A moment of apocalyptic silence filled the car.
He Dongli had just finished her shower and applied some body lotion.
He must have meant that scent.
So she silently accepted his ventilation, but within seconds, Zong Chi rolled up both windows again.
He asked her for the dinner address.
He Dongli shared the location with him via WeChat, and after Zong Chi opened the navigation and the car started moving, he asked, “What did you tell Zou Yan?”
“Tell him what?”
“That you’re bringing an attachment,” Zong Chi said with a self-mocking tone, but a clear and cheerful smile.
He Dongli looked at her phone, then glanced at him steering the wheel single-handedly, indulging his ‘attachment theory’.
“I just asked Zou Yan if I could bring a friend along. He knows I’m not good at those highfalutin conversations at banquets. If you say one more sentence, I can say one less.”
Zong Chi smiled quietly at that but said nothing.
He could already picture how Zou would react—
Zou Yan had never dealt with her natural, tsundere awkwardness, always resisting and defying.
He Dongli heard his laugh but kept silent, going with the flow.
The car took another turn, and Zong Chi said to her, “You don’t make a living by talking, so why bother with all that pointless chatter?”
He Dongli tilted her head to look at him.
Feeling her gaze from the corner of his eye, Zong Chi turned to meet her eyes.
In less than a second, she assumed the role of a traffic inspector, saying, “Watch the road!”
The car merged into the neon-lit traffic.
Brake lights blinked repeatedly, segment after segment.
After a while, He Dongli felt as if her eyes were covered with a kaleidoscope filter, everything flickering in hexagons, flashing, extinguishing, and reviving.
She had been silent too long before finally speaking, “When did you start driving by yourself?”
He had lied to her along with Chen Xiangyang.
Zong Chi’s driving skills were far from the ‘less than three times a year behind the wheel’ story Chen Xiangyang told her.
After that kidnapping incident, Zong Chi almost always had bodyguards when he returned to the country, and a dedicated driver for his car.
The last time he lied to her was when he came out asking for the keys to the mansion, then he forced her into the car and drove them out of S City at high speed.
He Dongli was terrified and didn’t dare to argue with him in the car.
Eventually, he took her to a famous scenic mountain in A City.
On their first National Day trip together, He Dongli told him that she had been here as a child with her parents.
The deepest impression was the villa at the end of Sangtiandao—a red main building surrounded by a ring of bluestone courtyard walls, nestled in a stretch of banyan trees.
There was only this one building on Sangtiandao.
It really evoked a sense of profound change, like the vast transformation of land and sea.
At that time, Zong Chi was in conflict with his family and would never admit that this villa was a high-priced real estate investment bought by his father.
Later, they were too busy to revisit the place together in sync.
Zong Chi never expected that their first visit here would also be the last.
Inside the warm room, he bought her four or five hundred roses and lilies, no less, piled in the white porcelain brass faucet sink.
The long branches slanted under the flowing water.
He Dongli inhaled the fragrance filling the room and walked over to turn off the tap.
Zong Chi embraced her from behind.
“You said you wanted to see this house when you were a kid. Ah Li, maybe we met back then—you standing outside, and I was watching you from the window.”
He Dongli hummed softly, saying she had seen it.
She whispered his nickname, “Xiao Chi,” their last tender moment.
She knew every time she called him by his nickname, he would soften.
Her last plea to him was, “Let’s stop here, okay? I’m tired.”
She begged him to let her go.
Zong Chi looked at her indifferently and said he would let her go.
But then he lunged forward in a few steps, pulling her hand off the door handle.
He Dongli knew exactly what he wanted.
In their past arguments, he always tried to move on ambiguously like this.
After exhausting fights, she would finally let go of a lot of things.
Yes, maybe sex and love could be separated.
Otherwise, why would she be repeatedly dragged by his shameless tricks?
Her pride and dignity left bleeding at her feet.
Yet Zong Chi never cared.
He just didn’t understand that in their relationship, she had no right to call a stop—that was the real problem.
