Chapter 62: Sooner or Later, Even the Bed Will Collapse

Chapter 62: Sooner or Later, Even the Bed Will Collapse

Recently, newspapers have stopped caring about the Nationalist Army's victories or defeats.

After all, the Nationalist Army losing battles has become the norm, and everyone is used to it.

Currently, the two hottest topics both happen to be related to Lin Yufan.

The first is that the movie *The Gold Heist*, which is currently being filmed, is expected to be released before the Lantern Festival.

In Hong Kong, where life goes on as usual even if the sky falls, people are extremely enthusiastic about the film adaptation of *The Gold Heist*.

Based on a true story, written and scripted by the richest man's wife, directed by a Hollywood returnee, and featuring a real-life Green Gang leader...

From the birth of the novel to the release of the movie, every citizen feels deeply involved. One can imagine what a spectacular event it will be upon its release.

The other hot topic is whether Hong Kong will see snow on New Year's Eve!

Several newspapers are almost at each other's throats over this issue.

The no-snow camp argues that even the most powerful divination techniques, such as consulting Mi Xian, cannot change the fact that Hong Kong's subtropical location has never seen snow in recorded history.

On the other hand, the snow camp argues that never say never. While Hong Kong has never seen snow, there have been frosts during severe cold spells, and elderly villagers in high-altitude areas reported seeing snow thirty years ago.

At first, the two camps exchanged views amicably, but as attention grew, the newspaper debates grew increasingly fierce.

Due to the immense popularity of the topic, a betting company opened a pool, and many people started placing bets.

The wealthy men, appearing more rational, were even more skeptical of the divination results, especially after hearing that Mi Xian was a woman. Most of them bet on "no snow on New Year's Eve."

The wealthy women, however, were different. Initially, they also thought it wouldn't snow, but after reading more articles, they gradually shifted their support to Lin Yufan, who is also a woman. Ordinary folks believed that Mi Xian had accurately predicted the end and outcome of the Huaihai Campaign, so they trusted her abilities, regardless of whether she was a man or a woman. To them, as long as she was divine, they believed and worshipped her. Thus, this group bet on "snow on New Year's Eve."

The two sides were evenly matched. The men had more money, while the women and common folk had more numbers. However, the overall pool slightly favored the men betting on "no snow."

In other words, the odds for snow were better. If it did snow on New Year's Eve, those who bet on snow would win more.

Xu Yinger, who was in charge of the New Year's Eve snow special report for *Hong Kong Ming Daily*, received praise and recognition from the editorial office for her work, which sparked a heated discussion and had a significant impact. As a newcomer, she was thrilled.

Delighted by the recognition, Xu Yinger treated the entire B-team of the scriptwriting department to a meal.

Xu Yinger asked Zhao Lixiang, "Brother Xiang, do you want to invite Miss Ji to dinner tonight?"

Zhao Lixiang was tinkering with his camera: "Didn't you say you were only inviting our department?"

Xu Yinger: "Family members of the department can also be invited."

Zhao Lixiang was slightly taken aback, then laughed: "What family members? It's not what you think. It's just that our family and the Ji family have a good relationship, that's all."

This conversation happened to be overheard by Ji Shuping, who pretended not to hear it and walked over with a smile, handing Xu Yinger a small gift: "Yinger, this is for you. Congratulations on your first successful report."

Xu Yinger accepted it with a smile: "Thank you, Sister Shuping. By the way, are you free tonight? Our department is going out for dinner."

Ji Shuping gladly accepted: "Sure, I'll shamelessly join your gathering. By the way, have you placed any bets with the betting company that opened the pool recently?"

Xu Yinger was very interested: "Not yet, where can I buy it?"

Ji Shuping: "You can buy it near my place. Do you want to? I'm going to place a bet tomorrow and can help you buy it too."

"How much are you betting?"

"I'll just buy 10 yuan, wagering on snow on New Year's Eve, just for fun. It's a way to support Sister Yufan."

