Praise You
It's early spring again.
The clouds in the sky gather and disperse, and people on the earth come and go.
City Z held a seminar on the development of psychological therapy and invited Ye Yuanyin to speak. After her talk, she had to return to Jiutao Village. It just so happened that Maha was also going to attend an innovation and technology conference in the neighboring city. The organizer was an industry association. They said the conference was about empowering and creating a better future, but in reality, it was just a way to make some money and make more friends.
The two of them traveled together.
While waiting for their flight in the VIP lounge at the airport, the two of them were separated. A man approached her and asked for her contact information. Maha quickly stood up, walked over, and asked, "Will your husband and children come to pick you up after you get off the plane?"
Ye Yuanyin replied: "Yes, I saw it as soon as I landed."
The man next to her looked at her again, and seemed less eager than before.
After getting on the plane, Maha was still lamenting that there were so many beautiful girls available. Even though he was wearing a wedding ring, there were still men throwing themselves at him. Do you think this is the loss of human nature or the shackles of morality?
Ye Yuanyin didn't answer his question directly, but only said: "It may still have something to do with the cabin. In the past, when I took the green train and bought a standing ticket, few people came to chat with me."
Zhang Chang comforted her, "Times are different now. From now on, you will be the only one looking down on others, and no one will dare to look down on you."
"I'm not lamenting this sort of thing. If a person's life isn't going well, they're bound to be laughed at by others. If they're doing well, they'll probably laugh at others again. Life is nothing more than people laughing at you, and you laughing at others. My neck hurts when I look up at others, and my headache hurts when I look down at them. Since it's unavoidable, I might as well take care of myself. Peace of mind is better than anything else."
Maha thought back. People like them, without family to rely on, had spent the past few years bouncing back and forth between "looking at others" and "supporting themselves." He had been stuck in a rut about his healing project, never remembering the Buddha's teachings. It was clear that when people couldn't resolve the material needs of life, spiritual practice wouldn't be enough to free them from worldly suffering.
After the lecture, a group of parents gathered to ask questions. As long as it involved their children, everyone became devoted. Ye Yuanyin patiently explained the parents' questions and provided a wealth of testing resources. In her ninth year in Ancheng, everything from her makeup to her clothing, even her behavior and values, had changed significantly, but she remained as serious as ever.
Maha instructed her, "Wait for me when you're done here, and we'll go out for dinner together in the evening."
"I want to go out for a walk on my own."
"No, you should wait for me."
"You're so old, are you still afraid of being single?"
Zhang Chang didn't want to bear this false reputation in vain, so he said, "It's your boss, Mr. Chen, who is worried that you'll go astray."
At the mention of him, Ye Yuanyin's expression softened. Originally, Shen Yan'an had wanted to come with her, but he was so caught up in his work that he couldn't focus. Appreciating someone else's hard work is also a form of consideration, so she no longer refused and simply said, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Zhang Chang loathed couples' high-profile displays of affection; if he saw them on WeChat Moments, he'd unceremoniously curse them for a quick death. But he felt a bit overwhelmed by these soulmate displays. The two of them, with their glances and gestures, coordinated perfectly. Before he could even begin to feel resentful, they'd already finished, still wanting more. It was a truly understated elegance.
"I'm getting so fed up with you two."
Maha is always thinking about the healing project he created. The initial market response was very enthusiastic. He is still immersed in the afterglow of success and needs some subsequent comfort to prolong the pleasure. Therefore, he pays special attention to Xiaoye's marriage.
"Did you know that Ji Quan wants to resign?"
Ye Yuanyin looked up at him, puzzled, "Why?"
"After waiting for six months, Chen Di'an still hasn't divorced you. He probably feels he has no chance." Zhang Chang gave her an earnest analysis. "Ji Quan has been by your husband's side for six or seven years, handling all the key tasks of the group. The Shen family issue hasn't been resolved yet. Resigning at this time would simply disrupt the morale of the army. You'd better be careful."
"Is there no one else reliable around him?"
"How about you come?"
