Chapter 9 Chapter Seven (2)
Finally, it was sent to the director's office. The director stopped her, congratulated her first, and then asked, "Do you still keep the manuscript for Changtian Group?"Lin Xing asked back: What's the matter, isn't the club not interested?The director said: Recently, several units are jointly selecting the top ten most influential entrepreneurs in China in 1999. I heard that Wu Changtian is among the candidates.The agency is looking for some influential figures in the economic field at the end of the century to do some reports, as a prospect for the new century.I immediately remembered your article, but I can take it out and change it.Especially your perspective on the stars and the Big Dipper, I think it is quite vivid.How long will it take you to change it? You're not going out for your honeymoon, are you?Lin Xing said lightly: The manuscript seems to be in my original home, I will go back and look for it when I have time.
Lin Xing's attitude probably didn't show the kind of excitement that the director expected, even a bit ambiguous, now let her write Wu Changtian again, how should she write it?She is already the newlywed daughter-in-law of the Wu family. Although she has not been officially recognized by the father-in-law, this relationship can be regarded as a marriage of a famous matchmaker in law.Everyone in the agency, including the director, only knew that she was married, but no one had ever seen the groom, and no one knew that the groom was Wu Changtian's own son.
In the afternoon, after coming out of the society, she went to the hospital to get the medicine.Since switching to hemodialysis three times a week, her condition has been better controlled, and she is more energetic than before.Maybe it's also because people are in good spirits on happy occasions. Although she was exhausted from the various formalities of getting married this week, when she was picking up the medicine at the hospital in the afternoon, she saw the results of the blood test two days ago, and the indicators were even better than before. The difference is a miracle.
As soon as she got home, taking advantage of Wu Xiao's absence, she enthusiastically set about decorating their small living room.Although I have lived here for a few months, after getting married, I feel different again.After all, this is their first real "home".And the mood of being a new wife is also so subtle and sweet, which makes her full of strong interest and warm emotions in the arrangement of every corner of the house.
The good mood makes Lin Xing think about everything very openly. They have no money, still owe money to their friends, and worry about money for medical treatment, but every day they live in this world should be happy and happy.She took down the star pictures that had been hanging on the wall for many days, and put on a flower scarf given by an elder sister in the club.The pattern on the flower headscarf is very Eastern European style, much like a foreign folk hanging.A small artificial fur rug was placed beside the bed, and a piece of snow-white Australian sheepskin was spread on the floor near Wu Xiao at the head of the bed.Both the sheepskin and the sitting rug were wedding presents from her colleagues just this morning.Marriage not only brought her the mood to rearrange the room, but also brought these material conditions.
When Wu Xiao came back at night and saw the room changed, he laughed.Although there are praises and criticisms, her arrangement is generally affirmed.He is keen on this way, and he was induced to rise up naturally, and he went around looking for things in the middle of the night to supplement and modify certain corners.Lin Xing has no objection either. Logically speaking, this is a home for two people. The layout should not only reflect the common hobbies of the two, but also allow them to have different tastes.What's more, as long as Wu Xiao is happy now, she has nothing to do with everything.
Seeing Wu Xiao hang up those precious pictures taken from the wall of the living room and put them in the bathroom again, she didn't express a single objection.Leaning against the door of the bathroom, she informed him of seeing his father this morning. "I had a good talk with your dad. He didn't talk about us this time, but asked me about you." Lin Xing said, "I saw that the atmosphere was good at that time, so I decided to marry you." told him about it."
"What, did you tell him?"
Wu Xiao immediately came out of the bathroom, as if feeling very sudden.Seeing his anxious face, Lin Xing couldn't help but feel a little strange: "You always want to tell him, but you still want to keep it a secret forever?"
Wu Xiao asked urgently, "What did he say?"
"We didn't say anything, and then we broke up."
"Is he not angry?"
"No. I don't think so. He didn't say anything. He seemed to nod."
Wu Xiao was in a daze and stopped talking, but he could see that he was very upset.His expression made Lin Xing faintly unhappy.She thought how he had no hesitation when he said he was getting married!
Perhaps to prove something, she took the initiative to be gentle with Wu Xiao after she went to bed and turned off the lights, she wanted Wu Xiao to want her.But Wu Xiao said: I am a little tired today.Lin Xing pretended to be angry: You seldom love others when you are not tired. You didn't take the initiative on your wedding night yesterday.Wu Xiao put her in his arms and said: You are sick and cannot be tired.Then he wanted her, and in terms of her feelings, he was still devoted to her, and he was enjoying himself to the fullest.After finishing the work, she asked him as usual: Are you comfortable?He replied: comfortable.Really comfortable or fake comfortable?so comfortable.When Wu Xiao answered this kind of question, he was like a primary school student answering questions in class. He was so obedient that it made people feel distressed. Compared with his brutality when he was fighting with people on the street, he was a completely different person.
