Chapter 80 Chapter 80 You are the last rose...

There is a theory that couples need a long journey to test each other's character and love before deciding to get married. If they are not tired of each other after the journey, then the marriage is likely to be reliable.

Although the trip to Europe was rushed, Zhuang Youkai had the financial resources to arrange it, so the experience could not be bad.

However, on the third day in Switzerland, a conflict broke out between them.

Zhuang Youkai's visit was not just to send a gift. There was a lot of follow-up work for the previously agreed merger and acquisition project, so he came to inspect it by the way. There were also some matters in the European region that were waiting for him to decide. In comparison, Zhao Manzhi should be the one with more free time.

However, a new intern joined the team recently, and there were many things he didn't understand. Julie was the first time to take the lead alone, so she didn't dare to make a decision. She sent a message to ask for her opinion at the risk of disturbing her. Zhao Manzhi was afraid of affecting her work, so she replied very patiently every time.

Because of a promotional video, she didn't enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lake Geneva at all. After taking some photos and videos in a hurry, she kept making suggestions for revisions.

Zhuang Youkai didn't look very good that day. Later, when she went to Lausanne, she left her phone with him to show her determination, but she started to get anxious again soon.

"Can you help me check if there is any news?"

"Are there any new emails?"

Zhuang Youkai returned her phone to her. "It's not easy to come out, you should turn on the flight mode. They work for a salary, not kindergarten children. Taking care of everything will only indulge fools."

She argued angrily, "Who hasn't been a know-nothing? The mentors I have had in every internship are very good and taught me a lot. Otherwise, I would not be able to be your assistant."

Of course, Zhao Manzhi knew that Zhuang Youkai was not satisfied with her at the beginning. In addition to her work style, she did have many shortcomings in her work, and his impatience at that time also explained everything.

But every sapling starts from a tiny place, and it takes time and experience to water it before it can grow into a towering tree.

"Very good, then you teach me. The more you teach me, the more you will know what it means to be a rotten wood that cannot be carved."

Zhao Manzhi was so angry at the time that she didn't care to appreciate the Lausanne Cathedral, which is famous for its early Gothic style and 13th-century painted rose windows.

She turned on her phone and started to check the return ticket. Fortunately, the time difference between Geneva and Brazzaville is only one hour. Zhao Manzhi confided in Shen Hang and soon got a response from him. Shen Hang asked her to calm down, and then persuaded her, "Your family president Zhuang is so busy that he doesn't deal with work when he is with you. He must be unhappy with you. Don't be angry, let's talk it out later."

The warm autumn sun sprinkled on the square in front of the door. Pigeons came and went, flying in groups to the blue sky. At the end of the exquisite towns and streets, there were towering snow-capped mountains.

She stood under the tall sculpted Roman columns and fell into deep thought. This was a place she thought about day and night and lingered in her dreams. It was not easy to come here, was it really so disappointing?

Besides, she did it wrong.

Zhao Manzhi blew the wind for a while, and her arrogance gradually disappeared. She put herself in his shoes and thought about it. It was indeed as Chen Hang said. In terms of busyness, Zhuang Youkai was a hundred or a thousand times busier than her? Besides, he was not wrong. If she really did everything herself, she would drag herself down.

But she didn't want to bow to him so early.

Zhao Manzhi put her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker, and her long flaxen brown hair was blown by the wind, beautiful as a painting.

Oriental faces are not uncommon in Europe, but there are few with unique charm like her, so it didn't take long for two or three boys to come forward to chat with her, and she declined one by one.

The only one who accepted was an old couple who asked her to help take a group photo.

She took the camera to find the angle, and put the magnificent church into the frame in addition to the old couple, and began to count down, "Three, two, one, cheese——"

The white-haired old couple smiled happily, but she was distracted when the shutter was pressed.

Zhuang Youkai had been standing not far away and watching her.

With his hands on his chest, his expression was unpredictable.

The young master is not easy to coax this time.

Zhuang Youkai said very little for the next half day. They went to Zurich and did not say more than ten sentences in total.

