Chapter 19 Orange Petals
The business representative of Jiayin Group in S City, who was in charge of household consumption and daily chemical brands, came to the hotel to have a lunch meeting with Zong Chi. While the young boss was waiting for him to come ashore, he happened to have a short phone call with the big boss in Singapore.
Mr. Zong complained bitterly when he mentioned his son, saying that his cell phone had grown hair and he could never get through to him.
Representative Qi joked and explained to Mr. Zong that Mr. Zong's secretary was on annual leave this week and he seemed not to have gotten used to it yet.
Zong Jingzhou was clearly dissatisfied with this answer, saying that he had signed the agreement for the employee's leave, so he should have been prepared to mediate and replace him. What was he doing, ignoring the phone and then unplugging the landline? I think his old habits would recur as soon as he touched the same spot.
Representative Qi has been with Mr. Zong for many years and is well-versed in his family affairs. Occasionally, when the boss returns to China and mentions his son to his old buddies at the card table or on the golf course, or when someone wants to find a match for Xiaochi, the old man always mutters the same old truisms: "No one should find him a marriage; no good girl can stand him." Otherwise, his girlfriend of many years would have dumped him, but she couldn't stand his bad temper. He's still not over it. As a man, being dumped is always embarrassing, and he probably even resents the girl. Otherwise, why hasn't he been around all these years? He's still holding onto this feeling of being a coward, and he's afraid to see a doctor. Oh, his ex-girlfriend was a surgeon.
Zong Jingzhou had only met his son's girlfriend once, and he'd even forced Xiao Zong to break up with her. Representative Qi had rarely seen his boss so furious. In front of him and his secretary, the slap he'd given his godson was so powerful it felt like a gust of wind. Old Zong had demanded that Xiao Zong personally escort the girl downstairs. He scolded his son, "I want to see what kind of hand-shaking is so hard to break up."
After sending the woman away, Zong Jingzhou finally settled the matter, ordering them to tie Zong Chi up and put him on the plane. He told them to do the same thing he had done to her these past few days. From now on, Zong Chi was not allowed to land in S City without Zong Jingzhou's permission, nor was he allowed to come within a hundred meters of Miss He. Zong Jingzhou told his son, "This is my injunction. Feel free to break it. See if I, Zong Jingzhou, kill my own son and I'll pay for it."
Zong Chi, if you don't agree, you will never get your passport back and you will never be able to enter China again.
On the other end of the phone, Mr. Zong asked Representative Qi, "Who has he met these days?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the person in the pool suddenly emerged and came ashore. Representative Qi, well aware of the barriers between family affairs and business, immediately interrupted the other party, indicating that Mr. Xiaozong had finished swimming and he had more serious business to discuss with the other party.
Zong Jingzhou had no choice but to agree.
Zong Chi met with Representative Qi for a lunch meeting to discuss a proposal being discussed by the advisory panel. The group will now increase Zong Chi's stake in Jiada through Mi Lisheng Capital. During the meeting, Zong Chi listened to Representative Qi's Mandarin speech with one ear and the Cantonese speech of the consultant on the other end of the line with the other. He didn't touch a single bite of meat the entire time, and Zong Chi even knocked ashes onto his dessert, mistaking it for an ashtray. He stared at the dirty, melted mouthful of ice cream in a trance.
After leaving the table, Representative Qi accompanied them upstairs. Old Qi chatted and laughed with Zong Chi, asking if the food didn't suit his taste as he hadn't been here for a long time. If he couldn't get used to it, he should tell him, and he could also tell him what he wanted to eat.
Zong Chi showed little interest and said bluntly, "Eating dragon meat won't taste good when we're talking about business. Don't bother with me."
Representative Qi laughed. "I remember when you were with Mr. Zong, at the end of every meal, Mr. Zong would always order a plate of egg fried rice for you. The first time, I misunderstood and thought that plate was enough for the four of us. But, wow, you finished it all by yourself."
Zong Chi had no intention of rewarding these veteran employees for their good memories, nor did he intend to tell them that his diligent eating was the most respectful way to end a Chinese banquet. Since he couldn't drink enough, he would eat until he was full. Only when he was full would they let him leave.
The only time in his life that he ate a banquet from beginning to end without getting tired of it was a wedding banquet, and the last dessert at that banquet was fried ice cream.
Zong Chi left the table to take a call. He was lost in thought when something was suddenly stuffed into his mouth. He thought it was a dumpling shaped like a gold ingot, but when he bit into it, it was ice cream, barely melted. Zong Chi ate it awkwardly, but He Dongli smiled, her eyes curling. She claimed she meant well, and by the time he finished the call, the ice cream had completely melted.
"What will happen if it melts?"
"You won't be able to eat it."
