Chapter 82

In the summer of that year, Shang Mingbao graduated from New York University with a degree in jewelry design.

Everyone from the Shang family attended her graduation ceremony. Due to the difficulty of introduction, Xiang Feiran, who was also present, only observed the ceremony from a distance, watching her take photos with her family and classmates through the crowd.

In July, after wrapping up her life in New York and saying her goodbyes, Shang Mingbao returned to China with Xiang Feiran, heading into the mountains.

The primary purpose of this trip was not for sampling or fieldwork but to visit the last girl Xiang Feiran had sponsored, who had successfully entered university. Her family insisted on hosting a meal for him.

The location was a remote village in Guizhou, with towering mountains and treacherous roads. Xiang Feiran drove into the mountains, while Shang Mingbao curled up in the passenger seat, taking in the unfamiliar scenery.

When they arrived, the place seemed even poorer than Tashi’s village. A courtyard made of yellow mud held three brick houses with unplastered and unpainted walls, crooked cement seams. Three children stood in the yard, with the older ones supporting the younger ones. Their flushed faces and big black eyes were filled with shyness.

The family had five children. The eldest had graduated and worked as a teacher in the county town, the second eldest was working in the city and hadn’t returned for the summer, and the girl who had just finished the college entrance exam was the third daughter. She still had younger siblings, a fact Xiang Feiran learned for the first time.

After over a decade, their sponsor had finally visited. The family prepared a feast, slaughtered a chicken for soup, and placed two chicken legs in Xiang Feiran’s and Shang Mingbao’s bowls. They couldn’t express themselves smoothly but simply rubbed their hands together and said, “Eat, eat.”

After the meal, they served tea brewed from leaves borrowed from the village head, the best hospitality they could offer.

The girl who had just finished her exams finally mustered the courage to ask Shang Mingbao, “Are you Mr. Xiang’s girlfriend?”

Shang Mingbao nodded.

“This is a bundle of letters from me and my sisters,” she said, handing over a thick bundle wrapped in several layers of plastic, perhaps to protect it from moisture.

“My two sisters said they wanted to see what Mr. Xiang looks like, whether his face is round or square, if he is tall or short.”

Shang Mingbao smiled and asked, “What do you think?”

“He’s better than we imagined,” the girl said. “He looks younger than we thought.”

Shang Mingbao took the bundle of letters and tucked them close. “Are these all letters?”

The girl nodded. “Since Mr. Xiang doesn’t allow us to send him letters, we haven’t sent any of the letters we write every new school year and New Year’s.”

After thirteen or fourteen years, the bundle had become so thick.

Shang Mingbao was taken aback, holding the bundle as if it were a handbag. “He is like that. It’s okay, if you want to write letters, you can send them to me.”

The girl smiled slightly and nodded.

Shang Mingbao wanted to leave an address but realized that, as a global citizen, she didn’t have a fixed residence and was planning to move to Sri Lanka later in the year.

She wrote down an email address. “Do you use email? When you get to university and set up your own email, you can send me your first email.”

The girl carefully put away the paper.

“Are those two your younger siblings?” Shang Mingbao asked. “Are they in school?”

The girl shook her head. “No, they are my uncle’s children.”

Shang Mingbao was puzzled. “But your parents mentioned them as younger ones?”

“No,” the girl whispered. “My uncle’s family is also very poor, but it seems like what we said to Mr. Xiang never ends.”

So they brought the two children out, hoping that Xiang Feiran would be moved and voluntarily offer to continue the sponsorship.

Shang Mingbao realized and laughed quietly.

Such simple cunning.

Although it was quite a hassle to drive out of the mountains for another four hours, there were no places in the village to accommodate them, and Xiang Feiran couldn’t bear to let Shang Mingbao make do.

Before leaving, he left a red envelope and indeed promised to continue sponsoring the two younger children.

