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Chapter 54
Shang Mingbao unscrewed Xiang Feiran’s thermos, took a small sip to soothe her throat, and listened to the sounds outside the room.
The voices seemed to have stopped? The windows and doors were closed, so she couldn’t hear the details of the conversation, only the murmurs of voices. Xiang Feiran’s back was just down the corridor, which reassured Shang Mingbao. She dared not move and pulled out a chair to sit quietly by the desk, waiting.
“You’ve misunderstood.” Xiang Feiran’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly issued an eviction order: “Please leave now that you’ve said what you needed to.”
“You’re rarely back in the country; won’t you have a meal with Dad?” Xiang Weishan retracted his gaze, the sunlight piercing his pupils, and he squinted slightly.
He had three wives. The first wife, Tan Shuoyue, gave him Xiang Feiran; the second wife bore him a son and a daughter; and now the third wife, who is pregnant with their first child, is currently in the U.S. for her confinement.
Each wife, besides bearing children, brought tangible benefits to Xiang Weishan. Tan Shuoyue, the only daughter of a scholarly family, provided him with resources that were hard to describe in that era. With her own exceptional qualities and good connections, Tan Shuoyue helped Xiang Weishan create a refined and enviable image.
The second wife, from a typical merchant family, provided a significant financial boost for Xiang Weishan’s second crucial decade. For sensitive matters, Xiang Weishan never asked Xiang Lianqiao to step in, partly because Xiang Lianqiao was incorruptible and might be unwilling, and partly because Xiang Weishan preferred to maintain his image for future needs. Therefore, the second wife’s family became his operational glove in such matters.
The third wife was a more dazzling academic star than Tan Shuoyue. While Tan Shuoyue was indifferent to fame and her research had little commercial impact, the third wife held several patents essential to Xiang Weishan, and his lab and funding were just what she needed. Thus, their partnership was a perfect match.
In mid-life, Xiang Weishan was very satisfied with everything. However, the perfect situation made the imperfect part stand out and feel painful—he had no child to inherit his career.
The custody of the second wife’s children was with him. The younger daughter was studying her undergraduate degree domestically, and the son was pursuing a master’s degree at Harvard in the U.S. Both had mediocre performance, and their expenses were lavish, with monthly reports from the secretary never falling below several hundred thousand.
Xiang Weishan had crafted an impressive academic resume for this son, supported by a top-notch team. However, false credentials cannot become true. This resume could fool outsiders and investors but not the academic community or Xiang Weishan. The thought of having launched an academic fraud himself was embarrassing to him, and the phrase “a tiger’s father has no dog son” felt harsh.
As for the third wife’s stepson, Xiang Weishan was not generous enough. As for the unborn child, he did not even consider it, not wanting to bet on something as far-off as seventy years.
The sunlight pierced into Xiang Weishan’s pupils, which were like a calm, bottomless pit. Looking at Xiang Feiran standing with the light behind him, that pain and longing climbed up from his bottomless pit again.
If only he were obedient.
This was his son, who inherited his genes and surpassed him. He had created a hundred-billion-dollar fortune for him—why shouldn’t he want him?
“I have other things to do,” Xiang Feiran raised his chin. “No need to see me off.”
His demeanor was cold, but Xiang Weishan was not angered. He spoke to himself casually, “Are you in a relationship? Is the money enough?”
He knew all about Xiang Feiran’s financial situation, not to mention his support for several students in the mountains. To date a person decently in New York requires a lot of money, while Xiang Feiran was someone who wouldn’t even touch a hundred dollars in phone credit. Over the years, Xiang Weishan had seen his second son’s monthly bills of hundreds of thousands while Xiang Feiran returned a few hundred dollars of phone credit, feeling mixed emotions.
Xiang Feiran, tired of talking, turned away. “I still need to have breakfast. You do as you please.”
Xiang Weishan’s tall figure blocked the door tightly. He did not spy or intend to. When the door was closed, Xiang Feiran’s tense nerves relaxed a bit. He walked over to Shang Mingbao’s side. “Why did you wake up by yourself? I thought you’d need me to call you.”
He brushed through Shang Mingbao’s hair with his fingertips and rubbed her lips, which had just had water.
Shang Mingbao held the cup with both hands, afraid to speak loudly, and asked in a hushed voice, “Who was it?”
“My dad.”
Shang Mingbao was taken aback. “He came up the mountain to find you at over eight in the morning? Does he miss you?”
Xiang Feiran laughed softly, admiring her natural way of thinking. A child raised in love.
“No,” he said gently. “He came to see Grandpa.”
“Did he find out?”
“No.”
Shang Mingbao finally sighed in relief, hugged his waist, and said with frustration, “But what should we do now? Everyone’s already up.”
