Feng Yiping and the others had finished eating the shabu shabu and were about to pay the bill when they received a call from their sister. It was purely idle chat: 'Are you busy? Can you catch up with your studies?'
'Everything's fine, and you?'
'I'm fine. It's cold where you are, remember to wear more clothes, don't just think about looking good, or you'll end up shivering.'
'I know, I know,'
'Tell your sister, do you have a girlfriend now?' Feng Yuxuan suddenly changed the subject.
'Yes,' Feng Yiping said with a smile, slipping Huang Jingping's hand into his overcoat pocket. The two of them then walked arm in arm to the car park. Jin Ling saw them showing off their affection for each other in such a showy way, and she rolled her eyes. Alas, she had also really come to the point of looking for one herself.
'Really!' Feng Yuxuan had never expected that such a casual question would elicit such a big piece of gossip. 'Is she a classmate of yours? Where is she from? Is she nice? Is she pretty?'
'Don't worry, she's great in every way!' Feng Yiping said, while pinching the cheek of his girlfriend Huang Jingping next to him. "Why send photos? You'll meet her at the end of the month at the meeting.'
Feng Yiping hung up the phone. "My sister asked me for your photo!'
'Ah, Yiping, you're going to meet your family at the meeting this time, so can I not go?' Huang Jingping was a little apprehensive when she thought about this.
'What's there to worry about? You're so pretty and such a good daughter-in-law, what are you afraid of meeting the in-laws?'
'So you're not worried if we go back now to meet my parents?'
'What's there to worry about? Someone like me is like a firefly on a summer night, sparkling and attracting attention everywhere I go. Your parents won't be unhappy?' In fact, if she really went to meet Huang Jingping's parents, she wouldn't be worried, but she definitely couldn't help being nervous.
'Oh,' Jin Ling over there had already sat in the car and heard Feng Yiping's words, pretending to be sick.
'You see, with my charm, I have melted the iceberg-like Jin Ling into someone like a comedian.' Feng Yiping pulled the giggling Huang Jingping and said to Jin Ling, 'Jin Ling, you're not pregnant, are you!'
A bunch of keys flew out of the car window, 'Who are you calling a comedian!'
Feng Yuxuan returned to the living room, where Zhou Yufang was stirring the meatballs with a spoon. 'They're ready, let's eat!'
The two were drinking white wine. Zhou Yufang looked at Feng Yuxuan, who seemed a little distracted, and asked her, 'What's wrong?'
'I just found out that my brother has a girlfriend.'
'Oh, there's no need to make a fuss. What university student doesn't have a few girlfriends? Not to mention your brother, who's such a good guy.'
'I'm a little worried. Tell me, do you think he'll get cheated on?'
'You really are worrying about something that doesn't concern you. Your brother is such a smart guy, he's a catch for any girl. A girl cheating on him? I'm afraid it's more likely that he'll cheat on her. You might as well worry about yourself. You're not young anymore, just one year younger than me, right? Twenty-four, I think. What are you going to do about your personal life? How many people are after you? Any you like?'
'What do you mean how many people are after me? I don't have the heart to think about that right now, I'm so busy every day. Here, drink!'
'Then tell me, what kind of person are you looking for?'
'What kind? Let me think,' Feng Yuxuan nibbled on a duck's neck, 'First of all, he has to be a good person, with good morals. Second, either he is better than me, and can help, or he is not as capable as me, but is willing to stay at home.'
'What are you pretending? You're thinking about it now? I can tell you've been thinking about it for more than a day or two!' Zhou Yufang laughed at Feng Yuxuan when she heard her express such clear requirements.
The next morning, Feng Yuxuan didn't accompany them shopping. At lunchtime, Zhou Yufang called her from in front of the bus stop, saying she was going back to the city. A little while later, Feng Yuxuan was seen standing in front of the noodle shop across the street, waving at her.
'Have you got everything?' Feng Yuxuan looked at the large suitcase that Xiao Hu was pushing and handed her the gift boxes in her hands. "These are for my godmother. She's getting old now, and she needs to be kept warm in winter. Don't you dare eat them!'
Zhou Yufang didn't stand on ceremony with her either, and took them with a smile. "If she can't eat them, I'll help her. Okay, I know you're busy, so you should go home early. You must come before the New Year!'
At this time, Shi Wei walked up from behind, 'Yu Xuan, I'm sorry, I was a bit reckless yesterday, but I really said those things for your own good. As an apology, I bought you a bag, please accept it.'
He took out a beautifully packaged bag from his bag. It had a conspicuous logo on it, from a well-known luxury brand. He had bought it today with a heavy heart, after carrying Zhou Yufang and the others around, and although it was the cheapest one in the store, it cost more than 7,000 yuan. After buying this bag, he really didn't have much money left.
Feng Yuxuan didn't even bother to look at him, let alone the gift. 'Yufang, Xiaohu, have a safe trip!'
After saying that, she turned around and walked back, but Shi Xieyi stopped her again. Feng Yuxuan was annoyed, 'Mr. Shi, right? I don't know you well, so please don't be so familiar. I won't take anything from you, so you might as well give it to some other girl. Now, please move aside.'
Several employees in the store had been watching this side, and when they saw a man blocking him, a young man shouted downstairs, 'Ms Feng, are you okay!'
