Rebirth of Bloody Romance

The morning light shines through the half-closed curtains, sprinkling onto the wooden dining table, giving this ordinary moment a warm golden glow.

Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen, two energetic little figures, were concentrating on their own small bowls, chopsticks flying, eating with relish, as if they were engaged in a silent competition.

After a while, both bowls were empty, leaving only a few grains of rice lying alone on the edge of the bowl, witnessing this contest of speed and appetite.

"Burp~" Xiao Haichen burped with satisfaction, and looked up at Zhong Yuemin who was eating slowly. His shiny black eyes were full of anticipation and curiosity.

"Dad, have you finished eating? We are waiting for you to play with us!" There was a bit of childish eagerness in Xiao Haichen's words.

"I'm ready too, Dad." Xiao Shihua followed closely, her voice soft but also full of desire. Her little hands gently stroked the edge of the table, and her eyes drifted towards Zhong Yuemin from time to time, as if to say, "Hurry up, Dad."

Zhong Yuemin was caught off guard by this sudden "enthusiasm". He raised his head, his eyes gently swept over the two children, and a helpless and doting smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Why are you two looking at me?"

"Dad, how long will it take you?" Xiao Haichen asked with a hint of anxiety.

At this time, Zhou Xiaobai, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help laughing out loud. The laughter was clear and pleasant, like a stream in spring, which instantly diluted the slightly tense atmosphere in the air.

"Yuemin, this is probably the first time that you're so welcomed by your son, right? Then you'd better behave yourself." There was a hint of sarcasm in her words, but more of it was satisfaction and happiness with family harmony.

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin rolled his eyes in pretended helplessness, but the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily. "Wife, why are you laughing? I'm working hard. Let me take you to work first!" He said as he put down his chopsticks and prepared to get up.

"No, I'll take the bus to work. You just stay with your daughter and play with your son." Zhou Xiaobai shook his head gently, his eyes flashing with tenderness and understanding for his family.

However, little Haichen didn't seem to give up easily. He trotted to Zhou Xiaobai, took her hand and began to act coquettishly. "Mom, can you accompany me to build a snowman?" The little hands tightly grasped Zhou Xiaobai's fingers, as if afraid that if he let go, his mother would disappear.

Zhou Xiaobai squatted down and gently stroked Xiao Haichen's head, her eyes full of apology. "No, son, Mom really has to go to work today. But you can go with Dad, he will take you to build a snowman, okay?"

A hint of disappointment flashed across Xiao Haichen's face, but it was quickly replaced by anticipation. "Okay then! I'm going to make lots and lots of snowmen."

After the meal, the winter sunshine, though a little chilly, was exceptionally bright, covering the earth with a layer of soft silver gauze. Zhong Yuemin took Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen into this snow-covered world, ready to create their own winter fairy tale.

Little Shihua was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, her little face was red from the cold, but she could not hide the excitement and curiosity in her eyes. "Dad, how are we going to stack it?" She looked up at Zhong Yuemin, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Girl, don't worry." Zhong Yuemin squatted down and gently patted the snowflakes on Xiao Shihua's head, then turned and walked to the center of the snow. He first stepped hard on the snow under his feet to make sure it was thick enough, then bent down, scooped up a handful of snow with both hands, and began to roll it. The snowball rolled bigger and bigger on the snow, and soon, a big round snowball appeared in front of the two little guys.

"Watch out, babies." Zhong Yuemin continued to roll another snowball, but this time he was more careful and the snowball was much smaller. When he carefully stacked the two snowballs together, the outline of a snowman appeared.

When little Shihua saw this scene, she clapped her hands excitedly, and her clear laughter echoed in the snow. "Dad, you are so awesome. You built a snowman so quickly!" Her eyes were full of admiration and joy for her father.

Zhong Yuemin smiled and shook his head, his eyes full of doting. "Girl, it's still early. It's just a cone and needs to be trimmed."

As Zhong Yuemin spoke, he picked up a branch from the ground and began to carefully trim the outline of the snowman to make its shape more rounded and natural.

At this time, little Haichen couldn't hold back any longer. He ran to Zhong Yuemin, pulled his clothes, and shouted in a baby voice, "Dad, Dad, push a smaller one for me!" His eyes were full of curiosity and desire to make a snowman.