"Then I'll follow you and buy 10 yuan, also wagering on snow on New Year's Eve! Whether it snows or not, I'm going to wager on this."

"Me too," said Ji Shuping, looking at Zhao Lixiang who was still adjusting his camera. "Hey, are you going to wager?"

Without looking up, Zhao Lixiang replied, "I'll also wager 10 yuan, just to be part of the excitement."

*

Lin Yufan has been keeping herself occupied lately. Her fifth brother helped set up the film company initially, and later they allocated an office on the second floor of the publishing house for the film company.

The film company was named "Square Inch," signifying "within a square inch, there is a world."

The signs for "Square Inch Pictures" and "Seeking Light Press" were displayed side by side outside the first floor.

That day, Lin Yufan stood outside the office building looking at the signs and noticed that the name of Qunqing Press was missing.

Just then, Wang Muxun returned from outside and stood beside her, asking, "What’s caught your eye?"

Lin Yufan's attitude towards Wang Muxun was a bit cooler than before. "Looking at the signs."

When they went upstairs, in the second-floor office, they saw Director Chen, Lin Yuwu, and A Yong, the printing manager, talking. Lin Yufan remarked, "Director Chen, the sign on the first floor is missing the name of Qunqing Press."

Director Chen asked, "Do we need to include it?"

"I thought about it, Qunqing Press was left by the previous owner after all, perhaps we should consider renaming it."

"Change it to what? Should we gather suggestions for a new name?"

Lin Yufan replied, "We'll discuss it in the meeting later."

Wang Muxun, who was following Lin Yufan, noticed and felt the change in her attitude towards him. Just as he was feeling down, Lin Yufan turned around and addressed him, "Wang Muxun, you think about it too."

Wang Muxun's cool demeanor instantly warmed up. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Yufan!" Lin Yuwu pulled her aside to speak. "A Yong just said there's a printing factory that's struggling and wants to sell. That factory used to be quite large."

Lin Yufan was curious, "Other printing factories are fully booked, why is theirs struggling and wants to sell?"

A Yong, who was standing nearby, explained, "Their printing prices are high, but they often make mistakes, so we rarely place orders with them."

Lin Yuwu said, "It’s likely a management issue."

Lin Yufan then instructed her fifth brother to handle the negotiations.

"I'll go talk to them as soon as possible. It's almost New Year, if we don't finalize the deal before the New Year, they might not need the money and won't want to sell after the New Year." Lin Yuwu had been spending more time at the publishing house lately and knew they urgently needed their own printing factory.

Lin Yufan headed inside, and her fifth brother followed.

Entering the office of Square Inch Pictures, only two employees were present.

One was Hong Yu, who was in charge of finance, and the other was a newly hired executive, A Liang.

Lin Yufan asked, "How’s Director Shen’s progress been lately?"

"The original plan was to finish shooting in 12 days, but now it's delayed by 3 days. Director Shen is very strict, and he wants to reshoot many scenes he's not satisfied with. Since the budget is sufficient, I haven't rushed him. After finishing the shooting, he won't rest during the New Year and will directly start editing, aiming to have the film ready for your review before the seventh day of the New Year."

Lin Yuwu had great respect for Director Shen Jie. He was the type who respected those with strength, and if someone didn't have strength, it was better not to speak in front of him.

Lin Yufan trusted her fifth brother's supervision: "Tell Director Shen to rest, a few days late doesn't matter."

Lin Yuwu's desk was at the very end, and he made tea for Lin Yufan, "You're such a workaholic, impossible to talk sense into."

As Lin Yufan sipped her hot tea, she glanced at the ledger Hong Yu handed her.

The film crew's expenses were high, but with Lin Yuwu overseeing the budget, only a little over twenty thousand of the forty thousand had been spent so far. Including unpaid wages, they estimated about four to five thousand would remain.

Lin Yufan thought for a moment, "The remaining money can be used for promotion."

