Chapter 49 Bubbles and the Moon
Zong Chi asked the question, and before He Dongli could respond, he answered for her, "You should tell the truth,
I mean, you should have told me the truth when I showed up in front of you.
Or, you should have replied to my mother, as you did back then, with a firm and resolute tone, saying, "Yes, I have never thought of marrying your son. Everything you see is just me venting my anger on you. I will eventually take all the humiliation I have endured from you on your son."
Zong Chi's eyes turned red, and he took a big step back from the approaching body.
At that moment, He Dongli's heart was completely empty. Like rotten wood corroding, like a broken riverbed. It was like, after all those days and nights together, exhausted from both of them, she didn't want him to come out. She couldn't bring herself to say his frivolous and vulgar words, but her body was more honest than her perception. His retreat represented departure, flight, jet lag, family, class...
He Dongli asked him the moment he turned around, "When you saw me on the bridge during the summer vacation of the affiliated high school, Zong Chi, you originally planned to go to England, but you never said it." When Yu Weishi looked for He Dongli that year, she mentioned high school. He Dongli actually had some motives that he couldn't get rid of, but that time in the affiliated high school really confused her for too long. Even if she was separated from him again, she had to figure it out.
Zong Chi didn't turn around, but he was facing the gate, and Yu Xiaohan could see him clearly from where he was standing. He was almost heartbroken, and he took deep breaths to suppress his anger. "Yes, it's true that I didn't want to go to England because of you. But it has nothing to do with you. Don't worry, I will clear your name. I was confused and sent someone to buy the sketch you had in your hand. I originally thought that if you really wanted to sell it, I would tease you and make you ignore me in school. But you stood there, watching us fight from a distance, and your drawing board fell to the ground. When you bent down, you were almost stepped on. I changed my mind at that moment. I like you. It has nothing to do with anyone else, including you, He Dongli."
After saying that, he stepped down the steps at the entrance and strode away.
In the corridor, He Dongli listened intently for more than ten seconds, forced himself to move, and was about to chase after him when Yu Xiaohan grabbed his arm and said, "Xixi, you just won't listen to what I'm saying to you, right? I want you to calm down!"
"Mom, I beg you, you don't understand him at all. He'll get into trouble like this. It'll hurt either his parents or himself. Mom, I beg you."
“Xixi!”
"Mom, please consider that he stayed for me twice without hesitation. Okay, you can scold me, but I care, I need it, and what I have always wanted most is just this kind of favoritism. He and his parents are no longer destined to be together. They are his biological parents. Without them, there would be no him. Mom, I beg you!"
Yu Xiaohan was so angry that he let go of his hand, and He Dongli rushed out like the wind.
Zong Chi's car had already turned around, preparing to go back. The people in the back seat saw her come out and lowered the window. He Dongli, who was pretending to go get the car, passed by his parking place, stopped in front of his car window for a few seconds, and called to the people inside, "Zong Chi, don't talk about those things about dividing the house and family. Your surname will always be Zong. Just like your mother said, the moment you were born, your parents had already planned for you. There is nothing wrong with parents loving their children. As I emphasized to you before, without my mother and Xu Maosen, we might never have had this. When you were in school, you fought with Xu Xize and his sister for me several times. To be honest, if you didn't have the surname Zong, the two Xu family members would not buy it at all. So, if Zong Chi doesn't have the surname Zong, you are not you."
He Dongli finished speaking and glanced past. Zong Chi watched her get into a Lexus. She got in and within three minutes, she turned around and drove towards their hospital.
The driver of the parked car hesitated to move, and finally asked through the rearview mirror: "Mr. Zong, are you going home?"
The man behind him laughed almost creepily. After a moment, he patted his luggage bag and leaned back in his seat, looking isolated and indifferent as if he were still alive. "Of course."
When He Dongli safely returned the car keys to Lao Lu, Lao Lu looked at her with red eyes and asked her what was wrong. "Nothing, I was just too worried that I might have damaged your car."
*
That day, Zong Chi returned to the hotel where he was staying and handled official business according to his secretary's schedule until after four in the afternoon. He did not eat or drink anything for the entire day.
