Der Wind bewegt mein Herz

Kapitel 1

Chapter 1

Just two days into March, Wenjiang City suddenly transformed from the gloomy and dark atmosphere of late winter into a vibrant and bright place.

The intense sunlight enveloped the entire city, forcing the dirty snow and frost hiding in the corners and alleys to have nowhere to hide. They could only curse reluctantly as they disappeared into the sunlight, leaving behind patches of disgusting filth.

Finally, the weather cleared up, and everyone, young and old, rich and poor, rushed out onto the street to get some fresh air after a long winter. The street was bustling with activity.

In contrast, the jewelry store located on the corner of the commercial street appeared very quiet.

This jewelry store was owned by foreigners, and the staff, to distinguish themselves from local shops, weren't particularly enthusiastic in their sales pitches. Customers browsed casually, a record player on the glass display case played light, lively piano music, occasionally punctuated by whispers, and the cool air emanating from the surrounding iceboxes created a remarkably tranquil and serene atmosphere.

“Miss Li, would you like to try these tassel earrings? This geometric design is original to our brand and is currently very popular in France. The geometric cherry blossoms on them are also an element of the Orient…”

At the counter, two female shop assistants were helping a young lady try on earrings. Before one pair was even on her ears, another pair was already being handed to her, making it dazzling and overwhelming, leaving her unsure which pair to choose.

Glancing at the people sitting idly drinking tea nearby, Li Yining said reproachfully, "Ah Xuan! You, a great scholar who has returned from studying in the West, why don't you come and appraise these fine Western and Eastern things for me? You're just standing there watching from the sidelines!"

"Why--"

When his female companion spoke, the young man who had been called out was not in a hurry. He lazily responded, put down the magazine in his hand, straightened his clothes, and then got up and came over.

Jewelry stores mostly cater to female customers. Even if men need cufflinks or tie clips, it's usually their female companions who buy them for them. Therefore, the sales staff aren't as enthusiastic towards male customers. The two female sales staff who were showing Li Yining the earrings finally looked at this young man properly, but after just one glance, they immediately exchanged a look, sensing each other's regret.

We missed out on a big deal!

This young man was impeccably dressed in a white suit, his hair neatly tucked into a fedora, and he exuded a dashing and handsome air that drew attention. But to the shop assistant, none of that mattered.

"Look at his brooch and cufflinks!" the shop assistant whispered.

"This emerald is of top quality, and the key-shaped gemstone design is something I've never seen before in Wenjiang..." A man with such taste is certainly not someone who casually decorates. It's just a pity they didn't notice earlier and almost missed a big fish!

Before the whisper was finished, the person had already walked to the counter, where two tellers busily and attentively greeted them.

Li Yining turned her head and gestured to the earrings on her ears: "Ah Xuan, which pair do you think looks better?"

Mu Xing obediently examined Li Yining's earrings.

Hmm, very good. This so-called "original" earring is clearly a copy of the design from French E&D Jewelry, and it's even a design from last year.

She tried hard to recall who she had given the earring to at the family memorial service a few days ago—it wouldn't be good if people misunderstood it as a common item.

Li Yining also looked back at Mu Xing.

In the six years that Ah Xuan has been abroad, although we've met intermittently, it's all been rushed and hurried, as if it's only been a blink of an eye. The restless little tyrant of yesteryear has grown into what she is now. Although she still likes to act like a tomboy, she's definitely different...

She tilts her head slightly when she's thinking, a habit she can never seem to break. Her narrow double eyelids make her eyes look like two sharp knives, slanting across her thick, clean eyebrows. When she lowers her eyelids, her cold and serious gaze falls upon you, and it's as if you're pinned to the spot by those two knives, making it impossible to look away.

Under Mu Xing's gaze, Li Yining blinked and turned her head slightly away, trying to make her blush less obvious.

Could it be that Ah Xuan also...?

“Oh, it’s Second Sister-in-law…” Mu Xing murmured.

Li Yining: "...What?"

Mu Xing naturally looked away: "I said this style is called 'Art Deco' abroad."

She pointed to another pair of earrings under the glass display case: "I think this one is better, it's more fashionable, and the long diamond shape suits your face shape. Don't you have a chiffon polka dot dress? This bright yellow would be a good match as an accent." And it wasn't a copy of the original design; at least, she hadn't seen it before.

Li Yining looked at them through the glass, without even trying them on, and said, "If you think they're good, then wrap them up."

After selecting a necklace for Li Yining, Mu Xing made her exit and followed Li Yining to the nearby fashion store.