The next morning Wu Xiao went with her for dialysis.He went outside while she was on dialysis and called his father to officially tell him about his marriage.When they came out of the hospital at noon, Lin Xing could sensitively see that Wu Xiao was unhappy, so he asked him what he and his father had said, and what his father's attitude was.Wu Xiao was silent for a while, then looked into the distance and said:
"Maybe we shouldn't get married behind his back like this. After all, he gave birth to me and raised me for twenty-two years. It hurts him too much for us to get married like this."
The change in Wu Xiao's attitude made Lin Xing almost unbearable. Wu Xiao's words made her deeply puzzled and felt aggrieved, so she stopped angrily.
"Wu Xiao, do you regret it? Do you regret marrying me?"
Wu Xiao also stood down, looked back at her, frowned and said, "Don't bother me any more, okay, let's go."
Lin Xing held back tears and said, "If you regret it, we can get a divorce! You can go now! Marriage is free, and divorce is also free!"
Wu Xiao said, "Why are you so energetic!"
Lin Xing's tears flowed down, she opened her hands, and suddenly burst into tears: "I know, I know everything in my heart, Wu Xiao, I know I'm sick, I don't even have money for medical treatment, I will die if I leave you , so, so, you married me to treat my illness. I am grateful to you! Really Wu Xiao, you let me know what happiness is, what love is, and what home is! I've experienced it, I've enjoyed it! It's ok, you can divorce me! I won't blame you, let alone rely on you, I will never forget your kindness..."
At first, it was a kind of venting, a kind of sadness and complaint, but later, she unconsciously turned into a raging pour from the heart.Wu Xiao stood there silently, neither speaking nor looking at her, listening to her cry.This crying was different from the previous ones, she knew it, it was the crying that had always been hidden in her heart.
Wu Xiao somehow figured out that this crying cannot be persuaded, she must be allowed to finish crying, and when she finished crying, he said sullenly, "Let's go."
She was tired from crying, and crying finally let out all the depression in her heart, so she followed him home with red eyes.
All the way without words.
After returning home, my mood gradually calmed down.The two of them cooked together, ordered noodles, and mixed them with yesterday's leftover soup.After eating, we huddled together in the small kitchen to wash dishes and wash pots.No one looks at anyone.
Wu Xiao finally spoke first: "Come back home with me, after you get married, you have to go back and meet my dad."
Lin Xing didn't speak, she walked out of the kitchen without saying a word, and asked, "When is it?"
Wu Xiao smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth: "What do you think?"
In the afternoon of this day, they held hands and went back to Wu Xiao's house to see Wu Xiao's father.This is the first time Wu Xiao took her back to her husband's house after marriage.They tossed and turned several buses along the way, and arrived at Jingxi Villa just before dusk.On the crowded bus covered in sweat, in order to ease the atmosphere between the two of them, Lin Xing whispered in Wu Xiao's ear with a kind of humor that was not without warmth: Is this your Wu family's wedding ceremony? ?Wu Xiao also smiled, not so much self-mockery as playful: Let it be, I have wronged you.
Standing at the door of Jingxi Villa, none of them was in a hurry to knock on the door, Wu Xiao still asked worriedly:
"Hey, do you still dislike my dad?"
Lin Xing shook her head, she shook her head and sighed, "How come, no matter what, he is also your father, always will be, I will never be able to beat him."
Wu Xiao smiled and said, "You are all too stubborn."
The two discussed it, and did not go directly to the living room or study room after entering the door.Wu Xiao first led Lin Xing to the back, to the swimming pool where the blue waves swayed gently in the breeze, and asked her to sit on the beach chair on the lawn by the pool and wait for him, and then went into the building by himself. He wanted to have a private talk with his father first. .
As soon as he left, Lin Xing was unnatural, a little restless, and his eyes had nowhere to rest.For a while, I looked at the half-open door in the quiet dressing room, and for a while, I looked at the thin bricks in the corridor by the pool, the mottled red spots like faded blood.This is the first time for her to be alone at Wu Xiao's house.Hearing the occasional sound of footsteps also makes him startled.Li Dagong, the manager of the administrative department of Changtian Group who had met several times, suddenly came in through the back door, which startled Lin Xing. Li Dagong was also a little wary of Lin Xing looking around by the pool alone.Both were a little wary and embarrassed, but they still nodded and greeted each other.Lin Xing was at a loss as he watched his back disappear in a corridor where he didn't know where he was going, and then he went back to the beach chair and sat down.
The golden sunset casts the sloped roof of the villa into the water.Everything is not bright, but the colors are vivid, as if they are clearer than when the sun shines directly at noon.The meaning of dusk is to connect day and night, and it is a symbol of a turning point, which makes Lin Xing even more uneasy.She prayed silently for herself intermittently, and everything was far away.Who knows whether the Wu family's father and son's conversation upstairs is calm or red-faced.
Finally, when it was getting dark, Wu Xiao came down and invited her to go upstairs for dinner.From his expression, it can be seen that the conversation between him and his father has ended in a reconciliation.Since there was a nanny who came with him, it was inconvenient for Lin Xing to ask in detail right away.The nanny took the coat from her graciously, and led them into the small building and into the brightly lit restaurant.
