Looking at the sumptuous breakfast on the table, Hu Ni felt as if time had turned back. On Qiu Ping's worn-out dining table, a bowl of boiled sparrows was being pushed around. Qiu Ping ate his rice, occasionally glancing back at Hu Ni, smiling at her with satisfaction. The smile of a simple, boyish heart. Now grown up, Qiu Ping still looked at her like that, smiled, and asked, "Vegetable filling?"
Hu Ni nodded, picked up the steamed bun that Qiu Ping had chosen, and ate it with great concentration.
"Have some soy milk." Qiu Ping placed a bowl of soy milk in front of Hu Ni, and then poured himself a bowl.
“You’ll spoil me,” Hu Ni suddenly said.
"Really? But I just want to spoil you." Qiu Ping looked at her with a smile.
"What's going on today? What are you looking at? Tell me, it's all so mysterious."
You'll find out then.
Standing in the empty room, Hu Ni looked around blankly. Qiu Ping happily pulled her to see each room: the master bedroom, her parents' room, the study, the kitchen. Hu Ni realized it was a three-bedroom apartment. She felt uneasy, but couldn't help feeling a little excited.
“Hu Ni,” Qiu Ping hugged her and said, “this is our home.”
Pushing Qiu Ping away, she looked at him and asked, "Where did you get so much money to buy a house? How much is the down payment? Did you borrow the money?" She was worried that he was under pressure, and she didn't want to put any pressure on him.
Qiu Ping laughed and said, "No, it's all my own money."
Where did you get so much money?
“I earned it. My annual salary is about three or four hundred thousand yuan, including my salary, bonuses, and stock dividends. And I’ve been working for many years, as you’ve seen, I don’t have time or place to spend money. I’m very frugal. So,” Qiu Ping said with a smile, putting his arm around Hu Ni’s waist, “you can marry me without worry.”
Hu Ni smiled, feeling extremely inferior. She hadn't expected Qiu Ping to be so "rich." She wished Qiu Ping were poor; she hoped the gap between them wouldn't be so large. Qiu Ping said he had only managed to escape poverty in Shenzhen, but this "escape" made Hu Ni feel incredibly inferior. What right did she have to possess everything Qiu Ping had? Nestled in Qiu Ping's arms, she looked blankly at everything before her.
"Hu Ni, I want you to feel like you have roots and a place to belong. This is your home."
Standing in the spacious room, facing Qiu Ping, whom she considered perfect, inferiority complex devoured her hazy happiness like a giant worm. Sometimes, love is a burden, a burden one doesn't want to unload.
However, Hu Ni still decided to take on this burden. She couldn't give up Qiu Ping; she couldn't give Qiu Ping a seemingly complete family. But she also couldn't leave him detachedly. She couldn't leave him. So, she could only smile, a quiet smile.
Hu Ni stood by the window, pressed against the glass, gazing at the bustling street scene in the distance. Qiu Ping was beside her, his arm gently wrapped around her waist from behind. She couldn't believe that she had all of this.
Do you like it?
Hu Ni smiled and nodded.
"Come on, I have something else to show you."
"What?"
"Let's go!"
A silver-gray car slowly drove up from the underground parking lot and stopped clearly in front of Hu Ni. The door opened, and Qiu Ping sat in the driver's seat: "Get in, Hu Ni."
Hu Ni got into the brand-new car, her feelings complicated: "Yours?"
“I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at houses and buying cars lately. I was thinking of letting you choose, but I figured it would be too much work, and besides, I don’t think you’re too picky, so I’ll make the decision myself.”
"This car is really nice." Hu Ni adjusted her mindset. Isn't it a good thing that Qiu Ping bought a house and a car? Does she really want him to be poor and destitute for the rest of his life?
“This car is cheap, only a little over 100,000 yuan. Some of my colleagues drive cars that cost 400,000 or 500,000 yuan. I’m a little embarrassed to drive my car to work. But then I think, it’s just a means of transportation, why worry so much?” Qiu Ping carefully responded to his words: “Besides, we’re getting married soon, so it’s time to buy these things.”
Hu Ni's phone rang; it was a home call. Lian Qing got up. Lian Qing couldn't stand being alone and always needed someone with her. Now she strongly insisted on "playing" with them: "Brother Qiu Ping, have you finished telling you what you were doing?"
