Chapter 1699
My Script
The snow scenery in Beijing is beautiful.
Beauty lies in the sight of someone sitting indoors eating hot pot, a cricket jar tucked in their hand.
But it has never been beautiful in the eyes of the hardworking people who have to push carts and carry loads in the dead of winter, weaving mats and selling shoes.
The charcoal seller didn't find the snow scene beautiful; he only thought that this awful weather would allow him to sell a few more copper coins.
Today, Zhang Yuan walks amidst the heavy snow that makes the poor weep and the rich laugh.
After leaving the Liu family villa, he neither called for a driver to pick him up nor took a taxi.
He simply tightened his coat and stepped onto the empty street.
He wanted to walk around by himself.
In this kind of weather, even the street vendors have closed up shop.
Wind reduces snow by half, rain completely ruins it, let alone heavy snow like this.
Not to mention pedestrians, there are far fewer vehicles.
In this awful weather, everyone just wants to go home early and snuggle into bed to warm up.
He alone walked through the wind and snow.
Normally, I would worry about being recognized or followed when I go out, but I don't have to worry about that today.
With this heavy snow, even paparazzi aren't out on the streets.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked aimlessly, heading from the villa area towards the city center.
I thought that by being honest about my mistakes, explaining things clearly, and making the best possible decision for their relationship at this time, I would feel more at ease.
not at all.
Instead, it became even more burdensome.
He originally planned to notify each of the women he was close to, informing them of his current situation.
But the very first one left him exhausted.
Although Zhang Yuan kept moving forward, he was actually feeling hesitant.
Even he has things he doesn't want to face.
Escaping is shameful, but it's useful.
He walked in the deserted, snowy weather, hoping to escape for a while.
Avoiding work, avoiding relationships, avoiding problems.
He only ate a few steamed buns all day and didn't feel hungry at all.
My stomach is already full of worries, so there's no room for cravings.
After walking for about an hour, he could see the tall buildings of Wangfujing in the distance before finding a bench on the side of the street.
He used the sleeves of his coat, worth tens of thousands of yuan, to sweep the snow off the stool and slowly sat down.
At this moment, he felt as if he were the only person left in the whole world.
I reached out and caught a snowflake, then just stared at it listlessly.
"I'll love you even if it kills me; I won't be satisfied until I've loved you to the fullest..."
Suddenly, a wailing, ghostly singing voice came from not far away. It was as awful as could be, with every word precisely avoiding the key.
"Are you crazy? It's already dark, what are you yelling about!"
Immediately, windows of residential buildings along the street were opened, and people were angrily cursing in Beijing dialect.
"You don't know anything!"
"I've been dumped, you know that?!"
The howling man responded, followed by the sound of a bottle shattering.
"A breakup is nothing, I'm unemployed!"
"roll!"
"If you don't get out of here, I'll kill you!"
"Just kill me then, she doesn't want me anymore, I've wanted to die for a long time, waaaaah..."
The two of them started arguing back and forth, each saying a sentence.
Zhang Yuan, who was feeling somewhat down, was amused by this unexpected scene.
Yeah, this awful weather. Who would be wandering around outside unless they're heartbroken and acting crazy?
Go home.
I took out my phone and called the company driver.
Soon after, someone came to pick him up.
"What happened?"
"You're all soaked."
After returning home, Cheng Hao waited anxiously in the front hall.
After he entered, I went up to take a look.
The snow that had fallen on me earlier had melted inside the car, making my coat feel much heavier.
"Go take a shower quickly and get some hot water."
"Auntie, go wash the bathtub and fill it with hot water."
"Should I ask the kitchen to make some ginger soup?" she asked with concern.
"It's okay, no need to be so careful, I'm physically fit enough."
"I was just busy, so I only walked a few steps on the street." Zhang Yuan didn't take it seriously and took off his coat to hand it to the aunt.
"This snow scene is not bad." He turned to look at the yard: "Dandan, cut the mutton, take out the copper pot, and light the charcoal."
"Don't forget the pickled garlic."
"I haven't eaten anything all day. Will you eat something with me in a bit?" Zhang Yuan said gently to his good sister.
