Chapter 28: Collusion
When host Feng Qianxu was ordering, he asked Zou Yan for his opinion and called him twice, but he didn't respond.
At the third tone, Zou Yan said, "You decide."
Then, he flicked his hand and accidentally dropped a pair of chopsticks onto the tatami. When Zou Yan bent down to pick it up, the two hands opposite him separated.
To be precise, He Dongli was trying her best to break free. Zong Chi was afraid that if she continued to fight with her for another second, she would not be able to pick up the knife on the stage tomorrow and would have to sue him!
So, without a word, he untied it, rolled his wrist, and wiped his hand with a disinfectant towel. Even after wiping, the redness on his wrist hadn't faded.
She ignored Zong Chi and asked Zou Yan which day he was on duty.
Zou Yan said Wednesday with a calm expression. He Dongli told him that she was on Monday.
Zou Yan remained silent, sipping his oolong tea. He Dongli continued, "So this is what you meant when you said friends can't easily dine in. You should have told me earlier. You have a famous celebrity friend. That way I could get an autograph. Jiang Xingyuan also knows Miss Feng..."
God knows, this was the most proactive way He Dongli could come up with to make amends. She was trying hard to be friendly with Zou Yan, and her mistake that night was indeed a bit embarrassing.
Zou Yan hummed and interrupted her, "Go ask her for one for your bestie later."
Feng Qianxu heard this and sent his assistant to the car to get the photos. He thanked him warmly, "Zou Yan said you don't know anything about the entertainment industry, and he also told me not to make a fuss so as not to scare you."
He Dongli shook his head, "No. My best friend and I have watched your variety show."
"Really? Then the question is, why does Dr. He have time to read it, but Dr. Zou doesn't?" Feng Qianxu tilted his head towards Zou Yan and complained to Dr. He, "He has never seen any of my works. Talk about drama."
He Dongli nodded and looked at Feng Qianxu calmly, comparing her to her best friend. "It's understandable, similar to mother tongue shame. My best friend wrote a script, and when I read it out loud, she covers her ears and runs away..."
Feng Qianxu murmured to himself what Dr. He said, finding it very interesting. He then glanced at Dr. He as if describing something, and said cheerfully and congenially, "Zou Yan said you were socially anxious, but you're actually very nice, Dr. He. I like you."
Feng Qianxu was very outgoing and told the two men that there were three types of girls she liked the most: "Straight-looking girls pretending to be girls, girls pretending to be girls pretending to be straight, and then there's the other type, like Dr. He, who is straight but attractive to girls."
Zou Yan choked on his tea and coughed several times, while Mr. Zong opposite him laughed out loud.
Zong Chi laughed too loudly, and He Dongli was so angry that he instinctively hit him on the arm. He then restrained himself and raised his fist to his lips, indicating that he was being rude.
Feng Qianxu had heard of Mr. Zong from Dou Yunong, but she had forgotten his name. Zou Yan hadn't even mentioned it to her. But she could tell that this wealthy, multi-generational ancestor had a special relationship with Dr. He.
She also discovered that Zou Yan was unhappy today.
*
After being hit by He Dongli, Zong Chi restrained his expression, but he couldn't help laughing deep down.
He Dongli was speechless, almost shaking in his seat. He had to say something to make him stop being so arrogant. "Are you drinking?"
Zong Chi could tell she was interrupting him. He would fiercely resist anything she defended. So, innocently, he asked her, "Can I drink?"
He Dongli was speechless for a moment, feeling clumsy, like he was walking into a trap. Friendly said, "Let him do what he wants. If he drinks..."
Zong Chi suddenly raised his voice a little, and everyone at the table, including Feng Qianxu's assistant, could hear it. "Then I'll drink a little. Can you help me drive the car?"
“…”
Before He Dongli could react, Feng Qianxu took the initiative to invite him, "Doctor He, you can have some too. It's okay, I'll arrange for the master to deliver it..."
Zong Chi asked He Dongli a question from the side, a faint smile on his face. After a moment, he turned his face straight, his sunny face turned cloudy, and he rejected it in an unquestionable tone, "She can't drink."
Feng Qianxu immediately stopped talking and said, "Oh." Zou Yan spoke up to help his friend calm down, "She has to work the ward tomorrow morning, so don't drink anymore."
