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That bullet had nearly killed him. The bullet, which had struck his chest, became lodged near his heart. While surgery saved his life, it left two shrapnel fragments, which lurked like ticking time bombs within him. The recurring excruciating pain left him sweating profusely, and sometimes he fainted. It was also for this reason that, no matter how much he missed her, he couldn't answer her calls, fearing she would hear the pain.
The doctor advised him to take good care of his injuries and recover his strength as soon as possible so that he could have a second operation to remove the shrapnel. Otherwise, if it shifted, it would be fatal. But while lying on the hospital bed, he had only one obsession: he must not die in Munich. Even if he had to die, he had to see her again. So he gritted his teeth and boarded the plane back home before his wounds healed.
The second surgery was performed at the Affiliated Hospital of Xida University, after he accompanied her to take the exam and changed the name on the house certificate. He used the excuse of being on a "week-long business trip" to perform the surgery. Chen Ruchao rushed over upon hearing the news and yelled at him at the door of the operating room: "If you want to die, go ahead and die. Don't bring trouble to our doctors!"
The surgery was a success; he wouldn't die for now. However, the delayed treatment had made recovery incredibly difficult. The intense work schedule over the past six months had only exacerbated the wound. But it wasn't life-threatening, and the physical wound would eventually heal. But what about the wound in her heart? When would it heal?
Chen Ruchao once wanted to tell Tong Yufei about his injury, but he was stopped by him. He didn't want to use his pain to gain her sympathy, let alone make her stay out of pity. But now he didn't care about anything. It didn't matter if his wounds were seen, or if his vulnerability was revealed. Even if he could only get a little sympathy from her in this miserable state, he would accept it.
"But Tong Yufei, I don't want to see you cry at all. I just want you to copy a few more poems, write a few more calligraphy pieces, publish a few more in-depth articles, win a few more awards... do everything you like and want to do, that is..." The human heart is so contradictory. Seeing her cry, the joy he thought he would feel turned into pity. "Can I accompany you? If you don't want to knit a scarf, we can go to the mall and buy ready-made ones. If we see furniture we like, we can move it home directly. If there is a movie we want to watch, we can spend two hours together, or go to the park for a walk and take pictures, eat at street stalls, and in the evening, we can go home and cook together. I just learned how to make Beijing-style shredded pork with soy sauce, and it tastes pretty good." He suddenly turned around, clasped her wrist with one hand and pressed her against the door, holding the wedding ring in the other hand. "Try to love me, okay?"
He bought this ring the day before his wedding. Although he didn't want to get married at that time, he thought that since others had it, she must have it, so he went to the department store. Considering the significance of the wedding ring, he did not use the family's money, but used the remaining scholarship and the red envelopes he received from tutoring Sister Zhuo Qun's children.
In a jewelry store, he fell in love with a double flower diamond ring with two rows of small diamonds on the ring. It was small and not a high-end product, but it inexplicably caught his eye. Because he was twenty dollars short of the price, he haggled with the salesperson for two hours.
"Forget it, since you're so handsome, I'll just consider it a chance to share in your good fortune." The saleswoman smiled and handed him the ring. "This ring symbolizes eternity. I wish you and your lover a long and happy life together."
But she only wore the ring once, on the wedding night, and then took it off. After all, he said that it was a fake marriage and should not be taken seriously.
"Since you're not afraid of rumors, what else do you have to fear? Staying with me won't be any worse than what happened, right?" After seven years, he once again slowly pushed the ring onto her ring finger, kissing her ear passionately, almost speechless. "Love me, just once."
She hugged him back, resting her forehead on his shoulder, and whispered softly between her mingled breaths: "Silly..."
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Tong Yufei still underestimated Mo Daoyan's reputation and the resulting public opinion storm.
Not only did some people call the newspaper to report her, but extremists also went to her house and surrounded her. They dug out Ye Yimo's information and her new address, slandering her for having an affair during marriage and deliberately placing her "lover" near Mo Daoyan's residence. They accused her of violating marital ethics and disgusting Mo Daoyan by delaying divorce. She was all show and no substance.