The dining room is indeed very big, with a long dining table in the middle that can accommodate twenty seats. Wu Xiao's father, Wu Changtian, was already sitting at the head seat. Sitting next to him, besides the kindness he always had in his tone, there was also a bit of intimacy that he had never had before.The dishes on the table are rich in color, fragrance, shape and utensils, and everything is excellent; there are also several kinds of drinks.Lin Xing couldn't remember how long it had been since he had such a luxurious meal.Wu Xiao looked at her with a happy smile on his face, probably because he was finally able to sit at the same table with her in his own home.Lin Xing also smiled when he and he looked at each other, but for more time, he did not relax his reserve.
After everyone was seated, Wu Changtian avoided formal topics, first introduced the dishes, and then commented on the cook.Apart from his birthday that day, Wu Xiao hadn't eaten at home for half a year.Watching Wu Xiao pour a glass of grapefruit juice for Lin Xing, Wu Changtian also raised his own glass.
"Come on, we are a family now. First of all, welcome Lin Xing to become a member of our Wu family. I heard from Wu Xiao that your parents are gone, so I will start from today, no, from the day before yesterday when you got married , that is your father. Come, father wish you a happy wedding, wish you can care for each other, help each other, a lifetime of harmony and beauty. "
These few words brought tears to Lin Xing's eyes, not only because she finally heard this long-awaited blessing, but also made her suddenly think of her parents.She thought how happy she would be if her parents were still around.
It was not an easy time to sit at the family banquet with Wu Changtian for the first time.After Wu Changtian gave his kind blessings, he couldn't hide the preoccupation on his face, and he didn't speak much, so there was still some kind of untouchable life hidden in the dinner.After eating, Wu Changtian said he was not feeling well, so he went upstairs to rest early.Wu Xiao asked Lin Xing if he wanted to stay here or go back.Of course Lin Xing didn't want to spend the night in such a reserved place, so she begged Wu Xiao to go back, so Wu Xiao went upstairs to say hello to his father, and the two left the gate of Jingxi Villa.
It wasn't until the two of them walked to the street that Lin Xing breathed a sigh of relief.They took a taxi through the night city, which really got brighter every year.They walked eastward from the broad Chang'an Avenue, and every tall building along the way was shining with festive lights. From a distance, the entire Chang'an Avenue was run through in endless radiance.Lin Xing likes the dark night the most, because the brightness of the night reflects the prosperity and vitality of the city.The night is so quiet, and the unfathomable night sky can fill your heart with an unobstructed expanse, and its boundary is the boundary of your feeling, which will make your thinking become vigorous and active.At this time, if it wasn't for some raindrops falling outside the car window, which aroused the smell of a little soil on the ground, Lin Xing's mind that abandoned time and space almost entered a vast illusion.
When we arrived at Yangzhou Hutong, when we got off the bus, Wu Xiao took out a new and stiff hundred-yuan bill from his body and asked the driver to look for it.Lin Xing realized at a glance that they had received the relief that they had not received all along.As soon as they walked into the house, the two of them wanted to hug each other by coincidence. They celebrated the victory of love with silent hugs.After a long time, Lin Xing let go of Wu Xiao, and boiled a cup of hot milk for Wu Xiao like a good wife and mother, thinking how good it feels to be a wife.She asked Wu Xiao: How did you talk with your dad? Did he agree right away or did he gradually change his mind?Wu Xiao said: I agreed immediately.I am also his son anyway.Lin Xing looked suspiciously: Did he agree without saying anything?Didn't you scold us?Did you scold me?She noticed that Wu Xiao's eyes avoided for a few seconds, and his tone became dull for a few seconds. The strange avoidance and dullness finally revealed a daunting suspicion.
"My dad said that he hopes you can promise him a condition..."
Lin Xing sat down on the chair and said, "Wu Xiao, I still like you, because you love me and accept me unconditionally."
Wu Xiao smiled conciliatoryly: "I'm an art student, and I'm big and useless; my dad is in business and is used to equal exchange. Maybe everyone has their own occupational diseases."
In the distance, a startled thunderclap sounded from a corner of the night sky, startling them.After the thunder, the room was very quiet.Lin Xing asked blankly:
"What condition does he want me to exchange with him?"
The son finally came back with his newly married daughter-in-law.In Wu Changtian's view, this conversation between him and his son was quite embarrassing.If it had been hours earlier, he would not have talked like this.
At noon, he planned to attend a press conference of Changtian Industrial Co., Ltd., because he suddenly received a notice in the morning that the leaders of Beijing City were inspecting in Changping, and at noon he would go to a computer research institute set up by Changtian Group in Changping County. Let's see, I hope he can come forward to accompany me.He immediately put down the group personnel manager work meeting which was halfway through, and hurried to Changping.After sending off the city leaders in Changping, he turned around and rushed back to the city.When I returned to the company's office, I hadn't even eaten lunch.The rhythm of his work in these years is often so tight.The secretary brought him a plate of dumplings, and he read the documents while eating.A comrade from the public relations department brought him a stack of forms and asked him to look over them, which were about the selection of the top ten domestic corporate figures of the year, and asked him how to fill in some of the specific contents.He had never been keen on this kind of selection, and even felt a little disgusted.If a person running a business has too many titles, it might seem a bit ostentatious, but thinking about the definition of property rights that are currently being operated and fought for, I feel that it is beneficial to have more titles and greater social influence.So he patiently read through the overly complicated forms, and gave instructions on the filling standards of some specific items.At this time, the secretary came in to report that two cadres from the Public Security Bureau had been waiting in the meeting room for a long time, and they must see him.