Zhao Manzhi did not like the cold war. After being left out like this, she went from feeling guilty to feeling wronged. When she arrived at the hotel, she insisted on getting a room for herself.

The young waiter was terrified. After the merger, this old five-star hotel was also under Huanye. He really didn't know whether he should accept his credit card when the chairman's girlfriend threw a tantrum.

Zhuang Youkai broke her card and pushed Zhao Manzhi into the room despite her protest. Before closing the door, he nodded to the waiter and said thank you in German.

The waiter was disheveled in the wind.

Are you really okay, sir? The high heels kicked my calf so many times that it looked painful.

It started to drizzle at night. They groped for each other's outline in the dark. There was no light, no communication, and they bit and tore each other with instinctive reactions. Their bodies and minds were tightly twisted together to vent the pent-up dissatisfaction, grievances, and depression, until they hugged each other trembling again and again, and they were willing to give up.

When Zhao Manzhi fell asleep exhausted, she thought he had calmed down.

But when she woke up the next day, the man beside her was gone.

The assistant temporarily assigned by the European branch told her that Mr. Zhuang had gone to the group for a meeting, and she could arrange her own time. If she didn't want to go far, there was a very famous chocolate workshop nearby, and the handmade chocolate produced on site tasted unique.

Zhao Manzhi looked at the business card she handed over and found that it was the one that Zhuang Youkai brought back to her when he came to Switzerland before.

It was indeed a rare taste.

If the assembly line products that can be bought in supermarkets are considered superior, the ones that Zhuang Youkai brought back that time are even better.

The assistant said that the best flavors could only be bought on site, and that they would not be amazing enough if they were packed up and eaten later. She hesitated for a moment and decided to try the saltiness. She

was already here.

Besides, Zhuang Youkai was ignoring her now.

His meeting was definitely a last-minute addition to the schedule, because before that, he had planned to take her around today. Now he suddenly went to a meeting and refused to say a word to her, just to retaliate against her for ignoring him yesterday.

A stingy guy.

Zhao Manzhi didn't want to be affected by her mood, so she packed up and went out. She was wearing light clothes for the trip, a sweater, jeans, and Dexter shoes. The simpler the dress, the more it could highlight her natural beauty, and even without makeup, it would attract people's attention.

The store was not far away, so Zhao Manzhi walked straight over. At the corner of the cobblestone street, the glass window was shining with warm light, and the perfectly cut dark chocolate was placed in a gift box, like a beautiful and dazzling gem, especially the truffle balls sprinkled with gold powder, which looked like a miniature planet under the spotlight, illuminating a corner of the universe.

Pushing open the door, the sound of the copper bell shattered the silence of the room, and the fragrance of fir and cocoa hit

her face. The tall walnut display cabinet was filled with handmade chocolates of different shapes and flavors, one by one, like an art exhibition. The pastry chef wearing a velvet apron nodded to her and introduced the new products that had just been made in the front row of the display cabinet, and asked her if she wanted to give a gift.

Zhao Manzhi shook her head and nodded. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was very concerned about Zhuang Youkai's mood. She didn't know how long he would be angry. She bought some desserts to appease him. If he didn't appease her, then forget it.

The pastry chef recommended several gift boxes to her. Different flavors were arranged and combined to represent different meanings, and then they could be sold at sky-high prices.

She suddenly thought of the box that Zhuang Youkai brought her a few years ago, recalled the flavors, and asked, "What is the meaning of this? My friend gave me a gift like this before, and I want to give it back."

The man with a high nose and deep eyes showed a hint of surprise, "Just friends?"

"Yes, at that time."

"If I remember correctly, this one was limited to the autumn of that year, and the name is liebling."

"Favorite" in German.

Zhao Manzhi was suddenly shocked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course ma'am, I participate in the research and development of the limited edition every year, so I can't remember it wrong."

At that time, her feelings had just sprouted, and she was displeased by Zhuang Youkai's indifference. She never thought that the gift that seemed to be brought back casually actually hid such a deep feeling.

It's a pity that one of the flavors was no longer reproduced, and the "favorite" of that year also became a swan song.