Secretary Huang asked him twice about dinner and tea break, but he ignored her.
After his last conference call, he emerged from his study. Secretary Huang was having a tea break, enjoying the chocolate Miss He had given her. Seeing Zong Chi coming out, she hurriedly asked if he wanted her to prepare something for him. Finally, Secretary Huang boldly suggested, "Why don't you try some of this chocolate? It's really delicious."
Zong Chi seemed to be avoiding her and told her that he was going to go swimming. He had nothing to do today, so he would just leave it at that.
"Aunt Tang told me that she wanted to see you."
"Do what you should do." Zong Chi said this and went downstairs by himself.
*
When Aunt Tang insisted on coming over and insisted that Secretary Huang take her to see Xiao Chi, she saw Xiao Chi swimming alone in the water, almost exhausted. He was floating on his back in the shallow water, exactly the same as the day he was released from house arrest.
Aunt Tang saw this, and Yu Weishi was also crying uncontrollably. Fathers all over the world love to use the stick as a parent, but only mothers understand that their children should not shed tears easily.
Tears can only be invisible when they are soaked in water.
Aunt Tang had been in the Zong family for thirty-five years, and today was the first time since Xiao Chi took over that he had gotten angry with her and acted in a hostile manner. He even threatened her son, but Aunt Tang knew deep down that Xiao Chi, like his father, would never do such a dirty thing.
He was just being pushed into a corner. With mother and son arguing so loudly today, it wasn't too much to say that they were being separated.
After Yu Weishi returned, he waited for Xiaochi to come and lash out, but half a day passed without a sign of him. Aunt Tang finally decided she had to come, even at the risk of being kicked out by this young boss. After all, Weishi treated her like a confidant.
Aunt Tang walked along the small pond to the shore where he was, and called out to him, asking him to stop swimming and come up and be obedient.
The man in the water woke up and stood in the shallows. Aunt Tang saw that he looked pale and quickly brought him something to drink. It was the pear soup she had stewed for him. She spoke in a coaxing tone, "Drink some. Secretary Huang said that if you don't eat or drink for a day and keep busy, you'll collapse. Be obedient."
The man in the water ignored him. He stretched out his arms and paddled a few times, then turned back stubbornly. When he was about to swim to the deep water, Aunt Tang stood on the shore, holding a thermos cup and calling him, "Xiao Chi, your mother went there today just to bow her head. She has already acknowledged Miss He."
"Otherwise I wouldn't have gone with her. If she really wanted to embarrass others, I would definitely, at least let you know, Xiaochi!"
The man in the water suddenly turned around, his entire body drained of blood. His smooth forehead was exposed, and his eyes were cold and oppressive to the extreme. "It seems that she is not incapable of management. There are many people around her who are willing to fight for her. I believe that it will take more than just money to find these people. Go back and tell her that I will not marry anyone she is not satisfied with. She can go and pick whoever she likes. I have no objection to marrying ten or eight of them."
"Xiao Chi, listen to my advice, okay? Your mother feels guilty this time, so you should use this opportunity to have a good talk with her. Your father and I will both speak for you. Believe me, no mother in the world can truly fight for her own child. You can't keep bringing up your father's past. He has so many brothers and sisters, and your grandparents don't count on him at all. But you're different. You're your parents' only child."
The people in the water waded away, walking further and further away. Aunt Tang chased to the shore, following faithfully, "If you really love Miss He, you will not lose anything by bowing to your mother. Do you really want to be like your father? Haven't you seen the hardship your mother has endured being left out all these years? You don't care, and Miss He and her mother don't care either. No girl's parents would want their child to follow you without a name or status. Even if the marriage is officially signed, outsiders will say that their Zong family will not recognize this marriage, and the women with other surnames will suffer. Xiaochi, your surname is Zong, and your surname will always be Zong. You don't understand the hardship of a woman marrying into a family, and in the end, her husband and children have the same surname, while she is always the one with the other surname."
