A few days later, Zhou Wei and Manager Xu and a group of people also rushed to Hong Kong. As soon as they arrived, they each performed their duties and bustled around. In a blink of an eye, the huge and deserted mansion returned to the bustle of the Shanghai period.

Now, Kuang Zhilin can go to Nanyang with peace of mind to preside over the funeral ceremony of Old Master Lu.

Originally, Lu Shicheng was supposed to go back and take care of it personally, but “unfortunately”, Lu Shicheng had just been shot while protecting the Lu family’s property from falling into the hands of the Japanese. If he left immediately, the wound would inevitably worsen and even cause a systemic infection.

In wartime, everything should be kept simple. Besides, the Nanyang people were also worried that if something unexpected happened on the way, the Lu family would be equivalent to losing a leader. The living are always more important than the dead. In addition, this is the new society of the Republic of China, and the red tape of the past is no longer a concern.

Therefore, everyone urged Lu Shicheng not to act rashly. Faced with everyone’s unanimous opposition, Lu Shicheng reluctantly entrusted Kuang Zhilin to return to Nanyang on his behalf. After arriving in Singapore, Kuang Zhilin and several prestigious elders in the clan would jointly organize the funeral.

This arrangement completely solved the thing that Wen Tingli was most worried about. She was so afraid that Lu Shicheng’s injuries would worsen due to the long journey back and forth, and she was also afraid that he would encounter an attack or war on his way back. Now she felt relaxed and became more and more inseparable from Lu Shicheng.

But she also knew that she could only take a few more days off before she would have to return to the company as a director. With Lu Shicheng’s return, many affairs of the Lu family were back on track. Every day, she received a large number of calls asking for his instructions, and countless visiting cards were sent to the Lu Mansion every day.

The doctor came to check on Lu Shicheng that day and confirmed that his wound had healed. In the evening, Wen Tingli said to Lu Shicheng, “I will go back to Kowloon Tong tomorrow.”

Lu Shicheng lay on the bed, his head resting on his arms, watching her walking around the room.

He hadn’t mentioned marriage all day, and he didn’t react when he heard this. Wen Tingli was wondering what was wrong with him when she heard him say, “I’ll buy another house in Kowloon Tong, and after we get married, I’ll live there with you.”

Here it comes again. She smiled and looked back at him under the light. Because he was recuperating, he seldom wore formal clothes these days. At this moment, he was wearing a long nightgown. When he lay down, the belt around his waist hung loosely on one side. Under the nightgown, he was wearing a royal blue pajamas with the collar also open.

She couldn’t help but look at him a few more times. He immediately realized her gaze and slowly tied up his loose nightgown. This way, he became “tight” again, and even the collar of his pajamas was blocked.

After fastening it, he rested his head on his arms again and looked at her directly.

He wouldn’t show it to her.

Childish. She was about to leave, but he got out of bed and stopped her, whispering in her ear, “Unless we get married.”

He actually used his body to seduce her into agreeing to marry him. She blushed and shook off his hand, but he made a “tsk” sound as if he had a toothache.

“Did it touch the wound?” she asked in fear.

“I pulled it when I was teaching Xiao Taozi to play tennis this afternoon. It must have been torn. Can you help me take a look?” His expression did not seem fake.

She hurriedly unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. Obviously nothing happened, she glared at him, but she didn’t help him button up again. Lu Shicheng’s body exuded a dangerous aura, like an electric current, passing through her fingertips and reaching her heart. Gradually, the expressions of both of them began to become strange. He stared at her like a hunter about to hunt, and her eyes were also like sticky candy, looking around him.

It was an aura that made her feel confused and intoxicated. If she stayed any longer, she would lose control of herself.

She ran away from his room.

But after returning to her room and taking a shower, she suddenly made up her mind and came to see him again.

Lu Shicheng had just finished his shower and was wiping the water off his hair with a white towel when he opened the door. Wen Tingli put her hands on his chest and pushed him in, hooking her foot on the door and closing it. She had already confirmed with her own eyes that his wound had completely healed.

Lu Shicheng was pushed to the bedside by her, and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Don’t touch me.” He tried to protect his collar.

“Are you going to use force?”

But when she began to unbutton his pajamas one by one, he kissed her lips all of a sudden, and when she began to bite his ear, he simply picked her up and put her on the bed.

She held his neck tightly the whole time. His body was burning hot and she was about to melt in his arms.

He wants her.

She wanted him too.

We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so it’s better to die in each other’s arms at this moment.

They asked each other twice.

The first time was over in just a few minutes. Wen Tingli was still there in a daze, and Lu Shicheng himself was completely shocked.

The second time I did it, it was endless…

She was such a lively person, but later on she seemed a little defeated. The Lu Shicheng in bed was completely different from the usual Lu Shicheng.

At the end, she was exhausted, but he was still full of energy… Later he whispered in her ear: “Even the toes are beautiful and fragrant.”

Without opening her eyes, she smiled and bit his uninjured shoulder.

Both times he got it outside.

Afterwards, she buried her head in his chest to rest. He stroked her hair again and again. She almost fell asleep in his arms. Finally, Lu Shicheng gently pushed her. Then she remembered that this was equivalent to the two of them living together openly. She hurriedly forced him to cover her and slipped back to her room.

After entering the house, she refused to let Lu Shicheng enter her room, but she also did not let him leave: “Tell me, do we two look like–“

She was embarrassed to say the word “affair”.

Lu Shicheng simply pecked her on the lips in a “cheat” manner.

The next day, when she passed by Lu Shicheng’s room, she found that his bed sheets had already been replaced with a new set. She didn’t know whether he changed them himself at night or asked someone to change them. Wen Tingli secretly guessed it was the former, as Lu Shicheng never let her give others any chance to talk about him.

Everyone went downstairs for breakfast as usual. Lu Shicheng asked the kitchen to make Xiao Taozi her favorite meat buns and fruit platter, while Mrs. Zhou had soy milk and fried dough sticks, and Wen Tingli had her favorite rice cakes and fruit juice.

