Chapter 78 He is her confidence...

This is Zhao Manzhi's second visit to Deep Water Bay.

The memory of the last visit was not good. Zhuang Youkai and Zhuang Peiying had a big fight for her. The scene was very ugly. Even with Zhuang Youkai's support, she felt that she was out of tune with this place when she left. She might not be able to integrate into it for the rest of her life.

But this time her mood was very different. They had persisted for so long to get here. The suspicion and worry between each other gradually disappeared. There was no reason to retreat.

Cen Meiling arrived at the gate of the manor very early, leading a line of people, stretching their necks to wait.

It was called a family dinner, but in fact it was the first time that the young lady came to visit officially. The Zhuang family attached great importance to it. She had been a housekeeper for so long, so she naturally knew what kind of courtesy this was and did not dare to neglect it at all.

Not only the Zhuang family, but also the relatives and friends of the side branches were all present, including Guan Yonglin, Zhuang Peiying, Zhuang Youliang, Zhuang Peiyi, Lam Cheuk Man, Hui Lingxin... Zhao Manzhi was a little discouraged when she heard about this. She had to face so many people at once, and her social skills were useless.

"Jiang Yu wanted to come, but she went to collect folk songs recently and I don't know where in the mountains. I want to apologize to you." Zhuang Youkai held her hand, interlocking their fingers, "Don't be nervous. If you really can't stay, tell me and we can slip away early."

"Will this be a bit bad..."

"What are you afraid of? You are the protagonist and have the right to decide the start and end of this banquet."

He is her confidence.

The silver-top Maybach appeared on the garden path, and Cen Meiling quickly asked a line of servants to form two teams, and when they saw Zhao Manzhi get off the car, they lined up to welcome her.

She was startled by this posture, and she stood there in a daze for a while before raising her hand and waving, smiling and greeting.

The people below looked at this Cinderella who would become the hostess of Deep Water Bay in the future.

She was the kind of indisputable beauty, with a smooth figure and a well-proportioned body of 1.72 meters. She was very suitable for wearing bright and clean colors, which made her skin more transparent. She was gorgeous but not gaudy, like a rose blooming openly.

If she was willing to participate in the Miss Hong Kong selection, then from the moment of registration, there would be no suspense about who would win the crown this year.

Everyone who saw her would say that the young master had a good eye. In this class, beauty was not a scarce resource, but that kind of high-spirited and non-vulgar vitality was really rare.

Cen Meiling smiled and said, "Miss Zhao, you have worked hard all the way. The old lady is waiting in the reception room. I will take you there."

Zhuang Youkai did not let her go, "I will go too."

As if she had expected it, Cen Meiling sighed helplessly, "Let's go."

She was really afraid that his baby would suffer a little grievance.

Guan Yonglin is a very kind old lady. Perhaps because of her academic career, she has a little bookish air, but she is not aloof.

She is very good at listening, with a gentle look and a kind demeanor. When Zhao Manzhi met her for the first time, her heart, which had been tense for a long time, finally settled down in front of her.

"The students of CUHK are really good. Akai has a bad temper. You should not give in to him. The more you give in, the more he will push his luck."

Old Mrs. Guan was merciless in picking up her grandson's faults, but she was particularly concerned about her. "It was wrong for him to do that at the exhibition. He made such a big fuss. Did it affect your work?"

Zhao Manzhi shook her head. "Actually, it didn't bother me too much. Except for the occasional passers-by who took pictures secretly, the rest was fine."

After all, with Zhuang Youkai's warning, the materials on the scene that day were not circulated too much. Many people who wanted to take photos with her recognized her because of her performance at the Guangyi exhibition, which had nothing to do with his confession. Instead,

her colleagues would inquire about her progress from time to time, whether she had accepted Mr. Zhuang, how her relationship would be after accepting him, when she planned to get engaged, and so on.

Katrina was the one who was in the most hurry. She even planned for Zhao Manzhi to get married within one or two years, give birth within five years, and come back from maternity leave in time to take over her job.

Career is the main theme of her life, and everything else doesn't matter. She finally met someone as compatible with Zhao Manzhi, and she didn't want her to retire after marrying into a wealthy family.

"Let's not talk about whether to get married or not. Even if we really get married, I won't give up my job." Zhao Manzhi had considered this a long time ago. Even if she had to work, she would not go to Huanye, and she wanted to keep a piece of pure land for herself that was not overshadowed by him.

