Chapter 34

At A Xing Photo Studio, the owner A Xing opened the door as usual, then sat in front of the cashier, picked up the breakfast he had just bought and started eating.

After breakfast, he would sit on the sofa and read for a while according to his habit, and then sit there until the afternoon.

When it was lunch time, I turned right and bought a box lunch from the restaurant next door. I packed it up and ate it at home. After eating, I took a nap. By around 2 p.m., there were only a few people coming to take pictures. There were usually one or two customers, and sometimes three or four, but not many.

Because there are many different models of cameras now, both expensive and cheap, and the per capita income in Hong Kong is very high, families who like taking pictures basically have a camera, and those who are not so wealthy can only take pictures during important festivals.

In addition, the development of cameras has given rise to many photo studios. Hong Kong is not a large place and there is always a photo studio on every street. Therefore, Ah Xing's photo studio does not have many customers on weekdays.

Ah Xing's photo studio did not close down, firstly because Ah Xing liked taking photos as a hobby, and secondly because the shop was owned by his family and there was no need to pay monthly rent, so it still made a profit every month.

Just as Ah Xing took a bite of a meat bun, the wind chime hanging on the door rang as the door opened. Ah Xing raised his head and said, "Welcome."

Several girls in ancient costumes walked in. Ah Xing was not surprised by their attire. This kind of attire had been reported in newspapers and on TV in recent days, and he occasionally saw many young girls wearing it on the street.

A few girls came in, looked at him politely and said, "Boss, we want to take a group photo, please help us."

Ah Xing nodded, "Okay, I'll come after I finish this bun."

As he spoke, Ah Xing finished the meat bun in a few bites, then put the rest of the breakfast back into the bag and put it aside. Thinking that he would eat it later, he stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

After washing my hands, I took the girl to the background area. Nowadays, the background areas of photo studios are all similar, with a large photo hanging on the wall, and the backdrop has green mountains and clear waters, city landscapes, or some celebrity photos.

Ah Xing instructed them to stand still, then turned on the camera and took pictures of them.

While taking photos of these girls, the sound of wind chimes rang again, and several girls in ancient costumes walked in. "Boss, take a photo."

From that time on, Ah Xing had no free time for the whole day. The breakfast had long gone cold and he had never opened it. He even ran to the restaurant next door to buy lunch and ate it up in a hurry.

The customers on this day were mostly young girls dressed in ancient costumes. There were also mothers dressed in ancient costumes who brought their daughters dressed in ancient costumes to take pictures.

It was already past seven in the evening when we finished taking the last set of photos. Axing’s arms had been lifted up for the entire day and he could hardly put them down. He never imagined that one day his arms would become numb from holding a camera up.

Ah Xing packed up his camera and said goodbye to the last group of girls. Before they left, one of them asked, "Boss, don't you have any ancient scenery in your studio? If you do, it will make the photos more meaningful."

After hearing what she said, Ah Xing seemed to have grasped something in his mind and shook his head, "No."

The girl just said it casually and then said goodbye and left with her friend.

After they left, Ah Xing kept thinking about what she said. He walked to the cashier and looked through the newspapers he had bought in the past few days. He came across the reports on ancient costumes and what Councillor X said about ancient costumes promoting culture. Looking at these reports, Ah Xing was thinking about something.

It was only today that he felt for the first time the popularity of ancient costumes. Although he did not quite understand what the congressman was talking about as cultural propaganda, today's customer flow was not misleading, and the money he earned was real.

Thinking about the scenery the girl mentioned, his eyes lit up. He could set up a photo studio in the store that looked like ancient scenery, which would definitely attract more customers.

But the current store is not big enough. Fortunately, the second floor is also his. It used to be his rest room. He usually takes a nap on the second floor when he is free, but he does not live there permanently. This means that the second floor is completely idle now. He can change the second floor into an ancient style setting and use it specifically for taking costume photos. Then he can prepare a costume set meal to attract customers.

However, considering today's customer flow, he will be busy for a long time in the future. However, decoration is also urgent, so he can only open the store while doing the decoration.

