Chapter 13
Chen Huanong ultimately failed to accompany Mo Yiyan to meet her childhood idol. The rapid development of the big data era has, to a certain extent, impacted the reading of printed texts. Mo Yiyan's meeting with the editor of Nan Ke was actually about the merger of the two magazines. Minimizing expenses while maximizing cultural value was a requirement, and a one-way development model naturally wouldn't be enough. After numerous rounds of screening, Mo Yiyan decided to collaborate with Nan Ke, but she didn't dare to rush ahead without absolute certainty, so she arranged to meet outside. Chen Huanong was the legal advisor for Lady & Queen, and if the merger was formally discussed later, she would inevitably be present for the review, so it was best to avoid suspicion at this time.
"Come on, I heard everything clearly about your phone call with Xiao Chizi. This little devil is back, and your life is going to be interesting again." Mo Yiyan swore that she was indeed looking forward to a good show with 100% gloating. There are very few people these days who are more shameless than Chen Huanong, and there are even fewer who can make Chen Huanong avoid them.
Little Chizi's real name is Chi Buyu. She's only 23 years old, still unmarried, and the student Chen Huanong finds most daunting during her "supporting education" assignments. This "supporting education" doesn't involve going to the mountains. Dedication isn't in Chen Huanong's vocabulary, so how could she possibly imagine teaching in such remote areas? (Mo Yiyan: Mainly because this pervert isn't even a human being herself, so he can't teach others how to be human.) When Jiang Yuyuan's tutoring class first opened eight years ago, they couldn't recruit teachers, so they had to ask Chen Huanong and Mo Yiyan to fill in. Mo Yiyan was lucky, having graduated from the Chinese Department—though not a teacher training program, he was more than qualified to teach junior high school students. Chen Huanong, a political science and law graduate, hadn't touched math in four years, but she was forced to sharpen her skills at the last minute. Jiang Yuyuan threw her onto the podium, where she encountered the little devil, Chi Buyu.
Looking back, Chen Huanong's head hurts! Eight years ago, Chi Buyu was a jerk. Eight years ago, Chen Huanong was still a fresh-faced bastard, fresh out of school. Facing Chi Buyu, who told dirty jokes every day, Chen Huanong couldn't hold back his pride. Chi Buyu had an official father, and he was well versed in reading people's expressions. When he sensed that Chen Huanong was about to get angry, he would cling to Chen Huanong's arms and beg for mercy. In Chen Huanong's 24 years of life, this was the first time he had encountered such a resilient child.
When did the naughty kid change Chen Huanong's mind? One day, Chen Huanong passed by the naughty kid's history class. Curious, he crouched in the corner for a moment and saw the naughty kid engaging in a lively conversation with the teacher, citing classics. His opinions weren't necessarily mature, but they were clearly organized and logical. It was the first time Chen Huanong saw the rebelliousness and sharpness hidden in the naughty kid's brows. It was very similar to a human.
From then on, Chen Huanong wanted to guide the naughty kid, and naturally she spent a lot of effort. From the time the naughty kid was in the third grade of junior high school until now, she has always acted as a beacon. Fortunately, the naughty kid also worked hard and did not go astray. The only thing that went wrong was that he followed in her footsteps and embarked on the road of law study. When filling in the application form, Chen Huanong tried her best to persuade him not to think too much, but the naughty kid said arrogantly, "If you can do it, why can't I? Old Chen, you should worry more about yourself, so that I don't take your job away." Chen Huanong almost spit out a mouthful of blood three meters away. Listen, is this human language? Chi Buyu, be a human being!
Chi Buyu's flight was due to arrive at 7pm. The naughty kid was boarding the plane when he called. Amidst the repeated calls from the cabin broadcast urging him to turn off his phone, Chen Huanong could hear the naughty kid's howling, "The board must say 'Welcome back to the palace, handsome Chi!', otherwise I won't come out..."
Chen Huanong didn't even want to pay attention to a punctuation mark. It seemed that his brain had been blocked after four years in the mountains. It was obvious that he hadn't fought enough.
Chi Buyu easily spotted Chen Huanong at the exit. This woman, who was like a second mother to him, was dressed in a black dress, her hands clasped across her chest, a guarded demeanor evident everywhere. This was the Chen Huanong he knew and respected. As soon as he placed his hand on Chen Huanong's shoulder, she slapped his hand away without hesitation. With a quick turn, she grabbed Chi Buyu's ear with her thumb and index finger.
"You're looking for death right after you get back?"