Guan Yonglin was also concerned about this issue. When she heard Zhao Manzhi say that she wanted to work on her own, her eyebrows slightly frowned.

But Zhuang Peiying, who was sipping tea and not saying anything, showed an approving look.

"Guangyi is a small company." Guan Yonglin stroked the emerald between her fingers and sighed, "Perhaps you have considered changing platforms? Or come back to do academic research..."

Zhuang Peiying put down the teacup and persuaded with a smile, "Grandma, Miss Zhao has her own ideas. If you are afraid that she will be tired, you might as well ask Akai to take care of the family more."

Hearing this, Zhuang Youkai smiled lazily, "No problem, I will lend Dion to me for a few days to practice with the child."

Zhuang Peiying rolled her eyes at him.

For little Dion, uncle has become a nightmare word, comparable to the big bad wolf.

As long as Dion is not well behaved, tell him that his uncle is coming, the little guy will stop crying immediately, which is more effective than anything else.

Zhuang Peiying can't imagine what it will be like for her brother to feed the baby at home after he has children.

But just like many years ago she couldn't imagine that Zhuang Youkai would really fall in love with someone, fate is always full of encounters and surprises.

What if.

Guan Yonglin asked Zhuang Youkai to talk, while Zhao Manzhi and Zhuang Peiying left first. After all, the previous meeting was not pleasant, and the atmosphere between the two was a little subtle.

In the end, Zhuang Peiying suggested taking her around.

There was nothing else to do, so Zhao Manzhi did not refuse.

They came to a quiet exhibition hall in Deep Water Bay. Behind the Nanyang rosewood door, the Victorian-style stained glass filtered colorful shadows and fell on the water-polished floor, like a half-dried oil painting plate.

A large Venetian crystal lamp was hung on the tall dome. The diamond surface cut scattered the light, like stars all sprinkled down, and fell on her toes, forming a galaxy.

Most of the treasures in Deep Water Bay Manor were displayed here, including pearls, jade, and cultural utensils. The most unbearable thing was a row of antique jewels comparable to those collected by the British royal family, with dazzling diamonds and overflowing fire.

Zhuang Peiying took her to stop in front of an imperial green old pit glass bracelet.

Against the backdrop of red velvet, the green appears even richer, as if it were a blend of all the greenery on Mount Taiping, and it cannot be dissolved.

Without any superfluous carvings, it is like a lotus emerging from clear water, and its nobility is only enhanced by the natural jade.

The way of life is simple.

Zhao Manzhi did not understand her intention.

Zhuang Peiying just lowered her eyes and stared at the treasure, smiling politely, "You don't know now, but one day, it will be worn on your hand."

This is the symbol of every generation of Zhuang family mistresses. Before her, it was owned by Lin Shuyun.

After all, Chen Peishan did not come from a legitimate background and was not recognized by Zhuang Zhenye and Guan Yonglin. After Lin Shuyun's death, the bracelet was also sealed with the past events in Hong Kong. More than 20 years later, it finally saw the light of day again.

After reading it, Zhao Manzhi had only one thought, "It must be very heavy."

"You are the first person to think so."

This antique bracelet appeared at the Sotheby's auction. The upper class, who were used to seeing rare treasures, all admired its beauty, but this ordinary girl only considered whether it was heavy on her wrist.

"To be honest, I did have a prejudice against you before, because of Chen Peishan, and because there were too many precedents of people who climbed up from the bottom and had wishful thinking in the circle. I thought you were just one of them. Now it seems that I was completely wrong."

Zhao Manzhi's style was worthy of her ambition.

The person being praised was not surprised by praise or criticism, his voice was very gentle, but his tone was neither humble nor arrogant, "It's an honor to make you change your mind."

"There are certainly many important things in life, but the most important thing is to be true to yourself. Guangyi is very good. Although the company is not large, it has deep professional fields and has a good future." She stretched out her hand to Zhao Manzhi, "I am optimistic about you."

Zhao Manzhi gently pinched the tip of her palm, "Thank you."

Zhuang Peiying smiled, and the lingering mist between her eyebrows faded away without knowing when, "You know, actually I didn't want to see you and Akai together before, and I had a little selfish motive."

"I was jealous of you, jealous that he didn't have to consider the so-called family and group, jealous that he had the freedom to choose love, so he couldn't make up his mind about the wedding invitation at that time, and I took the initiative to come to you." "

He is really a very unrestrained person. He couldn't stand being disciplined by me for so many years because of the family feud. You are the outlet of his soul. When you left, his soul became sick. I was almost scared to death at that time."

