met free Chapter 1591 A Complete Breakup
Chapter 1591 A Complete Breakup
After signing the contract with Lenovo, everyone at Zeus Power Plant was incredibly busy, working non-stop.
Liu Yuan was no exception. Lenovo's orders were substantial, requiring a readjustment of the supply chain, increased production capacity from contract manufacturers, advance stockpiling of raw materials, and upgrades to quality control standards for branded computers—every single matter required his personal review and approval. He hadn't taken a single day off in half a month, leaving home at seven in the morning and returning to his dormitory at eleven or twelve at night, unable even to find time to call Huang Yunyun.
Huang Renfa saw this and was anxious. His biggest worry in life was his daughter, and he had finally found a wealthy husband; how could he let it fall through like this?
So one evening, Huang Renfa called Huang Yunyun over and scolded her sternly, "Are you stupid? You're just going to wait around while people are busy? Can't you even make a phone call?"
Huang Yunyun lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, and whispered, "I...I'm afraid of disturbing...his work."
"What do you mean 'disturbing'!" Huang Renfa's tone softened, afraid of startling his daughter. "This is called caring. Ask him to come over for dinner sometime."
Seeing the eager expectation in her father's eyes, Huang Yunyun obediently nodded.
She returned to her room and sat on the bed for a while before mustering the courage to pick up the phone.
Her fingers trembled as she dialed, each "beep" feeling like a blow to her heart.
"Hello?" Liu Yuan's voice came through the receiver, sounding somewhat tired.
"Liu... Liu Yuan, it's me." Huang Yunyun's voice was very soft, and she was so nervous that she almost dropped the phone.
"Huang Yunyun?" Liu Yuan's tone softened considerably. "What's wrong?"
"Are you...are you free tomorrow? My dad said you should come...come over for dinner."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Huang Yunyun's heart was in her throat, afraid that Liu Yuan would say something like, "Too busy, maybe next time."
"Sure," Liu Yuan readily agreed. "It's been a while since I visited Uncle Huang. I'll go early tomorrow."
Huang Yunyun hung up the phone, clutched her chest, leaned against the wall, and couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
……
The following evening, Liu Yuan appeared at the Huang family's door carrying two bottles of Moutai and a box of bird's nest.
Upon seeing the bird's nest, Huang Renfa's face broke into a wide smile: "Little Liu, you're here all of a sudden, why did you bring anything else!"
"Uncle Huang, don't be so polite. I just bought it on the way." Liu Yuan put the things on the table and glanced at the kitchen—he could vaguely hear the crackling sound of stir-frying in a pot.
Huang Yunyun prepared a table full of dishes today. Braised pork, poached chicken, steamed grouper, garlic vermicelli shrimp, and slow-cooked soup—even more sumptuous than last time, plus a dish of salt and pepper ribs that Liu Yuan loves.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Liu Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. The last time he came to eat here, he casually remarked that "the salt and pepper ribs are delicious," and he never expected Huang Yunyun to remember it.
At the dinner table, Huang Renfa served Liu Yuan food while asking, "Little Liu, what have you been busy with lately? I haven't seen you for almost half a month."
Liu Yuan picked up a piece of pork rib and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, he mumbled, "Busy, Uncle Huang, you don't know, our company recently signed a supply agreement with Lenovo—"
"Lenovo?!" Huang Renfa's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, and his eyes lit up.
“Yes.” Liu Yuan briefly explained the ins and outs of signing the agreement with Lenovo, from ISO9001 certification to Vice President Liu’s visit to the factory, and finally the signing of the agreement.
Huang Renfa's eyes grew brighter as he listened.
Although he was just a village head, his sons were all in the electronics business and knew the industry inside and out. Lenovo was a top-tier computer manufacturer in the country! Being a supplier to Lenovo meant that Qin Hao's company wasn't just an ordinary private enterprise, but a truly large corporation!
Liu Yuan is the vice president of this large company!
