Shuntianfu, Yangquanhutong.

  Since the economy started to pick up, commodity houses have been built on a large scale, and villas have also been built in the suburbs. However, truly wealthy people, old Beijing folks, still prefer to live in the quadrangle courtyards of hutongs.

  In the middle of Yangquanhutong, there is a courtyard. From the outside, it looks ordinary, just an average quadrangle courtyard, at most, it's just that the gatehouse appears larger and more spacious than the surrounding courtyards. However, once you enter the gate, you can see that this place has obviously undergone careful redesign and decoration. The entire quadrangle courtyard has a bluestone pavement, old plum trees standing upright, even the eaves corners have been repainted. Although it's not luxurious, at first glance, it exudes an air of cleanliness and elegance, making people subconsciously aware that the owner's taste is not ordinary.

  This is Zhou Mian's home in Shuntian Prefecture.

  In 1984, at the age of eighteen, Zhou Fen officially debuted with an album called "Eighteen This Year", taking a pure and lovely route, but it sold only moderately well. Later that winter, she released another record, which continued to flop. The company then realized that this path was not suitable for her, as although she looked very beautiful and was indeed very innocent, the stubbornness in her bones and the rebelliousness in her eyes made it impossible for her to become a likable good girl. So, the company catered to the fashion of the time and released an album of opera excerpts, which earned some money. Once the contract ended, they simply stopped managing her.

  Then, at that time, nobody managed or asked Zhou Niang to find the already semi-retired Xie Jinshun old man, and she entangled him for a month. Finally, Old Man Xie nodded, and after a year, he carefully made a record that fit her voice style. Then, she became an overnight sensation.

  Three years later, in 1990, she invested 1.28 million yuan to buy this old-fashioned quadrangle courtyard that had been somewhat dilapidated at the time of Yangjia Hutong, and then spent more than a year and tens of millions of yuan to renovate and redecorate it, finally making it her home in Shuntianfu.

  Even at the end of 1992, after she officially announced her retirement from the music industry and got married, this place was still being cleaned and tidied up by hired staff every day, and she herself would also come to stay for a night or two every now and then.

  Until a month ago, she carried the same small suitcase she had when she got married and moved back here.

  That's right, she got divorced.

  Harmony and separation.

  The law has special provisions to protect the rights of concubines, including their right to independence, property and divorce. Therefore, the other party cannot stop her, and in fact did not stop her. With a small blue booklet and a stamp, she is no longer someone's concubine.

  It's afternoon now, but the Shuntian House has been gloomy for two days, as if it's going to snow. The temperature is also unusually low. Fortunately, all the houses in the courtyard have been specially renovated, with custom-made triple-glazed windows and connected heating pipes. At this time, the heating inside the house is very warm, outside it's cold, but inside it's over 20 degrees Celsius. If you don't move, it's okay, but if you exercise, you'll sweat.

  Zhou Yunuo sat on the sofa, motionless for a long time.

  She had a simple braid on her head, wore a dark blue linen shirt on top, and a pair of trousers tied at the ankle, with bare feet, but she seemed to be afraid of the cold, so she specially wrapped herself in a thin blanket.

  When she first debuted, she was known for her pure and beautiful looks. Later on, when she became popular, she would often put on a rebellious image, with heavy makeup that covered up half of her beauty, only revealing her proud and eccentric personality. However, in reality, even though she's almost thirty now, her natural face still looks as beautiful as ever. And surprisingly, with age, the sharp edges and arrogance on her face have faded away, making her look even more innocent than eleven years ago.

  Just... gotten a bit thinner.

  Nanny Wu walked in and saw her still sitting there motionless, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly - since she moved back, it's been almost a month now, and it's been like this almost every day. Except for eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom, she just sits there without moving. Nanny Wu has seen her getting thinner day by day - every time at mealtime, when she lifts her hand and her sleeve falls down, revealing her thin and bony wrist and arm. Thinking back to three years ago before she got married, her face was obviously rounder than it is now, it's heartbreaking.

  "Miss, Mr. Zou has arrived," she said.

  "Hmm..." Zhou Fen suddenly woke up with a start, looked at Wu Ma for a moment, nodded slightly, but didn't say anything.