The wader froze in the middle of the water, mostly oblivious to what he was hearing. The words, "Your surname is Zong," practically pierced his heart, pinning him to the spot. He sat there, isolated in the water, for a long time, thinking of Yu Xiaohan's scolding, asking if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would never see each other again. He thought of Ms. Yu's desperate efforts to get her daughter into a prestigious school. He thought of how that man's journey had been shattered, with barely a home left.
Her most precious things were her reputation and dignity, but both of them were trampled upon by his name.
Zong Chi sent Aunt Tang back to report, "It doesn't matter whether they recognize her or not. I don't want to marry her anymore. The reason is very simple. I'm not worthy, and they don't need me."
*
Before ten o'clock in the evening, Secretary Huang called Zong Chi and told the boss that Mr. and Mrs. Zong were coming.
At that time, Zongchi had just ended his communication with his lawyer.
Zong Jingzhou insisted on seeing Zong Chi, and the secretary couldn't stop him. She snatched her door card and came in. There was no heating or lights on in the suite. The faint blue light from the floor-to-ceiling glass in the center of the living room was reflected on a ghostly statue on the sofa.
The gloomy and confined space was filled with the smell of alcohol and tobacco.
Zong Jingzhou immediately turned on the light in the living room. Without waiting for the couple's prepared opening remarks, the drinker smashed a whiskey glass in his hand directly at the bulletproof glass of the floor-to-ceiling window.
The glass remained motionless, but the wine glass shattered into pieces.
Amber liquid flowed on the window, with a few bubbles sticking to it, and it burst in an instant.
Those who willingly confined themselves retaliated when their territory was violated, "Is this fucking over? I ask you, is this ever going to end?"
Yu Weishi was horrified to see Zong Chi so dejected and listless. He had a scar over his left eye, and the ashtray on the table was practically overflowing with cigarette butts. He had clearly quit smoking for years. Just as she was about to approach him to say something, Zong Jingzhou stopped her and calmly told Zong Chi, "I'll take your mother back tomorrow morning."
"As you please."
"Zongchi, the attitude and toughness of business affairs are not suitable for household chores. I actually said this before, right? Your mother, I have already said this before I came here.
I've passed her by. She had good intentions, but she didn't get it done. Not getting it done is the same as not getting it done, or even worse. However, as long as I want to save it, I think..."
Zong Jingzhou's negotiation skills were not fully displayed because he was interrupted by the sound of Zong Chi throwing a tablet on the table. The screen showed an accidental death estate authorization form, which was drafted in October of the year when the accident happened in Hong Kong, and was revised tonight.
The proposed version is to remove the beneficiaries who are the parents in the first order and add an additional recipient for the gift.
The revised version eliminated the parents' qualifications, and the gift was notarized to the only one, He Dongli.
Zong Jingzhou and his wife remained silent. The drunken man on the sofa smiled and said to them, "I told her before, don't be afraid if something happens to me. I will guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and prosperity. I mean what I say."
"Xiao Chi!" Yu Weishi cried out in pain.
"I don't think I've ever formally brought her to meet you, so you all think I'm playing around, right? I'm telling you today: I love her. For all these years, I've only loved her, so much so that I have no interest in any other woman. I didn't bring her to meet you because I knew she'd always been feeling inferior. I figured I'd gain some influence and wait until her studies were officially integrated into her career. Even if you disagreed, I could still take care of her and her mother. I don't care if you nod. I didn't blame anyone for breaking up with her. When I agreed to return to Singapore, I also agreed with Lao Zong not to bother her. Don't bother her. But what about you?" the accuser said, his voice aggressive and excited due to the alcohol. "How did I transfer to the Affiliated High School? Actually, you were the matchmakers between us. Who can blame me? You were the ones who weighed the pros and cons. Making trade-offs has become a habit. It's forgivable when it comes to things, but when it comes to people, it will bring retribution."