When their feelings were strong, He Dongli depended heavily on him.
Even if she couldn’t say it out loud, she knew that his unconditional favor—without any blood ties—might be the only one in the world for her.
She was no saint, no bookish machine as others saw her.
On the contrary, she was vain, shallow, ignorant, even morally flawed.
That’s why she was obsessed with and even addicted to Zong Chi’s biased affection.
She couldn’t deny that it was because of his absolute, overwhelming favoritism that she could finally exhale a breath she had held in for so long—regurgitating the filth, despair, and hopelessness she had been unable to swallow.
So she often liked to hug him without thinking, feeling the heat and fragrance on Zong Chi were real.
Even drawing energy and belonging from it.
She told him, “Sometimes you’re like a tiger, sometimes a lion, sometimes as clumsy as a bear. Flying back from all over the world anytime, like a diving falcon hunting.”
But without exception, all were fierce beasts and raptors.
Why are fierce beasts non-venomous?
Because they don’t need magic or spells.
They rely entirely on close combat—biting your artery, crushing, dragging, tearing you apart, draining your warmth and energy until the last drop of blood runs dry.
That day, Zong Chi was like that—
He Dongli felt like he wanted to devour her in his fury.
That day, she truly slapped Zong Chi.
She couldn’t even believe the strength of that slap herself.
Before, in bed, it had been mere playfulness.
That day, she utterly hated him.
At the end, Zong Chi stopped, almost with bloodshot eyes, laughing crazily as he embraced her exhausted body, then heartlessly threw her away, snarling, “He Dongli, I soften up whenever you cry. Why the hell did you run to the swimming pool? Why did you call me ashore? Why the hell did you say those things to me? Why did you provoke me knowing I’m no good?”
“I’m a despicable, shameless bastard, so how dare you provoke me! The first time I saw you, I remembered you. You think I really care about those two shitty choices of yours? And you—always cold to me, barely a word, and when you do, I’m ecstatic. He Dongli, tell me, I don’t love you?Who doesn’t love who? You, my darling for so many years, your only initiative ended up just being a tool for revenge and venting. You’re the one who loves no one.”
That night, snow began to fall.
He Dongli, exhausted, wished this heavy snow would bury her completely like a tomb.
In front of Zong Chi, she took off her clothes one by one.
She was too tired to argue or change her mind.
“Yes, if it wasn’t for Xu Xilin provoking me, I wouldn’t have come looking for you, Zong Chi. Are you satisfied now?”
“No matter how you blame me, I accept it.”
She only hoped that one day he would grow completely tired of her.
Zong Chi grabbed her clothes in a bundle, threw them back on her, and stormed out of the room, saying she could forget it.
“He Dongli, forget it.”
“I’m telling you again, the Hong Kong thing has nothing to do with you. I’ve been driving myself for a long time now, I hate having someone following me. As for you, I still remember you said you bought a car and wanted a Strawberry Bear on the rear. Are you still going to buy it, or haven’t saved enough money?”
He Dongli smiled for the first time since their reunion, “Enough, more than enough.”
Zong Chi took her smile for granted and asked, “Then why not buy it?”
“Not in the mood. It rains too much in S City.”
Zong Chi suggested, “You can buy a raincoat for Strawberry Bear.”
He Dongli turned her head and looked at him silently for a long time.
Zong Chi, focusing on the road, didn’t turn, but his voice was resolute, “If you really like it, then put a raincoat on it on rainy days.”
The rest of the way to the agreed Japanese restaurant, neither of them spoke again in the car.
At the restaurant, He Dongli gave Zou Yan’s name and led Zong Chi inside, a step behind her.
At the corner staircase, Zong Chi was checking messages or emails.
He Dongli looked back but saw no one, so she turned back and started going upstairs.
Zong Chi followed a few steps behind.
Seeing her looking back, he asked seriously, “Did you leave something in the car?”
The person a few steps ahead shook her head.
When she was about to go up again, the waiter leading them shared a knowing smile.
When the sliding door to the private room opened, three people sat opposite them.
