Chapter 60 Waltz

Zong Chi watched the taillights of the car for about three seconds, and when he came back inside, he slammed several doors shut.

He Dongli heated up a cup of milk, drank half of it, and handed it to him, muttering to himself, "The sales champion is the sales champion wherever he goes."

Zong Chi needed to make three rules with her. "No one is allowed to stay here, including your mother. If you want to stay with your family, you have to move into my villa with me. Then you can stay with your family and I won't say anything."

He Dongli stood there in silence, his milk-fed mustache a lively and comical sight. Zong Chi drank the remaining milk with one hand, reaching out with the other to wipe it off for her. She dodged. In the past, when they couldn't reach an agreement, she usually remained silent or endured it. Zong Chi's demands of "no," "no," and "on demand" left no room for negotiation. He continued to be cold, and then he flew away. He Dongli felt that her heart was like a cavity soaked in iced cola, gradually corroding it and losing its fizz. One day, she took a sip, and it was like dead, saccharine water.

But this time, before he flew away, they were arguing. One moment, Zong Chi said no, but the next, he turned around and told her that he was simply afraid she would die...

At that moment, He Dongli caught up with his rhythm and realized that all the quarrels in the past, which were more frequent than those day after day, were actually because they lacked this second. He turned back and she walked forward, just like a waltz. If one side was not coordinated, the advance and retreat would not be graceful or even flow gorgeously.

"I mean..."

Just as Zong Chi was about to explain, He Dongli told him something, "My mother wants to buy you a gold ring."

The person who had finished drinking the milk repeated the question several times with the same look he gave Yuanmou people, "Why did you buy it for me? If I wear this thing outside, people will laugh at me."

He Dongli was lost for a second, "Oh. Then I'll tell her not to buy it, you don't like it."

As she said this, she was going to take a shower, but she did not forget to remind the person drinking milk to rinse the glass bottle so that she could put it in the milk box tomorrow morning.

After both of them finished taking a shower, He Dongli leaned against the head of the bed and told him that when she went to see Ah Sheng and the others off tonight, Chen Yuan remembered Zong Chi's help, but didn't know how to repay the favor. She wanted to invite Zong Chi to her home for dinner after they had finished packing, but she didn't know if it was convenient.

Zong Chi was still shirtless, sitting on the edge of the bed, drying his half-dried hair. "What did you say?"

"I said I'd come back to ask for your opinion."

"Then don't go."

"What?" He Dongli was puzzled, and his tone sounded a bit discouraged.

Zong Chi casually threw the towel in his hand to the ground. He Dongli was angry at his carelessness, "This is for wiping your hair, not a floor towel. Can you learn to be more careful?"

"I can throw it wherever I want, it's none of your business. If you want to control me, you have to ask me first. Do you have the qualifications? Who are you?"

He Dongli couldn't believe his ears for a moment, and thought he had taken the wrong medicine again, so he was about to retort, but Zong Chi bent down to pick up the towel on the carpet and threw it on the chair, then turned back to continue his attack, "He Dongli, I have an attitude with you. I'm going to your mother's house today, and I guess we can break up ten thousand times again, believe it or not!"

The person at the head of the bed was speechless for a moment. Then she asked in a low voice, "Did she give you a hard time?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. You underestimate my abilities. Let me tell you, I've never met a client I couldn't conquer. If you had eyes, you should understand that your mother has never truly disliked me. We had that argument that year because we were angry. Your mother is much more tolerant than you think. Of course, she loves you more than you think."

"She didn't make things difficult for you, so why are you saying so much?" He Dongli also became anxious and sat up straight in a hurry.

"Did I say it was your mother's business? I was talking about your attitude. I told your mother that I could represent you and vote for you when you were not around. And you, you were just chatting with your cousin's wife about family matters. What did you say? You have to come back and ask for my opinion. What the hell is that? My opinion is expensive. You can't afford it. Go on your own!"

He Dongli opened his mouth and tried to speak several times, but was choked and felt both amused and helpless. Finally, he was so angry that he turned around and lay down.

She had the quilt over her head, and when someone outside tried to lift it, she simply said, "Stop bothering me, I'm not on my period yet."

Zong Chi had never lost in getting angry, so he had to pull her out, frivolously saying the most despicable adult words, "I can still have fun if she doesn't leave."

