Chapter 102

After returning to Ning City, the first cold front of late autumn arrived, dropping the temperature suddenly for two days. When Shang Mingbao went to the botanical garden to find Xiang Feiran, she was dressed in a qipao, her nose running from the cold.

It seemed to be that researcher He who recognized her downstairs at the staff dormitory: “Oh, long time no see.”

The conversation made it seem like Shang Mingbao had just come on a brief trip.

Shang Mingbao, arms tightly wrapped around her chest, stood upright in the chilly wind. “Hello, professor.”

She had only met him a couple of times and forgot his surname, so “Hello, professor” was the safe bet.

“Are you waiting for Xiang Bo?”

Shang Mingbao nodded.

“Does he know you’re here?”

Shang Mingbao cleared her throat and casually said, “Not yet. I just came here for some fieldwork and thought if he’s free…”

Professor He nodded and said, “Go wait in the hallway, it’s windy today.”

He hurried off to the laboratory, leaving her with just a few words.

Shang Mingbao didn’t go into the hallway but found a corner sheltered from the wind and reopened WeChat to message Xiang Feiran.

“I happened to come to the botanical garden for some fieldwork. Are you around?”

Xiang Feiran had not yet replied.

He was too busy to check his phone. The past week had been filled with pressing issues for his research team, so busy that he had skipped lunch. When Professor He passed by their laboratory, he leaned back and said, “Why are you still out here?”

Xiang Feiran thought there might be a missed administrative meeting.

“You’ll freeze if you don’t go inside.”

Indeed, she was freezing, all for the sake of looking good.

After using a tissue to wipe her nose, Shang Mingbao was startled by a voice from behind her: “Why aren’t you going in to wait?”

She shivered and had a red nose from repeatedly wiping it.

Xiang Feiran’s gaze moved from her face down. She wasn’t wearing a fitted, modern qipao but a loose, classical one in willow yellow. The wind blew, making it appear as thin as paper.

“It’s not cold outside,” Shang Mingbao said, gripping the tissue tightly and resisting the urge to sniffle.

“Just came back from the rainforest, and now fieldwork again?”

Though the botanical garden’s greenhouse was one of the largest in the country, compared to the vast rainforest, it was like a simple textbook. Seeing her struggle to answer, Xiang Feiran knew the reason and asked pointedly, “Looking for me?”

Since parting ways with the recording crew, Shang Mingbao had been sending him goodnight messages.

The return flight was directly booked by Huiwen, and he was in first class. The others flew to Beijing or Shanghai, but only the two of them (three if including Essie) flew to Ning City. When they met in the first-class lounge, he had a bad feeling, and on the plane, the good news was that they weren’t seated next to each other, but the bad news was that he was next to Essie.

Essie smiled and spread her hands: “My one and only love, please take your seat.”

Xiang Feiran found Essie’s logic more disconnected than her boss’s. With his headphones on and mask covering his face, he crossed his arms and slept through the flight. Even when he woke up, he stayed closed-eyed, clearly aware of Shang Mingbao’s every move, with his forehead furrowed in annoyance.

Upon landing in Ning City late at night, he had no checked luggage and left ahead of the two girls. After returning to the botanical garden dormitory, unpacking, and showering, he stared at the pinned “Good night” message for about five minutes.

The level of ambiguity in their goodnight exchanges was always high with Xiang Feiran—he had only ever sent goodnight messages to Shang Mingbao.

Out of a sense of propriety, he finally sent a “Good night” back after tossing and turning until 3 a.m.

Shang Mingbao replied immediately: “You’re still up so late? Are you in the lab?”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

He responded: “Yes.”

Shang Mingbao: “Get some rest. You stayed up late yesterday.”

Xiang Feiran sent an “OK” emoji.

Shang Mingbao felt sad and, in the middle of the night, took her pillow to Essie’s room, asking why someone could say “I might love you for life” and yet be so cold, with only three words and an emoji in response.

Essie, having no experience in this matter, could only offer vague comfort: “Cool guys are like that.”

Now, the “cool guy” was right in front of her, wearing a loose black sweatshirt and an indifferent expression.

Shang Mingbao’s scalp tingled, and she quickly nodded: “I’m here to find you… Never mind, you carry on. I’ll just walk around.”

