A happy family
Business at Shanyou Fusu remained dismal. The owner, Ming Yan, woke up early, a rare opportunity, to inspect the work downstairs. He found the entire building spotless, the windows spotless, the pillars gleaming, the steps so polished you'd be afraid to slip. Even the two stone lions at the door had been scrubbed clean. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, and everything was neatly arranged.
This person was too reliable. Her favorite breakfast was on the table, hot tea was brewed, and even snacks were prepared. All of this was quite enjoyable, but Ming Yan felt a little uncomfortable. Where could she find fault? Now it seemed like she was the only one in the room who didn't fit in.
With nothing else to do, she went back to the warehouse and took a close look at her collection. Life is full of changes, and she's experienced so much. When she came out again, Ming Yan's face was filled with sorrow. Shui Xi had just returned, and she felt liberated. With a sudden surge of joy, she grabbed her bag and the now-commonly-used "Iron Horse Viewing Flowers" and rushed downstairs.
Shuixi heard the sound and leaned over the stairs to make way for her.
"Shuixi, take care of the store. I have something to do outside."
The so-called important thing is to ask my girlfriends to go shopping, eat and drink coffee to relieve the melancholy mood that has lasted for most of the day.
"Boss, there's something I want to tell you."
Hearing this, Ming Yan had a bad feeling and his face turned cold. "Go ahead!"
"I have to move out." Shuixi stared at Mingyan's expression, her face full of embarrassment.
Ming Yan was surprised, but also relieved. It would be fine if he didn't have to resign. "Why?"
"Actually..." Shuixi looked out the window, causing Mingyan to look over as well, "I have a younger sister..."
"Wait, wait!" Ming Yan pushed the bag into Shui Xi's arms. Shui Xi felt as if he had been punched in the stomach, and he doubled over, groaning slightly in pain. As he watched Ming Yan run out, he knew his little plan was about to succeed.
Ming Yan ran out of the door and stood face to face with the sister Shui Xi had mentioned. The two of them stared at each other's faces. Ming Yan looked up and down at the clothes the sister opposite him was wearing and smiled broadly, "Do you still remember me?"
Judging from her expression, she obviously had no impression of him. Ming Yan didn't care because she herself couldn't remember the other person's name.
"What's your name?" Ming Yan put his arm around his sister's shoulders and led her into the store.
"Shui Fangzhou." When he said this, he glanced at Shui Xi who was still stroking his abdomen on the stairs and received an affirmative look.
"Oh, I see. It seems to be this. I remember now. You don't remember me either, do you? My name is Ming Yan. Can you still remember it?"
"Sorry. I can't remember." Fang Zhou's mind was blank, and she had no impression of this person at all. What a pity, such a beautiful sister, and so enthusiastic, it would have been better to meet her earlier.
"Forget it, forget it. It's been seven years, of course I'll forget. But compared to seven years ago, you haven't changed at all! You haven't grown taller either. But it's not surprising, don't worry, girls grow fast in the early stages and not much in the later stages." Ming Yan made the usual random comments that a good friend would make, looked at Shui Xi, and ordered, "Come and get a glass of water quickly, what are you daydreaming about!" Then he leaned closer to Fang Zhou and said, "I haven't heard that you have a brother before. Didn't he care about you back then?"
Fang Zhou thought, judging by Ming Yan's words, that they had met seven years ago. She couldn't recall what Ming Yan's life was like back then, and even making up a story wasn't a sure thing. She turned to Shui Xi again for help, and he said, "Fang Zhou only came to live with us five years ago."
"Oh...oh." The two looked at each other. Ming Yan understood what Shui Xi meant from her eyes and stopped talking about it. "Is this dress mine, Shui Xi?"
"Yes!" Shuixi poured water in front of the two of them and hurriedly urged his sister, "Hurry up and thank the boss for lending you clothes."
"Why should I ask her to thank you? It was obviously you who took it." Ming Yan was determined to get Fang Zhou back even for this little thing. "Fang Zhou, don't listen to him. Just call me sister. Shui Xi, clean up the room next door and use it as a bedroom for your sister. Since you like this place and we have a place to live, Fang Zhou, stay with your brother. Don't be polite with me!"
