I am not Ximen Qing.

How fortunate I am that I didn't get married! Look how confused Song Yu is about his impending marriage and love. This is a secret of love hidden deep in his heart. To be honest, he has almost forgotten Minghui from his memory. Love is beautiful and romantic, but once it comes to marriage, everything becomes imperfect.

Did Minghui exist like a gust of wind, or did she never exist? The love relationship between men and women is nothing more than this. After returning to Beijing from Wutai Mountain with Song Yu and her mother, Song Yu has been looking for a suitable house in Beijing. At the same time, both sets of parents are discussing the various arrangements for the wedding. Zhang Sheng went to Song Yu's house for a drink again. During this period, Song Yu has fallen in love with Hengshui Laobaigan. It seems that he has fallen in love with drinking baijiu.

"Dude, got a project after the New Year?"

"Is it the same project as before?"

"No, it's not the same project as before; we don't have that much business anymore."

"That's great, a new project!"

Zhang Sheng was also tempted. He hadn't participated in the previous project, but this opportunity had allowed Song Yu to make a fortune. In Zhang Sheng's mind, Song Yu was truly a Kerouac on the road. However, Song Yu's constant travels around the world were for opening branch offices and expanding business. Jinghua was very proud of Song Yu's perfect execution; it was a win-win situation. Cash flow is paramount for a financial empire, and Song Yu's current position at Foshou Company is very prestigious, which is also part of Jinghua's talent strategy. Foshou Company's development requires a continuous influx of outstanding talent. The veteran employees seemed to have lost their passion for hard work. Think back to when they were first setting up POS machines everywhere—that fighting spirit! After making a fortune, they bought cars, houses, villas, and went abroad for further education. Jinghua invests heavily in employee training, willing to spend money to send many employees to MBA programs, with the company directly reimbursing the training expenses! Large companies that play the game of capital, finance, and money must be willing to invest heavily in employee training. External factors are very important; they must have a top-down perspective and a sense of style. Money is too perfect, too beautiful. Money means eternal love and romance, it means something like a dream. Only money can illuminate life and existence, only money can make people understand the meaning of something like a dream. Men's promises of love are all lies, a double understanding.

Now, thinking about Jiang Tao's "Advances of the Three Macbeths," it's quite meaningful. Deep down, every man has a wild Macbeth within him. Macbeth, the great Scottish King Macbeth, is a tragedy with profound philosophical significance. The root of it all lies in his ambition to become King of Scotland, which is actually his passionate love for his wife. His ambition is, in fact, Lady Macbeth's vanity at work. Macbeth is dead. Macbeth has gone mad. Macbeth's wife has gone mad and entered an asylum!

Macbeth is a great Shakespearean play about the power of desire and money to backfire! Money can bring not only power and glory, but also destruction! In Nana Disco, the three Macbeth sisters, Zhuo Ziwei, Nana, and Zi Zi the witch-like praise and compliments, treat Zhang Sheng as Macbeth, and Tingting as a shared reference point for their beauty, occasionally serving as models for these three goddesses. Purely artistic girls, he seems to have become Apollo with the aura of a king and Caesar! It's a bit confusing; nowadays, girls seem to have a bit of a "mature man" tendency, and most importantly, they can continue dating. Zhang Sheng and Song Yu exchanged their souls, and their fates in love were also exchanged. It's all Song Yu's fault for selling his soul to his young girlfriend.