Photo studios in Hong Kong found that their business suddenly improved. Every day, many girls in ancient costumes came to have their photos taken. They could not afford to buy cameras, but they could afford to go to photo studios to have their photos taken, so the number of customers in the photo studios suddenly increased dramatically.

Some smart people, like Axing, have already planned to set up an ancient style setting in the store, or go to a clothing store to buy some ancient costumes so that those who are short of money can also wear ancient costumes to take photos.

＊

At a university in Hong Kong, a history professor looked at his watch, picked up his thermos from the table and stood up. The professor next to him looked up at him and asked, "Professor Li, are you ready to go to class?"

Professor Li held a book under his arm, nodded while holding a thermos cup, and replied, "Yes, I have a class later."

The professor joked, "I wonder if even half of the students are here for your class, Professor Li."

Professor Li couldn't help but smile bitterly after hearing this. What the professor said was true. The class he taught was a general education class about ancient Chinese culture and customs, which was boring and uninteresting.

Moreover, Hong Kong has not yet returned to China, and many young people do not have a sense of belonging to the mainland and are not very willing to come to his lectures.

Every semester, the number of students who choose his general education class is half of that of other general education classes, and the attendance rate is only two-thirds at most. There are always some students who skip classes. He feels helpless and frustrated about this, not only because no one listens to his class, but also because young people today are unwilling to learn about the history of their own country.

Professor Li sighed and walked towards the classroom.

But today, when he first stepped into the classroom, the people filling the classroom made him think he had walked into the wrong classroom. He couldn't help but step out and look at the classroom number. It was the classroom where he was having this class.

Professor Li could only walk in confused. A student who had taken his class before saw his confused look and said, "Professor Li, you are not in the wrong classroom. This class is yours."

Professor Li was even more puzzled after hearing this. He did not walk into the wrong classroom, but there were so many people. Even if all the students who chose his class were present, there would not be so many people to fill the classroom.

Professor Li asked in confusion, "Are you all here to take my class?"

Many students nodded and said, "Yes."

A student raised his hand and asked, "Teacher, will your class teach you about ancient clothing?"

Professor Li nodded and said, "Of course."

At the same time, he figured it out, and thinking about the news he had read in the past few days, it should be related to the ancient costumes. He said why there were suddenly so many students interested in his class.

But no matter what the reason, he was still very happy that there were students willing to come to his class. At the same time, he suddenly thought of what the congressman said in the newspaper about cultural propaganda, and he felt that the statement made a lot of sense.

＊

This Hanfu trend not only affects Hong Kong, but also the birthplace of Hanfu, the mainland with its rich historical heritage, which is also slowly showing its influence.

After school at a high school in mainland China, Xiaoyuan would go to the post office to ask if there was any letter for her when she returned home. This was almost her habit, and she would ask every two or three weeks.

Because she had a pen pal in high school named Xiaozhen, who lived in Hong Kong, across the Taiwan Strait. They would exchange letters one or two times a month.

Although they had never met, they became good friends through writing letters. They told each other interesting stories in their lives and talked about almost everything. Through correspondence, she let Xiaozhen know what the mainland was like, and Xiaozhen also let her know what Hong Kong was like.

Xiaoyuan took the envelope handed to her by the post office staff, signed it, put it away, and walked quickly home. The first thing she did when she got home was to put down her schoolbag, sit at the desk and pick up the letter.

Holding the letter, Xiaoyuan felt that the envelope was much thicker than the ones she had received before. Xiaoyuan wondered what Xiaozhen had written to her that made the envelope so thick, and she opened the envelope out of curiosity.

Several pieces of letter paper fell out, as well as a few sheets of what looked like Hong Kong newspapers, and the amazing thing was that there were also three 100-yuan notes.

The moment Xiaoyuan saw the money, she was shocked. Why would Xiaozhen send her money? She quickly picked up the pieces of letter paper and started reading.

It turned out that the letter mentioned that Hanfu was popular in Hong Kong at that time, and Xiaozhen and her classmates had set up a Hanfu club in school. In order to run the club well and also to pursue her interests and hobbies, she wanted to ask Xiaoyuan to help her buy some books on the clothing records of various dynasties from the mainland. After all, the information and books in the mainland were more complete. She also explained that the three hundred yuan was for her to buy books and postage, and if it was not enough, please indicate it in the letter, and she would put it in the envelope and send it to her next time she replied.