"No." Ye Yuanyin refused without hesitation. "It's better for a couple to just be a couple. If you mix work with it, you'll probably end up alienating each other for various interests. Besides, I've only just started my own career with great difficulty. You know how much effort and hardship I've put into this profession. Why should I sacrifice myself for him?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Zhang Chang praised her, sucking on his teeth. "What you said makes a lot of sense. You're the epitome of someone unperturbed by love. But have you read Wislawa Szymborska's poetry? Only hatred prevails. Ji Quan can't get his love back, and he's already starting to attack you, and you don't have a solution. Isn't this a recipe for total defeat?"
Ye Yuanyin pondered for a moment and said, "Based on my understanding of Shen Ji'an, he has lived under high pressure since he was a child and probably hates being controlled the most. Ji Quan's move is not a good one. Besides, a friend just happened to ask me for a favor, so why not give it a try?"
Zhang Chang smiled happily after hearing this and said, "Then I feel relieved."
"You can't be at ease." Ye Yuanyin advised him to prepare for a rainy day. "Mr. Shen has another principle that cannot be crossed. He hates nepotism that makes things difficult to get rid of. You are still suitable for research and development. When the healing project is profitable, you can retire. Don't let yourself be ruined in the end."
Zhang Chang broke into a sweat after hearing what she said, and hurriedly asked, "Does Mr. Shen think I'm interfering too much in decision-making?"
Ye Yuanyin stopped there, "How should I know? I'm just telling you the simple cycle of history."
Maha nodded quickly, "You're right, I'm not that ambitious, and I don't like to overshadow my superiors. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."
*
When I returned to the hotel at night, I unexpectedly ran into the artist's schedule, and there were many fans waiting around.
There were so many people and they were so enthusiastic. The hotel had no experience and the order was chaotic, which caused complaints from the guests.
Maha shook his head, asking how anyone could possibly pour so much passion into someone they didn't know. Ye Yuanyin suggested that perhaps it was because they saw so many unattainable dreams in a perfect idol. Maha didn't understand, saying he was too old to keep up with the pace of the young. Ye Yuanyin thought that even if he were younger, he wouldn't chase celebrities. A cold and rational person wouldn't learn to pay too much attention to others.
While waiting for the elevator, the artist's agent came over, showed her the message on his phone, and asked her to meet later.
After everyone left, Maha said shamelessly, "I didn't expect you also like young handsome guys."
Ye Yuanyin spread his hands and said, "You've wrongly accused me. If Chen Xi'an asks, just say that I'm an old acquaintance of his and that I met this person through him."
"Who is it?"
"Xiao He."
After meeting briefly a few times, Xiao He, who seemed to have been helping Shen Yuheng, also came forward.
He originally played the second male lead in an idol drama. His good looks, solid acting skills, and strong character all combined to resonate with some viewers. Furthermore, the efficient promotion of various clips on social media invisibly expanded his audience, generating endless topics and making him far more popular than the male lead.
The timid boy who was driven around by others three years ago is completely different from before. It is true that fame nourishes people, and even his mental outlook has changed.
Xiao He asked, "Didn't Mr. Shen come with you?"
"Oh, he's busy."
"Isn't the separation of the family over?"
Ye Yuanyin was surprised, but then he regained his composure. He thought to himself that following Shen Yuheng, he was indeed well-informed. "How should I put it? I just managed to maintain the balance temporarily."
Xiao He looked at her for a long while, not knowing who he was trying to persuade: "He's fine, you have to trust him."
He seemed to know Shen Ji'an better than herself. Ye Yuanyin had no idea about his background, nor did she know what the relationship between him and the uncle and nephew of the Shen family was. All the questions weighed on her heart, but she couldn't ask them, so she could only pick out some irrelevant words to say.
"Is there anything you need from me?"
"Nothing, I just happened to meet you and felt I should meet you."
"Shouldn't you be more cautious now? Being a popular star isn't easy. If you're not careful, someone with ulterior motives will always dig up some shady news about you."