Xiang Feiran didn’t insist and simply said, “I’ll get you a coat.”

After taking a few steps, he noticed Shang Mingbao still standing there and stopped to look back: “Why are you standing here?”

Shang Mingbao’s heart skipped a beat, as if waking from a dream, and she jogged toward him against the wind. Her bangs had been blown out of place, forming a heart shape on her forehead.

Xiang Feiran curled his lips slightly, and Shang Mingbao didn’t understand why.

“When are you planning to change your hairstyle?” he asked abruptly.

“Hmm?” Shang Mingbao thought carefully and said seriously, “I’m afraid that if I change it, you won’t recognize me. I want to keep the feeling you like.”

Xiang Feiran stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly with a hint of suspicion: “Who taught you to say that? Your assistant?”

“How did you know?”

“She’s even more old-fashioned than you.”

“…”

They walked up the familiar staircase, from bright to dim, with a granite staircase at the corner. Step by step, Shang Mingbao, still with her arms wrapped around herself, walked silently in her soft-soled shoes. Maybe it was the lingering air conditioning or the strange words she had just said, but she felt chilly and shivered.

Not speaking, Xiang Feiran asked, “Don’t you check the weather forecast before going out? Neither does Sophie or Essie?”

Thinking of the cold New York winter, where temperatures drop below minus ten, and she would wear a formal dress with a coat or short fur, she understood. She had said before, with luxury cars and warm houses, they were a circle that didn’t need down jackets.

“I spent a long time choosing…” Shang Mingbao lowered her head, her ears turning red.

She had too many beautiful clothes, and after spending a long time in the wardrobe, she chose this outfit because it was a style he had never seen before. Although it was classical, it still looked striking on her, with a modern flair.

It was specifically chosen to meet him.

Xiang Feiran suddenly fell silent, and only at the door of the room did he remind her, “Next time, dress warmer.”

He had started leaving the door unlocked again, directly twisting the handle and pushing it open. “Want a cup of hot water?”

“Yes.”

“Pour it yourself, it’s in the same place.”

“…”

You’re so cool.

Shang Mingbao turned her gaze, asking with a hidden concern, “What should I wear?”

Xiang Feiran didn’t open the shoe cabinet and said naturally, “There are no shoes for you, so you don’t need to take off your own.”

“…Oh.”

Her bare feet were too cold, so Shang Mingbao had to follow his instructions and walked into the room with her shoes on. Luckily, her shoes were taken care of daily, so only dust was on them. Once inside, she found the direct drinking water machine and set the temperature to seventy, taking a ceramic mug with an iris flower from the cup rack.

It was hers; he hadn’t thrown it away.

Why? Had he forgotten or was he reluctant to part with it? She didn’t dare to ask, fearing that if she reminded Xiang Feiran, he might throw it away.

Holding the iris cup, Shang Mingbao leaned against the counter and sipped half a cup of hot water before asking, “Has this cup been used by someone else?”

In the bedroom, the sound of a cabinet door opening was heard. Xiang Feiran, holding the cabinet door, paused at the sound.

Used, if he was someone else.

He came back from the lab at four in the morning one day, looking at the morning star. Exhausted, his mind felt numb, and by sheer coincidence, he used her cup to drink water. After realizing it, he felt quite calm and finished the water by moonlight. Had the thin edge of the cup ever been touched by her lips?

“No,” Xiang Feiran said steadily, asking, “What do you want to wear?”

Shang Mingbao put down the mug and walked over to the bedroom door, leaning against it: “Anything is fine.”

“Don’t you want to look good?” Xiang Feiran glanced back at her and took off a black windbreaker, “If anything is fine, then wear this.”

Windproof, it was just right for today.

Shang Mingbao hurriedly accepted the windbreaker, holding it close, and for a moment didn’t move.

His bedroom was the same as before, with no changes except for a specimen painting on the wall. The sheets were new, deep gray, with a shiny, high-thread-count cotton look. The quilt was fluffy and slightly messy, with an e-reader by the pillow and books on the nightstand.

She was so absorbed in looking around that she didn’t notice Xiang Feiran standing directly in her line of sight, arms crossed, looking at her in silence.