After reading the letter, Xiaoyuan picked up the Hong Kong newspapers and started reading. The more she read, the brighter her eyes became. Then she thought of the Hanfu club mentioned in Xiaozhen's letter, and she also became excited. She wondered if she could start such a club in school.

Recently, the school has advocated the all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness and aesthetics in accordance with the education policy. Therefore, the school has also opened up many activities, including encouraging students to engage in club building.

The more Xiaoyuan thought about it, the more she felt that she could give it a try. She would go see if any clothing stores sold these ancient costumes tomorrow.

＊

The director of a dance troupe in mainland China was holding a list of programs to be performed on the international stage handed to him by the troupe's principal. He couldn't help but widen his eyes and looked at her in disbelief: "Xiao Xie, you want to perform our country's unique ancient dance on the international stage? Are you serious? Will those foreign guests understand? You are not kidding, you dance this kind of dance on the international stage, I don't agree."

Xie Wan seemed to have guessed his reaction. Her expression remained unchanged as she looked at him and said, "Captain, I'm not joking. The other members of the troupe have also agreed. This is our unanimous request. Why can't we dance our own country's dance in international competitions? We don't think our country's dance is not good enough. It has been stained by history. Besides, you said that foreign guests can't understand it. But many times, dance can convey emotions to everyone through movements. They will understand it. And I don't think we will lose."

She had seen the dance performed by Hong Kong actress Tian Tian on a TV broadcast before, which shocked her soul. For the first time, she felt that the dance in their country was so beautiful and powerful. No, it was not that there was no t, but it was just ignored by them before.

The team leader listened to her words, his expression was moved, and he stroked his glasses, "Let me think about it."

Yes, their country's dance has been accumulated through thousands of years of history, so there is nothing wrong with it.

＊

In the past few days, Song Shu found that in addition to young girls mostly coming to buy Hanfu, many photo studios also placed orders for several sets of Hanfu from her. After further inquiries, she found that the craze for ancient costumes also boosted the business of photo studios.

But Song Shu doesn't think it's strange. The modern trend of taking photos in ancient style started after the ancient style became popular.

In addition to this ancient-style photography, Song Shu also learned from discussions with the girls who came to the store that many middle schools and even universities now have Hanfu clubs, which are running very successfully.

She was immediately delighted. It turned out that the cultural influence brought by Hanfu was slowly showing up. Even if it was still very small, it would become a huge force one day.

In the store, Song Shu listened to Assistant Sun reporting the production and shipment volume of ancient costumes in the past few days. Since the last sale of western cowboy-style clothing, it was not only sold in Song Shu's store, but also in other clothing stores in Hong Kong and the clothing store under Miss Du's name.

Each piece of clothing is labeled with her brand name. Although those clothing stores do not only sell her own brand of clothing like Song Shu’s store, these stores also purchase a similar amount of goods.

Assistant Sun said, "But according to statistics, the sales of ancient costumes this time are not as good as the sales of denim clothing last time, and apart from Hong Kong and the mainland, there should not be much demand from other regions and countries."

Song Shu didn't find it strange. After all, Hanfu is their country's unique culture. It is normal that other countries find it difficult to accept it. Moreover, in modern times, only young people are willing to wear Hanfu in their daily lives.

Therefore, it is normal that the sales volume is not as good as the last time for denim clothing, but Song Shu also believes that Hanfu is timeless and will always be passed down from generation to generation.

The two chatted for a while, and then Assistant Sun left, and Song Shu saw her off.

At this time, a postman stopped in front of Song Shu's store on a bicycle. He took out a letter from his bag and was about to put it in the mailbox at the door. When he saw Song Shu coming out of the store, he asked tentatively: "Song Shu?"

Song Shu nodded when she heard her name, "It's me."

"Here, there's a letter for you." The postman handed her the letter.

Song Shu took it with some doubt, wondering who would send her a letter. But when she saw the envelope, she couldn't help but smile, because it was a letter from the Youth Fashion Design Competition.

Song Shu thanked the postman, then walked into the store with the envelope, tore open the letter as she walked, and took out the letter to read.