"Okay, you should go now, don't catch a cold."
He stretched a bit, took a shower, and then soaked in the bathtub for a while to relax.
I changed into a dry set of sportswear.
A hot shower is quite effective; it makes me feel light and airy all over.
"You're here," Cheng Hao greeted him with a smile.
"I've prepared the sesame paste for you."
"Chive blossoms, freshly fried chili oil, smell it, it smells so good."
She took the small bowl and made Zhang Yuan inhale.
Do you have any shrimp oil?
"It's not like we're eating fried tofu, why would we need shrimp oil?"
Let's eat.
In this kind of weather, eating hot pot is the most comfortable and relaxing thing to do.
"I heard that there are hot pots in Suzhou that use pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup as the base."
"Fresh and delicious."
“In Hainan, they use fermented vinegar, which is sour and spicy, and you love sour food.”
"In Northeast China, there's also hot pot with pickled cabbage, which is also quite good."
He talked as he ate.
"Alright, alright, let's just eat them one by one. With our conditions, what can't we eat?" Cheng Hao replied casually while simmering the meat.
"You need to tell me how things are at the police station, right?"
"If it's handled properly, it's just a matter of losing some money."
"Brother Long injured someone who used to work for the company. He didn't know the rules and even made a false accusation."
"They even threatened to expose company secrets."
"Oh..." Hearing this, the older sister secretly glanced at him.
"End?"
"Yes, I'm done, so I'm back now."
"That's good." She always felt that things wouldn't be that simple.
Why did I leave more than a year ago?
Do you think you'll just give up so easily now?
"Brother Long will have to stay a few more days to complete the formalities and procedures," Zhang Yuan said slowly, picking up a piece of cabbage with his chopsticks.
It's as if being taken away by the police in the middle of the night is a common occurrence.
"Dandan, you have a good appetite."
Zhang Yuan glanced at his assistant, who was enjoying his meal.
"Brother Zhang Yuan, are you praising me or complaining that I eat too much?" she asked, looking up.
"At home, they praise you, but when you're out, they complain that you eat too much."
He's happy when the people around him have good appetites and look appetizing.
Watching mukbang videos live every day improves my appetite.
"A good appetite means good health."
"It's almost the end of the year again. Did you learn any new skills today?"
The assistant honestly shook his head.
"One must strive to improve oneself."
"After we finish eating, I'll teach you the art of massage properly."
"You should study hard too, you'll need it someday."
“It’s rare that he’s willing to teach you, so learn diligently,” Cheng Hao chimed in.
The assistant nodded.
"Okay, you can eat first."
"No rush."
"I'm going to chat with your sister Cheng Hao for a while."
Zhang Yuan found that watching the "mukbang" broadcast today wasn't very effective; his appetite wasn't as good as he expected.
Perhaps they were too hungry.
The two walked hand in hand to the backyard, sat and chatted for a while, and then the housekeeper called him, saying that the lawyer had arrived.
"I'll be right back."
After a brief chat with the lawyer from the backyard to the front yard, I returned with a stack of documents in about fifteen minutes.
"How to say?"
Cheng Hao, who was reading a parenting book, turned around.
"It's nothing, just handle it like this, it's not a big problem."
"It went fairly smoothly."
As he spoke, he opened the file bag in his hand and took out some things.
"I have something to tell you. Put your book down for now."
He said it solemnly.
The older sister sat up straight and looked at him.
"I'd like to talk to you about my plans for your future."
"Mmm." She opened her eyes wide, took a deep breath, and nodded vigorously.
I've been waiting for this moment, but I haven't had time to say anything.
Actually, she was a little scared and didn't dare to push the other party.
I'm afraid they'll run away.
"First of all, I'm going to have dinner with director Lu Yang in a few days to discuss filming."
I invested half of his film budget.
“His father is your boss, Director Lu. I’ll go with you to see him.”
"Tell him about your current situation, so that it will be easier for you to take leave and handle other matters in the future."
“Okay, I’ll go with you,” she replied, taking another breath.
"Your fertility issues will definitely affect your career."