Huang Renfa's gaze towards Liu Yuan intensified. He poured Liu Yuan a glass of wine, then raised his own glass to clink with Liu Yuan's: "Little Liu, I've always said you're destined for greatness! Come on, let's have a drink!"
Liu Yuan, being from Northeast China, didn't hesitate at all and downed the whole thing in one gulp.
After a few rounds of drinks, Huang Renfa's face turned red, and he became more talkative. He patted Liu Yuan on the shoulder and talked about everything from the state of the electronics industry to the land value in Shenzhen, and then from the land value to the future plans for Lanyuan Village, as if he wanted to show Liu Yuan all his assets.
After finishing his meal, Huang Renfa stood up and said, "I'm going for a walk to digest. Xiao Liu, please sit down; let Yunyun make you some tea."
After saying that, without waiting for Liu Yuan's reply, he sauntered out the door.
Liu Yuan watched Huang Renfa's retreating figure, finding it amusing—this old man's excuse was too clumsy. But he didn't call him out on it.
Huang Yunyun cleared away the dishes, brewed a pot of Tieguanyin tea for Liu Yuan, and then cut up a plate of fruit and brought it over.
"You sit and watch TV first, I'll go wash the dishes." Huang Yunyun lowered her head, not daring to look Liu Yuan in the eye.
Liu Yuan leaned back on the sofa, slowly sipping his tea. A Hong Kong and Taiwanese variety show was playing on TV, but he wasn't really paying attention; his gaze unconsciously followed Huang Yunyun into the kitchen.
The sound of running water and the soft clinking of dishes came from the kitchen. Huang Yunyun stood in front of the sink, wearing an apron with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair and slender forearm. She washed the dishes very gently and carefully, washing each bowl twice and rinsing it three times before neatly stacking it in the cupboard.
As Liu Yuan watched her busy figure, a strange warmth welled up in his heart.
This kind of treatment was something he never dared to dream of before.
When he was pursuing Han Ling, everything was the opposite. He would visit the dance troupe every few days, bringing her flowers, snacks, and hand warmers. He was worried she would get cold when it was cold or wet when it rained, and he wanted to give her his heart. But Han Ling only gave him perfunctory responses.
It felt like talking to a wall; whatever you said was just an echo, with no response.
But Huang Yunyun is different.
She would prepare his favorite dishes before he arrived and quietly add water to his tea. Everything she did was unassuming, but each one warmed his heart.
Liu Yuan put down his teacup, stood up, and went into the kitchen.
“Let me help you.” He rolled up his sleeves and walked to the pool.
Huang Yunyun was startled and quickly stepped in front of him, stammering, "No...no need! I...I'll be done soon, very soon!"
She spread her arms to protect the pool, like a little squirrel guarding its food, both anxious and embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed red, and even her ears turned red.
Seeing her like this, Liu Yuan couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, alright, you wash, you wash."
He leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching Huang Yunyun continue working, and suddenly asked, trying to make conversation, "Are all women in Shenzhen this virtuous?"
Huang Yunyun lowered her head, washing the bowls even more carefully, and nodded gently: "I...where we're from...housework and farm work are all...done by women. Men...are busy earning money."
Liu Yuan, quick to speak, blurted out, "Wouldn't it be so wonderful to marry a woman from Shenzhen?"
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.
Isn't this just flirting with them?
Liu Yuan's smile froze on his face, his mind racing to figure out how to ease the awkwardness. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something like, "It was just a joke, don't take it seriously," but then he heard Huang Yunyun's timid voice—
"Would you...dislike me for...being uneducated and having...unclear speech?"
The voice was as soft as a petal falling on the water, carrying a cautious, tentative tone.
Liu Yuan was stunned.
He watched Huang Yunyun's retreating figure. She didn't turn around, but her shoulders trembled slightly, and her hands stopped moving. Dishwater dripped through her fingers as she stood motionless, as if awaiting her sentence.
“How could that be—” Liu Yuan blurted out, his tone more serious than he had expected.
But he swallowed his words halfway through.
