The Remaining Warmth Of Fog Harbor Chapter 29
byStrict order to return home
The regular meeting of investment bank executives on Wednesday had just ended. Before Lu Wanheng could look through the new drawings sent by Shen Zhiyi from the studio, the special assistant knocked on the office door solemnly, placed a sealed brown paper bag on the table, and said in a very low voice: “Mr. Lu, the urgent mail just received from the same city has no sender. The front desk said it was delivered by hand. You’d better take a look now.”
Lu Wanheng’s fingertips rubbed the leather tabletop, and he felt an inexplicable uneasiness in his heart.She opened the paper bag, and a stack of laminated photos scattered out, instantly covering the smooth desk – each one clearly captured the intimate moments between her and Shen Zhiyi: the profile of her and Shen Zhiyi hugging each other while looking at the river, the tenderness of their foreheads touching each other while sketching on the dock, the silhouette of kissing goodbye in the underground garage, the back view of holding hands as they walked into the supermarket, and even a close-up of her taking out a hand-painted bookmark from the compartment of her wallet in the early morning and gazing down.
The angle is concealed and the picture quality is clear. It is obviously the result of a long-term surveillance by a professional private detective. The most private love between the two people is nakedly exposed to the camera, turning it into a handle that can be manipulated and criticized.
At the bottom is a piece of plain white letter paper with no signature, only a line of strong and cold pen calligraphy, which is the unique handwriting of Lu’s father, Lu Zhenxiong: “Go home immediately and end this disgraceful relationship. Otherwise, all assets in your name will be frozen, all positions in the investment bank will be removed, and all artistic outlets for Shen Zhiyi will be blocked.”
The corners of the paper were slightly wrinkled by Lu Wanheng’s grip, and his knuckles turned white. The coldness in his eyes condensed inch by inch, and the low pressure emanating from his body made the special assistant dare not say anything.She had expected that the Lu family would not give up, but she did not expect that her father would use such despicable secret photography methods to point the knife directly at Shen Zhiyi, using her career, her love, and the artistic path she had finally established as a threat.
Ten years ago, her father used the same tough methods to break up her and Suman. Ten years later, he wanted to use the same tactics again to crush the light she finally caught.
“Prepare the car and go back to the old house.” Lu Wanheng put all the photos and letters back into the paper bag and locked them in the encrypted drawer of his desk. His tone was calm but with a desperate determination, “Notify the legal department and immediately sort out the litigation materials of private investigators invading privacy. In addition, keep an eye on the cooperation channels in the art circle. If there is any abnormal interception, report it as soon as possible.”
She did not contact Shen Zhiyi immediately, not because of hesitation, but because she did not want this sudden malice to disturb her lover who was concentrating on creation in the studio.Shen Zhiyi had just filled in the lack of love from her original family, had just received a glimmer of support from her aunt, and had just been full of expectations for the future. Lu Wanheng didn’t want her to face the coldness and violence of the Lu family. She wanted to bear all the pressure alone and protect the tenderness in the studio.
On the way back to the Lu family’s old house, Lu Wanheng held the steering wheel with one hand and repeatedly rubbed the inner pocket of the wallet with the other hand. His fingertips touched the outline of the hand-painted bookmark through the leather. Shen Zhiyi’s soft eyebrows when writing, the soft and waxy tone when acting coquettishly, and the reassuring smile after being healed by love, all came to mind.This love is her weakness, but also her armor. This time, she will never compromise, and she will never let her lover fall victim to family rules again.
The Lu family’s old house is located in a Chinese-style courtyard on the outskirts of Wugang. It has upturned eaves and corners, blue bricks and black tiles, and is full of strictness and rules. It is a cage that has trapped Lu Wanheng for half his life.As soon as the car drove into the courtyard, the housekeeper bowed to greet him with a nervous look on his face: “Miss, sir, I’m waiting for you in the main hall. He looks very bad. You…”
“I understand.” Lu Wanheng interrupted the butler’s reminder, straightened his back, and walked into the main hall without any cowardice.