"It's easy to get leave from school, but it will affect my performing arts work outside of school."
"Especially after giving birth, you still have to take care of the baby, which will definitely reduce your working hours significantly."
"This will cause your income to drop sharply."
"Is that meager fixed salary from the school enough to make a living?"
"I don't think it's appropriate," Zhang Yuan said calmly.
He then handed her a stack of documents.
"I have an office building in Wangjing, you know that."
There are also six apartments of over 100 square meters each nearby.
"There are three villas in the Third Ring Road and the Fourth Ring Road, each several hundred square meters."
"There are still six three-bedroom apartments available within the Third Ring Road."
"I bought thirteen four-bedroom apartments within the Second Ring Road."
"I own a vacation villa in Xixi Wetland and another in Hainan."
“In Shenzhen, Vanke has 10 high-rise residential units in Nanshan District.”
"That's about it." Zhang Yuan handed the document to Cheng Haokan.
My dear sister's eyes were so big just now.
She had no idea that this guy had bought so many fixed assets over the years.
Even so, Zhang Yuan hadn't revealed some of what he was hiding.
"You mean..." She looked at the documents that specified the property area, household number, and specific address.
"You think I was planning to give it all to you?" Zhang Yuan said, arms crossed.
Cheng Hao rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.
I doubt you're that generous!
These houses, taken together, are worth well over 100 million.
"These houses are all rented out, and there is rent paid."
"Including the office building, although we use it ourselves, the company also pays rent, so we keep things separate."
"Added up, the monthly rent is over a million."
"The leases for these houses will then be handed over to you for management."
"The rent will be given to you as living expenses to compensate for the loss of not being able to go out to film and work."
Even if it wasn't given to her, but just rent, Cheng Hao was still quite surprised.
A million a month, tens of millions a year...
Although it's not as much as my peak annual income a few years ago, this is net income, and it's income that I can earn without even sitting down, which is different.
In addition, as I get older, my income curve inevitably declines.
"Adding the stock I had you buy before, the annual dividends should be enough to live on."
Zhang Yuan made a guess.
"That's not enough, I can't afford that much." My dear sister thought to herself, how big of a mouth can I possibly eat that much? She wasn't the kind of woman who spent money extravagantly, and she wasn't particular about her daily food, clothing, or other necessities.
"Invest what you can't spend."
“Tongzhou and Daxing are close by, the housing prices are low, and there is still potential for price increases. You can just choose to buy in areas with dense rail transit, which will save you a lot of trouble.”
"This income is enough for you to buy a new apartment every month."
She definitely needs income security so she can focus on raising her child.
We still need to provide that sense of security.
Moreover, she's not the type who can't earn money herself and only thinks about sucking men dry; she's fine with a little money and won't squander it.
"Then, the shares you had in the brokerage firm before were given to you by me."
“You have to step back now and not get involved in management anymore, since you don’t like worrying about these things anyway.”
"What do you mean?" Cheng Hao heard this and offered a sweet treat after giving him a hard time.
You want me to give you some more, right?
Zhang Yuanxin said, "It's the simplest truth."
The imperial harem is forbidden from interfering in politics!
It was fine before, but now that there are children, the situation has changed.
What should I do if she acts like the lady of the house and interferes with my career?
He wouldn't allow that to happen; he wouldn't give it even the slightest chance.
Women are different from men.
No matter how much a woman loves her husband, after having children, half of her attention will have to go to her children.
In the future, the focus of consideration will no longer be entirely on men.
You need to prepare in advance.
We also need to guard against the worst-case scenario, which is one in ten thousand.
For example, the first wife ran off with the cook... although that's unlikely.
It would be particularly troublesome if she still holds shares in the company.
Zhang Yuan had some free time at the police station, and that's when he figured all of this out.
"Correspondingly, you will suffer losses if you withdraw your shares."
"The company has now been merged into Cross-Strait Film Industry, and it's quite valuable now."
"So I will give you some compensation."
Zhang Yuan then handed her a document drafted by a lawyer.
Cheng Hao took it, glanced at it, and then looked around.
