Half an hour later, the heavy rain blew on the ground, the innocent sky was covered with dark clouds and from time to time, there was a crackle of lightning and a roar of thunder. There was no sign of pause from the fury of the raging winds and the torrential downpour of rain.Through the curtain of rain, they saw w.a.n.g Jingwen"s silhouette as she let the wind and rain blow on her now s.h.i.+vering body, she didn"t complain or act half-heartedly. She just held her weakened body with both hands, she could not help but tremble. The heavy makeup on her face was now washed away completely, and at the same time, her beautiful and pitiful face was thoroughly presented to the eyes of the crowd. It was almost as if her feeling of arrogance was also being washed away and at this moment, she looked like a beautiful flower withering in the wind and rain. She was like a rose not only pure but also graceful.
Zhang Xiaohua was still reclined on a soft sofa, he held a tablet computer in his hand and was playing a small game casually. He was too lazy to even look at w.a.n.g Jingwen, it was as if he had completely forgotten her existence.
On the contrary, in his heart, Yuan Datong could not bear it.
Although w.a.n.g Jingwen was rude earlier, she was just a girl. At this point, she had been showering for more than half an hour. After all this, it wouldn"t be a surprise if she became ill.
"Xiaohua, I think this should be enough. You should let her in now." Yuan Datong took the lead to help w.a.n.g Jingwen. He was neither cold-hearted or evil enough to bully a girl till she was sick.
"Yeah, boss, I think she has already learnt her lesson." Emma followed suit, and Xiaohai and others also nodded in favour.
Only now did Zhang Xiaohua turn his eyes away from the computer screen. First, his eyes swept through the few people in front of him before he turned his head to look outside at w.a.n.g Jingwen. He was silent for a long period of time, he just saida cold sentence: "Let her come in."
Zhang Xiaohua also didn"t want to do too much to her. If she really contracts some sort of disease, it would certainly affect the progress of various tasks. Besides, there are still too many things to do below, the time was limited and mistakes could not be made.
After receiving the permission of Zhang Xiaohua, Yuan Datong volunteered himself as he ran to w.a.n.g Jingwen"s side in one breath and immediately grabbed her arm to pull her in.
Emma rushed to get a dry towel and helped w.a.n.g Jingwen wipe her wet body, she then took off her coat and covered w.a.n.g Jingwen. For fear that she had caught cold, Xiaohai had poured a cup of warm water and handed it to w.a.n.g Jingwen in order to keep her warm.
Seeing everyone busy with w.a.n.g Jingwen, Zhang Xiaohua had felt helpless.
These guys really did have a Buddha"s heart. They were obviously a bunch of good angels who couldn"t resist to help others, even after they were being insulted.
They don"t seem to understand that sometimes, it was better to be an evil devil than to be a good angel.
"Zhang... Zhang boss, may I ask you... what else do you need me to do?" w.a.n.g Jingwen looked at Zhang Xiaohua earnestly and shyly asked with a trembling voice.
w.a.n.g Jingwen didn"t seems to have time for anyone else except Zhang Xiaohua. Of course, this was because she was very clear that only this Zhang boss was the highest decision maker of the company. So, she did what she had to do to, as she was willing to do anything in order to gain the opportunity to get her hands on the song"s vocals position.
Zhang Xiaohua stood up casually from the couch. He first looked at the time and looked up at w.a.n.g Jingwen before he replied succinctly: "First go back and familiarise with the lyrics of the song, then be here for 9:00 in the morning with an ident.i.ty doc.u.ment to sign the contract. I do not want you in this sort of dress, and I also don"t want to see your face covered in foundation or lipstick. I want you to dress simple and plain, or else do not blame me for turning you away."
Though Zhang Xiaohua"s remarks did not contain any human touch, w.a.n.g Jingwen listened to him with high spirits. She laughed, smiled, and kept acknowledging Zhang Xiaohua"s generosity and thanked him. It seemed even if she was ordered to jump into the Yellow River, she would do so willingly.
"It is time for us to head back as well so I shall see you guys tomorrow." After he bid his goodbyes, Zhang Xiaohua left the company and drove home.
Back home, Zhang Xiaohua didn"t even take a bite of his dinner. He just went into his room and sat in front of the computer.
There was still a lot of work to do and it was enough for him to stay busy all night.
....
Early in the next morning, w.a.n.g Jingwen had come to the company with an unprecedented joy.