It was one thing to be quiet, but when he was silent, it was truly torturous, as it meant he saw through everything but was too lazy to speak. His nonchalant expression made it hard to meet his gaze.

Shang Mingbao cleared her throat, quickly averting her eyes, her white and slender neck blushing under the qipao’s round collar.

“I won’t disturb you…” She found something to say, holding his windbreaker and sniffing.

Xiang Feiran placed the iris cup, which had a hint of her lipstick, in the sink and said casually, “The wind is too strong today. Go to the greenhouse and then head back. Don’t stay outside.”

“Yes.” Shang Mingbao unfolded the windbreaker and slipped her arms into the sleeves. In the mirror, she looked pitifully slender, and the clothes hanging on her shoulders made the classical qipao seem out of place.

“Zip it up,” Xiang Feiran reminded.

Shang Mingbao zipped it up and put her hands in her pockets. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say many times, but when she spoke, it came out bluntly: “Are you free this weekend?”

“Half a day on Sunday.”

“Still so busy…”

Xiang Feiran smiled. How many biology students aren’t busy? Every young person in the lab is single, and it’s hard enough to take care of their own lives, let alone think about a partner.

“Do you want to ask me out?” he asked directly, saving her from the roundabout small talk.

Shang Mingbao nodded, her fingers gripping her palms nervously: “I have a house in the city that you haven’t been to. But it’s very far…”

It’s about the same distance as his home but in the opposite direction.

Xiang Feiran said without hesitation, “Give me the address.”

Shang Mingbao’s eyes lit up: “Will you come?”

Xiang Feiran sighed slightly, with a hint of a smile in his eyes: “You came all this way to personally invite me today, I can’t let you make a trip for nothing.”

Shang Mingbao was surprised that he had seen through her so quickly. She pursed her lips and admitted, “Yeah, I feel that making a phone call or sending a WeChat message isn’t sincere enough.”

Xiang Feiran glanced at her. “You think that as long as I look at you, I won’t be able to refuse you.”

Alright, she’d been seen through again.

Shang Mingbao swallowed and, barely able to stand, quickly said, “Then I’ll wait for you on Sunday. Morning or afternoon?”

“Afternoon.”

“Okay.” She was about to leave happily when Xiang Feiran called her back.

“I’ll arrange for someone to take you; you’ll just be taking a quick look around without having come in vain.”

Shang Mingbao thought to herself that since he agreed to meet her, it wasn’t a waste of the trip.

She let him arrange for the best guide to take her on a detailed tour. Every tree and flower had interesting stories; she listened intently and recorded many voice notes.

After coming out of the greenhouse, she still wanted to visit the palm garden but was stopped by the guide: “Xiang Bo said that after the greenhouse, he will send you to the car to leave the park.”

“…Huh?”

The guide smiled, “Listen to him. It’s too cold today, and the plants are not lively. They look quite shabby.”

Shang Mingbao had no choice but to be taken to the parking lot, where she got into her silver 911. On the passenger seat was her oversized coat, which she had deliberately taken off before getting out.

The heater from the vents and the heated seats warmed her body, and she took off Xiang Feiran’s jacket and wore it in reverse.

Almost instinctively, or perhaps because she had wanted to do this for a long time, she pulled up the collar of the jacket and buried her face in it.

She would rather have an old piece of clothing from him just to smell him.

It took a full hour and a half to get home. As she crossed the courtyard from the parking lot, her small figure seemed so urgent and light against the backdrop of the vast terraced fields, almost running. As soon as she entered the house, her voice rang out: “I got him! Brother Feiran agreed to come!”

To welcome Xiang Feiran, the entire house was buzzing with activity, and even the farmers who came to tend the fields received detailed instructions.

After everything was arranged, Shang Mingbao tried to calm her racing heart and called Wen Youyi.

“Mommy, he’s coming this weekend.”

In the past year, Wen Youyi and Shang Yuye had not introduced anyone to her. When socializing, instead of the previous ambiguous statements, they clearly stated that everything depended on her feelings. As a result, many wealthy young men were eager to win her favor.

