Chapter 9 BlackBerry 9000
The next day, Sunday, He Dongli checked the rooms as usual and then took a half-day break.
Jiang Xingyuan asked her to go to an antique shop together. She took a fancy to a second-hand sofa and took Dongli to the physical store to consult.
Jiang Xingyuan and Dongli were classmates after their high school class split, and she transferred in mid-semester. They didn't have much interaction back in school, and their majors in college were even more different.
Jiang Xingyuan and Xu Xilin had been friends for five or six years. During those years of friendship, Jiang Xingyuan heard that He Dongli was a calculating and scheming person who was tired of crossing class barriers... In short, he was the kind of person who knew exactly what he wanted.
He Dongli smiled. She knew Jiang Xingyuan had been very tactful and refined in his words. Xu Xilin was describing her as anything but a good person. Indeed, when they argued, Xu Xilin would gasp at He Dongli in disbelief. She'd once scolded him, "You're just like your mother, a bitch. Everything you eat and wear is what your mother slept with my father."
At the time, He Dongli didn't understand and didn't want to prove himself, or expose Xu Xilin's actions to the Xu family. He just wanted fairness. There was no fairness. At that time, almost everyone thought Yu Xiaohan committed herself to Xu Maosen for money, for a comfortable life, and for a more stable future for her daughter.
Indeed, Xu Maosen more or less steered He Dongli's life and direction. But being a stepdaughter in the Xu family wasn't easy. Young people have their own struggles, the first of which is the singleness of their parents. The Xu family's children mourned their lost mother, and He Dongli, feeling wronged, hid alone in the bustling streets, missing her father who had passed away from lung cancer. One night, He Dongli mustered up the courage to tell her mother that she no longer wanted to live in the Xu family's house, nor did she want to study at No. 1 Middle School. She wanted to return to her hometown...
But what she saw was a pair of figures, intertwined together in ecstasy. Her mother's voice was sick and absurd, more like God had sent her a heavy rain to stop the boiling water, soaking her to the bone. She quickly fled back to her room.
The next day, after the midterm exam, He Dongli went to the bathroom but was locked in by someone from the outside.
When she emerged from the toilet, a quarter of an hour had already passed. She had submitted her paper early for the exam and waited outside Xu Xilin's exam room, smearing the dirty stains she had made when she fell on her hands after rolling out of the toilet onto Xu Xilin's face.
Xu Xilin cursed He Dongli as a lunatic. He Dongli finally asked the question he had been holding back for a long time: which one is more valuable, a whore's child or a whore's child?
At that time, He Dongli had almost no close friends. She was just talking to them, but Xu Xilin would occasionally pop up to mock her, making fun of her outfit, the color of her underwear, the fact that she didn't even know she had her period and wore period underwear, and the fact that she wore open-toed sandals with socks.
Laughed at her not knowing The New Yorker, laughed at the signature on her sketches, laughed at her cousin from her hometown coming to visit her, and how she had acted like a lady for years and was suddenly led away by her gangster cousin...
He Dongli was fed up with Xu Xilin's relentless nagging, and over time, they both seemed to have tacitly accepted that those who were not of the same race must have different hearts. However, Xu Xilin was used to gathering friends at school, and for the sake of being against the norm, He Dongli gradually became a loner in their eyes.
She spent most of her time studying. She didn't seem to excel at any of the fashionable hobbies girls were known for. Piano and sketching—the things their classmates boasted about her, but they weren't the real her. Truly, she was forced to learn. Back then, her parents had no particular awareness of cultivating her moral character; they simply forced her to learn whatever other children were doing.
It was her homeroom teacher who strongly recommended her to join the school orchestra, saying that she was not setting a good example and that she really thought that the top students in their middle school only cared about studying and grades.
The two months of training were the happiest time for He Dongli. She was more satisfied with the anonymous and lively atmosphere than being a performer.
Of course, Jiang Xingyuan didn't agree with He Dongli's self-described loneliness. She always felt that He Dongli was a unique student at that time. Every time they returned to the classroom after a major exam and were still undecided about their answers, they would ask Dongli, "What did you choose?"
She read out the options, some people clenched their fists in yes, and some cried out in despair.
Jiang Xingyuan still remembers how their homeroom teacher loved to keep classes going after class, lecturing even during evening self-study. One time, He Dongli left through the back door, and the teacher asked her where she was going. She nonchalantly said she was going to the restroom as she passed the row of boys behind her.
