The three of them looked at each other, not knowing what was going on.
Perhaps because the man's look was intimidating, Sheng Yiqing straightened his back and replied: "Hello, I do have a plan to change jobs. I just resigned recently."
"I saw from your resume that you have also worked on the A-share listing of some biotech companies. It's like this, let me introduce myself first, I'm the MD of Hesheng, my name is Xie Hongyu. Do you know about the category of Hong Kong stocks that have been particularly hot in the past two years?"
"Biotech companies?" Sheng Yiqing remembered: "Last year, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange revised the newly revised listing rules to allow unprofitable biotech companies to be listed in Hong Kong. It did attract a large number of mainland companies to go public in Hong Kong."
"Yes, our team mainly deals with Hong Kong stock IP O, the market is good recently. We have no experience in biotechnology and we have a need to expand. "Here, he smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I just told HR about the recruitment needs last night, and I received your resume when I woke up this morning. I opened it and took a look. It's really what you need. I didn't even have time to go to the gym, so I called you." The phone call lasted for more than half an hour, with Chinese and English mixed. At one point, Mr. Xie asked Sheng Yiqing about the specific project situation, and then switched to English to ask her about the details of the project. Fortunately, the hard work under Mr. Hu in the past few years was not in vain. Sheng Yiqing was not lacking in all kinds of practical experience, and she was familiar with the operating logic of biotechnology companies. Chen Zhuan and the agent were stunned until Mr. Xie mentioned: "I have forwarded your resume to HR. The company still has to go through a process. I will probably return to China the day after tomorrow. You can make an appointment with HR for a starting time. We will meet and talk then."
"Wait." Chen Zhuan finally found an opportunity to interrupt: "Mr. Xie, um, Mr. Xie, hello, you don't need to make another appointment with her. We are still buying a house and we still have to sign a contract. We can talk again when we sign the contract..."
The agent was reminded by this and reacted quickly, "Yes, yes, Mr. Xie, did you forget that we were going to talk about buying a house at the beginning? "
"Oh! If you didn't say it, I would have forgotten it." Mr. Xie patted his forehead and laughed, "Okay, since we will work together in the future, we can talk about the house. My price is 735. We are all straightforward people, so I will give you the bottom price, 7 million. If you are okay, we will sign the contract immediately."
The two people never expected that this matter would go much more smoothly than they imagined. Before they could be happy, they forgot one thing: Mr. Xie, who was also happy at the moment, was also happy. When people are happy, they always have a bad habit, that is, they love to chat.
On the screen, Mr. Xie changed to a comfortable sitting position, and then he raised the topic to a level that was definitely not relaxed: "By the way, you two are husband and wife, right? How long have you been married?"
It was at that moment that Sheng Yiqing realized a problem - what can cover up a lie is often another lie.
After hesitating for a moment, he answered with his back teeth bitten: "Yes. But, we haven't got the marriage certificate yet, we just held the ceremony."
... No, it was even another lie.
Mr. Xie continued to ask: "When do you plan to get the marriage certificate?"
Sheng Yiqing's mouth was as stiff as Chen Zhuan's, but she still answered with a stiff face: "... soon."
"Okay, hahaha." Mr. Xie smiled and even imagined, "My house happens to be a two-bedroom apartment, and the young couple can transition for a while. After having a child, we still have to move to a bigger one. It's rare to have such a good fate. In the future, invite Xiao Chen to the annual meeting or team building."
...
Chen Zhuan moved in a week later.
Mr. Xie's house is a fully decorated self-occupied house, which can be moved in with just a suitcase. It is said that it was the first house Mr. Xie bought when he first started working in Beijing. But he didn't live there for two years, and took advantage of the dual boom of real estate and economy to buy another high-end community. Then, the housing price could not catch up with his salary increase, and it was not convenient for him to speculate in stocks when working in a financial institution, so investing in apartments and suburban villas became his only pastime in his spare time. Over time, he easily saved up hundreds of millions of dollars.
This gossip was told to him by the intermediary brother, with an envious tone.
The brother got a big order from the sky, and earned tens of thousands of commissions. He also became more worldly-wise and served Chen Zhuan like a shoo-in. Not only did he bring two boxes of fruit the next day, but he also arranged for cleaning on the day of moving. He cleaned up for Chen Zhuan for a long time, and while doing it, he sighed to him: "People like us dare not even think about buying one house, let alone so many houses. Brother, what do people rely on to become rich? Is it hard work?"
After cleaning up for a few days, Chen Zhuan finally cleared out most of the boxes, flattened them and bundled them and put them in the corridor. After hearing this, he replied lightly: "It's just luck."
