Chapter 44
After working overtime on Sunday, the company took Monday afternoon off. Mo Daoyan went to the Blue Ocean KTV. He thought he would run into Mr. Qiao counting money in the finance office, but unexpectedly found Qiao Zhuocheng reading a book alone in the private room. He didn't look like a man who had just experienced a heartbreak. It was not until the sound of the door being pushed open startled him and he looked up that Mo Daoyan saw his friend's hidden haggardness from the silence in his eyes.
Qiao Zhuocheng was reading "Outside the Window", a novel by Taiwanese romance writer Qiong Yao. When he saw Mo Daoyan, he gently put the book on the table and sighed in a long-lost literary tone, "When I first heard it, I didn't understand the meaning of the song, but when I listened to it again, I was already the person in the song." Thanks to his sister Qiao Zhuoqun, he had watched many movies with her when he was a child, including the movie of the same name adapted from this novel. At that time, his sister was fascinated by Qin Han's suit pants. After reading it, he just felt that the story was pretentious.
Rereading the original novel now, the tone remains the same, but the love and hate in the book have suddenly grown sharp thorns, piercing people with wounds. He has become a character in the story. Even the husband that the heroine married without love is like him, a disciple of his father. But what remains unchanged is that he still cannot understand this kind of selfless love. Must it be unacceptable to social morality and family, and make the whole world an enemy to love? If he truly wants someone's good, how can he bear to drag her into the thorns? If Chen Jueyao gets a little skin cut while practicing dancing, he will be in pain for a long time.
No matter how turbulent the business world is, he can take it lightly, but in his life with his lover, he only seeks stability.
Qiao Zhuocheng shook his wine glass and said, "Don't you think people like me are pretty boring?"
Mo Daoyan didn't respond. He had never read the novel and didn't care about the unhappy couples on the screen. He came here only to confirm Qiao Zhuocheng's condition. Seeing that Qiao Zhuocheng had only a slight smell of alcohol on him, his suit was still straight and his tie was not messy, he made a judgment in his heart. Qiao Zhuocheng was not Chen Ruchao. He would not abandon the world and die to show his determination. He still had the foundation he had founded to protect and one-third of Mr. Qiao's huge assets to inherit. Just thinking that after he hanged himself, most of the family property would be swallowed up by his eldest brother, and he might even hear the ridicule of "lovesick waste" in the mourning hall, was enough for him to clench his fists and rekindle his fighting spirit.
It is better to live a miserable life than to die. Sometimes resentment can make people live more energetically than love.
Over two pots of tea, Mo Daoyan listened to Qiao Zhuocheng ramble on about the prototype character in "Outside the Window," his anguish over the age-old dilemma of love, and his lingering grudge against Cao You, not only because he was a rival in love but also because a teacher shouldn't harbor romantic feelings for female students; that was the stuff of class enemies. Eventually, the conversation returned to disco, as if only a revelry could alleviate Qiao Zhuocheng's frustrations. He also mentioned that his distant cousin and his wife would be coming, as it was their fifteenth wedding anniversary, and he'd throw a small celebration for them.
Qiao Zhuocheng, who has been frustrated in love, regards his cousin's marriage as a model: "From high school classmates to being together for 15 years, such a long-term relationship is particularly rare nowadays."
"Are you sure you remember correctly? Your cousin's wife looks no more than 20 years old. How can she be married for 15 years?"
"You're right. The year they got married, it was my eldest aunt's cousin and I who made the wedding bed. He wet the bed in the middle of the night and got spanked by my mother. I was in second grade at the time and had a math teacher with pockmarks all over his face. Whenever a boy misbehaved in class, he'd have to kneel on a brick..." Qiao Zhuocheng suddenly stopped talking. "How do you know my cousin's wife's age? Aside from some interactions in the early years, our two families haven't seen each other much since my aunt passed away. My father moved after his business expanded, and we haven't seen each other for several years. If it weren't for my great-grandmother's 100th birthday and the chance encounter with this cousin, which reconnected us, I wouldn't even remember what he looked like, let alone his wife."