Xiao He had a calm expression and said nonchalantly, "There's nothing to be afraid of. He'll suppress it."
"Oh?" Ye Yuanyin couldn't figure out whether the person he was talking about was Shen Yuheng or Shen Dian'an, so he just casually expressed his disapproval, "I haven't heard that the Shen family's business is also involved in the entertainment industry."
The boy opposite smiled charmingly, because he always faced the camera, and his expression and demeanor were well controlled. "I'm not the enemy, I'm one of you."
Ye Yuanyin found some connections between the events in this sentence, which made her suspicious. "It seems that a famous celebrity said the same thing to me a few days ago. Are you also funded by the Shen Foundation?"
Xiao He answered very artistically, "I am two-faced."
At this moment, a message came in on Ye Yuanyin's phone. She looked down and said politely, "I have to go."
Xiao He stood up suddenly, looking at me with a somewhat evasive look, "You..."
She waited patiently for the next words, but he lowered his head again, "Nothing, I wish you happiness."
"Thank you, you too."
The agent ushered her out of the private room. Ye Yuanyin walked a few steps and then turned back, wondering what was going on. What was he trying to say? Was he talking to her or to Shen Ji'an? She was baffled. But because she had an appointment, she had to put it aside.
*
It was already past ten o'clock when they returned to the hotel in the evening. After swiping the room card, Ye Yuan felt tired and leaned against the wall to rest for a while.
The room faces the river view. The lights in the tall building across the river have been turned off, but the light coming through from inside still makes the night as bright as day.
Suddenly someone asked in the darkness, "Why did you come back so late?"
Ye Yuan was startled by the sudden voice of the man. When she turned on the light, she saw Chen Dian sitting on the chair in the room, staring at her leisurely.
"You scared me to death!" she cried out in disbelief, "You scared me to death."
"I haven't done anything wrong, so what are you afraid of?"
Ye Yuanyin asked in return: "What have I done wrong?"
"Who was the man who just brought you back?"
She rolled her eyes and suddenly asked with a smile, "Hey, how did you know? Did we come in at the same time?"
Yes, Chen Yan had only entered the room two minutes earlier than her. He suddenly stood up and walked towards her. Ye Yuanyin raised the red wine bottle in her hand defensively and jokingly threatened him, "Don't come over here."
He stopped and looked at her with a smile.
The night and neon lights pressed down together, shining on his handsome and suave face, and casting a silver light all over the ground.
Ye Yuanyin looked at the corners of his lips that curved up, and impulsively, he tiptoed towards his mouth.
Sediment held her arm and stepped away.
Her hand touched his shoulder relentlessly, and she chased after him with a smile, but he dodged her again. The cold hand and the cold bottle of wine left together. Ye Yuan turned away in anger, "Forget it if you don't want to kiss me."
Zhan Dian pulled her in, took out the bottle and placed it on the bar behind him. He stroked her cold cheek with his thumb and said with a charming smile, "You got a bargain."
The coldness in her body was rubbed away bit by bit.
It was like hardness being wrapped in warmth, or like waves hitting rocks. Ye Yuan's body was tense, and even his shoulder blades were trembling. Amid the sound of rising tides, she couldn't help but move towards him, and an extreme shudder instantly enveloped her consciousness.
Afterwards, she was so lazy that she couldn't even open her eyelids.
Chen Yan wondered why she always felt sleepy after having sex, so he asked suspiciously, "Are you pregnant?"
"No. Although my period is a few days late, I just tested it yesterday and it's definitely not there."
He sighed, unable to tell whether it was a sigh of disappointment or relief, and said, "If you're planning on having a child, it's better to plan it out. I see you've been so busy with work lately that I'm afraid you'll have an abortion even if you get pregnant."
"How could that be?" She rested her face on his chest, finally raising her eyes to criticize him: "How could you think that? Of course you should give birth if you're pregnant."
Chen Di'an just let her do whatever she wanted. He had seen so many people in the Shen family with different personalities and ulterior motives since he was a child, so he didn't have any obsession with the child at all.
