The Remaining Warmth Of Fog Harbor Chapter 31

Hidden eyebrows

Winter nights in Fog Harbor are always wrapped in a damp and cold wind, and a thin layer of water mist condenses on the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the penthouse, dimming the lights on the river into blurry spots of light.Shen Zhiyi was lying on the painting table on the balcony, the tip of his pen hanging on the manuscript of the “Evening Thoughts” series. He did not drop it for a long time, but his eyes drifted towards the entrance hall unconsciously. The clock on the wall was already pointing to eleven o’clock in the morning.

This is the seventh consecutive day that Lu Wanheng has returned home late.

In the past, Lu Wanheng had a regular schedule and seldom socialized. Even if he worked overtime, he would report in advance. Breakfast at 6:30, companionship at 8, and sleeping together at 10 were unshakable daily routines.But in the past week, she began to come home late frequently, smelling heavily of tobacco and alcohol and the chill of the cold wind. The collar of her suit was wrinkled, and her eyes were covered with clear red bloodshot eyes. Even her gentle eyebrows in the past were stained with lingering fatigue.

Shen Zhiyi initially thought that the investment banking project was entering a critical period and didn’t think much about it. He still warmed the hot soup and prepared sobering tea, waiting for her to go home.But gradually, more and more details accumulated in my heart, turning into a ball of doubts that could not be resolved.

The first thing I notice is insomnia.

Lu Wanheng used to fall asleep as soon as she touched the pillow. His breathing was steady and long. He would subconsciously hold her in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her hair, and have a good night’s sleep.But now, late at night, when Shen Zhiyi was half asleep and half awake, she could always feel the person beside her turning around, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the location of her wallet, her breathing shallow, and occasionally letting out a very light sigh.Twice, she deliberately pretended to be asleep, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Wanheng leaning on the bedside, staring at the ceiling through the dim light from the window, her eyes blank, her brows furrowed, until the horizon turned white, then she reluctantly closed her eyes.

She wanted to ask, but when she saw Lu Wanheng’s forced smile, she swallowed her words.Lu Wanheng would rub the top of her hair and say, “The project has been on schedule recently, and it’s been a bit overwhelming.” He would smile and hand the warm milk into her hand, and he would still prepare breakfast in the early morning, but the black and blue under his eyes were getting thicker day by day, and his coffee intake had doubled.

Shen Zhiyi is delicate and sensitive by nature, and has developed the habit of observing words and emotions in an environment lacking love. She does not dare to take the initiative to ask questions, for fear of touching on difficulties that Lu Wanheng does not want to mention, for fear that her worries will become a burden to the other party, and for fear of breaking the seemingly stable calm in front of her.She could only hide her doubts in her heart and provide silent companionship in her own way.

Lu Wanheng’s fatigue came from the inside out.

After she broke up with her family and her assets were frozen, she was forced to leave her job at an investment bank. She relied on her past reputation in the industry to take on private consulting projects. She thought she would be able to transition smoothly, but she didn’t expect that after her partners learned about her break with the Lu family, they lowered their bids and tightened funds. Two companies even broke the contract midway and deducted large amounts of liquidated damages.The originally planned capital chain was instantly broken, the project was difficult to advance, and the pressure in the workplace increased sharply, making her breathless.

In order to stabilize existing projects and mobilize funds, she had to bite the bullet and participate in various industry events, shuttling between high-end clubs and business wine shops in Wugang.In the past, she was the eldest daughter of the Lu family and the CEO of an investment bank. She was surrounded by stars and only had to sit on the throne; now she has broken away from the family halo and has to humbly strive for cooperation, toast with a smiling face, face temptations and difficulties from all kinds of people, and pour glasses of strong liquor into her throat, burning her esophagus and burning her self-esteem.

It was already late at night after the wine party ended. She was sitting in the car, leaning on the seat to relax. The cold wind came in through the gap in the car window, making her fingertips numb with cold.She didn’t dare to go home immediately, for fear that the smell of cigarettes and alcohol would disturb Shen Zhiyi, and for fear that the tiredness in her eyes would be seen through. She could only sit in the car for half an hour, wash her face with cold water, chew all the mints, and suppress the smell of alcohol on her body to the minimum. Then she forced herself to open the door.

“I’m back. I’ve made some yam and pork ribs soup. Let’s drink some to warm yourself up.” Shen Zhiyi got up from the sofa and took the briefcase in her hand. His fingertips accidentally touched her cold palm. His heart tightened, but he still smiled and didn’t ask any questions.

Lu Wanheng smiled gently, raised his hand to rub the top of her hair, and said in a hoarse voice, “Thank you, baby, please wait for me. The project talks are going very smoothly, and it will be finished soon.” She avoided Shen Zhiyi’s eyes, quickly walked into the bathroom, closed the door, retched in the mirror, slapped cold water on her face, and barely suppressed the surging discomfort.

The person in the mirror has red bloodshot eyes and a wrinkled suit. He has completely lost his former elite look and is only tired and embarrassed.She looked at herself in the mirror, sighed softly, straightened her expression, then opened the door and walked out, sat at the dining table, sipped hot soup, and tried her best to look calm and normal.

