Chapter 36
Just as the refrigerator mass production test entered the critical countdown stage, the electromagnetic compatibility of some machines suddenly reported errors. Mo Daoyan spent most of the days in the laboratory, and quickly worked with Ji Xilin and Da Ding to study the rectification plan. Ji Xilin was responsible for testing to increase the inductance of the common-mode inductor and use the leakage inductance to suppress the differential-mode noise. Da Ding relied on past experience to try to adjust the filter to filter out the common-mode noise. Mo Daoyan tried to modify the circuit design based on the positioning problem.
That night, he was debugging the circuit in front of the software when Qiao Zhuocheng suddenly visited him, holding a scroll in his hand, saying that he had specially sent calligraphy and painting. The calligraphy and painting were ordered before the New Year, and he had always wanted to wait until Mo Daoyan moved into a new house to send it to him, but they were both busy with their own things and it was always not a coincidence. He had invited Mo Daoyan to the karaoke bar at least three times, but each time it was canceled because Mo Daoyan was working overtime, so the painting was not sent until now. He did not even call Mo Daoyan's new home before coming, but he intuitively went to the laboratory and found that he was still working hard in the company.
A calligraphy piece isn't a house treasure, is it worth it for Boss Qiao to stay up late and come here in the middle of the night? Qiao Zhuocheng's face looked a little grim. Although he was smiling, his tone was listless. Mo Daoyan took the calligraphy and painting and set it aside. He made a cup of coffee and handed it to him: "You didn't get beaten up because of Chen Jueyao again? There's no bleeding from the head. Internal injuries?"
Qiao Zhuocheng held onto his coffee without drinking it. The lab's exhaust fan hummed. He slammed his hand on the table, drowning out the sound. Then he uttered a few words with difficulty: "She's having an affair."
In order to facilitate communication, Ji Xilin moved his work to their laboratory. There were also three colleagues from the energy efficiency testing group working in the laboratory. What Qiao Zhuocheng said was very important and it was not convenient to share it with outsiders. Mo Daoyan closed the door of the compartment. The broken lock had been repaired by him. As the door closed, the buzzing sound of the exhaust fan suddenly disappeared.
Mo Daoyan leaned against his desk and asked, "Did you hear it from hearsay, or..."
"I saw it with my own eyes. Tonight was the premiere of her production of Wang Zhaojun. I bought a whole truckload of flowers to surprise her backstage. A fellow performer said some of her movements weren't standard, so she went to the rehearsal room to ask Teacher Cao for corrections. You know her, she never tolerates mistakes on stage and strives for perfection. I thought the same thing. But in the rehearsal room, I saw her being corrected by Mr. Cao onto the sponge mat. It wasn't a hug, it wasn't a kiss, it was..." Qiao Zhuocheng suddenly choked up, took a sip of coffee, and said, "You and Tong Yufei, a legal couple, should do what they do."
Mo Daoyan coughed and said, "There's no need to use me as an example and leave some blank space. I'm not mentally retarded."
Under the dim light of the rehearsal room, Chen Jueyao's snow-white training clothes were lifted up to her waist, and Cao's pair of hands with bulging blue veins were playing all over her body. She tilted her head back with a dazed look on her face... The scene kept flashing back in front of her eyes, and Qiao Zhuocheng grabbed his hair in pain.
"If she had just found someone of comparable social status and talent, I wouldn't have felt like I'd been eating a fly. That old fellow isn't much younger than Professor Chen, and his kids are already in middle school. What on earth does she want from him? Or does she have a clairvoyant eye, looking beyond appearances for inner beauty, and thinks Cao has inner beauty? Those sour scholars from the Guyu Poetry Society were just like that, reciting a few crappy lines to charm the little girls into a frenzy. This old beast is even worse than that, abandoning all teacher ethics to deceive ignorant girls. Just wait and see. I'm going to report him to the Cultural Bureau and put up banners at their school, letting everyone see what this beast in human form has done. I'm going to make this stinking old ninth grader lose his reputation and face no one for the rest of his life, making his parents and children ashamed of him... Say something, is the monkey show fun?"
