Chapter 37
On the top shelf of Mo Daoyan's office sat dusty old reports. Without special reasons, these files were usually never opened again. Beneath the reports sat a grass-green napkin, upon which was copied a poem by the contemporary poet Yi Lei, "Self-Portrait": "All photographs distort me. I express my ideals in my self-portrait. I combined twelve oil colors and named it P-color... I consider it neither right nor wrong, neither glorious nor shameful, neither chaste nor lewd. I hang my self-portrait on a low wall, and every day I pay homage to this sole idol..."
This piece of paper was originally clipped in Ye Yi Mo's notebook. When Mo Daoyan returned the notebook, it accidentally slipped out. When he found it, the package had already been sent. He had seen the text of the poem in the notebook and thought it would not have much impact, so he did not send it again. Although there may be significant differences in the writing techniques of a person's brush and pen handwriting, the writing habits are the same. When the draft paper is compared with the calligraphy and painting, the similarity of the handwriting becomes obvious.
Fate is always full of dramatic coincidences. I have searched for "her" everywhere, but now when I look back, I find that she is actually my good friend's cousin-in-law. Qiao Zhuocheng's cousin is the lawyer who drafted the divorce agreement for him and Tong Yufei. They have met twice in Qiao Zhuocheng's home. The other party is a fat man with an unattractive appearance but a lot of witty words. He is completely different from the slender figure who embraced her in the tube building.
A master's degree in journalism, a girl dancing alone in the snow, a pretty figure in a tube-shaped building, a wife hugging and kissing a man other than her husband with a charming smile... It was difficult for Mo Daoyan to combine these elements into one person, but the fact was so absurd. When he left this draft paper by mistake, he never thought that he would be dragged into such a bloody ethical drama by her. If he had not had a good chat with Qiao Zhuocheng's cousin and heard his cousin's happy face when he talked about his wife, he might not have sighed so much.
Qiao Zhuocheng and his cousin are a pair of brothers with the same fate.
Why her?
Because of Tong Yufei, this calligraphy and this draft paper would not appear in their house. He looked at the ink marks on the draft paper for a long time, then folded it twice, stuffed it into the calligraphy and painting scroll, and placed it on the third compartment of the sandalwood shelf, letting them sleep there. Some words should not be reread.
Mo Daoyan summarized the test reports of each group in his complicated thoughts and spent two full days to develop a meticulous rectification process. He did not leave the company until all the test machines were back into the system and operating normally. It was already ten o'clock in the evening on the 26th.
When he arrived at the door of his house, he suddenly remembered that he had left in a hurry last time and forgot to bring his keys. However, before his raised hand could land on the door panel, the door was opened from the inside.
"I was doing eye exercises by the window when I saw you coming up." Tong Yufei smiled at him from inside the door. "I left some lily and lotus seed porridge for you. I'll go get it."
She turned and walked towards the kitchen. Before she stepped out of the hallway, Mo Daoyan suddenly put his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her into his arms.
May in West City was the end of spring and the beginning of summer, but the temperature had been approaching 30 degrees Celsius these past few days. She was only wearing a lavender dress and a thin sun-protective cardigan. He took off the sun-protective cardigan and hung it on the coat rack next to her. Then he turned her around and untied the shoulder straps of her dress: "I stopped by my aunt's house on the way and washed it."
Tong Yufei was both amused and confused for a moment, almost thinking that she had heard wrongly. There was a dark circle under his eyes, and he looked so tired that it seemed as if he would fall asleep at any time. The most important thing he should do was to lie down and catch up on his sleep, but... She couldn't help but think to herself, he had just finished days of mental work, and he still had the energy to think about this, did he really still have the strength?
During the brief moment of her daydreaming, Mo Daoyan had already lowered his head and left a string of dense kisses on her collarbone, half hugging and half pushing her back repeatedly. Her knees hit the edge of the sofa, and she fell backwards involuntarily. He took advantage of the situation and moved closer to her, his hot chest pressed tightly against hers, his minty tongue going straight in, and his hands deftly untying her skirt.
The sofa couldn't accommodate two people, so she was squeezed sideways with her back slightly to him. His hot lips and tongue then shifted their position and rubbed along her earlobe.
She panted lightly, looking troubled: "I have an exam tomorrow, it's hot... I can't wear too many clothes..."
She pursed her lips before she finished speaking, remembering the marks he had left on her neck several times before. She was still frightened, especially the last time, which was not covered by the high collar and long sleeves. The unmarried girl in the administration department was so shocked that she asked her if she had skin allergies or was bitten by insects. Purple and red marks appeared on the back of her neck, like ripe red fruits. Her married colleagues pursed their lips and smiled, their eyes full of understanding. The most annoying thing was that her skin was fair, so the marks became more and more obvious, and it took a whole week for them to gradually fade away.
When Cheng Yuan heard about this, she pulled her to the tea room to watch, and whispered to her how to "fight fire with fire", letting the man also taste the feeling of being stabbed in the back, and she was afraid that he would restrain himself. But Cheng Yuan didn't know that she also bit Mo Daoyan's hand. When he was asked about it by his colleagues at that time, he just said "I got bitten by teasing a cat" and brushed it off lightly. His cold face was a natural anti-interference device, so naturally no one dared to make fun of him.
