To My Dear Mr. Huo

As her body became hot, Shi Mengwan put her hands around Zhan Haoze's neck and looked into his eyes.

She discovered very early that Zhan Haoze's eyes were darker than those of ordinary Orientals. Most Oriental people's eyes are a little light brown.

But Zhan Haoze's eyes were not. His eyes were completely black. Like a pair of extremely beautiful black stones.

Every time he was in love, the color of his eyes became darker and darker. Like a deep spring, she often couldn't help but indulge in it.

Not only now, but a long time ago, she liked looking into her eldest brother's eyes.

She thought that he was really her disaster. She can talk and laugh freely with difficult customers, and she can face her tricky grandma with a strong attitude. You can even play with treasures to make Xiang Caiping happy.

But she could never feel even a little more comfortable in front of Zhan Haoze.

Every time she saw him, she always felt at a loss.

The face in front of her overlapped with that of Big Brother. Shi Mengwan couldn't help but called Big Brother again.

Zhan Haoze, who was working hard on her, became more and more agitated, and finally hit her so hard that she could no longer speak.

When his consciousness was shattered, the words "big brother" were naturally no longer utterable.

………………

After Shi Mengwan talked to Qiao Ze, she felt that what Qiao Ze said before might be true. He really went out early and came back late because he had something to do.

Because after that day, Qiao Ze returned to going home early every day, having dinner with her, and getting up early to have breakfast together.

After the first lunar month, the temperature in Lin City slowly rose. Shi Mengwan has grown taller, and her previous clothes can no longer be worn.

In the past few months, some of the clothes she wore were bought for her by Qiao Ze, and some were directly picked up by her.

Her mother used to make clothes and was the only tailor in the town at that time. Shi Mengwan watched her mother use a sewing machine since she was a child. Not only did she know how to make clothes, but she could also simply change clothes and use needle and thread.

Qiao Ze also grew up very quickly. After a new year, he seemed to be a few centimeters taller. As he got taller, he looked thinner.

There were some things in the closet such as T-shirts, shirts, and jeans that couldn't be worn anymore, so Shi Mengwan took them over and made them smaller so that she could wear them.

Qiao Ze laughed at her once: "Are you planning to be a tailor when you grow up?"

"No." Shi Mengwan shook her head: "I don't want to be a tailor. I want to be a fashion designer."

"Not a tailor yet?"

The boy had never been in contact with it and started joking. But Shi Mengwan was rarely serious: "No, a tailor is a tailor, and a fashion designer is a fashion designer. I checked both, and they are different."

The girl has clear eyes and doesn't back down when talking about her dreams. The boy stared at the clothes in her hands. But he put away some of his ridicule.

"Okay. It's different. I'm waiting for you to be a costume designer."

Shi Mengwan's eyebrows were curved, with an obvious smile: "Do you believe me so much?"

"Believe it." Judging from the stitches she made and the clothes she altered, there was nothing inappropriate, and he had nothing to believe.

Shi Mengwan smiled, but that smile did not last long. She thought of another thing.

She now hangs out with Qiao Ze every day, without going home or going to school. Being a fashion designer means that she must at least go back and finish reading.

But when she thought of Grandma Shi and the mess at home, she didn't want to go back.

"What's wrong?" The young man looked at her with shining eyes, and when he saw the flash of sadness in Shi Mengwan's eyes, he seemed to understand something.

"Don't you want to stay here anymore?"

"Big brother?" Shi Mengwan was surprised when he heard this: "Are you trying to drive me away?"

"If you don't want to stay, just go home. You are different from me."

Shi Mengwan had parents, but she ran away from home just to get angry with her family. Qiao Ze already knew this.

Shi Mengwan bit her lip and finally shook her head: "I don't want to go back."

"If you don't go back, how will you go to school? How will you be your fashion designer?"

"I don't know." After all, she was only a little over twelve years old. How could she want so much?

"Brother, please don't drive me away, okay?"