From the Public Security Bureau?Wu Changtian was shocked, his heart beat straight to his temples.Trying to keep his composure, he said, "Please come in."
Just like the pattern that has suddenly become popular in Hollywood police and gangster movies in recent years, the two policemen who came in are also a pair of young and old.The older one is about fifty years old, and his speech is easy-going and respectful, while the younger one looks to be in his early twenties, with a serious face.They were all wearing plain clothes, and they couldn't help but look around when they entered the door, maybe they had never entered such a spacious and spacious office.
The guest of honor was seated, and after introducing each other with brief greetings, the old policeman put on a posture of chatting about family affairs, exchanging affectionate posts:
"I'm fifty this year, Mr. Wu looks younger than me, doesn't he?"
Wu Changtian said, "I'm also fifty, when were you born?"
The old policeman said: "I am in October, the same year and the same month as the Republic." He smiled, "It's a pity that the date is different."
Wu Changtian also simply became affectionate: "Then you are brother, I was born this month, and my birthday just passed at the beginning of the month."
The old policeman immediately bowed his hands humbly: "Oh, that's that." Unexpectedly, he took advantage of the situation and made a quick exit, which caught Wu Changtian a little by surprise.
"I heard that President Wu celebrated his birthday in Beijing this year?"
The first sentence directly intervened in the matter of celebrating the birthday, and Wu Changtian had a vague premonition.He didn't have time to think about it, so he hurriedly replied, "Yes, I have a family in Beijing."
The old policeman took out a photo from the little policeman's purse and handed it to Wu Changtian: "Look at this man, have you seen him?"
It was only then that Wu Changtian fully understood that he had been misled by an illusion just now. The other party started out in a homely way, which made him feel relaxed, but the topic took a turn for the worse, forcing him to respond in a flustered manner. As soon as his scalp exploded, he couldn't even judge whether the muscles on his cheeks remained calm.
In the photo, there is a girl with low brows and smiling eyes. Although she is full of beauty, she can still tell at a glance that it is the dead Ah Xin!Wu Changtian did not dare to look at it, and said:
"This person... looks familiar."
"You help us think about where we saw her."
The attitude of the old policeman was very polite, as if he was asking for help.Wu Changtian was thinking about it, not sure what to say.The old policeman gave him enough time to recall before prompting:
"Did you see this woman on your birthday?"
Wu Changtian suddenly realized: "Ah, yes, it seems that she is here to dance with the guests. It seems that there is such a person."
"Did you invite many guests that day?"
"No, I don't like much excitement. I only invited a few old friends, old subordinates, and my son that day. Oh, and then my son's...son's wife also came."
"Do you still remember how many girls were invited to dance that day?"
"I don't know. I didn't feel well that day, and I rested after eating. I have never liked dancing. Later I heard that they didn't dance either, and they dispersed as soon as I rested."
"This woman, do you remember what she was wearing that day?"
"I don't remember that."
"A dark color and a light color?"
"Can not remember."
"When did she leave?"
"Probably... I went upstairs to rest at nine o'clock, and they probably left at this time. Why, is there anything wrong with this girl?"
Wu Changtian felt that it would be unreasonable for him not to ask back.The old policeman didn't care about secrecy, and said, "This man is dead."
Wu Changtian made a surprised look: "Oh? Dead?"
The old policeman said: "The body was found in a pond on the border between Hebei Province and Beijing. It was caught by fishermen. There was a trauma to the head. Now we initially suspect that he was killed."
Wu Changtian nodded, and suddenly asked with a half-smile: "Why, is it... I have become a suspect too?"
The old policeman smiled: "No, no, judging from the stop time of this girl's watch, she may have died at 9:45pm on your birthday. But according to what you just said, she has left you home."
Wu Changtian recalled: "Ah, I was talking to my daughter-in-law at around 9:45, and she came around 9:30 and left after ten o'clock."
The old policeman said, "What's your daughter-in-law's name?"
Wu Changtian mentioned Lin Xing's name and affiliation. He noticed that the little policeman next to him was always keeping a straight face. At this moment, he suddenly interjected and asked:
"How did you get this girl to dance at your house? Did you know her?"
Wu Changtian replied: "I have the impression that Li Dagong, the manager of our administration department, brought it. I don't know how they know each other."
The old policeman asked: "Then can we talk to Manager Li from the Administration Department?"
Wu Changtian said straightforwardly: "Of course." He immediately called the secretary in actively and ordered them to help find Li Dagong.The two policemen also stood up to say goodbye, shook hands with him, and expressed their thanks.He also said that he would trouble him again if there was anything unclear in the future.
