Chapter 84
Mo Daoyan went home with Tong Yufei.
Although Mo Daoyan said that he would not disturb her without permission, the house was his after all. Tong Yufei could not do anything to kick her out with a clear conscience, so she had to clean up the study and let him live there. The study was not as spacious as the master bedroom, but since he insisted on her moving in, this inconvenience was the price he had to pay. It also reminded him from time to time how uncomfortable it was to live under the same roof. If he wanted to sleep back in the master bedroom, he could ask her to move out at any time.
Mo Daoyan's return to China for a month-long stay had a packed schedule, demanding both the coordination of overseas market expansion and technological innovation. This coincided with the company's restructuring under a diversification strategy, with Chen Huaili appointed Chairman of the Party Committee and Honorary Chairman, and Mo Daoyan elected CEO. This added to his existing responsibilities for technological development and the weight of group management. However, after months of correspondence, Mo Daoyan finally managed to resolve the thorny production line issue. His father, Mo Changlin, usually a tough-minded father, relented and agreed to a project partnership with Xinli. While the originally envisioned restructuring plan didn't materialize, this single step resulted in a production line with a tenfold increase in production capacity, a stable raw material supply chain, and the expansion of Xinli's product portfolio from white goods to kitchen appliances.
Due to issues like going abroad without permission and repeating a grade, Mo Daoxing became the focus of his parents' discipline. His pocket money was cut in half, his boarding eligibility was revoked, and he had to attend school every day under supervision. To regain his freedom soon, the boy decided to take a roundabout way out and spend his summer vacation with his grandmother, hoping to impress his parents with his filial piety. This move freed up Mo Daoyan's time, and he turned down all social engagements outside of work, devoting his remaining free time to Tong Yufei and his sister.
He insisted on giving Tong Yufei English lessons, using the same old excuse: no matter what she thought of him personally, she couldn't slack off in her studies. Even if they couldn't end up together, as long as she could achieve a breakthrough in her career, it would be his honor. Furthermore, she was busy with work and had little time to spare for English lessons. Finding professional guidance would be more effective. Tong Yufei accepted the offer frankly, not because she was moved by his impassioned speech, but because she had to prepare breakfast for him every day, occasionally make dinner, and clean the room when she got home. Accepting his tutoring was just an equivalent exchange of labor.
With a tacit understanding between the two parties, Mo Daoyan began to tutor her in English, and the course took up almost all of her spare time. In the past, she had a regular schedule and would go to bed at 9:30 unless she had urgent work, but now she would go to bed at 11 or 12. Even so, he still felt it was not enough, and he kept delaying her until 1 or 2 in the morning before letting her go.
The summer night breeze was sweltering, and the two of them stayed in the room for too long, becoming even more oppressive. The new 1,000-watt floor-standing air conditioner in the master bedroom was a power hog. Tong Yufei treated it as a mere decoration, never using it since the beginning of summer. Her go-to tools for cooling off were a fan and ice. The ice was a gift from Sister Xin, who lived in the same neighborhood. Her husband worked at a cold drink factory, and in return for the mung bean soup she had given her, he had given her free ice for the entire summer. Mo Daoyan could afford the electricity bill, but he never turned on the air conditioner. He opted for the most primitive method of cold showers to combat the heat. After rinsing off a sleeveless sweatshirt, his sturdy arms shone in the light, and his damp hair dried for half an hour.
In temperatures of nearly 40 degrees Celsius, this cooling ritual has to be repeated every two hours.
During tutoring, their shoulders accidentally touched each other. When he leaned over to correct her pronunciation, a wisp of refreshing cucumber soap scent quietly lingered around her nose.
"Why don't you wear a normal short-sleeved shirt? Instead, you wear this kind of clothes..."
The creaking of the floor fan made Tong Yufei's voice a little vague. She remembered that he always paid attention to his appearance. In the past, he would even button the top button of his shirt meticulously, let alone wear a sleeveless shirt. These days, his attire at home was completely different from when he went out.
He squinted his eyes and asked, "What kind of clothes are they? Why are they abnormal?"
"These tank tops are just..."
She almost blurted out that the clothes were inappropriate. While not shirtless, the only difference was the extra fabric on his chest. Every time he raised his arms, the outline of his chest muscles would be faintly visible under the fabric. When he was very hot, he would roll up his sleeves, and the old marks she had left on his shoulder blades were exposed to the light. These ambiguous marks always reminded her of those passionate nights, and they disturbed her mind. She wanted to impose a rule and not allow him to wear them during tutoring, but then she thought, it was a hot day, and there were many men in the alleys cooling off with their shirts bare. Nowadays, people's minds have become more advanced, and no one would say anything if a young girl wore a tank top while shopping. If she continued to find fault with him wearing a sleeveless shirt at home, she would seem old-fashioned.
So she changed her words and said, "Normal short sleeves are more suitable for you."
"Are you taking extra classes, or are you checking out people?" He said with a mischievous smile in his eyes. "You usually act so serious, but now you're like a Buddha falling into a dye vat. If you want to check out, just check out openly. Why are you hiding so much?"
“Who is hiding this?”
"You clearly want to eat grapes, but you say they're sour."
"boring."
"We've been making up for two hours. Let's take a break." He glanced down at the time on his watch and leaned towards her. "Give me a scarf, a new one. It's getting cold over there."
She ruthlessly exposed his lie: "The temperature in Munich has been almost 37 degrees these days."
