Follow your heart
Zhou's parents' bedroom is simply but neatly furnished.
Zhou Jianxing sat on the edge of an old wooden double bed, his hands neatly placed on his knees, looking a little awkward.
An old wardrobe stood by the wall. Zhou Jianxing stared intently at an old almanac and several old family photos hanging on the wall.
Zhou Jianjun sat on the rattan chair opposite her, which made a slight creaking sound.
He rubbed his hands, looked at his daughter, and said in a negotiating tone: "Xingxing, your mother and I were thinking of buying you a car before, but you said you didn't want one because you hated the traffic."
"In that case, your mother and I have discussed it and I will give you a down payment to buy an apartment."
"Huh?" Zhou Jianxing suddenly raised his head, his mouth slightly open, obviously surprised. "Buy a house? Dad, Mom, where did you get the money? This is not a small amount."
Zhou Shufen was sitting by the door picking mung beans. Upon hearing this, she put down the small basket in her hand, covered her mouth with her hands and smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out. "What's wrong with you, kid? Do you look down on your parents? We've been frugal for so many years and have saved some money."
She stood up and walked over to Zhou Jianxing, patting the back of her daughter's hand. "You're our only daughter. If I don't give you the flowers, who else can I give them to? Are you going to take them to my coffin?"
Zhou Jianxing felt a pang of sadness and heaviness in his heart.
She knew that her parents were ordinary working class people, and that saving up that much money must have taken a lot of effort and required years of frugality.
Just as I was about to refuse, my lips moved, but before I could say anything, I was interrupted by my mother.
"You might think it's nothing," Zhou Shufen lowered her voice, glancing towards the door with a hint of a smile. "But you make Lingyi squeeze into this small house with the two of us old people every day. How uncomfortable must she feel?"
"It's always inconvenient."
Zhou Jianjun sighed, unable to conceal his melancholy, and said, "Originally, if you had married normally and lived with the man, we wouldn't have worried about this."
"But now... since this is the situation between you and Lingyi, if you two want to live together for the long term, you have to buy this house no matter what. It's always good to have your own home."
Zhou Shufen picked up the enamel cup on the table and took a sip of water: "I think Lingyi has been in a bad mood recently."
"You have a good few days off, so spend more time with her and take her out to look at houses and relax. If you find someone you like, tell your parents and don't worry about the money."
·
When Zhou Jianxing pushed open the door of his bedroom, Wen Lingyi was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window with her head tilted.
There is a tall banyan tree outside the window with lush branches and leaves, and flower buds are brewing. The flower stalks are green, and the newly born buds are slightly light blue.
By the time it blooms, the green color will have completely faded, and the color and texture of the petals will be like her teeth.
Wen Lingyi was staring in a daze until she suddenly felt a warm weight on her knees.
Zhou Jianxing squatted in front of her, carefully rested his chin on her knees, and looked up at her.
Zhou Jianxing seemed to particularly like talking to her in this posture, a completely upward-looking attitude that allowed Wen Lingyi to see all her expressions without any hindrance.
His eyes were focused and clear, with a kind of piety that was almost worshipful, as if Wen Lingyi was a statue sitting on the altar accepting offerings.
Zhou Jianxing is the most devout believer and is willing to give everything for her.
"What's wrong?" Wen Lingyi lowered her eyelids and reached out her hand habitually to touch the top of Zhou Jianxing's head. Her fingertips felt warm and dry. "You seem to be in a good mood?"
"Don't stay at home all the time," Zhou Jianxing said with sparkling eyes. He took Wen Lingyi's hand and stood up. "Let's go out and take a look!"
"What are you looking at?" Wen Lingyi was pulled to stand up by her, a little confused.
"Look at houses!" Zhou Jianxing smiled, his lips curling up, revealing his neat teeth. "My parents said they want to buy us a house! Our own house!"
It's our house.
·
The season is just right, it has not officially entered the hot summer yet, the weather is still mild and pleasant, neither too hot nor too cold.
Just walking around and looking around casually like this has a soothing effect on the mind.
They looked at houses for several days in a row and visited no less than seven or eight real estate projects. Either they were not satisfied with the house type, or the surrounding environment was too noisy, or the lighting was poor, and they were always unsatisfactory.
The budget is limited and the range of choices is also limited, which makes people sigh.
Finally, we arrived at a new community built by the river.
The saleswoman took them to the elevator and took them directly to the upper floors. When they opened the door of the model apartment, the view suddenly opened up.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the winding Baling River flows like a shining ribbon from the distant skyline. Occasionally, a boat passes slowly on the river, leaving long ripples.