The police are gone.Wu Changtian naturally couldn't do anything anymore.He called Li Dagong and Zheng Baixiang respectively to report the situation, and told them what they should pay attention to when receiving police inquiries.Of course, their conversation used an ambiguous language that would never be understood without a tacit understanding, but I believe it was enough for Zheng Baixiang and Li Dagong to understand.Although Wu Changtian himself was a little taken aback by the sudden visit of the plainclothes police, he still expressed his ease and optimism on the phone as best he could, in order to relieve the psychological pressure on the two accomplices.
In the afternoon, he returned to Jingxi Villa early.While talking on the phone with his secretary, he knew that the two police officers in the afternoon had indeed found Li Dagong, and then Zheng Baixiang.He thought he should find a place to call them together at night to discuss the situation and further unify their voices.Thinking of this, he first hung up the phone to Mei Qiliang from the party school. On the surface, he asked Mei Qiliang to go boating on Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace to enjoy the moon. His words seemed to happen by accident, and he talked about the fact that two policemen came to him in the afternoon. .Then, like an anecdote, he said that a corpse was found in Hebei, which looked like a girl who came to his house to dance.He reported the situation to Mei Qiliang on the phone like this, even if he was overheard, he would definitely not be able to hear anything unusual.He said to Mei Qiliang: "They mainly want to find out what this girl does, and they probably want to help find her parents." Wu Changtian deliberately understated the problem, and the old policeman said that the initial suspicion was homicide. , he didn't mention it, he wanted to avoid frightening Mei Qiliang at this time.
At dusk, the son came back and brought his bride, the beautiful, sick, stubborn bride whom Wu Changtian hated, to meet his father-in-law.The bride didn't dare to come in, so she hid in the swimming pool at the back, and let her son come to meet him first.The son walked into the study and just said, "Dad, I'm married, let's come and see you." Wu Changtian's eyes turned red.The sight of his son made him gaze into his entire life for a split second.He has struggled for so many years, and he has tasted countless hardships and hardships.He has achieved success in his career, but in his personal life, he has almost reached the point where his wife and children are separated.Now, this sad juncture is encountered again... When this century is about to end and the next century is about to begin, everything seems to come to an end suddenly for some reason.In this despondent evening, when he was inexplicably driven to a desperate situation, his son brought this "rebellious" marriage to him and asked him to admit it.His first sentence was to ask his son: "I gave birth to you and raised you for twenty years. Now that you are leaving me, can't you say hello to me in advance?" lowered his head.Also because the son saw something he had never seen before, the tears in the father's eyes.The son said: "Dad, I was wrong. I know you still love me, so forgive me." Wu Changtian suppressed the choking in his chest and asked, "I just need you to answer why, why are you only twenty-two years old? Get married? And get married like this!"
The son said: "Lin Xing is sick, and I have no ability to cure her. If I don't marry her, you can't help her."
Wu Changtian gritted his teeth, and he said: "Do you know, child, how many times your father almost collapsed. How many times my company survived! But I have never accepted anyone's coercion! Including you, if you want to use marriage Come to coerce me, then you are thinking wrong."
The son is silent, and the son's language is always dull, but his silence is like a mountain.Wu Changtian calmed down, smoking, smoking slowly calmed him down.He knows now is not the time to use gas.Zheng Baixiang and Li Dagong had already arrived, and they were still upstairs waiting for him to make up his mind.His most urgent task is to settle the biggest crisis in his life.But in this crisis, the daughter-in-law that he had always resisted became a rare "defense" witness!
So he calmed down his anger, sighed to his son, and said: "Since you came to see me today, it means that you still know yourself for doing such absurd things. Since you are married, you want me how to say……"
The son said dully, "Forgive us."
Wu Changtian sat down on the sofa. The single sofa in the study is an English-style leather sofa.The high backrest also has two inward folded wings, embodying majesty and ancient secrets.Whenever Wu Changtian sinks into this huge backrest, he can find his insignificance.He thought, after so many years of stumbles in his career, what really made him escape from death again and again?Is it the unyielding personality he flaunts?Of course not, he knew that.What really helped him survive was patience and the weakness like water!The ancients said: "Fifty knows the destiny", he did not suddenly realize until the age of fifty, why the so-called "using Huang Lao internally and Confucianism externally" has been advocated by the past dynasties.Under the enlightenment of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith, the ruler's strategic cultivation and way of survival are actually more derived from "Taoism".In the past, Wu Changtian only knew that people have to go to high places, but after he got the "Tao", he realized that water has to flow to low places.Taoism's "Chongshui" is to deliberately put oneself at a disadvantage all the time, which is really wise.Of all things in the world, only water can change with shape and survive and permeate everywhere.
Between him and his son's daughter-in-law right now, he must put himself in a disadvantaged and weak position.Because she can hold her head high and don't want his father-in-law's recognition and money, and her son will still follow her.What's the point of him not acknowledging her to this day, besides being ridiculed by others, he will also lose his son.Moreover, after smoking half a cigarette, he could not ignore the imminent danger.What did he do on the night of his fiftieth birthday? Apart from Zheng Baixiang, Li Dagong and Mei Qiliang, who were his accomplices, Lin Xing was almost the only outsider who could prove his "innocence".