Lin Yuwu was reluctant to spend money recklessly, "Everyone in the city knows our movie is coming out, do we still need promotion?"

"Think of it as buttering up the media. Sometimes you’ve got to spend money to make things work. If we don’t spend this money, they might trash us in their reviews later."

Lin Yufan remembered a blockbuster movie from her previous life that suffered because the producers didn't handle the media well, acting too arrogantly and offending the media without realizing it, which severely affected the box office later.

The magazine she worked for back then didn’t join in the criticism because the bosses were on good terms.

After hearing this, Lin Yuwu thought Lin Yufan made a good point, "You’ve got a good head on your shoulders."

"Xiao Qing usually handles media relations at the publishing house. I’ll have her work with you."

"I’ll go talk to her."

After this discussion, Lin Yufan went up to the third floor. The moment she stepped in, Hui Yan intercepted her, "President, Muxun mentioned you’re thinking of renaming Qunqing?"

Lin Yufan thought Hui Yan was reluctant to part with the name Qunqing, "What are your thoughts?"

Hui Yan smiled, "I’ve been meaning to mention this. We’ve just hit it big with the 30cent novels, and I heard from a friend that other publishing houses want to share our success by also making 30cent novels. I’m worried readers won’t know who started it, so why don't we just change the name of 'Qunqing Press' to 'Three Cents Press'."

Lin Yufan thought carefully, although the name was a bit vulgar, their novels were popular, and the name 'Three Cents' was quite fitting.

Before she could speak, A Jin beside her objected, "With prices soaring, our 30cent novels can't stay at that price. What happens when we have to charge four cents?"

Hui Yan countered, "It doesn't matter. We’re living in the now. Even if we raise prices later, it won't change the fact that we started with 30cent novels. We should keep the name to remind readers where we started. Wang Muxun, what do you think?"

Wang Muxun, busy with the final proofreading of the third issue of "Panorama" at the other end, waved his hand, "I support you."

Hui Yan looked at Lin Yufan, "President..."

Lin Yufan nodded, "Sometimes, the simplest names are the most elegant. The name 'Three Cents Press' is quite good."

"Right?!" Hui Yan laughed.

"Let Sister Hong handle the name change with the General Administration of Press and Publication and announce it in the papers. All future publications, including reprints, will bear the name 'Three Cents Press'."

Hui Yan quickly noted it down, "We’ll sort out the tasks in the meeting."

The first item on the meeting agenda was to finalize the name change of the publishing house. With just a few days left before New Year’s, they wrapped up pre-holiday tasks and finalized the holiday bonuses.

Director Chen announced, "This January, we pulled in a profit of 3,550 yuan. We have a total of 17 employees. The boss wants to give double pay to the old-timers, calculate bonuses for new employees based on their time of joining, and also give each person an extra New Year's red envelope, a food gift package, a cloth coupon, and for those with children, a package of candies and biscuits..."

Everyone listened wide-eyed, nearly jumping for joy.

"Thank you, President!"

"Cheers to the boss!"

"All that hard work paid off!"

The old-timers couldn’t believe their luck after the boss change.

Brother Zeng spontaneously recited a playful rhyme: "In the past, New Year was tough, but now it's full of laughter. In the past, New Year was truly hard, but now it's truly happy."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Happiness spreads like wildfire, and seeing everyone so cheerful, Lin Yufan was also delighted.

Sister Dao: "Families with children, please register with me later. Each child under 14 will get a pack of candies."

Someone asked: "Sister Dao, what's in the food package?"

Sister Dao: "It includes fish, meat, dried goods, and fresh fruits and vegetables. It will be distributed on the 29th of the lunar month."

In Hong Kong at this time, just after the relaxation of food control, prices had soared recently. The boss's food package was the most practical and saved them money.

Plus, they got a discount at Zhao's Huaye Trading Company, so the quantity was particularly ample, making the employees over the moon.