During the meal, Lu Shicheng was still as calm and gentle as usual, not speaking loudly and not looking away.

Judging from the appearance, no one could tell what happened between them last night.

Wen Tingli gently kicked Lu Shicheng’s calf under the table, but he didn’t even raise his eyelids.

Later, Mrs. Zhou and Xiao Taozi went to play in the garden, and Lu Shicheng followed them as if nothing had happened. As they walked, he quickly pulled Wen Tingli to his mouth and kissed her.

They had agreed to send them back to Kowloon at ten o’clock, but Lu Shicheng had been on the phone in the study. Later, Wen Tingli couldn’t help but come up to find him, and just saw Lu Shicheng put down the phone.

“What happened?”

“My grandfather’s funeral was completed this morning.” Lu Shicheng said as a matter of course, “I’m asking Lawyer Gu when he can come and help us with the marriage procedures.”

“what?!”

“What?” Lu Shicheng looked even more surprised than her, “You’re not going to deny it, are you? Last night we—”

Wen Tingli quickly covered his mouth, pushed him into the room stealthily, and closed the study door with her back. In fact, his voice was very low, and there was no one upstairs at the moment, but she still subconsciously wanted to do this.

He let her cover his mouth and looked at her with a smile in his eyes.

“But you haven’t formally proposed to me yet. What’s the point of just saying it verbally? I can see that you are not serious at all.”

“Close your eyes first.” Lu Shicheng said.

Wen Tingli closed her eyes as she was told. He seemed to be going behind the desk. She suppressed her curiosity and didn’t open her eyes to peek. She heard him fiddling around for a while and then coming back to her: “All right.”

As soon as she opened her eyes, she was stunned by the beautiful and brilliant diamond light. It was a set of three jewelry boxes. The top one was a small box, and the bottom was a necklace made of dozens of diamonds. Below that was a dazzling diamond crown.

Lu Shicheng put the other two items on the desk and opened the smallest box first.

The man gave her jewelry out of joy, but when she saw clearly that it was a shining diamond ring, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth.

Such a traditional action deeply shocked her heart. It can be seen that this is a pre-marital ritual that best meets human psychological needs and no one can escape it.

Lu Shicheng took the diamond ring out of the box and said, “I am a conservative person. To me, marriage is a lifelong thing. If you agree to it, I will abide by my promise, be faithful to my marriage forever, and love you with all my heart. Wen Tingli, this is a formal proposal. Please think carefully about whether you want to agree to it.”

There are no fancy confessions, only simple and true feelings.

After saying this, he held up the diamond ring and knelt on one knee in front of her. Wen Tingli was already in tears, and couldn’t wait to stretch out her left hand in front of him: “I am willing, I am very willing, put it on me!”

Lu Shicheng smiled, his eyes sparkling like stars, and the ceiling seemed to be illuminated by his smile. He put the ring on her ring finger, his movements were as pious as if he was praying, and then he bent his forehead to hold her fingertips and kissed them, and then stood up and kissed her cheek: “If you want to do it secretly, then do it secretly. If you want to make it a big deal, I will send out invitations and invite everyone to attend our wedding banquet.”

Tears had already blurred Wen Tingli’s vision. She hugged his waist tightly and said happily, “It’s our own wedding, why should we let everyone know about it?”

Having said that, she still happily informed several of her good friends, including Gao Xiaowen, Huang Yuanshan, Cao Renxiu, Tan Guiwang, Yu Peiling, Tian Ling and others, without leaving out any one.

He also wrote letters overnight to Principal Zou, Zhao Qingluo, and Yan Zhenzhen who were far away in Chongqing.

As for Lu Shicheng, if he wanted to invite people to his wedding, I’m afraid half of the city would come to join in the fun.

Considering that a grand event would have an adverse effect on Wen Tingli’s career, he finally notified only a few of the most reliable people: Principal Zou who was far away in Chongqing, Kuang Zhilin, and several local confidants of the Lu family, such as Manager Duan of the Hong Kong branch of Lixin Bank, Manager Du of the Ocean Shipping Company, and several directors of the Hong Kong branch of Nanyang Hongye Group.

Half a month later.

Witnessed by a group of good friends, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng secretly held a small wedding ceremony in the large living room of the Lu residence. Although there were only more than 20 guests, the atmosphere was lively and warm.

Xiao Taozi served as the flower girl. Wen Tingli walked in front and Xiao Taozi followed closely behind, helping her sister hold up the tail of her wedding dress. Because her legs were too short, her movements were inevitably a bit funny, which made everyone laugh from time to time.

Mrs. Zhou secretly turned her face away and wiped her tears several times. She was the only one who knew how difficult it was for her “big child” to get to where he was today. Thinking about the days when she took care of her husband in Ci Xin Hospital, it really seemed like a lifetime ago.

***
Things in the world are often unexpected.

On the third day after the wedding, Lu Shicheng moved back to Kowloon Tong with Wen Tingli. After being delayed for so many days, Wen Tingli had to go back to take care of the release of the new film. Living in the mountains, it was not convenient to communicate with Huang Yuanshan about work at any time. Unfortunately, the new house they bought in Kowloon Tong was still being painted, so the two had to live in Xiufeng’s staff dormitory first.

At the beginning, Lu Shicheng dreamed of moving out with Wen Tingli as soon as possible.

On the one hand, Wen Tingli’s dormitory was too small, with only three pieces of furniture in the room: a bed, a wardrobe, and a dressing table.

In fact, it didn’t matter how shabby the place was. What really bothered Lu Shicheng was that the bed was too small, just small enough for two people to lie side by side, which meant that he had to sleep well at night.

But Wen Tingli was not a good sleeper. A few nights, Lu Shicheng dreamed that he was suffocated by a huge mountain, just like Sun Wukong who was pressed under the Five Finger Mountain. He opened his eyes in shock and found that Wen Tingli’s legs and arms were all on his chest. He gently helped her take her arms and legs down, then held her in his arms again, kissed the top of her head like a baby, and then fell asleep again.

However, when he woke up in the morning, Wen Tingli would definitely hang half of her body on him again, or push him to the edge of the bed, where he would fall under the bed if he moved the slightest. It was really dangerous.

