Chapter 70

Tong Yufei was furious. "Don't do to others what you don't want done to you. You can go to work at Chen Ruchao's father's company, and you can go to Chen's house for dinner and laughter. Can you say that you have never considered my feelings at all? You are still stubborn and always use Tong Zhaoyang as an excuse. You never reflect on yourself."

If you really want to find fault with someone, are you afraid you can't find an excuse? Of the female workers at the company who tried to flirt with him, a brick would hit three. He did confiscate his love letters, but she could still say that he knew the women loved to see him sweating profusely, arms and legs exposed, so he insisted on bringing tennis events to the company. He must have felt so happy when surrounded and cheered. Isn't this just like a peacock spreading its feathers to attract bees and butterflies? Even if he explained that he was learning from the team culture building of foreign companies, not just tennis but also other sports like basketball and football, she would still refuse to believe him and instead sneer at him, saying that flies don't bite cracked eggs, and that being liked means he's not clean enough.

If a person is always suspected like this, he or she will either be crushed by rumors or fall into self-doubt. She was really fed up with it. She pushed Mo Daoyan away and was determined not to sleep with him again, regardless of whether he would freeze to death or not.

Mo Daoyan knew he had ignited a fire, but he didn't know how to end it. Every conversation with Tong Yufei was like two arrows on a line, seemingly discussing the same issue, but each pointing in opposite directions. Instead of closing the gap, communication only deepened it. At this rate, divorce was imminent. Perhaps he should learn from that ordinary middle-aged couple and chat with her about movies and music, which noodle shop had the best broth, which nougat wasn't sticky and would be perfect for Grandma to try...

Wouldn’t life be easier if we immersed ourselves in these trivial warmths?

He was obviously afraid of trouble and could turn a deaf ear to many things, but he had to care about every word she said.

The relationship between the two deteriorated irreversibly.

Tong Yufei still took care of his daily life, but there was a layer of ice on her face and she didn't even smile. Her attitude was not like a wife taking care of her husband, but more like the family of the perpetrator avenging the victim. There was only responsibility, no affection.

When he was lying in bed that morning, he heard the neighbor's older sister ask in a low voice, "Did he hit you?" She said "No," but the older sister thought she was covering up for him and insisted that he had used violence. "Look at your eyes, they're red. You're crying, aren't you? You're still young and have a long life ahead of you. If you get beaten, don't just swallow your anger. Go to your parents' home for help, go to the Women's Federation, go to the police station, go to their workplace, find someone who can stand up for you. If a man hits a woman, there will be a second time. You can't tolerate it. If you really can't find anyone, you can hire two construction workers on the street to scare him." After giving bad advice, she went on to talk about choosing a spouse, "You have to be discerning when looking for a man. Don't just look at his appearance. You have to look at whether he's caring. What's the use of your man just being good-looking? He's cold and stern, and you don't look like he's going to live a good life."

She only said two sentences during the whole process, "He doesn't hit people", and allowed Sister Ren to belittle him to the point of being worthless, and refused to say a single good word to him.

After getting up, the nurse came to change the IV. He wanted to go to the bathroom and begged her to come and help him. She said coldly, "It's just your stomach that's injured, your leg isn't broken."

He argued: "The ten fingers are connected to the heart, and the stomach is connected to the internal organs."

The men's restroom was at the far right end of the corridor. He leaned his full weight onto her shoulders as soon as he got out of bed. She walked slowly, and he matched her pace, moving forward step by step. He wasn't in any rush to use the restroom, but rather like someone recovering from a serious illness practicing walking. His chin rested on the top of her head. She had spent the night in the disinfectant-filled ward and hadn't brought any makeup. She washed her face and went barefaced. Her hair wasn't fragrant, but it wasn't unpleasant either. Her skin was clear and translucent, more like a naturally sculpted lotus emerging from the water than if she'd worn makeup.

The sunlight at six or seven o'clock is a cool orange-yellow color, shining on this hibiscus flower, giving it a natural and soft beauty.

When they were near the entrance of the corridor, she could no longer hold on and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. He touched the wall, which was damp and cold, so he pulled her into his arms and leaned against it. Then he walked into the corridor in three or two steps and hugged her tightly. Tong Yufei struggled in vain at first, but gradually, she melted in his arms like night snow bathed in sunlight.

A beam of light shot in from the fan blades of the exhaust port, and the floating dust floated in the beam of light, gathering and dispersing.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally let her go: "Let's take our time with the divorce. All problems will be solved. Give me some more time." He took her hand and slapped it in the face, then laughed at himself, "I'm not always like this."

A hint of doubt crossed her face, but it quickly faded. "What you want from me is the most common need a man has for a woman, and what I can give you, any woman can give you. You're used to a straightforward life, rarely rejected, so you're so upset about my divorce. You're only keeping me here to prove you've never failed, but why bother? If you feel embarrassed, it's just as well if you're the one filing for divorce. Our marriage was meant to be a short-term partnership. It won't bring you any benefits and will only cause you a lot of trouble. It's better to end it now. It's better for both of us."

"Of course, no one else can give you what you give. This perception is my fault. What about you? Why did you do that when the union representatives came to our house? Was it to leave a memory for me, or for yourself?" Before she could explain, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, not giving her any strength but preventing her from breaking free. "Can I love you again? Give me one more chance, let me love you again, okay?"

His eyes were clear, with all the thorns removed, leaving only the most sincere pleading, like a puppy drenched by heavy rain, so pitiful that it made people soften their hearts.

She was a little uncomfortable: "People are most vulnerable when they are sick. Once you get better, you won't feel that way anymore..."

