Chapter 17

The moon was bright in the sky, and the stars were twinkling like sparkling gems, decorating the boundless night sky. In comparison, the cigarette smoked by Mo Daoyan pales in comparison. The faint light was particularly cold and lonely under the reflection of the vast sky. Aunt Lin came over from the house to convey that Qiao Zhuocheng called him and saw him smoking. She admired the handsome man. He looked so suave even when he was puffing out smoke. But being suave is not good either. Smoking is harmful to health and it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Miss Tong, who is so obsessed with mysophobia, would dislike it.

Aunt Lin offered some advice: "Your job is quite tiring, isn't it? If you're stressed out, try polishing lion-head walnuts. The gentlemen I used to serve, whether officials or businessmen, all played with walnuts and even wore bracelets."

Aunt Lin must have seen the world, otherwise she wouldn't have such a good imagination to connect him with Pan Walnut. Mo Daoyan didn't Pan Walnut, but he approved of Aunt Lin's suggestion: "It's quite interesting."

Qiao Zhuocheng was drinking soju on the phone and brought good news to Mo Daoyan. He persuaded Chen Jueyao to meet tomorrow. Because the persuasion process was too smooth, he had a bad premonition that the ignorant Chen Jueyao might be holding back a big move to embarrass Mo Daoyan. He asked Mo Daoyan to show mercy. Jueyao was childish and still had a childlike innocence. He must not tear his face off and give an eye for an eye.

Don't laugh at him for being fussy, and that's not how you use "childlike innocence".

After finishing the business, Qiao Zhuocheng made an unwelcome request. The music restaurant was going to launch new dishes during the Spring Festival, and he and Tong Yufei were invited to come and show their support.

Mo Daoyan knew full well that Qiao Zhuocheng wanted to invite Tong Yufei: "If you want to invite her, just tell me directly. I won't get involved."

Qiao Zhuocheng recognized the dejection in Mo Dao's words: "A bad start?"

Mo Daoyan said nothing, the answer was obvious.

Qiao Zhuocheng sighed: "It's you who's imagining things this time. Miss Tong can't be blamed. If it were me, I would stick with you just the same."

Kissinger once said that power is the best aphrodisiac. Since it is an aphrodisiac, anyone who gets involved with it, regardless of gender, will become addicted. When Uncle Mo changes his mind and stops clinging to the old ways, he will be the best candidate for the main urban district party committee secretary and member of the municipal party committee standing committee. Aunt Meng's transfer order to the head of the municipal party committee propaganda department has just been issued, and she will take office after the new year. When the political careers of the two are bright, even if Mo Daoyan offers mountains of gold and silver, it will be difficult to shake the desire of these common people like them to cross the class barrier. Throwing out those who can't even afford salt but are trapped in the sugar jar is tantamount to killing them. That is not a divorce, but a return to their original state.

Mo Daoyan disagrees: "She is able to take root in the grassroots and doesn't seem like someone who is obsessed with power."

"People are often insensitive to what they own, and you're no exception. Go to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and see how many tourists there are. Are there more old Beijingers or are there countless foreigners? You shouldn't have gone to Germany. Germany is a country of deep calculations, invincible in technology, but ascetic in its emotional pursuits. If you had gone to America like my brother and been blessed by the Statue of Liberty, this kind of annoyance wouldn't be worth mentioning."

Qiao Zhuoyuan is thirty years old and still unmarried. He is an old bachelor. His romantic affairs abroad can fill a book, but because of his good management skills and decisiveness in managing the company, he still surpasses his sister and brother to become Mr. Qiao's favorite. Qiao Zhuocheng feels that he is not as good as him.

Mo Daoyan pointed out Qiao Zhuocheng's sitting and talking, "You must practice what you preach in the future, and treat Chen Jueyao like this."

Qiao Zhuocheng laughed, "I'm weak-willed and avoid the river, but occasionally losing control is a precious life experience. Cui Jian can even sing 'Flower House Girl' for love. You are too self-disciplined and respectful. I look forward to one day seeing a Mo Daoyan trapped by love and bent on love. It would be a unique sight."

