Chapter 94

As a former fangirl, Shang Mingbao, although she hasn’t been actively supporting idols for a while, still has people in her social circle who are avid fans. Some of these fellow fans have developed stable online relationships over the years. During her busy moments, Shang Mingbao occasionally checks in on their chat groups to see what fun things they’re sharing.

In the fan circle, where real names are rarely used, fans frequently change their nicknames to match their current favorite idols. Shang Mingbao, being quite adaptable herself, has around seventeen or eighteen different accounts, with name changes depending on the latest updates from her favorite tea shop. Seeing “Mingbao” suddenly pop up in the group made her heart skip a beat.

“Never would have thought that a top academic would be a pure love warrior…”

“Could it be a daughter?”

“Impossible. The top academic is unmarried.”

Amidst the endless scrolling, Shang Mingbao kept swiping up until she found a screenshot.

Written in English, the name spelled out in pinyin, reminiscent of a three-line love letter:

Xiang L.Q

Tan S.Y

Ming bao

“Can’t figure out the first two names.”

“Probably important relatives? Xiang, father or grandfather? Tan, mother? Teacher? Ming, girlfriend?”

“There are very few surnames Ming. What about bao? Bao, Bao, Bao, or Bao?”

“Dead from the sweetness. Only the last name has the prefix ‘the only love.’”

“I bet on Mingbao. Seems very sweet.”

“It could also be Mingbao? Mingbao?”

“I bet on Mingbao because Xiang Bo works with plants, so his girlfriend’s name would also have something to do with plants!”

“? Your logic is quite novel.”

Amidst the serious speculations and discussions in the group, Shang Mingbao’s hands felt as cold as ice, bewildered by the appearance of Xiang Feiran’s information in a fan circle chat group.

She hadn’t been on Weibo for a long time, and when she logged in, she found that her homepage was already inundated with news about Xiang Feiran.

He appeared on a variety show?

Exposed in detail?

He’s become popular?

… The term “popular” felt strange to her when associated with Xiang Feiran, as if a speck of mud had been splashed on a jasmine flower.

A well-known fan account’s Weibo dominated the related trending topic:

The Romance of an Academic

“After consuming so much gossip, my mood has calmed down from the frenzy. Seeing these three lines of text from the doctoral thesis, it feels so pure. I imagine how solemn he must have felt when typing these three names.”

Some people say that breaking up is as awkward as having a former lover’s name tattooed on your body. But that’s not the case. A tattoo is more like a hidden commemoration; it can fade, distort with body changes, or even be removed. But when you appear in my doctoral dissertation, it’s a resolute declaration with no turning back.

Although very few people may see this declaration, those who have read a PhD thesis will understand that this is one of the rare moments in my life, recorded in a permanent database—

From now on, every citation about me will lead the world to know that I love you.

PhD dissertation…

She only knew that his dissertation was about the systematics and biogeography of the Gentianaceae family but had never downloaded it because it was incomprehensible to outsiders. Shang Mingbao had humiliated herself trying to understand it.

“I can’t understand it.” The frustration was overwhelming.

“Miss,” he said, sliding his finger across her iPad screen with a soft laugh that tickled her ear, “If you could understand it, it would only lead to two conclusions: one, you are a genius; two, I wrote garbage.”

“……”

Searching for Xiang Feiran on Google Scholar, the download count of this dissertation had spiked in the last two days. Shang Mingbao downloaded it and scrolled frantically. She was too impatient, thinking the list of dedications would only appear in the final acknowledgments section, so she went straight there.

Among thousands of words and nearly two hundred pages, with various strange charts dazzling her eyes, she finally reached the intended page. She read carefully, with her heart racing, word by word.

But it wasn’t there.

It was when she was scrolling back to check the table of contents that she noticed the initial “Dedication”:

“For the only love——Mingbao”

These three lines of text were so simple and unassuming amidst the lengthy research. Shang Mingbao’s fingers lingered on the screen, staring at it for a long time.

Comments in the section included:

“Wonder if the big shot will regret this declaration if they break up?”

“Probably consider it a black mark…”

“Seems like he would just brush it off and never open this paper again?”

“Alright, now I want to know Mingbao’s feelings.”

