187: Chapter 187 The Wind by Erhai Lake and the Snow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

At 6:00 PM on February 15th, the villa area in Shencheng Bay was brightly lit.

Su Chen's father, Su Bing Tian, 58 years old, had some gray in his hair but stood straight, and he was busy in the kitchen.

This former chairman of Spark Technology found his greatest joy in retirement in the study of culinary arts.

"Old Su, don't overcook that braised pork!" Mother Zhou Wen Hui called out from the living room.

She was 53, a former professor in the Physics Department at Shenzhen University, wearing gold-rimmed glasses with a gentle temperament.

Lin Wan was wearing an apron and making dumplings with Zhou Wen Hui.

Flour was dusted on her cheeks, looking like two playful freckles.

"Auntie, how do I pinch the pleats to make it look good?" Lin Wan picked up a dumpling wrapper.

Zhou Wen Hui smiled and held her hand: "Like this, hold it with your thumb, and use your index finger to push and pinch—see, doesn't it look like a little gold ingot?"

"It's so pretty." Lin Wan's eyes lit up, "My parents used to make dumplings for the New Year too, but they made frozen ones."

"Come make them at our house every year from now on." Zhou Wen Hui patted her hand, "Our boy is busy; you need to keep him in check."

Su Chen walked out of the study, having changed into loungewear.

Seeing the three busy figures in the kitchen, he leaned against the doorframe and smiled.

"What are you smiling at? Come help!" Su Bing Tian said without turning his head, "Peel this plate of garlic."

"Dad, I can handle high-tech at the company; peeling garlic is easy, right?" Su Chen walked over with a smile.

"That's different." Su Bing Tian handed him the garlic, "Company matters require brains; housework requires heart."

Outside the window, scattered sounds of firecrackers came from the distance—fireworks were banned in downtown Shenzhen, but the festive atmosphere of the New Year had already drifted over from the suburbs.

At 7:00 PM, the New Year's Eve dinner was served.

Eight dishes: braised pork, steamed fish, white-cut chicken, sweet and sour pork ribs, lettuce with oyster sauce, broccoli with minced garlic, lotus root soup, and freshly cooked dumplings.

The dishes were simple, but they carried the flavor of the New Year.

Su Bing Tian took out a wooden box containing a bottle of Moutai.

"I've saved this wine for 28 years." The old man carefully opened the packaging, "It's from 1990, bought the year you were born.

I thought back then, we'd drink it the day you started your own family and career."

He poured four small glasses.

"Son, I've seen what you've done this year on the news." Su Bing Tian raised his glass, "Dad proposes a toast to you—not for how much money you've made, but because you haven't forgotten your original intention."

Su Chen's eyes grew warm.

Father and son clinked glasses.

The Moutai went down smoothly, mellow and long-lasting, carrying the deep fragrance of time.

"I watched the live stream of your annual meeting." Zhou Wen Hui picked up a piece of fish for Lin Wan, "The Phoenix drone was beautiful, but what made Mom even happier was that you remembered to thank your employees.

You have to make money, but you must also bring people together."

"Mom, I know." Su Chen nodded.

Lin Wan said softly: "Auntie, he's actually under a lot of pressure.

Sometimes he's still in the office at 3:00 AM, just for a product detail."

"That's why you need to look after him." Zhou Wen Hui served Lin Wan more food, "Health is your capital.

You are still young, and you have a long road ahead."

Outside, fireworks began to intensify.

Across Shencheng Bay, the night sky of Hong Kong was also lit up.

After dinner, Su Chen and Lin Wan stood on the third-floor balcony.

The villa area was on high ground, offering a view of half of Shenzhen's nightscape.

The lights of ten thousand homes spilled out like a galaxy, and the fireworks were reflected on the surface of the distant sea, shimmering.

"How should we spend these fifteen days?" Lin Wan leaned on his shoulder.

Su Chen put his arm around her waist: "I'll take you on a trip.

No private jets, no grand displays, just high-speed trains, homestays, and street food.

Let's go see the hustle and bustle of human life, the mountains and the scenery."

"Really?" Lin Wan looked up, her eyes sparkling in the night, "Can you get away?"

"Yes." Su Chen nodded, "President Luo said he'd hold down the fort even if the sky fell.

And—" he pointed downstairs, "My dad also said, it's time I spent some time with you."

Lin Wan smiled, the corners of her eyes curving like crescent moons.

At 11:00 PM, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala reached the comedy sketch segment.

Su Bing Tian was already snoring on the sofa, and Zhou Wen Hui covered him with a blanket.

Su Chen and Lin Wan slipped out quietly and drove to the beach.

In Shencheng Bay Park, many young people were setting off fireworks.

The security guard wanted to stop them, but when he saw Su Chen's face, he paused, stunned, and walked away silently.

"Here." Su Chen bought two "sparklers."

Lin Wan lit them, and golden sparks bloomed in her hands.

She spun around, laughing, as the sparks traced arcs of light.

Su Chen took a photo of the moment with his phone.

In the picture, Lin Wan's smiling face was exceptionally bright amidst the fireworks.