"We didn't say anything, don't talk nonsense," Hu Ni denied instinctively.
"Alright, you should have finished your business by now. Where are you? I'll come find you. I haven't had lunch yet."
"You stay home, we'll come pick you up." After Hu Ni finished speaking, she glanced at Qiu Ping, who only smiled slightly.
After hanging up the phone, Hu Ni asked, "You don't mind, do you?"
Qiu Ping smiled and said, "Of course I mind, but we'll have plenty of time in the future."
The Angel of Matter (Part 10)
gold
When Lianqing ran downstairs and saw the car, she screamed for a full three minutes, so excited that others thought it was hers. She lay on the car, hugging and kissing it, shouting, "Brother Qiuping, this car is really yours!" Her innocent joy made Hu Ni jealous. She wished she could be as happy as Lianqing when she saw the car, but she just couldn't.
"Of course it's mine, I just drove it back yesterday."
"Then it belongs to my cousin."
"Of course!"
“Then it’s mine.” Lianqing immediately claimed the car as her own, using her logic.
Jumping into the car, Lianqing excitedly touched and looked around, unable to sit still for a moment. "Have you bought a house yet, Brother Qiuping?" she asked casually.
"I bought it."
"Really! You're getting married?"
"yes!"
"when?"
"Soon." Qiu Ping turned his head and glanced at Hu Ni, his expression meaningful.
"Then I won't have to rent a place anymore, right?" Lianqing exclaimed excitedly.
"Sure, as long as you're obedient."
"I promise I'll obey!"
"Am I destined to sit in this seat forever?" Lianqing cried out in disappointment, as if realizing something.
"What, not satisfied? There's another seat for you."
"Where?" Lianqing poked her head up with great interest.
"The roof of the car."
"Qiuping-ge is so annoying!" Lianqing leaned back in disappointment, and there was a moment of silence. Hu Ni and Qiuping both laughed. The future, for Hu Ni, was an unexpected big gift.
She hasn't had her own home for a long time, but she's about to have one.
For a long time, she didn't know where she wanted to settle down, but now she does.
She hadn't felt like she had family for a long time, but now she has Qiuping.
Her future was exceptionally bright. Happiness was just around the corner at the tail end of her youth, without a doubt.
The house renovation started quickly. Hu Ni's requirement was simplicity; she hated complicated and fussy renovations. Moreover, spending money on superficial effects that had no practical use was too wasteful. Qiu Ping agreed with Hu Ni's view, but his requirement for simplicity was definitely not plainness. He discussed the effect with the designer very seriously, and he had very precise requirements for everything, from the flooring to the cove molding of the simple ceiling to the placement of the wash cups.
During the house renovation, Lianqing was the one who visited the "construction site" most frequently. She didn't have a fixed office schedule, and whenever she had time, she would go to see her new home. She had already taken it upon herself to give herself Qiuping's parents' room, and she was thrilled with her new, stable home. What she was most interested in now was directing and instructing the sweating workers. Supervising the construction brought her another kind of satisfaction.
The Angel of Matter (XI)
gold
My Sunday get-together with Xiaoyan was in Nan'ao. After a week of relentless work and study, we make sure to have as much fun as possible in our free time. On Sundays, you'll see young men and women who usually wear business suits eagerly changing into casual clothes, lavishly emphasizing their "leisure" and artificially creating excitement. After a lot of pressure, what they need is complete release and relaxation. If they can't completely relax, they artificially create excitement. Here, you can see an overwhelming "leisure passion," like plain water, and a "leisure obsession" that people flock to.
On the beach in South Australia, Hu Ni saw Xiao Yan's car stop in the distance. She was wearing tight denim shorts and a bright red halter top with delicate embroidery on the front. She jumped out of the car, clutching a large, bulging blue swimming ring, and walked towards them, her long hair swaying rhythmically behind her head. Behind her followed the tall, muscular Gu Peng, also dressed casually, carrying a bag in his hand—probably containing towels, swimwear, and snacks. A very well-matched couple.