This graceful and dignified woman, with a smile that was hard to reach, actually flashed a glimmer of regret in her eyes, "Fortunately, you are still willing to accept him, otherwise, I would feel like a sinner in this life."

Zhao Manzhi didn't speak, but just listened quietly.

She vaguely heard Zhuang Youkai mention that her sister's marriage was for profit and without any feelings.

But has she ever loved someone truly? There must be.

No matter how regretful it is, you have to let go of the other person's hand.

Soon they returned to the banquet hall. It was still the same long table, and the guests had already sat down in twos and threes.

Zhuang Peiyi teased Dion in a proper manner. The little guy is now at a curious age and everything he sees is new.

When Zhao Manzhi came, Dion looked at her when he heard the noise, and his eyes like black grapes didn't move, staring at her closely.

"Sister Mandy, does he like you?" Peiyi leaned close to Dion's little face and asked, "Does he like beautiful auntie?"

Dion grinned, opened his arms towards her, and kicked his legs very attentively, as if he wanted her to hold him.

The Filipino maid couldn't help but smile, "He likes you very much, please hold him."

"I..." Zhao Manzhi was a little flustered, because she really had no experience in taking care of children, and was afraid that the wrong posture would hurt her waist, or move something else.

"It's okay, just try it."

"Sister Mandy, try it, Dion is not heavy."

She hesitated and stretched out her hand to take this white and soft little ball, but for some reason, Dion, who was still smiling in the last second, suddenly turned from sunny to cloudy, frowned and turned over and fell into the arms of the Filipino maid.

"Give it to me." It was Zhuang Youkai's voice.

"..." The Filipino maid looked at this legendary uncle who had always been used to scare children, and was a little afraid, and asked Zhuang Peiying for her opinion with her eyes.

The latter nodded, "Let him play for a while."

Play for a while... is it so casual.

Zhao Manzhi didn't know what she was nervous about just now.

Zhuang Youkai took Dion from the Filipino maid. The child was very reluctant. Even though he was in Zhuang Youkai's arms, he still reached out to pull the maid's hair.

"Let go of Dion. I'll count to three, one, two..."

Dion really let go of his hand, and his small body curled up. Looking at the handsome face of this bully, he didn't dare to cry or laugh.

Children can't lie, and they immediately confirmed that Zhuang Youkai was the most terrifying person in the family.

And she subdued this most terrifying person.

It's also a skill.

In the middle, Lin Zhuowen and Xu Lingxin also came to greet her. Zhuowen asked jokingly, "Why hasn't he put the bracelet on you yet?"

Zhao Manzhi knew it was the one that Zhuang Peiying took her to see just now, and smiled tacitly. Xu Lingxin couldn't bear to see them playing dumb, so she pestered Lin Zhuowen to ask what bracelet it was.

"It's the one that sold for 40 million at Sotheby's in 1988. It's the symbol of Zhuang's wife."

Xu Lingxin exclaimed, "If you had told me this earlier, I wouldn't have married you. What a pity!"

They all knew it was a joke, and the three of them laughed together. Seeing Zhuang Youkai fighting with his little nephew, they were even more moved.

Lin Zhuowen said, "I really can't imagine what he will be like after you have a child."

Zhao Manzhi thought about it seriously, "Maybe he will be better than Dion?"

"He's the best." Xu Lingxin pouted, "Akai's temper is really bad, not as good as our Awen."

Seeing that the two were about to get sick of each other, Zhao Manzhi stepped aside tactfully.

The meal was uneventful, and even the legendary Zhuang Youliang came to say hello to her.

The only episode was the return of Zhuang Zhaocheng.

This man who was once at the pinnacle of power, now dressed in a loose robe and a plain dress, with an attitude of seeing through the world, suddenly appeared in the family dinner with laughter and laughter, and everyone present was silent.

This was the first time Zhao Manzhi met Zhuang Youkai's father, and she realized that his stern features were inherited from him.

Zhuang Zhaocheng came only to call Zhuang Youkai away. He glanced at Zhao Manzhi beside him lightly, but frightened her so much that a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

Before Zhuang Youkai left, he gently squeezed her palm under the table.

He was telling her not to worry.

*

The moon had quietly climbed up the branches, and the gentle night breeze brought with it the damp smell of the coastline.