Shang Mingbao locked her phone, removed her glasses, and got up from her desk.

Her hand-drawn work desk was spacious and long, cluttered with countless drafts and discarded papers. Notes from earlier field trips with Xiang Feiran had been transcribed into electronic form and printed out for easy reference.

Her assistant had once marveled at her passion for plants.

“Isn’t this material enough for a lifetime?” The young girl asked innocently.

“Not enough,” her boss replied lightly, “To keep the inspiration alive, you must constantly return to the wild. Otherwise, you can find more detailed images on specialized plant websites.”

A slender colored pencil rolled down the slanted desk and came to a stop with a soft thud. Shang Mingbao pushed open the glass door, leaning against the doorframe, and opened Xiang Feiran’s chat window.

She had never dared to message him, fearing her intrusion might seem rash or that a red warning might appear, indicating she had been deleted from his contacts.

She watched the performance clip three times without blinking, afraid of missing details.

It had been a long time since she saw him play the drums. He was still as carefree and composed. She tried to see if he was using the cymbals she gave him—professional drummers usually bring their own cymbals.

But the camera didn’t focus on that, and she couldn’t tell.

Shang Mingbao bit her lip and typed: “Feiran Ge, good luck”

… He no longer allowed her to call him Feiran Ge.

She changed it to: “Xiang Feiran, good luck”

Hmm… too formal.

Finally, she settled on a plain: “Good luck”

Should she send it?

In the long dilemma of whether to send it or not, Shang Mingbao closed her eyes and, biting her lip, clicked send—

Sent successfully!

?!

Looking at the green dialog box, Shang Mingbao was stunned for two seconds—

“Shit!”

In a flurry of panic, she quickly tapped to retract the message.

Retracted!

But there was a record…

Why didn’t Feiran delete her?

Shang Mingbao held her phone to her chest, her heart pounding, eyes blinking slowly.

Lost her clothes and amulet, but didn’t delete WeChat?

Did he forget to delete it, or was he too lazy to delete it? Or… did he not want to delete it?

“sister babe,” Assistant Essie came over with a large stack of photocopied materials and exclaimed, “Your dress.”

Shang Mingbao looked down and saw that her bright white dress was stained with ash and had burn holes.

“……”

Essie looked surprised again, noticing the iPad automatically playing the next segment of a variety show.

“You also listen to rock?”

Shang Mingbao was strangely disoriented: “Yes.”

“Did you see the drummer exposed in this episode?”

Shang Mingbao: “… Yes.”

“He’s so handsome.”

“He’s wearing a mask, what’s so handsome about it?” Her tone was dismissive.

“That’s the feeling of being handsome,” Essie put down the materials, “And everything has been dug up. He’s really handsome.”

Shang Mingbao returned to her desk, poured herself a glass of water, and casually asked: “What has been uncovered?”

“His identity, photos, resume—already a PhD supervisor in his early thirties. Oh, and the dedication to his deceased ex-girlfriend.”

“Pfft—” Shang Mingbao spat out her drink, nearly coughing up her lungs, “Who? Dedication to whom?”

“His ex-girlfriend who passed away,” Essie said with a mix of curiosity and understanding.

Shang Mingbao was shocked. “When did his ex-girlfriend die?”

“I heard that during his doctoral studies, while on a field expedition, there was a tornado. His ex-girlfriend was caught in it. Since then, every time he goes on a field trip, he carries a stem of Lisianthus because it was her favorite flower. He wants to continue their dreams with her.”

Shang Mingbao: “…”

What kind of absurd story is this!

“It’s really touching. When I saw that dedication to the ‘one and only love, Mingbao,’ I cried.”

“…”

At this point, Essie turned her face. “Babe, your name is the same as his deceased ex-girlfriend’s.”

Shang Mingbao forced a smile. “I’m very much alive.”

Essie sighed and dusted off her hands. “But I also found this out from the group chat. Most of the fans haven’t learned about this sad story yet. Right now, the voting page for their band is flooded with votes under the name Mingbao.”

Shang Mingbao: “?”

Overnight, “Mingbao” gained hundreds of thousands of votes.

On the voting page, Portney, which had been lingering in the middle and lower ranks, surged into the top three in just two days. The comment section and live updates refresh every two seconds with messages like:

“Just voted for Portney with Mingbao.”