Seeing everyone happy, Lin Yufan was also pleased.

After finalizing the content for the third issue of the "Ask Rice" column with Wang Muxun, she headed home early.

Returning home, with the Third Concubine sick and not coming downstairs, and with one player short for mahjong, the Lin family's fifth sister-in-law stepped in.

Geng Dongping asked them: "New Year's Eve is almost here, have you placed your bets yet?"

Not betting was out of the question; Lin Yufan bet ten thousand.

But she downplayed it, saying, "I bet 20 yuan."

The fifth sister-in-law, Dai Ruyin, curiously asked: "Did you bet on snow or no snow?"

Lin Yufan: "Of course, I support our own magazine."

Chen Dandan laughed: "First Madam, your 20 yuan bet is a bit modest."

Dai Ruyin immediately defended her sister-in-law: "Small bets are just for fun; the thought counts."

Geng Dongping also said: "Exactly. I put down 20 yuan too."

Chen Dandan pointed outside: "Look at this sunshine; does it look like it's going to snow?"

Dai Ruyin: "Didn't you listen to the radio? There's heavy snow in Hubei and Hunan, but it usually doesn't reach Lingnan. But what if the snowstorm actually hits Hong Kong?"

Chen Dandan played a two of circles: "Then go ahead and bet."

"Kong." Dai Ruyin laughed, "You let me kong, I'll treat you to one."

"..." Chen Dandan didn't know how to counter her.

Lin Yufan struggled to keep a straight face, handing a soft candy to the fifth sister-in-law.

Dai Ruyin was sharp at reading the room, keeping the conversation lively, and sticking up for her own, making the mahjong table even more amusing and harmonious.

Kang Nian came back from outside. He was now working at Zhao's Huaye Trading Company, and this charity event in the shantytowns was his responsibility.

Kang Nian came in to report the progress to Lin Yufan.

"The tarpaulins have arrived first. We've been reinforcing the shacks in the shantytowns with the welfare department these days. Other supplies are expected to be ready one after another tomorrow or the day after and will be distributed the day before New Year's Eve. These supplies were initially donated under the company's name, but there's a risk of tax evasion. Zhi Ao suggested we make the donation in both your names. He asked me to check with you—is that alright?"

Lin Yufan didn't know that companies could avoid taxes by doing charity. She nodded: "Then let's use personal names."

Kang Nian responded, not in a rush to go downstairs, "Should we use 'Zhao Lin Yufan' or 'Lin Yufan' for your name?"

Lin Yufan had never thought about this issue before.

Kang Nian reminded her, "In Hong Kong, following British customs, women usually take their husband's surname."

Lin Yufan instinctively replied, "We are Chinese."

She was fine with being called Mrs. Zhao, but Zhao Lin Yufan felt like a surname change, which she couldn't emotionally accept.

"Moreover, my books and films are all signed as Lin Yufan."

Kang Nian understood Lin Yufan's point, "Then we'll use the name Lin Yufan."

Chen Dandan, who wasn't in a position to take her husband's surname, suddenly felt a bit more admiration for Lin Yufan.

After Kang Nian left, Chen Dandan said, "First Madam, you really have integrity. You bring pride to us women."

Is integrity used this way?

Lin Yufan didn't correct her, just smiled and said, "In China, we should follow Chinese customs. I just don't want to encourage this trend."

After squeezing in some leisure time to finish the mahjong game, the next few days were extremely busy.

The day before New Year's Eve, they spent the day delivering warmth to the shantytowns. In the evening, they accompanied Zhao Zhiao to a thank-you banquet hosted by the Democratic League.

Zhao Zhiao had donated money to both the Nationalist Party and the Democratic League. The Nationalist Party held a spring tea party after the New Year, while the Democratic League held a thank-you banquet before the New Year.

The temperature suddenly dropped today, and Lin Yufan's mink coat finally came in handy, adorned with a priceless set of emerald green jade jewelry.