Twice he actually fell under the bed.

The “dong” sound woke Wen Tingli from her sleep. She sat up in a daze. At first, she couldn’t find Lu Shicheng. When she turned her head, she found Lu Shicheng looking at her by the bed. She was surprised and laughed. She pulled him back to the bed apologetically and kissed him on the face: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Otherwise, I’ll sleep outside from tonight, and you can squeeze me if you want to.”

Lu Shicheng didn’t believe any of her assurances at all: “Maybe I won’t be squeezed under the bed by you, but I will definitely be squeezed so that half of my body is pressed against the wall. I don’t want to be a gecko.”

Wen Tingli laughed so hard that she couldn’t breathe.

I want to change to a bigger bed, but this room is too small and it won’t fit even if I buy one.

Of course, these were not a problem for Lu Shicheng at all. Whether she was willing to snatch the quilt from him or squeeze him under the bed, when he thought of what happened that night in the office the next day, he would only smile knowingly. In fact, as long as he was with Wen Tingli, he would be happy even if he had to sleep on the floor.

What made him uncomfortable was this collective lifestyle.

He has always liked a quiet and independent life, but since he moved into the staff dormitory, he has always been surrounded by noise. At five o’clock every morning, he can hear the sounds of footsteps and washing in the corridor. At night, Yu Peiling often arranges Li Zhen and Gu Jie to play mahjong with her, and you can hear laughter late at night.

There is also Ding Xiao’e. Ever since she came to Hong Kong with Wen Tingli, she has treated Xiufeng’s colleagues as her own family. In addition to working hard to learn to read with Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan every day, she also found a way to get a flock of chickens to raise, saying that she wanted to supplement everyone’s nutrition. Before dawn, you can hear her calling “cluck, cuckoo, cuckoo” in the courtyard to feed the chickens, and the sound can penetrate into people’s ears through the door.

Lu Shicheng sleeps more lightly than Wen Tingli. After being woken up, he could only stare at the ceiling in a daze.

In such an environment, Lu Shicheng was inevitably worried about the poor sound insulation of the dormitory. Every night when he was intimate with Wen Tingli, he would not forget to cover her mouth to prevent her from screaming too loudly. There were several times when Wen Tingli was made breathless by him, and she didn’t care about her sweaty face, and bit his palm hard.

They tried it and found that Xiao Taozi and Zhou Sao lived in the next room. Once they closed the door, they couldn’t hear anything. But this matter still bothered Lu Shicheng. He always felt that neither of them had enough fun, unlike the first few nights after their marriage when it didn’t matter how reckless they were.

As a result, Lu Shicheng was obsessed with moving out as soon as possible during the first week after moving in. For this reason, he visited the new house whenever he had time to check on the progress, wishing he could move in the same day the decoration was finished.

But what he didn’t expect was that after living there for a while, he actually started to like this kind of collective life.

After being woken up every morning, he would lie on his bed with his head resting on his arms in the green light of dawn, watching Wen Tingli sitting in front of the dressing table combing her hair.

The room was small, so she was so close to him, he could see her beautiful face in the mirror clearly, she noticed his gaze, and smiled at him in the mirror. These were scenes that he had only dreamed of before, but now they were truly before his eyes, and every time this happened, a solid and real sense of happiness filled his heart.

He waited for her to change her clothes, and then went with her to the “employee restaurant” in the front building for breakfast. On the way, when they met Yu Peiling, she couldn’t help but tease Wen Tingli a few words, and looked at him with her smiling eyes: “Boss, are you used to living here?”

The wife of a male boss is called “the boss’s wife”, and since Lu Shicheng is Boss Wen’s husband, he should naturally be called “the boss’s husband”. Wen Tingli laughed and scolded Yu Peiling a few words, but Lu Shicheng acted indifferent.

Breakfast was always soy milk and fried dough sticks, nothing else. Xiufeng had just moved to Hong Kong, and as the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning, and it was wartime, so all expenses had to be thrifty.

Even though supplies were scarce, the dining room was always filled with laughter every morning, and the atmosphere was united and active.

After eating, Wen Tingli hurried to work, and sometimes asked Lu Shicheng in public: “What time will you finish your work tonight?”

“I’ll try to be early anyway.” He said as he put on his coat, looking at her, his tone so intimate and natural.

Tan Guiwang and his gang were cheering nearby. All of them who were willing to follow Huang Wen and the others to conquer the world were optimistic and brave. At this special time, the shining points of human nature were more vividly reflected. Everyone worked so hard that even Yu Peiling, who was usually the most unprepossessing, seemed like a different person when she entered the set.

Lu Shicheng saw all of this, and gradually, he began to treat this place as his own home. He also liked being “harassed” more and more by these lovely neighbors. Sometimes when he came home early, he would take the initiative to help with chores on the set, and would roll up his sleeves without any hesitation to move equipment, turn on lights, and so on.

At the beginning, everyone was polite and respectful to Lu Shicheng, fearing that a rich kid like him would not be able to adapt to the food and living here.

Later, everyone ate whatever he had. He was a very sincere and easy-going person, and could take a joke. He never put on airs when they called him over to play cards in the evening. Everyone was very casual in front of Lu Shicheng and liked him from the bottom of their hearts. Even the Guangdong chef who was in charge of serving food in the cafeteria called Lu Shicheng “handsome boy” when he saw him.

After the honeymoon period, as the Lu family’s businesses moved to Hong Kong one after another, Lu Shicheng became increasingly busy. At the same time, he was also preparing the “Patriotic Merchants’ National Salvation Materials Committee”, calling on local businessmen to donate money and materials to the war of resistance.

Sometimes Lu Shicheng was too busy with work, but he wanted to go home early to see Wen Tingli, so he would bring some unimportant documents back to the dormitory. When Wen Tingli came back from outside, she saw Lu Shicheng sitting on a stool at the end of the bed, concentrating on reading the documents. The office environment looked quite shabby, but he didn’t mind working on such a small stool.

