Chapter 11 Top Floor
Cheng Ti gave up hope of going out tonight, and the first thing she did was to look for a hair dryer.
Before I could take a closer look at the bedroom, I searched the bathroom and finally found it in a cabinet. The bathroom was decorated in the same style as the outside, with a cold color scheme and a deep yellow light.
She then realized that this might be the top floor, because half of the bathroom roof was sloping down, and the space under the sloping roof was made into a platform with a large bathtub in the middle, which looked like a small pond.
Looking closer, the bathtub was extremely clean.
It's not that it's been washed clean, but it looks brand new as if it has never been used.
Cheng Ti muttered: What a waste of resources.
She held the hair dryer up and blew on the small charging port, her hands sore. Then she tore off some toilet paper and poked it in. Seeing that it was almost dry, she didn't dare to turn it on immediately. Instead, she put it in a dry and ventilated place next to the bed.
Since you locked her up here, don't blame her for ruining his things. Cheng Ti dug out another pair of his pajamas from the cloakroom, along with an unopened toothbrush and towel, and swaggered back to the bathroom.
While lying in the water, she felt hungry and remembered that she had not eaten dinner at all. Only then did she start to worry seriously.
What does Shao Mengdong mean?
Put her under house arrest to force her to divorce? If she disagrees, won't let her go out or eat?
The thunderous approach is quite consistent with his style.
Cheng Ti sighed.
There is a small touch-screen control system next to the bathtub. The water is kept at a constant temperature, very hot and comfortable. Cheng Ti was lost in thought and gradually fell asleep. She also forgot that she had set the time, and when she woke up again, it was five hours later.
She woke up from the cold.
The constant temperature system had automatically shut down long ago. The faint moonlight shone in, and the surface of the water was like a silver mirror, more like a lotus pond.
She stood up from the water shivering, her joints aching from the cold. She dried herself with a towel and put on her pajamas, sneezing several times in succession.
The dark grey sheets carried the scent of Shao Mengdong, a cool, steady aura that was pleasant, perhaps because it made her feel familiar and at ease. It was as cold as he was.
The quilt was like a snow cave. She curled up in it, her teeth chattering slightly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep warm. The more she slept, the colder she felt, and her head became dizzy.
It was uncomfortable, but she fell asleep.
She slept so soundly that she didn't know what day it was. When she woke up, it was still pitch black. Her whole body was aching. Her experience of studying abroad over the past few years helped her quickly diagnose that she had a low-grade fever.
A bright white crack in the doorway in the distance suggested that it was already daylight outside. Someone was standing by the bed, leaning over to push aside her hair and touch her forehead and neck.
Cheng Ti hummed twice, "What time is it?"
He asked in a low voice: "Are there any other places that don't feel well?"
Her voice was hoarse, but she still did not forget to accuse: "Let me go back."
Shao Mengdong's tone was still as cold and vicious as ever: "You can even sleep with a fever with the windows closed. How can I let you go back and wait for death?"
Cheng Ti gritted her teeth weakly: "None of your business, I said it's none of your business, I'd rather die than die in your house!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the cool touch on her forehead disappeared. He must have been angry because he slammed the door when he left. The loud noise passed through the floor and mattress, making her head hurt even more.
… …
It was 10:30 in the morning when Lu Cheng received a call from Shao Mengdong. The atmosphere on the other end was very quiet, and he couldn't help but guess that he was in the office, even though it was Saturday.
Shao Mengdong asked, "Are you free at noon?"
Lu Cheng replied: "Yes, I don't have anything to do today, so I'm just revising my paper at home."
"Then please come to my house, Cheng Ti has a fever."
"Little Bell? Is she at your house?"
Shao Mengdong only responded: "I'll give you a number. Someone will pick you up later. You can ask her to take a look. If the fever is severe, ask her to take the patient directly to the hospital."
Lu Cheng smiled rather ambiguously: "Your sister's illness needs to be seen by the internal medicine department. I specialize in head and neck tumors, so I'm not as good as Dr. Xiao Song. Why don't you ask her to come to your house for a visit?"
"I can't ask you to come?"
His tone was calm, even a little joking, but it was intimidating. Lu Cheng had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright, just ignore me. I'll go, after all, Mr. Shao thinks highly of me."
Hearing the caller about to hang up, Lu Cheng remembered something and said hurriedly, "Hey, wait a minute! I have something else to tell you. Last time we had dinner at Cuiyuan, didn't you think you left something behind?"