The letter only congratulated Song Shu on her work entering the design competition. Next Monday, all the works that entered the competition will be displayed on site at the Central Art Exhibition Hall. Please prepare your finished design and models. The organizer will prepare one for you or you can find a model yourself. The results of the competition will be selected by the judges on site after all the contestants have presented their works.

The judges who reviewed the signatures included two well-known Hong Kong designers, two internationally renowned designers, and representatives from two well-known luxury clothing brands, Chanel and Dior.

This fashion contest is going to be very grand, it is truly a grand show. In addition to the judges, various celebrities will also be invited to attend.

The champion of this competition is the most eye-catching one, and it is also the first champion of the fashion design competition. It is a chance to become famous in one fell swoop.

Although Song Shu had participated in many fashion competitions of varying sizes in her previous life, this was her first time in this life, so she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

Rong Xiaohua saw the happy expression on her face and asked curiously, "Sister Shu, is there anything happy going on?"

Song Shu shook the notice in her hand with a smile on her face, "I entered the fashion design competition."

Rong Xiaohua smiled widely after hearing this, and said in an extremely excited voice, "Really? Sister Shu, you are amazing!"

Rong Xiaohua was really happy for her and at the same time full of admiration. She had always known that Sister Shu was amazing, and the confidence and composure on her face always infected her.

It helped her to get over her previous anxiety and inferiority complex about her appearance and accept herself calmly. Being around her seemed like I could draw strength from her.

Song Shu thought of the model mentioned in the notice and said to Rong Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, I need a model for the competition next week. Can you ask Xinyi if she is willing to be the model for my clothes? The price will be based on the models on the market."

Rong Xiaohua patted her chest and said, "No problem. I'll go ask Xinyi tonight."

Song Shu thought about how she had troubled Rong Xiaohua several times, so she said, "Sorry to bother you. I made a sample Tang-style Hanfu yesterday, but it's been put aside now. Do you mind? If you don't mind, I'll give it to you."

Rong Xiaohua nodded vigorously and waved her hands, "Why would I mind? I don't mind at all. Thank you, Sister Shu."

＊

After get off work, Rong Xiaohua carried a bag containing a new Hanfu. Instead of going home, she walked towards Chen Xinyi's house.

When they reached the sixth floor, Rong Xiaohua knocked on the door. Soon Chen Xinyi came over and opened the door for her. Xiaohua looked at Chen Xinyi with a happy smile on her face, "Xinyi, I have something good to tell you."

Chen Xinyi made way for him and said, "Come in first and we'll talk later."

Rong Xiaohua then went into the house with her.

In the living room, Granny Chen heard the voice and looked up to see Rong Xiaohua. She smiled warmly and said, "It's Xiaohua. Come and sit down. I haven't seen you for a long time."

The curtains in the living room were drawn, and the setting sun shone in from the window, shining into the house. Xiaohua felt that the house seemed much warmer this time than the last time she came.

When Xiaohua saw Granny Chen, she called out affectionately, "Grandma, Xiaohua hasn't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much."

Granny Chen was amused by her. Her sick face seemed to become lively. She took out an apple from the plate on the table and handed it to Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, you are so sweet. Have an apple."

Xiaohua waved her hands repeatedly, "No need, mother-in-law, you can keep it for yourself. It's better to eat more fruits."

Rong Xiaohua knew that these fruits were bought by Chen Xinyi for Cheng Apo to eat, and she herself was reluctant to eat them.

Seeing that she refused, Grandma Chen no longer forced her. Chen Xinyi said at the right time: "Grandma, Xiaohua wants to talk to me about something. Let's go into the room and talk about it."

After hearing this, Granny Chen waved her hands and said, "Go ahead."

So Xiaohua followed Chen Xinyi into her room.

Xiaohua sat on her chair. She had never entered Xinyi's room before, but she couldn't help but look around curiously.

The room was not big, but it was decorated in a cozy way. There were floral curtains hanging on the windows, a table in the corner with a small desk lamp on it, a pile of miscellaneous magazines on the table, and a large photo of a celebrity on the wall above the table.