She tiptoed over, bent down and blew gently on the side of his face. Lu Shicheng’s eyes continued to move on the lines of text, and he didn’t look back at her.

Wen Tingli smiled and sat down in front of the dressing table to look through the script. For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the sound of pens writing and papers turning. The two of them occasionally raised their eyes and saw the person in the warm yellow light, and a quiet and beautiful feeling quietly spread in their hearts.

After the two of them finished their work, they secretly cooked noodles in the room.

Wen Tingli had bought a clay stove earlier and prepared eggs, chopped green onions and noodles. She didn’t know how to cook, so Lu Shicheng had to cook for her. Now he knows to add salt when cooking noodles, and his cooking skills are getting better and better.

He asked her, “Is it better than last night’s?”

“You won’t find any noodles better than this!”

Lu Shicheng’s smile spread from the bottom of his heart to his face. The two of them were eating happily, but they didn’t expect that the smell startled two people. One was Yue Zhaoyun. She had not eaten anything since she was writing the script, and was now looking for food from house to house. The other was Huang Yuanshan. She had just returned from the previous set and was also so hungry that stars were appearing in her eyes.

They were like two hungry wolves smelling meat, knocking on the door: “It’s shameful to eat alone, shameful, extremely shameful!”

Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng continued to eat without changing their expressions. At first they wanted to pretend that they had fallen asleep, but later they could not stand it anymore and Lu Shicheng had to go over to open the door with a smile. Yue Zhaoyun and Huang Yuanshan rushed in like the wind and grabbed all the noodles. A little later, Yu Peiling, Li Zhen and others came over after playing cards, and seeing this, they also wanted to join in the fun and eat.

Lu Shicheng simply took out all the noodles from the cupboard and cooked them all in the pot. Everyone squeezed into a small room of ten square meters, eating with shoulders touching and backs touching, and enjoying the meal.

This was a kind of happy atmosphere that Lu Shicheng had never experienced before. Despite the quarrel, Lu Shicheng gradually stopped mentioning moving. Wen Tingli guessed the reason and often teased Lu Shicheng.

Sometimes Lu Shicheng helped Ding Xiao’e feed the chickens, and when he came back he was covered in chicken feathers. Wen Tingli smiled and helped him brush off the feathers with a feather duster, and asked him what happened, asking if he had fought with the biggest rooster in the chicken coop. Fortunately, he was not covered in chicken shit.

Most of the time, Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli took turns to patiently teach Xiao Taozi to write English in the corridor. This place has a serious colonial culture, and the new kindergarten that Xiao Taozi went to communicate almost entirely in English.

Xiao Taozi was very anxious about this, so the two of them taught her hard for an hour every night. Children have strong adaptability, and they believe that Xiao Taozi will have no problem in no time.

Every night at around eight or nine o’clock, the deep and tender voice could be heard in the room. Wen Tingli would look up with satisfaction and see the two figures, one tall and one short, which made her feel unprecedented peace and happiness at that moment.

Lu Shicheng was finally less busy, but Wen Tingli became busy again. As the release date of “Defiance” approached, she had many things to take care of day and night. The poster designed by her and Huang Yuanshan caused quite a stir after it was hung in the New World Cinema. The discussion in the newspapers about “Who is better, Wen Tingli or Yu Peiling” became more and more intense. On the day of the premiere, a long queue formed at the New World Cinema early in the morning.

Half of the people in this long queue are fans of the two. They were already arguing over the movie before it was released. When they lined up today, many of them had made a series of preparations in advance. They held flags with the names of “Wen Tingli” or “Yu Peiling” printed on them, and were ready to wave flags and cheer in the cinema to boost their momentum.

The other half came with the intention of watching the fun.

Anyway, after the film was released, the box office was unexpectedly good, and it was screened for 30 consecutive shows, making a lot of money. After this, Xiufeng Films became famous in the local area. Next, Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan donated half of the box office revenue to the “Anti-Japanese National Salvation Committee” according to their original plan, which also caused quite a stir.

At the same time, Xiufeng’s new studio was about to be built. The company had to deal with the promotion of the film while rushing to produce the new film. There was inevitably a shortage of staff, and it was urgent to recruit professional talents such as script supervisors, editors and photographers. The recruitment notice was put out and many people came to apply.

That morning, Huang Yuanshan was doing technical guidance on the set, Wen Tingli and Yue Zhaoyun were in the office studying the script for the next play, and Tian Ling came running over and said, “Boss Wen, Manager Li wants you to interview with him.”

It turned out that there were two old acquaintances among today’s applicants. One was Manager Bai, who used to be in charge of production affairs at Golden Film. Wen Tingli was also an old acquaintance of him. The other was Manager Fu from Huamei Film.

After the war broke out, the two fled south with their families. They couldn’t find a job at the moment, so when they saw Xiufeng recruiting professional film talents, they rushed over to apply.

Li Zhen was quite satisfied with the business capabilities and work experience of these two people, but after all, they came from two rival companies, so he had to be cautious, so he had to invite Wen Tingli over to personally check it out.

Wen Tingli chose to interview the two of them individually. After sitting down, she just said slowly, “I have always valued talents, but you know how unhappy our Xiufeng was with your company in the past year. How about this, you just talk about the shortcomings of your old employer and help us learn lessons. Let those unpleasant things go with the wind. Otherwise, I can’t see your sincerity in coming here to surrender.”

Manager Fu heard the hidden meaning in Wen Tingli’s words, and immediately started to complain about Chen Maoqing’s faults, including the fact that Chen Maoqing had colluded with the cinema in the past to fake the box office figures.

Manager Bai kept silent. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head and stood up: “It seems that I came to the wrong place.”

Tian Ling watched from the side and expected that Wen Tingli would accept the smart and likable Manager Fu. Unexpectedly, Wen Tingli invited back the silent Manager Bai and hired him as the theater manager on the spot.

“Why?” Tian Ling asked in confusion, “Manager Bai is so arrogant even though he is so poor. It’s hard to get along with such a person at first glance.”

