cloud waterfront

Spring 2008, Chicago.

The last snow has melted, and as soon as the weather turns warmer, the green in front of and behind the house can't wait to emerge.On sunny days, the whole city is full of spring, and there are gradually more pedestrians on the streets.

A silver-gray commercial vehicle was leaving O'Hare Airport and headed for the city.

"Why did you choose Chicago?" Ye Zonglin put his hands on the armrests of the seat with full confidence in his eyes, and tapped lightly, "Because the competition between New York and Los Angeles is too fierce, while Chicago is just right, and the development prospects of the media industry are quite good."

Ye Han, who was sitting next to his father, nodded as if he had understood something, and asked with some doubts: "But you decided to start a new company here before the seminar?"

Ye Zonglin smiled: "Do you think I would be willing to attend any seminar? Professor Wu is a well-known information technology expert in the United States. I have long wanted to visit him. Since he personally invited him this time, why not take this opportunity to make friends with him?" .”

Ye Han tried his best to concentrate on listening to his father's words, but he felt a little tired. His eyes drifted out of the car window, observing this strange city with a slightly blank expression.

Ye Zonglin continued: "Professor Wu is also Chinese. I believe he is easier to get along with than those Yankees. Moreover, his wife has just been elected to the state legislature this year. If we can have a good relationship with Professor Wu's family, I think our new American The company will soon find its footing."

"That's good." Ye Han responded casually, but his eyes were staring out of the car window, his thoughts drifting away.

Sensing his daughter's absent-mindedness, Ye Zonglin sighed secretly, and said, "If you feel bored in China, why not... come to America to take care of your new company."

Ye Han looked back at his father in surprise, thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "I'm afraid I can't do it."

"Don't worry, I will work with you to make preliminary preparations and pave the way for you."

Ye Han was noncommittal, and only replied lightly: "Let's have a look first."

Professor Wu Zhiyuan's information technology and media seminar was held as scheduled. Ye Zonglin took Ye Han to attend every agenda on time. Taking advantage of the brief conversation between the meetings, he finally made an appointment with Professor Wu for a door-to-door visit.

Ye Zonglin waited patiently for the arrival of the weekend. The reason for meeting on the weekend was that Professor Wu’s wife was on the go most of the time, but no matter how busy she was, she would definitely go home for the weekend. This meeting was naturally with Professor Wu’s family. Great opportunity to get closer.

On Saturday, MP Assistant Mark drove to the hotel to pick up Ye Zonglin and his daughter.

In the relaxed conversation, the half-hour journey ended quickly.The car stopped in front of a two-story villa in the southern district. The lawn in front of the house was neatly trimmed, a few dwarf trees were planted by the wall, and a smooth path went through the lawn to the door.

As soon as Ye Zonglin and Ye Han got out of the car, Wu Zhiyuan was already waiting at the door.This kind-faced Professor Wu is wearing a light-colored shirt, a dark sweater, and glasses on the bridge of his nose. From his appearance, he has a very gentle personality and has no airs.

After the simple greetings, Wu Zhiyuan invited the father and daughter to sit in the study on the second floor.Ye Zonglin greatly appreciated Wu Zhiyuan's speech at the seminar. Wu Zhiyuan listened quietly all the time with a smile on his face.

Soon, Ye Zonglin quietly led the topic to his planned target.

"Although China Lottery Group is known as a media empire in Asia, we are still blank in the North American market. If we want to gain a foothold in the United States, we must avoid head-on competition with traditional media giants, focus on the new media field, and take advantage of Internet technology. Taking advantage of the opportunity of rapid development, seize the market segment as soon as possible.”

Wu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement: "Mr. Ye has a good eye."

Ye Zonglin smiled: "It's just that we are short of experts like Professor Wu. To be honest, I came here today to invite Professor Wu to be the chief consultant of our new company."