Xiang Feiran couldn’t help but laugh. “Should I help you get some fresh air?”
Shang Mingbao nodded repeatedly.
Xiang Feiran bent down to kiss her, but she turned her face away. She blushed and mumbled, “No, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet…” even though she had just drunk a lot of water.
“It doesn’t matter.” Xiang Feiran held her chin, but he wasn’t applying any pressure.
“It does matter!”
Xiang Feiran sighed lightly and settled for a kiss on her cheek. “Let’s go.”
He picked up his phone and went outside, sitting in the hallway to tie his shoelaces. He glanced up and saw Aunt Lan, giving her a smile.
He gave a rather poor excuse, sounding casual, “What’s for breakfast?”
Aunt Lan, just coming out of the dining room, followed him back into the house. “Mingbao hasn’t woken up yet.”
Xiang Feiran said naturally, “She was too tired last night.”
Aunt Lan glared at him.
“What?” Xiang Feiran realized and smiled slightly. “Last night’s travel was exhausting, wasn’t it?”
When encountering the housekeeper downstairs—who was genuinely unaware—Xiang Feiran gave Aunt Lan a look, and Aunt Lan took it upon herself to send the housekeeper back to the dining room, saying a guest had arrived and needed flowers, instructing her to arrange them.
Xiang Feiran then sent a WeChat message to Shang Mingbao, letting her know she could come out.
Shang Mingbao, being cautious, only slipped out after changing back into Fang Suining’s pajamas. However, the stairway and the breakfast room were connected, and although there were screens to block the view, she could still be seen.
Xiang Feiran stayed in the dining room just long enough to be symbolic and then headed outside, catching her right at the staircase.
“What time did you get up?” He stood there, hands in the pockets of his gray sweatpants, looking very dashing in a beam of morning light.
Shang Mingbao stammered, “I… went downstairs to look at the flowers…”
Xiang Feiran smiled. “Habits haven’t changed?”
Shang Mingbao bit her lip. For some reason, being so formal with him made her face flush deeply.
Xiang Feiran tilted his chin. “Go back and change clothes. After breakfast, I’ll accompany you to see them.”
Shang Mingbao’s face turned beet red, and she nodded as if pardoned, then turned and hurried upstairs.
Aunt Lan shook her head as if unable to tolerate it. The Xiang Feiran she knew wasn’t like this, whether it was the arrogant child, the sixteen-year-old who smoked day and night in the specimen room, or the taciturn adult who rarely spoke a word, none had ever displayed such a smile, such eyes, or such a patient and pleasant demeanor.
Shang Mingbao, after finishing her washing, went downstairs without makeup, looking natural.
Xiang Lianqiao had already had breakfast and was discussing matters with Xiang Weishan in the study. He knew Xiang Weishan’s intentions were not in the drink, but since Xiang Weishan didn’t bring it up, neither did he, asking about his thoughts on the current coldness in the biopharmaceutical market.
When “Weishan Life” was at its hottest, its market value nearly approached 20 billion. However, the sudden two-year investment cold wave in the field caused its market value to evaporate by 70 to 80 percent. This was a shocking parabola, but Xiang Weishan remained calm and collected.
Hearing his foster father’s question, he smiled slightly. “The wind direction is about to change; it won’t be long.”
After a long conversation, he got up and walked to the window. Xiang Lianqiao was seated and couldn’t see the courtyard, but Xiang Weishan could see it clearly.
In Ningshi in March, the mountain flowers were in full bloom, and the plants were lush. The mimosa tree had been well cared for. Xiang Weishan could affectionately say in a magazine, “Planted by my wife before she passed; now it stands tall like a canopy.”
Shang Mingbao stood under the tree, catching a cluster of bright yellow fallen flowers.
“Did you plant it? Or did Aunt Lan plant it?” She asked, cherishing the cluster of flowers in amazement.
“My mother planted it.”
Shang Mingbao didn’t say anything, her eyes bright with anticipation.
Xiang Feiran pressed his lips together. “She passed away.”
Having guessed this answer long ago, now hearing him admit it, Shang Mingbao lowered her head and tried to find words. “Auntie planted this tree…”
“No other meaning,” Xiang Feiran said lightly. “She liked a TV drama called ‘Acacia Tree,’ which had a line.”
“What line?”
“‘Even though you have nothing, you still have hope.’”
Shang Mingbao murmured the line and asked, “Then, what was her hope?”
She looked at him, hearing his answer: “Ideal.”
She hadn’t expected that answer, and something deep inside her shook.
The mountain climate was mild, spring arrived early and lingered late. The “Cape gooseberry,” which should have bloomed in April, also flowered at the end of this month. It was planted next to the ecological tank, with white-green flowers and thread-like stamens clustered together, resembling a sea urchin. When the wind blew, the filaments fell gently onto the spring pool like a rain shower.
