Chapter 83

"I did it to win over my wife."

Cheng Jiamo looked calmly at He Qingzhao, noticing the uneven scar at the corner of his right eye.

"How did the car accident happen?" she asked calmly.

Looking into her eyes, which held no affection whatsoever, He Qingzhao felt a sudden pang of bitterness in his heart. He pressed his tongue against his teeth, forcibly suppressing the bitterness.

Just as he was about to speak, Cheng Jiamo's phone rang.

Cheng Jiamo picked up her phone and said to him, "I'm taking this call."

She went to the side to answer the phone, and after a while, she walked up to He Qingzhao and said, "Excuse me, I have to go now."

He Qingzhao called her: "Momo".

Cheng Jiamo looked at him: "He Qingzhao, it's been five years."

Five years is enough time to forget a relationship.

She didn't say it explicitly, but she believed He Qingzhao would understand.

Cheng Jiamo received a call from Ji Shuyi, inviting her to go to Quanshui Town, a small town in Moon City.

There is a junior high school in Quanshui Town called Quanshui Middle School. Ji Shuyi and her friends are preparing to teach at Quanshui Middle School.

It takes nearly two hours to travel from Moon City to Spring Water Town by car.

Ji Shuyi and her group were volunteer teachers sent by the school, and they could contact school leaders to directly visit the school. However, Cheng Jiamo could not; she could only go in with Ji Shuyi and her group.

Cheng Jiamo followed Ji Shuyi and the others into the school, expressed her willingness, and stated that she was not a short-term volunteer teacher but could teach there long-term.

The principal of Quanshui Junior High School is surnamed Zhang. She is a female principal. When she heard that Cheng Jiamo was willing to teach here, Principal Zhang was very happy. However, Principal Zhang could not make the decision on the recruitment of teachers on her own. She had to report to the Education Bureau and obtain its approval.

Cheng Jiamo affectionately took Principal Zhang's arm and said with a smile, "It's okay, I'm not in a hurry. If it doesn't work this year, we can do it next year."

Principal Zhang patted Cheng Jiamo's hand excitedly: "It will definitely work. I'll go to the county to submit a report to the leaders tomorrow."

That evening, Cheng Jiamo and her two companions stayed at a hotel in Quanshui Town.

Cheng Jiaming was getting ready to change into her pajamas when there was a knock on the door. She asked through the door, "Who is it?"

"It's me." It was Ji Shuyi's voice.

Cheng Jiamo thought it was He Qingzhao, but when she heard it was Ji Shuyi, she breathed a sigh of relief and went over to open the door.

Ji Shuyi asked with a smile, "Would you like to go to the bonfire party?"

Cheng Jiamo didn't really want to attend the bonfire party. She wanted to go to bed early so she could get up early the next day and go with Principal Zhang to the county to meet with the leaders of the Education Bureau to discuss teaching at Quanshui Middle School.

However, when she met Ji Shuyi's bright, sparkling eyes, she couldn't bear to refuse and smiled as she agreed, "Let's go."

One of the unique features of Moon City is its bonfire parties, a custom found in almost every village and town.

The town of Quanshui is bustling tonight, with many people gathered around a bonfire singing and dancing.

Looking at the warm firelight and the smiling faces, Cheng Jiamo couldn't help but smile.

She held Ji Shuyi's hand and sang and danced with the crowd.

Suddenly her phone rang. She let go of Ji Shuyi's hand and said with a flushed face, "Excuse me, I need to take this call."

Seeing that the caller ID was an unfamiliar number from Beijing, Cheng Jiamo hesitated for a moment before answering: "Hello, may I ask who you are...?"

He Jingyang: "Cheng Jiamo, I'm sorry."

Cheng Jiamo was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "May I ask who you are?"

“I am He Jingyang. On New Year’s Eve that year, I was the one who replied to your message. Those words were all mine and had nothing to do with my older brother. My older brother even told me at the time not to make things difficult for you, saying that he was the one who was sorry to you.”

