everyone needs the energy to strive for progress. However, I will always believe that you are already good enough, so good that you don't need any goals."
"Everyone's path is different. I'm certainly luckier than most people in my career, but that's not all good. If we were the same age, there's a good chance I wouldn't be able to compare with you when it comes to dealing with unexpected problems."
"impossible--"
The idol's remarks were tantamount to "self-destruction", and Zhao Lingyu subconsciously wanted to deny it, but it was obvious that her idol did not want to be anyone's "idol".
"Zhao Lingyu."
Liang Zhihui frowned and interrupted, calling her name solemnly.
"She is hell."
These five short words were like a blow to the girl's head.
"You're already shining at the age of nineteen. And when I was your age, I almost went down the road of no return in skating. After hearing this, do you still want to regard me as a target?"
The United States is too inclusive and offers too much room for unrestrained behavior. Liang Zhihui's rebellious period broke out when he was studying abroad at the age of 19.
The past was too painful to recall, but every time she thought of her thrilling nineteen years old, she couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. The flashing neon lights, the roaring sports cars, the endless parties, almost drowned her.
Zhao Lingyu was pinned to the spot by Liang Zhihui's words. She wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, she couldn't help herself and asked in confusion: "What is ice skating?"
There was obvious confusion in her eyes, and Liang Zhihui couldn't help but pause for a moment.
At this moment, she finally felt truly sad about Zhao Lingyu's age - as expected, she was still a child who had not experienced much of the world and did not understand any jargon.
“…I’ll search online later.”
Liang Zhihui didn't want to talk about it anymore. She knew she had said something wrong and thought she was stupid, so she deliberately skipped the topic.
The idol didn't speak, and Zhao Lingyu was as quiet as Swan Lake. Her invisible soul was struggling violently, but without making any sound.
Only the wind lifts up the hair.
In the final silence, Liang Zhihui turned his head slightly and looked into the other person's eyes seriously: "Lingyu, I can't be responsible for anyone else's actions. So, instead of being me, you should be yourself."
"You will get what you want. I bless you and believe in you."
.
The Spring Festival holiday is gradually getting back on track.
In large families with large populations and frequent international ties, the New Year celebration is more than just a cultural symbol. Beyond celebrations and blessings, it also significantly enhances social connections and business opportunities. Family greetings are essential, and familiar leaders, relatives, and mentors should also be treated with respect.
While the Liang family was handling internal social interactions, the top leadership, led by Liang Zhihui and Liang Tingan, personally appeared and took turns posting New Year greetings videos on public social platforms, expressing good wishes to the public on behalf of the Yixing Group.
Since returning to China to work, Yixing has created a public platform account for Liang Zhihui, using her image of an elegant and gentle female president to specifically be "close to the people" and "down-to-earth".
Liang Zhihui has a weak desire to express herself in life, but Secretary Yu is well versed in the code of Internet wealth. After taking over the "Yixing CFO-Liang Zhihui" account, she began to share the daily life of the Liang sisters and show off the gift boxes that Liang Zhihui bought for his sister. She has already established the perfect personality of a "rich man who dotes on his sister."
In addition to the 88,800 personal red envelopes of 100 yuan distributed every Chinese New Year, her popularity has reached a new level. When netizens who know Liang Zhihui see her, they basically call her "sister" sincerely.
After welcoming the God of Wealth on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year and distributing 80,000 red envelopes this year, Liang Zhihui shared the Liang family photo for the first time.
Against a vermilion-red Chinese backdrop, two elders, each with a kind smile, sat on ironwood armchairs, one on each side. The most beautiful girl stood in the center, her smile distant and distant, flanked by a brother and sister who bore a similar appearance.
The family of five, wearing the same but different styles of cheongsams and Zhongshan suits, looks extremely happy, complete and harmonious.
This was the first time she had clearly published a family photo in public, and it happened to be a time when she had just received eight million in wealth marketing, and everyone was free during the Chinese New Year, so the popularity of the photo skyrocketed.
"Sister, why is there no place for me in the family photo (crying bitterly)? Is our family going to break up? P.S. I'm being abstract, but I wish my sister and her family a happy new year! I'm so happy to have grabbed a red envelope this year~"
"How come the whole family is so good-looking!!! But the one in the middle doesn't look that much like 'Weiwei'? Or is it just my imagination?"
"The girl in the middle is definitely not the Weiwei I mentioned earlier. It's obvious. Weiwei should be a cousin. Anyway, this one must be my biological sister. She looks so much like my mother and sister."
"Who wants to experience the rich heritage of a large Chinese family like this? It's truly captivating!!! By the way, aren't the brothers and sisters married yet? They all look like they're in their thirties, so why are there only five of them in the photo?"
"It seems like our sister has a very unmarriageable temperament, but my brother looks like a very handsome daddy type. Or has he just not found the right one? Could it be that he fell in love with an ordinary girl and then repeatedly argued with his family?! Hong Kong media has pictures and the truth!"
"The sisters above are really imaginative. This isn't a novel, yet they're getting into the realm of rich literature. Haha! But my single-mindedness is fine. After all, I have a bunch of my dream men right now, and we can still enjoy each other's smiles in the kitchen in the future."
“…”
The comment section was as lively as ever, with the amount of internet traffic these days, the number of comments exceeded ten thousand in just a few minutes.
Imperial Club, billiard hall on the basement floor.
The man swiped the screen with one hand, his voice rising, as if he was enjoying the show: "Oh, this means Liang Youwei has been removed from the family tree."
She is not even included in the family photo.
"You just found out?"
The other person beside him was idly applying powder to her hair. "I heard she moved out a long time ago. Now Liang Youwei and Qin Zhen have broken up again. It's strange that Uncle Liang can tolerate her."
Si Yanle leaned back on the sofa, plucking the petals of a red bean paste flower, his mind absent-minded. Under the artificial light, the matte color wasn't vibrant, the bean paste color gradually seeping into his fingertips. His mood was unsettled, his peripheral vision flickering as he kept glancing at the black screen of his phone.
The man who was watching the show had a playful expression on his shoulder. He bumped into the silent man who was only concentrating on tapping on his phone screen and said, "Yao Yu, haven't you been secretly in love with me for several years? You didn't kiss me in the dare, so why don't you give it a try now?"
"There are so many people who have a crush on her. What else does Liang Youwei have besides her face? Stop bothering me."
Almost at the moment his shoulder was touched, Yao Yu turned off the screen of his phone in a flash. His expression was natural and his tone was disdainful.
There were quite a few people who responded to Yao Yu, but none of them looked concerned.
"The capital city is not short of beautiful girls. It doesn't have to be Liang Youwei."
"I saw a girl in the night in front of me. She should be only 20 years old. She looks much more innocent than Liang Youwei."
"Really? Let's wait until the New Year is over and see it together."
"sure."
…
Everyone's attention was successfully diverted, and Yao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He tapped the screen hidden under the table again, and the chat history came into view.
"Youwei, do you want to come out and play tomorrow?"
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