After eating this bowl of hot grass jelly, the group of bigwigs who had originally wanted to play late into the night all dispersed tactfully.
Li Xiaoheng drove Tao Mu back to the hotel. During this period, Tao Mu also suggested to Li Xiaoheng: “Since you think we should treat each other honestly, then don’t always be so perfect. And don’t blindly accommodate me. If you always show an unconditional tolerance for me, it will make me feel very insecure. I don’t know if your tolerance will only last during the romantic period. Once the enthusiasm subsides, you will feel that all the concessions and compromises you have made for this relationship are not worth it.”
Moreover, in response to Li Xiaoheng’s theory that he was a seasoning pot, Tao Mu also said: “When two people get along it is like putting two different ingredients in a pot. If you want to live a flavorful life then seasoning must not be lacking. For example, you worked so hard to make a birthday cake for me, but after preparing for so long, I complained that the cake is too sweet and not delicious at all. It might not matter to you if this happens once or twice. But after a longer period of time, wouldn’t you feel that I just don’t care about your hard work and dedication, and instead only know how to pick at faults. Wouldn’t you feel very tired? When you are too tired to maintain this relationship, yet feel too embarrassed to tell me, what should I do when you finally choose to quietly betray me then?”
Tao Mu’s words were also from his heart. After all, when he was with Zhuo Yan in his previous life, he paid too much attention to his own emotions and didn’t pay enough attention to Zhuo Yan’s changes. In the end, he didn’t even know when Zhuo Yan started to feel tired of him and didn’t want to maintain their relationship or when did he even fall in love with Shen Yu.
After reliving life over, Tao Mu was not sure which step he and Li Xiaoheng could take. But at least when it came to romantic relationships, he didn’t want to go back to the old ways.
CEO Li, who had a minor in psychology, keenly picked up from Tao Mu’s words that there seemed to be a deeper meaning behind them. After he pondered for a while, he nodded and admitted: “What you said also makes sense. Then from now on, I will try my best to convey my feelings to you. If either of us have something to say, then we can just say it openly. If there is an argument because of different opinions, then we’ll just simply have a fight. But after the fight, we must make up.”
Seemingly realizing that such a request seemed like it was something to be taken for granted, Li Xiaoheng paused for a moment, then added: “Even if we don’t reconcile immediately, we are not allowed to run away from home, not allowed to avoid answering each other’s phone calls, and not allowed to deliberately show intimacy with outsiders, just for the sake of angering each other.”
So, just what kind of movies do you usually watch?
Tao Mu glanced at Li Xiaoheng with a strange look, nodded and said, “Okay.”
“Then when we go back, let’s sign a memo first.” It was his first time in a relationship, and he really didn’t have much experience. Li Xiaoheng could only try his best to connect the unfamiliar field to one he was familiar with. All his actions were serious and conservative. Their relationship had only been confirmed for less than a year, and already who knew how many contracts, letters of intent and memorandums had been signed. Now even supplementary clauses have begun to be included. The standard of requirement for his lover was exactly what he would ask of a business partner. If outsiders could see this, it was estimated that they would only think that the relationship mode between these two people was quite bizarre indeed.
Fortunately, Tao Mu was also willing to cooperate with Li Xiaoheng. It could only be said that what kind of lid goes with what kind of pot.
When they got back to the hotel, it was already two o’clock in the morning. Li Xiaoheng had Tao Mu go rest after washing up, while he stayed in the study to write up the memo and then show it to Tao Mu the next morning. Then wait until the evening when the two could discuss the details of the memo. If there was no issue, they would then sign.
Tao Mu didn’t agree: “Didn’t we agreed to meet frankly and get to know each other in depth. The process of drafting a memo together is also a process of mutual understanding. We can feel each other’s thoughts more intuitively.”
Li Xiaoheng thought for a while and said, “Alright.”
So the two really discussed in the study for more than an hour. Later, Li Xiaoheng felt that sitting so upright and discussing the details of the memo seemed very distant. So the two went to the bathroom to take a shower, dried their hair, and went back to the bedroom to lie down. Li Xiaoheng also opened a bottle of red wine, and the two discussed while drinking.
Then, in the process of discussing it, they fell asleep together.
At 7:30am the next day, when Li Xiaoheng was woken up by the alarm, Tao Mu was still asleep.
Mr. Li quickly pressed the alarm and collected the A4 papers, pen and laptop that were spread out on the bed. When he checked the memo carefully, he found that there were many hilarious clauses on the memo——
For example, Tao Mu didn’t like to eat western food, but because of Li Xiaoheng’s eating habits, he was willing to accompany CEO Li to eat western food. But Mr. Li was not allowed to feel embarrassed that Tao Mu wanted a well-done steak. Because he really couldn’t eat medium-rare steak; and Tao Mu didn’t like peeling apples before eating them, but Mr. Li felt that apples must be peeled to avoid pesticide residues…..
“What are you laughing at?” Li Xiaoheng was looking down at the memo when he heard a sleepy voice sound behind him.
Tao Mu walked out of the bedroom in his pajamas, his hair a bit messy, and his face was covered in pillow marks. He rubbed his eyes and asked Li Xiaoheng at the door of the bedroom.
Li Xiaoheng turned his head, raised the memorandum in his hand, and said to Tao Mu, “Looking at the memo we discussed last night. By the way, one of the items in it stipulates that you are not allowed to rub your eyes with your hands.”
Tao Mu’s hand rubbing his eyes paused slightly, and he immediately said, “I’m going to wash my face.”