Cheng Jiamo didn't say anything.

He Jingyang: "Cheng Jiamo, I know you hate my older brother."

Cheng Jiamo: "No, I don't hate him anymore." She smiled, "And I don't love him anymore either."

He Jingyang suddenly raised his voice: "But he still loves you! Cheng Jiamo, He Qingzhao still loves you, he has always loved you."

He Jingyang: "Back then, it was indeed wrong of him to fake a marriage with Zhao Qingman to deceive you. But after receiving your call, he immediately rushed back to Jingbei, and the next day he personally took an iron rod to find Zhao Jinan and proposed to break off the engagement in front of Zhao Jinan. He was beaten by Zhao Jinan and hospitalized."

"Actually, his marriage with Zhao Qingman was just a marriage of convenience, not a real marriage, so there's no question of breaking off the engagement. He went to Zhao Jinan and asked him to hit him so that the Zhao family could vent their anger and avoid implicating you. Otherwise, given his personality, even if he really broke off the engagement, he wouldn't let Zhao Jinan lay a finger on him."

"You probably know why what happened next. To get revenge for you, he dealt with Zhao Qingman's cousin and the entire Zhao family severely, but he was afraid that the Zhao family would hurt you, so he could only lock you up in Nanyuan."

Cheng Jiamo: "I know."

He Jingyang: "After the matter was resolved, my older brother wanted to propose to you on New Year's Day. The proposal venue was all set up: flowers, a red carpet, champagne, and a drone light show. All our relatives and close friends in the industry were invited. But you secretly ran away. He drove after you in the heavy snow and was hit by a heavy truck. He almost..."

At this point, He Jingyang paused, clearly suppressing his emotions.

He then added, "Zhao Yue happened to be on official business nearby at the time. It was Zhao Yue who dragged him out of the car. The car was full of blood, and my brother was covered in blood on his body and face. He almost lost his sight."

"He didn't come to see you for the past five years. First, he went abroad to get treatment for his eyes because of a car accident that caused him to be photophobic. Second, his car accident wasn't an accident; it was deliberate. In order to find out the truth about the accident, he had no choice but to take sides. However, taking sides in officialdom is a major taboo for a businessman. He wasn't sure of the outcome, so he didn't dare to see you. He waited until things settled down before going to see you in Jingnan."

“I know these things have nothing to do with you. The car accident, or the feud with the Zhao family, were all your own doing. But…”

He Jingyang said, "But Brother Wo really loves you, Cheng Jiamo. Can you give him another chance? What happened five years ago was my doing. It had nothing to do with my brother. If you're angry, hit me. You can even kill me. Don't blame him, okay?"

Cheng Jiamo smiled and said, "I know those words weren't said by He Qingzhao, but I really don't love him anymore. Five years is enough time for someone to forget a relationship. Besides, my feelings for him weren't that deep anyway."

The next day, Cheng Jiamo went to the county education bureau with Principal Zhang, but unexpectedly saw He Qingzhao there.

Director Wang said with a smile, "Principal Zhang, your timing is perfect. Mr. He just told me..." Director Wang introduced with a smile, "Mr. He came from northern Beijing. He said he wants to donate eight million yuan and two teaching buildings to your school."

Principal Zhang: "..."

Cheng Jiamo looked at He Qingzhao, who had a gentle smile.

"Mr. He!" Principal Zhang stepped forward excitedly, his hands trembling as he extended them. "Mr. He, you are truly a great philanthropist!"

Then Principal Zhang used all the knowledge he had acquired and used every word of praise he could think of on He Qingzhao.

He Qingzhao smiled and said, "Principal Zhang, you're too kind. This is all I should do. As the saying goes, no matter how hard life is, we can't let our children suffer, and no matter how poor we are, we can't neglect education."

Principal Zhang was moved to tears. After expressing his gratitude, he reported the situation to Director Wang of the Education Bureau, mentioning that Cheng Jiamo wanted to become a teacher at Quanshui Middle School.