He stubbed out the half cigarette, tried not to be obtrusive, changed his tone, and asked his son: "How much does it cost to treat Lin Xing's illness?"
The son said, "The best way to treat this disease is to get a kidney transplant. Even surgery and recovery treatment will cost about three to four hundred thousand."
Wu Changtian said in a helpless tone, "Okay, I will pay the money."
The son's eyes widened, and he looked at him for a long time as if he believed it. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't bear it. He just said, "Thank you, Dad."
The son's smile softened Wu Changtian's iron-blooded heart, and at the same time gave birth to some sadness and fragility that people usually have when they are old. "Do you know son, I have gained and lost so much in my life that I don't care about anything, but now that I am old, the one I am most afraid of losing is you. People of our age don't want to expect our children to take care of us. I'm afraid that our children won't have feelings for us. You don't even tell me about your marriage, do you know how sad your father is?"
Wu Xiao was obviously moved, he said: "Dad, didn't I tell you, Lin Xing is a very good girl, I think you will definitely accept her in the future."
Wu Changtian suppressed the sudden sadness and sigh, grabbed his son's words, and asked instead: "I can accept her, but can she accept me? I have always opposed your relationship in the past."
Wu Xiao said with absolute assurance: "Don't worry, Dad. You don't know her well. Her parents are gone. If you treat her well, she will treat you as her relative. She is the one who knows how to repay her best. people."
Wu Changtian said: "I went to find her yesterday, and I happened to have something to ask her for help. At that time, I didn't know that you were married. Did she go back and tell you about it yesterday?"
Wu Xiao said: "Let her prove it. Could it be that Ai Li and A Xin who rented her house can't be found? Dad, how did you know them?"
Wu Changtian said: "Your uncle Dagong met. On my birthday, he brought them over to dance with the guests. I heard that they disappeared after leaving here, so our family has become a suspect."
Wu Changtian also didn't tell his son Ah Xin's death prematurely. On the night when his son and Lin Xing came to see him, there was no need for them to feel how serious the matter was.As expected, the son didn't think it was a big deal, he just said lightly:
"What does this have to do with our family?"
"It doesn't matter why," Wu Changtian said, "They came before eight o'clock that day and left after nine o'clock. People knew they came here, but no one saw them when they left here."
"Didn't Uncle Zheng, Uncle Li, and Uncle Mei be there that day? They can prove it."
"If the Public Security Bureau believes that these people are all conspiring, who can prove it to whom?"
Wu Xiao smiled, "Dad, are you serious or joking?"
Wu Changtian also smiled, but it was difficult for him to laugh with his son in his heart, and the smile on his face lasted only for a moment, and was replaced by a sincere sigh: "Sometimes, you think it must be a joke, and you don't know how to do it. It became real."
This is when Lin Xing was waiting anxiously by the swimming pool outside the building, and Wu Changtian and his son had a conversation in the study room inside the building.At the end of the conversation, the son made a promise to his father on behalf of his new wife: "Dad, don't worry, if Lin Xing really needs to prove something for you, she will definitely agree." Wu Changtian was very happy with this promise.The son was also very happy, because his marriage was finally recognized and accepted by the family on this day.It was also the first time for Wu Changtian to sit at the same dining table with his son and the girl he had chosen for a family dinner.He replaced wine with tea, and sent his father's best wishes for their future.Regarding the matter that he wanted Lin Xing to testify for him, he did not mention it again this night.
His blessing was warm, especially the few words about Lin Xing's parents, which moved the girl.For a moment he almost forgot his original motive for giving up his obstinacy so quickly and agreeing to the marriage.There is a woman on the dining table, after all, there is a sense of home.He thought, I hope this girl can bring peace and happiness to Wu Xiao and this family including him.
After the meal, they were sent away, and Wu Changtian went back upstairs. Zheng Baixiang and Li Dagong were still waiting for him anxiously, but they saw Wu Changtian with a peaceful face.Seeing Li Dagong, Wu Changcai remembered to complain: what did you do, the corpse is still not dealt with solidly, you make mistakes like this again and again, you must ruin this matter completely!Li Dagong lowered his head and wiped his sweat.Zheng Baixiang persuaded: Forget it, I just told him to give up.Now we have to discuss how we should face the problem.Wu Changtian said: The problem is not so hopeless. The Public Security Bureau determined that Ah Xin died at 9:45 that night. We have to try to prove that she had left our place before that.Now there is a witness who can prove when we broke up that night.I can now find such a witness.
Zheng Baixiang and Li Dagong asked almost at the same time: "Who?"
Wu Changtian replied, "Lin Xing."
Li Dagong said suspiciously: "She? She is not a good-tempered girl, and she is not as easy to buy as Ellie."
Wu Changtian looked around the faces of the two of them and said, "She is my daughter-in-law now."
Both Zheng Baixiang and Li Dagong were surprised: "Married? With Wu Xiao?" Of course they will not feel the same bitterness and helplessness as Wu Changtian. At this moment, this is undoubtedly good news for them.