Wu Zhiyuan adjusted his glasses, pondered for a moment before speaking again: "I'm just a teacher, Mr. Ye thinks too highly of me."

"Professor Wu is serious." Ye Zonglin leaned forward slightly, his tone became more sincere, "I have heard of Professor Wu's name a few years ago, but I have never had the right opportunity, so I dare not visit him rashly. This time I have When I thought of opening a branch in the United States, the first thing I thought of was Professor Wu.”

Wu Zhiyuan smiled slightly, and was not in a hurry to express his opinion, but turned his gaze to Ye Han who was sitting beside Ye Zonglin, and asked, "Will Mr. Ye's new company be handed over to your daughter in the future?"

"That's exactly what I thought." Ye Zonglin nodded and replied.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded: "Miss Ye is indeed outstanding, and she is worthy of a great job."

Ye Zonglin glanced at his daughter with a bit of pride in his eyes, but at the same time he was a little puzzled in his heart. He always felt that Professor Wu's praise of his daughter did not seem like a common courtesy.Even Ye Han himself felt a little uncomfortable being praised, and lowered his head slightly.

At this time, a clear and pleasant voice sounded from the door of the study: "Mr. Ye's daughter is of course different."

Ye Zonglin turned his head and saw a radiant middle-aged woman walking into the study.

Wu Zhiyuan stood up with a smile, and introduced to Ye Zonglin: "This is my wife."

Ye Zonglin had already guessed the identity of the person coming, and hurriedly got up to greet him: "Mr. Fang, it's a pleasure to meet you."

And Ye Han was still in his seat, staring blankly at this unfamiliar but impressive face.It wasn't until the three elders finished greeting that she stood up in a hurry, and with all kinds of excitement and apprehension, she called out: "Aunt Fang..."

Fang Nan had already walked in front of her, put a hand on her shoulder, and said with a smile, "Sit down."

The familiarity between the two made Ye Zonglin a little puzzled, but he didn't think about it, so he introduced to Fang Nan with a smile: "This is my daughter Ye Han, her first visit to Chicago."

Fang Nan smiled and said to Ye Zonglin, "I know, we've met before."

Only then did Ye Zonglin look at Ye Han in surprise. Before he could speak, what happened next surprised him even more.

Fang Nan sat down next to Ye Han, took her hand and asked Wu Zhiyuan: "Do you think Xiao Han and Yang Yang of our family are a natural match?"

Wu Zhiyuan chuckled and nodded in satisfaction.

Ye Han didn't dare to intervene, and lowered his head silently, unable to hide mixed feelings in his eyes.

Ye Zonglin hadn't recovered yet, only heard Fang Nan say: "Mr. Ye, I think our child is a good match for your daughter, why don't we get married."

Ye Han's heart was already in his throat, and he clasped his hands tightly, not daring to turn his head to look at his father.

"This..." Ye Zonglin didn't expect Fang Nan to turn the topic so outrageously in just a few words, but he was a little surprised in his heart, so he asked with a smile, "My lord hasn't seen our little one yet. Han, let these two children meet and talk first."

"They have seen each other a long time ago, and, Mr. Ye, you have also seen our Yang Yang."

Ye Zonglin became more and more confused, and for a moment he didn't know how to ask.

At this time, Wu Zhiyuan said with a smile: "Mr. Ye, our family is also a daughter."

Ye Zonglin froze for a moment, and sat there for a while, then turned his head to look at Ye Han, then at Wu Zhiyuan, and then slowly opened his mouth: "Wu..."

Wu Zhiyuan nodded: "Wu Ruoyang is my daughter."

Ye Zonglin quickly regained his composure on his face, slowly retracted his eyes, blinked a few times in embarrassment, and stopped talking in silence.

While observing Ye Zonglin's expression, Fang Nan started chatting with Ye Han: "Annie, you haven't seen each other for several months, do you miss her?"

Ye Han's eye circles were reddened, and he was choked up and unable to speak.

