Chapter 42

Chu Tong walked along the street alone for a long time.

She did not look at her phone, nor did she open any navigation apps, walking aimlessly.

Every single scene of her time with Shao Yihuai flashed through her mind: his gentleness and attentiveness, his fierce dominance, his casual indifference—everything remained as vivid as yesterday.

She was especially fond of the way he would lower his gaze, lazy and with a faint curl of his lips, whenever he thought she was being childish.

It was so charming.

He possessed a handsome, mature composure, with a trace of doting tenderness hidden within that smile.

In the warmth of that smile, she had truly believed she was loved.

Yet, to him, it was probably just the mindset of raising a little pet.

She thought back to the beginning, to his lack of initiative.

Now that she thought about it, that was actually just a kind of "responsibility" born from his effortless control. Yes, he probably didn't want to toy with her youth, nor did he want to take advantage of her impulsiveness, so he had left her plenty of room to think things through carefully.

Instead, she had insisted on plunging in headfirst.

Having no other choice, he had given in and started this relationship.

Fairly speaking, up until now, his treatment of her had been irreproachable. Everything was done with grace, everything was considered for her sake. He had painstakingly taught her how to play tennis, ride horses, and learn English... and prepared such a gorgeous, dreamy coming-of-age ceremony for her.

In the year and more that she had followed him, she had broadened her horizons and seen the world. When young men sent her luxury goods, it no longer filled her with panic; she could now look upon immense, towering wealth with calm indifference.

She wanted so badly to hate him, preferably hating him enough to make him feel guilty, to make him regret disappointing her wholehearted devotion, to make him think of her even on his deathbed, filling the world with such a vast resentment that even the sunset would weep blood for her.

Yet, after running through all these thoughts, she could only remember his goodness.

What fault did he have? None. He simply didn't want to share a future with her.

He had never promised her a future; what wrong had he done?

The one who was wrong was her.

Armed only with reckless bravery,
she had waged war against a stubborn stone.
Destined for defeat.

Naivety was her greatest crime.

Chu Tong clutched her chest, then covered her mouth as a wave of nausea rose within her.

After dry-heaving for a moment, she opened her palm.

Unfortunately, life was not a Cantonese pop song; she could not cough up a bleeding heart to place before him.

Growing tired of walking, she hailed a taxi.

Returning to the dormitory, she took off her coat and climbed straight into bed to sleep.

-

After the banquet ended, Shao Yihuai returned to the old family estate.

Li Jiahao was leaving Beijing for Hong Kong the next day, and as his uncle by courtesy, Shao Yihuai had to return and see him off.

Hearing from the housekeeper that the third master had returned, Li Jiahao instantly leaped up from the sofa in the third-floor living room and asked, "Where is Uncle?"

"Sir is smoking on the second-floor balcony."

Li Jiahao hurried downstairs, skipped three steps at a time, rushed to the balcony door, knocked, and pushed it open.

Shao Yihuai sat on a rattan chair, turning his head to look over. Seeing it was him, he asked, "What is it?"

Li Jiahao dashed over, stopping a few paces away from him, looking somewhat hesitant as if finding it hard to speak. "... Uncle, can you help me analyze something?"

Shao Yihuai's eyelashes half-drooped as he looked him up and down, speaking indifferently, "... Go ahead."

"I confessed."

He spoke at lightning speed.

Shao Yihuai said nothing, gazing out at the moon on the horizon.

Li Jiahao recalled the scene from earlier, "... Tongtong seemed a bit surprised."

"Mhm," Shao Yihuai didn't look at him, answering casually, "What did she say?"

"She said she'd think about it. Oh right, she also said thank you for liking her."

*Think about it.*

Shao Yihuai's gaze shifted slightly. A length of ash had accumulated on his cigarette before it finally collapsed.

After a long moment, he said calmly, "... Saying she'll think about it is a good thing; it means there's a chance."

"But I'm leaving tomorrow!" Li Jiahao said anxiously, "What should I do? Long-distance relationships are even harder to pursue."

Shao Yihuai chuckled, looking somewhat helpless. "You can't rush when pursuing someone."

