Chapter 27
The dream scene was both blurry and clear. The young, innocent face had long since vanished in the hustle and bustle of life. She couldn't remember how radiant Tang Chengting was that year, nor could she remember how innocent she was that year. However, the warm moments that young man brought her were still vivid in her mind. She clearly remembered how he walked in front of her, how he brought her out of her loneliness, and how he made her care for him for the rest of her life.
She held a corner of the boy's white school uniform, half-coquettishly, Tang Chengting, can I not go back? Can you please not give up on me? Can you please wait for me? This time I will definitely come to find you.
When Chi Buyu kicked open the door, she saw Chen Huanong, her face covered in tears, trapped by a nightmare. Following closely behind her, Mo Yiyan's face was already pale. He called out to Chen Huanong in a trembling voice, covering her forehead with his hand, "Oh my God, how did you get so burned?"
"Give her to me, you guys go drive first." Chi Buyu calmed down a lot when he saw the person. He took Chen Huanong from Mo Yiyan, put his coat on her, carried her on his back and walked out.
Mo Yiyan was led by Jiang Yousi and hurried to the underground parking lot. "Mo Mo, don't be afraid. Chen Huanong will be fine."
"Well, I'm not scared. It's a thousand-year-old disaster, but it's just a fever. What's the big deal? She's been fine even when it was worse. I'm just... just mad at her for holding on by herself. If I hadn't called her and no one answered, she would have burned to death here today and no one would have known."
After Chen Huanong and Tang Chengting separated, she asked for three days off from the institute, so no one thought much of it when she didn't go to work on Monday. After Mo Yiyan got the confirmed news from Zhang Xingyan that Chen Huanong wanted a divorce, he called Chen Huanong. No one answered the first call, and no one answered the next five or six calls. Mo Yiyan felt something was wrong, so he called Chi Buyu again and asked him what Chen Huanong was busy with and why she didn't even reply to his WeChat messages. Chi Buyu bit his sandwich and said incoherently, "She's not at work today. How would I know why she didn't answer the phone? I guess she's having fun somewhere. She'll get back to you when she sobers up."
Mo Yiyan waited until the evening but received no reply from Chen Huanong. Chi Buyu then texted asking if he had contacted Chen Huanong, saying that even Qin Huai couldn't reach her. Mo Yiyan couldn't sit still any longer and, along with Jiang Yousi and Chi Buyu, went directly to look for her. Who could have imagined that Chen Huanong would fall ill so suddenly?
Jiang Yousi had been busy developing new software for the past two days, and Chi Buyu had a client meeting the next day, so neither of them could stay. In the end, Mo Yiyan stayed with Chen Huanong all night. When he saw the dark circles under his eyes in the bathroom that morning, Mo Yiyan sighed with emotion: "I'm really getting old. I couldn't bear it after just one night."
Chen Huanong didn't wake up until around eight in the morning. When he opened his eyes, he saw Qin Huai sitting on the sofa beside the bed, peeling an apple intently. "What's wrong with me?"
"A high fever of 41°."
"You brought me here?"
"I charge by the hour. Do you think I have the time?" Qin Huai took a bite of the peeled apple, feeling quite satisfied. As expected, the high price had its reasons. "Mo Yiyan brought you here and stayed by your side all night. Now I'm going home to wash up. I have a court hearing at 10 o'clock, so I'll cover for her for a while."
"Then can you have some sense of responsibility as a caregiver? At least give someone with a high fever a glass of water!"
"Oh, you still remember to drink water! You're not stupid."
You are the one who has gone crazy due to the fever, and your whole family is also crazy. Thanks to Qin Huai, Chen Huanong's blood was boiling as soon as she woke up. I don't know what Mo Yiyan was thinking. She has interns and assistants under her, so why does she have to let Qin Huai take care of her?
"Hey, you still look unhappy? Chen Huanong, don't forget, the emergency contact you filled in is my name! How dare you dislike me?"
"You know it's not illegal for me to hurt you at this time, right?"
Qin Huai handed her a glass of water, too lazy to argue with her any further. "Mo Yiyan bought some porridge. It's still hot. Would you like to have some?"
"No appetite." Chen Huanong had just woken up, feeling very tired. She glanced at her phone and realized she had slept for two days and two nights. She couldn't help but sigh that she was becoming more and more like a pig. She said she didn't want to eat, and Qin Huai let her go. He turned on his computer and worked on his own things, leaving Chen Huanong sitting alone in bed.