Wen Tingli smiled and said, “People who are friendly on the surface may not be reliable. No matter how poor he is, he is unwilling to speak ill of his previous employer for a position. This shows that he has his own principles. Leave things to him, and you don’t have to worry about him stabbing you in the back one day.”

“Boss Wen and I agree.” Li Zhen said, “Xiaotian, you can learn a lot from Boss Wen. She has her own way of judging people.”

It happened that Lu Shicheng came here to find Wen Tingli. Hearing these words, he couldn’t help feeling a little melancholy. This insight could not be understood without experiencing countless hardships personally. It was the difficulties that forced Wen Tingli to mature.

As soon as Wen Tingli came out, she saw Lu Shicheng standing in a daze in the corridor. She was surprised and smiled and said, “Why did you come back so early today?” “Manager Xu said that the new house is almost finished, do you want to go and take a look together?”

Wen Tingli’s eyes lit up, and she happily put on her sunglasses and hat and went out with Lu Shicheng. When they arrived at the new house, they held hands and went straight upstairs to see their master bedroom.

Wen Tingli was stunned when she saw the rose-colored wallpaper. Lu Shicheng almost restored the decoration style of her villa on Haige Road. That was fine. Xiao Taozi also had her own separate suite, which was a study and bedroom together. Mrs. Zhou had a spacious south-facing bedroom with space reserved in front of the floor-to-ceiling window where a rocking chair could be placed in the future.

He had considered all the needs of her family, not even the smallest ones were left out. For a moment, Wen Tingli was so happy that she didn’t know what to say. She stood in the middle of the room, looking around, and murmured, “I like it so much, I like it so much.”

He took her hand and went downstairs: “Let’s go and see the garden at the back.”

After a tour, both of them were very excited. This house was not as big as Lu Mansion, but it was truly their little world. The key location was not far from Xiufeng Company, so everyone could come and visit at any time in the future. Lu Shicheng even prepared three guest rooms on the first floor, so if Gao Xiaowen, Huang Yuanshan and Yue Zhaoyun came over to play too late one day, they would not have to worry about having no place to stay.

The day of moving was mid-December and the weather was getting colder. Manager Xu brought people over early in the morning to clean up and tidy up every corner of the house.

Little Taozi was so happy that she ran up and down like a little locomotive. But Mrs. Zhou was in tears and kept praying with her hands clasped together.

Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng were staying in the master bedroom upstairs. After closing the door, Wen Tingli smiled and jumped on Lu Shicheng, wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck, and ordered him: “Take me to the terrace quickly.”

But he took her straight to the bed and fell down with her. The bed was very wide and soft. When they fell down, it was like falling into a golden wheat field, with a sense of endlessness.

He simply opened his arms and said to the ceiling with satisfaction: “Now I don’t have to worry about being kicked under the bed by Ms. Wen every night.”

Wen Tingli pressed on him and was about to pinch his mouth, but Lu Shicheng took advantage of the situation and turned over and pressed her under his body. He pinched her chin, squeezed her mouth into an “o” shape, lowered his head and pecked her, full of joy.

Wen Tingli was not idle either. She raised her hand and ripped off his tie, laughing until she couldn’t breathe: “Don’t touch me there, I’m so itchy. Stop for a moment, we haven’t taken a shower yet!”

Lu Shicheng was not willing to stop. He took off his clothes and picked her up to walk to the bathroom. After a while, Wen Tingli’s laughter came from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of water splashing. Suddenly, Lu Shicheng said in pain: “Are you a puppy?! You bite me again!!”

After moving, Xiufeng’s colleagues would come over to chat every weekend. Wen Tingli was warm and hospitable, and Lu Shicheng was gentlemanly and easy-going. Gradually, friends regarded this place as a social center, and would gather here every week to talk about work, current affairs, and movies.

It was a cloudy Sunday afternoon, and Wen Tingli called her friends over for dinner.

As soon as Yue Zhaoyun sat down, he asked Gao Xiaowen, “Let me ask you, why did you renew your contract with Wen Tingli for the Ao Shuang Cream while signing Yu Peiling to advertise your Qi Nian lipstick?”

“What does it matter? They are all from Xiufeng anyway.” Gao Xiaowen winked slyly. “Besides, the newspapers are arguing about who is better between the two of them every day. Why don’t I sign them both and let them continue to ‘compete’ in my window. Don’t worry, fans will flock to me.”

Cao Renxiu laughed and said, “Ms. Gao is becoming more and more shrewd. I think you will become a wealthy businessman sooner or later.”

“Rich businessman? Need I even say that? If I can’t succeed, I’ll die! Although I came to Hong Kong out of spite, I persevered. I’ve fallen so many times in the past year that I’ve learned how to judge people and things without realizing it.”

Yue Zhaoyun was quite touched and patted Gao Xiaowen’s shoulder. Huang Yuanshan also hugged Gao Xiaowen without saying a word. Wen Tingli happened to come in with a tea tray. Seeing this scene, she quickly put the tea aside and hugged her three good friends with mixed emotions.

After a brief silence, Gao Xiaowen cheered up: “Fortunately, the ups and downs can’t defeat us. We must continue to stick together in the future!”

She raised her hand to high-five her friends, but Yu Peiling refused and squeezed in between Huang Yuanshan and Wen Tingli: “How annoying! Have you forgotten me?”

Cao Renxiu pulled Xiaotian over: “And us!”

Wen Tingli smiled and pulled Ding Xiao’e, who was standing aside, over: “And Xiao’e!”

Several people laughed out loud and clapped their hands. After laughing for a while, Li Zhen and Tan Guiwang looked around and asked curiously, “Where is the boss’s husband?”

“He’s on the phone upstairs. The Materials Preparation Committee wants to talk to him. Besides, his new pharmaceutical factory is going to be rebuilt, so he’s been very busy these days.”

As they were talking, Lu Shicheng came downstairs, and everyone joked, “Boss, are we still having noodles tonight?”

“We’re out of noodles, but we have steak and wine. Can we make do with that?”

Everybody burst into laughter.