After leaving the village, Shang Mingbao revealed the truth, and Xiang Feiran smiled silently. “I knew, I noticed.”

“So the reason you couldn’t save money in New York was because of this?”

“This is just one family. My mother has sponsored seventeen in total. Some dropped out to work or got married, and there were new children introduced by parents or teachers. Over the years, with the additions and subtractions, there should be thirty or so.”

“How many in total?” Shang Mingbao asked.

“I haven’t counted.”

“…”

“There was one time I missed a family, and the parents thought I had withdrawn the sponsorship. They were too embarrassed to ask. It was the homeroom teacher who called me.”

“Oh…” Shang Mingbao said with a long, teasing tone, “So even Mr. Xiang has moments of confusion.”

Xiang Feiran laughed and did not deny it. When he was young, he spent money recklessly, buying the best of everything without a second thought. After his falling out with Xiang Weishan, Xiang Weishan provoked him by saying that the money he used from Xiang Lianqiao was due to his father’s generosity. The young man, not giving any room for negotiation, rejected it completely without a word.

Tan Shuoyue left in the spring, and Xiang Feiran had not yet gotten around to sorting her belongings. It wasn’t until after summer, when school started, and he began receiving calls from the mountains, that he realized this was something he needed to address.

Tan Shuoyue was also careless with money. Xiang Feiran had to obtain bank statements and meticulously verify and organize the lists one by one.

Seventeen tuition fees left him, at sixteen years old, utterly stunned.

Tan Shuoyue and her parents were not financially savvy; the money was all tied up in property. She often spent her own money on sequencing, fieldwork, and purchasing samples because she found the reimbursement process too cumbersome. That afternoon, Xiang Feiran faced a row of passbooks and property contracts and nearly broke his calculator from overuse.

As dusk approached, Xiang Feiran realized that, before he had a stable income, Tan Shuoyue’s savings could only be used to cover the loans for these properties and shops; otherwise, the payments would certainly be interrupted.

Thus, he could neither use his mother’s savings for charity nor use Xiang Lianqiao’s money for it, let alone Xiang Weishan’s.

Stopping the funding would be too cruel to these children, so the sixteen-year-old could only turn to his own—his New Year’s money.

The good news was that he had several tens of thousands; the bad news was that he needed to donate forty thousand at once.

“…”

Having been used to good things, he now began to live a minimalist life. Fortunately, he really had no material desires. Although he was particular about quality, he had bought most of what he wanted as a teenager, such as headphones costing over ten thousand, a jacket for seven or eight thousand, and a hiking pole costing over a thousand. With these top-tier configurations, there was no need for upgrades. When spending his own money, he honestly chose to downgrade.

Xiang Lianqiao did not know about the donations, which made it easier for him to avoid spending his money and maintained his pride in front of his father.

“Why don’t you let them write to you?” Shang Mingbao asked, pulling out a stack of letters from her backpack and unwrapping the layers of plastic.

“I used to receive them, addressed to my mother. I tried continuing to reply in her name.”

“And then?”

“It was like the difference between Andersen’s fairy tales and appliance manuals—they didn’t believe it.”

“…”

“Later, I told them the truth.” Xiang Feiran smirked, “After I took over, they started writing to me, addressing me as ‘Teacher Xiang’ instead of ‘Teacher Tan.’ I considered replying, but with so many emotional needs, I couldn’t fulfill them.”

He wasn’t cold-hearted but was acutely aware that he couldn’t handle the situation well, so he cut off all affection.

He was still only sixteen.

After driving on mountainous roads for nearly three hours in the dark, he was unexpectedly struck by the bustling lights of the county town.

Even though he found the best hotel, it was only a three-star standard in the city. In the cool night, with the window open and the breeze from the river, he worked amidst the noise of the wind and motorcycles.

Shang Mingbao held back from crying out, leaving scratches on his back.

The neon lights by the river, with foot massage parlors, KTVs, and late-night snack stalls, flickered in Xiang Feiran’s eyes as he looked at her with lowered brows.