"Thank you, Sister Mingyan!" Fang Zhou stood up and bowed.
This action made Ming Yan laugh, but it was impolite, so he had to return the favor and whispered to Shui Xi, "Look, doesn't she look a lot like your serious friend?"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Who else is your friend? Hui Zifeng!"
Shuixi quickly pulled Mingyan aside and, behind Fangzhou's back, told the boss, "My sister just had an accident and her brain is damaged. I'd also like to ask the boss not to say anything nonsense in front of her."
"Hui Zifeng hit your sister?"
"No, not really." Shuixi was unhappy after hearing this. "I just fell from a height. Thank God I was saved. Please, boss, don't mention the fourth person's name, and don't talk about anything outside of this store."
"Alright, alright, I understand." Ming Yan punched Shui Xi to show his appreciation, "I didn't realize you could be such a good brother."
Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Hui Zifeng walked in, his hands laden with gifts, his eyes filled with curiosity, as if he were visiting for the first time. He was standing in the shadows, his skin clean from head to toe, unearthly. Shuixi watched Fang Zhou's unconscious gaze, like a beautiful porcelain doll gradually gaining consciousness. But at this point, her affection for Hui Zifeng was likely limited to his appearance.
"What are you doing here?" Ming Yan, as the host, went over first. She hadn't expected a high-ranking young master like Hui Zifeng to personally come to her house with gifts. Could he be asking for help?
"Shuixi has recovered thanks to the meticulous care of Boss Mingyan. As Shuixi's employer, I must pay him a visit to express my gratitude. Mingyan, this is for you." Hui Zifeng pulled a white cardboard bag from his schoolbag, took out a piece of letter paper, and handed it to him. He lowered his head and rummaged through a few bags, pushing them toward Shuixi, saying, "This is for you, Shuixi? By the way, do you have guests here? Am I unlucky to arrive at such a bad time?"
Ming Yan was dissatisfied with the thin piece of paper. She preferred large, colorful, and vibrant items. What could a piece of paper possibly hold? When she unfolded it, Shui Xi couldn't help but peek in surprise. It turned out to be a ticket to an upcoming international competition. For a designer, this was like being among the top ten candidates for international fashion designer recruitment. Without strong corporate backing, one would have absolutely no qualifications. Even with the qualifications, personal performance needed to be assessed. Ming Yan had clearly been led by a group of influential figures.
It must be said that Hui Zifeng's gift was like putting a piece of meat into a poor family's pot and then pouring a bowl of thick soup on it. Ming Yan was so excited that he almost rushed over to hug Hui Zifeng, but Shui Xi stopped him in time.
He stretched out an arm to block Ming Yan, enduring the attacks of Ming Yan like a crazy monkey. However, Shui Xi was very happy with this. The look he gave Ming Yan was definitely a smile that he had to suppress.
Hui Zifeng watched the show again, "Okay, okay, Shuixi, look at what gift I gave you."
"No." Shuixi was not interested. "I will go back to school tomorrow, you don't have to worry."
He thought Hui Zifeng came to apologize and asked him to stay by his side. Hui Zifeng's report to his father was naturally conveyed to Shuixi. Originally, his father felt that Shuixi was wronged by his son and wanted to ask him to stay for a while until Hui Zifeng felt he was needed.
Ming Yan had benefited from Hui Zifeng's kindness, and now he couldn't bear to see Hui Zifeng's face being insulted. He opened a few boxes for Shui Xi and looked through them. Suddenly, he seemed to have a new understanding of Shui Xi, but she could accept it. Shui Xi felt Ming Yan's strange gaze and looked down. Oh, well, they were all women's products.
Under Ming Yan's misleading instructions, Shui Xi almost misunderstood Hui Zi Feng, but the look in his eyes immediately made her understand what he meant. Speechless, Shui Xi picked out two limited-edition bracelets and a preserved flower bouquet that Ming Yan didn't particularly like, called Fang Zhou over, handed them to her, and then formally introduced them to Hui Zi Feng: "Let me introduce you, this is my sister."
