The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 409 Prelude to Lost Life (Part Two) I won't let your husband touch you
"Alright, let's leave the topic of Yu Mo here. Everyone should stop making wild guesses. She's our friend, and we should wish her happiness."

After everyone's various speculations about Yu Mo and her fiancé, Hu Yifei made the final statement, ending the topic.

"Wait, Yifei!"

At this moment, Guan Gu Shenqi suddenly spoke up, attracting everyone's attention. He stroked his chin confidently and said, "I think I've figured out what's going on between Yu Mo and her fiancé Richard..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hu Yifei smacked him on the face with a pillow.

"I told you not to make wild guesses."

"I'm not guessing, I'm... reasoning!"

“Only when there are clues can it be called deduction,” Tang Youyou patted Guan Gu on the shoulder. “Without clues, it’s just guessing.”

"..."

Lu Ziqiao looked left and right, then sneered, "If you ask me..."

As soon as he spoke, he saw Hu Yifei smiling and staring at him, so he quickly said to avoid danger, "Let's go play billiards instead, Guan Gu, Wen Sheng."

Just as Wen Sheng was about to nod, a voice came from beside him: "Hey! Uncle Straw Hat."

The group turned around and saw a little girl wearing a straw hat, a red short jacket, and blue shorts standing next to Wen Sheng, looking at him.

"Zhuge Dali?" Wen Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "What brings you here?"

"Didn't you say I could come to Love Apartment to find you?" Zhuge Dali took off her straw hat, revealing her obviously elementary school student appearance.

Seeing a little girl come to find Wen Sheng, the others were filled with curiosity.

So Tang Youyou spoke first: "What an adorable little kid, Teacher Wen, this... Luffy is yours..."

“Her name is Zhuge Dali,” Wen Sheng introduced. “She’s a friend I met when I went fishing last time.”

"I didn't realize you could make friends with kids, Wensheng," Lu Ziqiao exclaimed in amazement.

"What's wrong with kids? Children's friendships are even more precious, okay?" Hu Yifei said, then looked at Zhuge Dali, "So, little Dali, why did you come to see Wen Sheng..."

Zhuge Dali looked at the group of people, then finally focused her gaze on Wen Sheng's face: "Uncle Straw Hat, I'd like to ask you to teach me how to fish."

"Fishing?" Wen Sheng looked surprised and laughed, "Sure, when?"

"Today or tomorrow is fine."

"Wait a minute," Guan Gu Shenqi said, puzzled. "Why did she call you 'Straw Hat Uncle'? She's wearing a straw hat, shouldn't she be called 'Straw Hat... Girl'?"

Zhuge Dali put on the straw hat and explained, "Because the straw hat was given to me by the uncle last time, and he said it was the legacy of the fishing king."

"..."

Wen Sheng looked slightly embarrassed. He usually acted mature and composed in the apartment, but now he suddenly became a bit childish.

After clearing his throat, Wen Sheng didn't immediately agree, but instead asked, "Dali, did you come alone?"

“Of course not.” Zhuge Dali shook her head. “Although there is no ‘No Under 18s Allowed’ sign at the entrance of this bar, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to come in alone.”

At this point, she turned her head and waved: "My mom came with me."

Upon hearing this, Wen Sheng looked over and saw a woman wearing a loose denim jacket and white casual pants standing by the bar, looking in his direction.

This is Zhuge Dali's mother, Zhuge Dasheng... a lawyer?
Upon seeing her daughter waving, Zhuge Dasheng walked over, glanced at the group, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Hello, I am Dali's mother, Zhuge Dasheng."

Lu Ziqiao leaned close to Guan Gu Shenqi's ear and whispered, "This name is even more impressive than yours."

Then Zhuge Dasheng looked at Wen Sheng and smiled, "Mr. Wen, thank you for reminding Dali to be careful last time, and thank you for the fish you gave me. So Dali is going on a picnic with me this time, and she hopes you can teach her how to fish. I wonder when you are free?"

As soon as Zhuge Dasheng finished speaking, everyone in Love Apartment turned their attention to Wen Sheng.

Before Wen Sheng could speak, Hu Yifei said, "You're free, Wen Sheng is always free!"

She paused, then said to Wen Sheng, "Wen Sheng, that little kid came all the way here to invite you, can you bear to disappoint him?"

"That's right, Children's Day just passed a few days ago, Teacher Wen, don't let the children down." Tang Youyou chimed in.

Seeing these people making a fuss, Wen Sheng was speechless for a moment, but looking at Zhuge Dali's appearance, he could only pat the straw hat on the other's head and laugh, "Alright, I haven't been fishing for a while, and I'm free today."

After saying that, he stood up and said, "And since I promised you last time, I should naturally keep my word."

