Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 435 Upgrading to Fiancé

Following the national tragedy, the land of China entered an emergency mobilization, starting with a nationwide mobilization and military support during the critical 72-hour rescue period.
As the time entered the 15th, with the disaster-stricken areas being opened up one by one, civilian rescue forces and international rescue teams arrived one after another. Civilian organizations from countries such as Japan, Russia, and Singapore spontaneously went to the disaster area, demonstrating the spirit of international humanitarianism.

Starting from the 16th, under the resolute leadership of the state, the first highway leading to the center of the country was opened, allowing large machinery to enter, marking the beginning of the disaster relief phase of infrastructure repair and material allocation.

At the same time, people across the country are contributing their efforts in their respective positions.

Apart from volunteers who went to the front lines, such as Mei Yanfang, Liu Yifei, and Wu Jin, most of the artists chose to organize and participate in disaster relief activities to support the overall reconstruction plan.

According to later statistics, by August, the total amount of donations received nationwide was around 66 billion yuan, with donations raised at the gala accounting for more than 70%.

On the evening of the 19th, Anita Mui and Liu Yifei departed from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, heading to Hong Kong and Beijing respectively.

The former, as the vice president of the Hong Kong Artists Association, organized a charity performance co-organized by TVB, ATV and other organizations;
The latter participated as a performer in the large-scale fundraising gala "Dedication of Love" co-organized by Zhongxuan, Wenhua Department and CCTV on the 20th.

At 8 p.m., Liu Yifei, who had been away from Beiping for more than a week and whose elderly mother had been worried for more than a week, finally arrived safely in Wenyuhe Prefecture.

Go home.

Having received the news early on, Liu Xiaoli had already seen her eldest daughter's figure swaying under the courtyard lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the main villa. The beige trench coat, slightly stained with mud, was the same one she had worn a week ago when she set off.

The elderly mother hurriedly tried to put down the watering can she was using to water the flowers, but accidentally knocked it over, wetting her slippers.

"Xixi!" Liu Xiaoli, completely unaware, pushed open the door and hugged Xiao Liu, who was about to change her shoes and come inside—

Although she was supposed to be holding her in her arms, the mother, who was wearing flat shoes, looked like she was having some difficulty holding her daughter, who was wearing thick-soled combat boots.

"Mom!" Having just escaped death, Xiao Liu couldn't help but burst into tears, hugging Liu Xiaoli tightly. Mud from his combat boots fell off, leaving dark marks on the marble floor of the entryway.

The girl's subconscious bending down to accommodate her mother's height reminded Liu Xiaoli of the time when her daughter was nine years old and stumbled into her arms for the first time wearing ballet shoes.

The arms wrapped around her waist still have that soft curve I remember.

"I'm back, I'm fine." Liu Yifei's voice came from the top of her head, hoarse from the mountain winds of Sichuan.

Liu Xiaoli suddenly touched a barely perceptible scab on the back of her daughter's neck. Her fingertips trembled as if burned. That was the little dimple that Liu Xiaoli used to love to kiss when she was a baby.

The floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the shadows of a mother and daughter embracing affectionately. The tall girl resembled a spruce tree that had been broken by the wind yet still stood tall, while her mother, hanging on her, was like a lucky charm tied to the treetop, the red string long faded but still tightly wrapped around her.

Although she learned by phone that she was safe on the night of the disaster, it was only when she felt her daughter's body temperature that Liu Xiaoli truly felt at ease.

She gently traced the barely noticeable wound with her fingers: "Are you injured anywhere else? How did you get that on your neck?"

"Oh, I got scratched by a branch yesterday while I was helping the villagers harvest tea trees, but it's nothing," Liu Yifei said with a smile.

"Just like that joke Lu Kuan told while filming, this is the kind of small cut that would have healed by the time you went to the hospital later, haha."

Liu Xiaoli wiped away her tears, looked at her sweet little girl who was comforting her, patted her cheek with relief, and couldn't help but hug her tightly.