'I'm fine, you don't need to come over,' she bypassed the person blocking her and walked past without looking away.
Zhou Yufang took Xiao Hu's hand, 'What are you waiting for, let's go!'
'Lao Shi, let's go, the bus is about to leave,'
'Oh, you go back first, I still have some things to do.' He couldn't go back now, because if he didn't quickly return the expensive bag, he would really lose out. These people with a bit of money are all so difficult to deal with. Next time, he should find some girl who has just come from the countryside, hasn't earned much money and hasn't seen much of the world!
As they sat down in the car, Zhou Yufang told her boyfriend, 'I'm telling you, don't get involved with someone like this in the future.'
'I know,' Xiaohu replied sulkily.
'Don't be upset. Yu Xuan and I are on the same side. I only didn't confront Shi directly and didn't mention Yu Xuan's family background because I was doing it for your sake. He's in his thirties, almost forty, and has accomplished nothing. He's already been divorced once, and yet as soon as he met you, he started hitting on Yu Xuan. Doesn't he even look in the mirror?
And what kind of things did he say? He started picking a fight as soon as they met. If such a black sheep were to enter a family with a good relationship, it would definitely not be peaceful. Would he say such things to you? I think he definitely would. You should definitely stay away from someone like that in the future.'
Zhou Yufang was right. Shi Weixi had really said something to Xiao Hu as an experienced person, mainly about the joint property of the couple after marriage and the support of the elderly. The point was that there were more and more divorces nowadays, and one must keep a mental account and not foolishly put all one's savings into it. At the time, he actually thought it made sense, but now, thinking about it, it was all very fucking ridiculous.
Feng Yiping doesn't know about the incident Feng Yuxuan encountered these past two days. If he did, he would have to get drunk. He is suffering from a severe headache.
He had just finished two boring maths classes and hurried to the office. These days, there were more and more documents being delivered, and it seemed that each one was very important. Moreover, as the end of the year approached, there were also more and more documents related to money, which could not be sloppy.
In addition, Bao Zhuoyuan had also sent him the English versions of those manuscripts. Many of the English words for technical terms were new to him, so he had to look them up in the dictionary while slowly reading them.
'You're not having lunch?' Jin Ling asked him as he stood in the doorway.
'I ate at school, just bring me some fruit.'
It seemed like not long after, someone knocked on the office door, and he said without looking up, 'Come in.'
'Yiping, I can see that you didn't eat lunch, which is not good. If you don't eat lunch, how can you be energetic in the afternoon? So I went out and bought some fast food, let's eat together.'
Without giving Feng Yiping the chance to refuse, she took things out of the paper bag one after the other and placed them on the coffee table. They filled the table, including burgers with opened-up vegetables, fried liver, pork cutlets, steamed dumplings, and squab soup. It looked like she had to go to at least three stores, and she must have taken a taxi non-stop to buy all this in such a short time.
She certainly knows how to dress up, she thought. The black suit, the purple shirt, the flesh-coloured stockings, the black high heels – together with her outstanding looks and S-shaped figure, she completely fulfilled all the fantasies people had about secretaries.
'Wow, so many delicious things, just the smell makes me hungry,' Feng Yiping sat down, took a burger and started eating. In theory, when they first arrived in the capital, he had made his intentions clear to her. Did he have to be so blunt?
He pondered how to start, and Fang Yingzhi went to the water dispenser with two plastic spoons to get some boiled water. 'Have some soup,'
a burger with squab soup, it really has Chinese characteristics.
Fang Yingzhi found a topic of conversation, 'That's right, Yiping, I heard that the company is arranging a meeting in Sanya at the end of the month?'
'Yes, it's mainly the general managers and shareholders of various companies, discussing the establishment of the head office. Some people may bring their families, my parents, my sister, and my grandfather will go too. Jingping is so nervous at the thought of meeting so many elders at once.' Feng Yiping said what he wanted to say with ease.
'By the way, Xiaozhi, is your boyfriend still in the city? Should you ask him to come to the capital to look for work, it's not good to be separated.'
'I don't have a boyfriend,' said Fang Yingzhi, as if she were a little disappointed.
'That's true. With your qualifications, you have to be selective, but the capital is a gathering place for talented people from all walks of life, so there are plenty of opportunities.'
'I've set my sights on someone else, but they don't seem to like me,' Fang Yingzhi gave him a plaintive look, but Feng Yiping kept eating in silence.
'Wow, this is so rich, do you still need to eat fruit? I'm not interrupting, am I?' Jin Ling walked in with a small box of cut kiwis and two apples.
'Yes, Xiaozhi is much more attentive than you. By the way, Jin Ling, take some time to go shopping with Jingping these two days, she doesn't have any swimsuits or anything.'
'Oh,' Jin Ling felt a little strange, Feng Yiping had already told her about this yesterday.
'Ms. Jin, Yiping, I'm done eating, you guys enjoy your meal.' Fang Yingzhi couldn't sit still anymore.
Jin Ling skillfully peeled an apple, listening to Fang Yingzhi's footsteps as she walked away, "You mustn't make things difficult for yourself!'
'I know," Feng Yiping picked up a piece of kiwi fruit, "I'll definitely be loyal to you, Ms. Jin.'
Jin Ling was peeling the apple when the skin suddenly broke off, "Get out!'