012: Break Defense
After lunch, Lai Zhiyun, under He Yannian's supervision, divided her WeChat friends into two groups and obediently took out her previous Moments post, resetting it to be visible to family only.
"There, take a look. I've done it."
To show sincerity, Lai Zhiyun generously handed her phone over to He Yannian. Right at that moment, there was a double beep—it was the sound of receiving a new message.
"Eh… there's a new message."
Lai Zhiyun reacted very quickly, hurriedly retracting the phone back to herself so fast that He Yannian only saw an afterimage and couldn't get a glimpse of anything.
"Dad, you should just use your own phone to look."
Lai Zhiyun glanced at the phone screen and saw the message was from Zhou Liao, immediately changing her mind.
"..."
He Yannian cooperated as well, lowered his head to check his phone, opened Moments, and then gave a like to the update Lai Zhiyun had just made.
Having had his fill and successfully made his presence felt on Zhiyun's Moments, He Yannian was very content.
As for who had just sent the message to Zhiyun, he believed that as a parent, it was important to maintain a sense of proportion and boundaries. If it was something he shouldn't be inquiring about, he shouldn't be curious, and so he didn't mention it at all.
"I have a meeting this afternoon. It's about time; I should go."
He Yannian put on his suit jacket, buttoned it up, and walked straight out the door with a poised posture. Lai Zhiyun accompanied him to the elevator, and only after the elevator doors slowly closed did she open the message from Zhou Liao.
[Zhou Liao: Actually, I've seen you not only near the market. If I could see you again, I'd like to invite you for a meal.]
So, his previous remark about inviting her for a meal if they met again wasn't just a polite gesture?
The corners of Lai Zhiyun's mouth lifted slightly, her fingers scrolling up to look at the brief chat history they had before.
They had met somewhere else, too?
Feeling curious, Lai Zhiyun didn't hesitate to ask directly.
[Zhiyun: Where else have we met?]
[Zhou Liao: That's a secret for now.]
[Zhiyun: ...]
[Zhiyun: Okay, whatever makes you happy.]
[Zhou Liao: I hope my presence won't trouble you.]
[Zhiyun: It's fine.]
After all, Zhou Liao was the blind date her father had arranged for her. Having passed the test with old He before their meeting, he had certainly been thoroughly background-checked, so due to her trust in her dad, Lai Zhiyun didn't have many defenses up against Zhou Liao.
Secondly, she really had a good impression of Zhou Liao.
He was handsome and had a down-to-earth personality. Given his family background, the fact that he would go to the market to buy groceries was honestly beyond her expectations.
This made him quite distinctive in her eyes.
He certainly had the means to be proud, yet she couldn't see any trace of superficial superiority in him. He was modest, reserved, and not showy at all. He was quite a sight to behold, which was why Lai Zhiyun was not averse to interacting with him.
*
The underground parking garage.
Li Mingda parked the car near the elevator entrance to wait for He Yannian.
"Director He, Zhiyun's new song has topped the new song charts."
As He Yannian got into the car and fastened his seatbelt, Li Mingda gleefully shared the good news with him.
"I've taken a screenshot and shared it in the group."
"Hmm, that was thoughtful of you."
He Yannian took the tablet that Li Mingda handed over, entered the unlock code, logged in automatically, and opened the "Zhizhi True Love Fan Group". Without saying a word, he initiated a flurry of red packets.
The next second, the group exploded with activity.
[Zhizhi's Little Fanatic]: Daddy's here! Welcome, Daddy! Daddy's so lavish, I love you, Daddy!
[Zhizhi's Brain-dead Fan]: Daddy, tired of saying 'I love you', I want to offer myself to you.
[Only Love Zhizhi]: Although I also like Daddy, I love Zhizhi more. Thanks to Daddy, our financier.
...
The chat group was abuzz with people scrambling for red packets. He Yannian skimmed through everyone's messages with remarkable speed, as always finding the rambunctious but adorable energy of these young people endearing.
He tapped the screen, typing out a line of text.