Before Director Wang could reply, He Qingzhao said with a smile, "This is a good thing, Director Wang will definitely agree."

How could Director Wang dare to refuse He Qingzhao? He smiled and said, "Of course."

At noon, Director Wang treated the three of them to lunch.

When it came time to order, Director Wang handed the menu to He Qingzhao and told him to order first.

He Qingzhao exchanged a few polite words, took the menu, ordered, and then returned the menu to Director Wang.

Director Wang handed the menu to Principal Zhang, who waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "Please order, Director Wang, please order."

Director Wang then handed the menu to Cheng Jiamo, who smiled and said, "Director Wang, please order. This is my first time here, and I don't know the local customs or what's good to eat. It's best if you order."

When the dishes were finally served, Cheng Jiaming noticed that several of them were her favorites. She knew He Qingzhao had ordered them, but she could only pretend not to know and didn't even glance at He Qingzhao.

After dinner, Cheng Jiamo went to the restroom. When she came out of the restroom, she met He Qingzhao in the hallway.

They saw each other face to face, and she couldn't pretend she didn't know him anymore, so she nodded and said, "Thank you."

He Qingzhao smiled casually: "Thank me for what?"

Cheng Jiamo smiled and said, "Thank you for donating money and building to Quanshui Middle School."

He Qingzhao put one hand in his pocket and smiled slightly: "I didn't donate money and buildings to Quanshui Middle School for you."

Cheng Jiamo: "That's good."

He Qingzhao laughed: "I did it for myself, to win over my wife."

Cheng Jiamo: "..."

Cheng Jiamo didn't want to chat with He Qingzhao anymore, so she walked straight away from him.

He Qingzhao grabbed her arm and looked at her with a smile: "Give me a chance, let me pursue you, okay?"

Cheng Jiamo shook off his hand and walked quickly forward.

He Qingzhao followed behind her and suddenly shoved a tube of lipstick into her hand: "The weather here is dry, I heard this works well."

Cheng Jiamo stopped, glanced at the lipstick of a certain brand that he had forcibly shoved into her hand, and said to him, "I've used it, it's not good." She shoved the lipstick back into his hand, "Many things are not necessarily good just because they are expensive."

He Qingzhao knew she wasn't talking about the lipstick, but about him.

However, he just smiled and said, "I'll send you a good one tomorrow."

After saying that, he threw the lipstick in his hand directly into the trash can next to him.

Cheng Jiamo didn't even glance at it and continued walking forward.

He Qingzhao followed her: "I can give you anything you like."

Cheng Jiamo stopped, stood under a jacaranda tree, and looked at him with a smile: "Really?"

He Qingzhao looked at her with a deep gaze: "Yes."

Cheng Jiamo lowered her eyes: "He Qingzhao, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye back then, causing you to have a car accident. But, we really can't go back."

He Qingzhao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he raised his hand to touch his mouth, forcibly suppressing the urge to smoke.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he said with a smile. “The car accident had nothing to do with you.”

Cheng Jiamo still felt apologetic: "But you did chase after me in your car after all..."

He Qingzhao: "I'm willing to pursue you." He added, "It's the same now. It's my business if I want to pursue you, so you don't need to feel pressured."

Cheng Jiamo stopped talking and just looked at him silently.

Just as the two were silently looking at each other, Principal Zhang came out and said with a smile, "Xiao Cheng, you and President He, did you know each other before?"

Cheng Jiamo: "I don't know her."

He Qingzhao: "I know him."

He Qingzhao smiled and said, "We just met. Thanks to Principal Zhang, I got to know the beautiful and kind-hearted Teacher Cheng." Then he added, "I just wonder if Teacher Cheng has a boyfriend?"

Principal Zhang laughed and said, "I don't know either. Mr. He, you'll have to ask Xiao Cheng yourself."

He Qingzhao smiled and asked, "Does Teacher Cheng have a boyfriend?"