The night breeze from the Wenyu River swept through the hall, and the moonlight cast two silhouettes on the ground, one leaning against the other. The larger one was slightly hunched over, and the smaller one was standing on tiptoe. The twenty years in between were compressed into the warmth of their close-knit bodies.

When I was little, you held me; now that I'm grown up, I hold you.

Liu Yifei helped her mother take off her muddy combat boots outside the door. Liu Xiaoli asked in surprise, "What kind of shoes are you wearing? Where are your own shoes?"

"I only brought a pair of high heels for filming a public service advertisement and a pair of flat shoes. They were inconvenient to wear these days as I was running around. A PLA soldier who was helping with disaster relief gave me a pair, and they are quite comfortable to wear."

In the aftermath of a disaster, roads are rugged and uneven, making combat boots safer and more convenient due to their thick soles and non-slip treads.

Just like Yang Rui of the General Armaments Department's recognition and affection for Boss Lu, Xiao Liu, an atypical female celebrity who never causes trouble, already had a good public image, and her popularity with serious drama audiences improved even more after "The Sky of History".

As she gets older and her acting roles broaden, her fan base has expanded from different ages and professions, gradually breaking out of the teenage demographic.

Liu Xiaoli had already personally cooked a table full of dishes and was placing them on the table one by one: "Xiao Lu should be back soon, right? I called A Fei to invite him to dinner."

Liu Yifei washed her hands and came out of the kitchen: "He has an emergency meeting and probably won't get home until 11 o'clock. Afei won't eat at home either; he'll go straight to the Olympic Building to find him."

"Oh dear, then we'll have to waste food today. You three can all eat, so I specially made a few extra dishes."

Liu Xiaoli was somewhat annoyed, as she had been retired from her position as her daughter's part-time assistant and part-time agent for almost two years.

I'm currently engrossed in tending to my flowers and plants and improving my culinary skills, and I've gained quite a bit of experience. It seems I won't be able to enjoy the thrill of watching diners feast today.

"Hey? How can you talk like that, you old mother?" Liu Xiaolv complained. "What do you mean you three can eat all that? How could a female celebrity like me have such a big appetite?"

"Nonsense!"

Liu Xiaoli pursed her lips and gestured to the full bowl of rice she had served her: "How about I give you some?"

"Never mind, it's already served." Liu Yifei snatched the rice bowl from her hands.

She wasn't usually one to be pretentious, but after a week on the front lines, she couldn't possibly have taken care of her food and lodging, and it had been a long time since she'd had a proper, delicious meal.

Liu Yifei pounced on the food like a hungry tiger, her pretty face showing no concern for her image.

Her cheeks were bulging, making her look like a hamster stealing pine cones, yet she was still so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

Liu Xiaoli watched her daughter eat for a while with a smile, then couldn't help but tease her: "Why are you becoming less and less ladylike? If I were Xiaolu, I would dislike you."

"Dare he?"

"I used to be a beautiful, quiet, and ladylike young lady. Now I've become like this, and it's all his fault. He has to take responsibility!"

Liu Xiaolu's almond-shaped eyes widened, like a cat with its fur standing on end, but she was too embarrassed to utter anything more unladylike, such as "I'll beat him to death."

Liu Xiaoli smiled and rolled her eyes at her proud daughter, then took her bowl and ladled a few spoonfuls of pork rib and lotus root soup.

“These are Jiangcheng specialties that your aunt brought back from her last trip to Beiping. She went back first after knowing you were alright, and didn’t dare tell your grandparents about what happened to you.”

"Oh, she called me yesterday." Xiao Liu took the soup bowl with a hearty appetite. The smoked pork ribs, browned from smoking, sank to the bottom of the soup, while the lotus root pieces were stewed until soft and tender, with a few scallions floating on the surface.

As if recalling something pleasant, a sweet, smug smile appeared in the girl's dimples, and the tips of her chopsticks clattered against the bottom of the bowl: "Mom, I have something to tell you."

"Ok?"

Liu Xiaoli looked up and saw her daughter's long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her eyelids, her fair cheeks slightly flushed.

