"Does this performer look familiar to you?"
Lin Zhi belatedly realized, as if she had discovered a new continent: "Could it be you?"
"Yes, back in junior high."
"You were already at this level in junior high? Why do you like playing the violin? Do you play any other instruments?"
Lin Zhi's eyes shone brightly. Years of working as an agent had instilled this habit in her; she would get excited whenever she saw her "baby," completely forgetting that the "baby" in front of her had not only signed with her company but was already hers.
Jiang Lai thought for a moment and said, "I don't like playing the violin. As for other instruments... I'd prefer the piano and guitar. I can play the guzheng a little, but I haven't studied it systematically. I can also play a little drums, but I've put it off since then."
Lin Zhi was almost speechless with shock. This person was the complete opposite of her—a musical idiot and a musical master? Was this some kind of complementary strengths?
"If you don't like the violin, what do you like the most?"
"Hmm... I don't like any of them."
Lin Zhi felt like her jaw was about to dislocate. How could anyone be so insulting? They were saying they were in Paris, not Versailles.
"Wait, besides music... you can also draw, right?"
"Just a little bit."
Lin Zhi tackled Jiang Lai, wrapped her arms around her waist, and buried her face in her chest: "If you ask me, let our future children be raised by Auntie."
Jiang Lai blushed at her words, raised her hand to cover her eyes, and stammered, "We're not married yet...it's a bit early to talk about having children."
Yes, not only are they not married, but very few people know about their relationship. Leaving aside Jiang Chuanmin, with Min Xuehua around, Jiang Lai isn't worried. What she's worried about is Lin Zhi's parents; they still don't know...
Lost in thought, Jiang Lai suddenly felt a weightless sensation in front of her. She moved her arm and found Lin Zhi rummaging through her suitcase.
Jiang Lai sat up and asked, "What are you looking for?"
Lin Zhi didn't respond, and finally found a white box under a pile of clothes.
She cherished the box in her hand and walked back slowly: "Actually, I bought it a long time ago. I wanted to give it to you last year on Qixi Festival, but I had to bring forward the plan because of Qi Chuan... I don't know if the style will be out of fashion after such a long delay."
Lin Zhi opened the box, inside were two diamond rings, the diamonds sparkling and dazzling.
She just stood there dumbfounded in front of Jiang Lai, such a shrewd person, yet at this moment she was like a block of wood.
Jiang Lai snapped out of her surprise, took the box from Lin Zhi's hand, and knelt on one knee: "Silly sister, you should have proposed to me on one knee. It's okay, I'll do it instead."
"will you marry me?"
It's a very simple and plain sentence, without any fancy embellishments, yet it's exceptionally sincere.
Lin Zhi's eyes welled up with tears. She reached out her hand, her voice trembling, "I...I'm willing, very, very willing."
A ring pierces the left ring finger; it's not confinement, but happiness.
"Wait a moment."
Jiang Lai was stunned, thinking that this person was going to say something to go back on their word. But then she picked up another ring from the box and, imitating Jiang Lai, awkwardly and cutely said the same thing.
"will you marry me?"
"Yes, I'm willing."
This time, it's my turn to protect you and love you.
Raindrops pattered against the windowpane outside. The room was dimly lit, with only two stars twinkling above the bedside.
This isn't the seaside, but you can still hear the waves crashing against the rocks and the surging tides.
Jiang Lai, whose skin was wrinkled from soaking in the bath for too long, raised her hand and brought it close to Lin Zhi's face, seemingly blaming her while also pleading, "Sister, I've been soaking for a bit too long, I should go out now."
"no."
Lin Zhi refused her, locking her in the door and preventing her from leaving. She lowered her head, biting her lip, too shy to speak but forced to: "It's not here yet..."
"Then... I'll reluctantly soak for a while longer."
——
At two in the morning, Luo Heng peeked out from under the covers. After waking up, he couldn't fall back asleep. He opened WeChat and scrolled through his Moments aimlessly. Suddenly, a familiar profile picture made him sit up abruptly in bed, which startled the man next to him.
Xu Dongdong muttered irritably, "Are you trying to die?"
Luo Heng apologized and then placed his phone in front of Xu Dongdong's eyes. The light stung Xu Dongdong's eyes, and he was about to curse when his gaze suddenly focused on a name.
Jiang Lai.
Suddenly wide awake, Xu Dongdong rubbed her eyes and confirmed once again that the name was indeed Jiang Lai.
It was a landscape photo, and in the center of the photo was the back of a woman. Xu Dongdong had seen her before and was quite certain that the person was Lin Zhi.
It doesn't matter who that person is; what matters is that Jiang Lai posted on her WeChat Moments again after more than half a year.
Luo Heng: "Judging from the background, this is the Louvre."
Xu Dongdong: "Is she going to make a comeback?"
Luo Heng hesitated for a moment: "Probably..."
They had received help from Jiang Lai, but after learning that Jiang Lai had temporarily retired, they were unable to contact her. Although they didn't know what had happened, they were all very disappointed.
Luo Heng hugged Xu Dongdong tightly and murmured, "It seems that Jiang Lai and President Lin are really together and very happy."
Xu Dongdong sighed and said, "If you hadn't chosen the fastest way to make money from variety shows for my sake, you would definitely be on the catwalk now."