She had to apply for the company to temporarily hire two security guards to guard the press department, but the security guards could only maintain order and had no right to detain people, let alone protect the people in the newspaper. She herself was scratched twice in one day. Although she could avoid harassment when she went out for interviews, her colleagues' work was affected, forcing her to want to report the case.
"No need." Cheng Yuan raised the corner of her mouth mysteriously, picked up her briefcase and turned to leave. "A few autumn grasshoppers won't last more than a few days."
On that day, Mo Daoyan, who rarely appears in public, accepted an exclusive interview with Cheng Yuan and took the initiative to contact her.
In the interview, he first detailed the group's new product strategy, and then took the initiative to talk about the topic of love. He admitted his mistakes in the marriage and said that he was doing his best to save the relationship and that it was progressing smoothly. At the end of the interview, he seemed to inadvertently reveal that the reporter from the Morning News who had interviewed him before had taken out his anger on his lover because he failed to interview Ling Ke. Because his lover was also a reporter and competed for Ling Ke's exclusive interview, the reporter included personal opinions in the report, causing his lover to be misunderstood and attacked by the public. This violation of professional ethics made him very disappointed. On his own behalf, he would permanently refuse interviews with this media until it corrects its mistakes.
It seemed that he felt that the newspaper's coverage was not wide enough. In order to spread the news more widely, he appeared frequently on major TV stations and radio programs. After each discussion on work, he would "appropriately" mention the progress of his reconciliation with his lover and clarify the false rumors for her. Finally, he would naturally not forget to point out the false report of the reporter, and he was determined to let the whole city know that his lover was maliciously targeted.
This high-profile stance quickly took effect. The harassers at the newspaper office disappeared, and the reporter's name spread within the industry, becoming a target of public criticism.
In the evening, Tong Yufei was flipping through the newspaper and said to Mo Daoyan, "If this continues, that person will lose his job."
"Tolerance for evil is cruelty to kindness." Mo Daoyan was resolute. His goal was to get people like him out of journalism. Besides, what was a job loss? Her tactics were practically deadly. She was using him as a tool against her, completely oblivious to her own limitations. "Hasn't your suffering been enough? People like this aren't fit to write."
"The troublemakers have dispersed, and he's publicly apologized to me. With me watching over him, he won't dare do it again. Considering it's his first offense, I'll let him off the hook." Tong Yufei raised his eyes and said jokingly, "My abilities far surpass his. Wouldn't it be better if he always looks up to me throughout his career?"
"Now that things have come to this, let's see what happens next." Mo Daoyan didn't want to waste time on this kind of person, so he changed the subject. "What have you thought about what I said?"
"Which one?"
Mo Daoyan mentioned a few things to her recently.
One was remarriage. Not only was he anxious to complete the paperwork, he also wanted another grand wedding, set on the seventh anniversary of their first marriage, at the same Imperial City Hotel where Qiao Zhuoyuan had held his wedding. But she felt such a grandiose affair wasn't necessary. He was different from Qiao Zhuoyuan, a businessman who had come from a more independent background. His parents held important positions in state-owned enterprises and public institutions. Although Xinli was a private enterprise, it had close ties with universities and the government. Especially now that he was a semi-celebrity in Xicheng, his every move was closely watched. In a few years, when Chen Huaili retired, he would become the de facto leader of the group. A too-lavish wedding would tarnish his image.
"Let's skip the wedding. We can just keep the anniversary simple and have a meal somewhere." She advocates keeping things simple. "Life is for yourself. It's enough for me to understand your feelings."
The second event was the wedding of Chen Ruchao and Zhai Ning. The ceremony was scheduled for Chen Ruchao's birthday, the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. Mo Daoyan prepared a set of fine porcelain as a gift, but found it a bit monotonous and wanted her to add a painting. She painted a picture of mandarin ducks, titled "A Perfect Match." But when it came time to give the gift, she changed her mind. Although they had cleared their relationship, she had no intention of becoming friendly. Such thoughtful works should be reserved for friends who had shared hardships, like Cheng Yuan.