From earrings, necklace, brooch, bracelet to ring, these were made and set by a jeweler in Hong Kong after Zhao Zhiao bought the jade in Myanmar two years ago.

As soon as she put them on, Gui Xiang couldn't help but admire, "Miss, you look stunning in these. You should attend more of these banquets."

Lin Yufan also adored this set of jewelry. She loved gems but loathed socializing.

The room was very warm, so she took off her mink coat and handed it to Gui Xiang to hold.

Zhao Zhiao came in from outside, and she asked him, "Do I look good?"

He looked his wife up and down, her arched eyebrows, delicate and gentle features full of smiles, her graceful figure wrapped in a cheongsam, like a flowing watercolor painting.

"Beautiful," he said.

"Which do you think looks best?" she asked about the jade.

But Zhao Zhiao didn't even notice the jewelry, "Your eyes are the most beautiful."

Even Gui Xiang couldn't help chuckling at this.

Lin Yufan also laughed, she didn't press further, but followed him downstairs to the banquet.

To save on venue costs, the Democratic League's banquet was held at the villa of Chairman Tong of the Democratic League.

Many had donated to the Democratic League, and the banquet was attended by wealthy and prominent figures from all walks of life.

Zhao Zhiao and Lin Yufan arrived right on time, and the room was already packed with guests.

Mrs. Peng, with her sharp eyes, spotted them and came out to greet them.

"Mr. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao, you've finally arrived. This afternoon, Old Peng and I went to the slums to distribute aid, and from afar, we saw your booths. When we approached, your staff said you had just left..."

Lin Yufan smiled, "We have several distribution points in the slums, and we visited several places this afternoon."

Mrs. Peng praised, "Your charity event this time was really well done. Even without snow, today's drop in temperature means our aid will help the slum residents have a warmer New Year."

As they spoke, Chairman Tong and Mrs. Tong came out to greet them.

Chairman Tong greeted with a smile, "Mr. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao, why are you so late? We couldn't start the dinner without you."

Zhao Zhiao politely replied, "We got stuck in traffic."

Lin Yufan added, "Chairman Tong, it's been a while since we last met."

Mrs. Tong smiled at Lin Yufan, "You must be Mrs. Zhao? I was in Guangzhou during your mother's birthday celebration last time, so I missed it."

Zhao Zhiao introduced, "This is my wife, Lin Yufan. And this is Mrs. Tong."

Lin Yufan smiled, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Tong."

Mrs. Tong complimented, "Everyone says Mrs. Zhao is stunning, and now I see why. Please, come in and have a seat."

As they walked in, Mrs. Tong held Lin Yufan's hand and said, "I'm a huge fan of your book, 'The Gold Heist'. It's so well written—I've read it three times! Has Mrs. Zhao written any other books?"

Lin Yufan replied, "This is actually my first novel."

"You'd never know it was your first!"

"You're too kind, Mrs. Tong."

"I mean every word. I heard 'The Gold Heist' is being made into a movie. When will it be released?"

"It should be released before the Lantern Festival."

Mrs. Tong said, "Mrs. Peng and I are planning to rent out a theater to watch your movie."

Lin Yufan thanked them with a smile, "Thank you so much for your support."

"It's our pleasure—you're the pride of all of us ladies." Mrs. Tong, who knew her stuff, added, "Mrs. Zhao, your emerald jade set is absolutely priceless—the quality is top-notch. I've never seen anything like it! Wearing this full jade set with your cheongsam and your figure, you look absolutely elegant."

Mrs. Tong's compliments left Lin Yufan feeling a bit embarrassed.

Inside the living room, hearing that Lin Yufan had arrived, several socialites gathered around, each gushing over 'The Gold Heist'.

Some genuinely loved it, some were just following the trend, and others brought copies of 'The Gold Heist' for Lin Yufan to sign.

Lin Yufan, somewhat embarrassed, said, "I don't have a pen with me."