Under the arched porch, the Roman columns were stretched and slanted, like the interlaced black and white keys of a piano, separating the father and son between light and dark.

Zhuang Zhaocheng stood with his hands behind his back. Although he was over 50 years old, he still stood straight. This appearance was one of his few advantages, but it was just a beautiful appearance with rotten cotton inside.

"Marriage is such an important matter, how can you treat it so lightly? Your grandmother is old and easily influenced, but I'm still alive. If I don't come back today, you're going to finalize the marriage without telling me, right?"

Zhuang Zhaocheng knew that he had no talent for corporate management, and the Chen Peishan incident had caused a lot of uproar. He lost face and took the initiative to give up his position in the group. To put it nicely, it was Zen practice, but to put it bluntly, he didn't even have the confidence to clean up the mess and threw it all to his children.

Zhuang Youkai didn't think he had any right to teach him a lesson.

He stood in the moonlight, looking at his father with a relaxed attitude, and said bluntly, "I'll notify you when you get married."

"Notify me? Do you still take me, your old man, seriously?" Zhuang Zhaocheng has never gotten along with this youngest son, and he can't say a few nice words to him. He always yells, "I'm telling you, don't even think about getting married without my consent!"

Zhuang Youkai sneered, "You're practicing Zen and still want to show off. It seems that your entry into Buddhism is fake and doesn't make people calm down."

He took out a cigarette, put it between his lips and lit it, then let out a long puff of white mist, "But only at times like this can you still remember that you are a father. Let me think, what were you doing before?"

"Provocation, neglect, abnormal competition, other than that, what have you given me? What have you given us as your children?"

Zhuang Zhaocheng shouted, "You have the surname Zhuang and are my son, so you should thank me for giving birth to you. In the past, your grandparents spoiled you to death, but now grandpa is gone and grandma is old, so of course I have to do the things they can't do, whether you recognize it or not!"

"According to you, I should be thankful, right?" Zhuang Youkai sneered, raised his hand and pointed to the warmly lit room, "Go and ask, ask Aliang, ask Sister Ying, ask Peiyi, which of them will be grateful to be your child? Especially Aliang, who needed to compete with grandpa for the family property but didn't want to damage his own reputation, so you used him as your knife and made him do all the dirty things. In the end, he was useless and was easily kicked out."

"Sister Ying, you were thrown abroad when you were young because of the preference for boys over girls. You studied hard and diligently and came back from school. It's fine that your family didn't cultivate you. As the daughter of the Zhuang family, your biggest role is to be used for marriage. You married someone who was more than ten years older than you and experienced a marriage in name only.

" "Pei Yi, you became a prop for your fatherly image as soon as she was born. You abandoned her like a worn-out shoe after you found out about her background. At that time, she had leukemia, and Chen Peishan didn't care. You really planned to abandon her."

The cigarette butt flickered like an infrared camera, completely exposing Zhuang Zhaocheng's evil deeds over the years, as if replaying the past, making him see his dereliction of duty.

He has never been a qualified father.

"Over the years, I have hated Chen Peishan and Zhuang Youliang, but in the end, I realized that you are the most hateful one. As a son, you have not fulfilled your filial piety, causing the two elders to worry and worry; as a husband, you are unfaithful to your marriage, and at the same time you have defrauded your wife's wealth, showing your deep scheming; as a father, you are unkind and unkind, and have not fulfilled your responsibility to guide and educate your children, and even turned a deaf ear to their complaints."

Zhuang Youkai's voice was stern, like an unfinished snow.

"I still respect you as my father for the face of the Zhuang family. Otherwise, according to my grandfather's will and the current power structure, it would not be too much for me not to take care of you in your old age and see

you to the end." "My partner is Zhao Manzhi, and it will never change in this life. Whether you agree or not, the fact is this. If you still want to save the last bit of dignity, don't say too much about this matter, otherwise," he paused for a moment and declared like an ultimatum, "There are many places in the world suitable for Zen meditation. I will choose a good place for you, Dad, to calm down and not be disturbed by these worldly affairs."

Zhuang Zhaocheng was horrified.

The moonlight was like an icy blade, coldly piercing his heart. After it melted, there was no trace except for the bloody wound.

He had no doubt that Zhuang Youkai was the man who kept his word.

Looking back, there was no one under the Roman column. Only the half-burned cigarette on the extinguisher showed that he had been there.