Hu Ni stopped building her sandcastle, stood up, and waved to Xiao Yan with a smile. Qiu Ping also stood up, took her hand, and greeted her friend. Lian Qing was still sitting there, her lips slightly pursed, her expression serious as she carefully made "windows" in her enormous sandcastle, her face streaked with sand from when she brushed her hair back. She glanced up casually at the two approaching figures. The woman was beautiful, even more beautiful than her cousin and herself, which made her both happy and jealous. The man was a bit too rugged, not as handsome as Qiu Ping, but he had a car, and it was definitely better than Qiu Ping's. She saw a small car parked behind Qiu Ping's new car, its cold gleam in the sunlight. She hadn't realized it was a woman's car; it must belong to a man. He must be richer. Lian Qing felt even happier; she enjoyed hanging out with rich, young, and beautiful people.
Hu Ni gave a brief introduction, and Lian Qing stood up excitedly; at her age, it was hard not to be excited. She greeted her new friends loudly, a smug smile unconsciously spreading across her face. She often wore this expression at gatherings with friends because she was young, she was beautiful, and, of course, she was the center of attention—she always was, at home. But she found that things weren't quite like that. Qiu Ping and Gu Peng seemed to be getting along quite well, and she couldn't understand much of what they were saying; even if she did, she couldn't contribute. Her cousin and Xiao Yan were also whispering in each other's ears from time to time, and she had no idea what they were saying, only seeing them laughing heartily. Fortunately, this situation lasted less than ten minutes.
When Xiaoyan got out of the car again, she was dressed in a revealing outfit. She was a woman who liked to show off; beauty is meant to be flaunted.
Lianqing couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Her swimsuit was actually quite pretty, but it was completely overshadowed by Xiaoyan's. She even considered not swimming at all, and instead wore her own denim shorts and tank top that showed half her buttocks, thinking that way she wouldn't be outshone. But she couldn't resist the temptation of the cool seawater and changed into her own two-piece yellow swimsuit. The little skirt over her swim trunks, which she used to love, now seemed particularly silly to her. Luckily, her cousin was wearing a more traditional swimsuit, but it still looked better than hers, at least without that ridiculously childish skirt. So Lianqing calmed down a bit, climbed onto her swimming ring, and watched them swim around her.
Hu Ni can't swim either, so she clung to her swimming ring, floating beside Lian Qing to ensure her safety. Swimming held little appeal for her, but the beach was undeniably alluring. Before arriving, she had always imagined the sea to be incredibly beautiful, but reality far surpassed her expectations. The people were the key to the gathering; without them, the party would be meaningless. Qiu Ping swam twenty or thirty meters beside her, then swam back. Xiao Yan and Gu Peng, seemingly in perfect sync, had swum quite a distance ahead. Hu Ni envied them; she longed to swim as far as Qiu Ping, but she was naturally a bottomless pit, sinking instantly without her ring. The bottom was terrifying, the water shimmering coldly, reflecting the sunlight.
Hu Ni floated contentedly on the water, surrounded by her lover, friends, and family, enjoying a blissful, sunny day.
"Hu Ni! Throw away your swimming ring, then you can learn to swim," Qiu Ping said, treading water as he went, his face dripping with water, his hair wet, healthy and young. Under his protection, Hu Ni threw away the swimming ring. He supported her waist, but she still sank hopelessly. Below, the water was a deep green, with bright ripples, strange and eerie, but Hu Ni was no longer afraid; Qiu Ping wouldn't let her sink. He picked her up, and she hugged his neck, laughing; he laughed too.
Xiao Yan and Gu Peng swam back, passing by them with a loud splashing sound and high sprays of water.
Lianqing looked around listlessly, feeling utterly bored. It seemed finding a boyfriend was now the most urgent matter.
At noon, while we were eating at a restaurant in Nan'ao, two men went outside to select seafood, and the girls chatted quietly about interesting topics before bursting into loud laughter.
Lianqing listened carefully to their intermittent speech, but found herself still completely confused; their voices were too low.
Xiaoyan's voice grew louder as she recounted her experience in Yangshuo. Then they discussed when to go together and stay there for a while.
Lianqing listened with some fascination and said, "Sister Xiaoyan, I find your lives so good..." Lianqing didn't know how to describe how good they were.