The sunset was a little off, and the weather was not so hot. The wind poured in from the windows of the corridor. The young man continued in the house: "Luck? Well, that makes sense. Look at you and my sister, you are indeed lucky. You can find a job just by buying a house. This is simply amazing, a match made in heaven!" Chen Zhuan responded softly, "Yeah." He did not go back to the house, but walked to the window of the corridor - the 12th floor of the building in front of him, the French window was open in front of him, plush toys were all over the floor, wool carpets were as lush as weeds, and a woman in home clothes was curled up on the sofa, typing on her laptop. ... OK... I don't draw the curtains again. Sheng Yiqing's entry time is scheduled for tomorrow. I just talked with HR yesterday and agreed on the level and salary. Mr. Xie's team is probably really anxious to hire people. The offer to Sheng Yiqing is not bad. Not only has the company been upgraded, but the income has also increased a lot. More importantly, the job level has not been reduced. If everything goes well, he can be promoted to VP at the age of 29.
Chen Zhuan called at this time, his voice sounded in her ears: "Are you free now?"
She seemed surprised, took a closer look at the caller ID, and then said, "You have been avoiding me for a week. Have you figured it out?"
"How could I avoid you." He said stubbornly, "I am too busy this week. The new house is almost ready, do you want to come to my house for dinner?"
Sheng Yiqing didn't respond: "Dinner? No. I'm losing weight recently." He was about to hang up the phone.
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows, holding the phone in one hand, and the other hand gently resting on the window sill, his back leaning against the wall, looking at the woman lying on the sofa in the window opposite, with a smile on his lips: "That's right, you have indeed lost weight. Your legs are thinner. Your pajamas today are not bad, but a little tight. When you lie down..."
There was no sound on the other end of the phone, and the woman jumped up from the sofa, ran to the window a few steps, and suddenly pulled the curtain.
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows, holding the phone in one hand, and the other hand gently rested on the window sill, his back leaning against the wall, looking at the woman lying on the sofa in the opposite window, with a smile on his lips: "That's right, you have indeed lost weight. Your legs are thinner. Your pajamas today are not bad, but a little tight. When you lie down..."
There was no sound on the other end of the phone, and the woman jumped up from the sofa, ran to the window a few steps, and suddenly pulled the curtain.
"Peeping Tom!"
Half an hour later, Sheng Yiqing changed into a neat outfit, put on light makeup, and took a bottle of red wine with her, and knocked on the door of Chen Zhuan's new home.
Chen Zhuan leaned on the door with his hand, looked her up and down, and joked with her, "What? You dress up to go back to your own home."
"I came to propose marriage." Sheng Yiqing also leaned on the door with her hand, and her fingertips touched him vaguely, imitating his posture: "Have you figured it out this week? Will you get married?"
He covered his forehead, really helpless: "Can you see me now, your mind is full of marriage?"
"What else?" She shrugged, "I will start work tomorrow."
While talking, she hit his hand and went straight into the house. The house has been cleaned for more than a week, but it is still empty. There is a sofa, a coffee table, two speakers and a row of cabinets in the huge living room, nothing else. Sheng Yiqing looked around and was shocked: "You haven't moved in yet?!"
"I've already moved." Chen Zhuan rolled his eyes at her, walked to the kitchen, turned over a cup, and handed her a glass of sparkling water: "Do you think everyone's house is as lively as yours? I'm a minimalist. So, we really can't get married. Living together will cause a lot of quarrels."
"Who wants to live with you?" She didn't take the water, but pulled his collar with both hands, and then tempted: "Contract couple, do you understand?"
"Contract? What's the matter, get married first and then fall in love?" Chen Zhuan leaned forward and approached her, his nose touching hers, breathing deep and shallow on her face, and said half-truthfully, "It doesn't seem to work - you see, we haven't even gotten married yet, but I'm already attracted to you."
Sheng Yiqing hit him, "Let's talk business, can you stop flirting?"
Chen Zhuan grabbed her hand, "Okay, let's talk business. Don't you think it's dangerous to get married casually as a girl? Are you not afraid of marrying a violent man? Are you not afraid of marrying a pervert?"
"Then are you?" Sheng Yiqing didn't hide, but tilted her head, " I'm not afraid even if I'm the one who's acting. I might be more perverted than you?"
"Then I'm afraid." He suddenly straightened up, pulled away, let go of her hand, and stuffed the cup into her hand. "Let me analyze it rationally with you. We don't live together, so there's no benefit in getting married. If you just want to get a job with Mr. Xie, I'll just keep acting with you. It's too much trouble to get a certificate."