He Dongli was really angry. She bit his hand that was holding her cheek fiercely. He endured the pain and undressed her with both hands. He spoke in a restraining yet intimate tone, holding her at arm's length, and sprayed his warm breath and words on her face. "When will you understand that I can do whatever I want to you, ah!"

He Dongli spitted at him, "I don't understand. If gangsters can use their brains universally, society will be doomed."

Zong Chi laughed. She had washed up and still had a faint smell of alcohol on her body. It was fresh and sweet because she rarely stayed here. He bit her hard. The person in pain instinctively pushed him away. The red fingers left a mark on his heart, with some color difference. This scene reminded him of how he saw them in the mirror many years ago, entwined like two snakes. Zong Chi's blood rushed to both ends, so much so that he wanted to take back what he had just said. Shit, this really wasn't satisfying.

He kissed her teasingly, then said attentively, "Change the sheets and pillowcases tomorrow morning, okay?"

He Dongli didn't follow his mindless thoughts at all. The next second, he reminded her how he had ruined her paper figurine when he was alone.

Pulling her hand again, He Dongli looked at him in such a condescending manner and subconsciously wanted to escape, and even more wanted to curse. "Zong Chi, I'm talking to you about something, you!"

Zong Chi's brows and eyes were suppressed to the point of being depressed, and when he closed his eyes, he looked almost arrogant. The more she spoke, the more she asked him to break the dimension. Therefore, desire was connected to what she said at the dinner today: he will come back, and she will wait for him.

The boy instinctively moved closer to his muse, supporting himself and nudging her lips like an offense to the gods.

Such intimacy is rare, it all depends on her mood. He is the kind of person who doesn't care about anything, so most of the time He Dongli is unwilling to satisfy him.

Perhaps the atmosphere tonight was too peaceful. Even if they argued, she didn't take it back to school or the hospital to offend him. He would rather offend the whole world than live under the same roof with her. His arrogance had returned, and he had begged too hard, too urgently, almost in a coquettish, plaintive, and lingering tone, as if he were about to die in the next second.

He Dongli didn't dare to open his mouth to speak, and finally squeezed out a sentence, "I went to see my dentist some time ago, and the doctor said that my bite force is too strong and asked me to pay attention to it."

The shameless man breathed into her breath, "Come, let me try, how heavy is it..."

When He Dongli reached out to grab the towel he had just used to wipe his hair and wipe herself, she cursed him a thousand times because he did it on purpose. Several of his legs fell on her...

After cleaning up her own person, she was afraid that she was not in a good mood but also afraid that she was really angry, so she took some paper to help her wipe it, and then kindly said that she would carry her to take a shower.

He Dongli didn't need his help, and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Okay, you can just stop now."

"What kind of talk is that!"

"Human language."

Zong Chi froze there for a moment, and just as He Dongli was about to get up from the bed, he pounced on her like a beast pouncing on a bird. He was innocent before, but now he was in the wrong. He had to suppress her with all his might before he could say a few words to her, "Did your cousin-in-law report to Dongsheng when she discussed inviting us? No, because she is the master and mistress. He Dongli, when I ask you to represent me, you must also have the consciousness of being the mistress. Why do you come back to ask me for my opinion on this matter? It's just a matter of whether to go or when to go. What's there to ask me for?"

"What if you don't have time?"

"Why would I be so busy? If I can fix tonight, I can fix every night. I don't even have time to eat. How fucking miserable is that?"

"No." He Dongli argued with his chest heaving.

Zong Chi listened to her argument.

"Xiao Chi, I don't want you to deal with my family or relatives for me,"

"Since they are your family, I won't just deal with them." Zong Chi argued.

"Hear me out!"

Some people are quick to accept good advice.

He Dongli continued, "In short, I don't want this kind of unconditional favoritism to become the norm. Even if the other person is my cousin, yes, Ah Sheng was very good to me when I was a child, but many favors become taken for granted. If we stand idly by one day, it will become our fault."

Zong Chi was a little surprised. He was surprised that what she said was exactly the same as Ms. Yu's, and that their starting point was the same as his.

"Don't you like He Xinchao very much?" Zong Chi didn't care about these things. The most important thing was that she was happy.