The true essence of Beijing lies in the Western Hills, home to the Three Hills and Five Gardens. With its numerous temples, shrines, and gardens, it showcases the beauty of Youzhou (modern-day Beijing). Youzhou and Yan (modern-day Hebei and Liaoning) have always been overlooked in history—by Qin Shi Huang and Sima Qian—but never by Cao Cao or Sima Yi. The problems of the Northern and Southern Song dynasties were essentially the legacy of the Tang dynasty's Youzhou and Liaodong issues. No one cares about Chen Zi'ang's ascent of the Youzhou Terrace, nor about Li Bai's reflections on Youzhou. During the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Beijing truly took center stage in history. This city, with its vast cultural heritage, is so rich that even a lifetime spent living there only allows one to breathe its air. Beijing's past and present are like the three Buddhas of the Three Worlds, endless and boundless. To live and strive in Beijing is a blessing accumulated through past and present lives. It's remarkable that love and acquaintance can blossom in Beijing, let alone marriage. It's like the 500-year pilgrimage to Mount Wutai. Consider the Khitans—they were perhaps the most devoted to Beijing. While the Jin and Yuan dynasties were relatively minor, Beijing still boasts numerous Liao dynasty pagodas! The Liao Pagoda on the mountain, inside and outside the city, is a beautiful sight amidst the bustling city. The pagoda itself embodies the Vajra Prajna spirit, a fortunate speck among the sands of the Ganges! Just like the people living here, unaware of the immense blessings they possess. Fragrant Hills is renowned for its red leaves; visiting Fragrant Hills in autumn to admire the red leaves is a refined pastime for old Beijingers after meals. While admiring the snow in Fragrant Hills in winter also captures the essence of the eight capitals of Yanjing, the beauty of Fragrant Hills in spring can only be truly appreciated by experiencing it firsthand. In the height of summer, the layered peaks and ridges are clearly defined, with temples and jeweled cauldrons faintly visible among them. One can see the Vajra Cauldron and the Glazed Pagoda. Everyone says Fragrant Hills is beautiful, but without visiting, one knows nothing of its beauty. Everything was arranged by Tingting. She had said she loved the scent of locust blossoms in the market street. Meeting her there felt a little strange. Her dignified yet unrestrained smile was completely different from her disco persona; she possessed a vibrant and lively nature. Perhaps she had too many things on her mind, her aloof and arrogant gaze; perhaps she hadn't slept well, she seemed a little drowsy and confused, and she exuded a perfumed fragrance. Zhang Sheng joked that he smelled of locust blossoms, which opened his heart. "What locust blossom scent? Locust trees only bloom in April and May, where are the locust blossoms?" he asked. "The locust trees in the market street are all ancient trees," Zhang Sheng joked again, saying Tingting was a locust tree spirit, naturally carrying the scent of locust blossoms. She laughed, a happy laugh. Zhang Sheng said, "Why so serious? We don't act like lovers at all, like complete strangers." Zhang Sheng then coaxed her with insincere sweet words; she always gave him false hope. She was like a beauty from a dream. He feared that one day she would become like the goddess of Wushan in Song Yu's "The Goddess of Chu Xiang," the goddess of Luo River in Cao Zhi's "The Mountain Spirit in Qu Yuan's tales," or the ghost stories in "Taiping Guangji" and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio." Sometimes, a minute can change many things. Was she a dream or reality that had drifted in? To dispel this insecurity, he shamelessly told her how happy it would be if they could get married right away. Tingting didn't immediately respond to Zhang Sheng's inappropriate advances, gazing at the distant mountains.

Have you ever climbed Fragrant Hills?

"no"

The boy had no choice but to play dumb, pretending to know nothing about Fragrant Hills, so that Tingting could perform freely and show her ease. Tingting was so beautiful; her big eyes and rosy cheeks...

"So you've never seen a real mountain, have you?"

"Tingting, I've lived in the mountains since I was little,"

"What kind of mountains? There's Fragrant Hills, isn't that nice?"

"I don't know, but I love Fragrant Hills. No other mountain is as beautiful as Fragrant Hills."

In fact, Zhang Sheng and Tingting shared the same thought: which mountain is better than Fragrant Hills? When they climbed the Simatai Great Wall with their former company, they felt the difference in the Yan-You mountains. The Great Wall, perched on a steep ridge, was truly awe-inspiring. It was the regional differences that created this impression, but it wasn't just about the region; there were so many other factors at play. Beijing's beauty wasn't achieved overnight; it was accumulated and forged over a long historical period. It's a pity that Sima Qian's focus was entirely on Chang'an. Sima Qian's experience was always limited. If he had been able to explore the Yan-You region and appreciate its landscapes, perhaps the Records of the Grand Historian would have been very different!

Zhang Sheng finally calmed down, because Tingting's words reassured him. She was feeling lost, disappointed with her artistic aspirations and uncertain about the future, which made her feel lonely and emotionally unstable. Plus, she was a sensitive girl. This was the first time the two of them had wandered together amidst the mountains and rivers. Why should men and women talk about love and affection? How boring and painful! Zhang Sheng bought two tickets. There weren't many people at Fragrant Hills on ordinary days, perhaps because it was late. There are usually more people hiking and exercising in the morning. Hiking and traversing mountains were things Zhang Sheng cared about. Living in the forest, he still preferred the beauty of Fragrant Hills. He smiled slightly, not wanting to recall the snow-covered forests of the past. Human nature is ugly and forgetful; perhaps Liu Yuxi's "Inscription of a Humble Abode" was the reason for all this.

Beijing's beauty stems from dreams. Zhang Sheng had the illusion of living in a dream. Even living in a tiny rented room near the north gate of Tsinghua University's East Campus, the beauty of the dream was undeniable. The narrow bed at the China University of Geosciences, even the mosquito bites, brought him joy. It was as if he had been born in the heart of the capital, reincarnated into the forest, returning to a familiar place—a real-life version of reincarnation. Zhang Sheng no longer doubted Tingting's true beauty. In her violet dress, even the pine trees and wildflowers beneath them paled in comparison. Her arms, outstretched and exposed, shone with a fair, lustrous glow. Her silhouette was striking, a ribbon cinched her waist, the skirt reaching her calves. She wore sparkling crystal sandals, her toenails painted a deep red. It turned out her most alluring feature was her pair of jade-like feet with their red nail polish.