Fang Nan patted the back of her hand with a smile, and said, "Shortly after your family left Kunming, Yang Yang came to the United States. She is currently studying for an MBA, and plans to return to China to submit her resume at Huacai. But I can't wait , so discuss it with Lao Wu and find a chance to chat with your father."

It was only then that Ye Zonglin fully understood that this trip to Chicago had been planned by Professor Wu's family long ago, and even Professor Wu's seminar was probably deliberately arranged for this purpose.

Ye Han tried to calm down a little, and couldn't help but ask Fang Nan: "Then... is she at home?"

Fang Nan pretended to glance out of the window, and said with a smile, "She, I don't know where to play today. Don't worry, I'll let her come to you tomorrow, okay?"

Ye Han was seen through his thoughts, a blush appeared on his cheeks, and he lowered his head and replied softly: "Yes."

After dinner at Professor Wu's house, Ye Zonglin and Ye Han bid farewell and left.It was still Mark who drove the father and daughter back to the hotel.

Along the way, Ye Zonglin remained silent, just thinking about it, frowning slightly for a while, smiling and shaking his head for a while.Ye Han glanced at his father's expression from time to time, it was not easy to discuss anything with his father when outsiders were around, but he couldn't hold back his longing for Wu Ruoyang, wishing that this night would pass quickly.

The hotel where the father and daughter lived is located in a bustling area full of high-rise buildings, and there is only a lakeside boulevard between Lake Michigan and Lake Michigan.The car was driving north along the busy Lakeside Avenue. Mark turned his head and said to Ye Zonglin with a smile: "Mr. Ye, Mr. Fang asked me to show you the scenery by the lake."

At this time, Ye Zonglin was not interested in looking at the scenery at all, but he couldn't refuse, so he nodded with a smile: "Alright. The Navy Pier is coming soon, right? Then go to the dock and have a look."

Mark smiled and said, "Let's go to the pier tomorrow, let's go shopping elsewhere tonight."

Ye Zonglin didn't care about where to go to see the scenery, so he had no choice but to let the other party think.

The car drove to the opposite side of the hotel, but turned off the main road and stopped at the lakeside leisure area.After getting off the car, the father and daughter followed Mark to the landscape trail on the shore of the lake. Standing in front of the railing, they looked far into the distance. In front of them was the endless tranquil lake, which gradually became darker and deeper as the sky darkened.

Mark dutifully accompanied him, although he knew that the father and daughter didn't want to listen to what he had to say, but they still politely looked for topics.From the legend of Lake Michigan, to the history and development of Chicago, to the busy work of following Fang Nan every day.

"Not long ago, the same-sex marriage legalization bill in Illinois was submitted to both houses, but unfortunately it never passed." He shrugged helplessly at this point, "However, Congressman Fang said that she will not give up her efforts until she succeeds. .”

Ye Zonglin remained silent and did not express any opinion, and nodded slightly after a long while.

Ye Han did not listen to a word of Mark's words.She has already been eagerly rehearsing the scene of meeting Wu Ruoyang tomorrow in her mind, guessing whether her appearance will change a little, whether her hair will grow longer, whether she is also suffering from the same yearning and reunion as herself at this moment Joy tormented.

Just as he was thinking about it, Ye Han suddenly noticed that there was a light behind him, casting his shadow on the ground and the railing.

The three people standing by the lake turned around at the same time, and the lights were on the outer wall of the hotel building where Ye Han and his father lived, but it was not a hotel sign or a neon light advertisement, but it was composed of LED lights. of several huge letters.

Ye Han opened his eyes wide, looking at those letters in disbelief, and what caught his eyes was her name - "Annie".But this name couldn't be more common, and she quickly suppressed the sudden joy in her heart.

At this time, under the name, another word suddenly lit up.Ye Han's heart was suddenly raised, because it was clearly a square Chinese character.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third words lighted up.