The young man was not moved by her words, but was very serious: "You have to know that if you follow me, you may not be able to fulfill your dream."

Shi Mengwan looked confused, and she knew in her heart that what the young man said was true.

But--

Looking at the young man, under the light, the young man's eyes were as dark as ink, which made people indulge in it.

"Big brother."

"I won't chase you away."

How could the young man be willing to drive her away when he found out that he had feelings for her?

"But you have to think clearly, you won't have a good life if you follow me."

Not to mention the current environment, it is what he will do in the future. I am afraid that it will become more difficult and dangerous as he goes forward. If he can't say it clearly, does she really understand?

"I'm not afraid."

Shi Mengwan was not aware of her subtle thoughts at this time. She only knew that she did not want to leave her elder brother like this.

"How silly." Qiao Ze looked at her and felt that the girl was a little silly.

Shi Mengwan bit her lip, suddenly put down the T-shirt in her hand, stretched out her arms and hugged Qiao Ze: "Brother, I will follow you, I don't want to go back."

Even though their life is actually hard now, even though she has nothing here, she has a big brother.

She didn't have a brother before. Although Shi's father was kind to her, the feeling was different.

Shi Mengwan's slender body was soft, with a faint girlish fragrance.

The young man's ears turned red quietly. He almost didn't dare to look at the girl: "If you don't go back, don't go back."

He said a few simple words very stiffly.

Shi Mengwan didn't pay attention, only feeling happy that the boy didn't drive her away. She was too young to know why she was so happy.

………………

Shi Mengwan opened her eyes and felt a hand on her waist.

The quilt had slipped a lot, but she couldn't feel the cold. The air conditioner in the room was turned on at some point, and she didn't notice it.

Looking up along the hand, Zhan Haoze was still sleeping with his eyes closed facing her.

She thought of the dream just now, the boy's thin but strong chest, she hugged him, it was obvious that he was still very thin and he was still just a boy, but it gave her a complete sense of security.

Looking up at Zhan Haoze, the feeling he gave her was still the same, but she didn't know now whether this feeling was given only to her or to other women.

She knew that she and he were different.

Gently taking his hand away, Shi Mengwan stood up and went to the bathroom.

When she left home before, Shi's mother was afraid that she wouldn't be able to take care of herself alone in Lin City, so she asked her to bring a lot of food.

Among them are dumplings and wontons made by Shi’s mother herself, which are frozen and packed. Ask her to just cook if she is too lazy to cook in the future.

Shi Mengwan looked at it and decided to cook wontons. She does these things very easily and cooks them quickly.

When Zhan Haoze came out of the room, he saw two wontons on the table, one large and one small.

Shi Mengwan glanced at him: "Let's eat."

Her voice was very calm, without any emotion.

Zhan Haoze sat down opposite her and looked at the wontons in front of him that were almost twice as large as those in front of Shi Mengwan.

"You go ahead and eat. I have something to tell you after you finish."

Shi Mengwan felt self-disgusted and disgusted that she had once again indulged in Zhan Haoze's arms.

She had conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she couldn't control it, but on the other hand, she felt it was inappropriate. Being entangled on both sides is just embarrassing yourself.

Hearing this, Zhan Haoze paused in holding the chopsticks and glanced at Shi Mengwan, but she lowered her head and stopped looking at him.

Mother Shi’s cooking skills are very good, and the wontons she makes are delicious. It’s different from what’s sold outside.

Shi Mengwan was very fast. She had inspiration yesterday, and that feeling is still there today. She thought about drawing her design in one go.

After the New Year, there was a fashion design competition in France, and she wanted to try it.

Although a small studio like theirs had little chance of such a competition, her teacher particularly appreciated her and gave her an invitation letter.

Behind an invitation is a design drawing. First, send it to the other party's competition organizing committee, and then the competition organizing committee will select the shortlisted works from these works.

If you are shortlisted, you will have a chance. There is still one month left before the initial submission of the competition's work, and Shi Mengwan wants to submit the work she came up with yesterday to the competition.