But Shang Mingbao, who lived with her two older brothers in a remote mountain area, was hard to find. They only occasionally saw her in necessary social situations. When they tried to talk to her, they felt her sweet demeanor was quite unresponsive. They also remembered the young son of the Wu family in New York, who suffered a concussion and fractures while heroically rescuing her. They said this princess was too high-maintenance for ordinary people.

Shang Mingbao often talked about Xiang Feiran with Wen Youyi because every one of her works bore his mark. To introduce her inspiration, she had to mention him.

On the first day she met Xiang Feiran on the island, she told Wen Youyi about her fear and hesitation. She didn’t mention to Wen Youyi what Xiang Feiran said about “being late.” If her mother knew about the current complications, she would also feel guilty.

“I’m so nervous,” Shang Mingbao said, clenching her fists as she pushed open the door to the glass greenhouse in the backyard.

Her monthly electricity bill was tens of thousands, and the police had come, suspecting she was growing illegal plants in this remote countryside.

“He asked me that day, if we hadn’t met here, when I planned to find him. I couldn’t answer well,” Shang Mingbao stood outside the greenhouse. The cold front had passed, and the weather was neither cold nor hot, but her nose was running frequently.

“Why couldn’t you answer well?” Wen Youyi asked, “What’s your answer in your heart?”

“Once I have things sorted out, I’ll go find him. Even if it’s only mostly sorted out, I’ll still go find him. I’m almost ready.”

“Then just tell him the truth.”

“He asked me if, if I couldn’t sort things out well, would I never look for him again.”

Wen Youyi detected her hesitation and guilt: “That’s the truth. But now you’re eager to win him back and find this statement very harsh, fearing he might take it to heart. You’re afraid to be so honest, trying hard to embellish it, and knowing that he will see through any embellishments, so you feel unable to answer well.”

Shang Mingbao leaned against the glass wall. For what Wen Youyi said, she only needed to reply with an “Mm.”

“Babe, I think a healthy relationship can accommodate such honesty,” Wen Youyi pondered, “A room, if it’s messy, it’s messy. Once it’s organized, it’s organized. If it’s messy, the people in it step back and wait until it’s organized again; otherwise, it’s uncomfortable to stay in. If it takes a long time to organize or if the layout changes, it’s just a matter of timing. Just be honest with him.”

Shang Mingbao nodded.

“Don’t use intense oaths or promises to embellish or prove yourself. The more intense, the sharper, the more harmful.”

Shang Mingbao’s heart calmed a little.

Wen Youyi smiled, “How are those flowers you were trying to cultivate? Have they been successfully introduced and domesticated?”

“Not yet…” Shang Mingbao replied, waving to the horticultural assistant inside the greenhouse through the glass.

“Don’t rush. If they had succeeded in just a year, they would have succeeded before.”

Shang Mingbao ended the call and pushed open the glass door to go inside.

The air conditioning inside was abundant, and the powerful cooling machine ran non-stop for twenty-four hours, making her shiver.

On the half-moist soil covered with knotgrass, cobalt-blue flowers are blooming. The horticultural expert from Singapore, who boasts of having successfully cultivated and flowered a green velvet mallow, is observing and recording each flower and every experimental soil with seeds in this flowerbed.

“City weather isn’t suitable for it. These plants can bloom entirely because you provide air conditioning.”

Shang Mingbao crouched down, lifting a flower that had slightly closed due to the cloudy weather with her fingers: “I know, that’s why I asked you to come. You are one of the few experts in the world who can cultivate green velvet mallow, and I trust you.”

“However, with all due respect, the ornamental value of this creeping herbaceous flower is far less than that of the green velvet mallow. Even if it is successfully cultivated, it will be difficult to return economic benefits.”

He had given this advice before. Shang Mingbao smiled and responded as usual, “I just want it.”

“Well…” The Singaporean mixed-race old man shrugged.

---

On Sunday, after the cold wave had completely passed, the weather warmed up again, returning to a temperature suitable for wearing short sleeves.

Xiang Feiran followed the navigation all the way to this village near the city boundary. This administrative district is remote, and he rarely comes here. Along the way, banana trees and fig fields stretch out, and pink silk cotton trees bloom brightly along the embankment. After passing two resorts and a golf club, he finally entered a cement-paved village road at a fork in the road.

On one side of the village road are rice fields and fruit orchards, while the other side is lined with continuous village houses.