According to Zhang Xiaohua"s request, she didn"t have on any makeup today and she was wearing only a pair of sling jeans, a black T-s.h.i.+rt and a pair of casual shoes. Even her red hair was dyed black. It seemed to be more simple and plain, so that Yuan Datong was sure magic had to be involved. She had once again transformed, this woman really was ever-changing. Regardless of how she was dressed, she could not help but give people a brighter feeling.
It was clear that w.a.n.g Jingwen had been completely tamed by Zhang Xiaohua.
At the same time, in the Zhang family house, Zhang Xiaohua was still asleep.
These days he hadn"t been idle as he would go online to learn how to shoot scenes and research various directors" necessary knowledge. He also didn"t forget to learn a foreign language, so that he could "move for the future" and "get out of Asia". To lay a good foundation, he almost forgot to eat, and sat in front of the computer all night, but he had gained a lot of knowledge and resources.
Last night, he didn"t sleep and instead he had written up an exclusive contract for the company.
Regardless of the company, a legally binding contract was crucial. Of course, the contract was not very important to the company it was mainly used to restrain the other party, especially in the entertainment industry. A company with a binding contract was crucial and necessary. Otherwise, those artists who wanted to breach the contract would just grab their money and default on the contract.
At this moment, a sudden knock on the door had brought Zhang Xiaohua back to reality from his dream.
Rubbing his eyes, Zhang Xiaohua had fixed his eyes and saw the maid, Liu Yan, who was standing in front of the door. She carried a tray of steaming hot food in her hand, it seemed that if there was no permission from Zhang Xiaohua, she wouldn"t dare enter the room.
"Master, I am sorry to disturb your rest but it is already eight o"clock. It is time for breakfast." Liu Yan still stood in front of the door, as she spoke up with an apology.
"Liu Yan, why are you so kind to me?" As he saw Liu Yan"s att.i.tude towards him, Zhang Xiaohua was a bit embarra.s.sed. He quickly got up out of bed and went to Liu Yan and laughed, "I have grown up smoothly and I owe it all to you, so let me take care of you. In my heart, you will always be like my half-mother and later you might not see me so much. Also, you can call me Xiaohua from now on, so don"t use young master, it seems too distant."
"This... how could this be done? Master, please don"t worry about my happiness. I... I can not afford it, ah!" Liu Yan couldn"t believe Zhang Xiaohua.
In her impression, the young man was only polite to her when he had a fever or wanted her help. Usually, the young man didn"t come find fault with him, she thanked G.o.d for that, how would she dare call him by his name?
Zhang Xiaohua smiled. He stretched out his hands and gently rested on Liu Yan"s skinny shoulders. He said sincerely: "I wasn"t kind before and I always found you for trouble. Please forgive me as I"m more mature now."
"Master, how dare I..."
Liu Yan was flattered and was about to say something, but was interrupted by Zhang Xiaohua: "Before I was born, you came to my house as a maid and I know that for more than 20 years, you haven"t only served my parents. You"ve been treating me as your own son and I remember that when I was 10 years old, I had a high fever and it just so happened that your daughter was also sick at the time. However, you chose to take care of me still. This, I will not forget for the rest of my life, and in spite of how much I have been for so many years, you have always accepted me, tolerated me, and had taken care of me every day. If I remember correctly, your daughter had not forgiven you yet?"
"Master, you must not say so. No matter what I do for this family, it should be so. If the old lady and sir had not accepted us then we would already dead. In order to repay the kindness of the husband and wife of this house. Even if I had to work forever for this family, it is a matter of course!" Liu Yan said with sincerity, but it was also true.
Indeed, when Liu Yan was in the countryside she had married and had a child, but her husband didn"t do much besides drink or went gambling every day. He lost all their family"s money and his temper was not good. He had often took Liu Yan as a punching bag and constantly hit and kicked her when he was frustrated.
Liu Yan finally couldn"t stand it, so she had come to Tianjing City with her two-year-old daughter, when it was winter and cold, Liu Yan was penniless and she was unfamiliar with the city. She was desperate, so she could only take it and with her daughter sleeping on the street, she suffered from the hunger and the cold.
Zhang Xiaohua"s parents had taken good care of both mother and daughter. After that, the couple also arranged for Liu Yan to become a maid at their home.
Later, the couple also provided for Liu Yan"s daughter to study. However, the couple had never treated Liu Yan as a servant. In their hearts, Liu Yan was a family member.