After dinner, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng walked to the garden to look at the stars. Somehow they recalled the scene of making a wish to the North Star on the Shaobailing Ancient Trail in Ningbo on New Year’s Eve last year. When their minds were in sync, the two had the same thoughts. She remembered that night that she and Lu Shicheng made the same wish: to be together forever.

Unconsciously, a year had passed. She had many feelings. She looked up, but unfortunately there were no stars tonight. The sky was so dark, a bit like “the darkness before dawn”. They thought of the war situation and their moods became depressed at the same time. She asked him, “How long do you think this war will last?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, we will win in the end. Are you afraid that the war will reach Hong Kong?”

“I’m not afraid. As long as I live one more day, I can do what I want to do for one more day, such as making movies, raising funds, and supporting the anti-Japanese war fronts – just like Dean Deng and Sister Li, who stick to their beliefs.”

Lu Shicheng was silent for a moment: “President Deng must have helped you a lot.”

“Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Without her, we probably wouldn’t be together.”

She leaned over to his ear and told him the secret of the contract that had bothered him in the past.

Lu Shicheng looked ahead and smiled, he no longer cared.

At this point, he can only be grateful to Wen Tingli for meeting people like Dean Deng and Li Chengying at a critical moment in her life. Deep in his heart, he has long regarded Dean Deng as his number one benefactor, just like Wen Tingli. He knows that Wen Tingli is most worried about the safety of Dean Deng and Liu Xiangzhi, and he is also extremely worried, but he still tries to comfort her as much as possible and says: “I always feel that Dean Deng will not sacrifice himself.”

Seeing her stunned, he pointed at her chest and said, “Just take a look and you will know. Dean Deng’s soul will live on in the bodies of those she has helped. I even think that when she was young, Dean Deng must have met another Dean Deng who influenced her life. Inspired by the other person, the old lady resolutely embarked on this path. So no matter before or after her, there will always be new Dean Dengs appearing one after another. For Dean Deng, the battlefield is where she belongs. She will fight to the last moment and will not leave any regrets.”

Passed down from generation to generation, the spirit will never be extinguished. These words greatly comforted Wen Tingli’s heart. She looked at the dark sky with red eyes. Yes, no matter how dark the night is, the stars will not disappear. They are just temporarily obscured by the dark clouds. But even if they don’t appear tonight, they will definitely appear tomorrow night.

If it doesn’t appear tomorrow night, it will appear the night after next.

Just wait quietly under this sky. The light of the stars will eventually illuminate everyone’s heart, just as they have illuminated every period of history forever, dispelling the darkness and lighting the way for those who are on the road.

Her heart knot was completely untied at this moment. She held his hand tightly, as tight as two hearts pressed together. Lu Shicheng’s brows relaxed and he kissed her forehead distressedly. While comforting her, he was also comforting himself. He remembered countless nights in his childhood when he had looked up countless times to find the two stars that belonged to his parents, but he couldn’t find them and cried himself to sleep again and again.

Now, he no longer searches for it. His star has already come to him. He no longer needs to think about the past. From now on, he can only cherish every moment.

“Let’s go to the new pharmaceutical factory tomorrow night.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder: “Is it still called Dasheng Pharmaceutical Factory?”

“Let’s still call it Dasheng Pharmaceutical Factory.”

She smiled, and laughter came from behind her: “Boss Wen, you and your husband really can’t bear to be apart for a moment.”

“Sister, Mr. Lu, come and have some chocolate.” It was Xiao Taozi’s voice.

“You still call him Mr. Lu, Xiao Taozi. He’s your brother-in-law.”

“Brother-in-law, come and have some chocolate.”

Sister-husband! Everyone was almost rolling on the ground with laughter.

Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng smiled at each other and returned home together, day after day, year after year. With such a group of lovely and respectable friends by their side, why should they worry about tomorrow?

***
Sixteen years later.

Lee World Theatre, Hong Kong.

There is no drama here tonight, but it is unprecedentedly lively, because tonight the [Wen This Lifetime – Celebration of Ms. Wen Tingli’s 18th Anniversary Party in the Industry] will be held at Lee World.

Movie fans like this theme name very much. The word “Wen” not only includes Wen Tingli’s surname, but also highly summarizes the achievements made by Wen Tingli in her life. Since entering the industry, she has not only been “famous for a while”, but also “famous far and wide” for many years.

In her 18 years in the film industry, Wen Tingli has shot a total of 46 films. She is a righteous and enthusiastic person and is highly respected in the industry. When she recently ran for the position of vice-president of the Hong Kong Film Association, she was passed with a high majority of votes without any controversy.

It happened to be Wen Tingli’s birthday, so there was a memorial party jointly organized by fans and the Hong Kong Film Association. When Wen Tingli saw the name of the party, she jokingly said, “I’m not planning to retire yet, why not call it ‘Wen Ci Ban Sheng’ first.”

She met many good friends backstage whom she hadn’t seen for many years. Zhao Qingluo, now a well-known barrister, had just arrived in Hong Kong yesterday and planned to co-found a law firm with Liu Yaqiao.

Yan Zhenzhen, after graduating from the Department of Diplomacy, finally began to face up to her talent and devoted herself to writing, publishing one best-selling book after another.

The turbulent times and the barriers of war separated them for many years. When they met again, they couldn’t control their tears.

The three of them all felt that the other was old, yet they were all proud of each other. The signs of aging were the gift that time had left them, and were also the medals of maturity and wisdom. Over the years, the three of them had been struggling in their respective fields, and had never let down Principal Zou’s teachings.

During the chat, we mentioned Principal Zou. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli wanted to bring her to Hong Kong to live in retirement, but Principal Zou insisted on returning to Shanghai to continue teaching. Two years ago, she passed away suddenly in her own home. She passed away peacefully, and countless students went to see her off. Fortunately, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng have visited her several times in the past few years, so it is not too regretful.

“I heard that Xiao Taozi was admitted to the Medical Department of the University of Hong Kong?”

“Yes, but when she comes later, don’t call her Little Peach to her face. She’s Kuang Weihang.”