Zong Chi glanced at Zou Yan, as if what he said was not specific enough. "Dr. He couldn't drink alcohol when he was in school. If he drank, he would get drunk, and if he got drunk, he would..."
"Zongchi, I'll drive for you, you drink." He Dongli closed her eyes, just wanting to get over this topic quickly. She summed it up very seriously and said to herself, "I have to be on duty tomorrow, and I can't drink Japanese sake."
Zong Chi sat upright, this time without tilting his head. He only glanced slightly sideways at He Dongli, his gaze never leaving Zou Yan's face.
He gets big when he drinks, and when he gets big he loves to touch people. From Zongchi's eyebrows to his nose to his Adam's apple...
If you don't stop her, as Lin Jiaoyu said, "The police will come soon. Someone is messing with this box..."
Zong Chi yelled at them to shut up. Then he carried the person leaning on his shoulder away. When they got into the car, he patted He Dongli's face. Someone's drunkenness is as bad as dog shit, but that's all. It's hard to wake her up anymore. Ask her, who am I?
She only blamed him, Zong Chi, stop arguing.
Okay, then kiss me.
The man leaned forward, but before he could even touch him, Zong Chi grabbed the back of his head and bit him hard. The next day, He Dongli returned to school with a broken upper lip. She wore a mask for three days to fake a bad cold. She didn't remember the smell of Japanese whiskey, but she remembered the dog bite.
*
At this moment, no party is complete without wine. She is the only one drinking blueberry-flavored soda.
Only when they started eating did He Dongli understand the relationship between Zou Yan and Feng Qianxu. They were classmates in junior high school, but Feng Qianxu dropped out of school before graduating from high school to become a print model.
She is pretty, cheerful, lively and energetic. She gradually becomes successful in earning money to support her family and is discovered by a talent scout...
He Dongli echoed Feng Qianxu, "You've known each other for twenty years."
Feng Qianxu nodded, and then, out of instinct, asked Dr. He, "How about you and Mr. Zong? How long have you known each other?"
He Dongli felt it was a bit silly to give a specific number, and the whole thing... didn't flow together, so it couldn't really be considered sixteen years. In the end, he just said, "We were junior high school classmates."
She originally thought that Zong Chi would interrupt or interrupt, but for a long time, no one beside him said anything.
*
After that, it was the women's turn. They talked about everything from Grandma Feng's illness to related medical beauty projects. Zou Yan didn't say a word, and neither did Zong Chi opposite him.
Zong Chi showed rare gentlemanly demeanor and raised his glass to Zou Yan from a distance.
Although Zou Yan knew that Zong Chi had clearly come prepared to arrest He Dongli at the Liang residence last time, and he also knew that they had known each other for a long time, the lighthearted, schoolmate relationship revealed by He Dongli himself was extremely ambiguous and blank, like a damp book in the return of the south wind.
Zou Yan responded to Zong's request, symbolically raising his glass as well. He gulped down the wine, acrid and overbearing. He envied He Dongli once again. How could having a friend half your age who wouldn't break up with you not be considered another gift?
Zong Chi took a sip of the Japanese beer in his hand. He felt that he had nothing to talk about with Zou Yan. He could also see that they were both the same.
So he felt sober today, coming to be an assistant. It was the first time he realized that He Dongli wasn't aloof. She was clearly eager to express herself, speaking about her areas of expertise and topics of interest. She continued to talk, but she'd occasionally glance at Zong Chi, as if unaccustomed to his silence or his aloofness. Or perhaps she was just naturally soft-hearted. She might be a little attached, but Zong Chi knew her all too well; she couldn't do anything to look down on others. They'd argued before and slept separately. Zong Chi had been drinking that night, and it was summer, so he slept alone on the sofa downstairs. The air conditioner was on, but the French doors and windows were wide open, too, so mosquitoes were a problem. Zong Chi, reeking of alcohol, fell asleep in a huff. In the middle of the night, He Dongli finally came downstairs, stood beside him, and nudged him. Zong Chi was half awake, having long forgotten their argument. He blamed her for standing by his bed instead of sleeping, saying it was scary! He Dongli was so angry that he threw the blanket on him, closed the doors and windows, and finally said ruthlessly: I just came to confirm whether you are still alive!