When Mo Yiyan returned home after changing her clothes and returning to the ward, she saw these two people. One was sitting on the sofa holding a computer, and the other was sitting on the bed playing with his phone. What a harmonious scene! She opened the lid of the porridge box and found it was still there. "When did you wake up? Did the nurse change the water? Why aren't you eating?"
Chen Huanong leaned half of her body against the pillow, weakly repeating what she had just said to Qin Huai. Unexpectedly, but understandably, this made Mo Yiyan furious. "What's the matter? You became an immortal, right? No appetite? Do you want me to feed you myself? Or should I call your ex-husband over to feed you?"
"Your fever was 41°C. The doctor said if you had been brought here any later, you would have died. I regret not coming here any later." Mo Yiyan became angrier and angrier. He dragged a chair to sit down, adjusted his sitting posture, and continued to scold, "You signed this divorce agreement yourself, and after signing it, you made yourself miserable. Tell me, who are you tormenting yourself like this for?"
"I blame myself for discovering you too early and not giving Tang Chengting a chance. You were just putting on a show for others to see, so why should I rush in to join in the fun? I've ruined your chance to keep your relationship alive, haven't I?"
"You're living worse than when you were in your twenties. Back then, you at least knew how to vent your emotions. But now? You keep it bottled up all day long, pretending you don't care, but in reality, you can't let go."
In her twenties, she was so irritated by Tang Chengting that she dragged Mo Yiyan around bars, drinking until she was unconscious. Then she would call Tang Chengting, and the first thing she said was, "Tang Chengting, you bastard." At first, Tang Chengting would ask what was wrong, but later he would just reply, "Chen Huanong, do you want to update your dictionary?" The curse words were so repetitive that my ears were callused. After cursing, Chen Huanong would fall asleep, and Tang Chengting would not hang up. The next day, Chen Huanong looked at her eight-hour call time and clutched her wallet with heartache.
Later, she never said it again. As she grew older, she gradually understood that it was only meaningful to talk about grievances when there was someone who felt sorry for her, but Tang Chengting didn't know that.
"Mo Yiyan, I'm still sick! It's not appropriate for you to treat a patient like this!"
"Haha, are you pretending to be pitiful now? You're just pretending with me. After all these years, can't you try some new tricks?"
“It doesn’t matter if the routine is old, as long as it works.”
Mo Yiyan truly regretted it. She shouldn't have worried about this after a full meal. She should have let this person burn into a fool. She thought so in her heart, but she didn't say a word to criticize her. Qin Huai checked the time, stood up, gathered his things, and prepared to go to the court session. Before leaving, he didn't forget to take two apples. Chen Huanong's powerful voice penetrated the ward door and echoed in the corridor. The gist was that Qin Huai was shameless. He came to visit the patient, bought a total of four apples, ate one himself, and took two away. He might as well have come empty-handed.
Qin Huai's court session lasted a long time, not ending until noon. When he went out, he saw Zhang Xingyan leaning on the railing in the corridor waiting for him. Qin Huai knew what he wanted to say without asking, and he didn't hesitate. "Tell Tang Chengting when it's convenient to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to handle the divorce procedures."
"What does Chen Huanong mean? So decisive?"
"I've received the agreement, but the meaning is still not clear enough? Isn't it exactly what Tang Chengting wants? What? Any objections? We at Shensong are always decisive in our actions, unlike you who dither and drag your feet."
Zhang Xingyan automatically dismissed himself. It wasn't him who was nagging, it was his client. It was Tang Chengting who had wanted the divorce in the first place, but when he handed him the agreement that day, Tang Chengting didn't seem particularly happy. He couldn't figure out what Tang Chengting was thinking. "Where's Chen Huanong? I haven't even seen her since she came back from her business trip!"
"Didn't your sister tell you?"
Even though Zhang Xingyan knew that Qin Huai really meant your sister, he still had a vague suspicion that Qin Huai was scolding him. "What did Mo Yiyan say to me? She is now isolating me with my mother and she won't even reply to my WeChat messages."
Qin Huai looked at him with a complicated expression. Should he interfere in something that Mo Yiyan hadn't told Zhang Xingyan? Zhang Xingyan was a shrewd man after all. Seeing that Qin Huai's expression was not right, he waved his hand at him and said, "Alright, I know. I'll go ask it myself."
In fact, Zhang Xingyan didn't even ask, he just called Tang Chengting and said, "Something happened to your wife."