“Why not wait for the foreign company to deliver such jewelry to the mansion and then choose at your leisure? The quality and style are guaranteed. Why bother going shopping?” Mu Xing said.

Li Yining snorted: "I think you've been playing the tomboy for too long, and you can't even appreciate the charm of shopping anymore. Didn't you read in 'Linglong' that a modern woman needs to have a sharp eye to pick out the best? That's something you can only learn through practice!"

"Of course." Mu Xing replied nonchalantly, then, as if remembering something, picked up the book in her hand and flipped through it: "'Linglong'? You mean this one?"

Li Yining nodded: "Yeah, hey, be careful, don't break it."

"Wow, I've never seen you treasure other books like this before." Mu Xing flipped through them.

"This isn't your average light reading book. This is only the first issue, and it was almost sold out when I went to buy it just now." Li Yining teased, "Hey, you've always looked down on these kinds of books, but I saw you reading several pages just now. How was it?"

Mu Xing gave a perfunctory smile.

She had just read a few pages. Although there were some insightful articles, such as "The Unmarried Doctrine," there were also some that were just using democratic slogans to practice double standards. They were not worth mentioning, yet they often had a huge impact.

But seeing that Li Yining liked it, she didn't criticize too harshly, even though she thought to herself: "It's alright. There are some... um, beauty and skincare content that I think is worth referring to. It even suggests getting vitamin injections to whiten the skin. The author is... what's his name, Xiao Heren?"

Li Yining laughed and said, "Even you appreciate this book. It seems it truly is a friend of progressive and democratic women."

After chatting for a few minutes, Li Yining's attention was drawn to a foreign firm on the way, and Mu Xing had no choice but to follow her inside.

…

In a dimly lit room in the Wah Wing Building, a woman leaned against the windowsill, her brows slightly furrowed, quietly gazing out the window.

Unlike the currently fashionable flat figure, the woman rested her elbows on the carved windowsill, her waist arched, creating a graceful curve that seemed to tremble and overflow. A wisp of curly hair hung down, trembling and rubbing slightly with her movements.

Wrapped in a crimson cheongsam, she resembled a flamboyant, fiery red dahlia, her entire being proclaiming loudly, "Look how beautiful I am!"

"Yan'er, what do you want me to do?" A male voice broke the silence of "Dahlia" in the wind.

A few steps behind "Dahlia" sat a young man. His thick eyebrows were furrowed, and he rubbed his hands and smoothed his clothes, seemingly somewhat uneasy.

Before "Dahlia" could speak, he said urgently, "What have I done to offend you? Yan'er, I apologize, okay? I apologize! Every time I ask you out, you're always so unhappy. What do you want from me? What more do you want from me?"

Flicked the ash off her cigarette and silently rolled her eyes at the window frame.

Men are all masters of blatant lying! Don't you know what I want?

After a pause, she casually said, "What are you saying, Young Master Cui? Who am I, and who are you? How could I dare to have any intention of 'changing my mind'? I'll just leave it to you and let you do as you please."

Her Wu dialect was extremely broken, yet when spoken by her, it seemed to carry a tender and affectionate quality that masked the strangeness of her accent.

Young Master Cui said hastily, "I don't understand what you're saying! I give you things, but you don't want them. I let you choose for yourself, but you're still not happy! How can I be happy?"

Bai Yan snorted coldly and continued to put on airs: "Are you unhappy? If you're unhappy, go somewhere else and don't come looking for trouble with me!" She turned around and stomped her foot in an extremely affected manner. She flicked her handkerchief, turned around and sat on the chair under the window. She picked up the handkerchief and squeezed out two pools of red tears. She didn't forget to lift her skirt to reveal a section of her snow-white leg.

After giving them a cold shoulder, it's time to serve them hot tea.

Sure enough, the moment her eyes reddened, Young Master Cui panicked and humbly apologized to her.

Bai Yan, with tears streaming down her face, cried out, "I suffered so much injustice at Changsantang, and you couldn't even offer me any support, you just blamed me!"

Halfway through the performance, she realized she hadn't finished the whole act, so she changed her tune: "Don't you remember what you said? You said that after the big candles are lit next month, you would redeem me from my servitude, is that true? Now you're pretending not to hear it!"

Young Master Cui, after all, hadn't yet become a seasoned veteran in the game of love. Hearing his lover's question, he paused, unable to come up with a good excuse, and could only slump back into his chair: "Yan'er..."

Seeing him like this, Bai Yan's heart sank.

As expected, Young Master Cui then said, "Yan'er, I, I really love you, but my father... sigh."

