Extra Chapter: Zhou Zhengping - Frying Human Life
Many years later, on a humid southern night, Zhou Zhengping would occasionally recall that afternoon.
At that time, the sycamore leaves outside the window were a bright green, and the cicadas were chirping louder and louder.
He and Nan Zhiyi read Li He's poetry together in the garden study of her villa.
He unfolded the poem "The Short Days of Suffering," and his finger touched the line of text as he softly read: "I do not know the height of the blue sky or the thickness of the yellow earth; I only see the cold moon and the warm sun, which come to erode human life."
He turned his head and stared at Nan Zhiyi beside him.
Her hair brushed against the pages of the book, her long eyelashes slightly lowered, as she read intently.
He deliberately shifted his focus, moving his fingertips back to the phrase "Eating bear makes you fat, eating frog makes you thin," and laughed: "Zhiyi, tell me, what do bear meat and dragon meat actually taste like? The ancients certainly wrote about it in a very tempting way."
Nan Zhiyi looked up at him, and a trace of helplessness flashed across her almond-shaped eyes, which were always smiling, like a fleeting cloud shadow on the water.
Her voice was soft: "You, who are about to go to university, don't you have any other thoughts when reading poems like this?"
He wasn't truly ignorant. He just... didn't want to understand.
Those were such good, such fulfilling days.
Sunlight streamed through the window, warmly illuminating her porcelain-like profile, while the air was filled with the scents of old books and jasmine.
He was completely focused on her, and he felt that sitting side by side with her, even just flipping through the same book and chatting about random things, would bring him overflowing happiness.
Why did he need to understand the saying, "The cold moon and warm sun bring suffering to human lifespan"?
He found the metaphor of "fat bear and thin frog" amusing, and he only wanted to see the faint blush on her cheeks when she slightly annoyed him, and he only wanted this happy and carefree time to last forever.
His life seemed like a well-paved, sun-drenched road, with her standing at the end, dressed in her wedding gown.
Lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn?
That's something very distant and unnecessary.
Nan Zhiyi liked the sentence very much, so she specially found a piece of plain white cardstock, carefully depicted the imagery of a cold moon and a warm sun with fine brushstrokes, made it into a bookmark, and gave it to him.
He carefully kept it in his notebook, but rarely took it out to look at it closely again.
He preferred to remember her fair and soft neck and her slightly pursed red lips when she was drawing with her head down.
Nan Zhiyi has always been a contradictory girl.
She could laugh brighter than the sun, pulling him along as they ran through the mountains and fields; or she could suddenly fall silent, gazing at the drifting leaves or the setting sun with a distant look in her eyes.
She was emotionally rich and perceptive, able to sensitively perceive his every emotion, yet also so intelligent and clear-headed that she made him feel a little pressured.
He could think of countless beautiful words to describe her: beautiful, kind, lively, intelligent... but he forgot the steadfastness in her bones, and the resoluteness she displayed when driven to the brink of despair.
Zhou Zhengping knew from a young age that Nan Zhiyi, who was as beautiful as a New Year's picture doll, would be his wife in the future.
This was a tacitly accepted fact within the entire Jian'an compound, an agreement that both families tacitly approved and were happy to see.
He watched her grow from a crybaby into a graceful young woman, seeing her smile sweetly and her furrow her brows.
In the early stages of life, a vague feeling of attraction, following its predetermined path, forges into a clear and distinct love.
He treated her with utmost care and deference, like a priceless treasure, never imagining that one day this treasure would no longer belong to him.
The year Nan Zhiyi officially started working, the two families put their verbal agreement into practice and solemnly exchanged marriage certificates.
The bright red paper with gold flecks felt heavy in my hands, and the ink still smelled sweet.
Zhou Zhengping remembers laughing uncontrollably that day, not even noticing when his lips got sore, his heart overflowing with joy.
Gu Yan was also there at the time, pouting and muttering, "I thought it was just a joke, but it actually happened..." His words were tinged with an indescribable resentment.
Zhou Zhengping was too happy to care about his friend's grumbling.
He only saw Nan Zhiyi standing quietly behind her parents, a smile on her lips, her clear eyes looking over, reflecting the joy in the room.
At that moment, he thought it was eternity.
pity.