Wu Changtian nodded lightly: "Yes, they got married the day before yesterday."
Li Dagong was overjoyed: "Then it will be easy."
郑百祥比较冷静：“你和她谈了这事吗，她答应给咱们作证吗？”
吴长天说：“昨天我和她谈过一次。今天我没再多说。接下来让吴晓去和她谈吧，等吴晓说完了，我再亲自找她。其实让她证明的事情很简单，她那天晚上来我这里呆了不到十分钟，让她改成一小时，就足够了。这对她不应该是件为难的事。”
李大功理所当然地放了心：“那是，已经是儿媳妇了嘛，她不为吴总，也得为吴晓啊，也是为她自己啊。”
郑百祥对林星完全不熟，多少有些放心不下，他问：“听说她是个大学生，又是记者，搞社会科学的人，干这种……怎么说呢，干这种作伪证的事，会不会有心理障碍？”
郑百祥所虑，不是没有道理，吴长天不得不为他，也为自己，做一番分析推理：“我并不是明说让她作伪证，那样的话在法律上和个人良心上对她的压力太大。我只是说我这一个小时确实在休息，大家确实散场了，这是一个事实，但除了我们自己，没有其他证人。她那天正好在，只要她愿意说明自己多呆了一会儿，就已经是证人了。再说，老郑，咱们中国人实际的行为方式，你洋书读多了倒不如大功清楚了。中国人都是以自己为中心的。和别人的关系就像是自己跳到水里，围着自己荡出的一轮一轮的波纹，以远近分亲疏，这就是中国传统道德的所谓人伦。越近的波纹就越和自己息息相关，越远的波纹就越无关痛痒，最中心的那个点，就是自己。那天我跟梅启良不是也说了吗，中国人从古至今，为了自己而不顾家，为了家而不顾团体，为了团体而不顾社会，不顾国家，不顾天下！这种事再正常不过了。”
郑百祥和李大功都静了气，即便不是口服心服，至少也是无言反驳。吴长天说：“好了，你们也早点走吧。咱们从现在起，不要没事总往一块凑，要避避嫌。有什么事要碰面，就打手机约到外边去。大功，你的手机一定要开着。”
李大功拍拍放手机的皮包，说：“我一直开着呢。”
仿佛是被他这一拍给拍响了似的，他包里的手机果然叫了起来。李大功笑笑，说：“你看。”他把手机取出，打开来问，“喂？”来电的人刚说了一句什么，他的笑容立刻僵在脸上。
吴长天和郑百祥当然都注意到了他的表情，李大功用手捂住电话，目光惊恐地对他们说道：
“还是他，又来了！”
他们同时都明白了，这个又来了的人，就是那个他们谁都以为不会再来的敲诈者。
这回是吴长天自己接了电话，对方还是那么客客气气地笑着：“吴总吗，上次没能当面谢您，这次给您补上。”
吴长天说：“我不是满足你的要求了吗，你也应该守点信用吧，怎么又来电话。”
对方说：“上次是给阿欣治病的钱，现在我告诉你，阿欣很不幸，她死了，您总得再出点丧葬费吧。”
吴长天哑口无言，他知道和这种人讲理是徒劳的。他愣愣地，好半天才问：“你还想要多少？”
对方笑：“咱总不能按国家规定的丧葬标准吧。我看这样吧，你准备好五百万，一口价，从此往后咱们就两清了。”
吴长天知道自己已经落到了不得不和这样一些社会无赖勾心斗角、讨价还价的地步，也只有放下斯文互相威胁：
“老兄，你懂不懂适可而止见好就收的道理啊，心太黑当心要付出代价的。”
他听出对方的心早就黑得无所谓了，显然不是那种一吓就软的小孩子，“病有病的钱，死有死的价，我这人公平合理。你弄伤了人家判个有期，弄死了人家就是死罪，出个五百万换回你一条命来，你还觉得亏吗？”
吴长天面色发白，说：“三百万都堵不死你的嘴，我们没法再信任你。你愿意怎么办就怎么办吧。”
对方的气焰稍稍收敛，说：“我保证这是最后一次，阿欣不是死了吗，死总归是到头了吧。”
吴长天说：“喂，我们见面谈谈好不好，见面谈谈什么都可以商量。”
对方心照不宣地冷笑：“把钱准备好，明天我会再打这个电话的。”
电话没声了。吴长天等了半天才知道对方是挂了机，他缓缓关掉电话，看看郑百祥，又看看李大功，三个人一时都不知该说什么好。
沉默了好一会儿，还是郑百祥先开口：“这种人，没法再跟他交易，一点信用没有。昨天给他三百万，今天又要五百万，你要给了五百万，明天他还会要一千万！”
李大功附和：“郑总说得对！”
吴长天慢慢地坐下来，叼了烟却忘了点火。李大功帮他打着一只火机，他却把烟从嘴上拿下来，说：“大功，你明天把我最后还存着的那五百万，取出来吧。”
