Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Zhang Ruiyi got up from the bed, walked to the bedroom door, pressed her ear against the door, and listened carefully.

There was no sound at all; Mom and Dad must be asleep.

She breathed a sigh of relief, returned to the mirror, and examined her makeup and the sky-blue dress she was wearing.

She loosened her hair clip, tossed her honey-colored hair until it fell in front of her.

Now that she is twenty-three years old, her body is beginning to show perfect female characteristics.

She had an oval face, with delicate black eyebrows above a pair of round, childlike eyes that shone with the mature light of a young woman. Her neck was long and slender, and her figure was equally slim. Her hips had a soft curve, and her long legs had even attracted the attention of two modeling agencies who sent representatives to visit her university, only to be rejected, leaving them shaking their heads in disappointment.

Zhang Ruiyi slung her handbag over her shoulder, took out her phone, and sent a text message to a friend saying she would be there soon. The phone showed the time as 12:32 AM.

She turned off the light, carefully pressed the doorknob, opened the door, picked up her high heels, and stepped into the hallway.

The living room was pitch black.

She walked barefoot up the marble steps to the first floor, tiptoed to her parents' bedroom, and only when she saw that no light was seeping out from under the door did she feel relieved and went into the storage room to find two bottles of Lamborghini red wine in gift boxes.

The red wine was a birthday gift for my father last month. There was a banner on the gift box that read, "Happy Birthday, Manager Zhang Qiming! May your career flourish and your family be healthy and happy!"

Zhang Ruiyi took the red wine, walked to the entrance, put on her high heels, and went out the door.

Moonlight shone on the swimming pool in the center of the courtyard, making the water ripple, while a gentle breeze whispered among the osmanthus trees beside the fence gate.

She looked around to make sure the yard was empty, then walked along the gravel path to the garage, opened the car door, and got into her red Alfa Romeo sports car.

The sports car was a gift from her father on her eighteenth birthday. That day, Zhang Qiming unusually canceled all his social engagements and personally handed her the car keys tied with a bow. In Zhang Ruiyi's heart, only Zhang Qiming at that moment could be considered a qualified and good father.

Zhang Ruiyi turned the key, and the deafening roar of the engine pierced the night, the headlights came on.

Just then, she suddenly saw a figure blocking the light from the car's headlights.

Zhang Ruiyi was shocked; her chest heaved violently, and she almost screamed.

"Where are you going so late?"

Zhang Ruiyi watched the figure walk around to the car door, then let out a long sigh of relief. It was her father.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Ruiyi rolled down the car window and shouted, "It's the middle of the night, you're terrifying!"

Zhang Qiming looked at her seriously: "Me, scary? Why are you dressed like that in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"I... my friend is sick, I'm going to see her," Zhang Ruiyi said, turning her head away to avoid Zhang Qiming's gaze.

"Hmph, sick." Zhang Qiming leaned over her and picked up the two bottles of red wine from the passenger seat. "Bringing wine to visit a sick person? I think you just sneaked out to attend some party!"

Zhang Ruiyi suddenly turned her head and looked at Zhang Qiming in disbelief, feeling her body begin to tremble.

"What do you mean by 'sneaking out'?" Her voice involuntarily rose, and she heard her own shrill voice. "I'm not a prisoner! I'm twenty-three years old! So what if I'm going to a party? So what if I'm going out to hang out with my friends? Don't you like going to meetings and social events? Now you're suddenly concerned about me!"

"Even when you're thirty, you still have to listen to your father!" Zhang Qiming said sternly. "You're going back to your room to sleep right now, and you're not allowed to go anywhere!"

Zhang Ruiyi, panting heavily, looked at Zhang Qiming, her eyes gradually filling with tears. Then she pushed open the car door, jumped out, ran onto the gravel road, rushed back into the house, and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"You're just a rigid and nagging old man!"

......

"A rigid and nagging old man?" Li Ting said. "Did she really say that?"

"Hmm," Zhang Qiming sighed, patting the pillow flat so he could see his wife's face. "She's lying and talking back now, and she even drinks! If this child isn't disciplined soon, she'll really be out of control."

Waking his wife up in the middle of the night to complain wasn't Zhang Qiming's style, but he knew he had to find someone to talk to right away, instead of waiting until tomorrow, otherwise the night would be incredibly long.

Li Ting rolled over and leaned against him: "But the child is older now, she has her own social life, and sometimes she stays out a little late..."

"Occasionally?" Zhang Qiming rubbed his chin. "Tingting, you can't always protect her like this! Do you know how reckless young people are these days? I'm just worried she'll get taken advantage of!"

Li Ting nodded without saying a word. Whenever the couple argued, Li Ting would immediately stop offering advice and let her husband make the decision, which made Zhang Qiming feel gratified.

"What can we do?" she said after a while. "We can't just keep her locked up at home 24 hours a day."

Zhang Qiming blinked a few times, watching the teak fan blades on the ceiling slowly turn.

"If you ask me, it's time for her to get a proper boyfriend. Once she has her own love life, she won't want to hang out with her bunch of frivolous friends all the time."

"That also depends on her own wishes. If she doesn't want to do it, no one can force her."

"Well, we could try to set her up with someone."

Li Ting looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Do you still remember Han Baohua?" Zhang Qiming continued, trying to express his thoughts. "Six years ago, when I was working at the post office, I asked him to help me make a booklet."

"Is it the one who owns a publishing house?"

"Yes, that's him," Zhang Qiming said. "His son, Han Fei, is currently running the publishing house. I met him a while ago; he's a very nice young man, only in his early twenties. Handsome, well-mannered, positive, insightful, and he even signed a project with me. President Han used to be a respectable person, and we even had some connections. Sigh... I just forgot to ask him if he has a girlfriend."

"You mean...?"

"I'll visit President Han at the hospital another day, and while I'm at it, I'll arrange to meet Han Fei so he can get to know Rui Yi."

"But he's an intellectual; will he get along with our Ruiyi?"

Zhang Qiming smiled wearily: "You're wrong about that. I'm an educated man too, and we still get along well, don't we?"

"What are you saying?" Li Ting said, pinching his arm.

"It's settled then," Zhang Qiming said, propping himself up on his arms and reaching over her to turn off the bedside lamp. "Let's go to sleep."