"The year she tutored me, I tried every way to give her more money, but she refused. I was afraid of scaring her away, so I had no choice but to listen. Her mother had enough money for her schooling, but she no longer had a father, and she couldn't feel at ease using the money of someone who wasn't even her adoptive father. During those years with me, she used her national scholarship to buy me gifts and flew to see me. Every penny she spent on me was earned through her hard work. She knew her money was nothing compared to mine, so she just put in more effort to make me feel it. In the end, she insisted on returning the money I left for her, and I respected her for that. I knew she wouldn't use it if I kept it in her hands, and it would only add to her burden."
"I'm no longer interested in knowing what hurtful words you could have said to force such a dignified woman like her to accept the money. I simply want to tell you that being a parent is a blessing to your children, but it can also be a curse. I won't change this will, and I won't have any first-in-line children for the rest of my life. You can marry the daughter of whichever family you want, and have her sacrificed on your clan's altar or sleep among you, or you can quickly find a way to have a child and adopt one. I have no objection."
"Finally, let me make one thing clear. I did stay in China because of her, but she didn't seduce me. I was the one who tried every possible way to get her to see me. Even if she hadn't come looking for me when I dropped out of high school, I wouldn't have gone to England with you. I don't need to prove this to you. You know my character very well, so don't try to pin the blame on others."
"Oh, and the most important thing is, don't worry about me leaving the Zong family. Because I can't leave. She said that if I don't have the surname Zong, I'm not a Zongchi. I will continue to take care of the Zong family's affairs, leaving nothing behind. So, please help me close the door when you leave."
Yu Weishi was frightened to death by Zong Chi's overly calm words. Zong Jingzhou was worried that in his anger, any further words would only hurt both of them. He quickly dragged his wife away, signaling her to talk later and take it easy. Even if he didn't understand his son, he understood men.
Unfortunately, Yu Weishi was too eager to do well and ignored Lao Zong's advice. She turned around and called out to Zong Chi, "Xiao Chi, that money was lost because she invested the money you gave her to Chen Xiangyang. I just want to make up for it to her on your behalf."
"You know clearly whether it is to make up for it or not." Zong Chi's words were like a needle that penetrated into Yu Weishi's heart.
"Just as you have always disliked her, you know why."
In a moment, Yu Weishi stood there, with hearts and blood flowing on the ground under his feet.
The word "bow" was not in Zongchi's vocabulary. Now that it had come to this, he stood up with the help of the handrail and asked his mother with a dizzy head, "When I gave her that money, how did you convince her to accept it? To humiliate her for seducing me, and also to humiliate her for not having a respectable family, huh?"
"Zong Chi, when you came back that year, your father beat you so hard that half your face was covered with fingerprints. You didn't eat or drink for several days, and the woman you tortured almost called the police. It hurts both you and others, what do you want me to do? I just watch you make mistakes. I know your character. When you recover, you will come back. I just want her to see it more clearly than you do..."
"How much? Her mother said it weighed heavily on her for five years. Tell me, how much? You waved your high and mighty hand and suffocated her for five years!"
Yu Weishi didn't dare to look Zong Chi in the eye.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly shouted angrily: "Speak!" Then, he took another sip of wine as if to vent his anger, and confessed to his honorable and noble parents without hesitation, "Yes, I will come back to find her when I recover. I looked for her three years ago, and now I finally know why she ignored me. I promised her that going to the hospital to apologize is the last resort, she will definitely understand, but she didn't come. I waited for her for three days and two nights, and now I finally know why she is so heartless, because I owe her all! Without that money, she wouldn't treat me like that, she won't, she will definitely come! I ask you, why are you so insulting, do you think it's fun to bully a child without a father, I How could it not be retribution for having such arrogant and heartless parents?! Why did you have to pay me back for your little misdeeds? That rotten family, a whole family of arrogant and frivolous people, why did you so desperately want to be accepted by them? You were doing well in China, why did you care so much about your in-laws and mother-in-law? I get so angry when I think of you taking me to kneel down to that old woman who never acknowledged you in her life. Yes, I just didn't want to stay with you. That's your problem, not hers, let alone her mother. You hate the wrong person. The one behind you who should be hated is Zong Jingzhou. He didn't handle your mother-in-law relationship well, he coldly dealt with your grievances and took you back to their Zong family.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Weishi trembled uncontrollably and slapped Zong Chi.