"Uncle, are we leaving now?"

"Wait a moment, I'm going back to my apartment to get some equipment."

……

After Wen Sheng and the Zhuge mother and daughter left, Guan Gu Shenqi looked at Hu Yifei and Tang Youyou and asked, "Why did you rush Wen Sang to agree just now?"

"Did we urge them?" Hu Yifei blinked. "This is to help the kids, okay?"

"Exactly, and that Dali's mom is so pretty, Teacher Wen won't lose out by going on the picnic with her," Tang Youyou added.

"Hey, can you guys stop being so shallow? Aren't you afraid that as soon as Wen Sheng gets there, Dali's dad will throw him into the lake as bait?" Lu Ziqiao sneered, a straw stuck in a wine bottle dangling from his lips.

“How dare you, Lu Ziqiao, use the word ‘superficial’?” Hu Yifei rolled her eyes at him and said, “Didn’t you hear what they said just now? Wen Sheng had already agreed to Dali’s request.”

"There's no need for you all to get involved, is there? This is a decision for Wen-sang to make himself."

"Guan Gu, you don't understand. Joining in the fun is a traditional virtue of ours."

……

Downstairs at the Love Apartment building.

When Zhuge Dali saw Wen Sheng come out carrying a huge backpack, she widened her eyes and said, "Uncle, it's just fishing, you don't need to bring so much, do you?"

Seeing that Zhuge Dasheng also looked slightly surprised, he asked curiously, "Don't you camp or have picnics on your outings?"

"We do camp, but cooking outdoors... we find it a bit inconvenient."

"It's okay, there are designated areas around Dianshan Lake where you can have a fire and cook outdoors."

Unlike later times, many regulations don't exist now. More importantly, surveillance facilities aren't widely available these days; at most, they're only present in a few areas of scenic spots and resorts.

Zhuge Dasheng wanted to say something more, but seeing his daughter's surprised and delighted expression, he swallowed his words back.

……

Inside the rest area of ​​the Shanghai Broadcasting Building.

Zeng Xiaoxian sat nervously at the small round table, his index fingers interlaced and his thumbs circling back and forth, his eyes darting left and right.

Just then, two cups of coffee and a small box of sugar cubes were placed on the table.

"I'm sorry, they're all off work on the weekend, so I had to call someone to deliver it."

Nolan sat down opposite him, twirling her spoon, and said apologetically, "I was supposed to treat you to a meal, but I didn't expect your gas to leak."

"Hehe, so what if it leaks? I grew up breathing gas too, anyway." Zeng Xiaoxian forced a smile. "Besides, I should be the one treating you to dinner. After all... you're here to help me with my show!"

Nolan nodded, picked up her coffee and smiled, "But you are my ex-husband's friend, and you've taken care of him for so long, so I still want to thank you."

"Oh! Wensheng doesn't need anyone to take care of him. He's the one who takes care of us all the time." Zeng Xiaoxian relaxed a little when Wensheng was mentioned, and picked up his coffee to show his appreciation. "Wensheng and I are good friends, and you and him are... former husband and wife, so there's no need to be so polite!"

"makes sense."

Nuolan smiled and took a sip of her unsweetened coffee. Zeng Xiaoxian had originally wanted to add sugar, but seeing this, he also took a sip, and then his facial expression started to twitch.

"I'm sorry, I don't usually add sugar. This box of candy is for you."

"It's nothing." Zeng Xiaoxian forced a smile after quickly taking a sip of liquid coal. "I'm not used to adding sugar either; I just like it bitter."

"Is it bitter?"

"..."

There are two types of girls in the world who are obviously not easy to deal with: one type likes to eat green peppers, and the other type drinks coffee without sugar. Coincidentally, Nuolan belongs to the third type. She likes both, so you don't even need to look at her to know that she is not easy to deal with.

Hmm... There's another type, for those who don't eat cilantro. This isn't an oil lamp, it's a candle. It won't light unless you light it, and once lit, it flickers and melts. It's unstable and you can easily get burned by the wax. Its advantages are that it's cheap, easy to use, and portable.

Zeng Xiaoxian's nerves, which had just relaxed a little, tensed up again. He looked at Nuolan in front of him and hesitated for a moment before asking, "By the way, Nuolan, weren't you doing well during the prime time slot in the morning? How come... you were suddenly switched to the late night slot?"

He paused, then lowered his voice mysteriously and asked, "Did you offend the boss?"

"No, you're overthinking it." Nuolan shook her head, her voice calm. "I didn't switch to the late-night schedule; I'm just temporarily helping out your show. And I'll still be doing my own original show." 'Help me? Seriously! My brother Xian is a professional host, how dare he say he's helping me?!'