“Mingbao just voted for Portney.”

“Mingbao Bao just voted for Portney.”

“Mingbao Hong Kong Branch…”

“Mingbao 10086…”

“Mingbao Baby…”

How did so many fake Mingbaos appear!

It seems that the name Mingbao has gained unanimous recognition—because it has a grass radical.

Blinded, unable to recognize the characters “Ming” and “Bao.”

Shang Mingbao quickly updated her personal settings, changing her nickname to “Mingbao’s One and Only.”

The system responded coldly: “This nickname is already in use.”

“!!!”

After a flurry of typing, she changed it to “West 56th Street Mingbao Branch One and Only” and voted with that name.

Essie, not noticing her actions, organized the stack of photocopied documents and said, “These are the tropical flowers and leaves you asked me to sort out yesterday. I now understand what you mean by vitality.”

Essie, who also enjoys growing green plants, managed to stand out in the interview by discussing her experiences with tropical plants and showing Shang Mingbao her flower wall.

“For example, the trailing velvet plant looks completely different in person compared to in pictures.”

Essie said seriously, “Even though this plant in the picture was photographed in the Amazon, it still lacks the vibrant, snake-like vitality. If you only design based on pictures, you might fall into a rigid imitation.”

Essie didn’t study jewelry design but business management. While her classmates went into investment banks and the Big Four, she joined Shang Mingbao’s team because she liked Shang Mingbao’s villa.

The city, Ning City, is large, a city by the mountains and sea. Unlike her two brothers who have seaside houses, Shang Mingbao chose a mountain retreat.

The nearby village often hosts short-term tourists in summer. The house was originally the most expensive hotel here, a three-story villa built against the hills with a wide, tranquil view. After the previous owner’s mismanagement, Shang Mingbao took over, renovated it, and added a twenty-meter-long swimming pool in the yard.

The terraced fields in front were originally owned by villagers, which she also acquired. The crops remained unchanged, but she planted coconut trees and crepe myrtle along the ridges.

Shang Mingbao thanked Essie for her work, sat on the carpet, and reviewed the high-definition images of tropical plants.

…She couldn’t focus, her attention constantly on her phone.

In a city thousands of kilometers away, in the exclusive rehearsal room, Xiang Feiran frowned at the “retracted” message on his phone.

In the previous adaptation competition, Portney ranked high, followed by a one-on-one PK. The scheduling was unreasonable, requiring them to rehearse the song in the next three days. After an all-nighter, everyone was exhausted by the afternoon, with everyone but him sprawled on the floor, deeply asleep.

Xiang Feiran was also tired. His eyes, which had been closed, snapped open upon seeing the pinned message notification. Perhaps out of uncertainty, he stared at it for several seconds.

So, she didn’t delete him as a friend.

What was sent? What was so embarrassing that it needed to be retracted?

Was it intentional?

Intentional to send something insignificant and then retract it… to provoke? To test?

Xiang Feiran squinted.

Or was it simply a mistake? Too awkward to acknowledge, so pretending it never happened? It was something she could do.

The internet was filled with dedications to his doctoral thesis. As a fan in the celebrity circle, she couldn’t be unaware of it.

After a long contemplation, Xiang Feiran set down his drumsticks, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the wall, expressionless, with low pressure.

What exactly did she retract?

After washing his face to clear his mind, he held a phone meeting with the team and smoked a cigarette.

Despite not wanting to read the online gossip, he went through it thoroughly for her sake, making sure he didn’t find anything about her before he felt relieved.

Maybe she wanted to warn him not to use her identity for publicity?

Overthinking.

The wind blowing from the end of the corridor carried the summer’s dust, dispersing the swirling smoke in front of his detached eyes.

Xiang Feiran flicked the cigarette from his lips and smirked.

He shouldn’t be overthinking her careless gesture.

After finishing a cigarette, he called directly.

The phone vibrated continuously.

Shang Mingbao never expected it to be him; she thought it was a sales call from the store or a call from Wen Youyi. Seeing her ex-boyfriend’s name flashing on the screen, she gasped and the phone dropped straight to the floor.

How should she put it… it felt like she had just tossed a grenade, and the other side responded with an intercontinental missile.