The outline of the city in the distance is faintly visible in the mist.
The interior layout of the house is also very reasonable, with active and quiet areas separated, excellent lighting, and sunlight pouring unimpeded throughout the living room.
The most surprising thing is that there is a corner balcony of nearly 20 square meters, which is spacious and has an unobstructed view.
Zhou Jianxing fell in love with this balcony almost at first sight. She excitedly pulled Wen Lingyi to the edge of the balcony and gestured.
"Lingyi, look! The sunshine is so nice here! We can put a lot of flower pots here, plant all kinds of flowers, and put in a double swing..."
She had already begun to imagine the future when she and Wen Lingyi would sit on a swing, enjoying the flowers and the river view.
"Lingyi," she turned around, grabbed Wen Lingyi's hands with both hands, and looked at her expectantly, her eyes bright with astonishing brightness, "What do you think of this place? Do you like it?"
Wen Lingyi's gaze shifted from the vast river view outside the window to Zhou Jianxing's cheeks, which were flushed with excitement. She nodded and said affirmatively, "Very good."
She likes the open and flowing scenery outside the window, and Zhou Jianxing likes the balcony in the house that is full of life. It is really nice.
Seeing Wen Lingyi nod, Zhou Jianxing immediately became happy, like a sunflower in the sun.
She let go of Wen Lingyi's hand, picked up her phone and started taking pictures all over the house excitedly, from the living room to the bedroom, from the kitchen to the bathroom, and even every corner of the large balcony was taken carefully and clearly.
·
On the way back in the car, Zhou Jianxing was still in an excited state, chattering non-stop and planning his future home.
For example, which soft apricot color should be used for wall paint, whether to lay warm wood flooring or easy-to-care-for tiles, and what material and pattern should be chosen for the curtains...
Wen Lingyi sat quietly in the passenger seat, listening to her aspirational plan, looking out the window.
The city street scenes outside the window passed by quickly, blurring into a flowing color.
She unconsciously pursed her lips slightly, with the corners of her mouth curving slightly downwards.
"Lingyi," Zhou Jianxing noticed her subtle change in mood, slowed down his voice, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy? Don't you like that house?"
"No," Wen Lingyi immediately turned her head, a gentle smile quickly appeared on her face, and she shook her head, "I'm very happy." Then she grabbed Zhou Jianxing's warm and dry hand.
I'm just happy, but also a little confused and uncertain about the future.
But when she saw Zhou Jianxing, her uneasy heart seemed to be gently supported by someone.
·
Ever since Wen Shuli resolutely left that day, Wen Lingyi has made up her mind to end her formal marriage with Su Zhe, completely cut off from the past, and try to start a life that truly belongs to her.
Since his father has learned the truth through Zhu Yang, given Zhu Yang's paranoid and crazy personality, it is probably only a matter of time before he tells this matter to Su Zhe's parents.
Instead of passively waiting for the storm to come, it is better to take the initiative to control the rhythm.
She was indeed fed up with having to passively endure Zhou Jianxing's unreserved efforts and sacrifices. It was too much and filled her heart with sadness.
I want to work hard, I want to give, I want to create a future for the two of us where we can stand in the sun with openness and integrity.
On the night she made up her mind, Wen Lingyi posted a photo on her circle of friends, which anyone could view except Su Zhe's parents.
The photo was taken by Chu Wei at the special family dinner at the Jiefang Hotel.
She and Zhou Jianxing held hands tightly, the rings on their ring fingers sparkling like stars, and both of them smiled brightly, their smiles as bright as the clouds and rain dispelled.
She looked at the camera, and Zhou Jianxing looked at her.
For the same photo, Zhou Jianxing posted a cropped close-up of his hand, while she posted the original photo, and both of them could see it clearly.
The caption reads: "Holding your hand, I will move forward without hesitation."
Finally, she announced to her whole world the existence of Zhou Jianxing, the one and only.
In this way, can it also give Zhou Jianxing a little sense of security?
Less than half an hour after she posted on her Moments, her phone rang and the word "father" appeared on the screen.
She picked up the phone and heard Wen Shuli's calm voice, without any emotion at all, which made them look unusually similar in some ways.
When you are extremely disappointed or angry with someone, the outward expression may be a terrifying calmness.
"Go and quit your job at Shuiyue Gallery right now," Wen Shuli ordered habitually. "If you continue to work there, it will only embarrass me even more."
"Okay," Wen Lingyi agreed without arguing, but then changed the subject, "But, what right do you have to touch the money in my salary card?"