Finally, on the outer wall of the hotel building, a complete sentence appeared: "Annie, I love you."

The nerves in Ye Han's brain were instantly tensed, and even his breathing seemed to be completely stagnant.The dazzling light words, reflected in her clear pupils, were quickly blurred by tears in just a few seconds.

She was finally convinced that this sentence was meant for her, and she could even feel that the person she missed all the time was watching her from behind these lights.

Ye Zonglin slightly raised his head, looking at the two lines of huge lighted characters expressionlessly, with a dignified expression.

Ye Han was still staring at the building until she noticed a person walking out of the shadow on the side of the walkway in front of her, and she hurriedly looked away.The familiar figure walked towards her step by step, and under the reflection of the light, his whole body seemed to be radiating light, making her dazzled.

When Wu Ruoyang's backlit face and the bouquet of delicate roses in his hand gradually became clearer, Ye Han finally held back his tears, a smile appeared on his face, and he greeted her approaching with gentle eyes.

Wu Ruoyang stopped in front of Ye Han, stared into her eyes, slowly handed over the rose in his hand, and said softly: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't make you sad."

Ye Han took the rose, shook her head vigorously with a smile, and wanted to tell her that she didn't have to blame herself for the past. At this moment, she just wanted to express all the thoughts in her heart, but there were too many things she wanted to say, but even half a sentence was useless. Unable to speak out.

She didn't want to suppress the turbulent emotions anymore, and immediately stepped forward to hug Wu Ruoyang.Only this embrace can end her expectation and waiting these days, and let her completely release all the love in her heart.

Ye Han buried her cheek into Wu Ruoyang's neck, and said tremblingly, "I know...I know you won't leave me..."

The two embraced tightly, as if nothing could separate them.

Ye Zonglin saw all the determination and affection in Wu Ruoyang's eyes when he looked at Ye Han. He turned around slowly, looked at the deep lake with his hands behind his back, and let out a long sigh of relief.

After hugging for a long time, Wu Ruoyang wiped away the tears on Ye Han's face, then took her hand and walked behind Ye Zonglin together.

"Uncle Ye." Wu Ruoyang changed his address again.

Ye Zonglin turned around, with a very shallow smile on his face, stared back and forth at the two of them for a while, then looked at the rose in Ye Han's hand, finally smiled in relief, and said to Wu Ruoyang: "You first Take Xiaohan back, I will come to your house for dinner tomorrow."

Wu Ruoyang and Ye Han looked at each other with a smile, restrained their excitement, interlocked their fingers and watched Ye Zonglin return to the car. Mark waited by the car, opened the door for Ye Zonglin, then smiled and gestured victory to Wu Ruoyang.

Only two people who reunited after a long absence were left on the shore.Ye Han leaned against the railing, holding roses in his hands.Wu Ruoyang stood behind her, holding her and Hua in his arms.

Ye Han caressed the back of Wu Ruoyang's hand, accidentally touching the red bracelet on her wrist.

"Did you find it?" Ye Han stroked the smooth and round red beads with his fingers.

Wu Ruoyang said softly in Ye Han's ear, "Yes, it has been waiting for me."

Ye Han stuffed the rose into Wu Ruoyang's hand, turned around and put his hands on her shoulders, his eyes were full of happy smiles.Wu Ruoyang hugged Ye Han tighter, looked carefully at the eyes that were thinking day and night, then raised a hand to gently stroke her cheek, and after a while, leaned over and kissed her.

The two of them seem to have returned to several months ago in an instant, under the blue sky and white clouds on the plateau, and back to the lakeside and mountain top where they held hands for the first time.Those times spent together flashed through my mind like a slide show, no matter whether it was bitter or sweet, it was just to make the taste of this kiss more beautiful and profound.

In the bright night of Chicago's Gold Coast, those two lines of dazzling lights ignited the romance of the whole world, illuminating the two people embracing and kissing on the shore of Lake Michigan.

(End of the article)