The atmosphere at the dinner table gradually became silent.

In the past, the two would share each other’s daily lives. Shen Zhiyi would tell interesting things about the studio, and Lu Wanheng would tell stories about the workplace, and they would laugh constantly.But now, Lu Wanheng is tired and talks little. Most of the time, she just lowers her head to drink soup. Occasionally, she will say a few words of sympathy. Her eyes are distracted and she is obviously distracted. She is repeatedly calculating project funds, breach of contract compensation, and emergency funds for art exhibitions in her mind. Each item is like a big mountain, weighing her down and unable to breathe.

Seeing how she was holding on, Shen Zhiyi felt more doubtful in his heart, but still did not ask any further questions.She just silently filled the soup for Lu Wanheng, put the soft ribs into her bowl, and moved very gently when clearing the dishes, for fear of aggravating her fatigue.Lying on the bed at night, she took the initiative to lean against Lu Wanheng and gently held her hand, trying to comfort her with warmth. What she felt was the coldness and slight trembling of the other person’s fingertips.

Lu Wanheng noticed her approach, held her tightly with his backhand, pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on the top of her hair, but did not fall asleep for a long time.Shen Zhiyi leaned against her chest, listening to the chaotic heartbeat and feeling the tightness of the person in her arms. The love in her heart far outweighed her doubts.She knew that Lu Wanheng must be under tremendous pressure, but she just didn’t want her to worry, so she chose to bear it alone.

In order to relieve Lu Wanheng’s insomnia, Shen Zhiyi went to a cultural and creative store to buy sleep-aid aromatherapy, changed the pillowcase to a softer pillowcase, soaked in warm foot bath before going to bed, and adjusted the warm light in the studio to be softer, hoping to create the most stable sleeping environment.Lu Wanheng looked at her busy figure, his eyes full of distress, but he still didn’t mention a word about the financial and career difficulties. He just hugged her into his arms and said softly, “With you here, no matter how tired you are, it’s all worth it.”

The pressure on project funds is becoming increasingly severe.

The balance of payment from the partners has not yet been received, and the start-up funds for new projects have not been secured. The payment for the installation of the art exhibition, the purchase of painting materials, and the rent of the venue are like reminders, weighing on Lu Wanheng’s heart.She had to contact her aunt again and gritted her teeth to apply for a second loan. Lu Qinghe sighed on the phone: “Wanheng, it’s not that I won’t help you. The Lu family is still keeping an eye on my account. Frequent transfers will be noticed. You have to find a stable source of funds as soon as possible. You can’t always rely on me to provide the bottom line.”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Wanheng leaned in the corridor of the office building and lit a menthol cigarette. Amid the smoke, his eyes were full of weakness.She had never been so embarrassed. She used to mobilize tens of millions of funds, but now she was worried about hundreds of thousands of dollars for exhibition decoration and could not sleep at night.In order to save money, she fired her part-time assistant and took care of all plans, reports, and docking work herself. She only slept three or four hours a day. During the day, she ran projects and discussed cooperation, and at night she made plans and checked accounts. Even her time for meals was shortened.

One time at noon, in order to catch up with the plan, she only ate a piece of dry bread and drank cold water. Her stomach suddenly felt cramped, and her shirt was soaked in cold sweat.She squatted in front of the desk for a long time, then reluctantly stood up. She looked at the daily routine of the studio sent by Shen Zhiyi on her mobile phone. With a bitter smile on her lips, she quickly replied, “It was a business meal, very sumptuous.” She hid all her embarrassment behind lies.

That night, she negotiated an emergency loan, and the other party asked her to sign the agreement overnight. By the time she finished everything, it was already two o’clock in the morning.She dragged her legs filled with lead back home. The light in the entrance hall was still on. Shen Zhiyi fell asleep on the sofa with a picture book in her arms. A muted documentary was playing on the TV. The soup on the table had been warmed three times.

Lu Wanheng’s heart was tightened instantly.

She walked over lightly, wanting to take him back to the bedroom. As soon as she bent down, Shen Zhiyi woke up, rubbed her eyes and looked at her, her voice soft and soft: “You are back, the soup is still hot, I will warm it up for you.”

“No, I’m not hungry.” Lu Wanheng pulled her, his voice was extremely tired, and he leaned on the sofa, rubbing his cheeks with his eyes closed. The stress and fatigue of the past few days completely broke out at this moment, and he couldn’t even squeeze out a forced smile.

Shen Zhiyi sat next to her, gently raised his hand, and rubbed her tense shoulders and neck. His fingertips touched the raised shoulder blades, which made the tip of his nose feel sore with pain.She could clearly feel the weight loss and exhaustion of the person in her arms, could smell the strong smell of alcohol hidden under the smell of mint, and could see the red bloodshot eyes that could not be covered, but she still did not ask further questions, and just said softly: “When you are tired, just lean on him for a while, I will stay with you.”

Lu Wanheng opened his eyes and looked at the love and forbearance in Shen Zhiyi’s eyes. His Adam’s apple rolled, and thousands of words were blocked in his chest. In the end, they only turned into a hoarse “I’m sorry, I haven’t spent too much time with you recently.”She didn’t dare to say that assets were frozen, that the project collapsed, or that the family was putting pressure on her. She could only say sorry to cover up all the storms.