Xiang Feiran told her that the fruit of the cape gooseberry smells like roses, and its fruiting season is in May.
“Is it good to eat?” Shang Mingbao licked her lips.
Aunt Lan passed by and said to Shang Mingbao, “Miss Mingbao, come back in May, and you’ll know if it’s good to eat.”
Shang Mingbao immediately stepped away from Xiang Feiran, pretending not to be familiar, “No, no, I have classes at that time.”
Aunt Lan’s words had a hint of meaning, “Then come in future Mays; you can’t be studying forever, can you?”
Shang Mingbao waved both hands seriously, “I just occasionally run into Brother Feiran. Next time, it might not happen.”
Xiang Feiran took out his phone and handed it to her, saying calmly, “Since we’re so fated, why not add each other on WeChat?”
Shang Mingbao: “……”
Seeing her blushing and her meaningful gaze towards Xiang Feiran, Aunt Lan no longer dared to watch and quickly found an excuse to leave.
Shang Mingbao hadn’t logged into her WeChat for a long time. After struggling for a while, she finally registered and muttered as she reviewed old messages: “Back then, you didn’t add me when I asked to add you, and you said calling was the same… Oh, now you want to add me?”
Xiang Feiran glanced at her and spoke honestly: “I thought you had a boyfriend at that time, and I didn’t want to make a moral mistake.”
“……” Shang Mingbao’s gaze darted around. “You’re dreaming. Just because you want to doesn’t mean you’ll have the chance.”
Xiang Feiran looked down and smirked. “You said it yourself, that you started to particularly like me since you were sixteen.”
Aunt Lan, while tidying the courtyard and tending to the flowers, couldn’t help but glance back at them. As people age, they feel that time flies by quickly. In the blink of an eye, years slip away just like skating on ice. Seeing them now, Aunt Lan couldn’t help but recall how Miss Shang was much slimmer back then, her clothes loose around the waist and sleeves. She hadn’t exchanged many words or glances with Feiran back then—
How did they end up together?
When Shang Mingbao and Xiang Feiran turned in another direction, Xiang Weishan finally saw her face.
There was no mistake. That summer camp glance, he was in the driver’s seat of the car, and she was in the courtyard, staring at him in surprise.
Without saying a word, Xiang Weishan stood up from the window seat, and took Xiang Lianqiao to the balcony to get some sunlight. For the next half hour, he chatted with Xiang Lianqiao about trivial family matters, mentioning how he had already settled down with a family and children at Xiang Feiran’s age, which allowed him to focus more on his research without worries.
His meaning was clear, and Xiang Lianqiao understood.
“Dad,” Xiang Weishan said, adjusting the thin blanket on his lap, “Feiran has been somewhat closed off because of me and Xiao Yue. I’ll help as much as I can as a father. He was young and inexperienced then, and many situations were unclear. I don’t blame him for resenting me, but you, as his father, should understand my difficulties.”
He looked up, meeting his eyes directly, speaking word by word: “Moreover, if Feiran can return to my side and be cared for by me, I believe you would be more at ease. Otherwise, if he ends up alone in the future, how can you be reassured?” After saying this, he gently patted Xiang Lianqiao’s old, veined hand with his hand wearing a third wedding ring.
Without waiting for the old man to respond, he stood up and left.
After having a formal lunch with Xiang Lianqiao, Shang Mingbao pretended to take her leave first. Back at the hotel, she requested a two-hour extension on her check-out time, took a much-needed nap, and then took a taxi to the airport.
Around three o’clock, she saw Xiang Feiran approaching her at the boarding gate.
He was back in his hiking outfit, the silver earphone wire dangling with his steps. He was holding a paper cup from the airport’s water dispenser in his mouth, his hands busy with his phone. His backpack was clearly packed to the brim, but he walked with a relaxed and casual demeanor, attracting attention.
Upon seeing Shang Mingbao, Xiang Feiran’s icy demeanor and aura subtly changed, with a hint of smile in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth.
Xiang Feiran put away his phone, crumpled the paper cup, and threw it away, then embraced Shang Mingbao.
In broad daylight, surrounded by people… Shang Mingbao felt as if she was being crushed by his weight.
“What were you just doing? Who were you chatting with?” she interrogated.
Xiang Feiran took off his bag and threw it to the side: “Upgraded my seat.”
“Huh?”
Xiang Feiran patted her head: “I was afraid you’d come over and crowd me again.”
There were still empty seats on the plane, and without much hesitation, he upgraded to first class. The night before, Shang Mingbao had trouble falling asleep due to her legs being sore and swollen from sitting in economy class for twenty hours. Xiang Feiran had massaged her legs for a long time.