The alcoholic who had been off carbs for too long collapsed directly onto the sofa. He smiled and propped himself up to sit up, facing his mother, as if to do as she pleased. "I owe her mother the slaps, so please give me a few more. That way, I'll at least feel better."
"Zongchi, if you insist on thinking that I'm prejudiced against her or even hate her because she has the same profession as your father's first wife, and that it makes you feel better, then hate me like that."
"I don't hate you. I'm too lazy to hate you. The basis of hatred must be love, and I don't have that."
"Zong Chi!" Zong Jingzhou beside him shouted.
The man on the sofa wasn't buying it. He called his secretary, knowing she must be outside, and asked her to take his parents away. He was resolute, as if to say no more.
Secretary Huang came in timidly and obeyed his boss's orders reluctantly. The premise of not appealing to higher authorities is also not flattering higher authorities.
Under the coercion of Zong Chi, Zong Jingzhou and his wife walked to the door. The person inside who was still lazing around and drinking, when he thought of something to confess to them, seemed to be dominated by alcohol. "Before today, I had always thought about getting her back. Even if I had to kneel on the washboard in front of her mother, I would accept it, because I was the only one who had suffered. I am willing to stay in the country for her, settle down in the country, get married and have children, and have children with her surname. If she and her mother-in-law don't get along, it doesn't matter if we never see each other again. I always felt that I had the capital and position to talk to her about this. As long as she still loves me, and she loves me, I am willing to give in and modify all the rules for her. But when I think of how she suffered such humiliation for me back then, but she couldn't tell me, I lost all my ambition. Just like that. Well, she should have said something like that, maybe that's what she thought from the beginning, waiting for me to climb up to the well head little by little, almost reaching her hand, and then kick me back with one last kick, that's what she should have done, instead of me turning back from her today, and she even chased me out, chasing me out and admonishing me, she was afraid that I would come back and turn the world upside down, yes, I did think so, I have always been a bastard who can't let others be happy if I am not happy, but she really persuaded me, because compared to losing her, I don't care about anything else. Even if I spread the whole Zong family, what would it matter? All of you together, tied together, are not worth her. But she shot me in a second, she said that my last name is Zong, the Zong in Zongchi, and without that halo, I have completely lost my meaning in her eyes. "
*
Zongchi was drunk that night.
He woke up around noon the next day. When he called his secretary and asked her to help order the housekeeping service, the secretary told Zong Chi that a logistics box had been delivered early in the morning but had not been officially signed for. The agent in Hong Kong reminded him that Mr. Zong needed to inspect it in person to be on the safe side.
The room was cleaned, and Zong Chi emerged, freshly washed and dressed in his homely attire. Silent, he looked remarkably ordinary; the lack of coal made him even thinner and more photogenic. He was already quite good-looking, and several of his female subordinates, Qi, had said that his face was as good as his kingdom. But the leader of the Kayan Tribe had just been on the phone, his voice raspy. Secretary Huang wondered, considering he'd been fighting his parents alone last night—how could he not be? Secretary Huang usually saw Zong Jingzhou, the cheerful, effortless, and powerful figure. Last night, his son had been so angry he was about to have a heart attack, and his wife was threatening to hit him. Two words suddenly occurred to Secretary Huang: no one escaped, and no one won.
Zong Chi sat there, his face aloof and unapproachable, waiting for the shipping box to be unsealed. He had a cut on his eyelid, a thin scab had formed overnight, and he was still hungover, so he drank two bottles of water in one gulp.
Finally, the true appearance of the moon painting was revealed after being carefully guarded.
In fact, Zong Chi had long forgotten what the moon looked like and what color green it was. He only remembered that she was surprised while walking around, and she pulled his arm and praised him, saying how could someone use colors so exquisitely. The most brilliant stroke was the moon, which was painted so beautifully. What kind of hand could make the moon come alive and illuminate it with just one stroke?
The staff handed Mr. Zong a pair of white gloves for inspection. He stood up and walked over, but did not take it. When he touched the bright moon with his bare hands, his fingers almost touched it and he stopped in time.
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