"Let's put things in perspective. Zong Chi, promise me, just this once, that if I ask you for something, you can still gain a good reputation and a good relationship. Don't take the initiative to help anyone for me."

"Your brother and sister-in-law will be sad to hear this."

"Do you think I'm heartless?"

"No," Zongchi held her heart, "I sense your bias."

But Zong Chi had no regrets. He trusted his own judgment, and the child she favored was the right one. "You don't have any siblings, so this good fortune, whether it's an investment or not, will at least help you in your future family. Having someone you can relate to will help you stay less lonely. And if your nephew becomes successful in the future, he'll also be able to help you."

He Dongli was probably exhausted, and said whatever came to his mind, "What kind of heavenly tribulation have I encountered? I can only rely on my nephew in the future."

Zong Chi rarely caught her trick, and immediately teased her, "Who else can you count on? Don't you think He Xinlang is unpleasant?"

"It's just a little bit earthy."

"What's so earthy about it? It's just something that comes naturally. Everyone is like Lao Zong, picking an uncommon character and making it look pretentious and calling it a good name."

He Dongli disagreed, "But your name is very nice. In fact, the nickname your mother gave you is also nice."

Zong Chi ignored her, picked her up horizontally and carried her to the shower.

She put her arms around his neck and asked, "How did you get this new adventure?"

"When you tried to keep me, it was at the swimming pool. And, her life was saved because of Daddy swimming towards Mommy."

"Help!" He Dongli shouted loudly, trying to get out of his arms, but failed after struggling several times. "Can you please be serious? When you explain the origin of your daughter's name in the future, you always say it in such a frivolous way. Do you think it's reasonable?"

"Why is it outrageous?" He tightened his grip around her. "This is clearly a perfectly normal interpretation of life. Who is thinking in the wrong direction? Who is trying to cover up their mistake?"

He Dongli couldn't convince him for the moment, and decided to keep the person he got by chance. "Maybe it's not bad to keep him."

"..." He Dongli was speechless for a long time, and asked him weakly, "It's not enough for you to spread rumors about me for my entire life, you want to spread rumors about me for the next generation, right?"

"Doctor He, you and I already have a child together. Is it necessary to be so fussy about whether you're pursuing me or I'm pursuing you?"

"Yes!" someone shouted.

Zong Chi smiled and said, "How about this, you chased me once, and I'll chase you back once, we're even."

*

Zong Chi came back for two days during the New Year's Day holiday, but new projects came one after another, so he led his team away again.

When he came back, it was almost the Great Cold. The villa had been mostly renovated. On this day, taking advantage of the team's return reward party, Zong Chi called Yu Xiaohan and invited Ms. Yu to the villa, not as a guest, but as an advisor and military advisor.

He said he wanted to treat the team to a meal, and he hired two private chefs, one Chinese and one Western. Aunt Tang was pretty good at cooking Western food, but he wanted to ask Ms. Yu to help check the Chinese food.

Yu Xiaohan listened to the chatter of the meeting on his end, and calculated the time difference to know that he was working overtime. She declined, saying that her skills were not yet good enough to help others with review.

Zong Chi told her not to underestimate herself. Even if she didn't trust herself, she had to trust him. Besides, this was his first executive banquet since taking over his father's position, and he felt uneasy without someone close to him to help him. Furthermore, Ms. Yu had never been to his place, so even if she was just going to get to know him, she had to help him this time.

"You know Xixi's work style. She has to rush back as soon as she gets a call. I don't want her to worry about unnecessary things."

Yu Xiaohan finally agreed, and Zong Chi thanked her with a smile and told her to bring Xu Maosen with her. The Xu family children didn't mention anything.

That evening, He Dongli drove to pick up her mother. She had just learned that Yu Xiaohan had agreed to Zong Chi's request. While she wouldn't be returning to China until the next day, the villa's decor and private kitchen team had already been prepared. Zong Chi had asked He Dongli to pick up Ms. Yu. He told her not to worry about anything; Ms. Yu had agreed and would definitely go.

Sure enough, Yu Xiaohan was dragging a simple suitcase, complaining about his hard-working life and being ordered around everywhere. Without Xixi's help, he stuffed the suitcase into the trunk.

When she got to the passenger side, she saw a big red bear tied to it. She asked Xixi, "What's this for?"

