Chapter 76
Xie Rongcheng clearly remembers the scene when he first met Liu Tingmei.
He was in a bad mood during that period, so he stayed in Xiangcheng, asking about the company's affairs every day, eating, drinking and having fun, and living a life of luxury. He doesn't want to go back to his hometown or Hong Kong. Because there were no people or things in those two places that made him miss them. As for his first wife and daughter, they just don’t pay any attention to him, okay?
A friend told him that there were some very pretty and clean girls at Jindu Nightclub, all of them college students, and he insisted on taking him there to “relax”.
"Mr. Xie, stop drinking alone. We are old, so we need to hang out with young people more often to radiate vitality."
Xie Rongcheng went there out of boredom, sneering in his heart. What college student? He was tired of such tricks when he was in his twenties.
The girls in Jindu are indeed good-looking, and not as sleazy and greasy as the girls from other places. It may also be related to the fact that the bosses are not involved in pornography, gambling, or drugs. Xie Rongcheng was quite willing to stay there and kill time.
He had to admit that his friend was right. Looking at those delicate, fair-skinned girls surrounding him like stars surrounding the moon could make one temporarily forget about his age and aging body, as well as all his worries. In this place of debauchery, prices are clearly marked, there is no emotion, and nothing can be called calculation for Xie Rongcheng.
It was among a group of obedient and delicate girls that Xie Rongcheng saw Liu Tingmei, who was like a cold thorn flower.
She only wore light makeup and was stunningly beautiful. There is a natural innocence in her black eyes and brows, which shows her ignorance of the world. But her temperament was very cold, with drooping eyebrows and eyes. She just sat there and didn't take the initiative to talk to anyone. Even when facing him, her big money sponsor, her smile was faint and perfunctory. There seemed to be frost and snow in her eyes that could not be melted.
Xie Rongcheng became interested and asked her to stay and let everyone else go. When a girl with a round face left, she looked at Liu Tingmei worriedly, as if she was afraid that she would suffer a loss at his hands.
Liu Tingmei still maintained a neither humble nor arrogant look. Xie Rongcheng poured wine when she asked him to, fed him fruit when she asked him to, answered every question he asked, and had no other words to say. She didn't get close to him, but sat half a person's body away from him, not showing any enthusiasm at all.
Xie Rongcheng was a little amused, thinking that she was really here to work, so he teased her deliberately: "Come with me to the hotel tonight, what's the price?"
"I don't sell myself."
"That's because others didn't give enough. Name your price."
She was stunned for a moment, seemed to struggle, and said, "100,000."
Xie Rongcheng said sarcastically: "You really dare to bid."
She smiled faintly: "I used to work hard all night and earn more than 100,000."
For some reason, Xie Rongcheng had a hunch that she was telling the truth. Although I don't know what she did before, it must not be a good thing.
Xie Rongcheng did not continue the topic.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
She was stunned again and said, "I don't have that blessing."
Xie Rongcheng was silent for a while and didn't ask any more questions.
After that, Xie Rongcheng came to Jindu more than a dozen times, and asked Liu Tingmei to accompany him every time. The two of them didn't do anything else but sit there chatting, listening to music and eating fruit. Sometimes, Xie Rongcheng would take Liu Tingmei out to go fishing, hiking, or have a big meal. Every time, Xie Rongcheng would give her an extra 3,000 yuan tip, and Liu Tingmei accepted it all. With the help of this money, her attitude towards work has finally improved a lot. She cooperates in everything and talks more during conversations.
Xie Rongcheng actually didn't know why he wanted to get close to a nightclub lady. He was not a saint who could save those ladies from danger. He thought, maybe there was something in her eyes and temperament similar to his; maybe she was quiet enough and didn't bother him; or maybe her occasional cold words made him feel real.
During that time, Xie Rongcheng actually thought about committing suicide, but as he spent time with Liu Tingmei from time to time, the desire to commit suicide faded a lot.
Once, Xie Rongcheng took her to the mountains to fish, and also brought a five-star meal and had a picnic by the stream. He was in a bad mood and drank a little too much, so he went crazy and listened to her singing. It is said that singing is a necessary skill for nightclub girls, but Liu Tingmei frowned and thought for a long time, but couldn't think of any song she could sing.
Xie Rongcheng asked: "Why, when you were doing that money-making business, didn't you need to sing?"
She shook her head. "If I could make money just by singing, it would be too easy. I didn't learn any songs when I was in school."
"Just sing a random song," he said. "I won't laugh at you if you don't sing well."
She finally spoke, singing an old folk song from her hometown:
"The mulberry wood shoulder pole is so light
I carry tea leaves out of Dongting Lake
The boatman asked me where I came from.
I grow tea by the Xiangjiang River.