  Then, Zou Wenhui took a step forward, still holding a large cardboard box in his arms.

  He put the cardboard box on the floor beside the coffee table, then sat down with a huff and puff, saying: "From January 1993 to now, all albums of domestic singers released in the past three years, as well as some foreign albums and singles that I can collect, are all here!"

  Zhou Fen heard him speak, looked up at him for a moment, nodded slightly, and still didn't say anything.

  Zou Wenhui was very fat, and just moving this box from the doorway made him pant for a full half minute. He then lifted his hand to wipe away the sweat that wasn't really there on his forehead, and said: "Dandan, are you going to keep staring blankly like this? It's been over a month already, it's time to snap out of it!"

  Zhou Fen heard this and looked up at him for a moment before slowly saying: "Actually, I don't need these."

  She was talking about the box of records brought by Zou Wenhuai.

  But as Zhou Mei's agent and assistant, the two had known each other for many years and had worked together for many years. Zou Wenhuai immediately recognized that her voice was not right with just one glance, and quickly scanned the room to see a half box of cigarettes and a box of matches on the coffee table. Then his eyes widened, "How can you smoke again! I told Mei, don't you know what's most valuable about yourself? It's your voice! You're...you're ruining yourself!"

  As he spoke, he half got up, grabbed the half box of cigarettes and matches, threw them to the ground, and trampled on them in anger, saying: "Just for your sake, just so you wouldn't be smoked out or choked, I even quit smoking along with you. Don't you know that? You're actually smoking again yourself? Are you ruining yourself? Is it worth it for that old man?"

  Zhou Fen looked up at him, then down at the cigarette box and matches that he had trampled on. She took a deep breath, bent down, and picked them up from beside Zou Wenhui's feet. She dusted off the nonexistent dirt from the cigarette box with her fingers, expertly flicking out a cigarette that was limp and almost flat. Then she pulled out a match, struck it, lit it, and took a deep drag.

  It's still... Zhou Mei is still the same Zhou Mei.

  The more you force her to do something she doesn't want to do, the more she'll resist!

  Fear neither heaven nor earth!

  Zou Wenhuai's eyebrows jumped twice, his chest heaved violently several times, but then he sighed and slumped down.

  After all these years, Zhou Fen was too familiar with this stubborn temper of his, to the point where he had long since gotten used to it and didn't get angry about it anymore.

  "You, you, let me tell you something good..."

  Zhou Mei took another drag, then suddenly exhaled a long stream of smoke, her voice slightly hoarse as she said: "What's up, spit it out!"

  Zou Wenhuai looked at her, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, but in the end, he could only sigh - all these years, he had never been able to get the better of this little girl once.

  Then, after a pause, he said: "Last time I came, I also told you a lot. Recently, several company bosses have called me again. By now, I've received at least dozens of calls, all from top-level people - Sony, Hua Ge, Dongfang, Taishan, Times... Of course, including your old workplace, Xinda. It's funny to say that last month I was still leading a few young kids at Xinda. Since you announced your marriage, everyone from the boss to the delivery room and the gatekeeper looked at me with disdain. But after your divorce, they all came around! Old Zhou said that as long as you're willing to go back, Xinda will give us the best treatment and most relaxed conditions in the industry!"

  Zhou Mei listened calmly, and after he finished speaking, it took a while for her to suddenly come back to her senses from her daze. She merely flicked off the cigarette ash, then extinguished the cigarette with her hand, saying: "Tell them I've lost my voice, can't sing songs, and don't want to sing in the future either."

  Zou Wenhuai immediately became anxious, "Not singing? What do you want to do if not singing? You, what else can you do or are capable of doing besides singing? Just idle and stare blankly? Die of old age in this room?"

  Maybe Zou Wenhuai's voice was too loud, scaring Wu Ma who was working outside to rush over. What she saw was indeed Zou Wenhuai's face red and neck thick as he yelled at Zhou Yun, but Zhou Yun remained calm and continued to snuggle on the sofa, seemingly unaffected.

  Wu's mother looked at this and that, didn't know whether she should speak or not, also didn't know whether she should leave or not.