"I have a pen." A man behind her, also holding 'The Gold Heist', was waiting in line for Lin Yufan's autograph.

The ladies couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Yufan, not understanding, quickly signed for everyone.

Later, when the crowd thinned, Mrs. Peng secretly told her that the man was Hu Hengwei, the young master of the Hu family. Before Lin Yufan arrived, Hu Hengwei had bragged that 'The Gold Heist' was just a dime novel, not worth mentioning.

"Who knew he secretly kept a book waiting for your autograph, oh, it's so funny."

At the scene, initially, it was the ladies who sought Lin Yufan's autograph and discussed the novel's plot and the new female character added in the movie. Later, the men were also attracted.

The men were mostly curious if A Long was based on a real person.

Lin Yufan explained with a smile, "There isn't one. If there were, I would know who robbed that batch of gold."

"How could you write such a heroic character?"

"Because I loved reading 'The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants' when I was young."

"No wonder! Mrs. Zhao, your writing style doesn't sound like it's written by a woman! It's so bold and strong!"

This comment made Lin Yufan quite uncomfortable, but she maintained her basic courtesy and smiled, "Female writers come in all kinds, with all sorts of styles..."

"Exactly, being heroic means being manly and not like a female writer? That's just your own narrow-mindedness!" Mrs. Peng said with a laugh.

Lin Yufan exchanged a smile with her; Mrs. Peng was definitely a witty person.

The man next to them quickly apologized.

As they chatted, they started talking about Mi Xian, and the discussion became even livelier.

Although the temperature had dropped sharply today, it likely won't snow on New Year's Eve.

"The current outdoor temperature is around 8 degrees. Even if it cools down at night, it will still be around 3 to 4 degrees."

Mrs. Tong said, "Anyway, I put 50 yuan on snow."

Mrs. Peng also said, "Me too, the payout for snow is good. With so many people betting on it, it might actually snow."

Everyone laughed.

Everyone there, in front of Lin Yufan, all claimed to have bet on snow on New Year's Eve.

In reality, the men, after accompanying their wives to bet 50 yuan on snow, quietly bet 500 yuan against snow.

They were all being pretty two-faced.

Later in the evening, Lin Yufan went to find Zhao Zhiao to ask when they were leaving.

Just as she found him and before she could speak, someone came up to say hello, "Boss Zhao, Mrs. Zhao..."

Lin Yufan turned around and saw someone she recognized but couldn't immediately recall who it was.

"I'm Qin Hai, Li Xiang's old coworker from Guangming Daily."

Oh, it was Qin Hai, who she'd let go in Haicheng.

Lin Yufan had seen Qin Hai's photo before but never met him in person. He looked skinnier in person than in his picture.

He wasn't bad to look at.

Zhao Zhiao nodded with a smile, "Editor Qin, right? Li Xiang mentioned you to me. You launched a magazine."

Qin Hai smiled, "Yes, I previously asked Li Xiang to inquire if Mr. Zhao would be interested in investing. My partner and I started this magazine called 'Ask the Sea.' We've only published two issues so far, but it's making some waves in the scene."

"I've read your magazine; the pieces are pretty solid. However..."

Qin Hai became nervous, "However what? I hope Boss Zhao can enlighten me."

Zhao Zhiao smiled slightly, "There are a few articles that come down too hard on the Nationalist Party. I myself come from the Nationalist Army and have many friends in high places. I can't risk upsetting my friends by investing in your magazine."

Qin Hai hurriedly said, "I understand that. We wrote those articles to keep up with the times, just like when gold and cultural relics were stolen—we had to criticize. As long as Boss Zhao has a direction, we can follow your lead and make changes."

He's really a flip-flopper.

Lin Yufan didn't know how to evaluate this person.

Surprisingly, Zhao Zhiao, who usually doesn't fall for that kind of thing, seemed to value Qin Hai particularly today. "Alright, Editor Qin Hai, you draft a plan first."