When his fate took a sharp turn for the worse, his family suffered a calamity, and the pressure from his parents forcing him to break off the engagement was overwhelming, he finally understood that poem for the first time in a moment of panic.
The moon is cold, the sun is warm, day and night alternate, it really is "tormenting" a person's lifespan, and little by little, scorching everything he once possessed until it is unrecognizable.
The bookmark, lost at some unknown time, along with the marriage contract he held in his hands and his bright future, shattered in that sudden, cold wind.
After that, Zhou Zhengping's life was like stepping into a staircase and stumbling into a slippery ditch from which he had no control, with each step muddy and wrong.
The marriage to Lu Linlang was a hasty, cold union, with each party harboring their own agenda.
What Lu Linlang wanted was the Zhou family's prestige, which was not yet completely ruined, and the resources she could use to climb up the social ladder. She wanted it with a clear conscience and was never satisfied.
Her greed and scheming quickly moved from behind the scenes to the open. She wasn't there to help this already struggling family, but to seize it by trickery and force.
She arrogantly criticized her mother's way of managing the household and harshly mocked her sister's naivety, making the already oppressive home even more chaotic and chilling.
Zhou Zhengping was initially numb. A heavy, suffocating numbness covered the initial pain and humiliation.
He was like a soulless shell, going to work and coming home every day. Faced with Lu Linlang's shrill voice, he listened silently and then walked away in even more silence.
He curled himself up, using a hard shell to cover the already festering wound inside.
But the silent shell can never withstand the erosion of time.
Lu Linlang's escalating behavior made him realize that he would either rot completely in silence or struggle for a glimmer of hope in silence.
He chose the latter, resolutely exiling himself.
Without informing anyone, he boarded a train heading south one morning.
It's not about escaping, it's more like going to one's death, going to a life-or-death battlefield where there may be no return.
The South is not a paradise.
The language barrier, the sweltering climate, and the social customs are completely different from those in the northern courtyards.
With a little capital, he tried to start by reselling the most inconspicuous small commodities.
I've been cheated and suppressed. More often than not, it's been countless nights spent calculating accounts under the light bulbs in guesthouses until dawn, endless social engagements where I had to put on a smiling face and drink until my stomach churned, and the panic of eating cold steamed buns while facing mountains of debt.
Stress, pain, and exhaustion, like the plum rains of the south, seep into every crevice and penetrate to the very marrow.
He once stood on a damp and sweltering street, looking at the bizarre and bustling scene under the neon lights, and felt like an insignificant speck of dust, ready to be crushed at any moment.
In his desperate situation, it was Gu Yan who reached out to help him.
When Gu Yan found him, he was overwhelmed with worry over a critical payment and looked haggard.
Gu Yan didn't ask any questions. He just patted him on the shoulder, handed him an envelope containing real resources, and introduced him to several key figures.
“Zhengping, this place values ability, but it also values character. If you fall down, just get back up.”
That wasn't just a timely help; it was the force that pulled him back from the brink of disaster.
With this little bit of help and his own grit and determination, Zhou Zhengping gradually gained a foothold.
Wealth accumulates, but the mind becomes barren.
He could withstand the open and covert attacks in the business world, the scorching heat and freezing cold of the South, and even the increasingly softened, regretful sighs of his parents.
But he felt no joy; instead, a long-overdue regret welled up within him.
If I had half the courage and perseverance I have now back then, and withstood the pressure from my parents, and held Nan Zhiyi's hand tightly... would everything have been different?
Could they, in another parallel universe, have a warm home, a few noisy children, and on a similar summer night, read a newly discovered poem together?
Unfortunately, life has no "what ifs," and time cannot be turned back. He can never go back to that afternoon with its green sycamore leaves to wake up his younger self who was only concerned with discussing bear and dragon meat and was blindly optimistic about the future.
As his business grew, he was surrounded by admirers: a daughter from a respectable family, a gentle and capable female companion, a shrewd and efficient business partner... but he kept his distance from them all.
His heart will forever remain at a certain moment when he left Jian'an, where heavy snow fell, burying all his youth, love, and weakness.
He became increasingly aloof, pouring all his energy and emotions into his career, as if only constant busyness and expansion could fill the void in his heart.
Even Gu Yan couldn't stand it anymore and came to persuade him again.