"By the way, do you want to know who I'm meeting tonight?"
He looked at her excited yet malicious face, scratched her chin carelessly with his index finger, and said ruthlessly: "I don't want to."
She leaned forward again, blinked, and asked, "Really?"
"If you go and exercise your physical strength, maybe I will think about it."
Ye Yuanyin understood the meaning of his words, blushed, and said, "Then you will be jealous forever. I don't want to say anything more."
Finally, the man pressed her down on the bed and beat her up again.
Later, she was so tired that she really didn't want to say a word. After taking a shower, Chen Yan came back and kissed her, and put his mouth to her ear to coax her, "Otherwise, you'd better tell me."
Ye Yuanyin laughed inwardly and reached out to push his face away, but the man immediately came up and started to mess with her neck. She was really nagging and didn't want to be scolded again, so she said, "She is Wang, the former special assistant of Shengjing Media. She left Ancheng and came here. Now her child is in school, she has a boyfriend, and she has some free time, so she wants to find a job. Ji Quan is also leaving, so why don't you consider her?"
Chen Yan thought, it turned out that it was Assistant Wang's boyfriend who had brought her back. His mood brightened, and his deep laughter exploded in her ears like fireworks. "Speaking of which, Ji Quan's departure is really a loss. After all, we've worked together for so many years."
Ye Yuanyin turned his head, glanced at him slowly, then turned around with a sneer.
He raised his upper body and leaned over to look at her. "Are you angry?"
"Why are you angry?" Ye Yuanyin yawned, covering his mouth. "I'm just sleepy."
After saying that, he actually closed his eyes.
Chen Yanan was embarrassed. He had just gotten carried away and said something wrong. Thinking about it, he still felt uneasy. He got up from the bed, walked around, squatted in front of her, squeezed her hand, and said, "Can you ask Special Assistant Wang to submit a resume to the Human Resources Department?"
Ye Yuanyin opened his eyes again and said, "Others are asking for favors, and I'm asking for your help. It's up to you whether I'll use it or not. If you really feel you can't leave Ji Quan, then just find a way to keep her. Why use this kind of thing to control me?"
"I was just teasing you, why are you so angry?"
Chen Yan reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, explaining, "Ji Quan really isn't a good match for the current position. I couldn't say some things before out of courtesy, but it's better if she takes the initiative now. My favorite is Liu Ying, but people tend to move up, so she might not be interested in this position right now. Special Assistant Wang has been away from the workplace for too long, and taking care of the children requires a lot of energy. I'm worried she won't be up to the task. Actually, I'd rather hire a boy."
After Ye Yuanyin finished his explanation, he felt a little sorry. He used to hate being nagging, was used to doing things his own way, and made decisions quickly and decisively. But he'd changed a lot since being with her. Being nice to someone isn't just a given. They care about you because they like you. Otherwise, why waste their breath on so many things?
She leaned over and pulled him up, and Yan sat down on the bed beside her.
"I told you to do whatever you want. I didn't say you have to hire her." She didn't want to argue with him over someone else, so she changed the subject. "One more thing. I met Xiao He today."
"What do you want to see him for?"
"We met in the hotel. Are he and Chu Jinxi both yours?"
She asked the question suddenly, and asked it so directly. Chen Di'an thought that his guess was almost right.
"Little He's full name is Chu Hexi. My father gave him the name, which means 'Today I know what day it is, and spring is coming to every household.'"
Ye Yuanyin was surprised and asked, "Are they brother and sister?"
He crossed one leg over the other, his hands resting on his knees, looking relaxed and at ease. "Yes."
"No wonder."
Sediment An looked down at her and smiled, "What's the wonder?"
"Everyone says we are one family."
"You're not mocking me, are you?"
"How dare I?"
"If we say we're one of us, then aren't you even more of one?" Chen Di'an was determined to drag her into this. "This is the first time I've shared my body and spirit with someone else."
"Stop, stop." She felt overwhelmed and covered his mouth with her hand. "Go to sleep quickly. We have to go back to Jiutao Village tomorrow."
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