Shen Zhiyi shook his head, leaned on her shoulder, and said softly: “I don’t need you to be with you all the time. I just hope that you take good care of yourself and don’t be too tired. No matter what happens, I will be there.”

A simple sentence touched the softest corner of Lu Wanheng’s heart. She hugged Shen Zhiyi tightly and buried her face in her neck. She had suppressed the fatigue and grievances for a long time and finally had an outlet to vent, but she still did not reveal a word of her dilemma.She was afraid that her embarrassment would shatter Shen Zhiyi’s sense of security; she was afraid that her pressure would make Shen Zhiyi put down her painting and worry about her livelihood; she was afraid that her choice would make her lover suffer along with her.

In the next few days, Lu Wanheng still went out early and came back late. He was tired and talked little, and his insomnia became more and more serious.Shen Zhiyi’s doubts reached their peak. She began to quietly pay attention to Lu Wanheng’s briefcase, and accidentally saw several fund lending agreements and default notices. The numbers on them made her eyes hurt.She finally understood that Lu Wanheng’s late return, insomnia, and exhaustion were not simply due to busy work on projects, but because he was in a huge financial and workplace crisis.

But she still didn’t take the initiative to expose it, didn’t ask questions, and didn’t accuse.

She just silently transferred all her royalties and illustration advance sales to a new savings card and put it in Lu Wanheng’s briefcase; she began to take more commercial illustration orders, staying up late to catch up on manuscripts to increase her income; she reduced non-essential expenses in the studio and made the most of affordable painting materials, but still took good care of Lu Wanheng’s commonly used items.

At night, Lu Wanheng found the savings card in his briefcase and looked at the balance in the text message reminder, his fingertips trembling slightly.She walked to the balcony and looked at the back of Shen Zhiyi, who was painting at the desk. The warm light fell on the top of her hair, and the pen tip rustled on the paper, outlining the tender scenes of the “Late Night” series. The love and guilt in her heart surged into a tide.

She walked over step by step, gently hugged Shen Zhiyi’s waist from behind, rested her chin on her shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice: “Zhiyi, don’t work so hard, I can handle it.”

Shen Zhiyi stopped writing and held her hand with his backhand without looking back. His tone was calm and firm: “We are lovers, not your burden. You don’t have to carry it all alone. I don’t ask, because I respect your choice. I do this to tell you that whether you are poor or rich, whether it is good or bad, I will accompany you and carry it together.”

Lu Wanheng’s eyes turned red instantly, and hot tears fell on Shen Zhiyi’s shirt.She always thought that her concealment was due to deep affection, but she never expected that Shen Zhiyi’s understanding and companionship were the most decisive salvation.She carried the financial pressure, career difficulties, and family pressure alone, pretending to be fine, tired and talking little, but in the end she could not escape the eyes of her lover, and could not hide the wind and frost in her heart.

The lights of the foggy harbor outside the window are bright, the mist on the river floats gently, the fragrance on the balcony exudes a gentle breath, and the rustle of the paintbrush is intertwined with the heartbeats of the two of them.Lu Wanheng hugged Shen Zhiyi tightly, finally taking off all pretense and fatigue, and confessed all the difficulties of project funds, asset freezing, and family pressure.

There was no accusation or complaint. Shen Zhiyi just listened quietly, nodding from time to time and patting her back gently, as if comforting a wronged child.After she finished speaking, Shen Zhiyi turned around, raised his head and kissed the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said with a smile: “It’s all over. From now on, we will plan together, make money together, hold art exhibitions together, and face the pressure of the Lu family together. We will never bear it separately again.”

Lu Wanheng nodded and hugged her back tightly. The huge stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

When you have sleepless nights, you will be accompanied by your lover; when funds are tightened, you will have two people working together; when the workplace pressure is increasing sharply, you will have the confidence to stand shoulder to shoulder.She no longer has to pretend that nothing is wrong, no longer has to be tired and talk little, no longer has to bear all the hardships alone, because her lover is already standing by her side, walking with her to tide over the difficulties together.

Shen Zhiyi picked up the brush, added two figures side by side on the manuscript, and wrote a line of small words: There is no need to hide your concerns, doubts will eventually resolve into the same heart, we will be in the same boat through thick and thin, and all difficulties will be smooth.Lu Wanheng sat next to her, helping to mix the paint. The hand-painted bookmarks on the inside of the wallet were exposed, and the foggy blue cardboard glowed with the gentlest light under the warm light, witnessing this two-way forbearance and two-way love.

After a long night, the worries are finally solved, the doubts are gone, and only unity remains.

The pressure of the workplace, the financial dilemma, and the pressure of the family are still before us, but the two hearts that are closely connected have already built the strongest wall to withstand all wind and frost.In the days to come, there will be no more forbearance and concealment, only frank company and side by side, turning all fatigue and difficulties into the motivation to move forward hand in hand, and writing the tenderness of “Late Will” into every day and night of sharing the same boat through thick and thin.

Banxia novel, a lot of fun