In Zhou Zhengping's new office, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the shimmering Pearl River.
Gu Yan held his baby girl, who was only a few months old, in his arms. The little baby was wearing a pink onesie and was babbling and trying to put her father's fingers into her mouth.
Gu Yan carefully protected his precious little heart with both hands, but his eyes glanced sideways at Zhou Zhengping.
“Zhengping, we’re both getting on in years. Those things from the past… should be a thing of the past.”
Gu Yan's voice was languid, yet earnest, "You've been alone all these years, haven't you been bored? If you ask me, find someone who cares for you, someone with a similar temperament, settle down, and have a child of your own. Look at my precious daughter..."
He gently rubbed his chin against his daughter's soft baby hair, his eyes filled with tenderness. "How adorable she is! Just seeing her makes all my worries disappear."
Zhou Zhengping sat on the single sofa opposite him, holding a teacup in his hand, and slowly took a sip.
Time can indeed smooth out all rough edges and give people completely different appearances.
The Gu Yan before me has a son and a daughter, a happy family, and a thriving business. His brows exude the relaxed and composed air of someone who has achieved success in middle age. When he smiles, fine lines appear at the corners of his eyes, but they cannot conceal the heartfelt satisfaction he radiates.
Zhou Zhengping smirked. "I know you're doing very well these days, with both a successful family and career. Why do you have to come and show off in front of a lonely old man like me?"
Gu Yan laughed out loud, that familiar chuckle. "I really hope to provoke you, to make this old blockhead of yours at least move a little, so you won't always be so..." He paused, as if searching for the right word, "...lifeless."
"No need to worry about it."
Zhou Zhengping put down his teacup, the porcelain making a crisp sound as it touched the glass coffee table.
"I'm open-minded about it. It's just that I don't have the inclination anymore. Marriage and family mean nothing to me. Carrying on the family line?"
He shook his head very slightly. “Anping has children. The Meng family has a clean family tradition and strict family education, so the children they raise will not be bad. If there really is a day when an heir is needed, it is not impossible to adopt one of Anping’s children.”
Gu Yan was taken aback by his calm calculations and clicked his tongue: "Fine, then I've come here to make a fool of myself again today."
Zhou Zhengping glanced at him, the slight curve of his lips remaining unchanged: "Yeah, that's right."
Gu Yan wasn't annoyed. He placed his daughter, who was wriggling to get down, on the carpet and let her clumsily crawl away. He then leaned back and sank into the large sofa, relaxing his posture.
"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. I also wanted to discuss the overseas fund's investment with you today. I've reviewed the terms, and there are a few points..."
The two had known each other for over thirty years and were close business partners, so trust was paramount. They discussed the project details, market prospects, funding arrangements, and risk assessments in hushed tones.
After talking for nearly an hour, the general framework was finalized.
Gu Yan glanced at his watch, then bent down and picked up his daughter, who had climbed to the coffee table and was trying to chew on the table leg.
"My assistant will handle the details with your people tomorrow. I have to go," he said, a warm, approachable smile returning to his face. "I'm picking up my wife; she had a beauty appointment today, and she should be done soon."
"Um."
Zhou Zhengping got up and saw him to the company entrance. He watched as Gu Yan held his daughter in one arm, waved casually with the other, and turned to walk into the elevator.
Zhou Zhengping walked back to his office and strolled to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
The setting sun casts a warm golden glow over the entire city.
He stood there, looking down at the southern city where he had worked for more than a decade.
He was standing on a prime piece of real estate, where every inch of land was incredibly valuable. His bright and clean villa was filled with priceless items, and the amount in his account was enough for him to squander for several lifetimes.
But all of this, at this moment, seemed empty and meaningless to him.
Marriage is meaningless, children are meaningless, and even the wealth and status that one has fought for half a lifetime to obtain, which are enviable, are nothing more than that when you think about it carefully.
Gu Yan said he was lifeless. Perhaps so.
But for him, this was not lifelessness, but an extreme, chilling clarity.
He had already exhausted all his quota for "family" and "love" many years ago.
For the rest of my life, I can only live like this, in this self-built, undisturbed, lonely and cold place, watching the cold moon and warm sun, continuing to endure this bland and tasteless life.
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