Chapter 78

The botanical garden has a special Chinese restaurant for hosting guests, set in a white building overlooking green waters, with a very serene environment.

Xiang Feiran usually has his three daily meals at the cafeteria at work and rarely comes here. Since Shang Mingbao found it inconvenient to bring Odin, they decided to dine in the outdoor dining area at the back of the garden.

As they walked through the lobby, they ran into a professor from the neighboring research group coming out after hosting guests. He was also a student of Zhou Yingshu, but over fifty years old, making him from a previous generation compared to Xiang Feiran. Upon seeing each other, the professor stopped, addressed Xiang Feiran as his junior, and introduced him to several Europeans and leaders, noting that he was a prominent young researcher in plant classification and genomics evolution.

Shang Mingbao patiently waited with the Doberman by her side, observing Xiang Feiran interacting with these people. She could tell that they were likely influential figures or leaders in the field, with higher prestige and power than Xiang Feiran. Yet, he maintained a calm and composed demeanor, appearing relaxed despite the detachment, with a natural magnetic presence that drew people into his aura.

Xiang Feiran didn’t make Shang Mingbao wait long and ended the conversation straightforwardly, saying, “My girlfriend is waiting. Excuse me.”

Those who understood Chinese laughed, telling him not to worry and glanced over at Shang Mingbao with friendly smiles.

Shang Mingbao responded with an appropriate smile and nod as she followed Xiang Feiran to the back of the garden, starting to gossip quietly, “Is that person a full professor or an associate professor?”

“He’s a full professor, preparing for an academician evaluation.”

“Wow, how much funding does he have?”

“Over ten million.”

“What?” That didn’t match her expectations. “Isn’t three million considered a huge amount?”

“For a single project, three million is indeed a large sum, but a research group typically manages more than one project.”

“Who gave so much money?”

“National government.”

Shang Mingbao tapped her head in confusion.

The waiter pulled out the chair for them to sit and handed them the menu, interrupting their conversation for a moment. After ordering, Shang Mingbao asked, “Do you have that much money too?”

Xiang Feiran picked up a few pieces of cedar branches with tweezers and placed them on the white ceramic baking stove beside him. He said, “Not at the moment.”

“Then…” Shang Mingbao leaned forward, covering her mouth and whispered, “Do you need sponsorship?”

Xiang Feiran gave her a sidelong glance, “Did you extort it from another of your older brothers or sisters?”

Shang Mingbao huffed, “I’ll be able to support you myself once I graduate.”

Xiang Feiran couldn’t help but smile, “The funds are sufficient, but if you want to, I wouldn’t refuse. I promised you.”

The fragrance of cedar was released with the gentle baking, clean and pleasant, making one feel as though they were in a winter pine forest. The aroma made the meal feel satisfying even until dusk.

After dinner, they took another route back, casually passing by the faculty dormitory building. Xiang Feiran asked, “Shall we go up?”

The building of the Plant Research Institute was old, so to improve the living conditions for the new recruits, a new building had been constructed. Although Xiang Feiran had been assigned a dormitory, he had only moved in this month. Before that, he had been living in the mountains with Xiang Lianqiao, commuting three hours daily by car. It was only when Xiang Lianqiao couldn’t bear it anymore that he was personally driven away.

Shang Mingbao glared at him with her dark eyes, “You did it on purpose.”

Xiang Feiran shook his head slightly, his expression cold and helpless. He leaned closer to her ear and said, “You only thought of seeing me today after being back for two days. Do you think I did it on purpose?”

Shang Mingbao blinked in confusion, “Are you angry?”

It really wasn’t very noticeable!

Xiang Feiran asked, “What do you think?”

There were two convenience stores and a fruit shop downstairs. Xiang Feiran went in to buy a case of beer and some other items. The cashier behind the counter scanned his items, looking at him repeatedly. Normally, she would greet him, but today she said nothing, as if she had never seen a living person before.

The corridor was very wide. Odin, who had not been well disciplined as a puppy, was more excited in the new environment than a person. Shang Mingbao struggled to hold him back, afraid he might cause trouble or complaints for Xiang Feiran, so she kept shushing him.