At that time, Zong Chi thought that He Dongli was sometimes deliberately pretending to be cute, "Is it important to you that I can't eat it?"
He Dongli tried to pry open his mouth and take the thing out. Zong Chi grabbed her hand under the table and told her to stop, "Whatever you take out won't look good."
Yu Xiaohan sent a message to her daughter across the table, asking them to be more careful. It's not right for them to be fighting and making a fuss while someone is getting married.
Zong Chi asked her at someone else's wedding banquet, what did your mother say?
He Dongli shook his head.
He asked her again, is marriage the stupidest social gathering activity for adults?
He Dongli's answer surprised him. She told him a short story by someone. It was a comedy with a tragic core. The whole story described the elaborate formalities of a Chinese wedding. However, she said the author repeatedly described the bride as looking like a ghost or a corpse.
Zong Chi wanted to retort, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was, 'You'd have to be really stupid to hold a wedding like this where everyone's watching.'"
He Dongli told him again that she had never liked this kind of wedding. It looked like a wedding banquet for a newlywed couple, but the only constraint was on the so-called bride. Everyone was well fed and well-fed, but the bride had to wait in the bridal chamber with an empty stomach.
Zong Chi suddenly realized that she didn't like it.
That night he stayed at her cousin's house. The newly married He Dongsheng still took care of his cousin as attentively as he did when they were young.
You can't stand Zong Chi's masterly behavior at all and even slander him behind his back. He is even more spoiled than you, A Li, you will be wronged by this.
On a midsummer southerly wind, He Dongli, wearing a simple blue nightgown, smells of Safeguard and floral water after washing. The chirping of insects and the lush greenery of trees and plants fill the air. With her hands behind her back, she savors the rare moment of leisure, the clouds obscuring the moon. She says her migraines are gone now that she's back.
Dong Sheng snorted, defending him.
He Dongli's calm and sober tone means, if you doubt someone, don't employ him; if you employ someone, trust him.
Dong Sheng threw away the cigarette butt in his hand. Even though he was newly married, he couldn't help but pour cold water on Ah Li. Never trust a man completely.
He Dongli, the little fox, corrected me in this tone, you said to believe it, you didn’t say not to believe it, I don’t believe that he is still with him, that is the biggest fallacy.
That night, Zong Chi lay in his solitary guest room, his face expressionless, his eyes staring at the ceiling.
When He Dongli came in to bring him a burning mosquito coil, he asked him what was wrong, young master.
When Zong Chi heard such ridicule, he jumped up and asked her what she talked about with her cousin.
He Dongli always sees through him easily. Didn’t you hear it all?
You said that because you knew I heard it? Zong Chi asked her back.
He Dongli placed the mosquito coil on a piece of cigarette box cardboard folded into an accordion paper. It was dry and far away from any flammable corners. Turning back, he lazily told him to go to bed early because he had to get up early tomorrow.
Zong Chi sat cross-legged on the bed casually, looking like a dandy young man who had everything handed to him. He asked quietly, "I'm asking you a question."
He Dongli was a little distance away from him, with his arms folded and his body leaning on the desk. "Did you hear me? I said that."
What did you say?
Zong Chi, you are a tyrant. A tyrant who always loves to listen to slander.
The person on the bed smiled, came down barefoot, and reached out to pull her. He Dongli suddenly tightened his throat and lowered his voice, warning and scolding him, saying that people who disrespect local customs are despicable and uneducated.
Zong Chi loved her rush. He threatened her, "I'm not coming to your old He family anymore, so what's my fear of meanness or upbringing?" He effortlessly carried her to the table. Perhaps it was the newlyweds' happy atmosphere, or perhaps He Dongli hadn't been disciplined enough to listen to her cousin, or perhaps it was the tenderness of her running into his bedroom to take care of him, no matter how small. Zong Chi held her chin, teasing her, but truly wanted to suck out every last bit of the sweetness she'd tasted.
Just like she eats orange slices, she bites a little and then sips the juice inside slowly.
Zong Chi had seen her on the other end of the video, sucking several orange slices until only the sinews and skin were left. Today, he wanted to practice a little. As he took a bite, someone responded with a painful sound, pushing her hand against Zong Chi's chest. He reached out and grabbed her, not letting her move or withdraw her hand.
She removed her lips and tongue, and within her sight, she could see the transparent thread that had been intertwined. They briefly and lightly touched He Dongli's chin. She tilted her head slightly in a dreadful manner, and raised her other hand to wipe it away without caring about her image.
Before Zong Chi's smile could reach her ears, the door rang. It was Yu Xiaohan. She knocked a few times, called her Ah Li again, and said that her aunt from her mother's family wanted to see them, so hurry up.
