DF Chapter 68
by VolareSheng Jia’s trip with the others passed quickly. She was with a group of seasoned gourmets who knew how to enjoy themselves, and with Ms. Grandeur’s strong support, they had even more fun.
Sheng Jia saw scenery she had never seen in her previous eighteen years, from the small boats swaying on the Mekong River to the whales swimming alongside them beneath the Strait of Malacca. She even experienced a scuba dive. Underwater, she and Song Ji’an became the best teammates, controlling each other’s breathing and capturing another magnificent world.
Emerging from the cold sea, they were greeted by a magnificent sunset.
The group removed their equipment and floated on the water, quietly waiting for it to set and the dark night to descend.
That was the last night Sheng Jia and the others spent in Southeast Asia, which they spent on a cruise ship.
Sheng Jia stood on the deck with a can of beer, letting the wind blow for a long time. Dong Zhen came to her side under the cover of night. The two stood side by side by the railing. Sheng Jia remained silent, but Dong Zhen suddenly asked, “Do you know why Ms. Fu Minglang sponsored me back then?”
Sheng Jia asked, “Weren’t you taken in by her?”
“There’s no such thing as unprovoked help in this world,” Dong Zhen clinked her beer bottle against Sheng Jia’s, the beer foam splashing on their hands. “The truth is, it was a lie that Song Ningqiu told to the outside world, to give me, a novelist, a past that no one could fault. She sponsored me because when she went to the impoverished mountain area, I recorded how often she came, what she did each time, the times she arrived and left, and, taking advantage of my status as a pitiful girl in the area, I saw where she kept her valuables.”
“Then I plotted for two months, stole her things, and escaped the village alone.” Dong Zhen even smiled at this moment. “Aren’t you curious why I preferred to be a petty thief rather than accept her help? With Ms. Fu Minglang’s status, if I had asked for something reasonable, she would have likely agreed.”
Sheng Jia nodded. “I am indeed curious.”
“Because before that, I had seen many people come to our village to put on a show. They came with supplies and cameras, and our suffering became their glory. My calls for help were never answered. Later, when I grew up and searched online, there was still residual information saying that I was a greedy villain because I repeatedly asked several waves of people who came to help. But at that time, I was only five years old. They recorded my image and uploaded it to the internet, and I became a contrast to the boys in the village who were spoiled by their elders but still had to pretend to be poor in front of the camera.”
“I really wanted to leave the village. It was hard without parents. At a very young age, I had to scavenge for a living, and I was extremely wary of anyone in the village who wanted to adopt me. Who knew if I would be sold to human traffickers one day? I didn’t trust anyone, so I decided to steal someone’s valuables and leave on my own. But of course, I didn’t succeed. Ms. Fu found me just as I was about to cross the river alone, talked to me, understood my experiences, and even listened carefully to my requests. That was the first time I was treated like a mature and independent person, not a child, not a helpless orphan. I had my first listener. So she took me away.”
“From a scrap-collecting child in the mountains to a genius girl cultivated by Ms. Fu Minglang, isn’t that a legendary experience?”
The sea breeze blew Dong Zhen’s hair, black and thick, unruly on her head, just like her, calm yet wild.
Sheng Jia finished the beer in her can in one gulp. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Ms. Fu Minglang asked me to interact with you more before we left Ansdert Island.” Dong Zhen replied bluntly, “So out of curiosity and basic preparation, I asked her for your information.”
“To be friends with you, you have to be as sincere as Song Ji’an,” her eyes flashed slightly. “Since I’ve seen your past, I can’t let you suffer, so I might as well be honest.”
Sheng Jia didn’t say anything. She was prepared for Fu Minglang to show her information to people close to her, so she wasn’t angry.
But Dong Zhen’s behavior did suit her.
Not because of opening up, but because Dong Zhen was dissecting herself, telling Sheng Jia—they were the same kind of people who would do anything to survive.
Song Ji’an’s way of making friends with her was like water, blending into her life, while Dong Zhen used a straightforward method, like fireworks exploding in her mind, to tell Sheng Jia that they were the same kind of person.
Sheng Jia didn’t comment on this, she only asked, “What happened to the directors who spread rumors about you back then?”
“Some are impoverished, some are begging everywhere, some have retired from the industry, some have come to me to repent and admit their mistakes, and were finally sent away by me. I called the paparazzi to put their dog-like appearance on the headlines.” Dong Zhen didn’t mind showing her venom, her knuckles gripping the railing, smiling at Sheng Jia. “Isn’t it strange? Back then, male directors occupied half the sky in the film industry and could do anything unethical for traffic, but when they get old, they can still be called respected elders.”
“But now it’s different, there’s been a big reshuffle.” Dong Zhen’s voice was so soft when she said this, but her eyes were full of dark and unclear emotions, probably also remembering the grievances she had suffered back then. “Since I was thirteen, I have been looking for several powerful female directors for my books. Ms. Fu invested in them and pulled the Meng family in to invest together. Each of them has become famous and has a resounding position, it’s really good.”
“Really good,” Sheng Jia echoed.
