NMBJ2 - 13

Hu Shaolei walked to the door. His secretary was making a phone call and stood up immediately upon seeing him. “Xiao Xi, wait a moment,” Hu Shaolei said. The wind in Beijing this winter was particularly strong. There were more clouds than snow, and the air quality was poor. Zhao Pingjin finished a meeting in the afternoon and was responsible for picking up the leaders.

As he stepped out of the Great Hall, he looked up slightly and saw thick, dark clouds pressing down on the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City. The leaders couldn’t stay outdoors for long, so Zhao Pingjin accompanied them down the steps. At this moment, his secretary’s phone rang not far behind him. Shen Min apologized to the leaders’ staff and walked aside to answer the call. When they reached the black car at the bottom of the steps, the middle-aged man smiled, and a hint of warmth appeared on his stern face. “Zhou’er, let’s go home.”

Zhao Pingjin politely shook hands with the man, saying, “Take care.”

The guards were stationed along the road, and as the security vehicles drove out, the road opened. Zhao Pingjin watched as the black sedan drove away.

At that moment, the driver brought over his official car. Zhao Pingjin got into the back seat, and Shen Min walked to his car door, handing him his phone. “It’s for you.”

Zhao Pingjin glanced at the screen and nodded.

Shen Min closed the car door for him.

Leaning back in the seat, Zhao Pingjin relaxed his body before answering the phone with a smile, “Leizi?”

As soon as Hu Shaolei spoke, he complained, “You’re really something, I can’t even get a hold of you when I call.”

Zhao Pingjin casually replied, “I’m with the boss, how could I answer the phone?”

Hu Shaolei didn’t want to engage: “Enough, who doesn’t know you’re busy? Don’t give me the official talk.”

Zhao Pingjin smiled and changed the subject: “You back in Beijing? A few days ago, Hai Jun came back on leave and brought us some organic fruits from his farm. He was thinking of letting you try some.”

Hu Shaolei, born in the Bayi Film Studio compound, was a mischievous Beijing kid back in the day. Zhao Pingjin often rode his bicycle with the kids from the compound to catch fish and grasshoppers in the Yongding River, which the compound was next to. Hu Shaolei had sat next to Zhang Hai Jun in middle school, and through him, Zhao Pingjin became acquainted with Hu Shaolei. It had been about two or three decades of friendship. After Zhang Hai Jun graduated and went to the Hainan missile defense unit, he came back only once every few years. Hu Shaolei asked with concern, “Hai Jun’s back? How long is he staying?”

Zhao Pingjin tilted his head, pinching his nose: “His wife is about to give birth, so he came back on leave to accompany her. Probably for about half a month.”

“I went back last weekend. How come I didn’t see you?”

“I had something to do.”

Hu Shaolei grumbled, “I heard you went to the resort with your father-in-law’s family? All married people get so dull.”

Zhao Pingjin responded with a playful grin, “Why don’t you get married too?”

Hu Shaolei immediately cut him off, “Don’t you dare, getting anyone to jump into the fire pit with you. I have a serious matter.”

Zhao Pingjin asked, “What?”

Hu Shaolei straightforwardly asked, “Are you still involved with that girl?”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

Hu Shaolei suddenly felt uneasy and called out, “Zhouzi?”

Zhao Pingjin quickly replied, his usual cheeky tone gone, his voice calm: “What’s up?”

Hu Shaolei, unsure of his thoughts, had to tell the truth: “I saw her today at an audition for a movie script. Director Tang has a few candidates, and she’s one of them. I heard she’s good at acting, but it seems like she’s had work done on her face. Whether she gets chosen or not is still uncertain.”

Zhao Pingjin’s tone suddenly turned a bit displeased: “Her face is fine.”

Hu Shaolei was taken aback and tactfully said, “Director Tang also wants to consider the production company’s opinion.”

Zhao Pingjin asked slowly, “Is the script good?”

Hu Shaolei was blunt: “I haven’t seen the script, but the project is a special approval, a tribute film for Huadian’s anniversary, a cultural project. At the very least, it will be nominated for all major film awards next year.”

Zhao Pingjin paused for a moment after hearing this and then responded, “If you need anything, just let Xiao Min know. This role is hers now.”

Hu Shaolei secretly sighed in relief, cheerfully replying, “Got it. With your word, things are easy for me. I’ll handle it, talk soon.”

“Leizi.” Zhao Pingjin suddenly called out on the other end.

Hu Shaolei froze.

Zhao Pingjin’s voice was calm: “You don’t need to tell anyone, just keep it between us. As long as I can maintain the situation here, I’ll handle her matters for the rest of my life.”

Hu Shaolei was stunned for several seconds, then seriously agreed, “Understood.”

Huang Xitang received the official news while on set in Hengdian.

That afternoon, Xitang asked for leave from the crew to return to Shanghai. Ni Kailun, wearing a loose shirt and flat shoes, took Xitang to the Huaying Building to sign the contract.

The next morning, after signing the contract, Xitang went to work. Her fellow actors and colleagues came over to greet her, and the director personally came over to say, “Miss Xitang, Miss Xitang, oh, today you seem a little different.”

Xitang quickly replied politely, “It’s the same, don’t make fun of me.”

Xitang, being tactful, treated the entire crew and co-actors to hotpot after finishing her scene.

Many important milestones in life, when looked back on, seem ordinary. Xitang remembered that day was December 28th, and it was cold in Hengdian. She was wrapped in a military coat, sitting on set, listening to the young actors chat. Actors were like migratory birds resting on set—no rest, no holidays. On New Year’s Day, over thirty crews were still shooting.

