Chapter 18
In the elegant private room, the delicate fragrance of orchids curled up from the incense burner, emitting bursts of fragrance in the air. Chen Ruchao looked at the handmade bag that Tong Yufei was going to give to Chen Jueyao, and tactfully said to Chen Ming, "Your sister is the treasure of the whole family. She carefully selects the food and daily necessities, and has so many new bags and clothes that she can't use them all. It's better for Tong Yufei to keep the handmade bag for herself."
Tong Yufei had no idea what Mo Daoyan could use to persuade Chen Jueyao. She couldn't make a final decision about the gift. It wasn't like Chen Jueyao hadn't come; she was right next door. Could Chen Ruchao refuse her bag on his sister's behalf, or spare Tong Yi on his behalf? Tong Yufei set the bag aside, leaving a way out. Second Miss Chen was the envy of countless adoration, so naturally, she had nothing to regret. She was simply expressing her feelings and would later ask Second Miss whether to accept it or not.
Chen Ruchao returned the bag indifferently: "I already said I don't want it. Miss Tong is too weak and her hearing has deteriorated?"
How could such a standard bag have caught Chen Ruchao's eye? It was as if what she had given him wasn't a bag, but a hidden weapon of unknown origin. Tong Yufei clenched her fist, her fingers subconsciously touching the intricate patterns on the bag. Suddenly, an epiphany struck her: perhaps it wasn't the bag that had caught Chen Ruchao's attention, but the four large characters on it: "Jiao Ru Jing Long."
The incident came unexpectedly. Chen Ruchao interpreted her encouragement as ulterior motives, unintentionally piercing a long-held rift between them. Even as her resentment gradually faded, Chen Ruchao couldn't get over it, becoming so timid that he couldn't even look at the word "yang." Over the years, some have fallen from grace, others have risen to fame, and ups and downs are part of life. She had thought she was the only one trapped in this quagmire, but it turned out that Chen Ruchao, too, was haunted by his past. By day, he was a defiant medical expert, but at night, he was a cowardly thief, fearing danger from every corner.
Since the other party was disrespectful first, she no longer hesitated: "If you don't live towards the sun, are you going to follow the same path until the end?"
Chen Ruchao didn't panic after being hit so hard. He faced her calmly, "Don't play dumb or use those cheap tricks. If you have a trump card, then show it. I await your arrival. But as for Jueyao, I won't allow anyone to harm her, not even a hair."
"What is harm? Throwing water on someone and sending them a bag is harm, but what do you call ruining someone's future and stepping on their shoulders to climb up? Is it deceiving the world and stealing fame, or is it killing someone without bloodshed?"
"Miss Tong is delusional? You're just picking up random words and ripping off others' words, making a fool of yourself. Chen Jueyao is smart and talented. She's able to stand in the center of the stage and in front of the public by taking one solid step at a time. Whose shoulders did she step on, whose world did she deceive, whose name did she steal? Yours? Do you have shoulders strong enough for her to step on, or did you endure all the hardships of dancing for her? If you have evidence, then show it. If you don't, it's slander. You're an educated person, don't be so cheap!"
Tong Yufei looked up and saw Chen Ruchao talking and laughing calmly, without blushing or beating his heart. Look, this is the culprit who bribed the recruitment leader of the song and dance troupe and squeezed her out of the admission list, and secretly pushed his sister into the song and dance troupe. Even now, he is still as arrogant as he was five years ago.
When she confronted Chen Ruchao, he had this condescending, hateful look on his face: "Being jealous of others' talents won't correct your mistakes. You can dance badly, but you can't have bad intentions. Didn't your parents teach you that?"
If she had half the confidence and full shamelessness of Chen Ruchao, she would have laughed and retorted, "Your parents are university professors, what kind of child have they taught? Your sister's deafness is retribution for your entire family. You stole my life, and I want you to be ruined."
But how could she accomplish what she couldn't do five years ago? She had no solid physical evidence, and her only witness, an examiner named Lin, had abandoned her at the last minute. Her fingerprinted testimony had long since turned to ashes. Her tireless efforts to report the case had come to nothing, leaving her with only scars.
What's the difference between today and yesterday? It's just that over the years, she has learned to judge the situation and weigh the pros and cons.
It would be a bad idea to hurt both sides, so she chose the best strategy that would benefit herself: "It's useless for me to hurt her, but you two should not go too far. Even rabbits bite when they are angry. I will compensate her for her clothes, and you can persuade her to show mercy. From now on, you can go your way, and we will go our way."
"I'll do what I have to do. You can go back and tell him that if it happens again, he'll be fed in prison."