"What's good about it?"
"Your life is so good," Lianqing exclaimed sincerely.
"Please! Lianqing, don't be so sour, okay? The most disgusting word these days is 'petty bourgeois,' it's like a rat crossing the street, utterly repulsive. It's been said too much, everyone's a petty bourgeois, like the old Red Guards, so 'overused.' I can't stand those self-proclaimed petty bourgeois people, so pretentious, affected, so self-important. They're just tasteless peasants who've only been in the city a few days, just washed the mud off their legs. And by 'peasants,' I mean even 'peasants' in the city." Xiaoyan explained, adding, "Otherwise, they wouldn't be staring at it like flies on dung. They think that just because they've eaten Häagen-Dazs a few times, drunk a few bottles of liquor, brewed a few pots of coffee, used a couple of bottles of Chanel and CDs, and traveled a few times, they're petty bourgeois? Disgusting!"
Lianqing was unexpectedly struck down, but suddenly developed a deep respect for Xiaoyan, calling her "Sister Xiaoyan" over and over happily.
“Xiao Yan isn’t some petit-bourgeoisie, he’s a very ‘petit-bourgeois’ ‘angry young man’!” Hu Ni said with a smile.
"Please, really don't talk to me about 'petty bourgeois' stuff. I really hate that kind of pretentious attitude. I feel disgusted just looking at people acting like 'petty bourgeois'," Xiaoyan declared earnestly.
Lianqing became even more convinced of Xiaoyan's abilities. Suddenly, she seemed to have become an angry young man herself, and she had a heated discussion with Xiaoyan about the "affectation" and "self-righteousness" of the "petit bourgeoisie".
Hu Ni listened quietly to their conversation, happy and peaceful. Qiu Ping and Gu Peng were still outside the window, selecting a wide variety of seafood. It was hard to believe how life had become so wonderful.
The Angel of Matter (12)
gold
Lianqing woke up early Sunday morning, quickly got up and fought with her cousin for the bathroom, put on makeup, and hurriedly left home under Huni's suspicious gaze.
Upon arriving at Mr. Li's company, Lianqing was told by his secretary that Mr. Li was still in a routine meeting. The secretary then politely led her to a seat on the sofa in the meeting room. Perhaps every intelligent secretary would treat a young woman who comes alone to see her boss with rudeness.
Lianqing sat on the sofa, both excited and anxious. Today, she would finally get that order, which meant a huge bonus for her. She wanted to shout, to scream, but she could only patiently sip the hot green tea from the pot in her hands. Finally, the beautiful secretary called her over.
Mr. Li sat behind his large executive desk, his brow furrowed in a serious manner, processing one document after another, appearing extremely busy. Lian Qing adjusted her expression and exclaimed dramatically, "Good morning, Mr. Li!"
"Sit down!" President Li waved his hand to the sofa next to him. Lian Qing patiently sat there quietly until President Li looked up from the pile of documents.
Mr. Li was a man in his fifties, thin and sleazy. Even his designer clothes couldn't save him from mediocrity. He was hopelessly ugly and his demeanor was far from "extraordinary." Lian Qing lowered her head, unable to bear looking at him any longer. The thought of having shared a bed with him once filled her with a sense of tragic grandeur and bitterness.
Mr. Li finally put down what he was holding and sat down. Lian Qing eagerly handed him the contract, which she had already signed and stamped. Only Mr. Li's signature and stamp were needed for the contract to be valid, and Lian Qing would receive the largest sum of money she had ever earned in her life—earned through her body.
Mr. Li casually placed the contract on the table, a gesture that sent a chill down Lian Qing's spine, a bad premonition creeping into her heart. Sure enough, he said to Lian Qing, "Ms. Mei, it's like this."
Lianqing felt her clenched hands starting to sweat as she listened weakly to what was to come.
Mr. Li continued, "The company just held a meeting and, due to some specific issues that have arisen recently, decided to temporarily suspend this project."
Lianqing was so surprised her eyes almost popped out. Suppressing the urge to slap him, she said, "Didn't you promise me the day before yesterday?"
Mr. Li adopted his rogue-like demeanor, though it was disguised as refined manners. He leaned back on the sofa and said, "I can't change the company's decision either."