"Happy New Year," he said.

"Happy New Year," she said, tiptoeing to kiss his cheek.

In the distance, two plainclothes security personnel turned their backs, pretending to look at the sea.

February 16th

At 8:00 AM, the sunlight streamed in through the wooden lattice windows of the Bai-style homestay, casting mottled light and shadows on the wooden floor.

Su Chen opened his eyes, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, and it took him three seconds to realize—this was the first time in three years he had slept until he woke up naturally.

Beside him, Lin Wan was still curled up in the thin quilt, breathing evenly.

He got out of bed quietly and pushed open the wooden window.

Erhai Lake was right before his eyes; the morning mist shrouded the water like a light veil, and the distant Cangshan Mountain was faintly visible.

The wind blew in, carrying the scent of water vapor and fresh grass, cool and moist.

"Are you awake?" Lin Wan's voice came from behind him.

Su Chen turned around to see her in her pajamas, her hair messy, her sleepy-eyed appearance as cute as a kitten.

"Sleep a little longer." He walked over and kissed her forehead.

"No, I want to watch the sunrise." Lin Wan scrambled up and leaned against the window to look out, "Wow—it's so beautiful."

Ten minutes later, the two sat in the small courtyard of the homestay eating breakfast.

The landlady was a Bai woman who brought over rice noodles, milk fan, flaky pastries, and two cups of coffee.

"Try our homemade food." The woman said enthusiastically, "The coffee beans were brought by my son from the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences; he says it's a new variety."

Lin Wan took a sip, her eyes lighting up: "So fragrant."

Su Chen nodded too: "Better than what I drink in Shenzhen."

The woman beamed: "As long as you like it! Are you here on your honeymoon?"

Lin Wan blushed, and Su Chen smiled and nodded: "You could say that."

After breakfast, the two rented a tandem bicycle.

"I'll sit in the front," Lin Wan said, grabbing the seat, "You're in charge of pedaling, and I'm in charge of the scenery."

"Fine."

The road around the lake was paved smoothly; on the left was the azure Erhai Lake, and on the right were Bai villages and dwellings with white walls and blue tiles.

In the fields by the road, the rapeseed flowers were already in bloom, a sea of gold.

Su Chen rode with one hand, holding Lin Wan's hand with the other.

The wind blew her long hair, and the strands brushed against his cheek, tickling him.

"Look!" Lin Wan pointed into the distance, "Doesn't that island look like a turtle?"

"It does." Su Chen looked in the direction she pointed, "That's Little Putuo Island; there's a Guanyin Pavilion on it."

"How do you know?"

"I did my homework before coming here." Su Chen smiled, "Can't really be a hands-off manager."

What they didn't know was that 200 meters ahead, a black business van was "clearing the path" at 20 km/h.

Inside the car sat four security personnel, monitoring road conditions and pedestrians in real-time.

100 meters behind, two young people dressed as "tourists" followed on bikes, receiving constant instructions in their earpieces.

On a higher point further away, a micro-drone was cruising, transmitting images back to the command vehicle.

"The target's surroundings are secure; no abnormalities," the security captain reported over the walkie-talkie.

Lin Wan leaned on Su Chen's back and suddenly laughed: "I never dreamed that there would be so many people 'watching' us while dating."

Su Chen also laughed: "Let them watch, we'll just look at what we want."

He pointed to the snow-capped mountain in the distance: "Look at Cangshan; doesn't the snow on the peak look like the silicon wafers in our lab? Both are pure crystals."

Lin Wan looked closely: "It really does. But silicon wafers aren't this beautiful."

"But silicon wafers can let millions of people see such beautiful scenery." Su Chen said, "Our mobile chips, camera sensors, satellite remote sensing... isn't the meaning of technology to amplify human perception?"

Lin Wan was silent for a while, then said softly: "Sometimes I feel like you're too far from this world.

You're building chips, cars, drones; you're playing games with America and negotiating with Europe.

But ordinary people can't touch those things."

"That's why I'm here today." Su Chen squeezed her hand, "Riding with you, looking at the mountains and the sea, eating street food.

I want to remember that everything I do is ultimately so that people can peacefully watch a snowfall, listen to a song, and hold someone's hand."

Lin Wan's eyes turned red.

She didn't speak, just hugged his waist tighter.

At noon, they ate grilled fish at a street stall.

The landlady recognized Su Chen and her hands shook with excitement: "Are you... President Su from Spark Technology?"

Su Chen smiled and nodded: "You have a good eye, landlady."

"Oh my! My son works at your factory in Xian!" The landlady was even more excited, "He said he got a 60,000 bonus this year! Thank you, President Su!"

She insisted on giving them the meal for free, but Su Chen insisted on paying.

In the end, the landlady stuffed a big bag of milk fan into their hands: "Homemade, take it to eat on the road."

As they left, Lin Wan whispered: "See, ordinary people actually know you."

"They know 'President Su of Spark,' not 'Su Chen'." Su Chen said, "But that's okay, I didn't want fame anyway. I just want to get things done."