It was a joke, but everyone also benefited from Dongli's help. From then on, the teacher would either call for recess on time or remind us to go to the restroom directly without having to report.
He Dongli was the one who always slept during lunch break. No matter how swirling the class was, she'd always be asleep on her desk. And when no one else did her eye exercises, she'd do them during recess while washing her hands. When asked about this, she'd childishly reply, "My eyes are really tired."
But she had no patience when explaining the questions. Many boys came to her with their handouts, but she couldn't make them understand even after a long time of explanation. She wrote a bunch of steps for them, but they were still confused. He Dongli held her head in her hands, indicating that she had no more help.
She mentioned having few close friends because wise men always walk alone. Even when Xu Xilin was being blatantly bullied, He Dongli could find a bunch of objective and macro reasons for it. To Jiang Xingyuan, who had a clear and even radical view of what he loved and hated, this seemed a bit too much like a perfect victim theory.
Victims never need to be perfect.
Xu Xilin couldn't get angry with her own father, so she turned around and made things difficult for He Dongli, who had almost the same fate as her. This was a bit too stupid and mean.
But in my memory, He Dongli never seemed to be at a disadvantage. At that time, many classmates didn't even know about their relationship. Xu Xilin just loved to form cliques and exclude others, but she couldn't do anything to He Dongli openly.
At school, Dongli always shone. Those prettier than her didn't have the best grades; those with the best grades weren't as pleasing to the eye as she was. Back in school, the uninitiated wouldn't readily accept that a beautiful appearance was the eternal key to this glamorous world. It was, at best, beauty and art, at worst, just a facade and a sense of well-being. Jiang Xingyuan, who often wrote about society and human nature when he was thirty, was scathingly critical: "Everyone loves a pretty face, but if they do, it's just pretense."
During college, Jiang Xingyuan and Xu Xilin lived in the same dormitory building. It was well known that Xu Xilin's family was wealthy, and her brother who came to pick her up from time to time was the perfect rich lover that any girl imagined.
Even after graduation and their respective careers, Xu Xilin was a well-known "rich girl" in the industry. Her beauty, boldness, and occasional naiveté attracted her no shortage of suitors.
The reason for Jiang Xingyuan and Xu Xilin's breakup was quite commonplace: men. Just when everyone thought the other party was pursuing Xu Xilin, he unexpectedly used her as a bait to lure Jiang Xingyuan, the fish he ultimately wanted to catch.
Xu Xilin was embarrassed and blamed Jiang Xingyuan for not knowing what was going on but not reminding her. When the two of them were chatting about this over a drink, Xu Xilin claimed that there were plenty of men and she wasn't someone who couldn't stand losing, but she couldn't stand Jiang Xingyuan being so secretive.
That night, the two parted ways on bad terms. Not long after, Jiang Xingyuan's mother fell seriously ill. She put aside all work and social activities to care for her mother. While at the hospital, she met He Dongli, who was on his residency. This marked the beginning of their friendship. He Dongli helped her immensely in the hospital, and every time her mother's condition worsened, Jiang Xingyuan would grit her teeth and hold back her tears. On her mother's last birthday, He Dongli prepared a bouquet of lilies of the valley and an orange-flavored cream cake for them to celebrate.
Dongli made the cake herself. She said she hadn't made it in a long time and was not very good at it. But she still showed it off to Jiang Ma in a gentle and homely manner. She said the orange pulp cake was her original creation, very delicious, and not available on the market.
That night, Jiang Xingyuan posted a celebratory picture of them eating cake together on her Moments. It was only a while later that she discovered that Xu Xilin had unilaterally deleted her as a friend.
She turned around and told He Dongli about it. Jiang Xingyuan acted like he loved everyone, and from then on he and Xu Xilin stopped communicating. The Jiang family owned a food company and a Chinese fast food chain, and Jiang Xingyuan wasn't someone to be bullied, so he spread the word in his circle of friends: "I can play with whoever I want. I'm not RMB, so everyone loves me."
He Dongli now occasionally visits his mother as a guest.
But she remained consistent and never changed her words, that is, Xu Maosen treated her well. After the change of circumstances, He Dongli understood that this is called loving the house and loving the dog.