Dong Zhen asked, “I’m curious, what would your reaction be if my answer wasn’t like this?”
Sheng Jia curved her lips, and accurately threw the empty can into the trash can. She patted Dong Zhen’s shoulder, and walked forward while answering, “I would have a sleepless night because I heard a cowardly story.”
Dong Zhen laughed in place, she waved her hand to Sheng Jia, “Okay, then you can have a good sleep now.”
This was the last night Sheng Jia spent in Southeast Asia, and no one knew about this conversation between her and Dong Zhen except for them.
The next day, the group parted ways. Song Ji’an, Sheng Jia, and Meng Yeran returned to Jingjiang via the same route, Julia took a private plane back to Northern Europe, and Dong Zhen flew to Luo Ling, which was Fu Minglang’s current temporary residence.
The warmth of the tropical region did not return to the north. Before getting off the plane, they had already put on thick cotton-padded jackets. The rugged mountains showed them their distinct edges, and everything was covered in silver.
The cold air rushed over. Auntie Liu drove to pick up the two. Meng Yeran got directly into the car sent by the Meng family to pick her up. The north had several heavy snows this year, and it was difficult for the plane to fly back to Beijing and Tianjin today, so she planned to take the highway directly back to the old house.
Auntie Liu first sent Sheng Jia back to The Neighborhood. Song Ji’an leaned on the car window and said goodbye to her, smiling and said, “Sheng Jia, my mom and I will be spending the New Year in Jingjiang this year. Will you come and play with me after the New Year?”
“If I have time, I will definitely come to pay a New Year’s visit,” Sheng Jia replied.
Song Ji’an’s eyebrows curved, and she snapped her fingers at her, “Then I’ll be waiting for you, I’ll prepare a New Year’s gift for you.”
After saying that, she didn’t give Sheng Jia time to refuse at all, quickly rolled up the car window, and asked Auntie Liu to leave quickly.
Sheng Jia stood in place with her luggage, and waited until her car drove out of sight before slowly walking into The Neighborhood.
Although there was snow everywhere, the New Year atmosphere in The Neighborhood was quite strong. It was probably arranged by Xiyanghong and her old sisters. Their property committee has always been enthusiastic, and the loudspeakers at the entrance of The Neighborhood were playing “Good Luck Comes,” and vendors selling goods had a long string of stalls in front of the door. Sheng Jia even picked a red lion dance pendant in the middle, and The Neighborhood was decorated with lanterns and colored lights. Red lanterns were hung on the street lights.
When she walked to the unit building, Xiyanghong happened to go out. After seeing her, her eyes lit up, “Sheng Jia, you’re back? Your mother was still talking about you coming back today while playing mahjong last night.”
There was the smell of firecrackers everywhere, as if Sheng Jia had a dream full of adventure and extravagance for the past few days, and now she had finally returned to her world.
She stepped onto the steps step by step, took out the key to open the door. There was a floating chicken soup scent in the house. Hearing the sound, Sheng Huaiying, whom she hadn’t seen for almost a week, permed a fashionable instant noodle hairstyle, and walked out wearing an apron and holding a spatula. Seeing Sheng Jia, a bright smile appeared on her face, “Sheng Jia, you’re back. You can eat after waiting for a while. If you want to adjust the heating temperature higher, just adjust it yourself.”
Sheng Jia stood in front of the door, watching her rush back to the kitchen. She took off her cotton coat, put on a black turtleneck sweater, washed her hands in the toilet, and then went into the kitchen.
There were still a few pots of unpicked vegetables on the sink in the kitchen. She skillfully sat on the small stool in the corner, holding the pot to pick the vegetables.
Sheng Huaiying smiled happily, adding flavor to the chicken soup.
“There’s no need for you to work as soon as you come back. I can pick the vegetables later.”
Sheng Jia responded, but still quickly picked the vegetables and put them on the counter.
“By the way, I cut a frozen pear for you on the coffee table, remember to eat it later,” Sheng Huaiying reminded.
Only then did Sheng Jia see that there were many new objects in the house, mostly small, but brightly colored things. Even the plate for the pears was replaced with a golden one, small and exquisite.
The originally somewhat dim home, under the foil of these objects, actually seemed a little brighter and warmer.
She stood in front of the sofa for a moment, then picked up the pear, dragged her suitcase, told Sheng Huaiying, and entered her room.
Sheng Jia’s main plan after returning home was to catch up on the learning progress she had fallen behind.
Grades were the most important thing to her. There was still a stack of exercises piled up on the desk before she left.
In the next two or three days, she stayed in her room doing exercises and regaining her sense of familiarity. Sheng Huaiying couldn’t help her much with her studies, so she changed the patterns every day to cook her more dishes.
Sheng Huaiying’s factory had a much longer holiday this year. Starting two days before the Little New Year’s Eve, it could last until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. When Sheng Jia was not at home, she had already bought the materials needed for the New Year. Afraid of affecting Sheng Jia’s study at home, Sheng Huaiying got up at 8:00 every morning to go downstairs to find Xiyanghong for breakfast and play mahjong.
Time passed so quickly, and quickly arrived at New Year’s Eve.