"Miss Chen, are you going to steal something next time? I won't just sit there and wait for death."
Chen Ruchao laughed dumbly: "What about you, have you ever snatched mine?"
Mo Daoyan was right; intelligence is easy to come by, wisdom is hard to find. Chen Ruchao, though exceptionally gifted, wasn't necessarily cunning. He must have relied on his parents' standing in the education world to secure a prestigious position for his sister. Otherwise, why would he ask such a foolish question, suspecting she married Mo Daoyan out of revenge? The timing of her being passed over for a position and marrying Mo Daoyan was a coincidence, but if she had relied solely on her own fervor, how could she have simultaneously won the favor of both Meng Ruqing and Mo Daoyan? If Chen Ruchao didn't trust Meng Ruqing, did he also distrust Mo Daoyan? Perhaps, more fundamentally, he didn't trust himself.
She married Mo Daoyan with all her heart for someone else, but Chen Ruchao was not worthy of being that person.
Tong Yufei suddenly felt some sympathy for Chen Ruchao, especially when she saw the sincerity in his eyes. But the sympathy did not last for a few seconds before it was taken over by gloating. Chen Ruchao only knew one side of Mo Daoyan's marriage, which gave her another chance to punish him. She avoided answering and watched with interest with a victorious smile as Chen Ruchao's clear eyes like a pool darkened little by little until they were filled with darkness.
An indescribable sense of relief spread from the depths of her heart. She tried her best to prolong the relief, saying vaguely, "He chose me, and he never belonged to you."
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Tong Yufei and Chen Ruchao came out of the private room. Mo Daoyan was leaning against the bar leisurely, holding a glass of Booker whiskey in his hand. Chen Jueyao, wearing glasses, was holding Qiao Zhuocheng's mobile phone at the door and talking on the phone with Teacher Cao from the university's acting department. Teacher Cao was still busy during the holiday, so she invited her to be a private tutor to assist her in the musical she was performing in. Teacher Cao praised her dialogue and singing, which were getting better and better. Chen Jueyao was very happy.
Tong Yufei couldn't tell the outcome of the game from their expressions alone, but with Chen Ruchao's double insurance, the letter of apology should be easily resolved. She walked over to Mo Daoyan and whispered, "I have to go first. I still have work to do at the newspaper. We'll discuss the letter of apology when I get home. Newspaper manuscripts are time-sensitive and can't wait. If you switch shifts with someone else, you'll have to spend the New Year at work. It's rare for you to have some free time. Relax and unwind."
Mo Daoyan put down the whiskey and used his index and middle fingers to move a document from the other side of the bar. It was a letter of understanding signed by Chen Jueyao. The witness for Party A was Chen Ruchao, and the witness for Party B was his signature.
He actually brought a letter of apology template with him? She was impressed: "So fast..."
"Are you going to submit a letter of apology, or are you going to work?"
He asked knowingly, the sooner the better. The sooner he handed it in, the sooner Tong Yi could be released. Tong Yufei looked at the darkening sky outside. At Mo Daoyan's speed, he could still hand it in before the police got off work: "Let's go."
Mo Daoyan folded his coat in half and put it on his arm, then went to say goodbye to Qiao Zhuocheng.
Qiao Zhuocheng thrust the car keys into Mo Daoyan's hands. "I picked up Jueyao and her sister. It's so cold, please take them back. Leave the bicycles here. I'll go and get the bike back when it's free."
Driving to deliver the letter of apology would save a lot of time. Mo Daoyan took the car keys and counted the money in his pocket. If he was caught driving without a license, he could still pay the fine, but delivering someone would raise a question mark: "If I drive, will they sit?"
Chen Jueyao returned the mobile phone to Qiao Zhuocheng and argued with Mo Daoyan: "Are you the Rainy Night Butcher? Why don't you sit down?"
Qiao Zhuocheng drives a Santana sedan, a Sino-German joint venture Shanghai Volkswagen, which was introduced from the parent company's German Volkswagen AG three years ago. It was the original car of his eldest brother Qiao Zhuoyuan. After Qiao Zhuoyuan replaced his Nissan with a Toyota Crown, he gave the Santana to Qiao Zhuocheng. The car is 90% new.