He Dongli quickly responded and tried to get down, but Zong Chi refused, holding her waist tightly with one hand. When he tried to continue, He Dongli got anxious and turned away from his face. Zong Chi couldn't help laughing anymore, and He Dongli instinctively covered his mouth, which was exactly what he wanted, and he bit off a piece of her finger.
He Dongli pulled his hand back as if he had accidentally fed it into a dog's mouth, and warned him with an ultimatum: You are here to attend a wedding, so you must have the awareness of a guest.
What are you self-aware of? Zongchi asked her.
Consciously put away your sense of ownership.
Zong Chi smiled and asked in her ear, "Then when I return to my home court, can my sense of ownership be awakened?"
He Dongli rejected all his flirtatious advances. Finally, at her wit's end, she could only raise her index finger slightly, using childish tactics to suppress all reactionary thoughts. When Zong Chi gathered his composure and accompanied her to meet her aunt's relatives, he asked her casually, "Did you really mean what you said to your brother?"
Which sentence?
Trust me.
Zong Chi, I'm not as smart as you think.
…
On the contrary, I would make a lot of stupid mistakes and would firmly believe the correct answer until it was revealed.
*
The flame on the match was tilted, and the dormant memory was only enough to spread and burn between the fingers.
In the hotel room, Zong Chi finally had to throw away the burnt-to-ash branch and pause his thoughts. Before he could light a cigarette, someone called in via video on his computer.
He casually threw away the cigarette in his hand and projected the video onto the white screen in the study. Zong Jingzhou on the other end delayed for a few seconds before the call came through steadily.
On weekdays, father and son only talked about work consciousness. Zong Chi sat back in his swivel chair, his eyes closed and his head tilted back, but it didn't affect his work report.
Zong Jingzhou asked him again about the cycle of this case and when he would come back?
The person with his head on the pillow didn't say anything for a while. The person on the canvas asked in shock, "Representative Zong?"
Zong Chi closed his eyes and made an appointment with the other party, "Let's try to meet before New Year's Day."
"Before Christmas," Lao Zong bargained, "that way we can catch Shu Xing's concert."
The person in the swivel chair seemed to be asleep or dead, completely silent. After a moment, he immediately threw back his stinky socks, as if Lao Zong had taken them off to the wrong place and thrown them into his son's room. "Well, do you have any good news to share with me that is not legally allowed but worldly wrong?"
"What are you talking about?" Zong Jingzhou heard some hint of meaning.
"Why else are you in such a hurry to ask me to go back? Isn't this good news for you?" Zong Chi said slowly.
Zong Jingzhou almost choked to death by his own breath, and called Zong Chi a little beast. The storyteller had just graduated from college, and it was unacceptable for him to spread such rumors about him!
Zong Chi, without any remorse, turned to Lao Zong, "Oh, then give me a reason why I must go back and make it to Shu Xing's concert last week? Besides your wedding and your personal reasons for admiring her and affectionately calling her Shu Xing, I have two reasonable suspicions."
Zong Jingzhou on the other end of the line chuckled in anger, sounding more approving than angry. "Don't beat around the bush with me. If you don't like the Zhou family, just say so directly. If you offend me again, you'll be left alone."
Zong Chi, still without looking up, spoke in a stern tone, reminding Zong Jingzhou that during work hours, if he had something to say, he should just talk, and if not, he should just hang up. "Also, stop pretending, I'm playing the good guy. I'm telling you straight up, it's not that I dislike the Zhou family, it's that I don't even look at them. Of course, if you and my mom truly have a reason to coerce me, I can marry into the Zhou family, but the outcome will be similar to your first marriage—it'll only be worse, not better."
There was a long pause on the canvas, the implication of a sniper confrontation strong. Zong Jingzhou sneered, breaking the deadlock. "So you ran to S City just to avoid your mother's arrangement?"
"Mr. Zong, you obviously didn't understand my last topic."
"I understand. I'm not that old yet. You're trying to scare me. You can get married, but you won't take any responsibility for a marriage you're not happy with. Right?"
Zong Chi remained silent. Over the years, he'd learned that it was better for you to guess what I wanted than for me to tell you.
Zong Jingzhou had raised this wolf cub himself, so how could he not know how to find his weak spot? "Well, as long as you still have the desire to get married, that's all. Feelings can be cultivated slowly. Miss Zhou is completely devoted to you, and the Zhou family can't do anything about it. Just marry her, treat her well, and have two children. Believe it or not, in a few years, you'll understand that marriage is the same for everyone."
"Since it's the same with everyone else, why do you have to be with the Zhou family, huh?"
"I told you, Zhou Shuxing is obsessed with you."
"If you like me, you have to marry me, or I have to marry her. What kind of fucking perverted logic is this?"
"Don't even mention plundering! Who knows this stuff better than you?" Zong Jingzhou, who was originally sitting in his study on the video call, suddenly got angry and stood up, pacing back and forth in front of the camera. After a moment, he walked back to the camera, leaned over, and shouted at Zong Chi, "You still look down on the Zhou family. I told your mother, anyone who likes you is blind."