As he spoke, he glanced back at Shen Te, "You stay and swap numbers with Editor Qin Hai."

Qin Hai was overjoyed; he hadn't expected to have a chance to discuss cooperation. After expressing his gratitude, he hurried to swap numbers with Shen Te.

Once they were in the car, Lin Yufan brought up to Zhao Zhiao, "Qin Hai's brother is a Japanese collaborator, a traitor, and he himself isn't clean either, having been fired from the Guangming Daily."

Zhao Zhiao softly said, "I know."

Since he knew the inside story and was still willing to engage with Qin Hai, it suggested he might have other intentions. Lin Yufan tactfully didn't say more.

The temperature outside had plummeted. It wasn't very cold when they left the Tong family, but when they returned to the Zhao family garden, as soon as they got out of the car, a cold wind hit, making Lin Yufan shiver.

Hearing the car, Gui Xiang had already fetched a hot water bottle and handed it to Lin Yufan.

"Miss, it's gotten really cold all of a sudden. I was worried why you hadn't returned yet."

After entering the house, Lin Yufan found everyone gathered in the living room listening to the radio.

Zhao Jingxiu stood up, "Sister-in-law, the radio says it's now 1 degree outside in the northern district!"

Everyone but Chen Dandan looked thrilled. The sudden chill really made it seem like snow was on the way.

Zhao Zhiao, who came in later, poured cold water on their hopes, "The temperature needs to be below zero, and there needs to be rainy weather for it to snow."

Chen Dandan thought Zhao Zhiao was on her side and raised an eyebrow, "Right. Even if it's below zero, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be snow."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhiao changed his tone, "But, auspicious snow foretells a good harvest. Perhaps 1949 is destined to be an extraordinary year. Who knows if it will snow in the end?"

Zhao Jingxiu took over the topic, "I have a strong feeling it's going to snow tonight, so I'm staying up."

Everyone teased her, "You'll be nodding off in no time."

Wang Junyao glanced out the window, "It's getting late, and that kid Li Xiang still isn't back. If it really snows, he'll be stuck outside, won't he?"

Zhao Zhiao asked, "Where did he go?"

Wang Junyao was slightly displeased, "Shu Ping called him over, saying she needed help with the radio. He went as soon as she called, no stopping him. He's not all there."

Zhao Zhiao didn't ask further and went straight upstairs.

Before turning in, he stood by the bed, eyeing the mosquito net that kept falling down...

He just took it down.

Lin Yufan, bundled up, came out of the bathroom and saw him dismantling the mosquito net, hurriedly asking, "Why are you taking that down?"

"It's in the way. No mosquitoes in this cold."

"How is it in the way? It's just because you like to use a little muscle."

Zhao Zhiao looked at his woman, "If I don't use a little muscle, you get mad."

Lin Yufan gave him a smack.

Half an hour later, the person who had been shivering from the cold was now radiating heat.

He fell back into his old habit, stopping at the crucial moment, "Why don’t you want to take my last name?"

"Why should I take your last name?"

"Women in Hong Kong take their husband's last name!"

Lin Yufan, furious, pinched him hard: "I am Chinese, Chinese women do not take their husband's last name! If you like women who take your last name, go marry a foreigner!"

Just as Zhao Zhiao was about to argue back, Lin Yufan added, "If we have a daughter, would you be willing for her to take her husband's last name in the future?"

Zhao Zhiao was at a loss for words.

Lin Yufan, feeling all worked up, said, "Are you coming or not? If not, get the hell off me!"

He wasn’t about to get off! Zhao Zhiao grabbed her waist, sending her into a state of ecstasy.

Lin Yufan wasn’t sure if the bed was sturdy enough, worrying that it might collapse any day now.

Early the next morning, before getting up, they heard noises outside.

Lin Yufan, wrapped in a robe, pulled back the curtains to see a vast expanse of white outside.

It had actually snowed in Hong Kong, for crying out loud.

And it was heavy snow!