Chapter 2 Chapter two

This time I opened my mouth wide and couldn't make a sound. After a long time, I said, "Come right away." This is impossible, I kept saying to myself, how could it be? I went back to the table and said to Shoutou, "Pay the bill quickly, let's go to the lawyer's office." Hearing this, Shoutou also froze. "You don't know her well," he said. "We've only met twice," I said. "How could she do this? Doesn't she have any relatives?" In the car I run through the whole thing. An ordinary person, in his prime, would not make a will.After death, the property automatically belongs to the spouse and children.

Yao Jing specially wrote a will and gave me her property. why me?A journalist who had only met her twice. What have I to do with her?Never before. Are her parents alive?Does she have any siblings?Donate to the public welfare fund, why would you think of me? "Get out of the car." Shoutou said. Lawyers are waiting for us. I was in the office, and they read out the will: "I, Yao Jing, formerly named Zhao Anjuan, will give all of mine to Ms. Xu Zuozi after death." Shoutou and I looked at each other. Shoutou asked, "What does the legacy include?" "Two hundred thousand dollars in cash," said the lawyer.

Shoutou glanced at me, "All?" "all." I don't blame Shoutou for being surprised.For an ordinary person, such as me, two hundred thousand dollars is a huge amount of money to guarantee the rest of my life, but she is Yao Jing—how could there be only this little amount, maybe it was given to someone else. The lawyer's reaction and feeling were exactly the same as ours, "I really didn't expect that she only had this amount." Where did all the money go? The lawyer said, "We will go through the formalities for you, and the money will be deposited into your account, please come and fill out some forms."

"Can I refuse?" I asked. "It's our job to put it in your hands. What you do with the money is beyond our control. But I guess Miss Yao wants you to enjoy the money yourself, and if she wants to give it to charity, she can do that." .” At a loss, I filled out the documents and went home with Shoutou. He was also confused by this matter, and he didn't even joke with me. I brought Xiaoliang, the editor's sister, over to discuss this matter together. The editor's eyes widened, and she immediately used her gifted sense of news: "So, there is something wrong with her relationship with her husband."

I said, "But her husband is the descendant of General Zhang in Xiangxi, and he is a rich man. Why does he need two hundred thousand dollars?" "But that's another thing, and it's supposed to be for him." "What relatives does she have?" "I don't know. She has never used her private life to publicize. No one knows." "There are so many anecdotal magazines on the market, and they all have a way to reveal the bottom line eight hundred years ago." "But Yao Jing is not their target." Sister Editor said, "Yao Jing has no scandals, she has always been an actress."

"Everybody's got some secrets," I said, "and it's not going to be fruitless." "What do you want to know?" Sister Editor asked. "I wonder why she would give money to strangers." The editor smiled, "I'm afraid you are the only one who has so much money to investigate this kind of thing. The investigation report can be written as a novel." I said, "The first thing I want to see is her husband, Zhang Xu. Is there a reporter who will take over with him?" "No, Yao Jing has passed away, and he is not a member of this circle, so why sell it to us."

Shoutou said, "He will meet Zuo Zi, who is the heir to his wife's estate." "I'm calling." I said. "No one listens to the phone." Sister Editor said, "Someone tried to call every three minutes." "The house belongs to the Zhang family?" I took it for granted that it didn't belong to Yao Jing. "It's rented." "Rent?" I said. "Everyone was so surprised. They thought they bought it, and the decoration was so good. But the owner of the house said that it was 60,000 yuan a month, and it has been rented to their couple for three years."

I feel strange.Sixty thousand yuan monthly rent!The trace is almost astronomical. "Why is it so expensive?" "In that location, that kind of detached bungalows are often hard to find after paying for them." "I'll see the landlord first," I said. "You need to sleep first." I quickly found the address of the housing management office at Siqian Office, and from there I found the person in charge of the leasing company. Knowing that I don't look like a wealthy lady who can afford a monthly rent of 60,000 yuan, I call myself the secretary of a boss of a certain company.

The agent believed it right away. He was very happy and praised my boss for being well-informed, because this kind of garden house near the urban area is hard to come by. "But I heard that the former resident died in the house." The agent was taken aback. "My boss and his wife are newcomers, so they don't care about these things, but the old people don't like it very much." "This..." The manager felt very embarrassed, "Miss Xu, since you are here, of course your client is interested in this house, maybe they asked for a rent reduction?"