Before she knew it, another year had passed.

At the Zhongyuan New Year’s party.

Around 7 p.m., Zhao Pingjin was in his lounge, while Shen Min handed him the reports from the meeting a few days ago. He had been away on a business trip for the past two weeks and missed a few important meetings. Yu Xiaoying peeked in, saw that he was busy, and went to chat elsewhere. She was a member of Zhongyuan’s senior management family, familiar with the internal affairs. Before they were married, Yu Xiaoying had only seen Zhao Pingjin a few times at family gatherings, and even then, they rarely spoke. The reason was that every year, Zhao Pingjin, who worked as the chief engineer in the functional department, was extremely busy during the New Year holiday and would usually leave right after greeting everyone. His uncle would be accompanied by the Zhao family’s other younger relatives, but in the past couple of years, he had taken on a leadership role and had to attend these social events with the public. Yu Xiaoying handled these kinds of corporate social events with ease, even with a hint of secret excitement. She had always attended with her father, but this year, it was her first time attending with her husband.

More than half an hour later, the assistant knocked on the lounge door and entered, speaking softly to Zhao Pingjin, “Mr. Yu’s car has arrived.”

Zhao Pingjin stood up, and the assistant helped him into his suit jacket. He opened the door, and just as he did, Yu Xiaoying returned. She had dressed up carefully today, a rosy smile on her face.

Zhao Pingjin smiled gently, “Let’s go, Dad and the others have arrived.”

Yu Xiaoying obediently linked her arm with his as they walked out of the room.

The venue was set in the banquet hall on the second floor. Red carpet was laid out at the entrance of the lobby on the first floor, and the sounds of employees screaming and laughing continuously filled the air, with everyone wearing joyful smiles. Yu Weimin and his wife were walking into the banquet hall, accompanied by their secretary.

Yu Xiaoying walked up to them, happily linking arms with her mother. “Mom, you look really beautiful tonight.”

Her mother smiled and pinched her daughter’s face, but addressed Zhao Pingjin as she spoke, “Zhou’er, it’s the end of the year, you must be busy with work?”

Zhao Pingjin smiled and replied, “It’s not bad.”

He then turned to politely call out, “Mr. Yu.”

Yu Weimin nodded with a smile.

Beside Yu Weimin stood the newly appointed secretary of the discipline inspection commission following the headquarters’ restructuring. With a cheerful expression, he said, “Old Yu, look at your family, truly enviable.”

Zhao Pingjin shook his hand, “Secretary Bu, it’s been a while since I last saw you.”

At 8:10 p.m., after the guests walked down the red carpet, the host began the opening speech, and the program performances started. Yu Xiaoying sat in a row, and Zhao Pingjin sat next to her. His handsome, slender face, under the changing lights, revealed a cold, chiseled profile like white jade.

Even among all the Beijing boys she knew, Zhao Pingjin was one of the best in both looks and family background. Having such a man as her husband, Yu Xiaoying truly felt fortunate. Furthermore, she was satisfied with her current life. Zhao Pingjin had been spending more time with her at home. Although he was still busy, when he was at home, he didn’t go out much. Even when he worked in his study, he usually stayed home in the evenings.

Yu Xiaoying knew that he had no one else outside.

This fact reassured her.

Before their marriage, Yu Xiaoying knew he had girlfriends. She wasn’t clear on how many, but she knew those girls were different from people from their kind of family. No matter how playful Zhao Pingjin was, after marriage, he would have to be a devoted husband.

Her sense of security came from her mother-in-law, Teacher Zhou.

Teacher Zhou had made it clear that the Zhao family had recognized her as the daughter-in-law. She knew her son’s character best. The Zhao family men had a deep sense of family loyalty passed down through the generations. Looking at her father-in-law, who had traveled the country in his youth, serving in the military his whole life, but still had his original wife—this was rare among founding generals. The old lady couldn’t even read, but she was extremely virtuous, serving her in-laws in Shaanxi and giving birth to a son who passed away young. It wasn’t until 1948 that they came to Beijing and spent a lifetime with her husband. Zhao Pingjin had seen and remembered the deep affection between his grandparents.

Teacher Zhou had told Yu Xiaoying that she didn’t need to worry about Zhao Pingjin’s past scandals before marriage. After marriage, he would be wholeheartedly devoted to his wife.

And he had done just that.

Yu Xiaoying was completely clear in her heart that marrying him was the most secure choice. In families like theirs, a harmonious marriage was a matter of dignity.

She understood that Zhao Pingjin understood this even better than she did.

During a break in the music on stage, Yu Xiaoying leaned close to his neck and whispered in his ear, “In a couple of days it will be the eighth of January. The gift list for this year, Xiao Min sent it to me. We’ve prepared some gifts for the family. Is there anything specific you want to mention?”

As she got close, Zhao Pingjin’s hand resting on the back of his chair trembled slightly, but he quickly controlled it. He slightly leaned in, maintaining a proper posture, and gently replied to his wife, “Just follow Xiao Min for the household gifts. As for the new gifts for your parents this year, pick whatever you like.”

Yu Xiaoying gave him a sweet, obedient smile.

Zhao Pingjin calmly straightened his back, turned his face to look at the host on stage, but his left hand subtly grasped the back of Yu Xiaoying’s hand. Without needing to look, he knew that the directors sitting next to him, the staff from the group, the reporters and photographers in the front rows, and the crowd surrounding him and Yu Xiaoying, were all watching them. The drama around him was far more exciting than anything happening on stage.