TIL - 45

It was already noon. Chen Cheng’s phone rang at an inconvenient time, but he ignored it. Then the doorbell rang, and he didn’t answer that either. It wasn’t until Tang Jun’en brought the fire department and broke down the door that he finally lifted his eyelids slightly and said, “Get out.”

Seeing that he was fine, Tang Jun’en turned and led the firefighters to the outer hall, talked to them, and then, following procedure, handled the paperwork. After seeing the fire department off, Tang Jun’en walked wearily over to him and sat down. “I thought you were dead.”

Chen Cheng took a sip of wine. “You get wasted all the time and you’re fine.”

Tang Jun’en said, “It’s because that’s normal for me, but it’s not normal for you. That’s why I was worried. Is it so surprising for me to act crazy? It’s surprising when you act crazy.”

“I’m fine.”

Tang Jun’en didn’t even want to expose him. “You’re fine? It must hurt like hell, right?”

Chen Cheng didn’t say anything.

Tang Jun’en used to think, what could a relationship do? Could it turn the world upside down? Who knew that Chen Cheng’s relationship really would turn the world upside down? It was such a dramatic relationship, and he, a mere mortal, was not worthy of having one. He took out his phone and showed Chen Cheng a photo he had taken that morning. “Don’t say I’m not a good brother, this is all for you.”

The photo was of Wen Huo. After he couldn’t find Chen Cheng that morning, he went to Wen Huo’s place. He found out her address, but when he got to her building, he didn’t dare go up. He didn’t have the right. To his surprise, Wen Huo and her mother came out of the lobby. He quickly snapped a photo and showed it to Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng took the phone. Wen Huo’s arms and legs looked very thin in the photo, so he could only imagine what she looked like in real life. Her dark circles were so heavy, and her eyes were lifeless, with no sign of vitality.

Tang Jun’en sighed. “I can’t figure out this girl. Does she like you or not? If not, why is she treating herself like this?”

Chen Cheng knew she wasn’t treating herself like this on purpose; it was because she couldn’t sleep. He felt a pang of heartache, and his depression was about to become impossible to hide. He pressed his lips together and forced back some of the negative emotions. He had to do something. Being held hostage by his emotions and his illness was so unlike Chen Cheng. He never bowed his head. Thinking this, he stood up and strode upstairs.

Tang Jun’en also stood up and looked at his hurried back. “What’s wrong with you?”

Chen Cheng showered, shaved, and changed his clothes. When he came out, he asked Tang Jun’en, “How do I look?”

Tang Jun’en leaned back to get a full view of his imposing figure. “Yeah, not bad. No, where are you going?”

Chen Cheng turned and went back to his walk-in closet to pick out a tie. “To find someone.”

Tang Jun’en followed him. “To find that girl?”

Chen Cheng didn’t answer. He picked one and put it on. He was quite skilled at putting on a tie. He was a person who could take good care of himself in life, not one of those wealthy people who expected things to be handed to them. His secretary never had to send his suits to the dry cleaners, never had to pick up his packages, and never had to go to his house every day to wake him up or pick out his clothes for him, like a nanny who takes care of every little detail. He could do everything himself.

Tang Jun’en sat on the sofa and crossed his legs. “So when you see her, do you know what you’re going to say? Do you want me to give you some pointers? I’m telling you, with a girl in her early twenties, all you have to do is throw money at her. That’ll get her confused for sure.”

Chen Cheng disagreed. “That’s a prejudice.”

Tang Jun’en smacked his lips and changed his posture. “Don’t be so disbelieving. Money really works, or you could try seduction. Do you know how to seduce her? Remember to open your suit a little later, and it’s best if your six-pack abs are visible through your shirt. The effect will be amazing.”

Chen Cheng stopped what he was doing. “That’s exaggerated.”

Fine. Tang Jun’en didn’t even want to give him advice anymore. Getting into a relationship with this guy was harder than climbing a mountain. He had never seen anyone’s love life as dramatic as Chen Cheng’s, causing a huge public scandal.

Chen Cheng finished getting ready and sniffed himself. He thought he no longer smelled of alcohol, but he was afraid his nose had been soaked in alcohol for too long and wasn’t working properly anymore, so he walked toward Tang Jun’en. “Do I still smell like alcohol?”

Tang Jun’en deliberately played a prank, leaning in and taking a sniff. “You smell wonderful, Teacher Chen. That perfume must not be cheap, right?”

Chen Cheng pushed his face away. “Go away.”

Tang Jun’en saw that his state had returned somewhat and was relieved. “Alright, alright, I’m leaving. I wish you the best. Hopefully, you can bring your little darling to the auction next week.”