Over the years, in order to repay the kindness of the couple, Liu Yan was also very conscientious, and it was very considerate to serve the couple.
In particular, Zhang Xiaohua, since his birth, his body had not been very good. He had always been malnourished, and he could be violent at any time. Finally, under the love and care of Liu Yan, Zhang Xiaohua was able to grow up.
For this reason, Liu Yan often neglected her own daughter and made her daughter suffer many grievances. It was precisely because of this that her daughter had chosen to move out. Fortunately, her daughter"s academic performance was so good that she could rely on scholars.h.i.+ps to maintain her. She was currently going to college abroad, but so far the mother and daughter had not been in contact for several years.
The previous Zhang Xiaohua was not really a thing, not only did he not care about Liu Yan"s painstaking efforts, but he often shouted and yelled at Liu Yan. However, when things were a bit unfair, sometimes he would ask Liu Yan to bring the food to the bedroom, and then let Liu Yan wait on him to eat with the young master.
What"s even more excessive was that he came back after getting drunk in the middle of the night. Liu Yan would have to wake up and cook for him at unimaginable hours in the morning, all while she cleaned up after him, after he had thrown up. Absolutely, he was a heartless ancestral pig!
Although there were no half-dollar relations between Zhang Xiaohua and those things in the past, to Liu Yan, there was no previous Zhang Xiaohua and to her, he was still the same as before.
"Liu Yan, please don"t worry, I used to be very ignorant, but please me, I have changed for the better." Zhang Xiaohua said, "Time is early. Now, let"s go and eat."
"Master, here is your meal. If these things don"t suit your taste, you just have to tell me what you want to eat and I will do it for you." Liu Hao was still flattered and at the same time, she felt that today"s Zhang Xiaohua was not the same as before. Where was he not the same? She couldn"t say anything at all, as it just felt strange to her.
"I"m not a wasted person. I can walk and jump, so why do I have to eat in my bedroom?" Zhang Xiaohua took the tray and carried it all the way to the dining table in front of the living room. Then he first served Liu Yan before he himself sat down to eat.
Zhang Xiaohua looked around, but did not see his mother"s figure, then he asked Liu Yan: "Liu Yan, where is my mother?"
"Oh, my lady said she was feeling uncomfortable in her body and she did not eat her breakfast," replied Liu Yan.
"Uncomfortable? I want to see her." Zhang Xiaohua was not relieved, he immediately stood up and walked straight to his mother"s room.
As he just arrived at the stairwell, Zhang Xiaohua raised his eyes and happened to see his mother. His mother"s body was obviously weak and her face was bloodless and pale. Her lips were also dry and white and her forehead was covered with intensive sweat. As she stood on the stairs, one hand was tightly on her waist in pain and she was trembling, it was as if a breeze could blow her down.
Suddenly, as he saw that his mother look liked this Zhang Xiaohua was surprised and quickly went to support her. He carefully grabbed his mother"s arm and asked with concern: "Mom, what"s wrong with you? Do you want to go to the hospital?"
Zhang Shaofang had shook her head and her pale face barely smiled: "Your mother is alright, I just got a cold last night so I will go back and have some cold medicine. I"ll soon be just fine."
As he listened to his mother"s words, Zhang Xiaohua also calmed down and gently took her mother to the table and sat down.
"Madam, I"ll grab some porridge for you."
Liu Yan was about to go to the kitchen, but she had heard Zhang Shaofang cry: "Liu Yan, do not work. You should first sit down as I have something to want to tell you."
After Liu Yan returned and sat down, Zhang Shaofang took out a bank card and placed it in front of Liu Yan.
"Madam, what are you doing?"
Zhang Shaofang reluctantly sighed and said, "Yeah, we are not outsiders. I won"t beat around the bush. There is 100,000 yuan on this card. It"s the savings I saved for the past few years. You should take it and with this money tou should go back to the countryside. You have been waiting on us for most of your life, and it"s time to go home and enjoy your own life and blessings."
Liu Yan heard it and her face immediately climbed into a sad expression: "Madam, are you trying to rush me away? Did I do something wrong? "
Zhang Shaofang shook her head and grasped Liu Yan"s trembling hand tightly and she let out a small laugh, "You did nothing wrong, my dear. This is what our family owes you. You deserve it."
"Madam, if I go, what will you do?" Liu Yan took hold of Zhang Shaofang"s hand. There was no need for rumours at this moment, and the strong feelings between the master and servant could be fully reflected.