He wanted to say, "How could that be? You're great," but the words "You're great" suddenly felt heavy on his lips. He wasn't sure if, when he said those words, he was thinking of Huang Yunyun, or Han Ling, the girl he'd pursued for four years without success.
The kitchen was quiet for a few seconds.
The tap was still running.
Huang Yunyun slowly turned around, her eyes red, and looked at Liu Yuan. She didn't speak, but the expectation in her eyes was clearer than any words—she wanted to know the answer, a genuine answer.
Liu Yuan took a deep breath, looked into Huang Yunyun's eyes, and said earnestly, "Huang Yunyun, you are really good. You don't need to care about what other people think."
Huang Yunyun looked into his eyes and confirmed that he wasn't just giving her the runaround. In that instant, all the tension and fear on her face vanished, replaced by a smile that blossomed from the bottom of her heart—a smile like the warm and bright sunshine breaking through the clouds in winter.
Looking at that smile, a corner of Liu Yuan's heart suddenly collapsed.
……
From that day on, a girl carrying a thermos lunchbox would appear in Liu Yuan's office every day at 11:30 a.m. sharp.
Huang Yunyun, dressed in plain clothes and with her hair in a simple ponytail, carrying a thermal lunchbox printed with the Double Happiness symbol, walked quickly across the office area with her head down to Liu Yuan's office door and gently knocked twice.
"Enter."
Huang Yunyun pushed open the door and placed the lunchbox on Liu Yuan's table. She opened the lid, and a fragrant aroma of food wafted out. Sometimes it was braised pork ribs with steamed fish, sometimes it was poached chicken with greens, and sometimes it was a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup—a different dish every day, and every dish was delicious.
While Liu Yuan ate, Huang Yunyun sat quietly to his side, sometimes refilling his water, sometimes wiping the table for him, and occasionally glancing at him with her eyes raised, only to quickly lower her head again when she was caught.
This scene made all the young people in the office who didn't have girlfriends extremely envious.
"Mr. Liu, you're so lucky! Someone delivers your meals every day!"
"My sister-in-law's cooking smells so good, I can smell it from next door!"
"Mr. Liu, could you please ask your wife to make an extra portion? I'm paying for it, I don't want to eat for nothing!"
Liu Yuan blushed with embarrassment from their teasing and could only pretend not to hear.
Even Qin Hao teased him.
That day, Qin Hao passed by Liu Yuan's office and happened to see Huang Yunyun serving Liu Yuan soup. He leaned against the doorframe and chuckled, "Liu Yuan, you're going to incur everyone's wrath by eating alone like this."
Liu Yuan rolled his eyes at him: "Don't even try."
Qin Hao glanced at Huang Yunyun, then at Liu Yuan, smiled meaningfully, and turned to leave.
Liu Yuan gradually got used to Huang Yunyun's presence.
One day, it was past 11:30, and there was no response to the knocking.
It's past midnight, and still nothing.
Liu Yuan put down the documents in his hand, glanced at the door, and frowned.
He waited for ten minutes, but finally couldn't sit still any longer. He picked up the phone and dialed Huang Yunyun's home number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
"Hello..." Huang Yunyun's voice came through the receiver, weak as if it were drifting from a great distance, and accompanied by rapid breathing.
"Yunyun? What's wrong?" Liu Yuan stood up abruptly.
"I... my stomach hurts so much..." Huang Yunyun's voice trembled, clearly enduring great pain.
"Don't move, I'm coming right now!"
Liu Yuan slammed down the phone and rushed outside. He ran down the stairs, started his car, and sped all the way to Lanyuan Village. The drive from the company to the Huang family's house usually took twenty minutes, but he only took ten.
When Liu Yuan rushed into the Huang family's gate, he saw Huang Yunyun curled up on the sofa in the living room, her face pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and her hands tightly covering her lower right abdomen.
"Huang Yunyun, how are you!" Liu Yuan rushed over and picked her up. Huang Yunyun's body was burning hot.