She mistook it for the steam from hot soup, unaware that it was a "projection" of good news.

"Hmm..." Xiao Liu thought about how to express herself clearly. There was indeed no cause and effect to this matter, and of course she wouldn't reveal a single word about her boyfriend's secrets.

"When did you learn to speak in such a breathy way? Hurry up and tell me!" Liu Xiaoli said, feigning annoyance.

Liu Yifei lowered her head slightly and then reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear with a sense of ceremony. The delicate earrings were faintly visible among her dark hair, making her look even more gentle and charming.

"Um... Comrade Liu Xiaoli!"

"Lu Kuan and I are getting married!"

"What? Really?!" Xiao Liu's voice was already a little loud due to emotional fluctuations, but he didn't expect his mother's voice to be even louder.

She stood up excitedly, her voice trembling slightly, as if afraid of disturbing this unexpected good news.

"When did you decide?" Liu Xiaoli walked around the table and sat down next to her daughter, casually tossing the chopsticks in her hand aside. "Why so suddenly? Luckily, your mother doesn't have a heart condition, otherwise she would have fainted from excitement to cheer her up."

Liu Yifei naturally couldn't explain how she spent eight years discovering those clues to glimpse a hidden corner of the time traveler's past and present lives.

Even though the fog before her eyes had not completely dissipated, the girl had long since lost interest in continuing to explore, because it was pointless.

His willingness to venture into dangerous territory is the clearest and most meaningful answer he can give to himself.

So the arrogant Liu Xiaolv learned someone's usual trick and began to fabricate facts: "That day, the setting sun was like blood, and suddenly the mountains collapsed and the earth split open. Amidst the flying sand and stones, we narrowly escaped death."

"By the time we finished cleaning up the mess at the base, the moon was cold and the stars were few. Lu Kuan was utterly terrified. He hugged me in the tent, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face—"

"Sissi! Marry me!"

"Sissi! How can I live without you!"

"I felt sorry for him and agreed because I was soft-hearted. Now I can't go back on my word."

This talented young actress from mainland China, who is currently studying at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, burst into laughter before she even finished her performance, giggling like a hen laying an egg.

The elderly mother watched as her daughter's chubby, pink teeth blossomed before her eyes, and said with a helpless smirk, "This kind of scene is probably what netizens call a bad movie these days, right?"

"If you reverse the roles of the two people in the story, I might be able to believe it a little."

"Besides, I feel that your Berlin Film Festival Best Actress award is somewhat inflated. What kind of acting was that? Going to study some more is the right thing to do."

"Hahaha!" Liu Yifei laughed heartily, then wiped her mouth with a tissue after a while: "Oh well, the atmosphere just got right, so he hugged me..."

Before Xiao Liu could finish speaking, the clear sound of wind chimes rang out in front of the foyer, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of night dew rushed in.

"Why are you back early?" Liu Yifei looked at her smiling boyfriend with surprise, and Afei also changed his shoes and came into the house.

After not seeing each other for almost a week, his girlfriend couldn't help but be a little affectionate in front of his family: "Have you been missing me terribly?"

"Eh~~~" Washing Machine pouted and looked at her with the expression of an old man on the subway. Afei also touched the goosebumps on his arm with a little embarrassment.

Lu Kuan then turned to Liu Xiaoli with a smile: "Leader Liu had something come up at the last minute, so the meeting was canceled. Hurry back so you can still have a hot meal."

"How about I cook a few more dishes? You guys have some water first." Liu Xiaoli stood up with a smile.

It must be said that the old mother's way of dealing with people is full of details.

Previously, considering that the two were not yet married, they felt it was unreasonable to let Xiao Liu's maternal grandmother, aunt and others move in, even for the short period of the Spring Festival. They preferred to have them stay at their own villa in Changping first.

The mother and daughter had eaten half of their meal, and they felt it would be impolite to give more to the two who had just returned home, even though they were already so close.

This is an outward manifestation of her personal cultivation, and also shows her unwillingness to hold her daughter back and be criticized by her husband's family, demonstrating many traditional virtues and wisdom of Chinese mothers.