Zong Chi suddenly jumped up and followed her upstairs. While trying to catch her, he said alarmingly: Don't worry, when I die, I will definitely leave you a generous inheritance for you to live as a widow, and guarantee that you will live a life of wealth and glory for ten lifetimes!
He thought back to the time she'd accused him of taking her to a cocktail party and then ignoring her. Back then, he'd clearly thought she didn't want to see so many strangers, so he'd simply let her wait. Zong Chi had probably underestimated how long three or four hours would be. It wasn't until after they'd broken up that Yu Weishi once dragged him to a Wimbledon match. Less than three hours in, Zong Chi was breathing heavily, and Yu Weishi had scolded him like a drug addict. "You've been hanging out with those scoundrels all day. When will you ever get your mind back on track?"
Zong Chi asked nonchalantly, "What have I missed? If not, why should I focus on it?"
Yu Weishi was extremely angry and blamed him, Xiaochi, have you ever thought that your father has no other sons? If he does, and he sees you like this, what hope do I have!
Zong Chi didn't care and told his mother that the old Zong had spoiled her for half his life, and she should rest assured that even if she had no children, he would spoil her for the rest of her life.
After the competition, Yu Weishi asked him to take her to her second aunt's house. Zong Chi dropped Yu Weishi off and then left early. Yu Weishi asked where he was going, and Zong Chi said he was returning to China. Since he was eighteen, with the exception of the Spring Festival when Zong Jingzhou captured him, during the year of sanctions, his whereabouts had been strictly controlled. Although he had lived in several countries, most of his trips had been to China.
Yu Weishi was so angry that he couldn't help but said to him, Xiaochi, how long are you going to be crazy? Look at what you have become now.
Zong Chi echoed his mother's words, slightly reeking of alcohol, yet speaking arrogantly, "Yes, people change. You've forgotten how everyone in this room looked down on you in the past..."
That day, before he'd finished speaking, Zong Chi was shoved by Yu Weishi. He emerged from the back garden, where a patch of purple roses was in full bloom. He wondered what time it was back home, then glanced at his watch. It had only been two hours since the game. The day had been so long, so unbearable, that Zong Chi, perched ten thousand meters above the ground on a red-eye flight, thought about how disappointed that person must have been.
*
When the women in the box talked about what they would watch or do to relieve stress, He Dongli paused. Feng Qianxu smiled and teased Dr. He, "It's obvious that you are not very healthy, right?"
He Dongli admitted, "That's right. Healthy things can't relieve stress at all."
When Feng Qianxu's assistant signed a photo for Dr. He, she also helped her boss exchange WeChat with Dr. He. The assistant saw that Dr. He's profile picture was a cute little girl with a sticker on her face.
I couldn't help but tease Dr. He, saying that I never realized he was so cute.
He Dongli readily accepted such teasing, saying that she had probably done too many rational things, and after work, after peeling the skin, she just wanted to do something that didn't require any brainpower.
She talked for too long, and only picked up her chopsticks a few times. During this time, the menu had already moved to the nigiri sushi, with each order priced at five pieces, including one piece of big-belly tuna. When He Dongli looked up from talking and then down at the dish at hand, she realized she had one extra piece.
When she tilted her head to look at Zong Chi, she heard him say, "Healthy foods can't relieve stress, but they can supplement nutrition."
While Feng Qianxu and Zou Yan were chatting privately, Zong Chi asked He Dongli, "What's your unhealthy way of relieving stress? Watching porn?"
He Dongli was so angry that he smeared a piece of wasabi directly on the prawns he hadn't eaten, and said, "What's it got to do with you if I saw it? You can see it, why can't I?"
Zong Chi laughed without concealing her feelings. She was talking about an old story from eight hundred years ago. It happened once in their suburban villa. Zong Chi had already dropped out of school at that time. The one-on-one lessons were really boring, so he invited several members of the school swimming team, both boys and girls, as well as Lin Jiaoyu and others to come for dinner together. Among them was his personal tutor He Dongli.
They flipped through the discs in the audio-visual room, and one of the banned discs was passed around by several boys with laughter, and finally fell into He Dongli's hands.
Just by looking at the name on the disc, she seemed to understand something. She put it down silently. After a while, when she had almost finished her meal, she indicated that she was leaving. Zong Chi stopped her. The two of them ended up having a random conversation. Zong Chi declared that the disc was not his, but that Lin Jiaoyu had thrown it with him after watching it.