"Liu... Liu Yuan... Am I going to die?" Huang Yunyun was in so much pain that she could barely speak. The moment she saw Liu Yuan, tears streamed down her face.
Without saying a word, Liu Yuan picked her up and ran outside. Huang Renfa wasn't home, and he didn't have time to wait, so he drove Huang Yunyun directly to the nearest hospital.
The emergency room examination revealed acute appendicitis, requiring immediate surgery.
Liu Yuan sat outside the operating room for more than two hours. During those two hours, he smoked one cigarette after another, his hands trembling.
Fortunately, the surgery went smoothly and there were no serious problems.
When Huang Renfa arrived at the hospital, Huang Yunyun had already woken up from the anesthesia. Seeing Liu Yuan by her bedside, Huang Renfa's eyes reddened, and he patted Liu Yuan's shoulder heavily without saying a word.
But the force of that blow said it all.
During the days Huang Yunyun was hospitalized, Liu Yuan visited her every day after work. He brought her her favorite fruits, peeled apples and oranges for her, and even prepared hot water for her to wash her hands. Lying in bed, Huang Yunyun watched Liu Yuan bustling around, her face never faltering with a smile.
On the day she was discharged from the hospital, Huang Yunyun was changing clothes in her ward while Liu Yuan waited for her in the corridor.
After a while, the door opened and Huang Yunyun came out.
She had changed into a simple dress; her face was still a little pale, but she seemed much better. She stood in front of Liu Yuan, head bowed, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress, as if she were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
“Liu Yuan.” She looked up, her voice soft, but each word was enunciated clearly—much clearer than usual: “I…I like you.”
Liu Yuan was stunned.
Huang Yunyun's face was as red as a boiled shrimp, but her eyes were bright as she stared straight at Liu Yuan without flinching or backing down. The girl who usually stuttered and dared not even look people in the eye seemed to have gathered all her courage for this moment.
“I know…you have someone in your heart…” Huang Yunyun’s voice trembled, but she didn’t stop: “But I…I still…want to tell you.”
The corridor was quiet, with only the low voices coming from the nurses' station in the distance.
Looking at Huang Yunyun, Liu Yuan suddenly realized that the figure who had lived in his heart for four years had become blurred at some point. In its place was the knocking on the door at 11:30 every day, the insulated lunchbox with the Double Happiness logo, the sound of running water in the kitchen and her clean, shiny fingers after washing the dishes, and her moist eyes when she timidly asked, "Will you dislike me?"
"Yunyun." Liu Yuan reached out and gently grasped Huang Yunyun's fingers, which were clutching the hem of her skirt. "I also have something to tell you."
He paused for a moment, then smiled—a smile that rose from the bottom of his heart, relaxed and relieved.
I like you too.
Huang Yunyun's tears immediately streamed down her face.
……
Six months later.
Nanhai Hotel.
The entire banquet hall was brightly decorated, with a red carpet stretching from the main entrance all the way to the stage. The pillars on both sides were wrapped with flowers and ribbons, and a huge double happiness character was pasted on the wall in the center, gleaming with gold.
The wedding of Liu Yuan and Huang Yunyun was the biggest event in Lanyuan Village in recent years.
The Huang family alone had over thirty tables of relatives. Huang Renfa had five brothers, each with three or four children, plus cousins, neighbors, and villagers of all ages, filling half the hall. Liu Yuan's side didn't have many relatives, but Qin Hao's business partners and company employees were quite numerous, making a total of eighty-eight tables.
Qin Hao sat at the main table, with Sun Yumei and Han Ling beside him.
Sun Yumei had dressed up specially for today, wearing a dark green velvet cheongsam, jade earrings, and a pearl necklace, making her radiant. But at this moment, her gaze was fixed on the girl in the white wedding dress in the center of the hall, her eyes filled with undisguised envy.