She bought another set of gift boxes on the recommendation of the pastry chef, and participated in the lottery after paying the bill. Unexpectedly, she really won the prize.

It was a redemption voucher, with a string of gold-plated words printed on off-white corundum paper, which together formed an address.

Seeing her hesitation, the cashier smiled and comforted her, "This is the special prize, you will know when you go and take a look. If you are worried, we will send someone to go with you."

The more she talked, the more creepy it became. Zhao Manzhi waved her hand to refuse, but the matter was on her mind and she couldn't get rid of it.

She asked Zhuang Youkai's temporary assistant when the meeting would end, and the other party said he had no comment.

Zhao Manzhi thought about it and entered the address on Google map. It showed a street near her. In addition to this complicated string of "Bahnhofstrasse 45, 8098 Zurich", it has a more resounding name: UBS, Swiss Bank.

...It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the safest place in the world.

Is the special prize in the chocolate shop so grand? She found it a little difficult to accept this fact.

Although Zurich is the most prosperous city in Europe and one of the richest places in the world, if the special prize has to be exchanged at a Swiss bank, does she have to find a bodyguard when she goes back?

With a mess of thoughts fighting in her mind, she chose to find a cafe to sit down and make a decision during a meal. At the same time, she took a photo and sent it to Zhuang Youkai, asking him if they could go together.

As a result, she finished her afternoon tea, but there was still no news from him.

Zhao Manzhi was really a little angry.

It was a bit disappointing that she came out to play and work, but Zhuang Youkai didn't say a word and left her in the hotel. After so long, there was no news at all, which made it clear that he was waiting for her to make peace.

Is it too much?

"Zhuang Youkai, you don't want to care about me, but you don't allow me to live alone and hide my passport. What do you want? I broke the law and you treat me like this?"

"Arrogant, stingy!"

"Why are you pretending to be mysterious!"

"I told you that I won the first prize. If I become rich, I don't want you. Wait, I'll go to claim the prize now."

Zhuang Youkai looked at the messages popping up one after another on the screen, and the corners of his lips raised.

Just now, seeing her hesitant look, he was worried that she was timid and didn't dare to come, so he chose this safest place specifically to prevent her from thinking too much.

As a result, the little girl had a strong sense of security and hesitated for a long time. Only after being provoked

did she make up her mind. Zhao Manzhi walked into the tall gray building that was as tall as a religious place. The soft soles of her shoes made almost no sound on the smooth marble floor. The nine-meter-high dome was inlaid with bronze sculptures of various Swiss states. The sunlight was filtered through the glass into a cold gray and quietly sprinkled down, which had not changed for a hundred

years. Those who came in and out were all well-dressed business elites, and tourists like her were very abrupt. Therefore, soon a staff member surrounded her and asked her if she needed help with a formulaic smile. Zhao Manzhi handed over the ancient paper and said awkwardly, "It's the special prize that the chocolate handmade shop said, and asked me to come here to redeem it."

It was as if she was talking about a fairy tale.

But the female staff member was only startled, took her to the reception desk, and filled in her identity information.

She said that she didn't bring her passport with her, and the other party smiled and said it was okay.

Zhao Manzhi's mind was buzzing. Is the registration information of the famous Swiss bank so casual? If the information on Google had not been verified, she would have almost suspected that this place was fake.

They walked through a long corridor and came to a reception room. The red velvet lounge chairs were simple and solemn, and the air was filled with a faint pine scent.

"Please wait."

The receptionist said and then left, leaving Zhao Manzhi on pins and needles.

She looked at her phone nervously. The signal was full, but she didn't get any news from Zhuang Youkai.

She was really a little scared.

Redeeming the prize was secondary. Now she just wanted to ensure her own safety.

Zhao Manzhi clicked on the dial pad and found the column of Zhuang Youkai in the call history. She felt her hands trembling. The moment her fingertips were about to touch it, the heavy wooden door was pushed open, and a group of people came in with several trays, followed by solemn security guards. Leading the way was an old man with gray hair, wearing a bow tie and a bronze-framed monocle. He looked very professional.