"Ok" "I used to rent it to Ms. Yao for a full 60,000 yuan. It's already very good if I don't add it." "Miss Yao rented it from you?" "Yes, the checks are signed by Ms. Yao. Her real name is Zhao Anjuan." Zhao Anjuan, I heard this name once in a lawyer's office, but I couldn't connect it with Yao Jing. Such an ordinary name: Zhao Anjuan.About one call, there will always be three or five housewives in any market who will turn their heads and answer: "Call me?" Yao Jing's real name was actually Zhao Anjuan. "How long have you lived?"

"Three years until March." I paid more than two million yuan in rent, my God. "Your house is not for sale?" "Ms. Yao also asked. The selling price was 9.5 million. Ms. Yao said with a smile that she would rather put the money in the bank and pay the rent for the interest." Yao Jing did not have the money. "Really can't reduce the rent?" "No, we can do the decoration, of course there is a limit." I said, "Then I'll go back and report." "Miss Xu, that is really a beautiful bungalow." I say goodbye. He vaguely knew where Yao Jing's money had gone. Such a huge expense was originally paid by her, why? Why doesn't her husband, Zhang Xu, take care of the family? I immediately found Sister Bian and made an appointment with her to calculate Yao Jing's income for the past three years. "She has made ten movies, and each set is said to be paid 400,000 yuan, which should be 4 million yuan." The editor said: "There is a discount. If it is someone else, it must be a half discount. Yao Jing, at least 700,000 yuan." fold." "There are still two long TV dramas—" "That doesn't count, the salary is limited, let's discount 300,000 yuan." She is very familiar with the entertainment industry. My conclusion: "She's literally making ends meet." "But we all thought she didn't have to live for it at all!" My heart was heavy, "Zhang Xu is an empty shell?" "No, no, no," Sister Editor shook her head, "You have relatives in New York, so if you go out and inquire, you will know how many Wall Street tycoons enjoy flattering General Zhang. Zhang Xu is a real prince and grandson, there is absolutely no falsehood." "Then his money didn't fall into Yao Jing's hands." "This is something for sure." Sister Editor said. "What about jewelry?" I asked, "Yao Jing doesn't even have a house?" The editor asked humorously: "Do you think US dollars are not enough?" I give her a push. "What are you going to do with the money?" "I don't know, maybe donate a Yao Jing scholarship." She nodded. "I guess you'd do the same." I still have to try to find Zhang Xu. His noble and upright face was indifferent, slightly arrogant.His grandfather was a general who used to lead troops with the power of life and death. He dominated one side, withdrew early, and settled in the United States with his property. His father was a well-known industrialist, good at dancing, and had a great reputation. As for himself, Yao Jing once told me happily that he is a barrister. I feel sad. God knows what kind of grievances Yao Jing has suffered while she was alive, it seems that things are not simple. I went to Yang Shoulin's father, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Xinwen Evening News, and my boss, and asked him to find a way for me to meet Zhang Xu. The ins and outs have been explained, and Uncle Yang was infinitely surprised. Really, no one would believe that I had such an adventure. "Is Zhang Xu really the grandson of Ren Yunlong?" He asked. "Who is Ren Yunlong?" I asked. "General Zhang's nickname." He smiled, "You are young, so you won't know it." I am silent.Leave the whole thing to Uncle Yang.He is my backer. "I believe I can do it," he said. "I'll go to the consulate and find out." "Is that man, Mr. Yunlong Zhang, still alive?" I asked. "Very healthy, should be over ninety." "Wow." Unbelievable.I leave with satisfaction. Uncle Yang has great powers, a capable man is really admirable, just like a big tree, under his shade, we women and children enjoy the shade, play games, don't worry about anything, how happy we are. It was the editor who contacted me first. "They found Zhang Xu." "Who are they?" "Reporters from the secret news magazines have been guarding his residence all day long, waiting for him to appear, and followed him to the city center, only to find that he lives in the consulate." It's really great. If it wasn't for entertaining readers, the persistent spirit of this group of journalists would have won a hundred Pulitzer Prizes. "How to get in?" I sighed. "Fool, don't you just trust your future family to solve it?" "I object to your use of such ambiguous words," I said, "Uncle Yang and I are only in the guest-host relationship. You can't transfer the exaggerated attitude of the entertainment editor to real life. People will think that I want to marry and go crazy. gone." "There are many people who want to go crazy, not you, so that's fine." "I want to rest, I don't want you to tell me." In fact, I had a splitting headache and fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed. Seeing Yao Jing, sitting on the sofa in her house, wearing a low-cut dress and a pair of black gloves, she was silent. "Miss Yao," I walked over, "Miss Yao." She didn't answer me. "Miss Yao—" The ten steps away seemed impossible to walk around. Yao raised his head, his beautiful eyes seemed to be full of heartfelt feelings, and just about to speak, I was woken up by the phone, feeling infinitely melancholy. I took the receiver. "I'm Uncle Yang. I made an appointment for you. Zhang Xu is waiting for you at the old place at four o'clock in the afternoon." "Is the old place where they used to live." "Yes" I look at the clock, my God, I only have half an hour. "Thank you, Uncle Yang." "You're welcome." I lifted the bedding and jumped out of bed. The phone rang again.Modern people don't have phones, so they don't have to do anything at all. I changed my clothes while listening, feeling embarrassed. It's Sister Editor, her voice is very urgent. "I'm not free at the moment, I'll give you a message later." I said. "Are you going to see Zhang Xu? You must write for me. You are the only one who saw Zhang Xu." "Sister editor, your attitude disgusts me very much. You only care about the news headlines, but this matter has become very personal now. I can't put these things in the newspaper and sell the secrets between others and me." "Don't do this with me—" I put down the phone, took my coat and went out. If she is going to be angry later, let her be angry. I hailed a car on the street and rushed to Yao's residence. Editing is like this.When requesting manuscripts, be courteous and corporal, put your word on it, or entrust someone with a reputation to make an appointment, or use money to attack, and say "OK, OK", and you can agree to any harsh conditions. They must say that there is no masterpiece without your Excellency, and his supplements or weekly papers are simply dismissed.Anything is fine until the manuscript is in his hands.Then it was his turn to be fierce. At that time, the author didn’t know when the text would be published, and he didn’t know when the manuscript fee would be paid. Sometimes, unfortunately, the publication closed down, and the manuscript disappeared immediately, and it was not returned. No matter how you chase it, the editor will be like Huang He. Let’s have a look with you. I don't care about it, as if nothing happened, you push him, he pushes you, there is no shoulder blade at all, it's a mess. Accumulated experience, to do this business, remember to choose time-honored brands, the labor side will deliver the manuscript on time, and the management side will not delay or owe.The most powerful is Xiang Jin Xianhui. Sister Editor was not like this at the beginning. She used to be very humane, and she was very considerate in everything. Now she has changed a lot, and she doesn't care about anything. Maybe it has to be like this.Concentrating on her work will bring her many visible benefits, and then solve her life's troubles. What's the use of being devoted to human relationships?This is a commercial society.She struggled to adapt to the environment, and she should have changed her personality. There is no reason for her to sacrifice to accommodate us irrelevant people. I know her well and I admire her a lot. But I also have my own principles, which require me to write "I had a conversation with Yao Jing's husband" or "My relationship with Yao Jing" or "Why did Yao Jing give me the money", unless a machine gun is pointed at my neck. How do you earn this kind of royalties?It won't make a fortune, and it's useless to write. Zhang Xu came to open the door as soon as he rang the bell. There was unspeakable sadness on his face.A black suit is even more thoughtful. The maid poured out tea. The arrangement of the old house was the same as what I had seen before, only the bouquet was missing, and the hostess was no longer there. I sat across from him, neither of them knew what to say. The room was surprisingly quiet, and the eardrums felt slightly uncomfortable, as if they were in a dubbing room. Zhang Xu's eyes were red and swollen. After a long time, I said, "Miss Yao handed over the inheritance to me." He nodded to show he knew. I finally couldn't help but ask, "Why?" In fact, he would never know. Zhang Xu didn't answer me.He didn't care who Yao Jing's inheritance was at all. It can be seen that he does not love Yao Jing, this kind of deep sorrow cannot be faked.But when Yao Jing was alive, he made her sad and disappointed. "You're going back to New York?" I asked. "yes." I asked, "What time?" "soon." After Zhang Xu leaves here, he will never come back. If he doesn't say anything now, he will never have a chance. I asked, "Does Yao Jing have any relatives?" "There are two sisters". I was very surprised. I didn't expect Yao to have sisters. What are they doing?Is it beautiful or not? Zhang Xu said: "I only found out yesterday. I have never met them. As for her parents, I met them once after they got married." Such a diaphragm! "Do you have their liaison office?" "Wait a minute." Zhang Xu opened the address book and copied it for me.He was in a trance, preoccupied. I finally couldn't help but ask: "Are you cute Yao?" He was startled for a moment, and he didn't turn his face away. Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew it was too much to ask.He cried. The only thing I got was the address of Yao Jing's parents. The whole newspaper office is looking for me, including Uncle Yang. Naturally, it was the sister editor who reported to him. I entered the president's office, and Uncle Yang entered directly. "The entertainment edition really misses you writing about Yao Jing." "I don't want to write, but now she has a very special place in my heart." Uncle Yang said very understandingly: "I understand, so it's hard to write, isn't it?" "yes." "Okay, it's okay, I'll talk to the entertainment board." When I got out of the president's office, I made a face to the editor, "Don't show your face, use the boss to suppress me." The editor sister can't laugh or cry. "Why," I asked, "have no friends?" "If you write for someone else, watch your skin." "It's impossible." I swore. "Is Zhang Xu hurt?" She insinuated. "I don't tell you, or your article 'It is learned...' is another 30,000 words." She couldn't help cursing me with foul language. "It's so immature," I said. "What if I put a curse on it and don't write it?" "You can tell it to others, and ask others to write it. There is no such thing as 'I tell you, don't tell others'. If one person knows, everyone knows. I will never take this risk." "What joy is there in being so careful as you are?" "You are so careless, are you happy?" "I really can't say enough about your quick mouth." She was displeased. "That's just because I'm not being used by you, and you're not happy." "Okay, okay, let's not turn against each other. Anyway, it will be Yang Shoulin who will suffer in the future, not me. Let's have dinner together." At dinner she asked me how my novel was going. "It didn't start, and there wasn't a stroke in ten strokes." I said. "What kind of story?" "A story about a female writer born in Shanghai in the 1920s." "Oh, insinuating novels, even more obscene, writing other people's stories without their consent." I rolled my eyes at her, "When a person is famous to a certain extent, his name belongs to everyone. Since he is a public figure, why not?" "What a sophistry, let's hear it." She laughed out loud. I also think it's wrong. There are so many stories to write, so I just make up one if I have the ability. "Besides, what do you know about Shanghai in the 1920s? If you are so enthusiastic about writing about topics you are not familiar with, beware of turning into a closed-door car, putting together words one by one, very artificial and hypocritical. The writing is broken at the beginning, and you will become a zombie later. ,Not angry." I admire this theory, "You know how to write, why don't you write?" "It's easy to say but hard to do. I can't calm down." Sister Zhi smiled wryly. "I heard people say that a talented person can write a manuscript no matter what the situation is." "Really?" Sister Editor was angry, "Then you try it, maybe you are Tolstoy." "I just want to be Yaja Taj Sti." "'Just want'? That's disgusting, I hope you get what you want." "You know what I want most?" I asked. "What do women want most?" She tilted her head, "Naturally, a happy married life." "By the way," I patted my thigh, "I don't care if I'm a writer or not, and I don't care if my writing is worth my life." "Sour grapes hahaha, knowing that it is impossible to write a book equal to one's body, hahaha". "Laughing your throat out! What's the use of winning the praise of the whole world? Look at Yao Jing as a role model." "She held the funeral today, and I will show you, the heir of the estate, the photos of the scene," she said. "I don't want to watch." I refused. I have seen too many similar pictures: monster-shaped men and women wearing black exotic clothes, with no facial features, went to the funeral parlor to order a dick to show their humanity. Crazy. For Yao Jing, I am even more disgusted with such completely unnecessary rituals. "Thousands of people went to sacrifice her." "Is that so," I asked, "all her friends?" "Don't be so cynical." "Look at me, I innocently took two hundred thousand dollars from the deceased. It's not right to spend it, but it's not right to accept it. How embarrassing." "You could buy a one-story house with it and live in it." "Then dreamed of Yao Jing every night." "What's wrong? You appreciate her." At this moment, someone called my name: "Xu Zuozi!" As soon as I turned my head, someone snapped a photo of me with a flash. Then someone rushed up, "Everyone is an expert, Xu Zuozi, tell me why Yao Jing's huge inheritance was inherited by you?" A large group of reporters, always seven or eight people, surrounded me together, and other guests in the hotel looked sideways