"Your sister?" Hui Zifeng had never heard that Shuixi had a sister. He only knew that he became an orphan at a very young age.
"They are family members without blood relationship." Ming Yan became like Hui Zifeng's lackey, standing behind the rich man and explaining things to him with all his heart.
"Hello, I'm Hui Zifeng."
Fang Zhou's hand was stuffed, so she couldn't shake his outstretched hand. She knelt down and replied politely, "Hello, my name is Fang Zhou, Shui Fang Zhou, which means fragrant and comprehensive."
"You can also treat me as your brother in the future." Hui Zifeng's hand was still in the handshake posture, and he refused to give in.
Fang Zhou understood what this meant, but she had never shaken hands with anyone before. Nervously, she stuffed the things in her hand into the crook of her left arm and awkwardly reached out her right hand to touch Hui Zifeng's.
Shuixi stared at those two hands. Mingyan stared at those two hands. The scene was like some epic event unfolding.
Shuixi had just said that Hui Zifeng shouldn't be mentioned in front of Fang Zhou, but he came right up to her. Although Ming Yan didn't understand the situation, he was also nervous, fearing that something might go wrong.
Hui Zifeng gently took Fang Zhou's hand. At that moment, their eyes met. Hui Zifeng's gaze was gentle and calm, filled with a desire to understand. Fang Zhou, however, was astonished. This man's hand was firm and warm. She could feel this moment with him, or perhaps, using his eyes as a mirror, she saw herself transforming. The experience was astounding, something she had never experienced before—even when she couldn't remember it.
"It's time to separate!" Shuixi pressed Hui Zifeng's arm and forcibly separated their hands. "It would be too much if you took advantage of my sister. She's still young."
"Hey, Shuixi, you're being a bit harsh! Don't we already know who Hui is? Don't bring your dirty thoughts here."
The two of them were arguing, and Hui Zifeng rubbed his ears. Firstly, he felt it was too noisy, and secondly, his ears were indeed a little itchy after wearing headphones for a long time.
"Please, I have something I want to ask you, but I don't know..."
Before he could finish his words, Ming Yan urged him, his words full of flattery, "Please, please, please go ahead."
"Mingyan, I remember this dress Fang Zhou wore..." Hui Zifeng flipped through a magazine, found the folded page, and looked up to confirm it. He saw Shuixi standing in front of Fang Zhou, his gaze as calm and sharp as a black panther hunting. He turned to Mingyan and asked, "You designed this dress, didn't you? And you sewed emerald buttons on it..."
Shuixi walked silently in front of Mingyan and blocked her completely. But Mingyan was restless and pushed Shuixi but failed, so he had to walk out from behind Shuixi himself.
"It's blocking me!" She hated that her light was blocked by the giant. "Hey, Hui, come here for a moment. I want to tell you something in private."
Ming Yan dragged Hui Zifeng out of the store. Shui Xi couldn't intervene, so she just let them go. She turned around and sat on the high-backed chair, resting her arms on the armrests, acting like a patriarch. "Sister, you have to listen to me from now on, okay? You have to do whatever I tell you to do, and you can't do anything I don't allow you to do, okay? Like that guy just now, Hui Zifeng, he's not a good person. You're not allowed to get close to him, okay?"
When saying "not a good person", Shuixi's tone dropped significantly.
"Go and get my brother a cup of tea."
Ming Yan pulled Hui Zi Feng out to talk. Seeing that Ming Yan was having trouble speaking, Hui Zi Feng encouraged her and said, "It's okay. Just tell me what's going on. I'll do my best to help if I can."
"Actually, I'm not sure either. I didn't feel this way before I saw Shuixi today." Ming Yan was embarrassed. "I'm very sure that the dress Shuixi is wearing is made by me, but after seeing it today, I suddenly remembered that seven years ago, when I was still in high school, I met a girl. When we first met, she was wearing a dress very similar to the one I made. I still remember that because her dress was so beautiful, I couldn't help but want to be friends with her. I'm very suspicious. I must have plagiarized. I'm doomed. What should I do?"
"Are you sure that the dress you wore seven years ago also had emerald buttons with your name engraved underneath?" This is something that no one else can imitate because the buttons have the brand logo on them.