Mo Daoyan spread his hands: "You already have the answer in your heart, what else do you want me to say?"
"Why keep me in suspense? What answer do I have?"
"You're clearing Chen Jueyao of all blame because you're afraid to face her true attitude. Even if you put all the blame on Cao, it won't change the fact that Chen Jueyao is an adult woman who knows what she's doing. Having something to do with her isn't deception. Moral condemnation is one thing, but if Cao is widowed or divorced, would this be considered an affair? I have to ask you, are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Of course we are..."
"When you went to Chen's house for dinner in January, how come you didn't dare to say anything beyond just being friends in front of her parents? Besides eating, drinking, and having fun with you, did she ever acknowledge you? Did she do the things a couple should do with you? Did she ever mention engagement or marriage after you started dating?"
"Do you have to be physical just because you're in love? I respect her and want to stay married, is that wrong? We haven't talked about marriage yet, so isn't that the point yet?"
"But she's already had that moment with Teacher Cao."
Qiao Zhuocheng felt like he was stabbed in the chest: "I don't understand..."
"If you don't understand, go ask her."
"You want me to forgive her just like that?"
"I want you to die knowingly."
"Are you so sure that she won't hesitate even a little bit because of losing me?"
"Unless she's not the Chen Jueyao I know."
Qiao Zhuocheng was stunned for a long time, and said in a thin voice: "Daoyan, if you were me, what would you do? I seem to have been talking nonsense again. How could you be me? You have never been looked down upon by a girl like this, and you will never face such a difficult problem. Miss Tong is not Jueyao. Everything is centered around you. She won't even speak loudly to you and she doesn't even have time to love you..."
Mo Daoyan continued to adjust the route map: "You don't understand her."
Qiao Zhuocheng was extremely conflicted. If he questioned Chen Jueyao at this moment, their relationship might end there and then. He cursed the man surnamed Cao, but he knew clearly in his heart that the man was not as bad as he said. To be a teacher in the music performance department, he must be quite capable. When he was young, he had starred in a model opera that was popular all over the country. He had a good-looking face and a good figure. In terms of artistic accomplishment, he could not compare with him. Even his physical conditions were comparable, and he could not win overwhelmingly.
对方在陈觉遥心中的专业分量，他无论如何都比不过，陈觉遥的爱恨向来分明，若她知道他假装路过，拆分了两人，还追上去揍了姓曹的，她定会为那人还回来，这笔账怎么算都是他吃亏，不仅会失去“恋人”，恐怕朋友都没得做，可若不去，又受不了窝囊气。
In a dilemma, he could only seek psychological comfort from Mo Daoyan. Just then, Ji Xilin came in with the test results, wanting to discuss the rectification plan with Mo Daoyan. Seeing that Mo Daoyan was frowning and mumbling to himself from time to time, and occasionally laughing nervously, he ordered him to leave: "It's just a breakup, not the death of your wife. Is it that serious? Go away, don't get in the way."
Qiao Zhuocheng had nowhere to vent his pent-up frustration, and his face turned red with anger. "Senior Sister Ji, although we're not from the same school, we're still alumni after all. I can't expect you to help me out when I need you, but at least don't rub salt into my wounds. I remember Tong Zhaoyang also had a broken heart, and you treated him like this? Besides, my future wife has offended you, Nun Miejue. You can't stand seeing young people's love affairs, and you're jealous."
Ji Xilin didn't read martial arts novels, so she didn't understand the meaning. She just felt that he was interfering with their work. He even brought Zhaoyang here. He was her own brother. Who was he? She sneered, "You know you're Professor Chen's apprentice, so you should know better. Professor Chen even mortgaged his ancestral home to raise funds. Success or failure depends on this one move. If he advances, he'll be a famous entrepreneur. If he retreats, he'll be a flashy teacher. And there are so many workers waiting for bonuses to support. If he doesn't help, he's even adding to the chaos. He has no sense of the overall situation. Who else can Chen Jueyao ignore if not you?"