"What?"
"Physical examination report, big brother! I knew you wouldn't even look at it when I handed it to you. Look, you didn't even notice I took it away that day! Several of the general stomach indexes are abnormal. Don't just worry about your sister. Come back for a full checkup when you have time."
But Shao Mengdong's attitude was perfunctory, and he quickly hung up the phone. Lu Cheng sighed, feeling like a damned unwelcome, nagging wife.
Shao Mengdong put away his phone and looked in the direction of the figure around him. He saw Lao Hu standing at the door with a small tray in his hand containing some snacks.
Old Hu had just arrived and had only heard half of the story. He smiled and said, "Are you hiding a beautiful girl in a golden house? Sure, I've also seen Mr. Shao become a bad boy."
Shao Mengdong was silent for a moment and said it was Cheng Ti.
"Your sister, is she sick?"
"A minor problem." He quickly got down to business. "Has the CBRC got any news on Ye Zhenming?"
Of course, his relationship with Lao Hu was more than what outsiders perceived. Two hundred thousand and their old friendship were merely icing on the cake; what truly united them was a shared hatred.
When Lao Hu's funding chain collapsed, the millions of dollars he lost were lost in a project investment at a financial company. The legal representative was sentenced for illegal fundraising. Lao Hu, through his connections and extensive network, failed to recover the funds, but he did learn that the actual controller of the company was Intime shareholder Ye Zhenming.
Lao Hu sat down opposite him.
This was Cuiyuan's private teahouse. On the table sat a complete set of tea sets carved from tree roots. Old Hu didn't discuss business, but brewed some tea and said slowly, "There is news, and it's quite significant... But are you still going to stick with the original plan?"
He lowered his eyes and watched the tea pour into the bottom of the cup, with smoke rising. "I hate trouble. The faster the better."
"Indeed, Ye Zhenming is now intent on winning you over, and this is the most vulnerable time..." Lao Hu hesitated, "Have you really thought it through?"
He saw Shao Mengdong raised his eyes and looked at him with an extremely calm expression. His heart couldn't help but shudder, and he said hurriedly: "I mean, your sister."
Shao Mengdong paused and looked away.
Old Hu looked at him and said, "She and Master Ye were newlyweds, and you killed her husband without a word. How will she live in the Ye family in the future... Aren't you afraid that she will hate you? Even though you are not related by blood, she is still your last relative."
Shao Mengdong knew that Lao Hu was testing him, so he just sneered, as if he didn't care at all.
Family. His family had all died long ago. It was like watching all the tall buildings collapse one by one, and in the end, even the sky would fall.
Lao Hu shook his head, reached out to pour him some tea, and finally got to the real story of the day. Shao Mengdong lit a cigarette and listened intently, not saying a word or moving for a long moment. A trail of ash accumulated on the cigarette butt, a tiny spark of red buried within it. He didn't bother to dust it off, letting it fall and burn his skin.
During the most confused and painful years, he once thought about death.
It was at this time that she appeared, barging in rudely, unexpectedly, bringing with her countless troubles, and stayed.
He should hate her.
She illuminated him.
Like the only reddish spark in the ashes.
But later, even this little spark was extinguished.
… …
After Shao Mengdong left, Cheng Ti took another nap.
He left a cup of hot water at her bedside. She drank it and fell asleep, sweating all over. When Lu Cheng came to wake her up, she felt a lot lighter.
Lu Cheng came to give her a test meter, 37.2
Standard body temperature.
Lu Cheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Your brother is too paranoid. He is simply lying about military intelligence."
Lu Cheng came with a driver named Zheng, who brought her cordyceps porridge and side dishes for breakfast and lunch. Later, Lu Cheng left, but Zheng stayed.
Cheng Ti realized later: this person was the one sent by Shao Mengdong to look after her.
She knew it was pointless to argue with Lao Zheng, so she rubbed the coffee stains off her clothes from yesterday and threw them into the dryer. While doing so, she went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and sighed.
As expected, the refrigerator was mostly filled with unopened cigarettes and a few cans of beer, but there was almost no real food.
Cheng Ti said to Lao Zheng, "Master Zheng, can you take me to the supermarket?"
Lao Zheng was a little hesitant, but finally agreed.
Cheng Ti changed into dried clothes and, under his supervision and accompaniment, bought rice, flour, oil, salt, some vegetables, tiger shrimps, and a rolling pin.