Li Xiaoheng fluttered his big and bushy wolf tail leisurely, followed after Tao Mu, and also entered the bathroom: “I didn’t know it before, turns out you like to eat well-done steak. Don’t you feel that it tastes a little tough?”
“A bit, but I feel nauseous if it’s not fully cooked.” Since he promised they meet each other frankly, Tao Mu naturally wouldn’t be secretive about his living habits and food preferences. In Li Xiaoheng’s words, concealing such a thing for the sake of face was indeed asking to suffer.
Li Xiaoheng nodded, leaned on the door frame and asked, “I have a bad stomach, and spicy food makes me uncomfortable. But I also like spicy food, what should I do?”
“You can eat slightly spicy food. Eat a little less. Or in the future, cook half of the food spicy and half of the food non-spicy.” Since he didn’t want to treat himself or the other badly, he could only go out of his way. Fortunately, Tao Mu and Li Xiaoheng could cook, so even if it was troublesome, it was not too troublesome.
Li Xiaoheng continued to look through the memo, and then said: “We even discussed the decoration plan of the new house in the memo…..You actually want to decorate it yourself. Isn’t that tiring?”
Mr. Li believed that there was a specialization in each industry, and the householder only needed to make a request, and the rest should be left to the designer and the decoration team.
“I mentioned that?”
Tao Mu stood under the shower and raised his head, rubbing his face while recalling carefully, he really couldn’t remember what he talked about last night.
“Yes.” Li Xiaoheng nodded with great certainty. Looking at the bolded and underlined words on the memorandum, Mr. Li said, “You emphasized it many times, that you must decorate it yourself.”
“I forgot.” Tao Mu washed his hair and started to apply the shower gel: “Anyway, neither of us have the time. Let’s just leave it to the decoration team.”
Li Xiaoheng frowned and said, “I think we can make a compromise. We’ll personally go to the building materials market to select materials, then go to the furniture store to select furniture and electrical appliances, communicate our ideas with the designer carefully, and when the decoration team begins the job, we can just follow up from time to time.”
To a certain extent, this could also be considered as being involved in the entire home decoration plan.
Tao Mu lowered his head and rinsed off the shower gel. He didn’t have his own home in his previous life, and after being driven out of the Shen family manor, he had been living with Zhuo Yan. The only house under Tao Mu’s name was bought by him using the money he had accumulated over the years. During the decoration, he was filming in other places, and Zhuo Yan handed over the decoration matters to the decoration team. When Tao Mu returned to Shanghai, what he saw was a new house so beautiful that it could be used as a model house for a home designer magazine. Although all the decoration details and furniture were made according to Tao Mu’s preferences, Tao Mu had never felt a sense of belonging.
He also barely lived in that house. Even after he broke up with Zhuo Yan, he only moved into a hotel room and never stayed there.
So last night, Tao Mu probably made such an unrealistic request on a whim——a duplex of nearly 200 square meters, yet he actually wanted to decorate it himself. It was estimated that even if Tao Mu exhausted himself he still wouldn’t be able to renovate the whole place by himself——this dude had failed his junior high school physics class, and he couldn’t even connect an electric wire.
Li Xiaoheng held the memo, and looked seriously at Tao Mu’s good figure that was being caressed by the warm water, and suddenly asked, “Would you like your back rubbed?”
“No need.” Tao Mu rinsed the foam off his body and was about to come out, when CEO Li suddenly took off his pajamas and squeezed in, turning on the shower again: “Then let’s start practicing!”
Tao Mu quickly covered Mr. Li’s mouth with quick hands. Feeling Mr. Li’s warm lips kissing his palm, he said without hesitation, “You didn’t brush your teeth this morning!”
Li Xiaoheng gave Tao Mu an exasperated look, and could only step out of the shower dripping wet. Going to the sink, squeezing toothpaste and complaining: “I think we need to add a note to our memo, lovers have to be romantic occasionally.”
“I also think we should add one more to the memo. For example, lovers have to be hygienic at all times.”
Tao Mu walked out with a smile, wrapped a large bath towel around his waist, and took another towel to wipe his hair, smoothing it back away from his forehead.
Li Xiaoheng looked at Tao Mu through the mirror, and suddenly said, “After returning to Beijing, let’s decorate your place together.”
Tao Mu wiped his hair and said, “There’s no need to go to the trouble.”
His face was tightly covered by the towel: “The online shopping platform is soon to go online. You must be very busy with your work after returning to Beijing. I will do it myself. If I am too busy, I can find my Yao Dad and Xiao Qi Dad for help.”
Anyway, August was still summer vacation. He had at least half a month to keep a watch on the renovating/decorating.
“No matter how busy I am, I can still spare this time.” Li Xiaoheng said lightheartedly, “It’s also the home I will live in in the future. I have to at least make sure that after the renovation, I will be able to live there comfortably.”
Tao Mu’s hand rubbing his hair paused for a moment, and then he said with a complicated tone, “That’s also fine.”
Li Xiaohengg smiled slightly, and after taking a shower, he went to communicate with Assistant Jiang about the itinerary after returning to Beijing.
CEO Li had to meet with clients at 9:30 and left after breakfast. Tao Mu had just finished filming, and was completely free of any burden. He changed into a set of casual clothing and sauntered to the next room, ready to discuss with him Yao Dad, Xiao Qi Dad and their old man where to play today.
After the discussion, everyone unanimously decided to go out to buy some souvenirs before leaving Hong Kong, and give them to relatives and friends after returning to Beijing. Tao Mu directly asked the hotel to send a car to follow them. The family of four headed directly to the mall.
——Then ran into the third young master of the Lin family who was out accompanying his recent hook-up to go shopping in the mall.
Comment