She had decided to return after graduation because, during the autumn recruitment period, Xu Xilin called her, saying her mother was ill and demanding to know why she hadn't returned. "You've taken all the benefits, and in the end, you're just abandoning your mother to the Xu family and not caring about her?" He Dongli borrowed a classmate's car and drove back overnight. In the ward, only Xu Maosen stayed by her side, guarding her every step of the way.
At that moment, she felt alienated from her mother, so alienated that she could never reach her bedside.
When the mother and daughter were alone, Yu Xiaohan was still blaming her daughter for leaving her important business and running back rashly.
He Dongli asked her mother why she didn't tell her.
Yu Xiaohan's face was covered in tears, and she only said sorry to Xixi. The mother and daughter had not called He Dongli by his nickname for a long time.
He Dongli didn't even know how to say sorry to his mother.
Yu Xiaohan said her daughter had become much more distant from her, that she rarely returned to the Xu family. For years, Yu Xiaohan had refused to face a reality. This reality, initially exposed by an outsider, was then confronted by Zong Chi, who, in front of the Xu family, accused Yu Xiaohan of not understanding his daughter at all. She didn't like being in the Xu family at all, didn't want to play the role of a filial son and grandson. "Why can't you just admit that you've remarried, and your daughter is now an outsider?" "Why can't you just admit that you've tied your daughter to the Xu family because you're selfishly tied to this place, to this man."
As the relationship was falling apart, He Dongli scolded Zong Chi in a loud voice, "We are breaking up."
During the Spring Festival, Yu Xiaohan couldn't find her daughter, so she reported the matter to her father. Zong Jingzhou used drastic measures to separate them. Since then, He Dongli hasn't returned to the Xu family for five Spring Festivals.
Yu Xiaohan felt that her daughter hated her. She hated her for tying her up, using her mother's name and the grace of raising her for so many years.
He Dongli was lost in thought for a long time before he reassured his mother, "It's none of your business. I meant to break up with him. Of course, I don't want to go back to the Xu family either. This is indeed what I really mean."
Even though she didn't consider the Xu family a biological family, she couldn't just abandon her mother because she was sick.
In the end, she decided to return to work. She also knew that Xu Maosen had made arrangements for her and even paved the way for her.
I rented a house near the hospital and occasionally visited my mother to ask about her situation and health, including Xu Maosen's recent situation.
Arriving at the antique shop, Jiang Xingyuan saw the sofa in its true form and couldn't wait to sit on it. He asked He Dongli for his opinion.
My friend crossed his arms, acting calmly and as an outsider, “If you like it, buy it.”
Jiang Xingyuan raised his eyebrows, "I want to ask for your opinion!"
"I told you, you like it."
"Hello!"
He Dongli smiled, loosened his arms, walked towards her, sat down beside her, felt and agreed, "If you like it, I will try to like it too."
This clearly meant she didn't like it, yet He Dongli always had the ability to coax people into their hearts. There was a sense of absurdity that she wasn't sincere, but was truly beautiful, and for her vanity and pleasure, I was willing to deceive myself for a while. Jiang Xingyuan curled his lips in satisfaction, "What are you saying? Don't you have a crush on me!"
"You finally found out." He Dongli cooperated with her narcissism.
The owner, a woman in her forties, was cheerful and hospitable. Knowing that Miss Jiang was serious about buying something, she offered her and her friend coffee and cake.
Seeing that Dongli had no intention of complaining or criticizing him, Jiang Xingyuan immediately asked the boss to issue the invoice.
As they discussed the details of sealing and packing for delivery, He Dongli casually wandered around the store, coffee cup in hand. As she carefully examined a six-panel ebony screen depicting a birthday celebration from the late Qing Dynasty, a rather ancient telephone ringtone rang from behind the screen.
He Dongli looked back. The boss was still busy. She couldn't help but walk around the screen and saw the phone on the sofa. It was a BlackBerry, if she remembered the model correctly, 9000.
...Zong Chi had been using a phone for several years. When they transferred to the affiliated middle school together, he had been planning to use it to compensate He Dongli. She ignored him. She had no idea what the argument was about, but she only remembered that he paid too much, so she went to return it. In the end, he inexplicably tricked her. He Dongli only took a hundred yuan and walked away.
In fact, she was angry about this for a long time and even consoled herself by thinking it was just a dog bite.