“As long as you sign this document, I will transfer the property rights of this 1200-square-meter courtyard house to you.”
“This house is close to the Central Academy of Drama, so it will be convenient for you to go to and from get off work, and you’re used to living here.”
"It's also more convenient than your own high-rise apartment buildings with elevators. It's a detached house, and there won't be any renovation noise or neighbor conflicts."
"We will make modifications to accommodate childcare needs, and there is enough space."
"Personal privacy is better than in apartment buildings."
He considered everything very thoroughly.
There will be room for a medical team to come later.
Cheng Hao blinked.
Is this guy really going all out?
She never expected Zhang Yuan to give her this house!
When so many houses were mentioned before, she did think for a moment that the other party was going to give them to her, but she quickly realized that it was impossible and she didn't dare to hope for it.
But now...
She herself frequently invests in real estate and is knowledgeable about the market.
Nowadays, a courtyard house in the Second Ring Road costs at least 10 yuan per square meter, and that's for a small, dilapidated house in a mediocre location.
This house in Fuyuan Hutong is not only large and well-decorated, but also has an excellent location in the heart of the area.
Forget about buying it for 15 yuan per square meter; the price per square meter is estimated to be 17 to 8 yuan!
A 1200-square-meter apartment would cost at least 200 million yuan!
Feeling Zhang Yuan's sincerity, which reeked of money, even the good older sister was a little moved.
Even the legendary Hong Kong tycoons, who give women cars and houses, may not be as generous as him.
She had long heard that many of those Hong Kongers were stingy and shrewd.
Joseph Lau is known for his extravagant spending, showering women with gifts like cars and houses. As a result, a large number of stunning Hong Kong actresses, including Michelle Reis, Ada Choi, and Rosamund Kwan, voluntarily dated him.
It's better than those who don't pay you after you've had your fun.
"Is this... for me, or for the child?" She asked after a long pause.
"Here you go, consider it a maternity allowance."
Cheng Hao: ...
Whose family has provided hundreds of millions in maternity subsidies...?
Even Li Ka-shing's family isn't this wealthy, is it?
"I will make other plans regarding the child's livelihood," he said, folding his arms as he pondered.
"It's still early, no rush."
"That……"
"anymore question?"
"It's gone." Cheng Hao was shocked and still somewhat dazed.
"Do you want some?"
"Yes!" The older sister took the pen he handed her and signed her name with a wave of her hand.
Why shouldn't I want it? I already really like it here.
After she finished signing, she remained silent for a while, as if she was getting used to everything.
Zhang Yuan didn't urge him; he waited patiently on the side.
After a while, she looked up and gazed at Zhang Yuan with a slightly puzzled look.
"what?"
What are you doing in my house?
Zhang Yuan: ...
Then I go?
"Just kidding, I'm just trying it out to see if it works." Cheng Hao covered her mouth and laughed.
“I will always remember that this house was given to me by you.”
“If you need money urgently that day, remember to tell me. It’s okay to sell it.”
"Don't curse me!" Zhang Yuan interrupted.
"I was just saying."
She was in a good mood.
Anyone would be happy to suddenly acquire a house worth hundreds of millions.
But then I realized something was wrong.
"and then?"
"What then?" Zhang Yuan looked at him from outside.
Aren't you going to talk about us?
"That's all."
Cheng Hao: ...
She pointed to her stomach: "That's it?"
"Aren't you going to take responsibility?"
"I'm responsible, I've arranged everything for you."
"It's not those." She pouted and shook her head. "What's the key point?"
What about our relationship?
"That's fine, isn't it good as it is?" Zhang Yuan spread his hands.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Hao looked at him silently, and soon two streams of tears slid down her cheeks.
"Fine." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and squinted. "Anyway, the child is mine, not yours."
"I'll raise them myself."
"What kind of talk is that? At least the shares should be split 50/50."
"Pah!" she spat viciously. "Do you think you're running a company?"
“It’s mine as long as it’s inside me.”
“No.” Zhang Yuan shook his head.
"That's right, if you go to a bank ATM to withdraw money..."
