Chapter 46: Do Not Decorate Your Dreams

Because Tao Lu did not come from a professional background, she practically became the utility player of the company. Even so, she still managed to tend to her hobbies; her desk was always adorned with fresh flowers and green plants.

Lin Cheng chuckled and said, "Well... fine then. You can check the internet or auction houses for judicial auction properties! If you happen to run into the original owner by chance, some can even be traded in cash."

"Aren't you afraid I'll run away with the money?"

Lin Cheng rolled his eyes at Tao Lu. "Don't be silly, your qualifications are not suited for fraud or fleeing."

"..."

Lin Cheng "scorned" Tao Lu with this glance, and then his gaze fell upon Tao Lu's curvaceous figure, unable to pull it back for a moment. Suddenly raising his head, he caught Tao Lu looking at him with a sidelong glance of "scorn"!

She teasingly said, "Has the little boy grown up?"

"That..."

"A boss's magnanimity is nurtured by holding back! Hahaha..." Chen Yan helped ease the tension. As a male teacher, he understood very well what hormones were all about.

...

For the period that followed, Tao Lu began searching everywhere for information on judicial auction properties. At the same time, following the direction Lin Cheng pointed out, she embarked on a mode of reading.

Now that she wanted to turn over a new leaf, returning to school full-time was unrealistic; at the very least, she needed to arm her own mind. Combined with some social experience, she was reading with increasing depth compared to her peers.

...

Just as December arrived, students began sending out New Year cards. These little items laden with deep thoughts would become rare after 2010. Twenty years later, Lin Cheng would still keep a few New Year cards; although he would not deliberately flip through them, catching a glimpse of them tucked away at the bottom of a box would occasionally transport him back to an era of innocence.

Su Xiang walked into the classroom holding a stack of New Year cards. There were some from junior high school classmates, some from other classes, and even some from the second year of high school... One could imagine how much people had to say to her!

Lin Cheng also sent a New Year card to Su Xiang, on which he wrote:
"Should you decide to shine brilliantly, mountains shall not obstruct, and seas shall not bar your way."
"May you find thousand mountains draped in twilight snow, while the crabapple blossoms remain as of old..."

The iceberg-like Goddess Su Xiang was no longer as aloof as before. In return, she gave Lin Cheng a flip-style New Year card scented with sweet olive. The cards she sent were of relatively good quality, and the inner pages bore her elegant and poised handwriting:
"The seasons must eventually turn to gold;"
"And the youth will ultimately become a treasure."

Zhuang Sijing wrote to Lin Cheng:
"Gloomy face, the paths of the martial world are long and distant, you must return together with Doraemon!"

Lin Cheng replied:
"Don't panic, don't be flustered, Advisor Zhuang. With your big brother here, I guarantee you will reap rewards."

Lin Cheng wrote a skit from SpongeBob SquarePants that he and Yu Yan used to share as desk mates when they were kids:
Patrick said: "Hi! SpongeBob, let's go jellyfishing."
SpongeBob: "Sorry, I can't today, I have to go to school."
Patrick said: "If you go to school, what am I supposed to do?"
SpongeBob: "I don't know, what do you usually do when I'm not home?"
Patrick: "Wait for you to return..."

Yu Yan rested her chin in her hand, gazing at the camphor trees outside the window. When it came to matters concerning Lin Cheng and Zhuang Sijing, she possessed an intensely strong sense of pon-tificate and pride. She raised her pen, yet had no idea how to reply!

She dug out her diary and copied down the dialogue of SpongeBob from the New Year card. With a hurried scratch of her pen, she wrote a massive character "Read!" and returned it.

"Read"???!

Lin Cheng stared in a daze at the New Year card that Zhao Guangtao had helped deliver back. This...

One day, I will definitely tie you to a pomegranate tree and let you experience the might of Miao Renfeng!

Zhao Guangtao and Yao Jingying were getting quite close, but this kind of fickle and showy behavior made Zhuang Sijing hold them in utter contempt.

...