The village houses in this city resemble those in urban villages, with rectangular small bricks of light yellow or brick red forming the facade, silver-white anti-theft windows with a fence design, and no external balconies because each usually has its own yard. However, this does not prevent every household from placing a few pots of evergreen and bougainvillea on the windowsills, and inserting a golden lucky windmill brought from a temple. Since it is the end of the year, these windmills have faded in color from exposure to the wind and sun and will be replaced with new ones for the New Year.

Against this simple and chaotic landscape, a white building suddenly comes into view in the distance. Xiang Feiran tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

As he got closer, he became flustered, unable to focus on the music, which only added to his irritation.

Xiang Feiran turned off the radio, rolled down the car window, and let the warm wind from the rice fields come in.

There was no doubt that the original location and design of this building were done by a professional team. After turning a corner, the red and green village houses and power lines completely disappeared from the landscape, and the entire view opened up to a picturesque scene of lush green terraced fields and towering coconut trees.

Shang Mingbao’s voice came through on the phone. Xiang Feiran held the receiver to his ear and heard her voice: “Feiran, have you found it?”

It sounded a bit sweet.

Xiang Feiran parked the car and stepped out to smoke a cigarette.

Ten minutes later, the Benz’s wheels made a continuous scraping sound on the white gravel path. Shang Mingbao, who had been pacing at the front entrance, immediately came out to greet him. Xiang Feiran, already a bit absent-minded, abruptly hit the brakes when he saw her, his heart rate spiking.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Shang Mingbao showed no fear, her eyes only on him. She bent down outside the driver’s window: “As long as you’re not lost.”

After getting out of the car, Shang Mingbao continued, “It’s already one o’clock. Afternoon time starts from twelve.”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

She resembled how she was when he made a special trip to the East District to see her, even counting a delay of a few minutes—though it was she who was late then.

The large villa and yard were empty, with no servants, no gardeners, not even Sophie and Essie.

“They went on vacation,” Shang Mingbao said seriously. “Now it’s just the two of us here.”

“…”

Shang Mingbao stumbled a bit and added, “I don’t mean anything else…”

Xiang Feiran glanced at her: “No misunderstanding.”

Shang Mingbao felt inexplicably nervous, forgetting all the topics and routes she had rehearsed earlier. To avoid an awkward silence, she quickly said, “Let me show you around the house, Brother Feiran.”

It was like the guest arrived but wasn’t offered a seat.

Xiang Feiran, using the opportunity to stretch his muscles, nodded, “You arrange it.”

Shang Mingbao pulled out two bottles of water from the fridge by the pool, “This is the pool.”

Xiang Feiran: “Mm, I recognize it. I’ve seen it before.”

Shang Mingbao: “…”

She first blushed with embarrassment, then couldn’t help but laugh. Her lips couldn’t be kept shut, so she simply leaned on the water bar and laughed out loud.

Xiang Feiran looked at her and calmly took a sip of water.

Shang Mingbao laughed so hard that sweat appeared on her neck: “This seems to be the funniest joke you’ve ever told.”

Xiang Feiran slightly curved his lips: “Continue, guide.”

Incredibly, after the freezing weather, there was such a strong warmth.

The sun was so intense that one could hardly stand it. Shang Mingbao led him, walking in the shadow of the house and trees.

“I moved here at the beginning of this year. Originally, my brother and sister wanted me to live near Yun Gui to look after each other, but I found it too neat, just like the typical rich man’s manor.” She spoke calmly and leisurely, “I like the tranquility of the countryside, especially in the afternoon. The sound of insects and the wind moving through the plants remind me of the feeling of being at my grandfather’s place, in the wild.”

Xiang Feiran realized that this house always reminded her of him.

If they lived by the sea, maybe the feeling he brought her would have been washed away by the daily waves.

In one’s life, there are always a few fragments of summer nights—whispers while resting on mother’s shoulder being patted to sleep, the glow of fireflies, the chirping of crickets, the rich scent of lush plants, moths under the light—those fragments are home, and even in tea rooms, remembering them brings a sense of belonging to the heart.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Here’s the translation of the text:

---

He is her summer, replacing all the lofty views in her past life.