At times like these, looking at her was a certain preference or stubbornness of his. He would use a warm, soothing voice to say how beautiful she was.

Shang Mingbao didn’t know when “baby” had become “babao” (little treasure), but as he breathed near her ear during their intimate moments, he asked, “What does ‘babao’ mean?”

When first introduced at the summer camp, she was too shy to say “baby’s treasure” and changed it to “treasure.”

Unable to endure his torment, their close, intimate places became warm and drenched. Was it too cruel to make her introduce herself with a tone meant for soothing a child?

In the end, she begged for mercy, her voice muffled and tinged with a whiny cry, answering that it was “baby’s treasure.”

Xiang Feiran corrected her answer, looking at her reddened eyes: “It’s Xiang Feiran’s baby’s treasure.”

Not understanding the magic of this phrase, Shang Mingbao’s eyes suddenly became vacant as Xiang Feiran pulled her onto his lap. He held her tightly and pressed her down relentlessly, ignoring her desperate struggles.

He still hadn’t looked at those letters. After returning to Ning City, they were received in his specimen room.

Shang Mingbao did not tell him that she had left an email for the girl. After moving to Sri Lanka in early September, she received an email from the girl. The polite and timid words mirrored her eyes. Shang Mingbao warmly replied with a long letter.

---

When she had the chance, Shang Yuye flew to Sri Lanka to visit her.

He couldn’t believe that the pampered little daughter in front of him was now wearing a white shirt tucked into khaki shorts, with sleeves rolled up high. Due to the heat and sweat, the shirt was soft and saggy, outlining her slender figure.

She was negotiating with an Indian gem dealer for a 10ct sapphire. Besides the shop owner and the gem dealer, several men were also watching.

“Hey, hey, lady, listen,” the Indian dealer stretched out his arm, impatiently pushing her away from the counter, “Leave the raw material business to us men. You should go across the street—see that boutique? You can find many cute little rings and necklaces there. Cute, very cute—you should go there.”

The bodyguard behind her was about to step forward, but Shang Yuye raised his hand to stop him, watching with interest.

In every business environment, there are always arrogant, conceited men who pretend to be omnipotent and firmly believe that women can’t do it. Especially in this raw material market in the mining area, which is filled with disdain and cunning. If you are an inexperienced newcomer, a naive fool, or a weakling, you will be devoured instantly. Only top-notch vision, a strong will, and unflinching experience are enough to carve out a place here.

Under the gaze of a room full of burly, shrewd men, Shang Mingbao sneered, tied her long hair into a high ponytail, and sarcastically replied, “Don’t waste resources, sir. Look at the pigeon blood red on your hand, such a pitiful cut, such a dull design. Isn’t bigger better? Turn right out of the door, and you’ll find larger pebbles on the riverbank.”

The entire room burst into laughter. The shop owner, smiling, got up and adjusted the situation: “Easy, easy, young lady, I think you’re being a bit too aggressive right now.”

Shang Mingbao remained unmoved, pointing to the gems on the black cushion and stating a price: “This is my bottom line. You know full well if there’s something wrong with this gem.”

As soon as she finished speaking, both the shop owner and the Indian’s expressions changed.

The shop owner glared at her, his expression dark: “Lady, you need to take responsibility for what you say.”

Shang Mingbao felt a jolt but tilted her chin, looking at him: “I know its flaws, so after the transaction, I won’t be coming back to you. As for this arrogant ‘Indian prince,’ that’s hard to say.” She smiled, “Of course, I believe with his eye and confidence, he probably wouldn’t notice the flaw.”

In the next three minutes, after the Indian checked the sapphire with no results, he withdrew from the bidding with an inscrutable expression.

Shang Mingbao gestured with her hand, smiling widely: “My bottom line, think it over. Your child is still waiting for you to have dinner.”