Huang Yunyun, arm in arm with Huang Renfa, walked step by step toward the stage. Her wedding dress was specially ordered from Hong Kong, layers of white tulle surrounding her like clouds, the delicate lace shimmering under the lights. Her long hair was styled in an updo, revealing her slender neck and smooth forehead, a faint smile on her face, her eyes shining like stars.
Although she wasn't a conventionally beautiful woman, at that moment, she was the most dazzling person in the room.
"It's so beautiful," Sun Yumei murmured, her tone filled with envy and a hint of inexplicable melancholy.
Han Ling looked at Huang Yunyun, her eyes filled with envy. Half a year had passed—since she and Xiao Ran broke up, Xiao Ran hadn't contacted her even once. No phone calls, no letters, not even a single pager message.
She had no choice but to suppress all her pain and resentment, channeling it into motivation for her work. In the past six months, she worked tirelessly like a wound-up toy, rising from administrative assistant to general manager's assistant. Not only did her salary increase significantly, but Qin Hao also began to involve her in some business-related matters.
Being busy is the best medicine for everything—at least that's what she always told herself.
But at this moment, watching Huang Yunyun walk towards Liu Yuan in her wedding dress, watching the two exchange rings under the witness of the master of ceremonies, watching Liu Yuan lift the bride's veil and lower his head to kiss her forehead—Han Ling's eyes suddenly felt a little sore.
She turned her head away, pretending to look elsewhere.
"You and Lao Qin are getting married soon, right?" Han Ling paused for a moment, then half-jokingly whispered in Sun Yumei's ear.
Sun Yumei's smile faltered for a moment, and her gaze drifted towards Qin Hao.
Qin Hao held his wine glass, smiling as he looked at the newlyweds on the stage, seemingly oblivious to Han Ling's words.
"Liu Yuan is the first among our group to get married." Qin Hao subtly changed the subject: "Don't hold back when you're toasting later."
The men around them cheered loudly.
The wedding banquet went on until late at night.
Liu Yuan was forced to drink countless cups of wine, his face turning as red as a monkey's bottom, and he was staggering as he walked. Huang Yunyun was anxiously pacing around, but she couldn't stop him and could only watch with heartache as Liu Yuan drank cup after cup with others.
In the end, Liu Yuan had to be carried back to the bridal chamber by the crowd.
He was so drunk he was unconscious, mumbling "Yunyun" over and over. Huang Yunyun followed behind him, silently helping him take off his coat, wiping his face, and staying by his side all night.
……
Three days after the wedding, Han Ling received a phone call.
It was Xiao Ran calling.
The moment Han Ling heard Xiao Ran's voice, her heart skipped a beat. Half a year had passed; she hadn't heard that voice in six months. She thought she had moved on, but that sudden, frantic heartbeat told her—no.
"Han Ling, I want to see you." Xiao Ran's tone was calm, but beneath that calm lay an barely suppressed excitement: "Nanhai Hotel, noon."
Han Ling was silent for a few seconds: "Okay."
She hung up the phone and sat at her desk for a while before getting up to go to the restroom to touch up her makeup. She changed into a light blue shirt, looked at herself in the mirror for a long time, and then changed back into her original white T-shirt.
The lobby of the Nanhai Hotel was still decorated as it was on the day of the wedding banquet, except that the fresh flowers had been changed and the double happiness characters had been removed. Han Ling walked into the reserved private room, where Xiao Ran was already waiting.
He sat by the window, wearing a brand-new suit—a dark blue, exquisitely tailored suit. He wore a new watch, and the briefcase in front of him was also newly purchased. Beside him sat a black object—
Big Brother.
When Xiao Ran saw Han Ling push the door open and come in, he quickly stood up, his face beaming with undisguised smugness.
"How is it?" He stretched out his arms and spun around. "The environment is pretty good, isn't it?"
Han Ling nodded casually: "Yes, Liu Yuan chose this hotel for his wedding."
After saying that, she added, "I was going to call you, but I sent you a message on your pager and you haven't replied."
Xiao Ran's expression was somewhat unnatural. He picked up the old-fashioned mobile phone from beside his briefcase and pushed it towards Han Ling: "The old pager didn't work anymore, so I replaced it with this."
