Chapter 4 "You always have a photographic memory." ...
After a busy day, the hungry He Dongli followed Zhao Zhenzhen's advice and went to greet Director Yao and her eldest daughter-in-law. Director Yao was quite kind, and they didn't meet formally many times in the hospital. Even if they did, the female comrades were usually not much different from the male comrades. Although Dr. He was plain today, Director Yao thought he was respectable, calm, and had a very impressive scholarly air.
After considering the situation, the hostess asked her eldest daughter-in-law to take the guests to a table and entertain them. Before they left, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law whispered to each other, and Director Yao asked the eldest daughter-in-law to call the second daughter over so they could meet the girl.
The eldest daughter-in-law pursed her lips calmly and said that the second daughter was entertaining guests upstairs and could not come down for a while.
Director Yao was unhappy when he heard this and complained about his own son who was hanging out with bad friends all day long.
The eldest daughter-in-law corrected herself this time, "Not entirely. I heard from Jianhua that this time it was a connection from the serious business world. The other party wouldn't come here easily, and it was only after someone took the initiative that they agreed to come and sit down."
Director Yao was a little discouraged after hearing this, but he couldn't give up on today's topic after all. There was always business to be done, and a good appearance would not wait for anyone.
The eldest daughter-in-law went to greet Dr. He first. During the greetings, Dr. He changed his previous coldness and asked what Mrs. Liang's name was.
Her mother-in-law's constant praise of his good looks and character still lingered in her ears. Tu Yumei, looking at Dr. He's sudden enthusiasm, felt an indescribable disdain, or perhaps just that. It was obvious that the old lady had chosen a doctor who knew her youngest son well within the hospital, seeking support from the in-laws in terms of family background, financial connections, and connections. When they married, wouldn't her son be superior in every way? The mother-in-law had chosen Dr. He simply because she thought his appearance would please her son, and as for his intellectual prowess, the Liang family was satisfied.
In short, the Liang family is the winner in every aspect. Doesn't Tu Yumei know her mother-in-law's little tricks?
Dr. He's eagerness to get close to her instantly disenchanted Tu Yumei with the doctor who had once operated on her son. She was shocked. He was blind. Then she thought of Dr. He's family—his father had long since passed away, and his mother had remarried. Perhaps marrying into a family with such a pushy disposition would actually make it easier for them to get along.
Tu Yumei tactfully arranged for Dr. He to take his place, turned around, and went upstairs with a slightly gloomy look.
Zou Yan, drinking in a corner, took in everything. A moment later, he approached He Dongli, glass in hand, and watched her eat a portion of honeydew melon and ham. He seemed to have thrown away his previous reserve, taking things as they came. He couldn't help but sarcastically say, "Believe it or not, Liang Jianxing's sister-in-law might not like you very much."
The onlookers were unfazed, but then said something shocking, "Huh? His sister-in-law originally wanted to marry his brother-in-law?"
Zou Yan choked as he sipped his wine, clenched his fists and coughed, blaming her for her outrageous and rebellious remarks, "What are you talking about!"
He Dongli was puzzled. "Uh, no, otherwise she would have no reason to dislike me."
Zou Yan choked up and looked at the person in front of him again and again, "You seem a little weird today."
Those who are addicted to eating melons, have another piece. Under the light, when she looked up at Zou Yan, even if Zou Yan didn't know much about it, he could see that the powder on her face had a kind of pearly secret. "Well, just treat it as the abnormality of being forced to go on a blind date."
Zou Yan concluded, "It has nothing to do with blind dates."
He Dongli remained silent and continued eating. Zou Yan was about to ridicule her, saying, "You've never eaten a melon in your previous life." Someone walked over from behind her ear, "Hello, Doctor He."
Liang Jianxing was dressed in a suit and tie, holding a brandy glass in one hand and quickly extinguishing the cigarette he had just brought down from upstairs on the ashtray on the countertop with the other. He apologized, "Sorry for the long wait."
He Dongli stood at the window next to him, at the far left end of the long table, with Zou Yan between them.
Liang Jianxing clinked glasses with Zou Yan first, then jokingly said, "It's rare that you're willing to come to an occasion like this."
Zou Yan raised his glass to himself, not clinking it with Liang Er's. "Well, she didn't know the way, so she asked me to show her the way."
Liang Jianxing smiled, "Then I have to thank you. Let's have a few more drinks later."