Zou Yan sat alone, with two ladies opposite him.
Though they were not late, Zong Chi still spoke for her, “Sorry, Dr. Zou, we seem a bit late.”
Zou Yan stood up with the two ladies.
The waiter helped them change shoes and take off coats, placing their belongings nearby.
Zong Chi took off his suit jacket but didn’t immediately hand it to the waiter.
Instead, he gave it to He Dongli, who caught it for him.
When she lowered her gaze, she saw that his cufflinks were still the rare pair he had told her about.
Pearls rimmed with gold—frankly, not really his style.
She was sure his Singapore relatives must have given them to him.
With his temper, he wouldn’t wear them every day, not even if they were gifts from his mother.
Noticing where she looked, Zong Chi casually said, “Oh, I found my cufflinks. Guess where?”
Before Zou Yan could introduce his friends to them, Zong Chi leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “They were in the gap of the front passenger seat that night.”
He Dongli hardly believed a word of it.
Zou Yan led his friends over to introduce them, “This is Feng Qianxu, this is Dr. He, Dongli. This is…”
“Mr. Zong!”
Feng Qianxu, wearing a diamond-red V-neck sweater and an A-line short leather skirt, recognized Zong Chi before Zou Yan could finish.
She said she had friends who knew him and that she and Zong Chi’s mother had attended the same show.
Zong Chi roughly knew which friend she meant and, showing little interest but out of politeness, greeted her with a simple “Nice to meet you, Miss Feng.”
Amid their smooth social pleasantries, He Dongli felt a bit dizzy.
She glanced at Zou Yan, surprised and stunned that her good friend had kept her a secret—
Feng Qianxu was a rich daughter.
Though by rights, the real “heiress” was the woman beside her.
To be honest, knowing Zou Yan had a celebrity friend like this made her realize that learning about Zong Chi’s wealth and his unbearably arrogant young master airs wasn’t even the craziest thing she’d found out!
Wasn’t Feng Qianxu the celebrity who recently blew up on a variety show?
Zou Yan, you kept that from me so well!
Feng Qianxu formally greeted Dr. He, expressing a long list of thanks.
He Dongli downplayed her role, saying she just helped make the connection.
The real credit went to Zou Yan and Senior Brother Tan for the surgery.
Hearing Senior Brother Tan’s name, Zong Chi immediately recalled what Tan Zhengjin had told him—she was beautiful, sweet-talking, and efficient at work, calling him “Senior Brother” with a smile, which he quite appreciated.
Zong Chi let them exchange their polite, superficial chatter.
He felt a little slighted that she didn’t claim credit, thinking, You haven’t even contributed anything, and here I am, wasting so much effort and money on this.
Thinking this, his smile turned smug and wild.
He Dongli turned to look at him, almost glaring.
Her stare puzzled and even distracted him.
So he grabbed the disinfectant towel on the table to wipe his hands and leaned closer to ask, “What? Why are you staring at me?”
He Dongli warily asked, “What are you laughing at?”
“Am I laughing?”
She closed her eyes and looked at the air in exasperation.
When she was angry, she would give him a calm, disdainful glance—that was her most refined intellectual contempt.
Zong Chi teased her again, “I just laugh when I think of something funny.”
Just as He Dongli was about to turn her head away, Zong Chi grabbed the disinfectant towel near her hand, unfolded it, and tried to wipe her hands.
The startled woman moved quickly, and their hands both slipped under the table.
Meanwhile, Feng Qianxu, who was hosting, invited Dr. He to look at the menu.
He Dongli tried to lift her hand, but Zong Chi’s hand firmly held her wrist under the table.
Flushing slightly embarrassed, He Dongli forced a calm expression, “I-I’m fine either way, Miss Feng, you decide.”
Feng Qianxu noticed the subtle tension between the two across the table.
With a mischievous smile, she teased, “Dr. He, is there anything you don’t eat?”
He Dongli said nothing, but Zong Chi answered for her, “She doesn’t drink, but everything else is fine.”