The girl's beauty lay in her waist, chest, legs, and feet. Afraid of the sun, she hid under a parasol. They strolled leisurely past the Hall of Diligent Governance and the Hall of Reaching Far and Wide. The beauty of Fragrant Hills was now only a lingering charm, radiating the vitality of a new era. The beauty of Fragrant Hills couldn't be judged by the beauty of old artifacts and ritual objects; its spirit remained, and that beauty should be acknowledged. Zhang Sheng understood that climbing the mountain was impossible; this outfit only allowed for a stroll along the edge of the mountain. Zhang Sheng tactfully followed closely behind Tingting, saying little as if they were strangers again. The sky above the azure peaks, blue pines, and lush wild grass and flowers beneath the green cypresses, a clear pool under a stone bridge, and a waterfall cascading down a cliff, splashing water—it seemed like they had arrived at the Water Curtain Cave, a blessed land of the Monkey King. Emerging from the cave, they followed winding paths, resting briefly in a small pavilion. She leaned lazily against a pillar, observing the fish swimming in the Spectacular Lake.

"Is it alright if I take a day?"

"Don't even mention a day, as long as you like it and are willing, I'm willing to do it for a lifetime."

Zhang Sheng's insincere and nonsensical pronouncements were now second nature; sweet talk was always better than hurting her feelings. She wasn't stupid; upon hearing this, she was both angry and amused. Wasn't he being incredibly fake? This was so fake; there wasn't a single trace of genuine love in him.

"I can't feel the spark of love; there's something wrong with our relationship."

"Tingting looked at me."

"I don't want to feel this way,"

"Tingting, where's Nana's cat?"

"There are nannies at the pet store,"

"After we finish visiting Fragrant Hills, let's take the cat home. It's Nana's precious cat."

"Is her cat that important? I don't need that. What I want is the feeling of being in love. I find this ridiculous, utterly absurd."

Zhang Sheng actually regretted it deeply. In her most unguarded moment of sadness, she suddenly made Nana's cat the main focus, the central theme. A chilling, surreal feeling washed over her, and she thought of her two best friends, Glasses Girl and Niu Niu. What seductive tricks did Glasses Girl, that scheming woman, use to bewitch Mr. Cisco, a straight man from Beijing? What did the engineer see in her? Men are truly strange creatures, purely irrational. Men are utterly unable to resist the allure of a woman's love and desire. Niu Niu almost lost herself in love with a divorced man with a daughter—a complete scoundrel. But every creature has its counter, and Niu Niu was so infatuated with this scumbag that she was practically dying for him. Why did Nana forget her cat? Love cannot tolerate impurities.

Nana is crazy, just like all men and women in love. But Zhang Shengsheng truly admires Nana's determination to save face and dignity. To Richard III of Paris, Freddy became utterly useless. Nana's so-called dignity was nothing more than playing cat and mouse, teasing the fickle Freddy like a Midsummer Night's Dream, and also Richard III. It was also a way of getting revenge for Zhuo Ziwei. Zhang Sheng thought of Elvis Presley's "Blueberry on the Hill," but this was Fragrant Hills. Regardless, a mountain is a place where love is easily encountered. What is love? It's a sudden flutter of the heart, right? Zhang Sheng thought of Jane Eyre, who was omnipresent from middle school to high school. When she first appeared in the classroom, she was a thin, frail girl with thin single eyelids and a small body, but her unique charm deeply attracted him. Wang Aiyue's beauty, Da Ma Mei's flirtatiousness, Han Jing's precociousness, Liu Mei's thick makeup, and Mu Tou's pale face—what good were being deskmates for over ten years? They all became part of his dream.

Now Zhang Sheng is grateful for Jane Eyre's ruthlessness, for rejecting the heart-fluttering, meaningless, even painful and unfortunate, decadent love! Zhang Sheng recalls his hasty love affair with Peng Hua, and looks at Tingting with lingering affection. His mind is filled with the flirtatious and romantic notion of love and romance. The purpose of this love is ridiculous. Selfishness and occupying always create a kind of confusion between dreams and reality. Her smile, the fragrance of flowers on her body, her blushing cheeks, her thin eyelids occasionally fluttering, and the traces of silent innocence on her eyelashes. Those fine lines, occasionally revealing a glimpse of spring in her fluttering eyelashes, lend a captivating charm to her almond-shaped eyes, revealing her inner emotions. Yet, her gaze cannot conceal a deep sorrow. Her posture is naturally elegant, perhaps reflecting a pessimistic and disillusioned view of love, like a goddess sculpted from stone. Perhaps, in her moments of spiritual emptiness and blindness, someone seizes the opportunity to intrude into her empty world of love. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city and the pressures of work, it's merely opportunistic individuals seeking love. The Soros and Buffett groups—the essence of Wall Street's capital plundering game is no different. Like a short seller shorting the world's love, love requires the raw, unadulterated drive of passion to become a protector, capturing the heart. The blooming and fading of flowers create a beautiful, illusory dream—this is the allure of love's seduction.