The voice on the other end was as calm as ever. "What happened? When? Where?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask Mo Yiyan. I just learned about it from Qin Huai, so I don't know the details yet. Why don't you ask Mo Yiyan yourself?"
Tang Chengting hung up the phone, not accepting Zhang Xingyan's "advice." Calling Mo Yiyan at this time would be asking for trouble, and he wouldn't be so foolish as to do that. He learned the whole story from Qin Huai, who hadn't concealed anything from him, except for a final, unbiased remark that hit Tang Chengting hard.
Qin Huai said, if Director Tang really wants a divorce, it's best not to see her now. She's too soft on you, clinging to even the smallest bit of your kindness and holding on for a long time. If she regrets it later and refuses to let go, she'll keep pestering you. That wouldn't be good for anyone.
Tang Chengting ran into Mo Yiyan outside the ward, who had just returned from fetching water. Mo Yiyan had a face full of suppressed anger. "She just went to bed. Let's go talk to her in front."
"How is she? Has the fever gone down?"
"The doctor said she was brought in just in time. Apart from pneumonia, everything else is fine. We'll know the rest after a checkup tomorrow morning." Mo Yiyan put down the kettle and stood face to face with Tang Chengting. "Old Tang, please let her go."
Mo Yiyan had known Tang Chengting for three years longer than Chen Huanong had. Because of Tang Chengting's relationship with Zhang Xingyan, Mo Yiyan had always been unkind to him. Even when Chen Huanong was there to protect him, Mo Yiyan never showed a friendly expression. Now, she was almost pleading, hoping that Tang Chengting would let her best friend go.
The first time Chen Huanong said she wanted to let go of Tang Chengting was when she found out he was with Yu Sihua. Mo Yiyan breathed a sigh of relief. Some time later, Chen Huanong again said to her with grievance, "Momo, Old Tang is so lonely. His friends don't understand him. I'm worried about him." At that time, Chen Huanong already had a boyfriend from the same school. Mo Yiyan wanted to pull her ears to wake her up, but she couldn't stop her from breaking up. The second time Chen Huanong said she wanted to let go of Tang Chengting was after she found out he had a new girlfriend. Mo Yiyan thought this unrequited love should be over. Seeing Chen Huanong focus on his work, she was extremely relieved. Some time later, Chen Huanong said to her casually, "Momo, I plan to be with Tang Chengting." Mo Yiyan thought she was hallucinating, but Chen Huanong's eyes were firm, and she said word by word, "I can't let go of Tang Chengting." So, even though she knew the road ahead would be difficult, she still plunged into it without hesitation.
"What little warmth she received from you during her student days, she has returned to you in the past five years. You have finally worn away all her resentment, so don't try to shake her anymore."
"Chen Huanong said she doesn't need love and being with me is the best fit."
Even though he knew that these words were spoken by Chen Huanong himself, Mo Yiyan's eyes still reddened. "When she was with you, she was in her prime. How could she not have expectations for love? It's just that that person is you, so she had to give up that expectation. Because you said you couldn't give her love, so she said she didn't need it. Before she became your wife, Tang Chengting, before she became the Iron Lady in the eyes of others, she was also a person, a real person with flesh and blood!"
"If she doesn't need love, why has she stayed with you for so long? Tang Chengting, you have been favored for too long, so you take it for granted."
Has he been favored for too long? Tang Chengting never thought about this question. Chen Huanong has always been dedicated to her friends and extremely protective of them. He thought he was just the closest and most suitable person among all her friends.
"Tang Chengting, I have many friends and I care about them very much, but if it were someone else, I would have sympathy, but I wouldn't want to spend my whole life with them."
"Tang Chengting, I'm past the age of sentimentality. Before I do anything, I will analyze rationally and calculate the pros and cons. You are the only emotional choice I made after this rational analysis."
"Tang Chengting, maybe you'll hear bad things about me from someone in the future. I'm indeed scheming in my treatment of others, and I have no regard for public order and good customs, but my kindness to you is truly sincere."
"Tang Chengting, I have never wanted to be a kind person. I have been walking on thorns all the way. Now I let go of everything. I have reconciled with the whole world and only hope that it will let you go."
Fragments of the past gradually surfaced in his mind. Chen Huanong would occasionally say some drunken words to him, but he just treated them as drunken talk and didn't care. Thinking carefully, Chen Huanong had done everything. From beginning to end, he was the one who was favored.
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