"Yes, that's right. So even with your humanitarianism as a philanthropist, you shouldn't let the Zhou family jump into my fire pit." Someone agreed.
"What's wrong with Zhou Shuxing that you don't like? Tell me."
"Oh, there are so many. Out of courtesy, I won't list them all." Zong Chi said this without even raising his eyelids.
Zong Jingzhou slammed the table when he heard this. The father and son knew the truth after hiding it for a long time and no longer hid it, "Zong Chi, don't think I don't know why you went to S City! You don't like the girl your mother chose for you, and don't forget, when you repeatedly wanted to stay in the country, we never disobeyed you. As a result, you made the girl almost call the police. So there is karma in this world. If you don't know how to love others, someone will come to torture you. The Zhou family wants you to be their son-in-law, and you think they are forcing you. What about you, Zong Chi? You like someone, and you think that after you have given so many years, she must agree to you, obey you unconditionally, and not say no. Tell me first, why did you break the rules this time? I thought you would never go back to S City in your life."
"What's the point of breaking the rules? We've been apart for so many years. Just because she settled down here, does that mean I can't settle down here anymore? What a joke. I came here to do business, and I'll leave after I'm done. It has nothing to do with her."
"I only asked you why you broke the rules, but you didn't say a word about your ex-girlfriend!" Zong Jingzhou finally revealed his true intentions.
Sure enough, the man in the swivel chair paused for a few seconds. Then he opened his eyes, sat up straight, and was about to hang up, the remote in hand. Zong Jingzhou, after using a basic attack to trick a ult, didn't forget to finish him off. "Shu Xing is younger and prettier than that Doctor He..."
"I don't have a thing for young girls; it's not hereditary. I don't think they're beautiful. Also, when older men constantly talk about a woman's youth, it's like mental compensation!"
Old Zong was harshly teased by his own son, but he didn't take it seriously and continued to fan the flames. "That's right, how can a violinist compare to someone serving the people with a knife? But I remember that classmate He's art scores weren't bad either. The rehearsal photos of your school band are still in your alumni book. Don't think I didn't know that you commissioned an agent in Hong Kong to buy a painting for eight figures including the commission. Your mother and I haven't even seen a trace of that painting."
"She's really your favorite. As for being pretty, she's just above average," Zong Jingzhou put on a sophisticated face that showed he had never seen any beauty before.
But Zong Chi was the type to be the anti-pretentious leader. Ever since they were little, whenever Lao Zong boasted about eating more salt than you, he'd always taunt him: "Why do you eat so much salt? Aren't you afraid your heart won't be able to handle it?" So, before Lao Zong could finish, Zong Chi fiddled with something in his hand—a recorder. He replayed Zong Jingzhou's argument about how marriage is the same for everyone else, cutting out the beginning and the end. He declared, "If I send this to my mom, who of us would be quiet for a while?"
Zong Jingzhou was filled with rage and cursed the brat, "You're playing dirty tricks on me, aren't you? I'm telling you, I'll cover up your trip to S City. You'd better not mess with the wrong people again. Your mother hasn't been feeling well lately, and if you make her sick, I won't forgive you."
Zong Chi played the part in the recorder over and over again: Marriage is the same for everyone.
Zong Jingzhou frowned, feigning the composure of a superior. He gave a few hasty instructions, saying he hoped Zong Chi would be back before New Year's Day. Then, he ended the call.
At the same time, Lin Jiaoyu had also gotten some clues about the news he had gathered. He called Zong Chi and asked whether he wanted someone to come over or for Zong Chi to come to him.
Zong Chi had a video conference to attend later, so he got up and went back to his room to change his clothes. He suddenly lost interest in knowing the investigation that he had asked Lin Jiaoyu to do a few days ago. He lazily told him on the phone that there was no need to come and that he should pay double the fee.
Lin Jiaoyu was about to say something, but Zong Chi pretended to have something to do and said they would talk later.
After hanging up the WeChat call, he looked at the unsuccessful friend request in his address book and finally withdrew. Zong Chi called his secretary in Hong Kong and apologized for doing him a favor while she was on vacation.
Secretary Huang didn't shirk responsibility. After getting the general contact direction, he asked, "Who is the other party?"
Zong Chi was picking out clothes in the cloakroom and replied to his secretary indifferently, "It's the kind of debt of favor that can't be paid off." Then he ended the call.
When he changed and came out, he saw the rabbit on the bed. Having already decided to settle accounts with her, he walked over, grabbed the rabbit by the ears, and unhappily stuffed it into the jewelry safe in the cloakroom.
She lay face down, cramped, and no one cared about her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