Her face and ears were red.

The room was on the fifth floor. Xiang Feiran opened the door, took out a pair of brand-new women’s house slippers from the entrance cabinet. They were milk-white lambskin mules, which she was used to wearing.

Shang Mingbao asked, “Do you usually not lock the door?”

“Not really.”

The faculty dormitory building was managed quite strictly, with surveillance in the corridors and hallways, and he really had nothing valuable to steal.

Shang Mingbao changed her shoes and looked down at Odin, “His paws are dirty.”

“I’ll clean them; you go sit.”

Xiang Feiran said, then closed the door and wrapped Odin’s leash around the doorknob, but made no further moves. He neither let Shang Mingbao leave nor did he move, just resting one arm against the door.

Knowing a kiss was about to happen, Shang Mingbao closed her eyes, slightly turned her face, and softened her breathing. But instead of kissing her directly, Xiang Feiran lightly brushed her exposed neck with his lips, his breath mingling with the touch of his high, straight nose against her skin. Her neck was very sensitive, and his actions made her tremble.

“Have you missed me?” he asked directly.

Shang Mingbao didn’t answer but wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe, taking the initiative.

Poor Odin, with his mouth open, had been waiting for a long time, looking up and seeing his poor owner panting even more than he was.

Xiang Feiran’s shirt was crumpled from being rubbed and squeezed by Shang Mingbao.

After a long kiss, they came to a stop, relying on extraordinary willpower.

“I still need to go back to the lab. Will you wait for me here?” He rubbed her face, then leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth.

Shang Mingbao nodded.

“I won’t be long, at most half an hour.”

Shang Mingbao continued to nod, “No hurry.”

Feeling parched, she took a sip of water and leaned against the wall of the entrance, watching Xiang Feiran clean Odin’s paws. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and used a soft towel to meticulously wipe the Doberman.

Outside, dusk had fallen, accompanied by children’s laughter and the distant sounds of a basketball court. Shang Mingbao put down her cup and squatted beside Xiang Feiran, poking Odin’s forehead with her fingertip.

Odin was confused by her poking, not understanding her mood.

Xiang Feiran finished cleaning and hurriedly left, closing the door behind him.

Shang Mingbao opened a can of soda, drinking it while exploring Xiang Feiran’s room. It was a two-bedroom apartment, one bedroom, one study, and an open-plan living and dining area with an outdoor balcony. The decoration and major furniture were standard, with no particular design, but seeing the electronic drum set in the corner of the living room, Shang Mingbao felt instantly transported back to her apartment with the octagonal window on West 96th Street in New York.

The study had familiar specimens and scientific illustrations, along with two macro photographs that she had taken—one of horticultural lilies of the valley and one of dragon gentian shot in western Sichuan.

Although it was within walking distance of the office, Xiang Feiran’s style of squeezing in every extra minute of sleep hadn’t changed. The t-shirts, sweatpants, and ties scattered at the end of the bed clearly indicated his hurried morning.

Shang Mingbao bent down to pick up the tie, and just as she wrapped it around her hand, she heard the door being pushed open. Leaning halfway out from the bedroom door, she expected to see Xiang Feiran, but instead, she saw a stranger’s face.

It was a man.

They stared at each other for a moment, and the male colleague asked, “Is Xiang Bo not here?”

Shang Mingbao shook her head.

Male colleague: “Sorry to bother you.”

Closes the door.

After a second, the door opens again. “Uh…”

“Yes?”

“You’re not a thief, right? Just checking.”

Shang Mingbao: “…No.”

“Oh, okay. I’m not either.”

“…”

Shang Mingbao waited a few more seconds, relieved when he didn’t come back in, and then sighed.

After a while, someone with a different face pushed the door open: “Xiang Bo—”

Shang Mingbao, who had just sat down on the sofa, immediately got up and stood straight: “He’s not here.”

“Oh, oh, sorry, sorry.”

Click, the door gently closed again.

Shang Mingbao pressed his palm to his face, sat down, and calmed himself. He peeled an orange and had just put a slice in his mouth when—

“Xiang Bo!”