He bowed solemnly to Zhao Manzhi and introduced himself, then confirmed the information with her. After it was correct, he got down to business and introduced the valuable items behind him.

In fact, Zhao Manzhi's eyes had been attracted by the jewelry and watches long before he said it. They were too dazzling, and no one would ignore such treasures.

Necklaces and earrings made of various gemstones, as well as small and exquisite ladies' watches, even an outsider like Zhao Manzhi could tell that they were expensive.

She couldn't recover for a moment, like a little robot that had crashed, stammering, "Is this a prize?" "

Yes, ma'am, this is your prize. All the items in the safe have been taken out for you."

After that, he introduced them like a treasure, "Vacheron Constantin Elysian Goddess watch, limited edition, only 1,000 pieces are sold worldwide, this one was hidden six years ago."

"Rose Heart Pink Diamond Ring, up to 2 million US dollars per carat, hidden five years ago."

"Kashmir Sapphire Necklace and Matching Earrings, hidden four years ago."

...

Zhao Manzhi couldn't hear what he said at all, she only felt a dense number of numbers floating in front of her eyes, so many zeros that she couldn't count them.

The last thing that appeared in front of her was an envelope.

It was clean white, and made of the same material as the Ganggu paper she got today, but from the old man's expression, it seemed more valuable than jewelry worth hundreds of millions.

He handed it to Zhao Manzhi and let her read it herself.

As soon as she glanced at the first few lines of words, her heart was clenched, and she felt sore and painful.

"Testator: Zhuang Youkai"

"Heir: Zhao Manzhi"

Zhao Manzhi didn't dare to look at it anymore, and flipped through it randomly, finding the date.

Three years ago.

He started to make a will three years ago.

At that time, Zhao Manzhi had just started a new life, and was perhaps hesitating whether to accept Yu Hansong.

But he was in despair in the north, thousands of miles away.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she wanted to fold the paper and put it back in the envelope, but her hands would not listen to her and kept shaking.

"I don't want to read it, I don't want to read it."

The old man sighed, "Madam, would you like to reconsider it?"

Zhao Manzhi didn't want to face it.

It turned out that during the time when she was resentful and complaining, he was also very painful, thousands of times worse than her, and he had nowhere to vent.

What kind of mood did he have in his heart to make the decision to write her as the only heir in his will?

Obviously... they were all over at that time.

Whether it was the ongoing relationship or the memories.

It was all over.

She no longer missed him, didn't love him, and just as he said, she would move forward and not look back.

But the seemingly most heartless person stayed there forever.

"All the inheritance under my name, including the real estate in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, London, New York, Paris, and Tokyo, all the deposits in the Swiss bank account, as well as all the jewelry and famous products in the safe, the stock fund of Huanye Group... are all unconditionally left to the heir Zhao Manzhi."

"If the heir does not accept the inheritance, all of it will be used to establish a charitable foundation to pay attention to and help the disadvantaged groups."

"Testator: Zhuang Youkai

Location: Zurich, Switzerland"

...

The iron-painted and silver-hooked handwriting is his personal signature. She has been with him for so long that she will never make a mistake.

There is also a card in the envelope, and a corner has slipped out lightly. It is written by him. I think his hand is not very steady, and the handwriting is a little shaky. 

" You are the last rose in my barren land." In my barren land, you are the last rose. 

The eighth of Neruda's twenty love poems, she remembered the full version was - 

"I am a desperate person, a word without an echo. 

I have lost everything, but I have everything. 

The last rope, my last hope, sings for you. 

In my barren land, you are the last rose." 

Zhao Manzhi covered her face and cried. 

She knew long ago that he was hypocritical, hard on the outside but soft on the inside. 

But she always thought that was a kind of arrogance of his. If he didn't show his true feelings, he would never show weakness and would never be at a disadvantage. 

But. 

In the end, she, who claimed to be straightforward, couldn't face this overly heavy heart. The love she expressed was far less than what he did. 

He didn't like to show off, and he rarely said sweet words, but all the love had long been integrated into his blood, accompanying him in his food, clothing, housing and transportation, supporting every breath, every heartbeat, until it became an instinct, until death. 