郑百祥气急败坏地说：“吴总，这样不是个办法！”
吴长天以一种不容置疑的果断和不容置否的权威，说：“这个人之所以敢一次一次地要，是因为我们没有见过他，他没有暴露自己当然就敢于把我们给捅出去。现在我们必须抓住这个机会，我们必须见到他，我们必须知道这个人是谁！否则，我们永远会在他的控制之下，将来他就是把整个长天集团都要了去，我们也得给他！”
郑百祥不再说话。吴长天转脸看定李大功，他说：“大功，你跟我有二十年了吧。这二十年来你李大功是立了不少大功的。现在，咱们三个最老的长天人，命是绑在一块儿了。我刚才说咱们中国传统文化讲的是人伦，最基本的有五伦。除了君臣、父子、夫妻、兄弟之外，还有一个是朋友。咱们中国人有很多事，上不告父母，下不传妻儿，只能跟朋友讲，所以人生得一知己足已。大功，我和你，和老郑，咱们是二十年的知心朋友了，我最佩服的，就是你李大功的义气，为朋友两肋插刀。我吴长天空有长天之志，咱们郑总纵有百祥之身，可冲锋陷阵打头炮的，还是得你李大功！”
李大功眼眶子红红的，声音都哑了，他说：“吴总，我李大功是个小人物没资格做您的朋友，咱们不是朋友，咱们是君臣。我李大功别的不懂，可我懂中国的君臣之道：君要臣死，臣不能不死！”
吴长天深深感动。他想，他在长天二十年，别的不敢说，和部下的感情，在部下心目中的威望，还是可以引以为荣的。他知道很早以前李大功就对别人说过：我这辈子就认准吴总了，就是吴总让我犯错误，我也敢去！他那时听了还笑，还说我怎么会让他去犯错误……以前的很多事，很多话，历历在目，都像是现在和未来的预言。一九九九年的七月，正是这样一个被各种预言所笼罩的不祥的酷夏。
和李大功相比，郑百祥考虑问题毕竟更务实更具体，他打破吴长天和李大功之间蔓延开的情感对话，提醒道：“吴总，时间不早了，究竟怎么才能钩出这个人来，怎么才能让他露面，还得有个具体办法。”
吴长天面无表情地看着郑百祥，说：“五百万的诱饵，还怕钓不出这么一条烂鱼来？”
吴长天的这句话，说得相当坚决，甚至，有几分在他来说并不多见的凶狠。这句话也成为他们这一晚上暗室密谋的最后一记惊叹。
天已很晚，他们结束了密谈。为了避免保姆看见，郑百祥和李大功从后门悄悄离开了别墅。吴长天也没有下楼去送。他们走时天正在下雨，后门的小街上，雨中无人。吴长天把卧室的灯熄掉，一个人呆坐在沙发里，整个别墅都静下来了，像是一座空宅。除了窗户上似有还无的雨声，他后来也听到了让林星和吴晓都吓了一跳的那声惊雷。
就在这个先晴后雨的晚上，林星无意中发觉自己在京西别墅得到的全部的快乐，包括在吴家的这第一顿晚饭，和晚饭上吴晓父亲那几句充满父爱的祝福，以及她由此而产生的对人生幸福的真切感受，全都在回家之后吴晓那暧昧难解的表情中变得遥远，变得捉摸不定，变得贬值了。她不得不怀了一种隐隐的恐慌和难以挥去的心理阴影，来重新判断这个晚上每一个细节的真伪，难道她得到的一切仅仅是一场交易的几个筹码不成？
她脸上的疑问逼迫着吴晓力图把事情的道理说圆：“就算这事是我求你做的行了吧，我爸现在也是你爸了，他有困难我们总得帮他吧。”
林星说：我又没说不帮他，那天早上我都答应他了，都说帮他了。我想弄明白的是，他现在突然承认我，接受我，是不是就为了这个！
因为有了这个阴影，这件事对林星来说已经成了一个越描越黑的问题。而在吴晓看来，人和人的关系本来就是互相的。你对他好，他就对你好，即便他爸爸就是因为林星帮忙而改变了对她的看法，也是人之常情，也是父母子女间一种很正常的感情互换，不值得大惊小怪。他对林星咬文嚼字地追根问底，颇有些不胜其烦，“我爸在商言商，说话就是这么个习惯，你要这么挑字眼儿天下就没有好人了。”
林星不再和他争论，把心里的不舒服保留着。她现在需要尽量回避和吴晓的争吵，尤其是当涉及到他的父亲时。她提醒自己千万别变成一个是非太多的媳妇，让丈夫两边不好做人。
这件事就这么放下了。第二天吴晓早早地起来去电视台拍MTV。终于有人为他们投资拍这个MTV了。晚上他们还要照常演出，他们乐队又被请回了他们的老根据地天堂酒吧。这两件事加起来，对吴晓来说可算是双喜临门。天堂酒吧比一般的酒吧更大，更有名气也更有味道，在那里演出是件比较过瘾的事。林星因为就是在“天堂”第一次见到吴晓的，所以对那里也怀有一份特殊的眷恋。