Rong Xiaohua didn't recognize the star in the magazine and thought it was some unknown star. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is this star?"

Chen Xinyi sat on the bed, and after hearing her words, she glanced at the picture and said in a light voice, "It's just a little model, just pasted casually."

"Oh." Rong Xiaohua nodded and looked away, but she felt that the little model's features were somewhat similar to Xinyi's. She shook her head to get rid of this absurd idea and happily explained the purpose of her visit to Chen Xinyi, "Xinyi, I came to see you today because I have good news to tell you. Sister Shu's clothing design entered the design competition, and she wants to invite you to be a display model for her clothing. The price is based on the market model."

Rong Xiaohua was dancing with joy, as if she had entered the competition herself. Chen Xinyi looked at her. Xiaohua had always been a cheerful person, always happy for other people's success, even though it had nothing to do with her.

Rong Xiaohua continued, "I heard that the design competition is going to be very grand this time, and there will be many celebrities in attendance. If you go as a model, not only can you make money, but if an agent takes a fancy to you, it would be great to sign a contract as a model. Then you can make a lot of money, and you can treat Granny Chen. Xinyi, do you want to be a model too?"

Rong Xiaohua glanced at the model photo that was posted. She thought that if she didn’t like it, she wouldn’t post a model photo at home. Most people would post photos of celebrities.

Chen Xinyi leaned her hands back on the bed and said in a flat voice, "I can't say whether I like it or not."

After hearing this, Rong Xiaohua shook her head and said, "Xinyi, do you accept this job?"

Chen Xinyi looked up at her and nodded, "Go, why not go if you can make money."

Rong Xiaohua breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again, "That's good. You go to the store first on Monday next week, and then go to the competition site with Sister Shu."

After Rong Xiaohua finished speaking, she casually glanced at a pair of red high-heeled shoes beside Xinyi's bed and the scratches on her heels. She couldn't help but worry, "Xinyi, are these high-heeled shoes not suitable for you? Your heels are injured."

When Chen Xinyi heard her words, she looked at the pair of high heels and couldn't help but recall what happened a few days ago.

One night after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Rong Xiaohua told her that Sister Shu would ask her to be a model for her clothes in the future.

After returning home, she saw the high heels she had thrown aside, and somehow picked them up and put them on again, then practiced her steps by imitating the walking posture of the model she had seen on TV.

She practiced at home for several days. One day, she thought that she would eventually have to wear it in front of people, so she practiced wearing it on the street. However, the road on the street was not very smooth, and as expected, she fell to the ground.

Unexpectedly, a man came over and helped her up, and asked worriedly, "Hey, are you okay?"

Chen Xinyi raised her eyes and recognized the man who sent her home that night. She pulled her hand away from him and said, "It's okay."

Ah Wen glanced at her knee which was already bruised and bleeding. "Can you still walk? Do you want me to take you back?"

Chen Xinyi replied calmly: "No need."

After saying that, she walked around him and headed home. She heard footsteps behind her. Chen Xinyi stopped and looked back at him with a frown, "I said no."

She didn't walk home until she saw the man stopped and didn't catch up with her.

"Xinyi, Xinyi, what are you thinking about? You look so absorbed in it."

Chen Xinyi came back to her senses when she heard Xiaohua's voice. She shook her head and said, "Nothing."

Rong Xiaohua could only nod and said, "Then I'll go back first."

"good."

＊

At night, the lights of each house in Kowloon Walled City are turned on. The dense brightness makes one think it is a prosperous city when looking down from the sky.

Chen Zonghao walked into the building in the center of Kowloon Walled City. There were a group of gangsters wandering around inside and outside the building. When they saw him, they would respectfully call him "Brother Hao."

A few gangsters squatting on the roadside not far away watched him walk in. One of them couldn't help but say, "This Chen Zonghao is so impressive. He's not even the boss of a gang. He's more impressive than the gang leaders of our Hesheng Society. He's just a gangster like us. What's so impressive about him?"

Huang Mao squatting next to him was the person who blocked the stone road last time. Hearing this, he slapped the young and Dangerous boy on the head, "This is not nonsense. I heard that Chen Zonghao saved the boss's life. He is not impressive." What a majesty.”