She cleared her throat and cleared it again.

Essie: “Babe, are you feeling unwell?”

Shang Mingbao closed her eyes. “Go out.”

Essie left, closing the door behind her, and reminded, “Your face is very red.”

Shang Mingbao patted her cheeks and exhaled slowly—she didn’t dare to take too long, fearing he might hang up.

She took a deep breath and answered the call, feeling her heart racing and her mind muddled.

Her deep voice, honed over a year of training for investors and fashion interviews, completely failed her in front of Xiang Feiran.

She involuntarily whispered, “Feiran…”

She had been ordered not to call him “Feiran-ge” anymore.

Shang Mingbao corrected herself: “Xiang Feiran.”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

He took the phone from his ear and checked.

It was her profile picture.

Calling him by his full name, huh?

He brushed off the ash and asked directly, “What did you retract?”

Shang Mingbao: “…”

The voice from the phone was deep, with a slight coldness that made her unconsciously stunned, her breathing softening.

“Speak.”

“Nothing. I just saw you on the show and wanted to cheer you on.”

Her anxiety, which had been hanging for nearly an hour, finally settled in her chest, giving way to a feeling of irony and self-mockery.

“Thank you.”

Noticing that he seemed to be about to hang up, Shang Mingbao stopped him: “Wait!”

“Is there something else?” he asked calmly on the other end.

“Why does it say online that I’m dead…” Shang Mingbao bit her lip.

“…Who?”

“Don’t you know? My assistant said that online rumors claim your ex-girlfriend was swept away by a tornado, so you always bring a delphinium, which she loved, whenever you go outdoors. Your thesis dedication was also because of this.”

“My thesis dedication was based on the wish for your long life,” Xiang Feiran corrected flatly.

Shang Mingbao couldn’t help but lick her lower lip, wanting to say something, but her heart was pounding and her mind was foggy, unsure of what else to say.

If they were still in a relationship, this would be his love talk.

But now that they were broken up, she didn’t dare to think too much. Yet, her heart was defying her reason—her heartbeat was disobedient to her rationality.

Feiran slightly opened the window in the corridor to let the wind drown out his faint breathing at the phone.

After a two-second silence, he said, “I’m leaving.”

“—Wait!” Shang Mingbao called him again, “Can I come to the scene?”

Actually, she could come if she wanted to; dressed in disguise, he wouldn’t recognize her.

But she was afraid of irritating him, worried that her unprepared self appearing before him would be too early and inappropriate.

There was a two-second pause on the other end.

Xiang Feiran said softly, “No.”

The call ended.

The wide workspace was suddenly silent, with only the distant chirping of birds in the rice fields.

Shang Mingbao slowly hugged a cushion to her chest.

Then she heard Xiang Feiran’s voice again.

She pressed her face against the cushion, closed her eyes, and amidst the mixed scents of bitter citrus and cypress, it felt like lying in a forest drenched by a summer storm.

After three grueling days of rehearsals, Xiang Feiran stood on the studio stage for the second time.

Since she asked if she could come, from the moment he stepped on stage, he lowered his lashes, focusing his gaze firmly on the drum kit area.

During the middle of the performance, immersed in the rhythm and atmosphere, his eyes inadvertently swept across the dance floor and saw a pair of eyes that resembled hers.

It wasn’t her.

But he had already missed a beat on the drums.

It was obvious that several drummers on the second site pointed it out: “This is a mistake? Not something he would make.”

After the performance, Xiang Feiran sat on the drum stool for a few more seconds before getting up.

In the past few days, his personal exposure also led to increased exposure for botany.

Dedicated to the Only Love
The Romance of Academics
Humans and Biosphere
Plant Taxonomy
Plant Taxonomy is Not Natural History
Plants Didn’t Always Have Flowers
What is Gentian?

…

Various topics emerged, and the page for Xiang Feiran on the botany research lab’s website was visited so much that it crashed for several minutes.