Luo Heng pinched his face hard and scolded, "You're going to cut ties with me, so what am I supposed to do to win you back? Besides, as long as it's for you, I'll be happy."
"Luo Heng..."
"Shh, it's getting late... One more time?"
Xu Dongdong: ...."Get lost."
--------------------
Author's Note:
Lin Zhi: Is there anything you can't do?!
Jiang Lai: I can't help it, she's just too outstanding. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-05-26 23:09:52 and 2022-05-27 22:48:55!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yu (3 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 86
In the conference room, several top economists sat together. It was a rare sight to see them gathered together, so they must have something important to discuss today.
Before Lin Zhi entered, the group whispered among themselves, speculating about who the meeting was for.
The assistant brought in Lin Zhi's computer, arranged everything, and then sat down in the corner: "Please wait a moment, everyone. President Lin will be here shortly."
About five minutes later, Lin Zhi pushed open the door, walked in, and sat down: "Sorry, there was a little kid causing trouble at home, so I'm late."
The gazes of everyone present immediately fell on the red patch on Lin Zhi's neck. Lin Zhi, realizing what was happening, raised her hand to cover it and cleared her throat, saying, "The mosquitoes have been really vicious lately."
One of the female agents believed her: "Mr. Lin, why don't you try the mosquito repellent bracelet? It's quite popular these days."
Nan Moxi sat down next to her and sighed silently: How blind she is! The ring on her ring finger is clearly a wedding ring.
Lin Zhi appeared nonchalant, suggesting that she could buy one at a convenience store after get off work to try it out, and after some casual conversation, they got down to business.
Lin Zhi's smile faded, and she said, "This meeting will mainly focus on discussing Jiang Lai's development after her return. Sister Nan is the main agent, so you can speak first."
Those present were all former agents of Jiang Lai. They looked at each other, their mouths agape. Nan Moxi, on the other hand, was more composed, but the corners of her mouth still kept turning up.
To become a gold medalist, one must have exceptional insight. From the moment they met Jiang Lai, they knew that she had a bright future ahead of her. Moreover, she had a movie star father and a director mother backing her up. They really regretted that such a talented person would give up. It had been almost a year, and everyone had given up on the idea of waiting for her to come back. Unexpectedly, she actually came back.
Nan Moxi would always make plans for Jiang Lai in her spare time, but only after writing down the plans did she realize that Jiang Lai had temporarily retired.
"Since she's coming back, she needs to choose a good script. Her previous movie and TV series were very well received. She's focused on acting skills, so I don't think we need to make things complicated. It's not good to turn a promising talent into just a pretty face."
Lin Zhi nodded in agreement after hearing Nan Moxi's words.
Another agent said, "I think we should participate in a variety show first, so that we can let the public know that we are back."
Nan Moxi objected: "Jiang Lai is an actress. She debuted with one movie, and she should return to nature with a movie as well."
For a moment, the meeting room was divided into two factions. One side believed that participating in variety shows should be the first step to regain popularity, while the other side believed that actors should focus on their professional work, otherwise they would only make things worse and damage their public image.
Both approaches are viable, leaving Lin Zhi in a dilemma.
Nan Moxi raised her hand to interrupt the debate and turned to Lin Zhi: "Xiao Zhi, where's Lai Lai? What kind of talk is it if she doesn't come to such an important meeting?"
Lin Zhi put down her pen and looked up: "I was originally going to come, but I had to meet with a friend at the last minute."
Nan Moxi frowned and said helplessly, "Just spoil her then."
Everyone thought Nan Moxi was saying that Lin Zhixi favored him because she appreciated his talent, but little did they know that she was saying something else entirely.
Lin Zhi knew she should ask Jiang Lai for her opinion on this matter, since they should start working on the return plan after the meeting and couldn't delay.
"I'll give her a call."
Lin Zhi dialed the number, put the phone on speakerphone, and placed it on the table.
They had agreed beforehand that WeChat calls were for free conversation, while phone calls were for work and required them to be careful with their words.
A few seconds later, the call connected. Lin Zhi's lips parted slightly, but before she could utter a word of greeting, the other person exclaimed excitedly, "What's wrong, baby? Did you miss me?"
Lin Zhi: ...... "Sorry, I dialed the wrong number."
Jiang Lai: "Huh?"
Before he could finish speaking, a busy signal rang out.
The two men across the table looked at her with disdain: "Are you dreaming about being with her?"
Jiang Lai rarely called Lin Zhi "baby," only using it in bed to embarrass her. However, when she told Luo Heng and Xu Dongdong that she was with Lin Zhi and was already engaged, the two didn't believe her and demanded proof.
The engagement took place in a hotel, but Jiang Lai didn't feel it was casual; on the contrary, she was very happy.
Actually, Luo Heng and Xu Dongdong weren't entirely disbelieving. After all, they had seen photos of Jiang Lai and Lin Zhi's romantic trip to France a few days ago. Although they couldn't see clearly, they could still confirm that it was Lin Zhi. They were just teasing Jiang Lai by saying this now.
Jiang Lai believed it to be true and angrily wanted to call Lin Zhi, but before she could even unlock her phone, Lin Zhi called her.
Jiang Lai raised her phone, her expression, to put it bluntly, like a smug, petty person. Her joy turned to sorrow; she completely forgot her agreement with Lin Zhi and made outrageous remarks, causing the atmosphere in the conference room to become unusually tense.