The worldly-wise Boss Lu immediately understood when he saw the large table of food: "No need, even the three of us might not be able to finish all this food."

He then gestured to Liu Xiaoli, who was holding his arm, and said, "Unless Xiaoli performs normally, she eats more than me right now."

As he spoke, he picked up his girlfriend's chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib, and slurped it down instantly. The amber-colored broth coated the distinct marbling of the meat.

"Delicious! It's so good with rice! Ah Fei, hurry up and get two bowls of rice, or Xiao Liu will eat them all if we don't grab them soon."

"Oh!"

Liu Xiaoli smiled and patted Afei's shoulder, telling him to sit down: "I'll get some, I'll get some. You guys eat quickly, or it'll get cold."

The living room lights cast a warm yellow glow, enveloping the dining table in a soft, warm hue.

The night outside the window was quiet, and the silhouettes of the family sitting around the table were faintly reflected in the glass. The mutual respect made the slight awkwardness gradually melt away in the soft clatter of the bowls and chopsticks.

Liu Yifei just watched her boyfriend eat with a smile on her face, occasionally putting food on his plate, completely forgetting the topic she had just mentioned to her mother.

It was only then that Liu Xiaoli experienced the sense of accomplishment of being a family chef, watching her creations being devoured with praise and compliments.

But she hadn't forgotten something so important that she'd be too excited to sleep tonight: "Xiao Lu, Qianqian just said you two are getting married?"

"Huh? You said it?"

Seeing his girlfriend nod excitedly, Lu Kuan wiped his mouth, his expression becoming somewhat serious. He neatly placed his chopsticks horizontally on the bowl, straightened his back, and turned his back to Liu Xiaoli.

Even Ah Fei, who was engrossed in eating, put down his chopsticks and looked at him, puzzled.

"Auntie, well... Sisi and I have been dating for quite some time now."

"In addition to the many things we've experienced together over the years, the difficulties we've overcome, and the small achievements we've each made in our respective jobs..."

"We believe that now is a suitable time to move on to the next stage of life."

"Therefore, we are now formally seeking the organization's approval!"

Lu Kuan sat upright at the dining table, the warm yellow light softening his sharp features.

His slightly forward-leaning upper body formed a taut, upright posture, his shoulder and neck lines as sharp as a fine brushstroke in a traditional Chinese painting, and his jawline appeared even more resolute in the interplay of light and shadow. Of course, before he could even utter his last word, Liu Xiaoli, whose mother-in-law was finding her son-in-law increasingly pleasing to the eye, was already beaming with delight.

"I agree! I couldn't agree more! I wish I could move the Civil Affairs Bureau to your house right now!"

The elderly mother, unusually, made a joke, but still couldn't resist gossiping about her daughter and son-in-law: "Xiao Lu, did something happen to you two recently that made you suddenly decide to get married?"

A former "Five Ones" female dancer in her forties now only wants to follow the trend of young people and indulge in some CP (couple) fandom. She's already fantasizing about this perfect couple starring in an idol drama.

"Oh! This!" With the organization's approval, Boss Lu's expression became more relaxed. He scratched his head and said, "Actually, it's like this. Xiao Liu, don't be embarrassed. The organization wants to know, so I still have to report the truth."

He naturally couldn't reveal their "love that transcends time" to his face, so he made up a story on the spot.

The Berlin Film Festival Best Actor winner clearly got into character faster and more thoroughly, frowning as he recalled that afternoon a week ago: "That day, things happened suddenly, and we were all just lucky to escape, trapped in the Wolong base."

"The rescue tents had just been set up that night, and Xiao Liu was a little emotionally affected, so he hugged me tightly."

"Later, as you all saw on TV, I had to operate a drone to facilitate the opening of the passage. Just before I left, Xiao Liu suddenly grabbed me!"

"Tears streamed down his face, and snot flowed freely!"

"Lu Kuan! I want to marry you right now!"

"If anything were to happen to you, how could I live without you!"