at me. The June debt was paid off quickly, and suddenly I became the interviewee. "I heard you met Yao Jing's husband?" the reporter said. "What did he say?" "What special relationship do you have with them?" I stood up abruptly and said loudly: "Please ask the editor-in-chief of the entertainment section of "Xinwen Daily" these questions." I pointed to the editor-in-law. They were just considering whether to shift their target, but I had already pushed away the crowd, blazed a path, and fled towards the exit. I moved quickly, only two of them caught up, and the rest surrounded Sister Bian. I hurriedly called a car at the door to go home. Terrible, terrible for journalists, and now I am suffering as a reporter. Did Sister Editor break up with me because of this incident? Being scolded is inevitable. I want to meet Yao Jing's parents once. Yao Jing's surname is Zhao, so her father's surname is also Zhao.I looked at the address Zhang Xu gave me. It was a very remote residential area. The place wasn't too bad, and naturally it wasn't noble either. It was an ideal place for young men and women to organize a love nest. I want to explore the road. It took me an hour and fifteen minutes by car to get there. They must be at home, where can such sad people go. After ringing the door bell, a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl came to open the door and asked me who I was looking for through the iron gate. I said that I was Yao Jing's friend and wanted to see Mr. Zhao or Mrs. Zhao. The little girl went for a while and came out and said, "They are tired and don't want to see you." I hurriedly pushed the door shut, "I'm not Yao Jing's ordinary friend, I'm the heir to her legacy." At this time, a woman's voice interjected, "Who are you?" I saw her face appear through the iron gate, and with my sense of touch, I knew it was Yao Jing's sister. Her age is ambiguous, between thirty-five and forty-five. Her brows and eyes are at least three-point similar to Yao Jing, but Yao Jing has been carefully crafted by an artist, while she is only a little rough. They should be very similar when they were young, but when they grow up, their living environment and other factors make them run counter to each other. Now, apart from their blood relationship, there is no similarity between them. This woman is rough, strong, and crude. Somehow, perhaps because of jealousy, this type of woman is the most unbearable. She has no thoughts at all, only the nerve center, her face and body are horizontal, but she is often very self-centered, and her voice resounds through the sky, based on Inferiority, hoping to attract everyone's ears, often talking nonsense, can say anything. Don't offend her, if you don't do it well, you will be pushed by her and you will lie in the hospital for at least three months. What about a civilized society ruled by law? Standing outside the iron gate, I thought back to Yao Jing's slender features and figure, and he would be out of breath when he spoke urgently... The whole figure is like a vase with thin white porcelain lacquer painting with multicolored flowers. It doesn't matter, the important thing is to survive. All I know is that Yao Jing did not survive. "Who are you?" The woman asked me again. "Let me come in and talk?" Another woman came over, "Who? Who did she say she was?" This one is also Yao Jing's sister. she is very old.Because of lack of maintenance, her face hangs straight down, and the splayed lines around her mouth are as deep as a knife. For some reason, she still wears foundation, a color that is three shades different from her natural skin color, floating on the skin like mud. up, looks very weird. She said: "My name is Zhao Yifen, and I am Yao Jing's eldest sister." She pointed to the woman in front, "This is Zhao Yue'e, Yao Jing's second sister." I said, "My name is Xu Zuozi." Ms. Zhao Yue'e said: "Wait a minute, who do you think Yao Jing will give her inheritance to?" I was furious, "If you think I'm a thief, don't ask so many questions, I don't plan to stand in this alley and talk about my life experience with you." I turned around. Then Zhao Yue'e opened the door immediately. I looked them both up and down, and they looked me up and down. "come in." I didn't want to go in, hesitated for a while, and then told myself: since it's here, it's safe. The room is quite spacious, but it's a pity that it's full of sundries. I find an empty chair and sit down by myself, and I don't need to be greeted by others. Zhao Yue'e shouted to the little girl in prison: "Go get a cup of tea." Oh, dare not be.My complexion is slightly relaxed. The girl came and put a glass in front of me. I found that the girl looked very much like Yao Jing, especially her eyes, which were generally watery, and seemed to have a tear film floating on them, ready to shed tears at any time. Seeing me staring at her, the girl smiled shyly, showing her small teeth, more like her aunt.Zhao Yuee suddenly said, "Everyone calls her Little Yao Jing."