Bai Yan said softly, "I know your father can't accept it right now, but that's okay, I can wait..."

Young Master Cui shook his head: "It's not just that. My father... he heard that I'm hanging out with Young Master Liu and his gang all the time, and he's cut off all my allowance. Forget about redeeming myself, even the money to light the big candles for you came from pawning my fiancée's jewelry... Yan'er, can you wait a little longer? At most six months, I'm sure I'll get the money to redeem you..."

Not... fiancée?

Bai Yan was stunned.

The reason she hooked up with Young Master Cui was because she heard that he was unmarried and had no family. In the past few months, he had never mentioned any fiancée!

She took a deep breath and cleared her tight throat: "When did you get engaged?"

Unaware of her unusual behavior, Young Master Cui continued, "What happened last month? You're prone to jealousy, so there's no need for you to know about this. Besides, my fiancée, hmph, is a blockhead. She won't get in our way."

"I really didn't expect the old man to be so ruthless... Yan'er, don't worry, I will definitely redeem you, it just will take a little while. After I get married next month, won't that woman's dowry all be mine...?"

Upon hearing what Young Master Cui said, Bai Yan looked at him in disbelief, feeling as if she had never known this person before.

She thought he was... polite and sincere, and although somewhat weak, he was ultimately... someone she could rely on. She never imagined he could be so cold-hearted. If he could treat his fiancée this way, he could certainly treat her the same way when he grew tired of her!

If he were to redeem himself, it would be like escaping one wolf's den only to fall into another!

Clutching her handkerchief tightly to control her disappointment, Bai Yan quickly calmed down. Even the lingering, half-hearted thoughts of cooking and caring for her fiancé froze in her heart.

He even sneered inwardly.

She's been spoiled rotten by that man. She's survived for four years thanks to his kindness, yet she still presumptuously hopes that someone can rescue her from this quagmire... that someone can truly pity her! How ridiculous!

No one can be her hero; she should have realized that long ago.

She stood back by the windowsill, her back to Young Master Cui, concealing the coldness in her expression.

But no matter how dissatisfied her mother was, she could not allow herself to be treated so carelessly.

“I understand your difficulties…” she said softly, while quickly spotting a young man downstairs walking toward the foreign firm.

What a beautiful emerald brooch!

He was a complete stranger, accompanied by a female companion and followed by an entourage. He had no luggage, so he was probably a young master who stayed at the club for an extended period...

Tears still clung to her cheeks, but her eyes had already brightened. Bai Yan suddenly smiled, startling the young master Cui behind her, who was at a loss for words: "You, you're not angry anymore?"

Turning around, Bai Yan smiled, her large, bright eyes curving into crescent moons, exuding innocence and charm.

"Silly boy, how could I be angry with you!"

Chapter Two

As they entered a foreign firm, Li Yining suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Mu Xing, "Hey, Xuan, is your wound serious? Why don't you sit down and rest?"

Hearing this, Mu Xing was both amused and exasperated: "My injury is on my forehead, not my leg, so why do I need to rest?"

Li Yining frowned and said, "I was just concerned about you. It's hot, what if you get an infection? And you still insist on wearing a hat because you're so vain..."

Mu Xing knew that Li Yining was always prone to nagging, and fearing that she would start talking endlessly about her injury if she brought it up, she quickly said, "Yes, yes, Miss, I'll go and rest now. You can take your time shopping. Hey, isn't that the Max Factor lipstick you said you wanted to buy?"

"Hmm? Where is it?" Li Yining immediately went to investigate upon hearing the sound.

The trading company where Mu Xing and his companion worked belonged to the Cui family, a tycoon in the pigment industry. It was quite large, offering a wide variety of foreign goods, from gold and silver jewelry to imported cosmetics, and its business was very prosperous.

The building was exceptionally grand and exquisite, with four floors. Mu Xing followed Li Yining up to the second floor. Li Yining went to the cosmetics counter, and Mu Xing found a window to lean against and wait for her.

The goods sold by the trading company were nothing more than those kinds of things, which she certainly didn't lack. Besides, the wound on her forehead was soaked with sweat, which, although not a big deal, was indeed a bit uncomfortable, so it was good to get some fresh air to relax.

The customers coming and going in the trading company were all prominent young men and women. Mu Xing stood in the corner, which helped him avoid some of the boring small talk.

She turned her head to look out the window. The delicate glass window separated the hustle and bustle of the street from the outside world. The various people on the street were like a silent film with a not very sophisticated technique, messy and trivial, yet so familiar.