The Wo Shing Triad was a large society in the Kowloon Walled City, managing almost half of the Kowloon Walled City. Although it was not as powerful as the four major societies, it was not as small as other societies.

Although he said this, Huangmao felt a little dissatisfied in his heart. If only he had saved the boss's life, then he could be so majestic.

Chen Zonghao took the elevator to the top floor, but when he got out of the elevator, he found that this floor was not a room for living, but had been converted into a large club.

There was deafening music playing, and several large round colored lights were spinning overhead, shining colorful lights on people's faces.

Men and women were dancing close to each other on the dance floor, the bartender was mixing drink after drink in a show of skill at the bar, a few gangsters with dyed hair were slumped on the sofa next to them with dazed looks on their faces, and there was something white spread out on the table.

Chen Zonghao walked inside without changing his expression. He opened the door and saw several closed boxes. He closed the door and no sound from outside could come in.

Chen Zonghao walked towards one of the private rooms. Two bodyguards in suits and ties, with strong bodies, stood at the door. When they saw him, they reached out to open the door, and Chen Zonghao walked in.

Although the box was quieter than outside, the atmosphere was just as depressing as outside.

There was smoke everywhere in the room. Six men were sitting on the sofas in the private room. Each man had a cigarette in his hand and was puffing away. Next to each man sat one or two scantily clad women. Some of them were even sitting on the men's thighs. Some of the men's hands had already reached into the women's clothes.

On the left side of the box, there was an altar with a statue of Guan Gong on it and incense burning in the incense burner.

The middle-aged man sitting at the top saw Chen Zonghao coming in, took out the cigarette from his mouth and put it in his hand, with a friendly smile on his face, "Haozi is here, come and sit down."

Chen Zonghao called the man above him "Boss," and sat down on the sofa near the door.

The man said in disapproval, "Why call me boss? We are nothing like each other. Just call me Uncle Hua."

After hearing what the boss said, the other men in the box immediately glanced at Chen Zonghao with unclear expressions on their faces.

Chen Zonghao's expression remained unchanged, "In my heart, the boss is the boss."

Uncle Hua smiled even more happily, "Good for you, Haozi."

Brother Sheng, the leader of the hall, who was sitting on the sofa to the right of Chen Zonghao, exhaled a puff of smoke and stared at Chen Zonghao, "Our Haozi is really good at talking. He made the boss so happy."

Opposite Brother Sheng, the hall master Daosha, who had a scar on his face, was leaning carelessly on the sofa. He had always been at odds with this man, and when he heard what he said, he sneered, "Ah Sheng, people should know their own limitations. You are a petty person and your words are usually unpleasant to the ears."

After hearing this, Ah Sheng stared at Scar with a sinister look in his eyes, "No way, I can't compare to you, Brother Dao, who is smarter."

Scar's eyes turned fierce after hearing this, he knew that this person was mocking him. Everyone in the society knew that Scar was just a rough and uncouth guy.

Scar stood up suddenly and slammed the table hard, causing all the drinks on the table to fall down. "I'm going to hit you with the head, are you scolding me, you idiot? Come and fight me if you dare..."

Seeing him scolding him angrily, Ah Sheng also became angry. He pushed the woman away and stood up. "Come on, who's afraid of who, you street bastard..."

The tit-for-tat look between the two men made the box quiet all of a sudden, and the hostesses were so scared that they stood aside.

Just as the two were about to fight, a wine bottle was thrown onto the table between them. The bottle broke, and the glass scattered and hit them. A stern voice said, "Stop it. Do you still think of me as your big brother?"

Scarface and Ah Sheng stopped at the same time and looked at the man sitting at the top. When they met the boss's calm eyes, their hot heads suddenly calmed down. Even though their faces were cut by the broken glass of the wine bottle he threw, they did not dare to make any other moves. They said respectfully, "Boss, I was wrong."

Uncle Hua just looked at the two men without saying a word. His eyes glanced at Chen Zonghao below him, and saw that the man was still sitting on the sofa with a stern face. Even though this incident was caused by him, there was no other unnecessary expression on his face. Uncle Hua took a puff of cigarette.