"Every time I'm hospitalized, I confess my feelings to someone. The fire in the backyard is almost burning into a mountain. You say I don't believe you, but when have you ever truly believed me?" His palm was burning hot, and it pressed against her slightly cool skin, burning that small part of her body faintly. His voice was low and hoarse, but every word was clear, "Tong Yufei, I have nothing to ask for anymore. I just want you to come back to me."

"But I don't want to live like this anymore."

"If you do this again, I won't let you live like this."

“Who gave you the confidence?”

"you."

"But you can't give me confidence."

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Tong Yufei made him breakfast and then went back to work as she had an important interview today.

Before leaving, she handed him an envelope containing a stack of money. After counting, she found that there were more than three hundred yuan, which was the money she owed him for this month.

The elder sister gave him a contemptuous look again, as if scolding him for not only beating his wife but also being a gigolo.

He deliberately put on an expression that was both infuriating and infuriating, and shouted, "The people are mine, and the money is mine. Don't even think about escaping from my grasp in this life." He then glared viciously at the door and said, "I'm going to make this woman a slave to me for eternity."

The eldest sister cursed in a low voice: "God damn dog man!"

Tong Yufei couldn't bring herself to curse, so her elder sister cursed for her. It was the first time that he was cursed so harshly, but he didn't feel annoyed at all.

Not long after Tong Yufei left, Chen Ruchao pushed the door and walked in.

He stayed in the hospital for observation that night without telling her. It was not until she was making her ward rounds in the morning that she caught a glimpse of that unusual name on the list. After confirming with the attending doctor that he had suffered an abdominal stab wound, she hurried to the ward. Seeing that he was in stable condition, her pounding heart finally calmed down a little.

She complained about this: "You didn't even tell me you were hospitalized? You treat me like an outsider, don't you?"

The steam rising from the bowl blurred Mo Daoyan's expression: "You're a gynecologist, is it appropriate for me to see you?"

Chen Ruchao snorted and pursed his lips. He wasn't stupid, so how could he not know that people in the hospital were all connected? If he really found her, at least she could arrange a quiet single room for him. She understood his concerns. One of them was married, and the other had a partner. Being too close would inevitably cause gossip. But compared to the words of those scoundrels, she didn't want to lose him even more.

Seeing that it was inconvenient for him to eat with one hand, she moved a stool to sit in front of him, snatched the bowl and fed him: "Who hurt you? Have you reported it to the police?"

He remembered what Tong Yufei had said, that he and the Chen family were too close, causing her to suffer. Whether it was just an angry remark or not, it was seared into his heart. He could no longer swallow the food that Chen Ruchao handed to him. He turned away and said, "It's not like I can't take care of myself."

"Eat quickly!" Chen Ruchao thrust a spoonful of food toward his mouth without hesitation. "I'm doing this because you once took a knife for me, so I'm doing my duty as a friend. Don't be so self-indulgent. I'm very popular now, and there's no way you can turn back." She fed him spoonfuls of rice and vegetables, and he could only chew mechanically. "I can guess even without you saying it. Who else could have made you suffer? It was her stupid brother who did it, right?"

"You know him?"

"Hmm." Thinking of Tong Yufei's attitude toward Ye Yimo, Chen Ruchao couldn't help but think of his sister. If their positions were reversed, she would probably make the same choice as Tong Yufei. "She's really secretive, but this just goes to show that she cares deeply about your marriage." Mo Daoyan's expression darkened noticeably at the mention of Tong Yufei and Ye Yimo. Fearing it would affect his recovery, Chen Ruchao deliberately turned the conversation to himself. "What do you think of Zhai Ning?"

Zhai Ning is Chen Ruchao's current partner and has a close relationship with Zhou Dinghe. Although Mo Daoyan has met him a few times, they are just acquaintances on the court. As a law school graduate, Zhai Ning has the unique ability of a law student to split the stars and is very stubborn. He has played basketball with younger students of their class several times and ended up parting ways unpleasantly. He also had a fight with Qiao Zhuocheng and even went to the teaching office.

If Chen Ruchao hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten about this person.

Mo Daoyan said in a matter-of-fact manner, "You'd have to ask Senior Brother Zhou about Zhai Ning's way of dealing with people, but judging by his playing style, he's a tactical player."

"How do you say it?"

"He will do anything to achieve his goal. He excels at luring the enemy deep into his territory and then striking them dead with one strike."

"These all sound like derogatory terms."

"All's fair in war. Resourcefulness and cunning are sometimes synonymous on the court and in the courtroom."

Mo Daoyan finally finished the bowl of lean meat porridge and signaled Chen Ruchao to go back to work quickly. There were so many patients waiting for her in the department. Wasting her time was tantamount to murder.

"I have something else to tell you." She lowered her head and hesitated for a long time before speaking. It was hard to tell whether she was feeling frustrated or depressed. Her fingers moved up and down the seams of her white coat, trying to form her words. "She had been accepted into the city song and dance troupe and was about to become a musical actress. She had a bright future. I ruined it all."

"I used my parents' name to talk to a few uncles and managed to change her grades so that Jueyao could be admitted with the second-highest score... I knew it wasn't right, but Jueyao valued that opportunity too much. To practice dancing and catch up on academics, she only slept three hours a day. Both of her legs were swollen from training, and her ear problem got worse... She was risking her life for it."

"Before the exam, she was so confident, saying the city song and dance troupe was hiring two people, and she was one of them. If only one was hired, it had to be her. The greater the hope, the harder the disappointment... I was afraid she couldn't bear the blow. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have lost her hearing... For her, I had to give it a try."

Chen Ruchao's tears fell. When she apologized to Tong Yufei that day, she originally wanted to endure some beatings and scolding so that she could have an outlet for the accumulated guilt. However, Tong Yufei's silence made the guilt take root in her heart, gnawing at her uneasy heart day and night.