I have something on my mind and eat quickly. After finishing the wontons in front of me, I found that Zhan Haoze was still eating.

She put the bowl down, sat upright, and looked at Zhan Haoze seriously.

"Zhan Haoze, after finishing this breakfast, please don't come again."

Zhan Haoze raised his head and glanced at her. Shi Mengwan didn't need him to speak, let alone respond.

"You have Chen Feifei, and I don't want to be a mistress. Everything we did before was wrong."

"Yes, in this matter, I admit that I am also responsible. But I also paid the price. You didn't suffer either. So that's it. That's it. There are some things that you and I both know, so let's do it. "

When she faced Zhan Haoze, her momentum was always bad. She didn't want to go on like this anymore. She needed to put an end to this mistake.

Zhan Haoze never spoke, but listened to her words. He finished off the remaining wontons. He took out a tissue and wiped the corners of his lips.

"I have said before, Chen Feifei is not my girlfriend, let alone my fiancée."

"Yeah?"

Zhan Haoze knew that Shi Mengwan wouldn't believe it. There were some things that he couldn't say more about: "She has nothing to do with me. I, I just treat her as my sister, and you are not a mistress."

After knowing each other for so long, this is Zhan Haoze's most serious explanation.

The way Shi Mengwan looked at him, for a moment, she was almost willing to believe that what he said was true. But it was only for a moment.

"You take her sister, where is she?"

Zhan Haoze frowned: "That's her business."

"OK." Shi Mengwan skipped this and said, "Zhan Haoze, you said Chen Feifei has nothing to do with you, but what about me?"

Seeing that Zhan Haoze didn't seem to understand what she meant, she smiled: "Chen Feifei has nothing to do with you, so do I have anything to do with you? In your heart, who am I?"

In silence, Zhan Haoze looked at Shi Mengwan's face, as if it was difficult to answer.

"Why are not you talking?"

Shi Mengwan sneered, looking at the embarrassment on Zhan Haoze's face: "Zhan Haoze, I admit that I have feelings for you. But I will never let myself be a mistress, nor will I let myself become like this in my relationship. Humble.”

"I didn't mean that." He never looked down on her.

"It's not interesting? You don't want me to be a mistress? Or do you think you don't think of me as a skilled woman?"

Zhan Haoze's eyebrows knitted together; "I told you, I didn't mean that."

"Okay. I don't think you have." Shi Mengwan stood up, put her hands on the table, leaned over and looked at him: "So you are serious about dating me?"

Zhan Haoze pursed his lips into a straight line and did not refute his words.

"Zhan Haoze, can you marry me?"

Shi Mengwan leaned forward a little more, staring straight at Zhan Haoze's face, especially seriously.

"Zhan Haoze, will you marry me? Marry me. You know, after the New Year, I will be twenty-six years old. I also want to get married and start a family with a man. Are you willing?"

Zhan Haoze was stunned for a moment, and this time he was really silent.

As if she knew the answer, Shi Mengwan smiled and nodded: "Look, you don't want to-"

There was no need to say anything else. Shi Mengwan took the bowl in front of him and put away the bowl in front of her, then turned and entered the kitchen.

She tidied up the kitchen in a few moments, and when she came out she saw Zhan Haoze still sitting on the dining table, not moving.

She didn't care, went back to the room, changed her clothes, picked up her coat, and was ready to leave.

When she walked to the door, Zhan Haoze had already stood up from the dining table and walked to him.

He made no further move, but Shi Mengwan didn't mind continuing to speak more decisively.

"Zhan Haoze, next time I come here, I will call the police. You are now considered a respectable person in Lin City. I don't think you want to be embarrassed, right?"

Picking up the car keys, she opened the door: "More importantly, I believe you won't want Miss Chen Feifei to know, right?"

Just when her foot was about to step out, Zhan Haoze suddenly reached out and took her hand.

Shi Mengwan was stunned for a moment, and the next second, her body was carried into Zhan Haoze's arms.