He Dongli then carried the strawberry bear to the back seat. She had only been driving the car for two days and had no time to think about it. She didn't explain to her mother, just saying that she tied it up for fun.

Yu Xiaohan thought the bear was a nuisance. "It's a nice new car, and if you tie a bear inside, people will think you're mentally ill."

He Dongli smiled but said nothing. On the way there, she asked her mother, "Why did you agree to help him?"

"What's the point of helping? He's just looking for an excuse to ask me to come over and take a look. Are you going to go back on your word with him? I can't. I've been holding my breath, and he's either annoyed with you or me. I've seen his tricks before."

Yu Xiaohan rants to Xixi, saying that she just now knows how much the vase Zong Chi gave her is worth. This ancestor is so quiet, and with his methods, many officials will fall into his hands.

He Dongli, who was driving, laughed out loud, but he didn't want his mother to worry too much. "He was beaten when he was a child. His father didn't know how many antiques he had to spend on him. Giving one to you is a good deed."

Yu Xiaohan couldn't laugh anymore, and said something biasedly, "Don't learn his big mouth."

Xixi was silent for a moment.

Yu Xiaohan saw that her daughter was no longer so concerned about Zong Chi's gift or the ownership of the property. She felt less escaping, or in plain words, inferiority. On the contrary, she was more calm and accepted him and herself calmly.

"Xixi, you have grown up." After all, confidence comes from oneself. If a woman cannot stand firmly on her own feet, everything she says will be just illusions.

When they were almost there, Yu Xiaohan suddenly asked Xixi, what was Xiaochi's birth date?

He Dongli suddenly touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge, and then thought of something else, blaming his mother, "What era is this? You're not trying to match your horoscopes, are you? Just give up!"

Yu Xiaohan didn't care, but didn't tell Xixi what she was going to do. She just said sarcastically, "Well, even if we get along, so what? What are you afraid of? You only know how to side with him. If I don't get along, maybe his tricky mother will. It's better for me to get along in advance. If we don't get along, I can just get rid of him. Let's go back to our own homes and find our own mothers."

He Dongli's only idealism in those twenty-nine years was probably the protection of Bern Mountain. She even scoffed at the idea that only male grandchildren could burn paper at the ancestral temple during the Qingming Festival. She certainly didn't believe in birth charts. Disharmony was incompatibility, and personality traits had nothing to do with birth charts.

She simply advised her mother objectively, "Zong Chi has been working non-stop for almost half a month. He seriously invited you over, so please don't ask about his horoscope. I beg you, Mom. With his temper, you could give him a good beating. If you read his horoscope and then tell him you're not getting along, he'll probably explode again."

"He can do whatever he wants. It's not like I haven't seen him do it before. He even scolded his parents back to Singapore, how capable he is. Now that he has taken over his father's job, he is even more arrogant, using you and his own. A few days ago, Dongsheng and his wife came to see me, and I asked Dongsheng what he thought of his brother-in-law. Dongsheng didn't dare to say a word against that ancestor for his son's sake. Let me tell you, he has all this planned out!"

He Dongli needs to clarify, "He didn't help because of Dongsheng at all, he just couldn't bear to leave Xinchao like I did back then."

"You all should side with him!" Yu Xiaohan continued with his sharp words.

He Dongli then told his mother, "He always praises you privately, and even narcissistically says that you have never really disliked him."

"Those eyes on top of his head can't tell who dislikes him. Even if someone really dislikes him, he can't see it."

"Oh, then why did you agree to let him come over if you really despise him?"

"I, I'm here just to make a fool of myself. When his heavenly soldiers and generals ask me who I am and find out that he has an uneducated mother-in-law, he'll be laughed at."

Xixi was silent for a moment. Yu Xiaohan glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, afraid that she would be jealous. Unexpectedly, Xixi calmly comforted Yu Xiaohan, "Mom, don't say that. You are more far-sighted than many people, and you are more willing to take risks than many people. Without you, I don't know where I would be. Without you standing up for me, I wouldn't have the courage to ignore his mother and get back together with him."