Shang Mingbao looked up, gazing at Xiang Feiran’s profile, which was illuminated from behind, with its exquisite bone structure: “Feiran gege, if possible, I would like to become a seed, planted in the soil, to experience and feel like a plant.”

If she could, she would use the form of a plant to remember and recall you, like a plant. The time and feelings you gave me would nourish me, and I would sprout and bloom again. That yellow wood sorrel in the Roman ruins, although dormant for over two thousand years, has not forgotten; it’s merely asleep. As long as it bathes in sunlight, it will remember its mission and break through the soil to bloom.

Shang Mingbao thought about this sentiment deeply, but she found it hard to express these feelings in words. She wasn’t sure if Xiang Feiran understood.

A faint crackling sound came from a water bottle being squeezed.

Shang Mingbao quickly smiled and changed the subject: “Let me show you the plants I’ve grown. Essie has a large wall of tropical plants, and there’s a very beautiful Monstera deliciosa.”

Xiang Feiran picked up on her comment: “Has your flower-growing skill improved?”

“No,” Shang Mingbao replied, feeling guilty and somewhat dejected.

Xiang Feiran smiled: “That’s normal. All five of the botanists in my team are also plant killers like you.”

Shang Mingbao held up a finger, seriously: “But I managed to keep an aloe vera plant alive.”

Plants that thrive when simply thrown into the soil have more vitality than weeds—well, she has killed weeds before.

Embarrassed, Shang Mingbao tried to redirect his attention: “Let’s go back to the house. The tropical plant wall and the studio are inside. Which one would you like to see first?”

Xiang Feiran: “I’d like to sit down first.”

“…”

She was practically sweating: “I’m sorry! I’ve been dragging you around everywhere and forgot to ask you to sit down…”

What if, while she was speaking those emotional words, Xiang Feiran was thinking it was too sunny and hot?

Every exterior wall of the house has a view, and each is furnished with tea tables and wicker chairs. There are always flowers in the vases.

A house can reflect a person’s demeanor. Shang Mingbao’s home isn’t luxurious; bamboo shadows cast on white walls, koi fish scattered in a pond. It’s very unlike the person who loves wearing stylish high school uniforms.

From a distance, they saw a glass house, rectangular and spacious, reflecting a hard light under the sun.

“A flower house?” Xiang Feiran squinted. The design could only be for a flower house.

“No,” Shang Mingbao denied quickly, almost biting her tongue. “It used to be a flower house, left by the previous hotel owner. I haven’t organized it yet; it’s full of clutter.”

Unrealized things shouldn’t be used to boast in front of him.

Xiang Feiran didn’t take it to heart. After she denied it, he shifted his gaze. After replying to a couple of WeChat messages, he asked: “How’s your dog doing?”

“Odin? He’s in Hong Kong. Here, he’s always fighting with a golden retriever in the village… and he’s losing.”

Xiang Feiran gave a faint smile.

“Grandpa…” Shang Mingbao licked her lips, gathering her courage to ask, “Is he doing alright?”

“Not bad. The doctor also finds it amazing.” Xiang Feiran glanced up, “When we were discussing marriage before, you should have mentioned this condition. We might have made plans earlier.”

Shang Mingbao suddenly felt uncomfortable: “It’s just… it only means one less obstacle, not as a condition, or that my family and I were hoping for this.”

“I know, it’s a very practical matter,” Xiang Feiran’s smile carried a hint of irony. “I just find it hard to understand the completeness built on this condition.”

Shang Mingbao nodded: “Yes. Grandpa will be fine. Our matter has nothing to do with him. Even if we get back together, I pray every day for his long life.”

Xiang Feiran said nothing, lowering his eyelashes and unscrewing the bottle to drink water.

Shang Mingbao felt like she was sunstruck, becoming an incurable optimist. He didn’t deny the word “even if,” and he didn’t deny the possibility of them getting back together.

“Feiran gege, I… I want to kiss you.”

Xiang Feiran choked and started coughing.

Shang Mingbao was extremely frustrated. Why did Xiang Feiran get her first kiss so easily, but now she has to give a notice?

But she didn’t have the skill and technique to deal with men. With other men, she was always a princess with sky-high expectations; the only man she has ever dealt with is him.