Zhao Xiyin chuckled, "I don't know, I just think it looks good and makes me look professional."
Zhao Wenchun laughed along, "You, you."
"Aunt Wang is very generous with so many watermelons."
Zhao Wenchun wiped the table with her head down. "She carried it upstairs herself. I told her I would do it, but she was already at her doorstep."
Zhao Xiyin wasn't stupid. She blinked her eyelashes and let out a meaningful "Eh," saying, "Something's up, Teacher Zhao."
"Go away, what do you know, you little kid?"
"How could I not understand? You've been divorced once, and I've been divorced once too. We're even, father and daughter," Zhao Xiyin said nonchalantly, reminiscing about the past with ease, showing her truly open-minded attitude. This ability to rebuild her mindset was likely something she had learned from Zhao Wenchun.
Zhao Wenchun acted as both father and mother, yet he retained a woman's gentleness and tolerance. He raised Zhao Xiyin to be knowledgeable, reasonable, gentle, and sensible, which was the greatest blessing of his life.
Zhao Xiyin said, "Dad, if you find a suitable partner, it won't be difficult to start a family again."
Zhao Wenchun chuckled, “What’s the point of starting a family again? My daughter and I are our family.”
Zhao Xiyin wiped her eyes with both hands, pretending to wipe away tears, "Father's love is as solid as a mountain."
Zhao Wenchun jokingly scolded her for being so unserious, and then suddenly asked, "Xiao west, have you ever thought about getting to know other people better?"
"Here's the thing, you know Uncle Chen, right? He's an old friend of Dad's, and he watched you grow up. He's a nephew of yours, a math teacher at a vocational college. He's about your age, maybe two or three years older. If you agree, I can show you a picture."
Zhao Xiyin understood. "Dad, are you arranging a blind date for me?"
"No, no," Zhao Wenchun hurriedly explained, "I won't arrange anything. Your Uncle Chen asked me to ask, and I'm just asking. If you don't want to, I'll refuse tomorrow."
Seeing his reaction, Zhao Xiyin suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She wasn't exactly an "obedient" girl. Wild from a young age, her parents divorced when she was young, and she developed a rebellious streak, causing Zhao Wenchun no shortage of trouble. After a year of rebellion, this behavior subsided. Later, she married and divorced. At such a young age, she was still quite a topic of conversation in their social circle. There was a lot of gossip behind her back, and in the end, everyone used Zhao Xiyin as a negative example.
What's the use of being pretty? They got divorced after only a short time of marriage. What's the point of marrying a rich man? Rich men are all playboys. It's better to find an ordinary, peaceful life with someone from your own family.
They use other people's misfortunes to flaunt their own small and ordinary lives.
Although Zhao Wenchun never argues, he has been so upset by gossip that he has lost his appetite several times. As soon as Zhao Xiyin comes home, he immediately acts as if nothing happened, saying, "I'm making soup, we'll be eating soon."
Zhao Xiyin sometimes feels like she's a jerk, having ruined her perfectly good life like this.
She thought for a moment, then looked up and smiled at her father, saying, "How about this, if you think Aunt Wang is a nice person and are willing to get to know her, then I'll agree to go on a blind date with you."
Zhao Wenchun frowned and glared, then stamped his foot in frustration, "Nonsense!"
Whether it's nonsense or not, Zhao Xiyin might actually have had this idea.
After finishing their training that day, the girls, tired from the morning, lay down on the floor of the training room to cool off. Those leaning against the wall practiced handstands, their straight legs like newly grown saplings, each move full of vitality.
Cen Yue disliked the hard floor and shamelessly lay down on Zhao Xiyin's stomach. Zhao Xiyin frowned and said, "Your head is really big."
Cen Yue nudged her with the back of her head, "Not big."
Zhao Xiyin almost vomited from the retort, and pinched her face, saying, "Your face is quite big too."
Cen Yue turned over and suddenly whispered, "Hey, Ni Rui is really your sister?"
Zhao Xiyin didn't answer, but just looked at her, "What?"