Yu Xiaohan was once again moved to a soft spot by her daughter's words. "Everyone else is fake. You should learn this from his mother. Well, we only say this behind closed doors. Liking someone is like managing finances or doing business. You have to keep a close eye on them. His mother did get angry at her mother-in-law, but they still live in harmony. His father, who is such a big shot, just fell for her tricks. Don't worry about her tricks. There are no so many rules and principles to follow when a couple lives together. You have to deal with each other. One thing conquers the other, and one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer. You have to keep a close eye on Zong Chi. If you rely on his love to keep him trapped for a lifetime, I don't think his mother will have anything to say! You are just too honest. Sometimes, a few tears of pampering are more effective than any hard truths. You don't understand this and that's why you suffer."

*

He Dongli brought his mother to the Zong family villa. Yu Xiaohan had heard about the house in the city center owned by Zong Chi's parents a long time ago, but was still shocked when he saw it in person.

It was a privilege to own such a large piece of land in the downtown area and build a house with two gardens. The place where she stayed tonight was a little far from the front garden, and there was even a shuttle bus.

When Xixi went to greet the Western restaurant chef to discuss menu adjustments, Yu Weishi's old nanny, who had stayed in China, accompanied Yu Xiaohan. Aunt Tang, still a little intimidated by Xixi's mother, was somewhat flattering. She told Yu Xiaohan that Xiaochi had specially cleaned up the side yard in the back garden and reserved it for Xixi's mother to live in. "It faces north and south, and the back garden is close to Central Park, so it's convenient for strolling and visiting the lively crowds."

Yu Xiaohan didn't appreciate it, "Why would I live with him? All the twists and turns are making me dizzy."

"You are Xiaochi's mother-in-law. His mother is not in the country, so he will need your help in the future."

Yu Xiaohan thought, why should we help? No one should help. The best way to help them is to let them live on their own. However, on the way here, she was thinking about asking Zong Chi's old nanny to find out his exact birth time. So she stopped being so arrogant and smiled. Aunt Tang relaxed a lot. So, Yu Xiaohan struck while the iron was hot, "Who is older between us?" She talked nonsense and finally suddenly said, "I want to ask you something..."

Arriving at the so-called courtyard was still a surprise. Every detail was meticulously prepared, with every necessary item for daily use, even vinyl records of some of Yu Xiaohan's favorite Soviet films. She'd once gone to cook for them, and after dinner, a dubbed film came on the movie channel. On a whim, she'd mentioned to Zong Chi that her father had studied Russian, so she'd learned some from him since she was little. She recited a line from the movie in front of Xixi and Zong Chi, and even Xixi was surprised, saying that her mother's Russian had a real melancholy quality, all the way down to Russian literature.

Yu Xiaohan weighed a vinyl film in her hand for a long time. When Xixi came in, she tilted her head and said to her, "Look at what I'm saying. It's a good thing I'm not an official, otherwise he would have brought me down."

*

The next day, Zongchi returned home at noon.

He slept until after three in the afternoon. After getting up, washing and packing, he found that He Dongli had finished checking the rooms this morning and came back early in the afternoon.

When he came downstairs from his room, he saw her helping to put things in order.

There are dozens of team members on tonight's list, not including family members and friendly companies and friends who are in frequent contact.

The two camps were divided due to eating habits and dietary taboos. Just the alcohol and drinks alone gave He Dongli a headache. She had seen many situations with him, but when it came to making a decision, she still felt that her brain and hands were not enough.

A waiter from the Western restaurant team accidentally broke a Burgundy wine glass, causing a sudden commotion in the restaurant. The waiter, a man in his early twenties, immediately raised his hand to signal the owner. Well-trained staff should have understood that this series of glasses are coded sets; if one is missing, the entire set is ruined.

The foreman in charge of dispatching was inevitably harsh. When He Dongli walked over, the waiter was so shocked that his face turned red. She was about to comfort him by saying, "Let's clean it up first." The waiter apologized to her repeatedly: "Mrs. Zong, I'm sorry."

The foreman scolded again: "It's Miss He."

Before He Dongli could say anything, someone hugged her from behind, in front of so many people in the restaurant. He had obviously just washed up, and the aftershave on his face was still wet. He nudged her cheek and asked her, as if no one else was around, "I thought you were working today."

He Dongli blushed and removed the arm he had wrapped around her, tilting her head and giving him a warning look. Zong Chi smiled nonchalantly, then glanced over and saw the waiter who had broken something was still staring at "Mrs. Zong." So, Mr. Zong said, "Well, it's broken, just clean it up. It's not worth arguing about."