"True," Li Jiahao said thoughtfully. "Then I'll just keep performing well, and come see her whenever I have free time. That should work, right?"

Shao Yihuai remained silent.

Li Jiahao continued as if talking to himself, "But she's so outstanding, so cute, and so pretty. What if other guys start pursuing her while I'm away?"

He grew so anxious he spun around in circles, as though countless people were already swarming outside Chu Tong's door, holding roses and begging to wait for her.

He muttered, "Closer waters get the moonlight first!"

-

Only then did Shao Yihuai let out a soft laugh, saying gently in Cantonese, "No worries, don't be impatient. As long as she likes you, nothing else matters."

Perhaps because it was spoken in the Cantonese dialect he was accustomed to, the sentence instantly calmed Li Jiahao down.

He nodded, "Uncle, you're right. My enemy isn't anyone else; as long as Tongtong has even the tiniest bit of affection for me, that's enough."

A faint smile touched the corners of Shao Yihuai's lips as he lowered his gaze to his fingertips. That tiny spark of fire was exceedingly faint, as though it could be extinguished at any moment. "... Tongtong appreciates you a lot. She said you're very upright and idealistic, and that your thoughts align with hers."

Li Jiahao's eyes lit up. "She actually said that?"

Shao Yihuai nodded lightly.

"Then I really do have a shot!"

Li Jiahao grew excited. "Thanks, Uncle! I'm going back to work out an itinerary. I'm going to come see her often."

"Go on."

Li Jiahao scurried away.

The young man walked with a whirlwind of energy, his footsteps thudding heavily against the floorboards.

Those thudding footsteps stepped right across Shao Yihuai's heart.

He raised a hand and took a drag from his cigarette.

His throat felt dry and itchy. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and let out a heavy sigh.

Li Jiahao was not bad.

Back then, Yi Chengze had also taken a liking to this child's fine character and decided to adopt him, even kindly letting him keep his original surname. The Yi family held sway in Hong Kong, and like the Shao family, their roots ran deep, but their family style was far more open-minded than the Shao family's. If things worked out between them, she would have a much easier time in the Yi family.

And if the young man's romance didn't last long, at the very least, Li Jiahao could lend a hand with her development in Hong Kong, preventing her from being bullied in an unfamiliar place. After all, the Yi family's status was right there—a legitimate, deeply rooted, prestigious aristocratic family.

He ought to set his mind at ease.

Completely at ease.

No matter where she went, people would be fond of her; the Yi family would like her too.

Everyone would love her.

- The next evening, after getting off work, Shao Yihuai returned to the old estate to take Li Jiahao to the airport.

"Thank you, Uncle, for troubling yourself to see me off."

"I wanted to get away for some peace and quiet anyway."

The old master's nagging had grown utterly vexing.

"Oh right, we need to detour to the West Gate of Peking University to pick up Tongtong. We agreed she'd come with me to the airport."

Uncle Zong placed the luggage in the trunk, and Shao Yihuai pulled open the front passenger door and sat in.

The Maybach drove toward the West Gate of Peking University.

Li Jiahao leaned forward, gripping the back of the front seat. "Uncle, I made an itinerary last night. I'll come back to see her next month."

Shao Yihuai gave an approving hum.

At a red light, Uncle Zong couldn't help turning his head to glance at his master.

Shao Yihuai was resting his elbow on the car door, looking out at the street, his expression obscured. Uncle Zong sighed inwardly, thinking: *Why torture yourself? Why forcefully snap it off with your own hands right now, and even push that young girl onto Li Jiahao?*

As an onlooker, he saw things clearly. The young girl liked his master—at least she still did right now. So wouldn't it be better to wait a few more years? How wonderful could those joyful years be?

Even while thinking this, Uncle Zong wasn't surprised by his master's actions—

For no other reason than that, ever since childhood, his master had accumulated far too much disappointment. Disappointed in his older brothers and sisters, disappointed in his parents' marriage, disappointed in human nature and the circle around him...

He was a sincere person, longing for untainted family affection, romantic love, and friendship. Yet within his environment, none of these existed—only hypocrisy and the exchange of interests.