Mo Daoyan expressed his understanding and finally decided to follow the crowd and send an extra red envelope as compensation.
The last thing to consider was the residence. Ye Yimo's carving skills were improving day by day, and Mo Daoyan felt that if he continued to stay with Boss Sun, his talent would be buried. He planned to let him become independent and open a studio. He also negotiated with Boss Sun on the shareholding ratio, but required that the office be located separately from "Honghe Woodcarving" and be set up in the shelling room. The brother and sister would move back to their original Hongqi community.
The reason is very good. The two houses are one big and one small, and the big house is more suitable for three people to live in.
Tong Yufei felt a little reluctant to leave the house he had just carefully decorated and he hadn't even lived in it for a month.
After several discussions, Mo Daoyan compromised. He agreed to give the house in Hongqi Community to Ye Yimo for office use, and he would move in to live with her. In addition, since she was willing to remarry, he wanted to go through the remarriage procedures as soon as possible to make this relationship legitimate.
He casually flipped through the desk calendar and asked, "When are you free? Let's go get our documents."
"Wait a little longer," she replied.
She was reluctant to remarry in a hurry, and obviously still had concerns. Her first marriage was very hasty, and this time... He didn't want to urge her again and again. He just regarded it as another test and didn't insist. However, he still suggested moving in first. Otherwise, they were both busy, and if they didn't live together, he wouldn't even have the chance to accept the test.
"We have to give each other some time."
She didn't object: "Okay."
Mo Daoyan dealt with some old things in the house and made two empty rooms for Ye Yimo. He first prepared office supplies for him, applied for a business license, and hired a few workers. After everything was arranged, he packed up his daily necessities and moved into the shelling room.
"Put your wedding photos on the bedside, and this calligraphy piece is perfect for the foot." Before going to bed that night, he took out the red-bordered calligraphy piece "A Perfect Match" and said he wanted to hang it in the bedroom as a reconciliation gift. When installing it, he asked her to squat at the head of the bed to help check the height. "Lower it a little, lower it a little more, if it's too high, raise it two centimeters..."
She adjusted her posture obediently, but couldn't help wondering, "Is there something special about this angle?"
He smiled but did not answer. He hammered nails and told old jokes, some about how Xu Xian gave Bai Niangzi a hat and Bai Niangzi would not move because it was a "duckbill cap". Seeing that she did not react, he reached out to tickle her. She was not to be outdone and tried to fight back. While playing, they both fell into the soft bed. The mercerized cotton sheets were sweat-absorbent and breathable, cool and smooth, which made his breath look even hotter.
She twisted his ear lightly: "Heavy."
His palm slowly slid down from the back of her tense neck, his knuckles rubbing circles on her shoulder blades. Days of writing at her desk had made her muscles stiff, but now they gradually relaxed under his palm. His warm palm continued to wander, lingering briefly on her ribs. He looked down at her and smiled, "Want something light?"
Before he could finish his words, his lips and tongue had replaced his fingers and started over again.
His gentle kiss flowed like a spring stream, seeping into every part of his body. She gradually became unable to resist, but she did not dare to push him away, for fear of touching his wound: "Be careful."
"It's all right now." He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest, gently stroking the scabby skin. "Don't be shy tonight."
As the night deepened, the stream continued to flow, turning into a turbulent whirlpool.
She hugged him, and in the surge of emotions, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the calligraphy and painting. As long as she hugged him tightly, or bent down slightly to greet him and glanced over his shoulder, the blessing message written by her own hand would come clearly into her sight at just the right height.
Outside the window, the thunderstorm came unexpectedly again. Mo Daoyan loved rainy days like this the most. The damp and chaotic air was like a curtain, separating the two of them from the outside world. The world was shrunk to the size of a bed. There were only them in the vast world. Her uncontrollable moans came with the sound of rain, and turned into the horn of sailing in his ears.
This time, he was sure that their boat of love would eventually sail to the other side called "the future".
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