Zou Yan was about to give Liang Er a look when the latter came between him and He Dongli in a home-court manner, completely ignoring Zou Yan's presence. "Doctor He, would you please do me the honor of buying you a drink alone?"
He Dongli finally put down her fork and bone dish. From Zou Yan's perspective, she didn't seem to be there for a private conversation, but more like... a heroic sacrifice.
*
A curved balcony in the southeast corner of the second floor of the Liang family's house has been converted into a sunny glass greenhouse.
The most eye-catching things inside are several pots of camellias of various colors and the Eighteen Scholars.
When Liang Jianxing came in with two drinks, he saw Dr. He standing alone in front of the white camellia. To be honest, her ID photo still looked too much like a typical student.
"Does Dr. He also like camellia?"
The person in front of the flowers shook his head firmly, "I can't keep any plants alive, so strictly speaking, I can't say I like them."
Liang Jianxing handed her the orange juice, and she reached out to take it. The man's aesthetic sense played tricks on her; her wrists were slender, her fingers pink. However, as he invited her to sit down, his keen sense of smell told him that the calmer the situation, the more turbulent the situation might be.
"Growing flowers and trees requires a leisurely and unrestrained mind. To put it bluntly, it's all about time and effort. Well, my parents take care of all this; Dr. He just lacks the time. You guys who handle knives can cultivate people, let alone flowers and plants."
He Dongli smiled noncommittally, a smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth, not reaching his eyes. After a few more rounds of ritualized social exchange and greetings, Liang Jianxing had a rough idea: unsurprisingly, someone else's child. Even after just a few words, he could guess what his mother liked about her: neither arrogance in victory nor discouragement in defeat. In plain English, it meant she was emotionally stable; more bluntly, she could easily piss you off.
Right now, no matter how Liang Jianxing looked at her, she remained calm. Even when she lowered her head and drank the drink repeatedly, she remained composed.
Liang Jianxing checked his watch. Forced by his parents' pressure and his own curiosity about the romance of men and women, he felt compelled to sit for more than a quarter of an hour. Since the woman wasn't enthusiastic about conversation, he found something to talk about. He admitted that he'd been forced by his parents to go on blind dates many times. "What about Dr. He? Perhaps it's a first time, right?"
Unexpectedly, the other party shook his head and said it was his second time.
Liang Jianxing heard her voice, the opposite of calm. Perhaps she'd drunk too much orange juice, her voice was tinged with sweetness. He couldn't help but ask her, amusedly, why didn't it work the first time?
He Dongli tapped her phone and talked about the embarrassing moment she made: she had set an alarm in advance, pretending that the team was calling about something in the lab, but while she was pretending to be on the phone, the call actually came...
The other party was her teacher's wife's nephew. Afterwards, he complained to his aunt that his uncle's student was as self-righteous and stupid as he was.
Liang Jianxing laughed out loud when he heard this and teased her, "Then how are you going to get out of this this time, Doctor He? Have you figured it out?"
He Dongli saw Liang Jianxing stroking his watch face with his fingers. She said directly and predicted, "Maybe Mr. Liang wants to get out of this in a decent way more than I do."
Liang Jianxing laughed and retorted, "What if I don't?"
The two of them sat face to face for such a long time. This was the first time that He Dongli looked at him seriously. Liang Jianxing looked at her and felt a little mean-spirited, judging by the actions without considering the heart. It was true that rice from another pot tasted better.
The next second, He Dongli politely declined, "Mr. Liang, I'm sorry, I'm temporarily..."
Before he could finish his words, Liang Jianxing's cell phone rang. He answered the call while sitting at his seat at first, but after a few words, he stood up and was about to leave. He spoke in a hurry and said that he was done here and would be right back.
He hurriedly apologized to his blind date, "A client of mine is leaving, and I have to go see him off. Doctor He..."
Someone listened for a second, then said, "Oh, Mr. Liang, you go ahead and do your thing. I should leave now."
Then, Liang Jianxing had an idea, "I'll take you downstairs together."
He Dongli had been calm all night, but her image collapsed in the heat of the moment. She reached out to put her phone back into her bag, then dialed the number next to her ear. Then she remembered something, "I still have to say hello to Director Yao before I leave. I mean, I should."
Liang Jianxing smiled deeply and pointed upstairs, "Oh, my mother is probably upstairs with some hospital leaders. You go ahead."