Who could be mature, calm, and unfazed from childhood? It was nothing more than seeing through human nature, growing pessimistic, weary, and disillusioned.

"I see Tongtong!"

Li Jiahao pressed his face against the car window to look outside.

Uncle Zong smiled, "Don't worry, I'll pull over and park securely right away."

The girl stood in the wind of the spring evening, fresher and more gentle than the spring breeze itself.

Li Jiahao rolled down the window and called out with a smile, "Tongtong."

Chu Tong looked up, smiled, and said, "You're fast."

She got into the car.

Uncle Zong looked through the rearview mirror into the backseat and greeted her, "Good evening, Miss Chu."

Chu Tong raised her eyes, almost catching herself off guard as she saw Shao Yihuai in the front passenger seat.

She hadn't expected him to be here as well.

A turbulent storm instantly raged in her heart.

Li Jiahao noticed nothing amiss, chatting with Chu Tong all the way about her studies. Uncle Zong chimed in from time to time, making the atmosphere quite harmonious.

During the ride, Chu Tong mentioned she wanted some water. Li Jiahao rummaged through the backseat armrest box, but before he could find any, a slender-jointed hand already reached out from the gap between the front seats.

Chu Tong paused before taking it; the bottle cap had already been neatly unscrewed.

As the water slid down her throat, she felt as though she were drinking poison.

Arriving at the airport, Chu Tong and Shao Yihuai got out of the car one after the other to accompany Li Jiahao to the VIP entrance.

Watching him enter the building and walk away, Shao Yihuai turned around first.

Chu Tong turned back to see that he had already pulled open the rear car door, holding it with one hand as he waited for her to get in.

*What is this supposed to be?* she thought. *Are you still going to play the gentleman and take care of me?*

She almost wanted to strike him, curse him, grab him by the collar and demand to know what on earth he meant. But after the hurricane in her heart swept past, she swallowed hard, wordlessly bending down to slide inside.

Shao Yihuai walked around the back of the car and sat on the opposite side of the backseat.

The Maybach entered the city via the airport expressway.

After a long silence, Shao Yihuai turned to look at her, his tone flat. "... Why aren't you saying anything?"

Hearing his voice, Chu Tong felt a reflex to cry, but her pride refused to allow it. She blinked rapidly toward the window on her side to force the tears back, fell silent for a few seconds, and asked, "... Are you satisfied now?"

Her words inevitably carried a trace of spite and petulance.

She was still just a kid who hadn't learned how to remain unflappable.

"What are you referring to?"

Chu Tong was almost angry enough to laugh. She raised the partition with practiced ease, activated the frosting function, and then said, "... I said I'd consider whether or not to accept Li Jiahao."

Compared to her anger, Shao Yihuai was entirely calm, gazing intently at her. "I harbor no expectations whatsoever, so how could there be any question of whether I'm satisfied or not?"

"Then there's no need to trouble yourself harboring any expectations. My affairs are my own to manage."

Shao Yihuai frowned slightly. "Tongtong, is this how you plan to treat me from now on?"

"And how else should I?" Chu Tong turned her head to glare at him, deliberately biting out the title syllable by syllable to make it sound stiff, "Mr. Shao."

"Haven't I said before, even if we truly break up, there is no need to be so estranged from me."

"Oh, so that's how it is," Chu Tong said, dizzy with anger and speaking recklessly. "So what? Do you have a fetish for remaining friends or fuckbuddies with your ex?"

Perhaps from anger, her face was flushed red, and her mouth kept firing off words nonstop.

Shao Yihuai stared at her for a few seconds, realizing that he was actually feeling a desire for her at this moment. He raised a hand to loosen his tie, swallowed, and spoke with an indifference bordering on ruthlessness, "If you really do get together with Jiahao, then..." He paused slightly, "... you'll have to call me Uncle."

Chu Tong froze for half a second before letting out a soft scoff, her tone light. "What's so hard about that? I've called you Uncle Shao plenty of times. Did you forget?"

She was, of course, referring to those particular occasions and scenes.

Both she and he knew it well.

She would occasionally do this, deliberately provoking him to see him lose control, yet every time he would turn the tables, smiling as he murmured in a low, sexy