Shang Mingbao was startled, looking at him with an orange slice in his mouth. He swallowed the sweet and sour juice with a gulp and patiently said for the third time, “Xiang Bo is not here.”

“Ah? He’s not here?” The other person said in surprise, scratching his head and staring at Shang Mingbao.

“Yes, he’ll be back later.” Shang Mingbao replied obediently and asked, “Do you need me to leave him a message?”

“Ah haha, no need, no need.”

When the fourth person came to find Xiang Feiran, Shang Mingbao’s temples began to throb.

Is there no one who can notify others? Xiang Bo is not here!

When the door opened for the seventh time, Shang Mingbao said weakly, “Xiang Bo is not here.”

Xiang Feiran closed the door: “He’s here now.”

Shang Mingbao threw the orange peel like confetti, ran up to him, and hugged him, crying out as if wronged, “So many people are looking for you, and they’re all not knocking!”

Xiang Feiran hugged her back, comforting her, and furrowed his brows slightly: “Impossible. At this time, I’m usually in the lab. They should know.”

Shang Mingbao looked up from his neck: “Seven! Seven!”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

He took off his shoes, opened his computer, logged into the system, and displayed the photos of all the research staff at their institute in front of Shang Mingbao: “Which seven?”

Shang Mingbao identified them one by one.

Correct, four postdocs, two associate researchers—exactly as he had expected.

And one more… “Teacher Qiu also came to see you?” The deputy director of the national key laboratory, usually serious and not gossipy.

Shang Mingbao hesitated, unable to believe it, but his eyes were already filled with fear: “…Why?”

To see her? Why would they come to see her? She had been either playing on her phone or eating an orange, and her lip makeup was still not retouched after being kissed by Xiang Feiran. Why would anyone come to see her today!

Xiang Feiran decisively kissed her as she fell onto the sofa: “Ignore them.”

After two months apart, the kiss that had just been forcibly interrupted quickly reignited with an overwhelming force. Shang Mingbao’s sheer black stockings slipped off her toes, and her long legs wrapped around Xiang Feiran’s waist. In a daze, Shang Mingbao thought of something and pushed his shoulder, saying, “L-Lock the door! …You forgot to lock it again!”

Xiang Feiran buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath, “Can’t get up.”

Shang Mingbao: “…”

Xiang Feiran kissed the corner of her lips and picked up the phone from the coffee table.

With such big movements, it was hard for Shang Mingbao not to be pinned against him. The suit pants were not as loose as the sports pants he usually wore, making it difficult to get up in this situation…

Xiang Feiran efficiently created a new group chat: “Back.”

Seven people in the group chat, silent as a tomb.

After sending it, he threw his phone aside and unfastened the tie from Shang Mingbao’s shirt.

She liked to wear American college-style casual clothes, which hadn’t changed much over the years. The blue shirt with an embroidered logo had a tie wrapped around the neck. Xiang Feiran undid the tie, pausing as he squinted his eyes: “Whose tie is this?”

He knew perfectly well that it was the one he had worn yesterday.

Shang Mingbao’s body rose and fell with her breathing, the disorderly and long striped satin tie hanging over her chest.

Xiang Feiran’s gaze and breathing rhythm changed, and he decided to leave the tie on her neck while he unbuttoned other buttons.

The thin black stockings barely concealed anything, and when touched, Shang Mingbao let out a small moan, biting the inside of her lip.

Xiang Feiran wiped the water marks from his fingertips onto the tie and asked again, “Did you think about me?”

His tone was completely different from before—deep and controlled, with an underlying demand for a specific answer.

Shang Mingbao nodded, her eyes filling with tears, her lips bitten red.

Xiang Feiran remained unmoved.

The more he pressured her, the more embarrassed Shang Mingbao felt, as if the answer would reveal something dirty. She tried to be stubborn, hugging his neck and kissing him. Xiang Feiran allowed the kiss but kept his body still.

Shang Mingbao began to speak softly, emitting some awkward and distressed whimpers. When Xiang Feiran asked again in her ear, she finally, angrily said, “Yes, I miss you. I think about you every day. Are you satisfied?”