Shao Mengdong actually prefers to make steamed buns, but when she came back she realized that she had forgotten to buy a steamer, which was impossible to find in Shao Mengdong's kitchen, so she had to change to making dumplings.
Zucchini and egg filling is easy to digest, and adding a little shrimp makes it more delicious. Old Zheng watched her roll out the dough and stuff the filling skillfully and swiftly, and couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect Miss Cheng to be so good at cooking."
Cheng Ti smiled sweetly, thinking it was just flattery.
Her cooking skills are indeed impressive, and they were "forced" by Shao Mengdong over the years.
That person has always been goal-oriented and well-planned in his work, but he is careless in his attitude towards life. When he was in college, he was very busy and had five or six tutoring jobs alone, but he was able to arrange them in an orderly manner without any chaos. However, he could never remember to eat his three meals on time.
Shao Mengdong had several stomach ulcers that recurred and never healed, but he didn't care. He just took painkillers when the pain was unbearable.
The doctor gave a list of ingredients that he said could nourish the stomach and relieve symptoms. Cheng Ti found it in the bag containing X-ray films in the trash can.
Of course he didn't take it seriously.
Finally, Cheng Ti found Lao Hu.
That entire summer, besides studying, she worked in the store, helping with the cash register and serving dishes. Her running around and sweet talk made Old Hu's wife very fond of her. Whenever she found an opportunity, she would hang out in the kitchen to learn from him.
Shao Mengdong actually has a light taste. Although restaurants like Lao Hu have good food and low prices, they are ultimately for the general public and use a lot of oil and salt. So she modified a few dishes that Shao Mengdong would like based on his taste and the ingredients on the list.
He rarely came back for dinner at night, so Cheng Ti cooked for him, but made a little extra and put it in a lunch box for him the next day.
At the beginning, her cooking skills were not good, and Shao Mengdong thought she was troublesome. But as she cooked meal after meal, Cheng Ti's skills improved day by day. Gradually, she could fry eggs until they were as broken as fish scales, and they could not be picked up with chopsticks. Then she would add some chopped green onions, and the eggs would be fragrant and extremely smooth.
Later one night, Cheng Ti went out to celebrate a classmate's birthday and came back after dark. When she entered the room, she saw a person sitting on the sofa.
Without turning on the lights, the night enveloped him in the small and crowded living room. He leaned his head back, with only the tip of his nose illuminated by the small halo of the moon, a corner so exquisite that it made people jealous.
Cheng Ti covered her chest and said she was terrified: "Why are you sitting there motionless and not even turning on the light?"
No one answered, so she walked over carefully and turned on the floor lamp. His face suddenly appeared in the warm light. His profile was very handsome, and the interweaving of light and shadow made his outline deeper but also a little softer.
He frowned before opening his eyes. Cheng Ti stretched out her hand and waved it in front of him. He pushed her hand away in a bit of annoyance.
"Leave me alone."
Cheng Ti wondered, what happened again? Why was he angry again?
He looked away: "I'm already starving anyway."
She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "You want to eat the food I cook?" She squatted down, looked up at him with a smile, "Tell me, tell me, is it delicious? You can only eat it if you tell me."
He came home for dinner more often.
I seem to take medicine less often for stomachache.
No wonder they say men can't be hungry. If you want to capture them, you have to capture their stomachs first. However, seventeen-year-old Cheng Ti didn't think about capturing anything.
She just wanted him to be okay.
More than 200 dumplings were made, most of which were frozen. Fifty were put into the pot and cooked steaming hot. Cheng Ti invited Lao Zheng to eat together.
Old Zheng naturally praised it highly.
Old Zheng was a very easygoing and honest man, but since this was their first meeting and he was tasked with keeping an eye on her, it was inevitable that they would stare at each other at the dinner table. To reduce the awkwardness, Cheng Ti struck up a conversation and turned on the TV. She stared at the screen, but suddenly froze.
She hadn't watched domestic channels for a long time, so she was really surprised to see Xunmei in a suit on TV.
It was a financial program, and Xun beautified her photogenic makeup without a hint of vulgarity. Her hair was tied up, and her pearl earrings and brooch matched the set. She still had a gentle and elegant temperament, but with a more luxurious touch than usual.
Of course, of course.
In college, Xun Mei was a popular senior in the Broadcasting and Hosting Department. She hosted the Spring Festival Gala every year, and she and Shao Mengdong met when they were partners...
Cheng Ti didn't know what he was thinking of. He suddenly pressed the remote control, fiddled with it for a long time, and found the viewing history.