Just when the silence in the box was frightening, a man sitting on the left, the leader Ah Qing, with a smile on his face, he always acted as a peacemaker in the society, and said, "Scar, Ah Sheng, calm down. We are all in the same boat, so don't make things difficult for the boss."

Seeing that the boss at the top had no objection, Scar and the other man sat down dejectedly, not daring to speak any more.

Ah Qing watched the two of them sit down, looked around the private room, paused at Chen Zonghao, and asked casually, "Why isn't Hall Master Da Biao here?"

A man sitting next to Uncle Hua answered him, "Oh, he told the boss that he has something to do and won't come tonight."

Chen Zonghao sat on the sofa, his head lowered, his expression invisible, and a cigarette in his hand.

＊

"Hiss, Sister Ting, please be gentler, it hurts so much."

Inside the room, Shitou was sitting on the sofa, his face red and blue. A Ting was standing beside him, applying medicine to him, when Shitou suddenly cried out in pain.

Ah Ting's hands continued to move, and she even used some force, "You deserve it. Who told you to be impulsive?"

Shitou curled his lips when he heard this, but considering his own injuries he didn't dare to refute her.

Awen was sitting on another sofa. He had rolled up his sleeves and was rubbing the bruises on his arms with medicine. His face was also covered with bruises like stone.

Fatty was sitting on a chair nearby. Although he had no wounds on his face, his right ankle was swollen and obviously sprained. Hearing the sound of the stone, he felt very upset. He looked up at him and said angrily, "I told you not to be impulsive, don't be impulsive, why didn't you listen?"

Although Shitou grimaced in pain, he angrily said after hearing Uncle Fatty's words: "Why was I so impulsive this time? That scumbag United stole our goods, so of course I had to take them back. We are from the same gang, but he stole our goods. Is there any morality left?"

The fat uncle took a puff of cigarette, shook his head in disagreement, and said helplessly: "Shitou, you are still too young."

Although that koushuibian is a general under the name of hall master Da Biao, how could he dare to rob his brother's goods without Da Biao's order? But he didn't know if there were other people standing behind Da Biao.

While they were arguing, the door was pushed open and Chen Zonghao walked in. Seeing their expressions, he looked unhappy and asked, "What's going on?"

Shitou lowered his head. He was too embarrassed to tell Brother Hao that they didn't keep an eye on the goods and they were stolen.

It was Ah Wen, who was sitting on the sofa, who spoke clearly, "When we went to deliver the goods tonight, Ah Po and his crew didn't show up. Instead, a coast guard ship came. The marine police seized our goods, saying that we were smuggling illegally. At that moment, Kou Shui Bian got off the boat. Shi Tou saw it and argued with him, saying that he and the marine police were colluding to cheat us. He refused to hand over the goods, and then they started fighting. Then it was Fatty who came out and said that he had given the goods to them, and only then did he let us leave..."

After hearing what Awen said, Shitou couldn't help but speak angrily, "That bastard, he actually played a dirty trick on us. We are all brothers...Brother Hao, I'm sorry, I can't keep a close eye on him."

Chen Zonghao walked to the window, took out a cigarette, lit it, and looked out the window, with an expression on his face that showed no one was thinking about it.

Fatty hopped over on one foot, stood beside him, and smoked with him. After a long while, Fatty said quietly, "Haozi, what are your plans? This road won't last long."

Chen Zonghao was just smoking and looking at the dark night outside the window. Uncle Hua called him over tonight, and he could see his little Jiujiu clearly.

Uncle Hua said in the society that he saved his life. Haozi's status in the society is the same as his. Chen Zonghao did not react at all. He wanted to maintain a good reputation, and Chen Zonghao was just taking advantage of his power. He did not care about it at all. The two of them lived in peace.

But now he has something to worry about.

Uncle Fat looked at his expression and said nothing more.

＊

In the evening, after taking a shower and watching Jiahui fall asleep, Song Shu sat at the table to modify the outfit she had designed for the competition. However, she couldn't help but prick up her ears to listen to the sounds outside the room before she had finished. However, she didn't hear any sound until almost twelve o'clock.

It was impossible to concentrate on work in this state, so Song Shu stopped what she was doing, stretched, stood up from the chair, and thought about going to the living room to get a glass of water before going to sleep.