The main hall was filled with sandalwood. Lu Zhenxiong was sitting on the huanghuali chair. He was wearing a dark Tang suit with a stern face and anger almost overflowing from his brows. There was also a stack of identical intimate photos on the table. They were thrown to the table with force and the corners were raised.Mother Lu on the side frowned, her face full of sorrow, but she did not dare to say anything. Lu Qinghe was sitting on the side with a solemn expression. When he saw Lu Wanheng entering the door, he quietly gave her a comforting look.
“You still know how to come back?” Lu Zhenxiong slammed the table, and the mahogany tabletop made a dull noise. He pointed at the photo and said in an angry voice, “Lu Wanheng, you are the eldest daughter of the Lu family, the youngest CEO of an investment bank. You are shameless, hooked up with a woman, and had so many unsightly photos taken. You have completely disgraced the Lu family!”
“Zhiyi and I love each other sincerely, openly and honestly. We are not messing around, and we are not unsightly.” Lu Wanheng stood in the center of the hall, his back straight and his tone firm, without giving in at all. “Gender has never been an obstacle to love. Our relationship has not failed anyone, nor has it insulted the lintel.”
“Stubborn!” Lu Zhenxiong’s face turned livid with anger. He grabbed the photo on the table and threw it at Lu Wanheng. The plastic photo rubbed against her cheek, leaving a faint red mark. “Have you forgotten the lesson I taught you ten years ago? I’ll throw it at youPulling you out of the quagmire is not to make you repeat the same mistakes!What is Shen Zhiyi’s background?Her parents make a living by painting. She just takes a fancy to the Lu family’s money and your status, and is deliberately trying to get you!”
“Zhiyi is not such a person. You don’t know her and are not qualified to judge her.” Lu Wanheng raised his hand to wipe away the red marks on his cheeks, and his eyes were full of determination to protect his shortcomings. “Her “Wate Yi” series relied on her strength to make a name for herself, and she has been invited to art exhibitions in an endless stream. She has never asked me for anything. The hand-painted bookmark in my wallet was drawn by her hand, and is ten thousand times more precious than the family assets in your eyes.”
“I don’t care about hand-painted bookmarks or Wan Yi series. I only give you two choices.” Lu Zhenxiong stretched out two fingers and said in a cold and decisive tone, “First, immediately cut off all contact with Shen Zhiyi, delete all contact information, destroy all photos, and I will arrange a blind date for you with the young master of the Zhou Group., get engaged within three months, let’s forget about it; secondly, if you refuse to obey, I will freeze all your bank cards, revoke all your positions in the investment bank, take back the penthouse apartment you live in, and ban Shen Zhiyi at the same time, so that she will have no place in Wugang and the entire art circle, and she will never be able to pick up a paintbrush again.”
This is a naked threat, using capital and power to crush the love and dreams of two young people.Lu Wanheng’s heart shrank violently. Every word her father said was like a sharp blade, pointing directly at the weakness she cared about most. But the more this happened, the less she could give in.
“I choose the third path.” Lu Wanheng raised his eyes and looked directly at Lu Zhenxiong without any fear, “I will not be separated from Zhiyi. You can take back all my position, assets, and apartment, and I can start from scratch, but you don’t want to block her, don’t want her to put down her paintbrush. My aunt has already recognized us, and the platform in the art circle has also recognized her talent. Your attempt may not work.”
“You dare to threaten me?” Lu Zhenxiong was furious and slammed the table again.
“I’m not threatening, I’m stating the facts.” Lu Qinghe spoke at the right time, stood up and stood in front of Lu Wanheng, with a calm tone, “Brother, ten years ago you used force to destroy Wanheng’s first love and made her close her heart for ten years. Now you know how to treat her.”Well, do you want to ruin it again?Secret photography is illegal in itself. If you use a private detective to invade privacy, the Lu family’s reputation will be really damaged.I support Wanheng’s choice, even if I am alone, I will protect them.”
“You are also making nonsense!” Lu Zhenxiong glared at Lu Qinghe, but due to the brother-sister relationship, he could not get angry.
Lu Wanheng held her aunt’s hand, and a warm current surged in her heart. This small amount of support became the most solid confidence in the confrontation at this moment.She looked at Lu Zhenxiong and spoke in a calm but firm tone: “Dad, let me give you a clear answer. Shen Zhiyi and I will never be separated in this life. You can take back everything from me, but if you dare to touch Zhiyi at all and block her artistic path, I will make the evidence of the private detective’s candid photos public to the public. At the same time, I will resign from all positions in the investment bank and completely break away from the Lu family. We will be destroyed and no one will be able to survive.”