________________________________________

Wen Huo hadn’t slept all night, so she set aside two hours after lunch to rest. As she lay down, something poked her in the waist. She picked it up; it was Chen Cheng’s phone. He hadn’t asked for his phone back recently, and she didn’t have a compelling reason to think about him, so she thought she would soon forget him, right? Thinking this, she felt a sense of liberation and ease, but also a little emptiness. She thought about how she had gotten into such a strange and dramatic situation all because she was swept up by an older man. It was quite a thing to reflect on.

She was toying with the phone when it suddenly rang. It slipped from her hand and hit her in the face. She picked it up. It was the number Chen Cheng had called her from before. Was he going to swap phones now? She answered the call. She didn’t say anything, and neither did the person on the other end.

Two minutes passed, and she was about to hang up when Chen Cheng finally spoke. “Do you have time?”

“To swap phones?”

“Yes.”

“Call me when you get to the Wanliu shopping mall.”

“Okay.”

Wen Huo wasn’t going to tell him her current address. Wanliu Hualian was a good spot. She would swap phones and then they would go their separate ways. She got up from the bed, put on a thick hoodie and a pair of capris, looking casual and relaxed.

When she left, Ruan Lihong had just finished a phone call. “Where are you going? I made an appointment with a psychiatrist at four.” Although Wen Huo no longer wanted to get better and didn’t think she could, she didn’t want to hurt Ruan Lihong, so she accepted all her arrangements. “Yes, I remember. I’ll be back in a little while.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“No need, I’m just going to Wanliu to buy some things.”

Ruan Lihong saw her insistence and didn’t say anything else. As soon as Wen Huo left her house, Chen Cheng called to say he had arrived. She frowned slightly. Was he just in the neighborhood? Or did he already know her address? So fast?

She asked him to meet her at the COSTA COFFEE. She saw him as soon as she walked in. A person like Chen Cheng seemed out of place in a small, middle-class coffee shop, but no one was looking at him. His table was in a secluded spot. And in Beijing, people are often not curious about who is nearby or what’s going on.

She walked over and sat down, placing her phone on the table. “Where’s mine?”

Chen Cheng had been staring at her since she walked in until she sat down in front of him. She was really too thin. He didn’t say anything. He picked up his phone and looked at the album first. As expected, Wen Huo had deleted all of his photos and videos. He put the phone down and said, “You deleted my things.”

“You took pictures of me.”

“I took them. I own the copyright. At most, you have the right to your likeness, but I’m not using them for commercial purposes, so your right has no value. You had no right to delete my things.”

Wen Huo laughed. “Did you have my permission to take so many... photos like that?”

She looked as arrogant as she had when they first met. Chen Cheng felt like he was having a flashback. “Did you have my permission to seduce me?”

Here we go again. Wen Huo didn’t want to argue with him. “One question: Are we swapping or not?”

Chen Cheng wouldn’t swap. “I said, you have to give it back to me in the same condition I lost it. You’ve deleted my photos, so I can’t swap with you.”

“You lost it? How can you say that? Didn’t you swap it? Did you think that just because I was emotional, my intelligence went out the window?” Wen Huo couldn’t listen to his shamelessness anymore.

“Do you have any proof that I swapped it?”

Wen Huo was left speechless.

“If you don’t have proof, what are you arguing with me about?”

Wen Huo had already deleted them. “I’ve already deleted them. What do you want me to do?”

Chen Cheng said casually, “If you can’t get them back, then let me take them again.”

Wen Huo stood up abruptly, and the chair legs scraped against the floor, making a sharp noise. “You’re sick!” she said and walked away. She was also sick to believe an old fox like Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng was not in a hurry. He sent her a text message. “If you really can’t get them back, help me with one thing, and I’ll agree to swap phones.”

Wen Huo stopped, looked at the text message, thought for a moment, and replied, “What?”

Chen Cheng said, “Yiyi is sick, and her nanny is on leave. I have a bit of a cold myself and am afraid of cross-contamination, so I can’t take care of her.”

Wen Huo knew that Yiyi was his daughter, or rather, his adopted daughter now. “You want me to take care of her for you?”

“Just for one night. Come home with me.”

“Just to take care of your daughter.”

“Just to take care of my daughter.”

“Okay. After one night, we swap phones, and then you go your way and I’ll go mine. I’m recording this. If you don’t keep your word, I’ll expose you.”

“Okay.”

No matter how shameless he was, he wouldn’t joke about a child like Yiyi, so Wen Huo believed that Yiyi being sick was true. She didn’t trust Chen Cheng, but she could trust a child.

Indeed, Yiyi was sick, but Chen Cheng’s agreement to go their separate ways was not because he genuinely agreed to it. It was because he wasn’t afraid of being exposed. So what if he was?