He never had to say how much he loved her, in fact, Zhao Manzhi could feel it. 

It was the indignation when he learned that she was wronged, it was the subconscious care and tenderness, it was the ice between his eyebrows melting into water every time he saw her, it was the longing that he whispered in her ear. 

She cried for a long time, and when she looked up again, her eyes were blurred by tears. At the end of her hazy vision, stood the tall and familiar figure. 

The exaggerated team of the bank had long since retreated, and only the dazzling jewels surrounded her, and she was holding the lightest and heaviest envelope among them, crying uncontrollably. 

"Zhao Manzhi." Zhuang Youkai called her, his voice carrying a bit of laziness of success, "Why are you crying, I'm not dead." 

Her heart had just been twisted hard, and she was originally sore, but when she heard this, she slowly felt an indescribable warmth. 

So he did it on purpose, deliberately ignoring her, setting up a whole trap, and luring her into the trap. 

Just to let her see this. 

No longer caring about her image, Zhao Manzhi stood up and threw herself into Zhuang Youkai's arms, wiping her tears and snot all over him, but it was like a floodgate had been opened, and the tears could not stop flowing. 

Zhuang Youkai embraced her with his backhand and stroked the girl's soft hair, "It's not over yet, do you know how ugly you are now?" 

The tone of disdain and the words of heartache were still familiar, but Zhao Manzhi's heart was moved. 

Fortunately, he was still there. 

Fortunately, it was still him. 

As he spoke, he helped her wipe her tears. Since the tissue couldn't do enough, he used his fingers. As he wiped, he became helpless, "When did you become so crybaby? I shouldn't have teased you." 

"I, I..." Zhao Manzhi sobbed and gasped, "Zhuang Youkai, don't do such stupid things in the future, okay?" 

"Huh? Which one?" His nasal voice was a little doting, "Seeking death or making a will?" 

"Both, both." 

"Then what should I do, I'm really sad about being dumped." 

"Remember Lake Zurich, the one we passed by last night." 

"One day I was looking at it, and for some reason I wanted to jump down. Uncle Ning was scared. The last time this happened was when I returned to Hong Kong after Brother Lin died. I almost jumped into the Victoria Harbour." " 

So that time you came to me to talk about sponsorship, I saw you at the beach, and I thought you couldn't bear the blow and wanted to jump down." 

As he spoke, Zhao Manzhi's memory was awakened bit by bit. 

"No wonder you said that you should allow yourself to have emotions--" 

"Yes." He held Zhao Manzhi's face, brushed aside her messy hair, and looked at her with deep and loving eyes, "You are the first person who told me the same thing." He 

may have been attracted to her earlier, but at that time, it was definitely fatal. 

She will never know how charming she is. 

The person in his arms seemed to be frightened by a series of things. He stared at him blankly, forgetting to cry, but just kept grabbing his clothes, afraid that he would disappear from the world in the next second, and refused to let go. 

"Zhuang Youkai, can you please stop scaring me?" After a long time, she squeezed out a sentence, "Don't say such life and death in the future." 

"I'm scared." 

"I won't say it anymore." Being with her, it's too late to cherish her, how can I think of death. 

Even if death is to separate them, he still wants his girl to be happy, rich, and stable. 

"Then can I tear it up?" It refers to the will. 

"It's already been written, and it's priceless. Do you really want to tear it up?" 

Zhao Manzhi hummed, "I'm afraid of it. When I see it, I will remember that you said you wanted to jump into Lake Zurich, and I am the culprit. I still want to enjoy the benefits brought by it. It seems very conscienceless." 

Zhuang Youkai was a little amused, "Do you think you have a conscience? You ungrateful little bastard." 

Every time they quarreled and said that he didn't love her, his voice was louder than anyone else. 

"I don't." Zhao Manzhi muttered, and really pinched the will between her fingertips, thought about it, and tore it into pieces. 

The off-white paper fell to the ground, like the snow flying in Beijing that year. 

After doing all this, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Zhuang Youkai deeply.

"I can't do what you do and give you so much. But what I can guarantee is that in the future, I will love you more and more, day by day, year by year."