"Keep acting with me, wow, doesn't that sound like a promise? How long do you plan to act with me? For a lifetime?"
Chen Zhuan was helpless, "Do you think there's any benefit in getting married? ? "
"Of course. To get married, you have to find someone who shares the same ideals as you. You see, we are both singles, so shouldn't we be together forever? ! "
Chen Zhuan was shocked by her theory, "What else?" "
"We are neighbors. Other couples have to live together, but we don't - we get a marriage certificate and go back to our own homes. When we want to be together, we are together. When we don't want to be together, we are quiet. Isn't this a perfect wedding scene made in heaven? "
"Go on." He wanted to hear what other nonsense she could come up with.
"Didn't you just realize the benefits of marriage? If we weren't married this time, would we have been able to get this house?"
Chen Zhuan was silent. Sheng Yiqing continued, "There will be many such things in the future. To put it bluntly, men and women work together, and work is not tiring, and efficiency is high in many cases."
"You said so much in a high-sounding way, do you think I don't know you?" He chuckled softly, "You are about to join a big company, and you lied about your marriage, just to get a certificate to get by, so as not to be exposed in the future and be labeled as dishonest..."
Sheng Yiqing did not deny it, "Then the question is, who did I lie for in the first place?"
Chen Zhuan touched his nose with a guilty conscience.
"And the most important point is that when we are together, our luck will get better." Sheng Yiqing smiled.
"This is accidental." He quickly denied, "Now I am rejecting you, you see my luck is not..." As soon as he finished speaking, his foot kicked the edge of the door, making a violent "bang" sound. The expressions of the two people changed suddenly, one was in pain, and the other was laughing.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Chen Zhuan glared at Sheng Yiqing, who was gloating over his misfortune, and jumped to open the door with a grin.
It was the takeaway.
Chen Zhuan walked into the living room with a huge bag, unpacking it and saying, "I ordered coconut chicken hot pot."
Sheng Yiqing followed him, and the two of them took out the ingredients together. Chen Zhuan went to the kitchen to bring the induction cooker and put on the iron pot. One of them boiled water and the other added ingredients. No one spoke. For a while, there was only the gurgling sound of the boiling pot in the house. The aroma of Wenchang chicken came out along the edge of the pot, and the air in the living room became sweet.
Halfway through eating the coconut chicken, Chen Zhuan spoke first. He asked, "Do you know why I don't want to get married?"
"Huh?"
Chen Zhuan paused, and while serving the soup, he said calmly, "Because I don't deserve it."
"Ah?" She didn't expect this answer.
Of course there are many women who like him. The appearance is there, the lines are sharp, as if processed by a blade made of hormones, with a sense of desire, gnarled features, a face that is most attractive to women. Sheng Yiqing never said that she likes his expressionless face the most, with a gloomy look, as if he will never wake up, like a stranded dragon, making people want to water him.
So the women came with warm love, but were instead poured with a basin of cold water by him.
"I don't want to get married, and I don't have much time for love. I can't provide emotional value, and I don't have much money. At most, I only have a face, but after looking at it for a long time, I find that it can't be worth too much." Chen Zhuan looked at Sheng Yiqing, "You know there are people who are born indifferent, right? I am like that. The last time I fell in love ended when I was 22 years old." "First love?" She said with a slightly sour tone, "Is it that I dumped you or you dumped me, I can't forget it so much." "She died." Sheng Yiqing was stunned for half a second, "Sorry." The light in the living room illuminated half of Chen Zhuan's face, outlining the contours of a sculpture, and his eyelashes cast a shadow on his face. He continued, "It's okay. We broke up before she died. I was with her when I was 18 years old. When I graduated from college, she hoped that I would marry her as soon as possible. At that time At that time, I was young and didn't understand what marriage was. I just thought it was just a matter of getting a certificate. It was cool to get married right after graduation. It was so easy to show off on the circle of friends. At that time, we were busy looking for jobs after graduation, and she suddenly fell ill. It was a serious illness." Chen Zhuan looked at Sheng Yiqing, "At first she was in the school hospital, and then she went to a tertiary hospital near the school. Then one day her parents and relatives came, and she changed to a hospital far away from the school. I went there several times. It was a three-hour round trip drive. Her parents squeezed into the ward to peel apples for her, make soup, and massage her shoulders according to the doctor's instructions. I was very busy at that time. I could see her once a week at the beginning, but I couldn't get involved. I could only talk to her about school things and see her face becoming more and more haggard. At first, she liked talking to me, but as she became sicker As the hatred deepened, she began to hate me - she hated hearing me talk about school, life, and friends. She also hated herself for not being able to live a normal life. Gradually, every meeting became awkward and ended in unhappiness. Later, as I became busier and busier, I came less and less frequently. The next time I came, she had shaved her head, was swollen all over and fell asleep on the bed. I watched her quietly beside her until she woke up. She only said one sentence to me. "
Chen Zhan paused, "She asked me to leave. Don't look at her. Leave her."
