Chapter 03: Chi Yao

Ming Miao trembled slightly, unsure of how to respond.

His first instinct was to defend his father, because he knew his father wasn’t an idiot. On the contrary, his father was actually a very smart person.

But… had his mother already decided that his father was an idiot? If he argued against her, would his mother be upset?

Ming Miao was so conflicted.

Being an obedient, sensible, and perceptive child was truly too difficult!

Seeing the troubled look on Ming Miao’s face, Ming Can finally realized that her expression had slipped, revealing a hint of her agitation.

She had indeed concluded in her heart that Miaomiao’s biological father was an idiot—this seemed to be the only explanation for her son’s complete lack of talent in mathematics.

Miaomiao was a very sensitive child, and Ming Can had long noticed this. At five or six years old, children were usually at the age where they were annoying and difficult to deal with, but Miaomiao showed none of the mischief or willfulness typical of other troublesome kids. Not only was he obedient and well-behaved, but he was also remarkably perceptive and adept at reading the room.

Ming Can often felt that he was a little too well-behaved. She wasn’t sure if it was because the version of herself from another timeline had raised him well, or if this child had simply grown used to enduring grievances.

On the coffee table sat a plate of freshly washed strawberries. Ming Can picked a few, pinched off the leaves, and fed them to Miaomiao. She switched to a simpler question and asked, “What’s your dad’s name?”

Miaomiao loved strawberries. His cheeks puffed up adorably as he chewed, and he mumbled through a full mouth, “Dad’s name is Chi Xiao.”

“Chi what?”

“Chi Xiao.”

“Chi Xiao?” Ming Can still couldn’t hear him clearly and repeated it with some effort. She poked Miaomiao’s chubby cheek. “Swallow the strawberry first, okay?”

In Ming Miao’s ears echoed his mother’s heartfelt words: [No need to say it. This Chi-something-Xiao, I just hope he stays far away from me.]

Ming Miao blinked lightly, unsurprised that his mother would say such a thing.

After all, his original mother had been the same way—she didn’t like hearing anything related to his father. So when Ming Miao was around her, he had long since gotten used to not mentioning his dad.

The vast majority of children Ming Miao’s age wanted both their father and mother around, but for Ming Miao, the times when both his parents were with him at the same time had been exceedingly rare since he was little. As a result, in his eyes, having just his father or just his mother by his side was the most normal thing in the world.

The strawberries were sweet and tangy, and Ming Miao wanted to eat a few more. Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind:

[Host, your stamina is about to run out.]

[Human language is far too complex and difficult to understand, especially with someone like Ms. Ming Can. What she says and what she truly means often have no correlation at all. Translating for such a person just once consumes a huge amount of stamina, which is far too much for a five-and-a-half-year-old human child like you to handle. But don’t worry, as long as you practice diligently, your efficiency will gradually improve… Host?]

“Huff… so sleepy…” Ming Miao was still holding a strawberry in his hand when his whole body went limp and toppled backward. Just a second before he could have a close encounter with the floor, Ming Can swiftly caught him.

Ming Can couldn’t help but scold him, “How can you just lie down on the floor? Do you still remember what you’re supposed to do before going to bed?”

She bent down and picked Ming Miao up.

At five and a half years old, the little boy weighed over forty jin (20 kg)^[1]40 jin is equivalent to 20 kilograms or approximately 44.09 pounds., and Ming Can found it a bit strenuous to carry him. A trace of frustration rose in her heart.

Children were such carefree creatures. Moreover, because of his unique background, Ming Can, despite being a wealthy heiress, couldn’t keep a nanny at home to help all the time. She was always worried that outsiders might notice something unusual, so most of the time, she had no choice but to take care of him on her own.

After turning her head, Ming Can saw Miaomiao’s two round, fair little hands resting on his forehead, his fingers pressing against his eyelids to keep them from drooping. He mumbled in response to her earlier question:

“Wash my face, brush my teeth, take a bath, change clothes… then I can go to sleep… Mom, I remember everything. Don’t be mad…”

“I’m not that easily mad,” Ming Can replied.

Ming Can softly refuted, her lips curling into an involuntary smile, and suddenly, she didn’t feel quite so frustrated anymore.

After putting Ming Miao to bed, it wasn’t even 9 p.m. when Ming Can, utterly exhausted, took a quick shower and collapsed onto her bed.

The room was silent, and the soothing fragrance of sleep-inducing incense lingered in the air. Yet the more she lay there, the more awake she felt, her thoughts uncontrollably circling back to Miaomiao’s father’s name.

Even though she had barely heard it clearly, Ming Can felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had heard of this person somewhere before.

But no matter how hard she tried to think, she came up with nothing. After all, she hadn’t even caught whether his surname was “Chi” or “Chen.”

Sigh, forget it.

Ming Can turned on her side, reached for her phone, and found a few parenting videos on teaching kids mathematics, projecting them onto the screen to watch.

The first key point the teacher in the video emphasized was: Parents must not be impatient.

This statement instantly struck down the naturally impatient Ming Can.

She hugged the blanket and rolled around on the bed, kicking and punching to vent her frustration.