"Cough cough!" Liu Yifei, who was drinking water next to him, was shocked by his shamelessness, which was just as she had been. She stared at him with wide eyes and almost choked on her water.

Ah Fei had also listened to enough, and for some reason, he couldn't pick up his bowl and chopsticks again.

A little... a little disgusting.

Although he knew nothing about film art, this little story was clearly not that interesting.

The boss has been serving the country this year, focusing all his energy on the Olympics, and has also been indulging in beautiful women, so he must be a bit rusty now.

Liu Xiaoli looked at the couple in front of her with a strange expression, whom she had thought were the "male and female leads of an idol drama," and suddenly lost all interest in shipping them.

Even we middle-aged and elderly women don't like watching this kind of plot. It's a waste of your good looks; you couldn't even come up with a better story.

Hey!
The elderly mother's expression and thoughts were inscrutable. Using the excuse of getting them more rice, she got up and went to the kitchen, muttering something almost inaudibly to herself.

The Berlin Film Festival is indeed a bit lackluster; even the Best Actor and Best Actress winners looked like complete wimps.
-
As night deepened, the lights on the second floor of the main villa on the banks of the Wenyu River dimmed, and the shadows of trees swayed outside the French windows. The early summer breeze, carrying the fragrance of locust blossoms, gently brushed against the gauze curtains.

The newlyweds, feeling a renewed sense of camaraderie after a long separation, feared their intimate conversations might leak out and cause their elderly mother in the next building to hear them and die, so they kept their doors and windows tightly shut.

Xiao Liu stood barefoot on the carpet, the straps of her silk nightgown hanging loosely on her shoulders, with faint red marks still visible on her collarbone.

She hooked her fingertips around Lu Kuan's shirt collar and gave it a gentle tug, her voice languid and coquettish: "You little rascal, you're mimicking me!"

"Hey, that's definitely not right. How did my lying skills fall to the same level as yours? I've regressed too much!"

The washing machine fluttered incessantly like a butterfly, its hot iron making the girl's pretty face in my arms blush even more.

Liu Yifei unabashedly exuded her charm, like a cunning little fox, rubbing her smooth legs against the fabric of his trousers.

However, the slightly awkward teasing first sent a shiver down his spine.

The washing machine was burning with desire. Its nose brushed against her neck, its breath hot, and its lips lightly brushed against her delicate red lips, yet remained elusive.

Xiao Liu, still inexperienced, suddenly felt a tingling sensation throughout his body and could no longer resist such a tender and ambiguous feeling.

So he disregarded his own principle of "cleaning the house before eating" and took over, placing the washing machine on the sofa.

The floor lamp's glow spread across the sheer curtains, creating a soft amber hue. The silk nightgown slipped into the folds of the sofa, like moonlight shattered by the night breeze.

Lu Kuan's calloused palm brushed against her shoulder blades, sending a shiver down her spine. The sensation mingled with the scent of locust blossoms filtered through the air conditioner, weaving a dense net in the enclosed space.

The two were feeling parched and stifled in the heat, so Xiao Liu begged him to open the window a crack, her soft, coquettish voice trembling.

The night breeze lifted a corner of the curtains, revealing a star-studded sky outside the window. After some time, the washing machine stopped.

Only the buzzing sound of dehydration still lingered in Liu Yifei's ears, mingling with the overlapping heartbeats of the two of them, creating ripples in the silence.

"I'm really going to die..."

The blush on the girl's face spread almost from behind her ears to her neck. The moonlight shone on her reclining curves, like a silver snake quietly unfurling in the night, or a jade belt faintly visible in the mist. Every inch of her skin was imbued with a cool and soft luster.

Boss Lu breathed a satisfied sigh of relief and, without saying another word, picked up the girl and went to clean up the mess.

After all that commotion, it was almost 11 p.m. when they finally cuddled up and fell asleep.

Xiao Liu lay in his arms, scratching the half-open eyes of the washing machine with her hair: "When will I be able to turn the tide of battle?"