"If you want to be dumped, someone has to want you first."
"But you're the only one being dumped tonight. Xinli isn't a wishing well, so cry somewhere else."
"The name of this office is Mo, right?"
"Daoyan is a new employee."
"You are the new CEO."
"Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken?"
"Who are you calling a chicken?"
"You can be a duck if you want."
"I've given you face, who are you scolding?"
Mo Daoyan adjusted the discharge circuit system and told Ji Xilin that he would issue a rectification proposal and an overall adjustment plan after obtaining all the test data. Then he dragged Qiao Zhuocheng out the door and said, "I know you're unhappy, but arguing with irrelevant people will only make you more unhappy. The company is in an emergency, and I really don't have time to accompany you in your sorrows."
Qiao Zhuocheng barely suppressed his anger. "When the project is over, call Miss Tong, Senior Brother Zhou, and your men. I'll treat everyone to a disco. Think of it as an overtime benefit for your colleagues. Don't companies in foreign countries organize team-building events? You should do one too. I'm making it clear that Ji Xilin is out of the picture. She's a weird old lady. No wonder she and Tong Zhaoyang have the same parents but different surnames. They don't look like they were born from the same mother. Is she popular? She's disliked everywhere she goes, isn't she?"
In the company, expertise was the only measuring stick. But facing Qiao Zhuocheng right now, he couldn't just say that Ji Xilin was not only professionally competent but also the most popular. Such words would undoubtedly give Qiao Zhuocheng, who was already frustrated, a double blow. He nodded in agreement, "Senior Sister Ji is a little lonely. Let's go together when the time comes."
"Goodbye. When she's not alone anymore, my heart will be broken. Oh, and remember to hang that calligraphy on the main gate. It was written by a distant cousin of mine. She holds a Master's degree in Journalism from Xicheng University and studied under the famous calligrapher Qi Rang, the same one who wrote the motto of Xicheng University. A single piece of her work can fetch thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan. But my old man has a collection of so many famous calligraphy and paintings. After seeing my cousin's calligraphy, he said she's even better than her teacher, and her skills are unmatched even by her teacher. She doesn't come out of retirement easily. I bribed her lover with a bottle of Feitian Maotai with an iron lid for it. You've seen her lover, and he's worked hard for you."
Qiao Zhuocheng waved his hand and asked Mo Daoyan to stay.
"You go ahead and do your work. I'll go back to the karaoke bar and check the account books. Maybe that'll make me feel better. Sometimes you just have to accept it. Older people are always wiser. My old man always said that earning anything is better than making money. As long as you treat it well, it will never let you down."
"Not looking for Chen Jueyao anymore?"
"If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move. Let's just wait for her to come."
Mo Daoyan looked outside the door: "Did you drive here?"
"Don't worry, I'm not so broken down that I can't drive."
"I'm borrowing the car for two days."
After seeing Qiao Zhuocheng off, Mo Daoyan returned to his office and slowly unfolded the calligraphy and painting that had been praised as a world-famous masterpiece. The ink on the burnt-yellow bamboo paper was powerful and vigorous. The inscription was from Wang Yangming: "To know where arrogance lies is conscience; to cultivate this conscience and eliminate arrogance is to study things."
Although Mo Daoyan was a little impatient with the maxims to encourage learning, he still had to admit that this calligraphy had a thunderous momentum in its strokes. The force when the pen tip turned, the unique habit of connecting strokes, the almost stubborn upward stroke of the last hook of the character "物", and all the small squares that shortened the horizontal and vertical lines next to the character "口"... all seemed to have been seen somewhere before.
In a flash, a thunderclap split open some past events, and Mo Daoyan froze.
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