He Dongli said "oh" and still said he was leaving because there were few buses here.
Zong Chi ignored her and asked her what "oh" meant.
He Dongli: It means that I have a general understanding of it, but I don’t want to express my opinion.
Zong Chi's face suddenly darkened. He Dongli was puzzled by his action of blocking her way. Finally, she had no choice but to ask Zong Chi, "My 'oh' is already the greatest courtesy. Do you still want me to praise you?"
Zong Chi was being unreasonable and asked He Dongli, "I don't believe you haven't seen it."
He Dongli confessed with the greatest honesty, "I really haven't seen it. However, you should not panic because of the exposure of the matter.
Zong Chi claimed that he didn't have any, so there was no need to panic.
He Dongli asked him to listen to her finish her words. She thought it was normal for adolescents to be curious about things. Although she had never seen anything like theirs, she had read books...
Zong Chi caught her in an instant, and you still say no! He Dongli, you, a good student, also have to admit it.
He Dongli nodded, just as he wished. Zong Chi, you just want me to go along with you, and then you can have the feeling of escaping without being punished by the law, right?
She was clearly mocking him at the time, but Zong Chi's mind was full of ridiculous thoughts.
She's ridiculous.
He was like this when he was eighteen, and he was still like this when he was thirty.
Yes, she was right, he just wanted her to be in cahoots with him.
Zong Chi hadn't asked her how she relieved stress, but he was certain it wasn't some rubbish. Even when she was in school, she hadn't used these images to vent. She was an auditory being, and even when she did, it had to flow through her spirit.
In the Sangtian Road villa, when they were together for the last time, He Dongli had a low fever. Zong Chi tried to turn her body over and let her look at him.
She was so uncomfortable that she couldn't resist him, but he still thought she was the same as before.
Zong Chi easily grasped her back with both hands, and kissed her bit by bit from shoulder blades to waist, hugging her until he absorbed her. He worked hard and politely to straighten her face, then put his arms around her and told her that he always remembered the phrase "ear-bin rubbing" which she had taught him, and which came from "Dream of Red Mansions".
At this moment, they were whispering in each other's ears.
He Dongli had tears in her eyes, and when she moved, the tears fell. That time, Zong Chi could feel that her tears did not flow through her spirit.
Instead, I said to him, Zongchi, if sex can really solve our problems, then with your energy, maybe we can grow old together.
Look, this is He Dongli. She had scolded him calmly and mercilessly, and he'd remembered it for five whole years. For all these years, Zong Chi's unhealthy way of relieving stress had always been her. But that kind of catharsis was exhausting, led to severe withdrawal symptoms, and could never be seen in public.
Only when she stayed beside him so concretely did Zong Chi realize that he was indeed not there to ask her to reconcile.
He was looking for an antidote to his fatigue.
Zong Chi ate the shrimp in the bowl with a mouthful of wasabi. Then he thought of something and said, "Oh," and told her, "Can you come downstairs later?"
He Dongli looked at him suspiciously. Close to her, her breath smelled sweet, like blueberry drink. There was a strand of hair on her face, and he reached out to brush it away.
The movement was too fast, He Dongli had no time to react at all, and his face suddenly burned for no reason.
It also burned Zong Chi's hands, burning them so hot that his fingers were connected to his heart.
Zong Chi took another sip of his wine and said, "Lin Jiaoyu is having a party nearby. He knew I was with you, so he came to see you."
"You deleted him from WeChat, and he told me he'd wait until you said a hundred words to him before he'd talk to you."
He Dongli stared at him, as if thinking. Zong Chi used to have many such gatherings. When he asked He Dongli to come, he would either directly show up at the school to pick her up, or simply give her his address, indicating that he was back and waiting for her. Others would consider waiting a polite gesture, but Zong Chi's waiting meant that you had to come.
Staring at the thoughtful person, he pondered for too long. Zong Chi teased her, but it was not a concession, because at most he foolishly thought that she should not work so hard. I can support you for the rest of your life, but he never wanted her to belong to him alone without seeing the sun. "Forget it, it's best not to see that chatterbox of his. If he asks you to say a hundred words to him, he can say ten thousand words to you in return. Right?"
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