"Oh, it hurts, sister, please be gentle, I'm not a child anymore, don't worry about your face!"
Chen Huanong sneered, but stopped what he was doing. "You don't even have any face, so what face do you need?"
"I learned this from you. You're just following your example. I heard that Director Tang wanted to divorce you, but you refused to do so. You don't love him. In the final analysis, it's all for face. The wife of the director of the China Securities Regulatory Commission should have a better reputation than an old woman who got divorced, right?" When Chi Buyu said this, he had an expression of 'come and hit me' on his face. Even though Chen Huanong was used to it, he couldn't help but want to strangle him to death. He hit the snake at its most vulnerable part!
"Take a taxi to the city and stay in a hotel by yourself. Don't ask me."
Chen Huanong was about to leave when the naughty kid immediately grabbed her and started to act like a spoiled brat. "How could a fairy be angry? My fairy sister is the most open-minded. How could you bear to see a child like me living on the streets?" Chen Huanong rolled her eyes. Just a minute ago, she said she was not a child. This slap in the face was almost as fast as light. The naughty kid looked at her and continued to reflect, "Sister, I was wrong. I will never hurt you again. How can you be a person who seeks fame? You are not doing this for fame. You just love Director Tang too much, so you don't want to divorce."
Chen Huanong's face was filled with black lines. Wasn't this statement even more heartbreaking than before? No one was going to stop her. She was going to leave the brat at the airport today. No, she might as well book a flight and send him back to the mountains right away.
"So, you sent Xiaochi back?"
"Hello, Sister Yiyan. Poor little Chizi is now working as a rickshaw driver under the tyranny of Lawyer Chen. He's been on a plane for several hours and he's not even allowed to rest properly. He's so pitiful, Yingyingying..."
Chen Huanong was so impressed by his ability to confuse right and wrong that he gnashed his teeth in anger, "Chi Buyu, please speak properly and behave properly."
"I just got my driver's license two months ago, and I've been coveting my sister's new car for a long time. Today I can finally have a chance to indulge in it. Hehe, sister Yiyan, if you want to go somewhere recently and don't want to drive, just call me. I'm always there."
Mo Yiyan on the other end of the phone practically choked with laughter. The famous annual scene had begun again. Her annual source of joy was probably watching Chen Huanong, utterly irritated by Chi Buyu, unable to do anything about the bratty child. They'd all learned from experience why they were always at a disadvantage in verbal battles with Chen Huanong. The main reason was that they weren't as shameless as Chen Huanong. Chi Buyu was different. Not only was his shamelessness far greater than Chen Huanong's, but the age difference alone made Chen Huanong too embarrassed to argue with a child. Chen Huanong had once hoped that the bratty child would distance himself after college, but he possessed a strong sense of loyalty and loyalty. He would always seek out his apprenticeship during the holidays, and every winter and summer vacation he volunteered for Shensong, which naturally became Chen Huanong's most troublesome period.
"Old Chen, your navigation is wrong. This isn't the way to your house." Chi Buyu was halfway through when he realized the route was a bit off. He turned around and asked Chen Huanong, but the answer he got was to just follow the navigation. "Huh? What's going on? Are you going to sell me out secretly? I, Chi, would rather die than be a duck!"
Chen Huanong pulled a mirror out of his storage box and handed it to him. "Look at yourself. With your shabby looks, which duck restaurant would hire you? They'd have to be reluctant to hire you as a janitor."
"Director Tang and I are currently separated, that's all."
Tang Chengting filed for separation two weeks after receiving the verdict. Chen Huanong still clearly remembers the scene of that day.
Because a lot of important work had been delayed due to the previous complaints, and because he wanted to make Zhang Xingyan unhappy, Chen Huanong returned to his workaholic mode that week. He almost got home at midnight every day. Tang Chengting picked him up and dropped him off every day for the first time. Chen Huanong didn't have time to think about what Tang Chengting meant by this action, but he inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
"Are you free this weekend? Shen Jiaming invited us to attend Qiaoqiao's birthday party. If you are not free, I will go alone." Qiaoqiao is Shen Jiaming's daughter and Tang Chengting's nominal goddaughter. It is called nominal because as a godfather, Tang Chengting has made no other contribution except giving Qiaoqiao a big red envelope every Chinese New Year.
"Director Tang, your invitation is not sincere at all." Chen Huanong rested his head on Tang Chengting's legs. Although he was drowsy from watching the melodrama, his mind was very clear.