Sheng Yiqing comforted him with a dry voice, "... Girls definitely don't want their loved ones to see their ugly side."
"I know. So I left at that time." Chen Zhan took the beer next to Sheng Yiqing and took a sip, "I never went there again. , three months later, I received the news of her death. "
"Very sad?"
"Of course I am sad. But what I have never told anyone is that I always dream of the scene where she asked me to leave. The hospital corridor was dark and smelled of disinfectant. I walked out of her ward with a backpack that day. I kept recalling the scene she said - and my mood at that time, Sheng Yiqing, can you guess how I felt at that time?"
They looked at each other in the dim light. After a while, Sheng Yiqing slowly said, "I guess you... feel a little bit, relaxed?"
Chen Zhuan was stunned, then pulled the corner of his mouth, "Don't call me a scumbag?"
"It's human nature. You just don't love her that much. When people are young, they don't understand the weight behind love, thinking that a
Love means to be together through life and death. But it is not, love is heavy, and of course, it is also fragile. "
Chen Zhuan looked at Sheng Yiqing in surprise, as if he did not expect her to say that. After a moment of silence, he admitted, "At that time, I realized that I might not love someone. An illness, a three-hour round-trip drive, disinfectant in the hospital, and a girlfriend who lost her vitality, all of these were enough to defeat my so-called love. On the day I learned of her death, Yu Youyang and I drank all night. At dawn, we walked on the empty college road. The drunk Yu Youyang suddenly patted my shoulder and said, "It's good. Fortunately, you didn't get married. If you got married... you would be a burden to death. 'I was drunk at the time, punched him, and called him a beast. "
"But I know better than anyone that I am the beast..." Chen Zhuan pulled the corner of his mouth weakly: "In my heart, I know that Yu Youyang is right, and it was because he was right that I was angry. "
"Sheng Yiqing, most people have the most sacred expectations and fantasies about marriage. Do you still remember those wedding vows? Whether you are rich or poor, sick or healthy, you will love her, support her, and never leave her... At that time, I realized that I couldn't do it. I can't bear the weight of love. I am not qualified to love someone."
"...How many women have you told this story to?" Sheng Yiqing interrupted suddenly.
"Ah?" He was stunned for a moment, and then said, "A lot. I will say this to almost every woman who wants to confirm the relationship with me."
"The effect is significant?"
He touched his nose and did not deny: "It is indeed a better way to refuse than anything else. Maybe they also think I am a bastard."
"Tsk... As a result, today, I, who came to force marriage, finally have a chance to call you a bastard."
Chen Zhuan's expression was unpredictable. The corners of his mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just said in a very indifferent tone: "Well. "
Sheng Yiqing was silent.
After a while, Chen Zhuan asked again coldly: "You regret it, right?"
She even suspected that her ears were hallucinating. Why did she feel that this guy was - angry?
She chose her words carefully: "Indeed... it is a side of me that I have never imagined."
"Yeah." He nodded slowly, his tone was very cold, "Everyone is like this about love, like a good-looking skin, and then expect this skin to love themselves. Most women don't love this man, but the illusion that men bring to themselves. Once this illusion is pierced, their love disappears." He put down his chopsticks and ordered them to leave, "Okay, I'm full. Go to bed early tonight."
"Hey! We haven't talked about business yet." Sheng Yiqing didn't know what he was touched by, picked up the chopsticks and handed them to him again, "What you said may work for others. Because they are looking for you to talk about love, but I am different, Chen Zhuan, I am looking for you and it has nothing to do with love. My purpose is very simple, just to get married. "
"?" He seemed to feel that he had not heard enough of the twisted logic tonight, and simply said: "You continue."
"The reason why I proposed to marry you was entirely for profit. Profit is something that is ten thousand times more stable than love. And when one day, the profit no longer exists, our marriage can also end. The marriage vows you said, that you must go through poverty, illness and setbacks and still firmly guard the feelings of being by the side of another person, are anti-human. Not only you can't do it, I can't do it either, and there are many people in this world who can't do it - everyone is selfish, but still pretends to be confused and gets married in a rush, they deceive the world and themselves. So, if we get married, if one day, you feel that the other person has become a burden to you, just abandon the other person decisively. Chen Zhuan. "
"This…" He didn't react for a while.