"Your expectations will be dashed."

Only those who cannot control their lives will lose control. It is more sad than precious. He will never have this day.

------

Before the appointment, Tong Yufei changed into a brightly colored outfit, a double-breasted, star-colored purple silhouette suit and skirt. She also touched up her makeup. Usually light, she went heavier today, with coral blush and blue eyeshadow. She was beautiful, but Mo Daoyan sensed something strange about her. She was usually quiet and aloof, rarely so high-profile. Was she going to see the victim, or to participate in a beauty pageant? A woman's heart is as unpredictable as a needle in the sea.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, they arrived at Qiao Zhuocheng's "New Era Western Restaurant", a casual Western restaurant suitable for friends' gatherings or family meals. The furniture is similar to that of a Chinese teahouse. The round rosewood table is covered with a porcelain white tablecloth and stainless steel cutlery. The dishes include Xicheng specialties and new Western dishes. The living room is full. In addition to local people who come to try new things, there are also blond and blue-eyed foreigners with their families. The male waiters wear suits and ties, and the female waiters wear short skirt suits. There is a boy in a red tuxedo at the front desk, playing the world-famous song "Canon" on the pipa.

Qiao Zhuocheng came over with a beaming smile. Suddenly, he noticed Tong Yufei's freshly made-up look, and his eyes lit up. "Miss Tong, do you work at a newspaper or model for a fashion magazine? Hasn't a scout spotted you walking down the street and asked you to shoot a commercial?"

She said amusedly, "Maybe the scout's last name isn't Liu."

Today is the second anniversary of the restaurant's opening, and there are many things to do. Qiao Zhuocheng sent them to the door of the private room and then went to take care of other things.

Afternoon tea was served on the table in the private room. Desserts included macarons, strawberry mousse, rum cake, mille-feuille, canned yellow peaches in high-heeled glasses, and drinks included orange juice, grape juice, and sparkling water... Chen Jueyao, wearing a goose yellow bat-wing shirt and a red velvet skirt, sat against the wall inside, eating a lemon tart elegantly. From the time they came in to the time they sat down, she didn't even raise her eyes, looking angry, and it was unclear whether she was angry at her and Tong Yi, or at Mo Daoyan.

But no matter who she is angry at, she has the right to be angry.

To Tong Yufei's surprise, Chen Ruchao also came along. He was wearing a white lapel suit jacket and a plaid dress, drinking Beibingyang soda. He sat next to his sister. When he saw her come in, he stood up and shook her hand with a cheerful face. "I heard Yao tell me about the matter. It's not a serious matter that cannot be reconciled. They grew up together and quarreled over it. Why don't we just let them be? Let's find another room to catch up. Have you had your follow-up visit? I'm free anyway, so I'll help you take a look?"

She and Chen Ruchao had no past, but he was eager to help others, so her kindness couldn't be taken for granted: "Thank you, Doctor Chen, but I'm here to apologize to Miss Chen Er on Tong Yi's behalf, so..."

Chen Jueyao turned his head when he heard the voice. "What do you mean? Are you going to take the splash for your bastard brother? Orange juice or water, you choose one?"

Before Chen Jueyao could reply, Chen Ruchao scolded his sister: "Don't take your anger out on Miss Tong. She didn't do it."

Mo Daoyan glanced at Chen Jueyao and said to Tong Yufei, "I'm here. Go with Doctor Chen."

Tong Yufei went out with Chen Ruchao. Mo Daoyan sat down opposite Chen Jueyao, picked up the soup spoon and fork, and ate the canned yellow peaches with great effort. He took a bite of the can and a sip of soup. The flesh was sweet and fragrant, and the juice was delicious. He chewed each piece slowly. It took him more than 20 minutes to eat six pieces of yellow peaches. During this time, he didn't look at Chen Jueyao or talk to her, as if he came here just for the can.

Chen Jueyao couldn't help but say, "Is it my father who cut off your salary, or is it the Mo family who cut off your food? Are you starving to death?"