  After a moment, Zhou Fen slightly moved her hands and feet and said: "Speak, Wu Ma, I'm tired, you take Mr. Zou out for me!"

  Wu's mother hastily agreed and then looked at Zou Wenhuai.

  Zou Wenhui was choked with anger, and suddenly stood up, "Alright, Yan Yan, you just come at me like this! Ah! You just suffocate me! I'm telling you, it's just you, just your voice, now you're just a demon. Wait until you come back to your senses, wait until your throat is itching unbearably and you want to sing, I'll be waiting for you to find me! Let me tell you, you were born to sing! If you don't sing, even the heavens will force you to sing!"

  After finishing speaking, he stood up in anger and left, but when he reached the door, he stopped again, turned his head to look at Zhou Meiyan, and said coldly: "Recently, a small genius has emerged in the circle. He not only replaced your previous position with a single hand holding up Liao Liao, but also helped Huage's side with an album by a girl group composed of five little girls. I listened to it, and it was quite good. They're all in that box, you can find them and listen if you don't want to die! By the way, tonight's New Year's Eve concert will have them performing, you can take a look too. And... cigarettes, try to smoke one less puff whenever possible!"

  He saw that Zhou Mei was once again in a trance-like state, and he couldn't help but get angry, saying: "I'm leaving, you can continue to seek death!"

  …………

  After seeing off Zou Wenhuai, Wu Ma came back and saw that Zhou Yan was still in a daze. She couldn't help but sigh again, walked over a few steps, and asked: "Miss, what do you want to eat for dinner? I should start cooking!"

  Zhou Fen heard this and looked up at her, then lowered her head, only to look up again and suddenly asked: "Wu Ma, don't you think I'm almost as good as dead?"

  Wu's mother was startled and quickly said, "Mr. Zou is just trying to scare you! Don't listen to him one-sidedly! Besides, Mr. Zou has run here so many times, I've also heard a lot of what he said, he really is considering your well-being!"

  Zhou Yun nodded, "Old Zou is a good man."

  Madam Wu heard this and was delighted, hastily saying: "Miss, I think Mr. Zou is right, you were born to sing, sent by the heavens, you should go sing!"

  Zhou Fen heard this and suddenly burst out laughing, although silently, but like a pear blossom unfolding, for an instant the entire room seemed to brighten up a bit, Wu Ma was even stunned for a moment.

  Then, Zhou Fen asked: "Don't you think... I'm so silly to be given to someone as a concubine? And... " She smiled wryly, with some bitterness in her smile, "And it's an old man! And also... hehe..."

  "Wu's mother listened and suddenly felt a pang in her heart, unable to help but say: 'Miss, since you took over this courtyard, I've been here. Until now, I've taken care of the house, swept and cleaned, and handled household chores for you. We've known each other for almost four years now. You might not want to hear what I have to say, but I'll say it anyway: you're not stupid, you're just too infatuated!'"

  "Ah?" Just this one sentence, Zhou Fen's eyes suddenly lit up, "Infatuated?"

  Wu's mother said, "Actually, I don't quite understand it either. But the stories in the opera are clear: those young ladies from good families had countless people coming to ask for their hands in marriage, but she didn't like any of them. She only took a liking to that poor scholar and secretly supported him by sending clothes and money to help him study for the imperial exams. What was she after? In the end, when the scholar became a high-ranking official after passing the exams, he turned around and married the daughter of a high-ranking official from the emperor's family. What did she get out of it in the end? Simply put, wasn't it just infatuation? Our old man said that this is what they call 'love sickness'!"

  Zhou Fen heard this and stared at her blankly for a while before sighing softly and saying, "Uncle is a wise man!"

  But she quickly waved her hand and said: "Wu Ma, I'm not hungry, you don't have to make dinner anymore. Hurry back home, Uncle will definitely be starving!"

  "Wu's mother was taken aback and said: 'How can that be? You must make it for me first!'"

  Ke Zhou Yan shook her head firmly.

  "I just want to be alone for a while," she said.

  ***

  Maybe I'm too tired lately, after sending out the first chapter, I thought about taking a break before writing the next one. As a result, I lay down on the sofa for less than three minutes and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was almost 11 o'clock... And my heart was still set on writing and updating, which scared me awake!