"Hmm?" Boss Lu raised his eyelids and looked at the king of trash talk. Every time he boasted before a match, he ended up losing miserably. "It's impossible in this lifetime. I can beat you in all age groups."

"Tch! Don't forget you're five years older than me! Just you wait and see." Liu Yifei teased her deliberately, only able to vent her frustration with such banter each time.

Boss Lu scoffed: "It's fine if I'm fifty years older than you."

"In the world of martial arts, speed is the only thing that cannot be broken. That's exactly what you are. You are the one who breaks through very quickly."

"Get lost!" Xiao Liu giggled and stroked his stubble, then excitedly brought up the topic of marriage: "Do you have any plans? Like, when? Where? How?"

Either Liu Yifei is inexperienced, or you're talking to a washing machine in a post-coital state about this—isn't that hypnosis?

He's very compliant when we chat before meals, but he's completely indifferent when we chat after meals.

"Hmm..." Lu Kuan smacked his lips. "I suggest that the marriage registration and wedding be held on your birthday."

"Hiss!" Boss Lu felt his two leg hairs being plucked out by the root, and every pore emitted a hoarse wail.

Xiao Liu leaned closer to his face with an unfriendly look: "If you keep giving me this rubbish, I'll beat you up, okay? You just want to take the easy way out, don't you?"

"Why get married if you want to save yourself the trouble? Go back to washing your clothes!"

"I'm not just going through the motions!" Boss Lu said innocently, "Birthday, marriage registration, and wedding date all falling into one—that's not just triple happiness, it's happiness to the power of three!"

"Oh, by the way, a child's birthday is also a mother's day of suffering. This day is very important to Aunt Liu, to the fourth power!"

Liu Yifei gritted her teeth in anger: "If you keep doing this, I'll really lose my temper!"

"I was wrong, I was wrong." Lu Kuan put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and rubbed her cheeks with his large hand. "This is all based on your opinion. This isn't my first time getting married!"

"Look, I've given you my first love, my first kiss, my first time, and my first marriage. Isn't that enough sincerity?"

Liu Xiaolv was amused by his shamelessness and turned over to sit on the washing machine's lap.

As a disciple of Gru, who possessed exceptional control over his body's muscles, he precisely pressed his tailbone against Pinocchio's nose, squinting at him: "If you continue to shirk your responsibilities, I'll destroy your machine and kill you."

The washing machine wished it had the right tools, and tried to appease her gently: "Tomorrow is May 20th, how about we go get our marriage certificate tomorrow?"

Hmm, this date is easy to remember, not much different from a birthday.

"Yes!" Xiao Liu happily kissed him on the lips: "520 is a great suggestion!"

"No, no." Liu Yifei paused for two seconds and then waved her hands repeatedly: "Now is really not the right time. Our little family still needs to take care of the larger family."

Lu Kuan understood what she meant. After all, she had just returned from disaster relief on the front lines. Even though she felt somewhat at ease because she had done what she could, it was not appropriate to make a big fuss at this stage.

Even if they keep a low profile, can entertainment reporters and the Civil Affairs Bureau guarantee that the information will not be leaked?
By any measure, it seems completely out of step with the current national atmosphere.

Mr. Lu put his arm around her shoulder and said, "It's right to consider the impact. Let's do it after the Olympics, no rush."

"Even if you suddenly have a whim that day, we can let power run wild just once. We can ask Leader Liu to put in a word with the Civil Affairs Bureau. It's not like we can do it anytime, anywhere."

"You can think about how to hold the wedding first, whether it's Chinese or Western style, at home or elsewhere."

Liu Yifei asked in bewilderment, "Wenyuhe Prefecture is so big, it's perfect for a wedding. Where else could we go?"

Lu Kuan said, half-seriously and half-jokingly, "The financial crisis is getting worse and worse. Private jets and private islands are all depreciating. The house we bought in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, has probably lost half its value by now, right?"

When I bought the house, I was considering the frequent business trips between the two cities. For filmmakers, Los Angeles is definitely the city where they have the most contact with the United States.