Chen Ruchao went to the hospital for an operation that evening. Chen Jueyao returned to the troupe and made an appointment with Teacher Cao to rehearse in the studio. Counting Tong Yufei's newspaper office and Mo Daoyan's trip to Xinli, the four of them had five destinations to visit. Mo Daoyan briefly reviewed them, prioritizing them by importance and proximity. He handed in his letter of apology first, then dropped Chen Ruchao and Chen Jueyao off separately, and took Tong Yufei to the newspaper office. Chen Ruchao, who was carsick, took the passenger seat, while Tong Yufei and Chen Jueyao sat in the back. Chen Jueyao sat behind his sister, pulling down the brim of his bell hat as he entered, a no-no sign of him.
The delicate relationship between the four people doomed the car to endless silence. Mo Daoyan lowered the window on the driver's side a finger's width. The car started moving, and the sparse wind rushed in from outside, creating a precious sound. At this time, the goodness of the warm-up master Qiao Zhuocheng was highlighted. There was always laughter and joy when he was around.
Finally, Chen Ruchao broke the silence and chatted with Mo Daoyan about work. "Dad said you set up a marketing department and are looking for a knowledgeable manager. You've looked at a lot of people, but you and Brother Zhou weren't satisfied. What's going on now? Do you have any alternatives?"
Mo Daoyan said succinctly: "There is a target candidate."
"Someone introduced you?"
"My high school classmate, studying economics at the Hong Kong University of Business and Economics School."
"Which of your high school classmates went to Hong Kong? I don't remember it."
"Tong Zhaoyang went to university in Nanjing and rarely returned to Xicheng."
"Oh, I know his story..."
Not only Chen Ruchao knew about it, but Mo Daoyan, who kept aloof from the matter, had also heard a little about Tong Zhaoyang's version of the story of the injury to Zhongyong that was circulated among the classmates of Xicheng. There were six classes in the first year of high school in Xicheng No. 1 Middle School, four science classes and two liberal arts classes, with an average of 35 students in each class. Mo Daoyan was in the first science class and Tong Zhaoyang was in the third class. He was the only one who could compete with Mo Daoyan for the top spot in the grade for one or two rounds and occasionally bring him down.
This is why Mo Daoyan can remember him.
Tong Zhaoyang was admitted to Nanjing University as an economics major in the college entrance examination. When his future was bright, he destroyed himself because of a scandal. According to insiders, Tong Zhaoyang had a girlfriend who was pregnant with his child. Later, she found a rich man, beat the child, and married another man. He was heartbroken and drank outside the school to relieve his sorrow. He had an argument and beat someone and was expelled from the school. He was depressed for two years and disappeared without a trace. Some people said that he said goodbye to the campus and went to Guangzhou to make a fortune by reselling watches.
A child prodigy of his generation, he left school to become a trader. Whether he becomes rich or not, he will never have the chance to take the right path in life.
Mo Daoyan met Tong Zhaoyang again in a cafe on the banks of the Spree River, Berlin's "Mother River", where he and several international students were hosting a visiting academic delegation from Hong Kong. Tong Zhaoyang was among them. He was a representative of the senior students and studied under Professor Lin Han, a leading figure in economics at the University of Hong Kong and also the head of the visiting delegation. Tong Zhaoyang took the college entrance examination again, and his story of returning to prodigal son and finding success was a good story passed down by his classmates.
Speaking of that past event, Tong Zhaoyang still couldn't hide his sadness: "I feel guilty towards her. She was right not to choose me."
Tong Zhaoyang's actions were inconceivable to Mo Daoyan. He had studied hard for more than ten years, but all his efforts were wasted for the so-called love that was just a passing fancy. When he was young and inexperienced, he could still argue, but today he is still reminiscing about it. It can only be said that he got what he wanted. But perhaps it was this sentimentality that allowed Tong Zhaoyang to have an unexpected gain. In addition to studying his major well, he also took marketing as a bachelor's degree in marketing. Just as science alone cannot explain the laws of nature, Newton and Einstein turned to theology in their later years. Tong Zhaoyang also wanted to find a law of demand for love in marketing.
With Chen Ruchao, who risked his life for love, by his side, Mo Daoyan couldn't say it wasn't worth it. He thought it was frivolous and shameful to speak so much about other people's painful experiences. He strategically used Tong Zhaoyang's brilliant present to omit the extension of the old story: "He got his degree certificate in advance and sent a telegram. He will return to the mainland after the New Year. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be stationed in the company. We can see him often in the future."
Chen Ruchao and Tong Zhaoyang were not very familiar with each other, so it didn't matter whether they saw each other often or not. When they stopped chatting, silence quietly invaded, filling every space in the car. As a result, the whistling sound scratching the window glass suddenly sounded, becoming more and more difficult to ignore. The nail on Tong Yufei's ring finger was broken, and the broken nail was white and embedded in the delicate and smooth finger flesh, causing a dull pain.
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