Zhong Yuemin agreed with a smile, turned around and said to Xiao Haichen, "Come here, son, let Dad teach you how to roll a snowball. Let's make a small one first and make a little snowman for you."

As he spoke, Zhong Yuemin bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, squeezed it into a ball, and then put it on the ground and rolled it slowly. The small snowball rolled bigger and bigger on the snow.

Little Haichen followed excitedly, and imitated his father, carefully rolling his own snowball. Although his movements were a little clumsy, his concentration and seriousness warmed Zhong Yuemin and Chen Yijun's hearts.

Little Shihua was eager to try. She ran to Zhong Yuemin and gently touched the big snowman, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement. "Dad, what about the snowman's eyes and nose? And its mouth, how do we make it?"

Zhong Yuemin took out two black stones from his pocket and handed them to Xiao Shihua. "Girl, these can be used to make the snowman's eyes. As for the nose, we can find a carrot or a twig to replace it. As for the mouth, it's easy. We just need to draw a line with our fingers."

Xiao Shihua took the stone and carefully pressed it on the snowman's face. Suddenly, the snowman seemed to have a soul and came alive. She stepped back a few steps, nodded with satisfaction, and then ran to Xiao Haichen to help him roll the snowball.

After a while, the two kids also completed a small snowman together. Although it was much smaller than the big snowman made by Zhong Yuemin, the sense of accomplishment was no less. They circled around the two snowmen, excitedly discussing what names to give them, and also found branches and leaves to decorate the snowmen with various "accessories".

Zhong Yuemin stood aside, looking at the children's innocent smiling faces, his heart filled with happiness and satisfaction.

As the outline of the snowman became clearer, the laughter of Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen gradually subsided. They sat around the snowman, their little faces red from the cold, but full of a sense of accomplishment.

Zhong Yuemin stood aside, gently patted the snow off his body, picked up a newspaper, and sat under the old locust tree in the yard.

The sunlight shines through the sparse branches and leaves, dappling on his body, adding a bit of tranquility to his life. Zhong Yuemin opens the newspaper, and the first thing that catches his eyes is the headline of the People's Daily, which is a microcosm of national affairs and part of his concern as a citizen.

But then, Zhong Yuemin's attention was drawn to other newspapers. Those once monotonous and stereotyped reports were now quietly changing.

"It seems that times are really changing," Zhong Yuemin thought to himself. He noticed that more and more newspapers began to pay attention to people's livelihood, and individual voices that were once covered by grand narratives are now gradually surfacing.

The reports not only include the country's development achievements, but also the joys, sorrows, anger, and daily life of ordinary people. The demands of each individual are given more weight and attention, and they are intertwined with the national will to form a complex and real social picture.

Zhong Yuemin knows that this change did not happen overnight. Behind it are the efforts and persistence of countless people, and the progress and openness of society. Although the voices of each individual are small, when they converge into an ocean, they can generate tremendous power and drive the country forward.

Zhong Yuemin sighed softly and looked back at the snowman. Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen were circling the snowman, excitedly discussing what kind of eyes and nose to add to it. Their smiles were so pure and innocent, as if all the troubles in this world had nothing to do with them.

“Perhaps this is where hope lies,” Zhong Yuemin thought. No matter how many challenges and difficulties the country faces, as long as every individual can maintain their love and pursuit of life, the country will never lose the motivation and courage to move forward.

"Dad, what are you looking at?" Little Shihua ran to Zhong Yuemin's side without knowing when. There was still some childishness on her little face, but her eyes were sparkling with curiosity.

"Oh, Dad is reading the newspaper." Zhong Yuemin replied with a smile and handed the newspaper to Xiao Shihua. "Look, there are many interesting stories and knowledge in it."

Xiao Shihua took the newspaper. Although she didn't recognize most of the words on it, she still read it carefully. Xiao Haichen also came over, and the two of them studied the paper together, which was both unfamiliar and attractive to them.

Zhong Yuemin felt a warm feeling in his heart when he saw this scene. He knew that these children were the hope of the future and they would live in a more open, inclusive and diverse era. What he did was to do his best to create a better growth environment for them so that they could freely pursue their dreams.