“Yes, yes, they will be Doctor Kuang in the future.” Thinking of what happened back then, the three of them started crying again. Gao Xiaowen wiped her tears and said, “At that time, we called them the three pragmatic heroes. Look, after not seeing them for so many years, they are still as childish as ever.”

Huang Yuanshan came over: “Wen Tingli——”

When everyone saw Huang Yuanshan, they all rushed to greet her. Huang Yuanshan was only in her forties, but her temples were already gray. Fortunately, her expression and behavior were still young and free and easy. After working in the film industry for many years, she is now a well-known director in the film industry. Last year, she took Yu Peiling to participate in the European Film Festival and won a director award and a best supporting actress award as she wished. People in the industry mentioned Huang Yuanshan and regarded her as a monument in the industry.

“Sister Huang, we went to the ruins of Xiufeng in Shanghai the other day. It was burned down by the Japanese, and now they say they are going to rebuild a museum.”

These words made Huang Yuanshan suddenly collapse. Thinking of those long years and the ups and downs Xiufeng had experienced over the years, he couldn’t help but cry like a baby in front of everyone.

Later, Yan Zhenzhen asked, “Where’s Sister Yue? Why didn’t she come today?”

“She sleeps at home. She won a literary award for a novel last month. She is exhausted from socializing every day. She said she will not attend any parties within a year.”

Several people laughed: “Sister Yue’s temper hasn’t changed at all.”

At this time, a middle-aged woman with a round face and short hair came over to Wen Tingli with a smile: “Boss Wen, the press conference has begun.”

She is Ding Xiao’e, the most diligent person in Xiufeng. After years of hard study, she not only learned fluent English and Japanese, but also successfully obtained a degree certificate from the local business school. Now she is Wen Tingli’s most capable assistant.

As usual, there was a small press conference before the party started. Friends took their seats in the first row of the audience one after another. After sitting down, they all looked at Wen Tingli on the stage with satisfaction.

Wen Tingli looked back at the familiar faces in the audience, feeling mixed emotions.

The reporter began to ask questions: “Ms. Wen, you have been in the industry for many years. Some people have praised you, while others have sneered at your character. For example, Mr. Liu Menglin of Golden Pictures has publicly said more than once that you are a sinister villain. After Golden Pictures moved to Hong Kong, he has been holding on to Xiufeng. What do you think of this, Ms. Wen?”

Wen Tingli smiled and said, “I have only one thing to say to Mr. Liu: He has been very kind to me, and I will not care about what he says about me.”

The reporters burst into laughter. Boss Wen was still so humorous. Just a casual word from him made Liu Menglin feel like he had punched cotton, but he couldn’t get angry.

“Ms. Wen, you came to Hong Kong in 1937, right? I heard that you actively rebuilt Xiufeng as soon as you arrived here, and you contacted the local university to transfer your student status from Hujiang here, studying and starting a business at the same time. After the fall of Hong Kong, you and Mr. Huang moved to Chongqing with a group of employees, and returned to Hong Kong after the victory. In your life resume, I saw a word: unyielding. I would like to ask Mr. Wen, where does this unyielding spirit come from? Who are you most grateful to in your life?”

Wen Tingli suddenly fell silent. At this moment, familiar and friendly faces flashed through her mind.
The vicissitudes of life have left deep marks on her heart. Some people have passed away, and some have stayed.

But as Lu Shicheng said that night – spiritual power will not be annihilated.

When she looked up again, tears flashed in her eyes: “There are many people I am grateful to in my life. Dean Deng Yi of Cixin Hospital, head nurse Liu Xiangzhi, and member of the underground patriotic organization Li Chengying – they are not only heroes of the War of Resistance, but also noble people in my life. Before liberation, they helped me in my most difficult days. I will be grateful to them all my life, but the one who has had the greatest influence on me is my mother, Ms. Kuang Xiuzhen. As you all know, my mother was a poor woman who was sold to a brothel in the old society. She went through untold hardships to live a normal life, but since I can remember, I have never seen my mother frown, nor have I seen her complain about life. From her, I learned one thing: don’t regret or hate the past, and don’t worry about tomorrow. Just do the things in your hands one by one, and you will always get through the difficulties in life.”

She said these words with tears in her eyes. The audience was silent. These words touched the hearts of many people. Everyone has their own problems in life, but perhaps the answers to life are always there. Moreover, everyone knows that a few years ago, Wen Tingli made a film called “Red Skull” in memory of her mother. It was a semi-documentary film that reflected the miserable conditions of prostitutes in the old society. After it was released, it caused quite a stir. Many people walked out of the cinema crying.

In order to ease the heavy atmosphere, a reporter from a gossip magazine smiled and changed the subject: “Boss Wen, someone said that you and Mr. Lu have never quarreled in all these years. Is this true?”

Wen Tingli lowered her head and smiled. How could they not quarrel? She and he quarreled so much that they almost broke up. She smiled and blinked: “It’s not that I don’t want to answer this question, but I don’t know how to answer it. If I start from the beginning, I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish it in one night.”

“Can you please tell me how you and Mr. Lu met?”

Before Wen Tingli could answer, Huang Yuanshan took over the microphone and said, “I know this. It happened backstage at the Golden Theater—thanks to a bullet. Their acquaintance and love is truly a legend.”

There was a sudden commotion of joy in the venue: “Since it is a legend, Director Huang, have you ever considered making a movie about the experience of Ms. Wen and Mr. Lu?”

“That’s up to you to ask the person involved.”

Wen Tingli smiled but said nothing.

At this moment, at the back door of the theater, a young man staggered and ran towards the theater, but he was still a step too late and was stopped as soon as he arrived.

He quickly showed his press card to the guard: “I am Li Long, a reporter from the Southern Business Daily, and I have an invitation card.”

“Go away, go away. The show has been going on for more than an hour. The real reporters have already arrived. You are just trying to take advantage of the situation. Go away.”

Li Long was extremely anxious: “But I really am——”

Several security guards pushed him away without any explanation, and the interview materials in his arms immediately fell to the ground.

He was angry and hateful, and hurriedly squatted down to pick up the things. As he squatted down, he let out an uncontrollable “hiss”, and it seemed that he was injured somewhere.

