那是2007年的秋天，巴黎的天气已经渐凉。
That was the autumn of 2007, it already felt a little bit cold in Paris.
她拖着行李箱，从巴黎的机场走出来。
She came out of the airport with her trolley case by her side.
长途的飞行以及时差让她感到疲惫，但同时，她的心中又混杂着激动与期待。
She felt tired due to the long flight and jet lag. But at the same time, she also felt excitement and anticipation in her heart.
这是她第一次正式移居巴黎，
This was the first time for her to officially move to Paris.
街道上车辆的嘈杂声模糊着路人柔软的法语，街角的小店散发着现煮咖啡和新鲜面包的香味儿，
On the street, she heard traffic buzz mixed with the pedestrians' soft French. At the corner of the crossroad, she inhaled the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked bread from the little café.
一切都显得既陌生又充满希望。
Everything seemed unfamiliar but also promising.
她第一次意识到，自己真的成为了巴黎的一部分；这个城市对她来说，不再只是偶像剧和小说里的背景，而是自己接下来这1年、甚至更多年会生活的地方。
That was the first time she realized that she had become a part of this city. Paris was no longer a background in some romantic teen-dramas or novels, but the city in which she would spend her next year or even years.
或许，她也会像那些浪漫的巴黎故事一样，认识自己的白马王子？
Maybe, she would encounter her Mr. Right in this city just like those grils in the stories?
不，那不是现在要考虑的事，她还有重要的事情要去完成，没有时间去痴迷于这些缥缈幻想。
But, no, not for now. She had things much more important to attend to. She didn't have time for such fantasy.
于是，她看了看路线，走上了去巴黎高等管理学院的路。
So, she did some research on her destination, and set out for ESG Paris.
3年半之后，26岁的她穿着红色的婚纱，手中握着香槟杯。
Three and a half years had passed. Now she was wearing a red wedding dress with a glass of champagne in her hand.
她微笑着走在婚宴的现场，与到场的客人们攀谈着。
She strolled around the banquet, smiling, and had conversations with the guests.
这是一场简单而温馨的婚礼，到访的客人并不算特别多，但她必须在英语、法语、国语以及粤语之间来回切换。
The wedding was simple but pleasant. There were not too many guests, but when she talked to these people she had to switch among English, French, Cantonese and Mandarin.
推杯换盏之间，她依旧对自己的新身份感到些许陌生：
Between conversations, she still found her new identity a little bit remote:
比利时的王妃？
A princess of Belgium?
等等，准确地讲，她是比利时的第一位华人王妃。
No, wait, to be exact, she was the first Belgian princess who was Chinese.
她再一次对这个想法笑了一笑。
She giggled in her mind for this again.
她的名字是李然，一个来自广东惠州的女孩。
Her name is Li Ran. She is a girl from Huizhou of Guangdong Province.
她的新婚丈夫，是30岁的比利时亲王查尔斯。
And her husband is Prince Charles of Belgium, who was 30 by then.
查尔斯来自古老的利涅家族，家族的历史可以追溯到11世纪的神圣罗马帝国；
Charles comes from the ancient House of Ligne whose history can be dated back to the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century.
不过，利涅家族现在已经不再涉政，只是单纯保留贵族的头衔，整个家族是靠经商来运转的；
But the Ligne family is no longer involved in Belgian politics. They just keep their titles. And the whole family runs businesses for a living now.
李然和查尔斯的相识，也是因为工作。
It was just in one of these businesses that Li Ran and Charles met each other.

查尔斯本来是一名设计师，后来与哥哥爱德华亲王一起开了一家公司，投资城市发展项目和地产。
Charles used to be a designer. He later joined his brother Prince Edward to run a company which invests in urban development projects and real estate.
而李然则在巴黎做着奢侈品管理的工作。
And Li Ran was doing a job in Luxury Management in Paris.
两人在2009年相识，在甜蜜地恋爱一年半之后，便注册结婚了，并在两年之后诞下一子。
They met in 2009. They kept a happy relationship for a year and a half and got married in the end. And they had a son 2 years later.
婚后的两人，依旧各自有着自己的事业。
After their wedding, they still worked on their own careers.
李然选择了回国，定居在了上海，并为欧洲的奢侈品品牌迪奥工作。
Li Ran chose to come back to China and settled in Shanghai. Now she works for the European luxury brand Christian Dior.
两人的生活，在很长一段时间内，都还不为大众所知。
This couple's life had stayed unknown to the general public in a long time.
直到2015年，时尚杂志《VOGUE》在中国特刊中介绍了7名成功的中国女性，排在第二位的便是李然。
In 2015, the fashion magazine VOGUE wrote about 7 successful Chinese women in its special edition for Mainland China. And Li Ran was the 2nd on the list.
从这时起，这位比利时首个华裔王妃的故事才慢慢流传在中国媒体。
Only since then has the story of this first Belgian princess who came from China started to show on Chinese media.
虽说是王妃，但李然的这个新身份并没有给她的事业带来多少加持，工作上的事，当然还是得看自己的真才实学；
Although she is now a princess, Li Ran hasn't get any advantage in her career from this new identity. Career is career. She still needs to fight for her own voice with her merits.
毕竟，利涅家族是不涉政的。
As mentioned above, the Ligne family is not involved in Belgian politics.
李然依旧还是2007年秋天那个独自去巴黎奋斗的女孩子，
Li Ran stays as that girl who went to Paris on her own for a better future.
当年的她，刚刚从北京语言大学毕业，拿到的是经济学的学位；
Back then, she had just graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University with a degree in Economics.
去巴黎深造后，她先后修读了法语、市场营销、MBA等一系列课程。
After she went to Paris, she took courses in fields like French, marketing and MBA.
从巴黎高等管理学院毕业后，她先后在芬迪和巴黎世家这些一线时尚品牌从事零售类的工作，
And after she graduated from ESG Paris, she worked for top-brands like Fendi and Balenciaga in the field of retail.
如今在迪奥的这份管理工作，可谓是水到渠成。
And her current managerial position with Christian Dior is just a natural thing to happen.
是的，
Yes,
一个精神独立的女人，不需要嫁入豪门，她本身就是豪门。
a woman independent in mind does not need to enter the Upper Class through marriage. She herself already belongs to the Upper Class.
李然在成为王妃之前便已经是一个独立的事业女性了，而婚后的顺风顺水也依旧靠的是自己的实力，与新身份无关。

Long before she became the princess, Li Ran had been an independent woman with her own career. And she earned all those uphills after her marriage all because of her merits. It had nothing to do with her identity.
这个世界对女性来说，或许依旧是不公平的，
Maybe this world is still unfair for women.
但“幸福要靠自己的双手创造”这一点，不管是对男人还是女人都一直不变。
But one thing has never changed. And that is "You need to build your happiness with your own hands." This law rules both men and women.
能力，永远是最稳固的头衔；

Merit is always the stablest title.
事业，才是最永恒的婚姻。
Career is the most longlasting marriage there is.
真正的幸福，来自精神与人格的独立。
True happiness comes from the independence of mind and personality.
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