"The day before yesterday, I saw her get into a white BMW with two other people. The driver was a man, and there was someone in the back seat, who also seemed to be a man." Cen Yue's eyes darted around. "Did they... you know...?"
Zhao Xiyin replied decisively, "No, Ni Rui's family is well-off; she wouldn't stoop to such a low level for money."
"Her home?" Cen Yue asked, still confused.
Zhao Xiyin smiled and said, "My parents are divorced, and my mother married her father."
Cen Yue covered her mouth, instantly imagining a two-hundred-episode family drama. Zhao Xiyin was amused by her reaction, "get out of class ended early today, let me treat you to dinner tonight."
They left the practice room around 5 PM, changed clothes, and went shopping. Neither dared to eat anything too rich or heavy, so they unanimously chose Japanese food. Zhao Xiyin also called Li Ran, who said she was busy and couldn't come. But when Li Ran heard where they were, she was just in the mood, as she had an electronic gift card given to her by her second brother, which would expire if not used.
Judging from the name, it was one of the top Japanese restaurants in Beijing. Zhao Xiyin chatted and laughed with Cen Yue the whole way, in a good mood. When they arrived, the restaurant was full and they had to wait for a table. Cen Yue stared at the menu outside, drooling, "Let's eat our fill before we start dieting. Just one meal, please."
Zhao Xiyin couldn't help but chuckle, taking out her phone to scroll through her WeChat Moments. She swiped a few times, paused, then scrolled again. Gu Heping had posted a picture ten minutes earlier: a dimly lit shop with a pair of abstract teaware. The caption read: "Zhou and I both said it wasn't pretty, but Lao Cheng insists it is. What do you all think?"
There's also a suffix: "The wind has stopped." It's a teaware shop, and coincidentally, it's located in the very same shopping mall where Zhao Xiyin works.
There was another group of three or four people waiting ahead of them, all impeccably dressed. Zhao Xiyin and Cen Yue sat behind them, and they heard everything they wanted to hear, and everything they didn't want to hear.
The man in the plaid shirt said, "Yan Liming got a real beating yesterday, and I heard he's still in the emergency room and hasn't come out yet."
Another person laughed: "That was pretty ruthless. The soup pot was boiling, and they pressed their whole face into it. They're lucky they weren't disfigured."
The slightly overweight man chimed in, "Young Master Yan has a penchant for this kind of thing. He's always been quite arrogant, but no matter how wrong he is, Zhou Qishen has already gone all out, so there's no reason for him to complain anywhere. Chairman Sun also has a lot of opinions about him. There have always been rumors that the two companies had a cooperative intention, but now it's probably in jeopardy."
Zhao Xiyin sat on the narrow side of the stool, leaning forward with her whole body, her pointed ears standing up.
The three then talked about Zhou Qishen. "He is young and promising. Last year, he rose 30 places on the wealth list compared to the previous year. Jingmao's stock performance is also strong. I have analyzed it, and its market value has increased by 45% so far this year. This person has unlimited potential and is really no small figure."
Zhao Xiyin pursed her lips nonchalantly, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upwards, unaware that this was... pride.
The plaid shirt disagreed: "He has no background or connections in Beijing. He's just an out-of-towner who came from the army. How far do you think he can go? Besides, he has no education. He didn't graduate from a proper university, and he didn't take the military academy entrance exam while he was in the army. After leaving the military, he went into business. The school he claims to have graduated from is actually something he bought with money. You know, these days, if you don't have some 'gilded credentials,' you're really not presentable."
Feeling aggrieved, Zhao Xiyin suddenly turned to Cen Yue and said, "So what if I didn't go to university? Does that mean I'm not human? Even graduates from prestigious universities commit murder and break the law. Farmers can also become rich by growing crops. We earn our living through our own abilities. Did we eat your rice? You're really meddling!"
Cen Yue, who was still drooling over the menu, was baffled. "Huh? Are you talking about me? I don't eat rice, I want to eat salmon."
The three people in front turned around at the same time.