Xiang Feiran raised her wrist, his expression now just showing the fierce desire in his eyes. Impatiently, he heard a tearing sound as the stockings were ripped. With that, he stared into her eyes and tore them completely.

When her knees were bent and pushed up, Shang Mingbao was still tangled in her emotions.

Xiang Feiran kissed her while skillfully and patiently preparing, “Yes, I was ready.”

“When?”

Xiang Feiran looked down at her from a high vantage point, his gaze slightly narrowed, without any compromise: “Just now.”

Shang Mingbao trembled at his words, and then her whole heart felt scattered.

Later, she went back to her room and slammed the door shut.

“Xiang Bo—”

The eighth person pushed open the door—one of the postdocs from the neighboring Plant Physiology National Key Laboratory, here to borrow instant noodles. As he stepped in, his head met the gaze of the black-brown hunting dog sitting in the living room.

“……”

He shut the door and decided to borrow noodles from another dorm.

Assistant researcher: “There’s a convenience store downstairs. Why don’t you just go down and get some?”

Postdoc: “Fifth floor, declined.”

Assistant researcher: “By the way, Xiang Bo’s girlfriend is sitting in the living room. Did you see her?”

With a splutter, noodles shot out of the postdoc’s nostrils.

Assistant researcher: “What are you doing?”

Postdoc: “That dog in the living room?”

Confused: “No way? Their system and the Evolution Laboratory have reached this state?”

Assistant researcher gritted his teeth: “So, it’s not the girlfriend’s dog?!”

Postdoc: “Yeah! Right?”

Assistant researcher: “……”

Looking at him with sympathy: “Case solved, indeed, our Plant Physiology is more intense.”

Although the assistant researcher sincerely suggested he finish the noodles and lie down, the postdoc, concerned with research (and performance), continued working until past eleven at night.

Shang Mingbao slept in Xiang Feiran’s arms for two sleeps. When she woke up for the first time, it was just after eight. There were still sounds of activity outside. She closed her eyes and fell back into a drowsy sleep. In her daze, she seemed to hear someone kissing her and asking, “Don’t leave tonight, okay?”

Shang Mingbao responded vaguely with a muffled “mm,” and Xiang Feiran took it as a yes.

When she woke up the second time, everything was quiet, with only the sound of moths bumping against the streetlight.

Xiang Feiran was working on his laptop, one arm around her and the other navigating on the touchpad. Amidst the screen full of strange English and data, Shang Mingbao only saw the time in the bottom right corner: “Shit! It’s eleven!”

Tomorrow is Shang Lu’s birthday; she couldn’t be late. Shang Mingbao resolutely got up from Xiang Feiran’s arms, dressed while saying, “I have to go back. See you tomorrow, remember.”

Xiang Feiran pressed the save shortcut and then closed the laptop screen.

“I’ll take you,” he said, his mood unchanged but with patience still intact, preparing to address her vacillation later.

“No need,” Shang Mingbao didn’t notice his abnormality, “I’ll drive back quickly. It’s too far for you to go back and forth.”

As she went out, she leashed Odin, who had already slept several times, and opened the door, colliding head-on with the plant physiology postdoc who was holding a laptop and had dark circles under his eyes.

“Xiang Bo… save me, save me…”

Where did that feeble voice come from?

Shang Mingbao: “……”

The postdoc’s gaze shifted from the Doberman to her face: “Sister-in-law, big sister, teacher’s wife, let Xiang Bo save me…”

Shang Mingbao: “?”

She waved her hands repeatedly: “Not appropriate, not appropriate…”

She was only in her early twenties!

Xiang Feiran coughed, his official tone sounding particularly cold: “Stop making a fuss. I’m busy tonight. Go find Teacher Qiu.”

The postdoc shook his head frantically, thinking he wouldn’t dare go to him for help…

Shang Mingbao swallowed, tugging at Xiang Feiran’s sleeve, and whispered, “Brother Feiran, why don’t you help him?”

He looked so weak, pitiful, and helpless…

Postdoc: “Teacher’s wife, please understand!”

Xiang Feiran took a deep breath, pointed at Shang Mingbao, and coldly left a sentence: “Wait for me in the lab in half an hour.”