"Well? This is out of consideration for you. Don't be ungrateful." Tang Chengting held the latest issue of a financial magazine in one hand and gently stroked Chen Huanong's long hair with the other. "The house is full of your lost hair now. If you keep going like this, don't cry to me when you become bald."
Chen Huanong rolled over and nearly knocked the magazine out of Tang Chengting's hand. "This hair grew after we got married. It's our joint property. Little Tangzi, you have to take good care of it!"
Tang Chengting was at a loss for words when faced with Chen Huanong. "Does your teacher know that you're using his knowledge for this purpose? Does your director know that you're also following this perverse logic in your lawsuits?"
"The teacher doesn't know, but the director does. After all, my master is an unconventional person." Chen Huanong answered sincerely, every word coming from the heart, without a trace of falsehood. "And let me remind you, Director Tang, you lost your first lawsuit to me." So, you don't care if my logic is distorted, as long as I can win. Chen Huanong's life creed has always been crude and simple: Don't tell me about the process, I only care about the result I want.
"Chen Huanong, you've successfully killed the conversation!"
It was called a birthday party, but in fact it was just a gathering of old friends. Chen Huanong had a rare day off, so Tang Chengting followed her to sleep. When Chen Huanong woke up, it was already noon. She quickly got up, washed, and put on makeup. When they arrived, she had already found her card partners.
"Tang Chengting, it's all your fault for not waking me up. I can't play mahjong." The card game that Chen Huanong was looking forward to was gone. He couldn't help but scold Tang Chengting, but others interpreted it differently.
"Why blame our Director Tang? Blame him for working too hard last night, which prevented you from getting up this morning, right?" Except for Zhang Xingyan and Mo Yiyan, brother and sister, no one else present knew that Tang Chengting was going to get a divorce, so they made jokes without restraint.
"We are an old married couple. We don't need to try too hard to show off. Unlike you who are newlyweds, you are full of passion and don't know how to restrain yourself. Be careful not to enter the premature ejaculation period too early." When it comes to arguing with people, Tang Chengting has never been at a disadvantage. He took Chen Huanong in his arm and walked to the sofa to sit down. The rest of the people who were not playing mahjong gathered together for a tea party. The topic naturally started with the current affairs and economy that men are interested in, and after a few circles, it returned to family and children. Tang Chengting and Chen Huanong were the first to be asked about it. They have been married for the longest time among their group, and the fact that they still have no children has attracted some criticism.
"Chen Huanong is afraid of pain." The people who were waiting to hear gossip heard this sentence after a long time. It was a bit unbelievable. She didn't want to have children just for this reason?
Chen Huanong was stunned. She was about to tell Tang Chengting, "Don't shirk responsibility. When did I ever say I was afraid of pain and didn't want to have children?" But something flashed through her mind as the words were on her lips. In the past few years, she had severe dysmenorrhea. During every menstrual period, she wished her uterus would be removed. She could hardly sleep for three days before her period. Tang Chengting patiently changed her water bag and gently massaged her waist and abdomen. She nestled in Tang Chengting's arms, sobbing and sniffling. She said in a muffled voice, "I heard that giving birth is more painful than this. I'm so scared. I don't want to have children anymore." That was a careless remark she made when she was emotional, but Tang Chengting actually remembered it. Although this was definitely not the reason for them not having children, Chen Huanong couldn't help but tear up.
"Today is another day of praising other people's amazing husbands. We who only wanted to hear gossip were unexpectedly fed a mouthful of dog food without any preparation. Chen Huanong, you guys are going too far."
"Is this what you call dog food? Director Tang is just stating the facts. It's your own fault if you're not broad-minded enough. Stop trying to pass the buck!" Chen Huanong's ability to conceal her emotions is getting better and better. Sometimes even she herself starts to doubt whether there is still such a thing as sincerity after wearing the mask for so long.
The tea party ended with Qiaoqiao's nap. Tang Chengting held her and played with her for a while. In that time, Qiaoqiao's drool ruined one of Tang Chengting's shirts. Fortunately, there were spare clothes in the car, so it didn't matter. Compared to the matter of ruining clothes, Chen Huanong felt that if there was anything that could make Tang Chengting feel the joy from the bottom of his heart like this moment, she would be willing to give it all.
Tang Chengting was so happy that he said lightly after returning home, "My dear, it's time for us to separate."
"I'll pack my things and move out in a few days."
"No need. The house is yours. There's no reason for the guests to stay after the owner leaves. It's not good for the suburban villa to be empty all the time. I'll live there for the time being."
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