Not long after that, the Chinese teacher had students take turns correcting and grading their essays. He Dongli gave Zong Chi's essay a ruthless failing grade, commenting that it was too rambling, lacking any sense of organization or narrative imagery.
The teacher felt that He Dongli's comments were very pertinent, so she asked her to tutor Zong privately, which is also the school's one-on-one tradition.
In order to prove his realism, Zong Chi took out his mobile phone to take pictures of the two purple rose gardens in their home in full bloom. So what's wrong with one being a purple rose garden and the other also being a purple rose garden?
He Dongli retorted, "That's right, but it's a pity you're not Lu Xun." To prove her objectivity in her corrections and that she wasn't taking personal revenge like she did when she paid for the phone last time, she also praised the purple roses in their house, saying they were beautiful.
Zong Chi was so angry with her that his anger ignited, but it was extinguished in an instant.
He Dongli looked up at him, he was stunned for a moment, and finally scolded He Dongli as a little pottery figurine that ran out of the museum.
*
The cell phone belonged to the antique shop owner. After He Dongli reminded the owner, the ringing had already stopped when he came over to answer the call.
After Jiang Xingyuan paid the money, he came over and happened to hear Dongli chatting with the boss. The boss had a friend who loved collecting classic phones of various brands and was in need of a spare phone that was only used for answering calls, which was quite handy.
Dongli finished her coffee and thoughtfully praised that a phone that was over ten years old could still be used, and looking back, this one was still very beautiful. She liked it the first time she saw it, but unfortunately, she was not even a poor student at that time, she was just a poor child.
In order to curry favor with Miss Jiang, the boss said he would give it to Miss Jiang's friend.
He Dongli realized that the other party had misunderstood her meaning and quickly waved her hands. Jiang Xingyuan was willing to help her since she didn't have much money anyway. She said it was rare to see Dr. He express his desire so frankly, so she bought it to make up for the little Dongli she had met back then.
He Dongli blamed her for doing something bad, and with three women acting as one, the phone really ended up in her hands.
Until they moved to eat, He Dongli touched the 9000 and blamed Jiang Xingyuan for doing whatever he wanted.
Jiang Xingyuan flipped through the menu and said triumphantly, "Otherwise, how could I cheat you out of a meal?"
He Dongli had agreed to treat them. Halfway through the meal, she hesitated and wanted to tell Jiang Xingyuan, "I lost one of the pearl earrings you gave me..."
Jiang Xingyuan said, "Hmm." Just as he was about to ask her what was going on, her cell phone rang and she signaled that she had to answer it.
During the seven or eight minutes when her friend was away, He Dongli's mind raced. She wanted to chat with her friend. There was nothing shameful about it. She wanted to talk about her experience last night, about how someone she hadn't seen for years suddenly showed up, about how she had almost forgotten this person but found out that it wasn't the case when they met last night, about her insomnia, about why she liked this phone, about how she inexplicably felt that Zong Chi's appearance was related to her, about how this person occupied so much of her youth and adolescence that He Dongli's threshold for understanding the ups and downs of life had been invisibly raised a lot; to the point that she had been looking at other people as indifferent and tasteless for a long time.
In short, she needed to talk to her friend, otherwise, maybe, just maybe, all of this was just her imagination. She needed her friend to pour some cold water on her.
He Dongli stroked the 9,000 in her hand. When Jiang Xingyuan came back, the first thing she wanted to say was that Zhenzhu was taken away by Zong Chi...
After being rebuked by Jiang Xingyuan, she sat down excitedly, holding her phone. The page on her phone displayed the latest economic news released by their municipal official WeChat account: the leading daily chemical company Jiada may change its owner.
The subtitle is that the only son of the founder of Jiayin and philanthropist Zong Jingzhou arrived in S City a few days ago to represent his father in the group acquisition meeting.
"Hey, hey, hey, am I seeing right? This is the famous Zong Chi from our No. 1 Middle School. Zong Jingzhou has only one son. Wow, the official account must be correct."
"He Dongli, you're his ex-girlfriend after all. You have to help me choose the topic for this acquisition. I want an exclusive date with him!"
He Dongli across from her said nothing, and her friend clearly didn't pour any cold water on her either. For a moment, she was like those days when she was at school, hunched over her desk during lunch break, quickly falling asleep and waking up just in time.
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