"Xiao Hua"s dad"s father still owed a lot of debt on his deathbed. These debts couldn"t be repaid!" Thinking of her husband who had just pa.s.sed away, Zhang Shaofang"s eyes began to moisten.
After she had wiped the tears from her eyes, Zhang Shaofang reluctantly looked at the house with tears and said: "Xiaohua"s father is no longer there. This house is so big and I lived a bit wasted of a life with Xiaohua. Now, I want to sell this house."
"To sell the house?" Liu Yan asked: "This is the only house your grandfather left for you and your son. If you were to sell it, where would you live with the young master?"
"I"m still not old, I can move my hands and feet. Instead of being idle at home, I"d rather go out and find a job. If it"s not enough then I could go and rent a house first. Anyway, I and Xiaohua"s two people don"t need anything too big. There should be no problem in maintaining life." She really could not bear to sell the house, but there was no way to do it. The money still had to be returned.
"According to Madam, I can"t take this money." Liu Yan stuck the bank into Zhang Shaofang"s hands, as she clasped tightly and decisively: "The lady wants to go out to find a job. OK, I"ll go out with her lady. Although I am a woman with no culture, I can still do the dirty work and If my lady decided to rent a house then I can do it too. Even if the house was not too small, my lady and the young master could sleep in the house. I"ll hit the ground outside and I will never leave my lady until I die!"
"Liu Yan, why do you wish to suffer like this?" Zhang Shaofang had already shed many tears. The deep tears marked her pale face and added a bit of sadness.
At this time, Zhang Xiaohua was in no mood to move.
He did not expect this kind of painful drama that could only be seen on television. He could actually see it in reality!
This reminded Zhang Xiaohua of a movie called "Peach Sister," in which the feelings between the master and the servant could not be described with words. This Liu Yan was the true portrayal of "Peach Sister" in this world. She was conscientious and diligent, doesn"t care about pay and devoted her life.
Unable to help himself, Zhang Xiaohua extended his hands and wrapped the palms of their hands, which were tight and uncomfortably warm, in his palms. It was as if he had wrapped not two hands, but a responsibility!
"Mom, you don"t need to sell this house, you don"t need to go out to find a new job."
"Liu Yan, you don"t have to leave. This will always be your home."
Zhang Xiaohua smiled brilliantly and confidently a.s.sured: "Give me a little time and I will solve all the troubles at home."
The two looked at each other as their eyes revealed a few colours of suspicion. Zhang Shaofang shouted, "Stupid boy, what can you solve? Do you know how much your father owes? You don"t need to think about it, just don"t sell those shares that your dad had left for you. Xiaohua, that company is your father"s lifelong effort. Although your father is gone, he very much hoped that the company will remain in the family. Do you understand? I won"t forgive you if sell your shares!"
"Mom, don"t worry, I won"t sell those shares." he said, "I know, no matter what I say now, you wouldn"t believe me. But I still ask you to give me some time. Well, I should go to the company. There are still many things left for me to do today."
After she had said nothing, Zhang Xiaohua quickly stepped upstairs and took the contract book that he wrote overnight. He decided not to bathe and rushed straight to the company.
"Liu Yan, did you just hear this child say he was going to... a company?" Zhang Shaofang felt confused, not understanding what did her son mean when he said he was going to the "company".
"Lady Zhang, the young master has already grown up. Since he said that he wanted a little more time, then you should wait and see. Young people, no matter what they do, must be tempered before they can grow up. Regardless of his age, I believe he hoped to get your trust and recognition." Liu Yan said with a smile full of comfort, because she felt that Zhang Xiaohua had really grown up and become mature, and sensible.
As she listened to Liu Yan"s comment, Zhang Shaofang was suddenly enlightened. In order to encourage her son, she temporarily dismissed the idea of selling the house and finding another job. Although she did not expect too much of this son, she still wanted to witness his growth.
Unexpectedly, at this time, Zhang Shaofang"s suddenly collapsed on the floor.
Her pale face didn"t even have a hint of blood. Her brows were wrinkled, and she clenched her teeth as if in a bid to stay alive!
"Madam, what"s wrong?" Liu Yan was in a hurry, but she was not sure of what to do. She didn"t dare not touch her as she feared that she would further increase Zhang Shaofang"s pain.
"I want to go to the hospital and get a check up, you should come with me." Zhang Shaofang said in a weak and painful voice.
Liu Yan dared not neglect and hurriedly called a taxi to accompany Zhang Shaofang to the hospital...