Due to the special status and huge traffic, the program team couldn’t ignore it. After the performance, the host had to emotionally say:

“After the last episode aired, due to the enthusiasm of the audience and music fans, Potney’s new drummer, Mr. Xiang, was quickly pushed into the public eye. The program team has been quite uneasy, worried about causing unnecessary disturbances to Mr. Xiang’s work and institution. I must clarify that Mr. Xiang’s appearance was a friendly gesture, and drumming is a hobby outside of his academic work. After the recording, we wish Mr. Xiang’s life and academic work to return to normal.”

Xiang Feiran politely nodded.

The host then shifted the topic: “Can you speak now? This is also my first time talking to a talented young man.”

Xiang Feiran: “…”

The broadcast assistant quickly handed him the microphone.

Xiang Feiran indeed had something to say, so he calmly took the microphone.

The audience was shouting: “Take off the mask! Take off the mask!”

A guest joked: “Haven’t you all seen it online? My gosh, spanning ten years, from Ning City to the U.S., from New York to Boston, are there any photos you haven’t seen? Did you read every word of the UN speech’s press release?”

Fluorescent wristbands waved like a sea of colorful lights.

At this point, continuing to wear the mask was unnecessary. To show politeness and respect, Xiang Feiran took it off, folded it neatly, and put it in the pocket of his sweatpants.

The camera zoomed in, and the director smartly switched to a close-up shot.

Cutting to the second scene, a bunch of musicians joked as they got up from their seats: “No comparison, no comparison, it’s not comparable at all.”

The host calmed the atmosphere: “I bet that whoever manages to book Portney with Xiang Bo’s arrangements for the next music festival will have their tickets sold out the fastest.”

Several guests laughed: “Isn’t this becoming more and more like hype? It can’t be cleared up.”

In the broadcast backstage, there was an undercurrent of excitement. Who would have thought that a year-long planned show would become a hot topic because of a drummer’s fracture? With things having come to this point, the camera couldn’t miss any detail on site—because they all knew the next episode would be a hit.

The lead singer took the opportunity to smooth things over: “I swear, he was really tricked into joining us.”

The host laughed: “I can see now, your coolness is learned from him.”

The lead singer: “Yes, yes, yes, he’s been like this since elementary school, always asking for a beating. It’s all up to me to protect him.”

Xiang Feiran curved his lips slightly; fine, it was his debut, so let him have it.

Amidst the laughter, the host asked, “Do you consider participating in music festivals in the future, Xiang Bo?”

“No.”

“What about variety shows? For example, brain-teasing variety shows or reality shows with some educational content?” The host said seriously, “I really got calls from several producer friends.”

“Thank you, but I’ll decline.”

“…”

The host said seriously: “Before the show, did you ever consider that such a situation might occur?”

Xiang Feiran was succinct: “No.”

“Did it cause any inconvenience in your life in the past few days?”

“Yes.”

The host seemed a bit awkward, not expecting such a blunt response.

An experienced guest smoothly changed the subject with humor: “Is this the first time in your life you’re experiencing trouble caused by your appearance? Like the netizens, I don’t understand academic papers, but I do understand facial features and physique.”

“I’d like to ask,” a producer guest interrupted, “Did you make a mistake with the drum just now? Or was it intentional? Because you added an extra segment at the end.”

Xiang Feiran admitted openly: “It was a mistake.”

He wanted to look for eyes similar to hers again but restrained himself.

After chatting with the other band members, the host redirected the topic back to him, asking if he had anything to say to the audience.

“Not sign language,” the guest brought up.

Xiang Feiran thought for a moment, his voice steady and tone calm:

“Botany is a relatively obscure field. Plants don’t speak and can’t protect themselves. In addition to the efforts of governments, organizations, and professionals, public education and awareness about biodiversity protection are also essential. Many species are endangered not because of breeding difficulties in their natural environment, but due to illegal collection or simply because people, unaware, pick them out of admiration for their beauty. From this perspective, if the attention on me can translate into more focus on taxonomy and biodiversity protection, I wouldn’t mind more of it.”

Applause interrupted his speech. Xiang Feiran nodded slightly and, as the atmosphere calmed down, continued lightly：“But there is one thing, I hope to use this stage to clarify.”

He does not use social media and has no other accounts to clarify things.

The host, serious in expression, thought he was about to discuss other academic matters.

Xiang Feiran looked directly at the camera, his expression calm: “My ex-girlfriend is still alive and very healthy. She will live to a hundred.”