The devaluation was certainly within his expectations, but the earlier he bought, the sooner he could enjoy it, and this drop was just a drop in the ocean compared to the returns from his subprime mortgage investments.

Xiao Liu's almond-shaped eyes widened: "Buy a small island?"

She clicked her tongue at the rich dog: "Did you lack a house in your past life? Why do you have to acquire a fixed asset wherever you go?"

"A dozen or so courtyard houses in Beiping, houses in New York and Los Angeles, and this place you're living in now could be called a manor, so how come you're going to become an island owner next?"

Boss Lu laughed and said, "The island looks luxurious, but in reality, it might not be much more expensive than this house."

"However, buying the island is only the first step; the real costs are the transportation, infrastructure, and annual maintenance."

His hands habitually gathered and twisted gently, while skillfully drawing a sweet-smelling pancake:
"Just imagine how wonderful our trip to Italy was. Imagine if we had a small island in the Mediterranean or the Aegean Sea as our private estate to get married, and then lived there after retirement..."

In the previous life, the global financial crisis of 2008-2010 did indeed lead to a devaluation of global assets, with private island prices generally falling by 30%-50%.

The asking price of islands in the Caribbean alone fell from $3000 million in 2007 to around $1500 million in 2010, as many wealthy individuals were forced to sell non-core assets due to the liquidity crisis.

For example, Icelandic singer Björk put his Icelandic island of Ellieaey up for sale in 2009;
Johnny Depp sold Little Hall Island in the Bahamas in 2009 due to financial problems, listing it for $5000 million;
Even the Greek shipping magnates couldn't withstand the pressure of crumbling debts and mortgaged several Aegean islands, including Skopelos, to banks.

How could a pure-hearted girl like Liu Xiaolv resist such a tempting offer?

The short film is already playing in my mind.

She imagined the white sand as fine as grains of salt, and that walking barefoot on it would sink into a carpet woven from moonlight and wave foam.

She imagined palm leaves fluttering in the wind to form the dome of a church, with hymns strung with pearls hanging from each vein.
She imagined the sunset painting the coral reefs a rose gold hue for their wedding rings, the sound of the tide like the deepest notes of an organ, and the spray from dolphins leaping out of the water like ribbons of blessing to the newlyweds.

Xiao Liu suddenly bit her lower lip shyly: "I'm going to tell you something, but please don't laugh."

"Ok?"

"I started fantasizing about my future wedding when I was ten years old—"

"One of the scenes is on a small island, an island with a glass chapel."

"The floor was transparent, and you could see tropical fish swimming past your feet when you looked down. When the priest said, 'You may kiss the bride now,' the entire coral reef glowed..."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "Forget about the church, but if I really buy the island, I can build a Taoist temple. I can't betray my master and ancestors!"

Xiao Liu's teenage fantasy time came to an end: "Forget it, this is a bit too extravagant."

"Wenjie is currently competing with Wanda for cinema rights, and the mall is still relentlessly pursuing Ali. They are short of funds in all aspects, so you'd better stop wasting money."

Liu Yifei covered her mouth and laughed, "I've already been criticized for me being the Director of this damned position of Director Liu. If you buy an island to get married, you'll be completely like the one who played with the princes by lighting the beacon fires."

"At that time, you will be a foolish and tyrannical ruler who was bewitched by beauty, and I will be infamous for ten thousand years along with you."

She adorably poked her fair cheeks with her fingers, her fingertips creating shallow dimples on her soft cheeks.

Although she firmly declined her boyfriend's suggestion, it was still clear that she was almost lost in a dream about a wedding on this small island.

Mr. Lu smiled and didn't continue the topic.

However, Wenjie doesn't have that much spare money right now, but he might still have some windfall when the financial crisis comes to an end.

The young couple, who had been separated for a long time, chatted and laughed until almost midnight. Xiao Liu refused her fiancé's request to have sex again, citing that she had to sing on stage the next day and was afraid of overusing her voice.

As the night deepens and the water clock drips still, I curl up in my quilt and sleep peacefully.

The moon casts shadows on the flowers, and the night passes in silence.

(End of this chapter)