He lowered his head to kiss her. She was shunned. The coat in her hand fell to the ground, and she pressed her hand tightly against his chest.

"Zhan Haoze, don't always use this trick on me. I really am not that mean."

Zhan Haoze was stunned for a moment, watching her pick up the coat and keys that fell on the ground, and then put the bag on her back.

Before Zhan Haoze could react, she had already stepped out of the door and left.

She moved very quickly, and when she walked outside, the elevator came just in time. She ignored Zhan Haoze and entered the elevator directly.

Zhan Haoze didn't catch up. While Shi Mengwan breathed a sigh of relief, she felt very disappointed.

She already knew the answers to some things, and she also understood that there was actually no result between her and Zhan Haoze.

But knowing is one thing, accepting and slowly digesting it is another. Leaning her body against the elevator mirror wall, she told herself that it didn't matter, it would pass, everything would pass.

………………

In the next few days, Zhan Haoze did not come again. Since Shi Mengwan planned to participate in the fashion design competition, she naturally had to prepare well.

She let herself put Zhan Haoze behind for the time being and concentrate on drawing. Occasionally, I would go to the hospital to accompany Xiang Caiping when I had time.

The studio is already on holiday, which is different from other companies. Like them, orders are processed in advance. During the Chinese New Year period, not many guests come to the door.

Therefore, Shi Mengwan generously allowed several subordinates to rest until after the Lantern Festival before returning to work.

The Chinese New Year is coming in two days. Huo Jinyao has something to do in Rongcheng and will go back to Rongcheng first. Su Qingsang did not go back because she had to take care of Xiang Caiping.

A good friend wanted to take care of her mother in the hospital. Shi Mengwan thought about it and suggested that she come to take care of Xiang Caiping in the first year of junior high school.

However, they were rejected by Su Qingsang and Xiang Caiping, especially Su Qingsang. Knowing that Shi Mengwan usually went home less often, this would make her rush home to celebrate the New Year.

Shi Mengwan couldn't control Su Qingsang, and Shi's mother kept calling. She eventually returned home.

The Spring Festival in the small town is very lively, and preparations start long in advance.

Shi's father is the eldest son of the family. On New Year's Eve, Shi Mengwan's two uncles and one aunt will come to their house for a reunion dinner.

Shi Mengwan's second uncle has two sons and one daughter. Shi Mengwan’s third uncle also has two sons and one daughter. Shi Mengwan's aunt gave birth to two daughters and a son.

Together with my aunt, uncle, and Grandma Shi, the living room was filled with two tables.

Shi's mother was cooking in the kitchen, while Shi Mengwan went into the kitchen to help. Shi’s mother rushed her several times, but she was unwilling to go out.

She would rather sit under the stove and light the fire than look at the pride on the faces of her second uncle, second aunt, and third uncle and third aunt.

After so many years, the two uncles and aunts always felt that they were superior to Shi's mother because they had given birth to a son.

Shi Mengwan didn't like to be angry. In fact, among the third generation of grandchildren, whether it is the children of uncles or the children of aunts, there is really no one like her who can open a studio at a young age and make money to buy a house.

But so what? Just because she is not a son, no matter how well she does, she will never get a kind word from Grandma Shi.

How ridiculous.

"Your grandma is old. She will be eighty-two after the New Year. If she says anything, don't take it to heart."

Regarding the last time Shi Mengwan came back, Grandma Shi didn't mention it anymore recently. She only mentioned it occasionally, always in a sinister tone.

Shi's mother didn't intend to argue with her, after all, the other party was an elder.

"I know." Shi Mengwan nodded, picked up a piece of firewood and threw it into the stove. He raised his head and glanced at Shi's mother: "Mom, how about I take you to live in Lin City?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Shi's mother didn't accept this: "What can we do if we go? We are used to staying in the countryside. It's not like we haven't been to Lin City before, so it's not suitable for us."

When Shi Mengwan's house was just renovated and she moved in, she asked her father and mother to live there for a few days, but they were not used to it. Came back later.