The municipal government's residential compound was shaded by lush green trees; its predecessor was the Western Industrial Garrison Barracks. In the 1950s, it was converted into the municipal agency's residential compound. Here, it connected with Cangqiao Street to the west, bordered the canal to the east, faced Chutang Road at the south gate, and linked to Nanxin Street to the north. Initially called the "People's Committee Compound," by the late 1970s, the nameplate on the wall was changed to "Municipal Government Compound."

Along both sides of the main thoroughfare within the compound were dozens of courtyards that were both interconnected and relatively independent. The paths winding between the buildings were crooked, resembling a maze...

The doors of every household within the compound were open to the children. No matter whose home one visited, the adults would always smile and warmly welcome them—something that people living in modern apartment buildings could never experience. Anyway, the courtyard culture was particularly famous in the northern and southern capitals. The relationships among the children and certain families were also exceptionally close...

Zheng Nange, Zhou Ye, and Zhou Luoyao, three companions, walked toward the gate bathed in the glow of the twilight. A deep black Audi drove up, and the barrier immediately rose.

"Oh, your dad is back too."

Zheng Nange shook his head and kept walking. When the car pulled up beside them, the window rolled down. Zhou Luoyao waved at the car and said, "Uncle Zheng, we're strolling back, you go ahead first!"

...

When the three of them returned to the small building, a middle-aged woman was waiting at the door. The three of them greeted her one after another, "Aunt Lu!"

Aunt Lu was a domestic helper assigned to Zheng Qun by the party committee, specifically dedicated to taking care of Zheng Qun and the three children's studies, daily life, and diet. Aunt Lu smiled and greeted the three of them: "The meals are all ready, we were just waiting for you!"

Seeing the three tall kids enter the door, Zheng Qun felt quite comforted in his heart. After the meal, Zheng Qun went to the study to brew a cup of tea and read a book. Recently, he had been mentally exhausted; the interpersonal relationships within the leadership team needed to be handled, and trade-offs had to be made. The undercurrents surging within the province also made him walk on thin ice... Therefore, he cherished the time spent with the children, a sense of happiness that was beyond words. He was also afraid that his own emotional state would affect them.

After finishing their meal, the three of them strolled around the living room. Suddenly, Zheng Nange walked into the study and said, "It's Lin Cheng's birthday, we're going to have fun at Baodu."

Although Zheng Qun held a high position, he knew what kind of place that was. He pondered for a moment, nodded, and pulled a stack of money from the drawer: "Then go early, don't stay out too late!"

Even Lin Cheng himself did not know it was his birthday today; he had become the excuse for Zheng Nange and the others to go out and play.

"Should we call Lin Cheng along?" Zhou Luoyao asked playfully.

Zheng Nange nodded slightly, though his expression was somewhat detached. Perhaps, although he felt Lin Cheng could be a friend, they hadn't reached the point of opening their hearts to each other.

And that was hardly surprising; Lin Cheng had never deliberately tried to cozy up to them. After all, there were some circles you couldn't force your way into. Zheng Nange was a precocious youth, and Lin Cheng felt both curious about him and kept him at a respectful distance.

However, Lin Cheng was very grateful to these three; if not for them, during the incident where Yu Yan was cornered and brawled with local thugs, he wouldn't have been able to extricate himself so cleanly.

Lin Cheng received a call from Zhou Luoyao, changed his clothes, and headed straight for Baodu.

Baodu was one of the most luxurious KTVs. The lobby was decorated like a palace, radiating luxury and nobility amidst shimmering gold and jade. Lin Cheng went up to the third floor, entered the private room, and saw the three of them having a blast. A huge glass coffee table reflected dreamlike lights, piled high with snacks.

I'd rather suffer physical pain,
than adorn your dreams.
Stop toying with my heart over and over again,
I'd rather carry my sorrow and leave,
like that wind that just vanished...

...

Feverish passion and innocence have long vanished,
in the gloomy and desolate years.
Who is willing to let a heart fall empty forever?
Who is willing to merely adorn your dreams?

This masterpiece by Choi Kwok-kiu was filled with lingering melodies and deep longing, every single word and line piercing straight into the heart.