Sure enough, as expected.
In Shao Mengdong's limited browsing history, almost all of them are columns from this channel.
Seeing her staring blankly at the TV, Old Zheng smiled and said, "Miss Cheng, you also think it's hard to use TV these days, right? It was better back then. At least you could just turn it on and watch. Now with set-top boxes and internet access, watching TV is a real chore."
Cheng Ti came back to his senses and smiled too.
She changed the channel silently.
When Shao Mengdong came back, it was already completely dark.
The floor was high and the balcony was very deep. Lao Zheng was smoking on the balcony with the glass door closed. When he heard the noise, he hurried out. Shao Mengdong made a gesture, and he didn't say anything. He said goodbye quietly and left the house.
The TV in the living room was still on, on the movie channel, playing an old black-and-white movie with the volume turned down very low. Cheng Ti was curled up on the sofa and had fallen asleep.
She just got sick and didn’t even cover herself with a blanket when she slept! He frowned and stretched out his hand to wake her up, but before he touched her face, he leaned over and gently stroked her cheek.
She always curled up when she slept, burying her face in her shoulders. All that could be seen under her hair were her tightly closed eyes, and her thick eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyes, making her look like a child.
Is it the same when sleeping next to someone else?
Shao Mengdong closed his eyes.
How ridiculous. He had been obsessed with revenge for his parents for nearly twenty years, but ended up raising his enemy's daughter.
But he also felt sorry for this girl.
Do you regret pushing her to another man?
When he heard that her husband had cheated on her, was he feeling sorry for her or was he glad that he had finally found an excuse to force her to stay?
Every single incident was filled with hypocrisy, meanness, and sanctimoniousness. He knew it so clearly.
But he had no choice.
Cheng Ti has always been a light sleeper and is ticklish. He vaguely felt the breath on his face and woke up in a daze. He scratched his face and suddenly saw a tall shadow standing in front of him.
She was startled and quickly got up.
"...Brother, brother, you're back."
After saying this, I remembered that they seemed to be still in a cold war. I was embarrassed for a moment and had to lower my head and remain silent.
He had already stood up and returned to his cold demeanor. He only asked, "Have you eaten?"
"I ate with Master Zheng."
He didn't say anything, turned around and went back to lying on his side. "You take a rest. Come with me to see the lawyer on Sunday."
"I'm not going."
"This is non-negotiable."
"Shao Mengdong!" Cheng Ti stood up from the sofa and blurted out, "What gives you the right to be so overbearing! I just don't want a divorce, what can you do to me? Lock me up for life? This is called illegal detention!"
He turned around. The corridor was dark, dimly lit only by the faint light from the living room, and he seemed to be standing at the end of the street.
If I had to describe it in one word, it would be tiring.
"So what?" He pulled off his tie, walked back, took out his phone and threw it in front of her, smiling indifferently, "Do you want to call the police?"
She was stunned, then suddenly raised her face: "There's no need to use your phone to call the police! My own phone has been repaired, and I've contacted Si Heng. He will come to pick me up at nine o'clock. You know, he has a domestic lawyer's license. If you dare not let me go, he can sue you!"
"Sue me?" He pulled Cheng Ti and lowered his head, the tip of his nose almost touching her forehead. Cheng Ti quickly took two steps back, but he pushed her against the wall. He sneered in a deep voice, "Then when the time comes to investigate and collect evidence, sister, how are you going to explain us, huh? Should you let him know that we are not related by blood, that we are not on the same household registration book, and that you and I have long been -"
"Shao Mengdong!——"
She interrupted with a cry, as if she could no longer bear it.
The person he liked was still quietly hiding in his browsing history. They were only separated by a wall. What were they doing? She was no longer an eighteen-year-old child. She couldn't live her life in such a muddled and confusing way.
She struggled to turn her face away: "I'm married. Shao Mengdong, I'm married."
His voice was cold and emotionless. "Does he also know that your weak spot is your ears?"
Moonlight shone on the light-colored wallpaper panels, and he leaned down to kiss her ear. The shadows from the window frame fell on the two of them, as if sparse shadows were slanting horizontally.
His lips were cold, but his breath was hot, whistling against her ear. Cheng Ti hammered and pounded with both hands, but her earlobe turned bright red, as if dripping with blood. The more she struggled, the more she was subdued. Eventually, even her arms were pinned down, leaving her unable to move at all, and she could only gasp through her clenched lips and teeth.
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