Mo Daoyan put the goblet back without saying a word and took a macaron that was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Chen Jueyao slammed the table in anger, "If it weren't for my sister saying that enemies should be resolved rather than created, I wouldn't even bother coming. Why am I pretending to be so arrogant?"

Mo Daoyan picked up the napkin, wiped his lips, and got back to the point: "Want to talk?"

Chen Jueyao laughed in anger: "You asked me out, was it you who wanted to talk, or was it me who wanted to talk?"

"Since we're all sitting together, let's just have half and half."

"You can talk, but kowtow three times. Saying anything more is a waste of time and energy, and death is a farce..."

"Although I am a few years older than you, there is no need to kowtow to you. You are stupid, and death is not a big deal."

"Mo Daoyan, do you want that little bastard to die?"

"You little bastard, it's not a pity to die."

"What……"

Mo Daoyan suddenly lowered his voice, causing Chen Jueyao to be unable to hear clearly and be a little slow. Chen Jueyao angrily threw the knife and fork onto the smooth and shiny porcelain plate. Mo Daoyan humiliated her in such a despicable way. She shouldn't have humiliated herself. Her sister was blinded by love and worshipped Mo Daoyan as a god who was detached from the world, but she was not her sister. She always knew that he was a sinister pervert.

I still remember when she went to the Mo family to play in the first grade of elementary school. She was still a child and was naughty by nature. She dismantled the rocket and tank models he made. He smiled on the surface and took her to buy candy, but on the way he leaned over and whispered in her ear that if she dared to touch the models in his room again, he would blind her eyes with a compass. A deaf and blind little girl could easily be abducted or drowned in the river, which gave her nightmares for a month.

When she was in middle school, there was a stubborn boy in her class who pursued her. He would go to the Chen family's house every day to block the door. Her sister couldn't drive him away, so she asked Mo Daoyan for help. After he showed up, the boy never showed up again. She didn't think much of it at the time, just thinking he was using his senior status to intimidate him. At a class reunion two years ago, the boy jokingly told her that her brother was really cruel. To stop him from pursuing her, he forced him to take corrosive and strong alkali drugs, saying that his sister was deaf and he had to be mute to be a good match, otherwise his sister would feel inferior. The boy had never seen such a scene before, and his legs went weak. From that day on, let alone pursuing her, he would come home and ask to transfer schools, and his social circle retreated to a five-kilometer radius.

Before her sister's incident, she had mixed feelings about love and hate for Mo Daoyan. Others were very sensitive about her deafness and spoke cautiously, which repeatedly reminded her that she was an imperfect person. She loved Mo Daoyan and treated her like a normal person. When she was young, he and her sister took her to listen to records, memorized lyrics, and taught her to practice pitch. When she couldn't practice well and gave up on herself, he explained the pros and cons to her. Being deaf was a fact, not a result, and she could rely on the other four senses to catch up, but her spirit was lost and she could only become a cripple. She also hated him for bluffing and using her ear disease as a bargaining chip to force him to retreat. He was so cruel. After her sister's incident, her hatred doubled.

He used his old trick again, and Chen Jueyao almost wanted to kill him: "Does it feel good to discriminate against a deaf person?"

"It's not discrimination, it's a test. I saw the recording of your stage performance from Daoxing. Even at under 65 decibels, there's always a pause of more than three seconds between your lines and those of your co-star. If you want to reduce the pauses, you have to raise the decibels. Over time, nerve cells will be damaged, and it's a vicious cycle that will shorten your career. I have a German classmate whose company produces a new deep-canal hearing aid with stable performance and high sensitivity. I also have exciting news: digital hearing aids are under development, and fully automated hearing aids will be available in the near future. Would you like to recommend one to you?"

"You keep saying you treat us like family, yet you're blackmailing me for a little bastard?"

"Even without him, I would still recommend you, but Chen Jueyao, please be more polite next time."

"So what if you're not welcome?"

Mo Daoyan raised his thick eyebrows slightly: "Your career is over early."