She finally pocketed the sapphire she desired.

“Afraid of getting robbed?”

The sudden Cantonese made Shang Mingbao’s eyes light up: “Dad!”

She ran up to Shang Yuye, her demeanor now completely different. She noticed the six bodyguards and attendants behind him and said with a hint of disdain, “It’s not that unsafe here…”

Shang Yuye put his arm around her shoulder and asked, “I want to ask Sophie, have you been fighting and scrambling among men on your own these past two years?”

“Having people around is too troublesome. If I had to carry bodyguards just walking around, I might as well stay in the villa for the safest life.”

Shang Yuye raised an eyebrow: “Don’t be complacent.”

He was indeed more cautious than she was. Once in the car, he asked, “So, what’s wrong with this stone?”

“No flaws.” Shang Mingbao shook her head and then couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

Shang Yuye pondered for a moment: “Aren’t you afraid the shop owner might kick you out?”

“No, he knows how reasonable my offer was. He’s tempted but just wanted to tease that Indian guy. That Indian guy doesn’t understand anything, or rather, doesn’t understand as much as I do.”

Having played that well, Shang Yuye first praised her, then turned serious and said, “I won’t allow you to go without people around, especially in such a primitive trading market.”

“But it’s so inconvenient…”

Under Shang Yuye’s gaze, Shang Mingbao compromised but then forgot about it.

At dinner, Shang Yuye asked when she planned to take over the jewelry group’s work.

Gold jewelry was one of the earliest businesses for the Shang family. In the vast business scope of Shangyu Group, the jewelry line had always been stable. More than twenty years ago, they had ambitiously opened a high-end colored gem line, but the market didn’t respond, so it was eventually cut.

Without thinking, Shang Mingbao rejected: “No.”

“No?”

“Our family’s stuff is too traditional.”

Shang Yuye: “?”

“Originally, those who buy gold jewelry and those who play with gems are not the same group of people, and their consumption needs are different. Moreover, gold jewelry is just dragons, phoenixes, beads, and Buddha charms. Are you trying to stifle my inspiration by sending me there?” Shang Mingbao asked confidently.

Shang Yuye: “…”

“As for diamonds… platinum and transparent diamonds, oh my, I can’t think of anything more boring!”

Shang Yuye put down his knife and fork: “So, you only want to be a high-end jewelry designer.”

“Not exactly,” Shang Mingbao pondered, “I’m not in a hurry, Dad. I’m only twenty-four, and there’s still a lot I can learn. I don’t want to define myself too early.”

Not wanting to define herself too early.

Hearing this from her, Shang Yuye was momentarily stunned.

Shang Mingbao, unaware of her father’s reaction, continued talking as she thought: “Actually, high-end jewelry isn’t that fun. My clients in New York range from the Upper East Side to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and some new rich in the Bay Area. Doing business with them requires a lot of public relations. Although I have this skill, I think it drains my energy. And do they really appreciate the beauty of design more than those who come to our counter to buy wedding gold? I think not. They wear beautiful things not because they understand, but because they can ‘afford’ them. Every circle has its own constraints. We are in it and are unconsciously shaped by our choices of styles, materials, colors, and brands, which we call fashion, thinking it’s a free choice shaped by our class and education. For example, Hollywood clients demand bigger and bigger; an earring should hang from the earlobe to the collarbone to become a red carpet queen. But is that really beautiful? I can’t say, but I would say it’s not.”

“Dad,” she finished, pulling away from her thoughts and whispering, “Don’t tell Mom these things, or she’ll be mad at me.”

Shang Yuye smiled at the corner of his mouth: “It sounds like you don’t find high-end jewelry uninteresting but rather the people behind it uninteresting.”

Shang Mingbao blinked: “Not including Mom, because Mom is the truly discerning one.”

“But when all these stones are piled into one piece, only these people can afford it.”

Shang Mingbao nodded and admitted: “So I haven’t figured it out yet; I’m still thinking about it.”