This is the first time Lu Wanheng has confronted his father so forcefully, protecting his lover at the cost of leaving the family.Lu Zhenxiong looked at the determination in his daughter’s eyes and knew that she was not just talking. This daughter, who has been stubborn since she was a child, once made up her mind, even ten cows could not pull it back.He was so angry that his chest heaved, but he was afraid to really make things worse and make the Lu family a laughing stock in the business world.
“Okay, very good.” Lu Zhenxiong gritted his teeth and pointed to the door, “Get out of the Lu family’s old house! I want to see how long you can survive without the Lu family! I will give you one last month to think about it. After one month, if you still don’t look back, I will keep my promise and completely ban Shen Zhiyi and let you taste what it’s like to have nothing!”
Lu Wanheng did not argue anymore and bowed slightly without any nostalgia: “Thank you, aunt, I’ll leave first.”
She turned around and walked out of the main hall, her back still straight, without any embarrassment. The moment she walked out of the Lu family’s old house, her tense nerves relaxed slightly. The pain in her cheeks came, but her heart was filled with concern for Shen Zhiyi.
She immediately drove back to the penthouse apartment. The moment she opened the door, she saw Shen Zhiyi holding a painting book and sitting on the shoe-changing stool in the entrance hall. Her eyes were full of worry, and the sandalwood bracelet on her wrist was clenched tightly.Obviously, her aunt had told her the news in advance. She didn’t ask any questions or cry, she just waited quietly for her to come home.
“I’m back.” Lu Wanheng stepped forward quickly, hugged Shen Zhiyi tightly, and buried his face in the crook of her neck, absorbing the familiar warmth and fragrance. All the toughness and coldness disintegrated in the arms of his lover, leaving only heartache and guilt. “I’m sorry for making you worry. I didn’t protect you well and let you be involved.”
“I know everything. My aunt told me.” Shen Zhiyi hugged her back gently and raised his hand to touch the red marks on her cheeks. His eyes were filled with distress, “I’m not afraid, Wanheng, I’m really not afraid. At worst, we leave Wugang and go to a place where no one knows us. I will continue to paint and you will continue to work. As long as we are together, there will be no hurdle that we can’t overcome.”
Shen Zhiyi’s sensibleness and determination made Lu Wanheng’s eyes turn slightly red.She once thought that she would have to bear all the storms alone, but she never expected that the little painter she cared for had grown into a partner who could fight alongside her.
Lu Wanheng led Shen Zhiyi into the balcony studio and burned the stack of candid photos on a porcelain plate. The flames devoured the paper and burned away the Lu family’s malice.She picked up the brush, stood side by side in front of the easel with Shen Zhiyi, and started writing together. On the basis of “Glimmer”, she added a warm sun breaking through the dark clouds, and wrote a line of small words: “Shadows attack, love is not broken, stand side by side, fearless of wind and frost.”
The hand-painted bookmark on the inside of the wallet is still stable, the sandalwood bracelet on the wrist is glowing with warmth, my aunt’s support is the backing, and each other’s love is the armor.Father Lu’s anger and orders did not break up the two of them, but made them more determined.
As night fell, the lights in Wuggang were still bright. Lu Wanheng held Shen Zhiyi tightly, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the waves on the river.”No matter what he takes back or blocks, I will never let go of your hand.”
“Neither can I.” Shen Zhiyi raised his head and kissed the corner of her lips, “My brush, my heart, and the rest of my life belong to you. We will bear the wind and rain of the Lu family together.”
The shadow suddenly came, and the strict order was full of malice, but the heart’s desire remained unchanged.Lu Wanheng no longer fights alone, and Shen Zhiyi no longer passively guards. The two stand side by side, using love as a shield and persistence as a spear, facing the pressure of the Lu family, guarding the glimmer of fog that belongs to them, guarding the treasure hidden in the interlayer of the wallet, and guarding the never-extinguishing love and light in the “Wanyi” series.
Banxia novel, a lot of fun