"Why are you talking nonsense? Isn't it appropriate? Look, you are still burning this earthen stove now. How inconvenient. Everything is convenient in Lin City now. Besides, your daughter can also make money now, I will support her you."

"You should support your parents. But I think your parents will be happier if Wan stands and you bring back the man you mentioned."

The sudden sound made Shi Mengwan turn and look at the kitchen door. Grandma Shi stood at the door and looked at Shi Mengwan and sneered.

"Girl Wan, you are the one who said you wanted to recruit a son-in-law. This is the New Year, where is your son-in-law?"

Shi Mengwan's face didn't look very good: "Grandma, do you still know that it's the Chinese New Year?"

It’s really uncomfortable to hear you say such things even though you know it’s Chinese New Year.

"Yeah, aren't you excited to get married during the Chinese New Year? You said you wanted to recruit a son-in-law, but why don't you bring that person over?"

"Grandma is old, so her memory is not very good. Didn't you say you would give me two years? It's less than two months, right?"

"Humph." Of course Grandma Shi knew what she said. But when she went back that day, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that she had been deceived by this little girl Shi Mengwan.

What two years has passed, she is now eighty-two, who knows how many more days she can live?

What if she kicks her feet when the time comes and this dead girl hasn’t brought him back yet? Who will take care of the boss's affairs then?

"Mom." Mother Shi looked at Grandma Shi with some helplessness: "There is a lot of fumes in the kitchen, so you should go and sit outside first. Besides, today is the Chinese New Year, and Wanwan is still here to help me light the fire. She usually doesn't work at all. I’m tired, please don’t mention that matter for now.”

"You think I like to mention it? I'm tired from work? What's the point of being tired from work? Let me tell you, girls, no matter how good you are at work, it's not as good as finding a man to marry well."

When Grandma Shi spoke, she snorted at Shi Mengwan, then turned and left.

Shi's mother knew that Shi Mengwan didn't like hearing this. She was afraid that Shi Mengwan would be unhappy and wanted to give her some advice, but Shi Mengwan comforted her in turn.

"Mom, don't worry. I'm not angry, and I won't argue with grandma."

During the Chinese New Year, she would only stay for a few days, so she didn't have the time to get angry with her grandma.

Shi's mother looked at Shi Mengwan, thinking that she had been worried for the past half month, so she couldn't help but speak tentatively.

"Wanwan, do you have a boyfriend now?"

"Mom, what are you thinking about? Where did I get my boyfriend?"

She concealed her expression by putting firewood in the stove. It is true that she does not have a boyfriend, but she can't help but think of Zhan Haoze.

Zhan Haoze hasn't come to see her again in the past few days. I guess he already knows her well, right?

"Wanwan, I heard your uncle talk about someone last time. The person's conditions are good. I mentioned your request to her, and she didn't object. How about you meet her?"

"Mom——" Doesn't this mean he wants her to go on a blind date?

"I'm serious." Shi's mother quickly explained clearly: "That person is from the county, and it is said that he is also working in Lin City. I heard he is some kind of manager. He has three sons at home, so he doesn't mind this kind of thing. How about you meet me?"

"Mom, I'm not interested."

"But, there aren't many that I can agree to your request." Shi's mother put the dishes away and put them aside. She really did it for Shi Mengwan: "I think you can meet him. I heard that the boy is tall. Not bad. Really, would you like to think about it?"

"mom."

Shi Mengwan looked at the anxiety and worry on Shi's mother's face. Finally, he sighed helplessly.

"Let's meet. However, I don't guarantee the result of the meeting."

One update. Six thousand words. La la la. Brother Ze. Wanwan is going on a blind date. What do you think?

Brother Ze: I think you deserve a beating.

Yue Ma: Haha, if you don’t want Wanwan to go on a blind date, just show up quickly.

Brother Ze: Let them give me love and I will sort out the blind dates in minutes.

Yue Ma: Not bad, not bad. This ad is well done. Ask for love. Asking for a monthly ticket. Please subscribe!