Someone happened to come over and seeing this, he bent down to help the young man pick up the trash.

Li Long said thank you in embarrassment, it seems that there are still many kind people in this world. With a casual glance, he noticed that this man had beautiful fingers, his cuffs were extremely neat, and his cufflinks were also very unique.

That is the preciousness of silence.

The moment he looked up, Li Long’s expression froze. As a man, he has always been reluctant to use the word “handsome” to describe other men, but the man in front of him made him unable to think of any other adjectives for a moment.

Wait, why does he look more and more familiar? A light flashed in my mind. The person in front of me was actually the famous Lu Shicheng, the head of the Nanyang Hongye Lu family. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he donated a large amount of supplies and money to the front line, and his businesses were spread across Nanyang, Hong Kong, the United States and other places.

The most well-known among them is Dasheng Pharmaceutical Factory. This pharmaceutical company is famous both at home and abroad. The drugs it develops are effective, low-priced and widely popular among the people.

He originally thought that such a patriotic industrialist with a strong character must have a dignified appearance and even eyes like a diamond. It was not until he accidentally saw a photo in a newspaper special report that he realized that Lu Shicheng was such an elegant and graceful person. At this moment, when he saw Lu Shicheng in person, he was so surprised that he didn’t know how to greet him.

In the end, it was Lu Shicheng who handed the collected information to the reporter.

“Mr. Lu, please stay.” Li Long limped after him. Lu Shicheng must be here to attend Ms. Wen’s fan celebration. The whole world knows that they are a loving couple. “Could you please take me to the venue, Mr. Lu? I didn’t mean to be late. I had an accident on my motorcycle. I am so unlucky today. Mr. Lu, please help me. If I don’t have a manuscript to hand in, I will lose my job.”

Li Long was nervous when he said this. He knew that although Lu Shicheng appeared easy-going, he was actually very opinionated. Under his management, the Lu family had withstood all kinds of ups and downs over the years, and all the Lu family members respected him. No matter how many excuses he had, being late was being late, and he was afraid that Lu Shicheng would refuse to help him.

Lu Shicheng noticed that the reporter’s knee was still bleeding. This scene reminded him of how pitiful and embarrassed Wen Tingli was when she was delivering newspapers. Wen Tingli at that time should be about the same age as the reporter. They had both suffered. Why not give her a chance? Lu Shicheng smiled and said, “The interview is over. Why don’t you wait outside for a while. When Ms. Wen comes out, she may give you a few minutes of interview time alone.”

Li Long was overjoyed and kept saying to Lu Shicheng, “Thank you, thank you.”

Ms. Wen Tingli has always been the most sympathetic to young people from poor backgrounds. She never puts on airs in front of reporters. She has a famous saying: “I will never forget that I am an orphan who walked out of Ping An… If a person forgets the way he came, how can he walk well in the future?”

Among his colleagues in the newspaper office, even if some did not like watching Wen Tingli’s movies, there was no one who did not admire the style of this big star. She would definitely agree to give him a few minutes. He wiped the sweat from his head and stepped aside. After a while, Lu Shicheng asked someone to get a small stool for Li Long to sit outside and wait.

About an hour later, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng came out of the small door together. When Li Long saw them, the shock in his heart was almost indescribable. The scenes from the movies he had seen were suddenly cleverly combined with the living woman in front of him. He felt as if he was in a dream, but her smile was so real.

After the interview, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng walked away hand in hand, but Li Long was still standing there in a daze.

He heard Lu Shicheng whisper to Wen Tingli: “Where are we going for supper?”

“Let’s go to Yau Ma Tei. I heard there’s a new Wang Kee fish ball restaurant there. It’s even better than Chen Kee’s.”

They walked further and further away, like a pair of immortal lovers. Li Long wanted to catch up with them and say thank you, but he couldn’t move his feet or open his mouth. He didn’t want to disturb them anymore, “I dare not speak loudly, for fear of disturbing the gods in heaven.”

Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli got out and got in the car. Wen Tingli recalled what happened at the reception and smiled happily: “Tonight a reporter asked me how I met you. There was nothing else in my mind except the first time I saw you feeding pigeons at Lu Mansion. At that time, I thought, how could there be such a handsome man in the world.”

Instantly, Lu Shicheng showed a bewildered look. So many years had passed, and time had passed so quickly. He turned around and curiously studied the expression on her face: “So you fell in love with me at first sight.”

“Nonsense.” Wen Tingli sat up straight. “I think you are the one who likes me. I don’t believe that you didn’t have any feelings for me when you first met me.”

Lu Shicheng smiled and shook his head. At that time, he was still a little mute who was full of disappointment in human nature.

He is wary of anyone who approaches him.

Especially her.

“why?”

“I suspect you are a spy they created specifically for me. How could there be such a cute girl like you in the world? I’m afraid you’ll deceive my heart, so I have to find a way to avoid you.”

Wen Tingli chuckled, “So, you were the one who truly fell in love with me at first sight. No wonder it was so easy for me to take you out for dinner. You weren’t hiding from me at all. You were clearly waiting for me half-heartedly.”

She leaned over and gave him a big kiss on the side of his face. Lu Shicheng looked into her eyes and said, “The memorial meeting is temporarily over. We can finally go on vacation, right? How about we go to Egypt this time? You’ve been wanting to see the pyramids for a long time. I’ll have someone book the tickets tomorrow. We won’t take them this time. It’ll just be the two of us going out to play.”

“Okay–” Wen Tingli happily opened her arms to the night breeze. Only in front of him would she reveal such childishness.

Lu Shicheng stared at her for a while, then drove away with a smile.

It was another dreamy night, with the sky full of stars, cars on the road, young men and women walking, and dazzling neon lights. All the sorrow and pain seemed to have gone away.

They once fled together from shells and embraced each other silently in ruins under the moonlight. They left their common memories in many cities. Time taught them how to love. Fortunately, his and her hearts have never been separated. In love, companionship, and eternity, they used their lives and passion to spend one spring flower and autumn moon after another together.

————End of the full text————

(End of this chapter)