Tomorrow's exam hall will be like a battlefield. She doesn't want to be the center of attention, lest it distract her. So she discussed with him: "Don't do it around the neck..."
"Where do you want?" His slightly warm fingertips slid down the middle of her neck, "Here, or here..."
"I think……"
"What are you thinking about?" He finally paused his hand somewhere, his tone filled with steaming heat, "Do you want to go against the flow or go with the flow..."
The words got stuck in her throat, and she almost fell for his words and tricked him.
Seeing her lips slightly parted, unable to utter a single word, Mo Daoyan stopped teasing her and instead kissed the soft, red flesh beneath her neck, the rest of the area covered by her collar. He gathered the hem of her skirt around her waist, his fingers gently rubbing the curve of her waist. "Qiao Zhuocheng gave me a calligraphy piece tonight. Tong Yufei, if you meet your soulmate, be sure to let me know."
She felt like a plucked string, a series of shudders running through her body. In her panic, she became increasingly puzzled about the connection between the two: "What is the connection between calligraphy and paintings and my beloved?"
He was stunned for a moment and bit her shoulder blade: "Anyway, don't play the trick of having three burrows."
"I don't want to play, I don't want anyone else, you are enough for me."
"Your failure to become an actor is a loss to the art world."
"I can dance just as well at home, as long as you're there for the audience."
She was in a daze, but every word she said struck a chord with him. It was inevitable that people would be narcissistic and willing to deceive themselves. Even though he knew it was a lie, hearing her say it herself was like a drop of honey falling into a fire, stirring up a strange satisfaction in his heart and having a positive feedback on his physiology. He kissed her passionately, using his hard work to prove to her that her choice to remain devoted to him was the right one.
If I look in the mirror at this moment, the deep affection in his eyes would scare me.
Just as he was feeling emotional, he suddenly caught sight of a piece of paper in her hand. He unfolded it and saw that it was her notes on the knowledge points she had sorted out. The handwriting was very small, like cheat sheets, probably to facilitate memorization in fragmented time. He said in a low voice, "You're about to take the exam, and you're still studying?"
Tong Yufei was almost unable to understand Chinese, and was at a loss for words. "It's because we have an exam that we need to study harder. Even if it's not quick, it will be better if you sharpen your sword before the battle."
He took the paper away. "You should have learned what you need to learn long ago. Memorizing this now will only disrupt your mind. Keeping a clear mind during the exam is much more important than cramming a few lines... Now turn your mind around."
What to do instead, spend the night with him?
So that's why he'd waited until now. He'd chosen tonight out of sympathy for her need to review. Was he doing a good deed to help her clear her mind? Tong Yufei gave a helpless smile. When it came to study methods, he always stuck with the theory of the gifted student. Just like the vocabulary memorization method he'd taught her: no need to painstakingly memorize a long paragraph; just grasp the key words and you'd be able to apply them to other situations. For example, regarding the historical significance of the Opium War, just remembering the three words "disaster, change, and development" allowed her to complete the exam on her own.
How could he know that for ordinary students who did not have such strong ability to summarize, this would make them feel completely clueless and impossible to implement. Every point she achieved was earned with the spirit of "hanging her head on the beam and piercing her legs with awl". The fact that she was able to maintain an upper-middle position in the key middle school was the result of her best efforts.
She couldn't learn his quick method, so she insisted on learning step by step. At this moment, she was eager to get back to her room as soon as possible and learn as much as she could. However, she couldn't refuse his enthusiasm directly, so she could only gently urge him, "Hurry up, okay?"
"Let's go, let's go for it." Even during the most difficult financial times studying abroad, when he had no food to eat, he would occasionally be invited home by teachers or classmates and have the opportunity to have a good meal. He would not eat too fast and lose his manners. He reached out to the hem of her skirt, gently smoothed out the wrinkles, sat up, and helped her up as well. "If my momentary indulgence causes my country to lose a rising star journalist, I will be guilty of a great sin."
His teasing tone was not frivolous at all, but rather childish and cute. She squeezed his palm and said, "Daoyan, you are so kind. I know you have me in your heart and will think of me."
Seeing a smile in the corner of his eyes, she turned and walked towards the bedroom.
Mo Daoyan watched as the carved wooden door was pushed open by her and then slowly closed, but he knew better than anyone that the door had never truly been open to him. Those times when they were respectful to each other, those topics that they avoided talking about, even when they were in physical contact, there was always a transparent wall between them. She knew it all, but she could still play the role of a "virtuous wife" with ease, and she herself believed in it. This was indeed her ability.
If she could act for the rest of her life, he would be happy to see it happen.
He stood up and went back to his room. The forgotten page of notes was stuck to his shirt and fell into the shadow on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, walked to her room and pushed the door, only to find it was locked. He couldn't help laughing. If he hadn't been concerned about her exam tomorrow, he really wanted to break in and see her funny expression when she was exposed.
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