After discussing business, it was time for personal matters.

Shang Yuye asked: “That kid from the Wu family, I heard he’s been pursuing you?”

Shang Mingbao’s interest dropped immediately: “Yeah.”

During her time in Lightning Ridge, Australia, Wu Baiyan always came to see her. Shang Mingbao ignored him, and Wu Baiyan didn’t pester her. He would wait at the door until she returned from the mine or the market, and then call out to her. Since Shang Mingbao didn’t respond or linger, he couldn’t say much, and after hearing the sound of her closing the door, he would leave.

After a few more incidents, Sophie curiously asked, “What has Alan done to cause this prolonged cold war? He’s even more frequent than Feiran.”

Shang Mingbao replied curtly, “Who’s as idle as him?”

After one or two more encounters, Wu Baiyan asked, “Do we really have to act like enemies? Or do you think just talking to me will make you feel guilty towards Xiang Feiran?”

Shang Mingbao retorted, “This matter would only be worth discussing if you dislike me.”

“Then consider it that I dislike you.”

Shang Mingbao slammed the door in frustration.

Flying from Singapore or Hong Kong isn’t a short trip. Even for someone as stone-hearted as Shang Mingbao, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for an old friend, especially since she isn’t stone-hearted. She still ignored him but made sure that Sophie would kindly inform him when she was away so he wouldn’t make a fruitless trip.

Over time, Sophie complained, “Alan is really something. He’s making it hard for people to refuse. Being the bad guy all the time is exhausting!” She sympathized with Shang Mingbao, knowing her inherent kindness would be troubled by this situation.

After moving to Sri Lanka, Shang Mingbao didn’t reveal her address to him, but Wu Baiyan still showed up, probably having received the information from Wendy’s circle.

“I’m annoyed just seeing you now,” Shang Mingbao said coldly. “Are you satisfied now that we can’t even be friends?”

Although Wu Baiyan’s face turned pale for a moment, he still said, “You don’t need to use harsh words to suppress me. I know what kind of person you are.”

“Alan,” Shang Mingbao said, feeling confused and distressed, “You can’t be so despicable. You can’t use your knowledge of me to manipulate and harass me.”

“I just like you and am pursuing you,” Wu Baiyan said, equally puzzled. “Over the years, have there been few people pursuing you? Who doesn’t know you have a boyfriend? They can pursue and send flowers, but I can’t?”

Shang Mingbao didn’t tell Xiang Feiran about this because she was principled and didn’t want to use someone he already cared about as a wedge between them.

She thought that if Wu Baiyan kept at it, he would eventually give up since she had used every harsh word she could think of.

“How did Dad find out?” Shang Mingbao asked gloomily, her appetite and interest gone.

“He’s pursuing you, and several families know about it.”

Shang Mingbao was stunned and restless: “He’s just… just has a screw loose, not really pursuing me.”

Shang Yuye said calmly, “I remember seeing you and him together before. You had a good relationship.”

“Just friends,” Shang Mingbao firmly countered. “I have no interest in him.”

“Do you want me to speak to his parents and ask them to tell their son to stop bothering my daughter?” Shang Yuye’s expression and tone made it clear he was serious.

Shang Mingbao was taken aback. This was a severe and undignified way to handle the situation, demeaning and showing a reliance on family status.

Though she said Wu Baiyan had a screw loose, Shang Mingbao already knew he genuinely liked her.

---

Sri Lanka being close meant Shang Yuye’s private plane could easily make trips there, so he began to visit her regularly.

With frequent visits, it was inevitable that he would encounter something unsettling—when he saw her holding hands with a young man coming out of a building, Shang Yuye squinted, feeling a sense of realization and alertness.

Was this her boyfriend she had been dating since New York? The person Wen Youyi had kept from him, the person Wen Youyi trusted?

But it had been five years; why had his daughter never mentioned him to the family?