"How could I have noticed that?" Ming Yan pondered. "It seems like there was something there. I remember the sunlight shining through the green stone, as if a life had been born from it. I thought it was beautiful at the time. The girl's skin was so white and translucent... What am I talking about? I can't remember any more details, but they look very similar. What should I do? Actually, I don't remember what the friend I knew at that time looked like. I just recognized the clothes. Based on my intuition, the two pieces were exactly the same. What should I do? It's so painful!"
"Perhaps you remembered it wrongly." Hui Zifeng smiled calmly, "I was emotionally agitated and my memory was confused. This happened to me too."
Ming Yan was half-believing and half-doubting, so he had to give up. The two of them returned to the store one after the other and happened to see Fang Zhou and Shui Xi fighting.
Fang Zhou shouted, "I don't want to be your sister anymore, let me go! Bastard!" Her tone was extremely fierce!
Shuixi put one arm around Fang Zhou's waist, looking calm and composed, but in reality, it was not easy. Fang Zhou kicked his legs and scratched his face. Shuixi smiled and apologized to them, "I'm sorry, my sister is actually very well behaved."
"Let me go, I don't want to be your sister anymore! Help! Sister, help!"
"Shuixi, let her go first." Ming Yan came to take charge of the situation.
"As soon as I let go, she ran away." Shuixi didn't listen.
Ming Yan was helpless and grabbed Fang Zhou's hand to show Shui Xi, "I'm holding her, let her go first. Tell me, what's going on?"
Shuixi smiled embarrassedly and turned her head away.
"He said he was my brother, but that was a lie. He treated me like a servant. How could a brother be like that? I can't stand it! I won't be his sister anymore. I'm fine and kind on my own. Where are you? Let's go."
"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive, sister." Ming Yan patted Fang Zhou's back gently. "All brothers in the world look like this. I'll teach him a lesson for you. Shuixi, come here."
Shuixi reluctantly took two steps closer to Mingyan, then raised her eyes and shot a sharp gaze at Hui Zifeng, "Si Tan, go back first, I'll come find you later."
Ming Yan pulled a Tiema Guanhua from the table next to him and slammed it into Shui Xi's arm, causing him to grimace in pain. He continued, "Don't think you can order her around just because she's your sister. You only have the responsibility to protect your younger sister, not the right to control her, understand? Also, you should understand that here, Fang Zhou isn't just your sister. She's my guest of honor, equivalent to your boss's family member. Got it? If you bully her again, you'll be out of here."
The conversation was a bit harsh, and Shuixi lowered his head in grievance and replied, "I know."
"Now you two make peace with each other." Ming Yan ordered.
Fang Zhou looked at Ming Yan's expression, pondered for a few seconds, and then chose to obey. Then she looked at Shui Xi, who seemed on the verge of tears. She decided to endure this for the time being. Shui Xi was forced to open his arms willingly, and Fang Zhou gave him a favor, and the conflict ended there.
"Wait!" Hui Zifeng watched the show with great interest, and wanted to join in the fun to see it end successfully. He walked over to Fang Zhou with a tissue in his hand and said, "There's some dirt on your skirt. Let me wipe it off for you."
Without giving anyone a chance to say anything, Hui Zifeng squatted down and used a tissue to wipe away the sand hidden in the patterns on his clothes.
"Hey? How about the four of us take a picture? To commemorate this happy day for everyone, okay?"
"Are you the only one happy, boss?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Ming Yan called out to someone passing by the door and asked him to help take a photo.
Four people were frozen in the frame. Hui Zifeng stood on the far left, a step away from the other three. Next was Ming Yan, smiling the brightest, his arm around Fang Zhou. There was a cat on the eaves, so Fang Zhou turned back at that moment, and only a blurry profile can be seen in the photo. On the far right was Shui Xi, turning her head to the left, her gaze fixed on someone unknown.
"What's this?" Ming Yan looked at the photo with dissatisfaction, but the other three were unwilling to cooperate. Ming Yan had no choice but to look at it, print out the photo, put it in a frame, and put it on the bedside.
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