He Dongli remained calm and seemed to accept it with pleasure.
The two of them walked out of the glass greenhouse together. Just then, at the entrance of the second floor stairs, Chen Xiangyang's cousin was calling Liang Jianxing from the bottom of the stairs. Liang was busy responding and had no time to say anything to Dr. He. She pointed in the direction of the stairs and walked away quickly.
At the stairs, Chen Xiangdong was anxious to go back and pick up his brother. Liang Jianxing was in no hurry to go upstairs to entertain the guests. He just asked Chen Xiangdong, "What's going on? Is Mr. Chen coming?"
Chen Xiangdong looked frustrated, and with a smirk on his face, he pointed upstairs, then acted like a cow or a horse. "Mr. Zong wants him to come, and he'll have to come even if a woman eats half of his head off today."
Liang Jianxing was confused and asked again with a smile, "The one upstairs..."
Chen Xiangdong tried to persuade Hu Peng to stop, "Don't try to get close to him. He won't buy it. Without my brother, you won't be able to negotiate a single penny of business."
Liang Jianxing listened, his lips curled up, and thought, "That might not be absolute." Chen Xiangdong was busy leaving, leaving him no time to explain. Liang Jianxing simply grabbed his friend and asked, "Mr. Zong, did you go to our city's No. 1 High School? Even a rich kid like him could study in the system?"
The third floor of the Liang family's house was actually Liang Jianxing's living area. He rarely came home, so the two elders decided to give half of the second eldest son's land to their grandson in order to ensure a quiet study and rest for their children.
We are having a dinner party at home today, and my grandson’s classmates are coming to visit too.
Thirteen or fourteen-year-olds are at an age when they can't wait to escape adult attention. Tu Yumei told her son to take his classmates downstairs to eat something and stop playing games noisily in the room. "Your uncle has an important guest. If your father finds out, he'll blame you for being unruly."
As she spoke, Tu Yumei was about to drive the boys downstairs like ducks, and she ran into Dr. He who was going upstairs.
Tu Yumei was wondering why Dr. He came upstairs when a man's voice called her from behind, "Mrs. Liang, my lighter is out of power. If it's not too much trouble, could you lend me a lighter or matches?"
Tu Yumei turned back immediately. Her husband had just told her downstairs that this Zong was quite influential, and that the second son, wanting to discuss business and win the girl in one night, was in trouble. Then she heard clattering in her son's room, and that was when she asked him to go upstairs and send the boy down. It sounded like a poor choice to the guests.
Tu Yumei privately observed this so-called distinguished guest. He was indeed quite impressive. He wore meticulously tailored clothes, had a well-toned physique, and exuded a light, yet not greasy, woody fragrance. He spoke with modesty and courtesy.
Hostess Tu Yumei immediately agreed to the guest's request, and then politely asked the other party whether their second son was not home and why Mr. Zong had been waiting for a long time.
The guest, despite his wealth, remained humble and comforted him, "It's nothing, I just came in a hurry. I'm sorry I disturbed your family's arrangements."
Tu Yumei quickly waved her hands, "Mr. Zong, what are you talking about? A feast for guests, a feast for guests, and the feast should be for each and every one of you."
The visitor seemed to be comforted, and only after he had dealt with the matter did he look at the female guest next to Mrs. Liang intentionally or unintentionally.
Tu Yumei came to her senses and was about to introduce herself.
Doctor He said rather rashly, "Miss Tu, I came up to use the restroom."
Tu Yumei opened her mouth, but before she could catch her breath due to the awkwardness, Mr. Zong beside her nodded and turned back without interrupting her. "Mrs. Liang, you are busy."
So, He Dongli really followed Tu Yumei's instructions and went to the guest bathroom.
She stayed in the small room filled with fragrance for about ten minutes. Finally, as if to reconcile with herself, she washed her hands, put on some lip makeup, unlocked the door and came out.
The moment the cave opened, not far away, Zong Chi, cigarette in his left hand and his right arm propped on the railing, exhaled a long puff of smoke without turning back. From his high vantage point, he looked down at the guests in the first-floor hall, as if watching a play or looking for someone. Then, as the smoke cleared, he half-turned his head. "You've always had a photographic memory, so you wouldn't be that bad, would you? I mean, you wouldn't be so face to face like this... without even saying hello, huh?"
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