Zeng Xiaoxian's smile froze slightly, but he quickly recovered and laughed normally, "Haha, so are you able to handle juggling two shows now? And that... 'temporarily'... how long is that?"

"Don't worry, I'm a professional host, hosting two shows is no problem."

"..."

"As for 'temporary'...that depends on the effectiveness of my aid."

"The effectiveness of the aid?" Zeng Xiaoxian's brow twitched, and he asked in confusion, "What does that mean?"

"It means how much the listenership of 'Your Moon, My Heart' increased after it was changed from a single-segment to a double-segment, whether it attracted sponsorships, and the amount and quantity of sponsorships, etc." Nuolan patiently explained to him.

Zeng Xiaoxian nodded, but after thinking for a moment, he asked, "What if... none of these requirements are met?"

Upon hearing this, Nuolan, who was about to take another sip of coffee, paused and then looked at Zeng Xiaoxian with a strange expression, as if asking why he would still worry about these issues now that she was here.

"..."

Seeing that look, Zeng Xiaoxian's lips twitched. He realized that he had asked a stupid question that would demoralize him, so he laughed it off and said, "I was just asking casually, just asking randomly, hehe."

Upon hearing this, Nuolan put down her coffee, pondered for a few seconds, and then said, "What I just mentioned are the indicators under normal circumstances. Whether the aid is effective and whether the effectiveness meets expectations depends on how the leaders view it. Maybe we don't need to meet these indicators, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best."

"Oh, that's good, that's good." Zeng Xiaoxian breathed a sigh of relief. "So it all depends on Lisa's attitude, right?"

"almost."

"That puts my mind at ease. Lisa and I have a very good relationship." Zeng Xiaoxian gave a sly smile with a mysterious confidence. "Don't be fooled by Lisa's fierce attitude towards me just now. Actually, a beating is a sign of affection. I'm her confidant. Otherwise... she wouldn't have asked you to help me, right?"

"A trusted confidant?" Nolan's eyes were strange as she recalled what Lisa had told her earlier. "Are you sure she's not a major threat?"

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's face stiffened for a moment, then he waved his hand and laughed, "How could that be? Lisa always values ​​me the most!"

Thinking about what Lisa had said earlier and the scene of Zeng Xiaoxian facing Lisa in the office just now, Nuolan had a general impression of the friend of her ex-husband.

It's a real shame she didn't become a hostess.

However, the more the other party acted this way, the more at ease she felt.

Seeing Nuolan looking at him with an expression he couldn't understand, Zeng Xiaoxian felt a little uneasy and quickly chuckled awkwardly, "By the way, since you're going to co-host 'Your Moon, My Heart' with me, does Wensheng know about this?"

“No, he doesn’t know.” Nolan shook her head.

"Then I'll go back and tell him the good news. He listens to my show now, and if he knew..."

"No, don't tell him yet."

Zeng Xiaoxian, who was interrupted, was taken aback for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Why?"

“Hmm… because I want to give him a surprise.” Nolan thought for a moment and then smiled. “So before I officially co-host the show with you, I hope you won’t tell him, or any of your other friends.”

“This…” Zeng Xiaoxian pondered for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, “No problem, I understand, it’s just a little romance between husband and wife, but what were they doing before the divorce…”

Once Zeng Xiaoxian got into a good laugh, he couldn't control his mouth, but luckily he noticed Nuolan's slightly somber expression and quickly stopped talking, patting his own mouth.

"The coffee... I just burned my mouth, sorry." Zeng Xiaoxian picked up the coffee and chuckled dryly, then pinched his nose and took a big gulp.

After taking a couple of light breaths, Nuolan smiled and asked, "By the way, can you tell me about my ex-husband moving to Love Apartment? He doesn't talk to me much about it, and I still don't know who his friends are there."

"No problem... Ugh... Wensheng is currently living in... Ugh... 3601, his roommate... Ugh..."

Zeng Xiaoxian, after taking a big gulp of bitter coffee, gagged as he recounted Wen Sheng's life at the Love Apartment, including who lived in the two suites and what interesting things happened to them. Anyway, these weren't exactly secrets.

So Nuolan listened quietly while drinking her coffee, but her eyes changed slightly when she heard the new name "Qin Yumo".

Speaking of which, there are a total of eight people in the two suites. She has already met six of her ex-husband's friends, and the only one she hasn't met yet is this Qin Yumo.

However, after hearing Zeng Xiaoxian say that Qin Yumo had a fiancé, Nuolan calmed down.

Looking at it this way, I realize I really was being a bit paranoid.

After Zeng Xiaoxian finished speaking, Nuolan, relieved, smiled and said, "Thank you for sharing."