"The handwriting reflects the person, just a random guess."
"Is there no basis for this?"
"After all, the celebration is between them and their husband and wife. It's not appropriate for the other party to take the lead. It's better to let my cousin take the lead. That way, even if my cousin's wife is very touched, it will be for my cousin alone."
"Of course. I'll be able to meet my cousin's wife in a few days. I have to take a good look at her to see what kind of person she is. Is the calligraphy hanging up? How does it look?"
"The calligraphy is naturally good, but it doesn't match the style of the house. I'll give it to you next time and you can give it to someone else."
"Should I ask my cousin's wife to write another one?"
“Isn’t Moutai free?”
Qiao Zhuocheng handed him a bottle of Tsingtao beer and said, "The 22nd. Are you sure you can come?"
The aluminum bottle cap popped open, and Mo Daoyan stared at the foam that continued to pour out. He simply replied, "Yes."
His other purpose for coming here was to turn down the invitation. He had always hated the deafening noise of disco, and he didn't want to meet her in such an occasion... After a few seconds of deliberation, he changed his mind and wanted to see the rumored cousin's wife with his own eyes. If he didn't meet her in this lifetime, the smoldering flame in his heart would always be stirred by the wind. Seeing her would be clearer. Even if his cousin's wife was truly incomparable, that was only the scenery in someone else's house. Now that he had a family, although he occasionally had some complaints about Tong Yufei, when he thought about it, he had never seen a woman who could easily compare to her. Although he didn't go there to compare, he just wanted to extinguish the flame with his own hands.
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After Mo Daoyan and Qiao Zhuocheng parted ways, they went to a cake shop and bought a margarine cake. This kind of artificial cream cake was always associated with glory in his childhood memories. Whenever he came out on top in the promotion exam, his family would buy it for him to celebrate. Although he kept his distance from the layer of shiny cream, he was particularly fond of the colorful candles swaying on the cake. When the wind blew, the candle elves danced on the tip of the cream, just like the spirited young man he was back then.
After buying the cake, he went to the mall and bought her a pair of running shoes. As a reporter, she has to run around a lot, so having a pair of comfortable shoes is very important. Tong Yufei got the first place in the exam, so he decided to congratulate her properly. She might not have many chances to get the first place in the future.
In the corridor leading to his home, he met Tong Yufei who had just got off work.
Tong Yufei saw the cake and sneakers in his hands, and doubts appeared in her tired eyes. She was sure that today was not his birthday. "Why did you buy a birthday cake?"
He climbed three steps at a time, took out his key and opened the door: "Happy birthday."
"Whose birthday is it?"
"your."
Tong Yufei froze on the steps and quickly followed: "My birthday, how come I don't know?"
"Reporter Tong's zeroth birthday is one night late."
Tong Yufei felt that his behavior was both joking and childish. The interview hadn't even taken place yet, and the final word hadn't fallen. Even if he was childish enough to celebrate the beginning of her journalistic career, he should have started by getting her press card. If he celebrated with great enthusiasm and it ultimately didn't go as planned, the disappointment of false joy would probably be worse than simple failure. "You've just written your first stroke of the eight characters, and you're already a journalist?"
"You can't get a good score on this first test. From now on, you will have to avoid every test."
"Always judge others by yourself. Not everyone is like you."
"You definitely don't look like that, otherwise you wouldn't have to wait until today to take the exam."
Although they had quarreled, she could not help but appreciate his kindness. After entering the house, she carefully wiped the tables and chairs, washed her hands twice with soap, and then gently opened the cake box.
He chose the most exquisite square cake, with a slightly yellowish cream surface and a delicate texture with a grainy feel. Icing is the most solemn decoration in margarine cakes. The most popular patterns include dragons and phoenixes, roses and longevity peaches. However, this one is unique. It features a cartoon girl holding a pen, with a row of small plastic microphones dotted below, which seems to be equipment tailor-made for her as a future female reporter.