Han Ling glanced at the large mobile phone, nodded slightly, and didn't say anything more.
Xiao Ran's expectant expression slowly froze.
For the past six months, he has been traveling back and forth between the north and south, from Shenzhen to Hebei, from Hebei to Shanxi, from Shanxi to Inner Mongolia, and then from Inner Mongolia to Northeast China. In the winter, he sold various electronic products in a small town in Northeast China where the temperature was below minus twenty degrees Celsius. His hands were cracked from the cold, and his toes were almost frostbitten. He endured all the hardships and suffering, but he persevered through it all.
Why? He wanted to prove to Han Ling that he, Xiao Ran, was not a good-for-nothing and that he was fully capable of supporting her.
He did indeed make money. The electronic watch business flourished, and he later started reselling small appliances, calculators, and Walkmans. His profits ballooned from a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands, and then from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. He was no longer the penniless pauper with only a few hundred yuan in his pocket.
He thought that when Han Ling saw him like this, she would be surprised, moved, and rush over to hug him and say, "You finally succeeded."
However, Han Ling simply nodded slightly.
That nod was like a basin of lukewarm water poured onto a scalding hot iron plate, producing a slight "hiss"—it didn't hurt, but it was very uncomfortable.
Xiao Ran felt that all the hardship he had endured over the past six months had been for nothing.
But he still suppressed his discomfort, took a deep breath, and looked intently into Han Ling's eyes.
"Han Ling, I'm capable of making you happy now." His voice was sincere, even trembling slightly: "Marry me."
Han Ling looked at Xiao Ran, a flutter of excitement passing through her heart.
Over the past six months, she had imagined this scene countless times, thinking that she would be very happy and would throw herself into his arms without hesitation.
But when the moment actually arrived, she found herself not as excited as she had imagined.
Because she knew that some things had changed.
Han Ling remained silent for a long time.
The private room was so quiet that you could hear the traffic outside the window. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the blinds, casting shadows on the white tablecloth.
"The condition is that I have to quit my job, right?" Han Ling finally spoke, her tone very serious.
Xiao Ran's smile froze.
"You used to say I didn't have money, and you'd go out and work to help ease my burden." Xiao Ran's voice suddenly rose, filled with anger and resentment that had been suppressed for half a year: "Fine, now I have money! Why can't you quit your job and stay home to be a wife and mother?"
He stood up abruptly, the chair sliding backward with a screeching sound.
"I worked myself to the bone to earn money, wasn't it all so you wouldn't have to suffer that injustice anymore? Wasn't it all so you wouldn't have to be at the mercy of others? I did it! Why can't you—"
"Then what?"
Han Ling's voice was very soft, almost drowned out by Xiao Ran's roar. But those two words, like a needle, pierced Xiao Ran's vocal cords precisely, bringing all his anger to an abrupt halt.
"What, and then?" Xiao Ran was stunned.
Han Ling slowly stood up and looked at Xiao Ran. Her eyes were calm, but that calmness revealed a deep-seated disappointment.
"Then I stayed home to be a wife and mother, waiting for you to come home every day. You wouldn't let me go out to work, wouldn't let me have contact with men, wouldn't let me have my own social circle. And then I suspected you of having an affair with a female subordinate..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, but every word seemed to be carved into Xiao Ran's heart with a knife.
"Xiao Ran, not everyone in this world is like you, only focused on matters of the heart."
Xiao Ran's face turned pale.
“To tell you the truth,” Han Ling picked up her handbag from the table, her voice as calm as a still lake, “In the past six months, Qin Hao has never had any contact with me outside of work. He hasn’t even said a single word about his personal life. None of the things you suspect have happened.”
She walked to the door, turned back, and took one last look at Xiao Ran.
Let's break up.
The door closed gently.
Xiao Ran was the only one left in the private room.
He stood frozen in place, his body as stiff as a stone statue. (End of Chapter)