*

The banquet in Deep Water Bay lasted until eight or nine o'clock. After it was over, Guan Yonglin went back to read and rest, and several juniors sat together to chat and drink, and did not leave until late at night.

Zhao Manzhi didn't drink much to begin with, but was a little tipsy. When the mountain breeze blew in the middle of the night, the alcohol slowly came up, and she was so dizzy that she had to be supported by Zhuang Youkai.

As they walked through the garden, the unsteady woman stopped, raised her hand and pointed at the black velvet night sky, shouting at the stars like broken diamonds above, "Such bright stars!"

Zhuang Youkai stood with her helplessly, "What a fuss, where are the stars different?"

"Different, I haven't seen them since I left the New Territories."

The neon lights of the city were gradually dazzling, but she kept thinking of the days when she hiked by the Tolo Harbour, the campus that carried her four years of university memories, and the ignorant years at that time.

To be honest, Zhao Manzhi's drinking behavior was average. When she was drunk, she talked a lot, unlike Zhuang Youkai who just slept blindly.

The stars opened her chatterbox, and she talked about her school days. Even the young master of Deep Water Bay had to be dragged by her to feed mosquitoes in the garden.

As a last resort, he put his coat on Zhao Manzhi. She was wearing a halter dress, with her white arms and back exposed. If she didn't cover it up properly, she would see large lumps of redness and swelling on her body when she woke up the next day, and she would definitely misunderstand what Zhuang Youkai had done to her.

"When we were in Year 2, one year after we finished climbing, at 9pm, everyone said they were going to Shatin for supper, and after dinner we went to see a movie. What a coincidence, it was a zombie movie." She exaggeratedly described the plot of the movie, "Wow, you don't know, we came out after 12pm, and rushed to catch the last MTR back to school. Looking at the train parked in the station, I was afraid that someone would suddenly mutate and bite me."

Zhuang Youkai felt a little uncomfortable and looked around the quiet garden, "What happened next?"

"Later, there was no school bus back to the college, so I walked at night, thinking of the scenes in the movie while walking, and I was scared. Then I started playing music."

"What song?"

"Wait for me to find it for you..."

She actually took out her phone and tried to unlock it with a drunken face, but it couldn't be recognized for a long time. Zhuang Youkai couldn't bear it anymore, so he took the phone from her and asked, "What's the password?"

"Password..." Zhao Manzhi frowned in grievance, "What are you doing, checking my phone?"

"I really admire you." He took out his own phone and threw it to her, "I'll give you mine too, let's check each other."

Zhao Manzhi really picked up his phone, and the screen lit up, and she found that the lock screen was a mint green.

The photo of her at the exhibition that day, half of her face, her hair gathered on one side, her expression was gentle and charming.

She felt sweet in her heart, holding the phone against her chest with both hands and grinning.

Zhuang Youkai asked, "Don't you want to check it anymore?"

"No."

"Didn't you want to find a song for me? Are you still looking for it?"

"Well... Actually you've heard it."

She hooked her finger, motioning Zhuang Youkai to come closer.

The man leaned over and approached cooperatively, and the warm oak moss and amber fragrance after the spiciness wrapped her tightly.

Zhao Manzhi was close to his ear, and her lips seemed to touch his ear bone, and it was hard to say that it was not intentional.

"March of the Volunteers." She said with a smile, "Listen to it when you're scared, it really helps."

... National anthem, she's really a decent person.

"Zhao Manzhi, you dare to play tricks on me?"

He kissed her recklessly, holding her evil lips and sucking them, his tongue against her lips, licking and nibbling them, and letting go when she opened her teeth eagerly, as if deliberately not giving her pleasure, so that Zhao Manzhi was so angry that she grabbed his collar and unbuttoned two buttons in a hurry.

Zhuang Youkai's breathing became heavier, "Still outside, don't make trouble."

"So what, you kissed first - um -!"

The servants on duty that day saw that the young master hurriedly walked to the bedroom with someone in his arms. The girl who was still dignified and reserved during the day lost her temper in his arms and kicked off her high heels, one in the corridor and the other in front of the door.

When Cen Meiling picked up the heels and went to the bedroom, she heard the faint sound of tea coming from behind the heavy carved wooden door.

She silently stepped back with her shoes in hand and closed the door.

Some time ago, the old lady still hoped to see Akai get married and have children in her lifetime.

Judging from this progress, she shouldn't have to wait too long.