[Zhizhi's real dad]: Family, to celebrate Zhizhi's new song achieving great results, there will be a giveaway in the group tomorrow. Everyone is welcome to participate with enthusiasm.
After sending the message, he immediately left the group chat and went offline.
In this lively fan group, he was the cool, aloof, and wealthy patron dad, who didn't talk much but wasn't fooled easily. Except for the group admin, Li Mingda, who knew his real identity, nobody believed he was the actual father of "Zhizhi"; everyone thought he was just a fan dad.
"Mingda, hold a giveaway in the group tomorrow, do a transfer like before," he said.
"Okay," came the reply.
He Yannian was always generous, and as a result, Li Mingda was one of the beneficiaries.
Li Mingda created this fan group purely because He Yannian was very interested in the online reviews of Lai Zhiyun's published works.
Back then, he just whimsically chose the username "Mingming from Zhizhi's home wants to prosper" and the next day, upon seeing it, He Yannian sent him a sizable cash prize.
It must be said, happiness came in a simple and brute-force way, and his dream came true, prospering just a tiny bit.
And because of He Yannian's generosity, Li Mingda managed the fan group with all his heart and without complaint in his spare time, beyond his work.
Under He Yannian's guidance and supervision, the occasional giveaway was organized, and the group members were strictly screened, all with one goal in mind: to keep the boss updated with everyone's exaggerated compliments for "Zhizhi".
As a father who adores his daughter, He Yannian's thoughts were sometimes simple and easy to guess—he loved to hear people praise Lai Zhiyun.
So, those who made it into the group were lucky, and those with sweet-talking, creatively flattering, articulate, and high-quality rainbow farts were even luckier. Besides being able to snatch up red packets from time to time, they would occasionally be struck by a cash prize, the amount depending on He Yannian's mood after reading their "little essays".
It must be said, compared to other fans, they were quite fortunate; they didn't need to spend money on fan support or stay up late working on data, just blowing rainbow farts was enough.
The winter sun bathed everything in warmth as the car traveled on the national highway, and fittingly, Lai Zhiyun's new song "Used to Being Alone" played inside the vehicle.
...
...
Being alone is pretty good,
No so many disturbances,
Cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh,
Give yourself a hug,
Shine for yourself.
...
The melody was light and soothing, the voice emotional and distinctive, singing with a bright and carefree sense of freedom.
It sounded great!
His daughter was truly outstanding.
He Yannian rested with his eyes closed, listening to Lai Zhiyun's song, his heart brimming with pride and joy; but as he savored the lyrics more closely, he couldn't help but blame himself for not being a good father.
Zhiyun was three when he and Lai Man divorced.
After the divorce, they both were busy with their careers. As a result, Zhiyun had always attended boarding schools during kindergarten, primary, middle, and high school.
She rarely had her parents by her side, so she grew up to be well-behaved, sensible, independent, and not clingy. This trait of hers was fully reflected in her songs.
On closer reflection of her previous works, many of her songs were reconciliations with the world and expressions of love for her family.
"Growing Up by Myself" illustrated the loneliness and hidden pains within growing up, but she gradually came to terms with it as she aged.
"Traveling Separately" was written for Lai Man, supporting her to live for herself, to bravely love and live in another city. Even between mother and daughter, there comes a time to part, as they each have their own journeys in life.
"Song Written for Dad" contained no complaints or accusations; every word was filled with gratitude, understanding, and consideration for him, the workaholic father, and even served as a gentle reminder for him to love himself more.
"Sister" was a song about the warmth between sisters, brimming with tenderness, a gift to He Zhiwei.
With each of these songs, He Yannian's defenses would crumble just a little each time.
Half a month ago, when Lai Zhiyun's new song "Used to Being Alone" was released, He Yannian's defenses were breached again, increasingly feeling, just as the netizens said, that Zhiyun was destined to be a "regal solitary figure".
Because of this, he specifically put aside some of his work and urgently began screening eligible bachelors, finally selecting Zhou Liao out of sixteen candidates.
Meanwhile, Lai Zhiyun herself was completely unaware of this. Little did she know, due to a song, her father went to great lengths to arrange a blind date for her.