He had studied this professionally; outdoor activities required such knowledge. He had a unique technique and was quite vigorous, making Shang Mingbao bite her pillow and groan under his hands. Xiang Feiran was both distressed and amused, struggling with himself: “Stop struggling so much, it’s hard.”
Shang Mingbao turned her face away, tears in her eyes, and scolded him: “You jerk.”
She would still need to hike in the following days, and Xiang Feiran didn’t want her delicate legs to swell up again.
Domestic first class service was not comparable to international flights but was somewhat more spacious and quieter. Shang Mingbao fell asleep as soon as she boarded, while Xiang Feiran worked on his paper on his laptop until the flight attendant came for the pre-landing safety check.
When Shang Mingbao woke up and glanced at his computer screen, she said in confusion: “I don’t understand.”
Despite being in a relationship for a long time, she had never understood Xiang Feiran’s field of research. After disembarking, while waiting for their luggage, she asked Xiang Feiran for his paper. He told her to search for it on Google Scholar.
The results that popped up were:
She stopped looking.
Shang Mingbao closed the page, not realizing that all those papers were published in top biology journals. She knew Xiang Feiran was impressive, but when faced with the specifics of his achievements, she truly couldn’t understand, much like she didn’t understand Shang Mingzhuo’s experimental results.
But this did not stop her from clenching her fists and saying, “So amazing.”
“Even if you don’t understand, it’s still amazing?” Xiang Feiran looked down at her with a smile.
Shang Mingbao nodded vigorously, “But why are they all from the gentian family?”
Xiang Feiran smiled, “Because they are beautiful and cute.”
Beautiful is easy to find, but cute is rare, like you.
Shang Mingbao did not understand, “How is it cute?”
Xiang Feiran hugged her from behind, one hand around her shoulders from the front, and found a photo from his phone. “This is the gray-green gentian. Is it beautiful?”
It was a cluster of vividly blue flowers, somewhat like morning glories but seemingly more splendid. Shang Mingbao nodded, “Beautiful.”
Xiang Feiran kissed her ear, “It only blooms when it gets sunlight; when the sky is overcast, it closes up, so it’s a flower that closes up on cloudy days—Isn’t that cute?”
Shang Mingbao thought seriously for a long time, furrowing her brow, “Is it because its mood is bad on cloudy days?”
Xiang Feiran chuckled, his warm breath making Shang Mingbao’s ear ticklish. She tapped his arm, “Are you lying to me?”
“No.” Xiang Feiran cleared his throat and said seriously, “It does have such a blooming mechanism, but it’s not because of a bad mood.”
“Then why?”
“The luggage has arrived; let’s talk in the car.”
“…”
Shang Mingbao checked in a 24-inch suitcase, which also contained her camping equipment. After pushing the luggage out of the hall, they took a cab to the high-speed train station. A few hours later, she arrived at this border county town she had never been to before.
But this was not the end of the journey.
A Buick business car was waiting in the parking lot of the high-speed train station. At the exit stood a middle-aged man with a long face, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, with a thin cotton ear cover on his ears.
Upon seeing Xiang Feiran, he approached and greeted, “Professor Xiang, is it cold?”
The northern part of Yunnan in March was indeed cold. This cold was different from New York’s; New York’s cold was noisy, with car exhaust and dust mixed in the snow, while here it was a clear and crisp cold, with the scent of pine, cypress, and oak in the air.
Xiang Feiran nodded, his expression neither unfamiliar nor warm, “It’s okay.”
He had met this guide a few times before. His image in front of him was that of a young and accomplished, ascetic and upright person.
Just as he was about to introduce Shang Mingbao, the guide’s gaze turned to her and he asked, “Is this your student?”
His guess was reasonable because Xiang Feiran had previously asked him to lead teams for research projects, so anyone following him openly would likely be a student or an assistant.
Xiang Feiran was about to say no, but Shang Mingbao eagerly and preemptively nodded, her lips pursed, “I am Professor Xiang’s student. My name is Mingbao.”
Xiang Feiran: “…”
“Oh, Miss Mingbao, you look so young!” The guide was taken aback, warmly and respectfully extending his hand to shake hers.
He took the suitcase from Xiang Feiran’s hand and led the way to the parking lot.
Xiang Feiran raised an eyebrow slightly and said casually, “Alright, babe, from now on, in front of him, you’re my student and I’m your teacher. You can’t sleep in the same tent. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to carry your own.”
Shang Mingbao: “…………Ah????”
Xiang Feiran stopped and tapped her disappointing forehead with his gloved fingertips, “Shang Mingbao, have you ever seen a teacher sleep with a student?”