The mulberry wood shoulder pole is so light
The magpie above my head keeps singing
I asked the magpie what you were singing
He said I was a happy person..."
Her voice was soft and slow, like spilled milk, flowing gently. The lyrics of this song are simple and the melody is melodious, and she sang it unexpectedly beautifully. Liu Tingmei herself didn't know it. She sang according to her memory, very carefully, like a well-behaved student.
The light in the mountains and forests is dim, and the stream is gurgling. Only this thin voice rang in Xie Rongcheng's ears.
Xie Rongcheng didn't know when he was already in tears.
After Liu Tingmei finished singing, she turned around and looked at him without saying anything. She tore off a tissue and handed it over, then hugged her knees and looked at the dark shadows in the woods. After a while, her eyes also turned red.
It turned out, she thought, our wishes are the same, we all want to be happy people.
Xie Rongcheng quickly wiped away his tears, his face was calm, he leaned back on the grass with his arms, and said: "This song touched me. I didn't expect to hear this song again after leaving my hometown for so many years. You sang it very well, it's the best version I've ever heard. So, I plan to give you a chance, the only chance - tell me a wish, as long as it is within my ability, I will help you realize it."
Boss Xie’s promise may not be enough to move people to heaven or earth, but for people like Liu Tingmei, it can change their lives.
But she didn't show any surprise. She just lowered her head and thought for a while, then said, "Your business is very big and successful. You must be a very capable person. Can you teach me or show me a way to become more capable, make a lot of money, and do what I want to do?"
"Didn't you make more than 100,000 a night before? Where's the money?"
She doesn't speak.
"Cheated by a man?"
"They didn't give me a cent."
Xie Rongcheng became a little angry after listening to this, and was furious at the lack of fighting spirit. But when I looked at her young and stubborn eyes again, my anger subsided. After all, she was still a child.
"Why do you have such a wish?"
"I have something I must do. But I don't know how to do it now. I think I need to become very rich and very capable to do it."
"Oh." Xie Rongcheng became interested and teased her again, "It's easy. If you become my woman, you should be able to get a lot of money and accomplish a lot of things."
She shook her head. "If there is another way, I don't want this. I hate this body, it's dirty, and I don't want to use it to make money in my life. And your money is always yours. What I want is not only money, but also the ability to make money. I want to become powerful and be able to truly understand the people and things around me. Learn the ability to get things done. No matter how difficult the task is, I can analyze it and have the courage and ability to solve it."
This really surprised Xie Rongcheng.
For a young lady, she has quite a lot of ambitions. This doesn't sound like someone who is uneducated. Xie Rongcheng suddenly wanted to know more about her.
"Let me think about it," he said.
Soon, his men investigated Liu Tingmei's background. No wonder he heard old folk songs from his hometown from decades ago here at her place; they were actually from the same hometown. The mess in Liu Tingmei's family, the parents who favored boys over girls, the unexpected death of a prospective Peking University student, the idiot who ran away from home...but his subordinates could not investigate what happened after that.
Liu Tingmei's current status in the public security system is missing, so Xie Rongcheng asked his men not to leak any news about Liu Tingmei.
Xie Rongcheng suddenly felt that he had met a very interesting person and experienced a very interesting thing.
Didn’t her biological parents abandon her? When she became completely useless, didn't she become shunned by everyone? He's been missing for so long, and they didn't even look for him properly.
Does everyone think that Liu Tingmei’s life is over? Even she herself was stuck at the bottom of society, unable to find a way out.
He insisted on being the unexpected god in her life.
He wanted to pull her out of the muddy life and bring her back to the warm world from endless suffering. He wanted to return to her all the glory and honor that originally belonged to her.
Why is it that a prospective Peking University student is now living worse than an ordinary person? Why should every day of her life be as bitter as coptis? Screw Tingmei, screw fate. He was about to die and couldn't change his own fate, but couldn't he change the fate for a little girl like her?
Xie Rongcheng said to her, "I will give you a way out. Come back to Hong Kong with me. From now on, your surname will be Xie, not Liu. I will support you to repeat your studies and take the college entrance examination. Only by continuing to study can you have a future. I will also teach you some things in person. In this way, you can develop real insights and vision and have the kind of outstanding abilities you want."
Liu Tingmei thought for a moment and said, "Okay. So, what do you want from me?"
"You don't have anything I want. I'm not in love with you. It cost me less than two million to support you as a college student. To me, it's nothing. But in the future, when you succeed in your revenge, you can tell me so that I can be happy too. I always like stories of revenge, and I like cold and cruel endings."
"How do you know I want revenge?"
"It's written in your eyes, engraved on your face, and your soul wails in my ears every day. I've taken revenge before, and you can tell at a glance. But now I don't even have any enemies. I killed them all. I can only help you."
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