Wang Zixuan called Wen Lingyi and said that Wen Shuli had greeted them and that Wen Lingyi's salary this month would be directly transferred to Wen Shuli's account.
"That's the salary I earned from my own work. It has nothing to do with the Wen family, right?"
"Without the Wen family's connections and background," Wen Shuli sneered on the other end of the phone, "Do you think you can get the position of director of Shuiyue Gallery on your own?"
Wen Lingyi was silent.
Although Wen Shuli's words were harsh, they hit the nail on the head to some extent.
She didn't dwell on the issue any further and hung up the phone first.
·
Things went smoothly after that. Wen Lingyi and Su Zhe divorced peacefully.
They have neither children nor complicated property disputes, and their only common property, the Lanyue Bay Villa, is also under Su Zhe's name.
The weather was very good on the day I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to handle the divorce procedures.
The staff looked at this well-matched and peaceful couple and kept persuading them to think it over carefully.
Su Qing was present throughout the whole process. She came with Su Zhe, but from beginning to end, she never looked at Wen Lingyi, let alone said a word to her.
"Qingqing..." Just before Su Qing turned around and got into the car, Wen Lingyi couldn't help but stepped forward and grabbed the corner of her sleeve, her voice dry, "I'm sorry, I..."
"There's nothing to explain." Su Qing pulled back her arm, letting the corner of her sleeve slip from Wen Lingyi's fingertips. She looked ahead, still refusing to meet Wen Lingyi's gaze.
"You have chosen the path yourself, so walk it carefully."
Su Qing paused and took a deep breath: "Starting today, we are no longer friends."
After saying that, she opened the car door, got in, and then slammed the door shut.
The car started, slowly drove away, merged into the traffic, and soon disappeared around the corner.
Wen Lingyi stood there alone, looking at the direction the car left. She was stunned for a long time and couldn't come back to her senses.
In the end, it ended in such an undignified way.
·
After the divorce, Wen Lingyi had no reason or status to continue living in Lanyue Bay Villa.
When she left, her luggage was pitifully simple. She only took some of her daily clothes and the old vinyl record player left by her mother.
Temporarily, she moved into Zhou Jianxing's house, into Zhou Jianxing's small bedroom.
Suddenly, she was left without a house, a car, money, a job, and her only close friend.
He became a veritable "five-nothing person".
This huge gap and feeling of loss of control made Wen Lingyi feel depressed for a long time, even though she tried her best to hide it.
It seems that the only thing she has now is Zhou Jianxing.
Zhou Jianxing and her parents were both very nice. They never complained or expressed disapproval, but were always considerate and caring.
But Wen Lingyi couldn't help feeling like an unexpected burden, disrupting the peaceful life of other people's families.
She was eager to find a job, but was surprised to find that she seemed to have no skills.
Apart from those art theories that sound high-sounding but difficult to monetize, and social skills that are almost useless once you leave that specific circle.
Wen Lingyi was dismayed to find that she had no professional skills to make a living.
Her piano skills were far from enough to be accepted by a professional orchestra;
Perhaps she could perform piano in a high-end Western restaurant, but the chances of running into acquaintances in such places were too high, and she was not yet able to face that situation calmly.
·
Before going to bed at night, the two of them squeezed into Zhou Jianxing's not-so-spacious bed.
Wen Lingyi's fingers unconsciously moved repeatedly on Zhou Jianxing's smooth skin, as if writing something.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"Zhou Jianxing," her fingertips gently tapped the spot she had just passed, her voice clear in the darkness, "In the future... I want to be a barber. Then, when I save enough money, I'll open a small barber shop of my own."
From childhood to adulthood, she seemed to be pushed forward. She had no ideals and nothing particular she wanted to do. She just let things take their course and go to a good university and get a decent job.
Being a hairdresser sounded absurd to her family.
So, she didn't even mention it.
Zhou Jianxing felt a little itchy because of her, and couldn't help but twist his body slightly. A smile couldn't stop appearing on his face. Even in the dark, he could feel her smile.
"Okay," she reached out and accurately grasped Wen Lingyi's restless hand, her fingertips warm and strong, and she stopped smiling. "Whatever you want to do, I will support you. Let's take it slow together."
"This kind of career plan sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?" Wen Lingyi raised her fingertips and gently rubbed Zhou Jianxing's palm. "It doesn't seem to have much ambition."
"How could that be?" Zhou Jianxing's eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, stared at her intently. "It's truly remarkable that someone can find what they want to do and then be brave enough to do it."
"Whatever you do, as long as you enjoy it, I think it's great."
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