"The money is produced by machines, that's true."
"But if I don't swipe my card, will the machine dispense money?"
"Are you saying this money from the ATM or the cardholder?"
"Hey, I..." Cheng Hao angrily picked up a pillow from the side and threw it at his face.
"ATM! ATM!"
"I'll let you swipe your card!"
"I cut your card!"
"I've cancelled your account, so I'll let you use it!"
Zhang Yuan raised his hand to protect his face, and had no choice but to defend himself.
It took a while for the other person to get tired and stop, panting heavily.
It's okay, it's good for pregnant women to move around.
Zhang Yuan snapped out of his joking mood and his expression turned serious.
"Let me tell you a story."
"A script I just saw recently."
He started talking to himself.
"One of the bodyguards betrayed the company."
"He messed up the task assigned to him by the boss, causing incalculable losses."
"He was fired afterwards."
"But he was still not convinced and felt that the company had mistreated him."
"So he wanted revenge. He was not only resentful, but also cursed and even talked about exposing his former boss."
"So the former boss sent one of his trusted men to teach this man a lesson."
"Hmm?" Cheng Hao listened, opening her mouth slightly.
Is this a script?
What I'm hearing is...
"The former boss originally thought that the bodyguard who got beaten up would learn his lesson."
"Unexpectedly, the other party still failed to recognize reality and went to the government office to report the case after being discharged from the hospital."
"According to the rules of the outlaw world, matters of the outlaw world should be settled in the outlaw world."
"Doing this will chill everyone's hearts."
"To avoid trouble, the former boss had no choice but to pay compensation," Zhang Yuan said calmly.
Cheng Hao was certain that it wasn't a script; it was clearly something that happened last night.
"However, that bodyguard had very good luck after that."
"Not long after, a fellow villager introduced him to a job."
"Not only is the salary high, but you can also go back to your hometown."
"After returning to his hometown in Shanxi Province, he worked as a lookout at a private coal mine and earned a considerable income."
"However, it seems our good luck has run out!"
"A few months later, an accident occurred at the mine."
"These kinds of accidents are common; which coal mine doesn't have accidents?"
"Unfortunately, the bodyguard who was guarding the premises had an accident while on duty."
"What a pity for such a man."
"However, his family will receive a compensation payment as a consolation."
"Although this amount of money is small compared to life, it's better to have it than nothing."
Zhang Yuan finished speaking, word by word.
Cheng Hao's mouth remained open, unable to utter a word.
"Is this the script?" After a long pause, she asked hesitantly.
“Yes, my script.” Zhang Yuan’s eyes flashed with a cold light, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
I am the editor-in-chief, and the editor in charge must be Zhao Decai.
"I can only sleep well after I finish reading this script." Zhang Yuan showed no pity for him.
I've given them several chances already.
I gave you a chance, but you didn't use it!
This script is necessary so that I, my family, and my children can live peacefully and without any impact.
Cheng Hao felt a chill run down her spine.
He hasn't changed!
"Are you talking about when I left last time?" Cheng Hao asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
After all, she left last time because she couldn't accept his way of doing things.
What do you mean by saying this now?
Will you punish me?
Or are you trying to tell me that because I treated you that way back then, and was the one who left you, you harbor resentment and hatred?
“No, you misunderstood.” Zhang Yuan waved his hand.
"I tell you this story to show you that people who do great things are bound to take dangerous actions."
"If such a dangerous act results in unpredictable legal consequences, he might end up in jail."
Cheng Hao frowned: "A family should weather the storm together."
"We must stand together through thick and thin; no matter how dangerous it is, we are still family."
She used to leave, but things are different now.
Having children changes one's perspective.
She wanted to express that she wouldn't run away, and that even if something happened to you, she would share the burden with you.
"You still don't understand, let me explain it more clearly."
Zhang Yuan moved slightly closer.
"I mean, if there are legal risks, I will have a criminal record."
He looked at the beautiful woman from Shandong, a province known for its high volume of civil service exam takers.
"If a close relative has a criminal record, the child cannot take the civil service exam!"
Cheng Hao: !!! (End of Chapter)