Walking out of the room and turning on the light in the living room, Song Shu poured a glass of water from the kettle, took it in her hand and took two sips. After drinking, she put the cup on the table and prepared to turn off the light and go back to her room to sleep.

At this time, the sound of the door lock turning was heard, and the door was pushed open. In the light, Song Shu recognized the familiar figure of the man and couldn't help laughing, "Chen Zonghao, you're back?"

As soon as Chen Zonghao opened the door, he saw a graceful person standing in the living room under the light. When she heard the voice, she turned around and looked at him with a bright smile on her face.

When Song Shu saw him, she couldn't help but pick up the notification letter for the competition that she had placed on the table in the living room at night. At that time, she was thinking about sharing the good news with him when he came back.

But after waiting for a whole night, the man didn't come back. Just when she was planning to go to bed and talk to him tomorrow, the man came back.

Feeling happy all of a sudden, Song Shu walked towards him with the paper in her hand, stood in front of him, and shook the paper in her hand, "Guess what this is?"

The man lowered his head and looked at her, asking, "What?"

Song Shu curled her lips and said, "I entered the fashion design competition I told you about before. Here is my notification letter."

As he spoke, his eyebrows raised, with a hint of pride on his face.

Chen Zonghao felt like a warm breeze blowing through his heart when he saw her like this. The depression he had felt tonight was much relieved. He couldn't help but reach out and rub her head. "Very good."

The touch of the hand on her head faded away, and not long after, Song Shu's ears suddenly felt hot for no reason.

After sharing her joy, Song Shu saw that he had nothing in his hands and couldn't help but joked, "Mr. Chen Zonghao, where's the midnight snack tonight? Is there any left?"

For some reason, this man always loved to drag her out for midnight snacks, and it seemed like the midnight snack time every night had become a tacit understanding between them.

Seeing that he didn't buy anything tonight, she was a little surprised, so she asked.

Chen Zonghao pinched his nose and said, "I forgot."

Song Shu really found it a little strange. It was the first time that he forgot. She couldn't help but look up at him, only to find that the man's eyebrows seemed filled with fatigue tonight, and the expression on his face was colder than before. Normally, Chen Zonghao would never show this kind of expression at home. The expression on his face could not be said to be happy.

Song Shu met his eyes and said with some concern: "What's wrong with you? You don't look very happy."

The man looked at her, something flashed in his eyes, he looked away first, and curled his lips, "It's okay, there's nothing to be unhappy about."

Song Shu opened her mouth, knowing that the man was just trying to fool her. Seeing that he really didn't want to talk, Song Shu didn't ask any more questions. She just didn't know why her happy mood just now suddenly turned into a little lost.

It seemed like I liked to tell him everything, whether good or bad, but I seldom told her about men's affairs.

Then he thought that they were just a couple in name only, and she took advantage of his easy-going nature to cause trouble for him in every way. Maybe he just had good intentions and couldn't bear to refuse her, but she was pushing it too far and causing trouble for him.

Just like tonight, I was eagerly waiting for him to come back to share the good news with him, but in reality, he might be very tired after coming back so late, and I still have to deal with her. I am extremely impatient. Besides, my relationship with him is not that close. Does he think that we are revolutionary comrades just because we have had a few midnight snacks together? He even overestimates his own abilities and asks about other people's private affairs. He has no sense of boundaries at all.

Song Shu thought a lot in her mind, and suddenly she felt as if her heart was being squeezed, making it hard for her to breathe. She clenched the paper in her hand, lowered her head, lowered her eyebrows, and said, "Oh, good night, I'm going to bed."

After saying that, Song Shu turned around and walked towards the room without waiting for his response.

After Chen Zonghao said that, he noticed that the happy expression on the woman's face had fallen. Then the woman lowered her head and replied to him, her voice no different from usual.

But when Chen Zonghao watched her turn and leave, he felt like she was a cat that had fallen into the water, and his heart ached for a moment. For a moment, he realized that something was about to slip away from his palms.

Without thinking, Chen Zonghao stepped forward and hugged the woman's waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, and said softly, "Don't leave. I just lied. I'm not happy today."