Seeing him open his mouth, Sheng Yiqing interrupted and continued: "I am telling you very seriously. Because if I were you, I would also be the selfish ghost who felt relieved to leave his seriously ill girlfriend in the corridor of the hospital ten years ago. Chen Zhuan, we are together because of each other's strengths, because we are mutually beneficial, and because we can bring each other a better life together. When these factors are gone one day, our relationship will end. Life is already tiring, and no one needs to be a burden to anyone else. "
"You, you really think so?" Chen Zhuan looked incredulous.
"Yes. If one day you get sick, poor, and drag me down, please push me away. On the contrary, I will definitely push you away. "Sheng Yiqing put down his chopsticks and raised the cup in his hand, "This is a marriage that does not deceive God: only wealth, health, and happiness can make us love each other. Once we encounter poverty, illness, and sadness, let us weigh the pros and cons and go back to our own homes. Come on, cheers. "
Chen Zhuan did not move.
But he could not deny the great attraction in her words. Yes, they were the same people, who had lost their illusions about love and were full of fear of marriage. They originally thought that they were lonely stars in the universe, with only silent rotation, driven by inexplicable gravity to escape in the universe at superluminal speed, destined to be cold and indifferent to death, until they met another star that was exactly the same as themselves.
His eyes were fixed on her lips. Sheng Yiqing saw that he just held the glass and did not move, so she simply stretched out her arm to touch his glass.
"Ding——" The wine glasses collided, and Chen Zhuan came back to his senses.
Sheng Yiqing continued: "The last question, do you know what kind of transportation is the most free and happy in Beijing?"
"Convertible sports car?" He lied.
"Wrong. It's..."
Her words were interrupted by a sudden noise.
It was the exhaust fan in the bathroom, whimpering and horrifying.
"What's going on?" Sheng Yiqing was surprised.
"Oh. The exhaust fan is broken. I don't know why, but it will automatically sound at this time every night, and the switch doesn't work. I asked the property management to fix it the day before yesterday, but it didn't work. When the time comes, it's still like this. "Chen Zhuan was a little helpless.
"So you just endure it these days? The noise is so loud!" Sheng Yiqing was incredulous.
Chen Zhuan explained seriously, "In fact, the noise is loud only at midnight every day. As long as I close the bedroom door and the bathroom door, the noise will be much smaller, and most of the time I'm asleep, so it doesn't really affect me. In life, there are always many things to endure. For troubles that can't be solved, just avoid them. "
He received her look as if she was looking at a monster.
"Do you need help?"
"You?" The man didn't trust him at all, "Can you fix it?"
Sheng Yiqing shook his head, "No." As he said this, he looked around, found a broom in the corner, and walked over to pick it up.
"What are you doing? "
Sheng Yiqing didn't answer, but took the broom into the bathroom and hit the exhaust fan blades hard. She hit hard and accurately. After a few loud bangs, the exhaust fan, which had been unruly just now, immediately became weak, and the blades shook weakly, and the room was instantly quiet.
Sheng Yiqing put down the broom, turned around and looked at Chen Zhuan, "I can't repair it, but I can destroy it. Since it's broken, it's better to let it die peacefully."
The moonlight came in from the window of the bathroom. It enveloped Sheng Yiqing. He looked at her and she looked at him. After staring at each other for a while, he suddenly folded his hands, leaned on the door frame, and smiled at her.
It was a smile that Sheng Yiqing had never seen on his face. It was a relieved smile that seemed to have figured out everything in an instant.
"It's the subway." Chen Zhuan suddenly said.
"Huh?" Sheng Yiqing didn't react.
"In Beijing, the freest and happiest way to travel is the subway. Because you can decide where to get on the bus, and you can also decide where to get off at any time. It stops at any station, not restricted by traffic lights and traffic. You can always choose to continue, and you can decide to stop at any time. "
"The best marriage is the same. Just like taking the subway, you get the ticket and get on the bus together. Every time you pass a station, you assume that the other party may leave at any time, and you also leave yourself the right to leave. If..."
"If the scenery is good, go with a longer trip. If one of you has something urgent to do, get off early. Wave goodbye." Chen Zhuan continued Sheng Yiqing's words, "But there is one thing I disagree with."
"You say it." Sheng Yiqing simply stopped moving and waited quietly for him to explain.
"It really should be me who says it. "He changed his posture from crossing his chest to putting his hands in his pockets, tilting his head, but still looking straight at her. His voice was particularly clear in the quiet night. In this newly bought apartment that still smelled of dust and had just woken up, he said to her in a very casual manner: "I mean, Sheng Yiqing, you are right, let's get married."