Just as Zhong Yuemin was immersed in the complex thinking about the interweaving of the country and people's livelihood, a crisp doorbell rang, breaking the silence in the room. Yu Guodong and Ermaozi walked into the house with a burst of enthusiasm, stepping into the winter chill.

"Mr. Zhong." Yu Guodong greeted, with a hint of respect and expectation in his voice.

Zhong Yuemin raised his head, his eyes lingered on the two of them for a moment, and then he smiled. "Didn't someone from the municipal party committee invite you to dinner? Why did you have time to come to my place today?"

Ermaozi was not polite and poured two cups of hot tea for himself and Yu Guodong to dispel the coldness in his body. Yu Guodong took over the conversation with a smile on his face. "Mr. Zhong, you know that many units in the city are eyeing the big cake of export. I went out to take a look and the result is quite satisfactory."

"Oh? Is it settled?" Zhong Yuemin's eyes flashed with interest when he heard that.

"Yes, it's settled. We can sign the contract after the new year." Yu Guodong's tone was full of excitement. "And what do you think of the shopping mall I mentioned to you last time? This is a big project. If it's done well, it will drive a large area."

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin gently put down the newspaper in his hand, his eyes became deep and determined. "We have to build shopping malls and buy land. I still say that if we do it, we should do it to the best of our ability. We have to be bold and do it. Now the country encourages economic development, we have to seize this opportunity to make people's lives better and better."

After listening to this, Yu Guodong smiled even more. He knew Zhong Yuemin's strength and courage very well, so he was very happy to accept such a proposal. "Mr. Zhong, you are really straightforward. But our company only has more than 700 million in its account. We may be able to barely cope with building a small shopping mall, but if we want to build a large-scale commercial center, this fund is really stretched."

Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with determination and expectation for the future. "Then we should increase investment. We can't be timid because of the difficulties in front of us. Business is like a battlefield, sometimes we need a little adventurous spirit."

Zhong Yuemin paused and continued, "As for the funding issue, we have two options. One is to increase investment at the same time and share the risks and benefits; the other is for you to reduce some of your shares and I will increase them. In this way, I can bear more financial pressure and also occupy a larger share in the project."

Yu Guodong thought about it carefully and agreed with Zhong Yuemin's proposal. "Mr. Zhong, I would love to make a fortune with your money. Your additional investment not only solves our funding problem, but also adds a lot of weight to the success of our project. How much do you think is appropriate?"

Zhong Yuemin pondered for a moment and gave an answer that was both reasonable and sincere. "I will pay another 200 million US dollars, which will give me % of the shares. What do you think?" This proposal not only reflected his confidence in the project, but also took into account Yu Guodong's interests, ensuring that the cooperation between the two parties could proceed smoothly.

Yu Guodong quickly calculated in his mind that although he did not gain much advantage on the surface, he thought that as the investment expanded, the future income would also increase. He reluctantly agreed to Zhong Yuemin's proposal, but he still had an idea in his mind that needed to be put forward.

"Mr. Zhong, I agree with your plan. However, I have a small request." Yu Guodong said sincerely, his eyes flashing with expectations for the future.

"Oh? Tell me about it." Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly and motioned Yu Guodong to continue.

"Mr. Zhong, I hope that in the next three years, neither of us will distribute dividends, but will continue to invest."

"Oh? Old Yu! Why did you suddenly come up with this idea?"

Yu Guodong expressed his thoughts. "Mr. Zhong, you know that I proposed dividends too early, which resulted in insufficient cash flow on the company's books. Most of the dividends were used by me to purchase villas and luxury cars. Now that I think about it, it was indeed a bit impulsive. If we can continue to invest these funds in the project, I believe our shopping mall will be built more perfectly and the future profits will be more substantial."

Zhong Yuemin nodded to show his understanding. "Old Yu, your consideration makes sense. Although dividends in the short term can bring immediate benefits, in the long run, continuous investment and development are the key to the company's growth. I agree with your proposal. We will not distribute dividends within three years and will invest all our energy and resources in the construction and operation of the mall."

After hearing this, Yu Guodong finally felt relieved.