"It's no big deal. The mission of Love Apartment is to help others and help everyone find and protect love," Zeng Xiaoxian said with a smile.

Nuolan smiled even more broadly upon hearing this: "Really? Then please tell me more about Wensheng's affairs over there, especially the girls who have been seen with him."

"Of course I didn't ask..." Zeng Xiaoxian was about to agree when it suddenly dawned on him. He looked at the woman in front of him cautiously and said, "Why does it sound like you want me to spy on him?"

"How could that be? It's not about surveillance, it's just... to make it easier for me to remarry him as soon as possible, I need more information," Nuolan explained.

Having grasped the situation this time, Zeng Xiaoxian became more cautious. After a moment's thought, he politely smiled and said, "Of course, that's no problem. But... could I also tell Wen Sheng?"

At this point, Zeng Xiaoxian immediately added, "I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that my kind of megaphone behavior can easily cause misunderstandings. It's a small matter if Wen Sheng misunderstands me, but it's a big deal if Wen Sheng misunderstands you. It would be best if I got his permission first!"

Upon hearing this, Nuolan smiled and shook her head: "It's okay, I'll explain to Wensheng. You'd better not tell him that you're helping me... by revealing his information."

Zeng Xiaoxian's expression changed repeatedly. If he still couldn't understand Nuolan's words, he shouldn't be a host anymore; he might as well go feed the pigs.

Looking at Wen Sheng's ex-wife in front of him, he hesitated and said, "This... isn't it a bit..."

"Oh right, I forgot to mention earlier that the effectiveness of that aid still needs my input. For example, I think you are already capable enough to make the program even better on your own and don't need any more aid, or you might be more suitable for... aiding in the reconstruction of Alashan."

Nuolan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes covering the color in her eyes and also concealing Zeng Xiaoxian's stiff and unpleasant expression.

She gently stirred the coffee in her cup with the spoon in her hand, and before taking a sip, she looked at the other person with a smile and said, "Of course, my opinion can only be taken as a reference and may not necessarily affect Lisa's judgment of you, after all, you are his confidant."

……

Dianshan Lake, in the late afternoon, near dusk.

Wen Sheng's phone rang as he was digging for earthworms with Zhuge Dali. He glanced at Zhuge Dali, who was frowning and wielding a hoe, then at Zhuge Dasheng, who was fishing alone in the distance, and finally said to Dali, "Dali, you keep digging, I'll take this call."

“Okay,” Zhuge Dali said without even looking up.

Wen Sheng put down his entrenching tool, walked to the side, and answered the phone: "Hey, Yu Mo, what's up?"

"Wen Sheng, Richard is back."

Qin Yumo's voice was very calm as she stated the news directly.

Wen Sheng was taken aback: "Richard, your fiancé is back?"

"Ah."

"Great news! Have you met yet?" Wen Sheng laughed into his phone. If Richard is back, then things will get interesting.

However, Qin Yumo remained silent for two seconds before slowly speaking: "We haven't met yet. He went back to the Lishui Villa first, but I've already told him that I've moved to Love Apartment."

"That's great, it's worth the wait." Wen Sheng smiled again.

This time, Qin Yumo remained silent for an even longer time. Wen Sheng was about to think that she had forgotten to hang up the phone when he finally heard her voice: "Don't you have anything to say?"

"What do you want to say?" Wen Sheng flicked the dirt from his fingernails, thought for a moment, and then chuckled, "Congratulations, congratulations..."

"Wen Sheng!"

Qin Yumo interrupted him, then raised her voice slightly: "I heard what you said in the bar just now. Is this what you really wanted to tell me?"

"..."

Listening to the breathing on the phone, Wen Sheng sighed softly. Looking at Zhuge Dasheng walking towards them from not far away, he said to the phone, "Yu Mo, as a friend, I do congratulate you on your fiancé's return. What I said to you in the bar earlier, and what I said to you before, was just my duty as a friend to remind you, but ultimately I hope you find happiness."

"I understand." Qin Yumo's voice became calm again. "Thank you for your blessing. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"As for anything else... that's not something I should say as your friend. Saying it will only make you unhappy."

"Speak!" Qin Yumo's voice rose again, trembling slightly, "Speak in a different capacity!"

After a slight pause, Qin Yumo continued, "I'll give you one last chance to say something."

Not far away, the surface of Dianshan Lake shimmered under the sunlight. A gentle breeze rippled outwards, reaching the shore. As she approached, Attorney Zhuge subconsciously adjusted her fisherman's hat. She nodded and smiled at Wen Sheng, then gestured with her hand as if she were fishing.

Although Wen Sheng didn't understand what she meant, he pretended to understand and nodded, then smiled and said softly, "I won't allow your husband to touch you."

(End of this chapter)