When it came time to light the candles, she was confused: "Should I light a candle for a child who is zero years old? If I do, what should I light for a child who is one year old?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Daoyan took out a candle package from under the cake box and picked up four thin candles. The candle bodies flipped in his palm, forming a "0" shape in a blink of an eye. Then he twisted out a piece of candle wick and inserted the candle into the cream. Then he lit the lighter. Sporadic sparks flew out when the metal lid opened and closed. When the candle was lit, it suddenly jumped up and a small spark burst out. The round candle melted in the middle and turned into a hand-held lotus with both ends burning.
Tong Yufei stuck out her tongue unconsciously. She hadn't thought of such a simple idea. She was truly exhausted. She had been rushed off to proofread last night, and she had only slept for three hours. There was a halo around her eyes. She hadn't had cake on her birthday in a long time. Ever since Tong Jianzhong took her away from the Ye family, she had only had that bowl of egg noodles every birthday. Sometimes, to show his fatherly love, Tong Jianzhong would top the noodles with three shiny poached eggs. The taste was not bad, but too much was always too much. She was always sickened by it. One year, she refused to eat, and Tong Yi scolded her for being snobbish and pretending to be spoiled. She picked up the bowl and poured it over Tong Yi's head. Her reasoning turned into unreasonableness, and Tong Wan dragged her into the woodshed and locked her up for two days.
Birthdays were supposed to be happy days, but after returning to the Tong family, they were often filled with endless noise, making that day the most difficult. Going to college was a relief, but after getting married, she celebrated her birthday every year at the Mo family, always with gifts, but everyone was busy, so it was rare for them to get together for a meal, so they skipped the cake. Although it wasn't her birthday, Mo Daoyan had taken it and made it a much more enjoyable day. She had lost her appetite from all the long hours, but now she felt a surge of cravings.
After staring at the dancing flames for a few seconds, she couldn't help but stretch out her finger. Just as she touched the cream, Mo Daoyan grabbed her wrist and asked, "Are there any rules?"
"I didn't have dinner."
"Make a wish first."
"Which one?"
"If you want to be a millionaire, you can't make money as a journalist."
She folded her hands together and placed them on her chin, making a wish. When she looked up again, her eyes fell on the cake: "Can I eat it now?"
Mo Daoyan held the cake knife horizontally, cut off a piece neatly and handed it to her. After she tasted it, he asked, "Is it sweet?"
She remembered the time in the hospital when, after a similar question, he had kissed her without further ado. She hadn't objected to the kiss, but she simply disliked the feeling of the cream mingling repeatedly between her lips and teeth. This time, she learned her lesson and didn't answer directly. Instead, she took the knife from his hand, cut off a piece, placed it on a paper plate, and pushed it towards him: "You want some too."
Mo Daoyan only picked up the golden mango pieces on top, he didn't eat the cream.
Tong Yi loved cream, but even though her father doted on her, he couldn't bear to order such an expensive cake. Every year on Tong Yi's birthday, he would just have an extra egg on the longevity noodles and a palm-sized egg cake. However, Mo Daoyan, who didn't eat cream, always received a cream cake. She couldn't help but wonder, "Do you make a wish on your birthday?"
I really can't imagine what kind of wish Mo Daoyan could make. A harmonious family, parents and teachers who cherish him, friends who have been friends since childhood, a brilliant resume, and most importantly, he is still so young... His life is almost perfect. If he really has to say what is missing, it is probably her, an unsatisfactory wife. But what about before that?
Mo Daoyan poked the fork into the cake and raised his eyebrows, "What else?"
"Promised what?"
"World peace."
"What else?"
"there is none left."
"Only world peace?"
"You feel bad?"
"No, if the world were full of people like you, the world would have been peaceful long ago."
"I think so."
Actually, that's not the case. World peace can never be achieved by relying on a child's wish. He doesn't believe it either. It's just the same wish he makes every year. It's something that most children in the world are born with. Everyone thinks he has it too, but he knows clearly that he has never got it. As for what it is, Tong Yufei is not someone he can confide in. In fact, there is no such person. It is a sad thing to confide in one's weakness.
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