He actually knew the weather in Munich, so he must have checked it out. A smile appeared in his eyes, and he pretended to be nonchalant: "You only know one thing, but not the other. Munich has a big temperature difference between day and night, and the hot period is very short. You'll be able to wear it in a few days."
"Don't you never wear a scarf?"
"Now I think about it."
"If you want to wear one, you can buy a better one. Germany is such a developed place, what scarves are there?"
"I don't have one you knitted yourself." He picked up the strands of hair by her ear and put them away. "If you don't have any ready-made ones, just knit one and send it to me."
"I don't have time to knit," she retorted softly, "and I don't want to knit anymore."
"Then wait until you want to knit. I can wait." He stood up and slowly approached her, helping her sit on the desk. He rubbed the pimple on her chin with his fingers and spoke seriously. "A scientific magazine said that if certain needs are not met, toxins will accumulate in the body and affect the skin. Studying is important, but you also need to balance work and rest." He reached out and unbuttoned her dress. "I'll do a good deed to help you detox."
What a twisted logic! The acne on her face was clearly caused by his over-tutoring and lack of sleep lately, which made her irritated. He stood in front of the fan, and the heat rushed towards her face. A thin layer of sweat quickly broke out on her forehead. She reached out to push him away, "Stop it, it's hot."
"If you take it off, you won't feel hot anymore."
She struggled out of his arms, avoiding his burning breath: "Let's stop here today."
"If you don't want to detox, then keep studying." He pulled her to the table calmly. "You only regret not having enough knowledge when you need it. Your English foundation is weak, so you need to improve it."
"Staying up late to review affects your work. The purpose of taking the postgraduate entrance exam is to develop your career. Putting the cart before the horse is not worth the effort." She closed the book, her eyes suddenly falling on the purple-red bruise on his elbow. "From now on, I'll be the one bathing you, brother."
Ever since Mo Daoyan came back, he insisted on taking over Ye Yimo's washing and dressing work. The autistic young man's resistance to unfamiliar touch and the clumsiness of the novice caregiver turned into countless endless confrontations in the bathroom, and such scars have become the norm.
He flexed his wrists nonchalantly. "Practice makes perfect. He'll get used to it."
"But you don't have to adapt to this. It's not your responsibility."
"Technically, it's not yours either."
"He's my brother."
"Not the real and only..."
"What do you want to say?"
"If I said I could help you find his other relatives, would you consider transferring the responsibility? Actually..."
Before he could finish his words, he was cut off by the coldness that welled up in her eyes. She knew that her brother still had a biological mother, but how could someone who could abandon even her own flesh and blood accept a son like this now? If that person was from a poor family, sending her brother there would be suffering. If she was well-off, she should have come to find him long ago. Why wait until today? Forcing her brother back would only increase disgust. How could the other party treat him well? She couldn't ignore her brother's situation just to unload the burden. As someone who had also been abandoned, she knew very well that the grace of raising a child was always more important than blood ties.
"I won't consider it, and you don't have to mention it again."
"You don't have to turn it around, but you have to remember that this isn't an obligation imposed by your bloodline. It's the kindness you chose with your own hands."
Kindness is for outsiders, but for Ye Yimo, she would not package her giving as some noble love. Moreover, Mo Daoyan's concern for his brother today was too much. It sounded particularly awkward. She rubbed her sore neck and said in a cold tone: "Go back to your room and rest."
His hand rested on her shoulder: "You always helped me before, this time it's my turn to massage you?"
She has to stay up late almost every day and is seriously sleep-deprived. He accompanies her the whole time and has never missed a day, so he must not be much better off. She can even take a nap during the interviews, but he can't even spare half an hour. The lack of sleep in the past always made him look haggard and his eyes bloodshot. The strange thing is that he has been like a chicken with chicken blood recently. He works non-stop without any signs of fatigue, and his spirits are even more excited.
But tutoring is tutoring, and there are some boundaries she's not ready to cross: "You've already done enough, no more."
"I have to leave again in a few days. This time, we might not see each other for over a year. Can't you stay with me a little longer?" He ran his fingers through her hair gently. "The postgraduate entrance exam will be in January next year. If you want me to be with you then, I..."
"Your work is more important. Besides, you're taking the exam and can't take my place. Once you complete your work abroad and return to China as scheduled, I'll move out as agreed."
"Is it uncomfortable living here? Or is it not good for you and I to take care of him together?"
"He doesn't need you to be nice to him."
"Did he say that himself, or did you make the decision for him? Tong Yufei, can you be honest for once and admit that you still have feelings for me, which is why you're afraid of losing me again? This doesn't align with your pursuit of being an independent and strong woman. To be truly strong, you should first let go of your desire for gain and loss." He took a step closer, grabbed her shoulders, and forced her to look him in the eye. "You think rationally that you shouldn't love me, but it's hard to do so in your heart, right?"
"Is Mr. Mo so lacking in love that he needs self-hypnosis?" She sneered, "But even if I want to prove myself, there's no need to find someone who makes me uncomfortable."
"What kind of discomfort? Is it the discomfort of remembering past unpleasant experiences, yet feeling powerless to get closer?" He pulled her into his arms, his fingertips caressing her burning lips. "Distractions are the worst thing to do when studying. You have to forget these distracting thoughts."
She turned her head to avoid his kiss, opened the door and pushed him out: "No need, but since you like playing chess so much, I can give you a set for free."
He looked at the provocation flashing in her eyes, held the door against the crack that was about to close, and said with a smile: "See you tomorrow night at the usual time."
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