When the teacher said, “Mathematics is inherently difficult. Don’t impose an adult’s way of thinking on a child,” Ming Can felt as if a light bulb had gone off. Her anxiety eased considerably.

She composed herself and continued watching.

…

The next morning, Ming Can looked at the dark circles reflected in the mirror and silently applied an extra layer of concealer.

Her schedule was packed today, so after dropping Ming Miao off at school, she immediately hailed a cab to head to B University.

In the past, wherever Ming Can went, a driver would always pick her up. There was never any need to take a cab. But now, to prevent outsiders from questioning her relationship with Ming Miao, she no longer used a regular driver.

On the way, Ming Can considered whether she should learn to drive soon. It would make things much more convenient for her—whether it was going to and from school or taking Ming Miao out to play. Unfortunately, taking care of Ming Miao already left her stretched too thin, and she wasn’t sure if she could find the time to learn.

Fortunately, her school, Ming Miao’s school, and their home were all relatively close to each other, forming a neat triangle. For now, she could still manage.

After arriving at B University, Ming Can had two back-to-back lectures in the morning. After being a diligent student for so many years, it was the first time she felt that attending classes was truly exhausting.

Occasionally, when she couldn’t hold back a yawn, Xu Jiayun, who was sitting beside her, would give her a look of utter astonishment, as if she had suddenly mutated today.

How annoying.

Even during the most stressful times in her final year of high school, she had never stayed up all night. Yet yesterday, cramming parenting knowledge had almost kept her awake until dawn—who would believe that?

Ming Can rubbed her stiff scalp as the bell signaling the end of class rang, sounding like heavenly music to her ears.

While packing up her bag, she and Xu Jiayun started discussing which cafeteria to eat at and what to have for lunch, quickly leaving their seats.

As they walked through the aisle and reached the last two rows of the lecture hall, Ming Can was suddenly called out.

“Class rep, wait a second!”

The boy calling her struggled to shake awake someone who was slumped over the desk, fast asleep. “Brother Yao, I swear this is the last time I’m helping you…”

This boring scene felt oddly familiar, but Ming Can couldn’t even be bothered to glance in their direction and walked away without pause.

The boy referred to as “Brother Yao” slowly sat up from the desk, yawning incessantly, looking as if he had stayed up all night doing something shady.

He had quite a handsome face, and even with two sleep marks etched across it, his charm wasn’t diminished in the slightest. Plenty of girls deliberately passed by him, pretending to greet him casually.

He lazily responded a few times, scratching his sleep-mussed hair, and grumbled softly to his companion, “Why can’t the class rep wait for me for just a moment?”

“Do you even know who the class rep is?” The boy recalled a description of Ming Can he had seen on the school forum and recited it word for word:

“B University’s famed genius, Goddess Can. Nicknamed the walking volcano, she’s the perfect blend of beauty and intensity. Her appearance is highly deceptive. Get too close, and you’ll be incinerated. Whether you’re the department heartthrob or the faculty heartthrob, wherever Goddess Can goes, no grass grows.”

The boy paused for a moment before concluding, “Brother Yao, someone like you trying to pursue the class rep? I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

“If the department heartthrob and faculty heartthrob can’t cut it, what if I become the campus heartthrob?”

“…An interesting thought. But I don’t think our school has even held a campus heartthrob election this year?”

“Then it’s me,” he said, stretching lazily and glancing at the back door of the lecture hall, where students were filing out one by one. “It’s been days since I last talked to her. Why is it so hard to ask her out for a meal?”

The boy rolled his eyes. “You said you wanted to sit next to her during class, but you couldn’t even wake up early enough to grab a seat. Then you said you’d catch her after class, but instead, you left me alone to face the volcano while you slept… If I help you again, I’m an idiot.”

“Don’t be like that, Brother.” He hooked an arm around the boy’s shoulder, his mind quickly turning. “I remember there’s a class at 1 p.m., right? I won’t go back to the dorm at noon. I’ll just wait for her at the teaching building.”

“Gotta admire your courage.” The boy patted his arm with a hint of sympathy. “Good luck, Brother.”

—

On the campus pathway, the ground was covered with the golden fallen leaves of plane trees. Stepping on them produced a crisp crunch, and when the crowd thickened, the sound resembled a fine drizzle.

The road leading to the cafeteria was particularly crowded at this hour, with a cacophony of noise filling the air.

Ming Can hadn’t slept well the night before, and her head felt groggy as she walked, her mind drifting aimlessly.

Just then, she heard someone loudly shouting behind her, “Chi Xiao! Grab me a beef noodle! I’m running late for a meeting!”

A bolt of lightning seemed to cut through Ming Can’s foggy mind.

Chi Xiao? Who’s Chi Xiao?

She turned her head and saw a tall boy standing by the side of the road. He waved toward someone behind him and asked, “Which room is your meeting in?”

“Room 302 in the student activity center, right next to your office. Thanks!”

“OK.”

The boy lowered his hand and turned around, meeting Ming Can’s slightly stunned gaze head-on.

He tilted his head and curled his lips into a smile. “Class Rep Ming?”

After realizing it was someone she knew, the breath Ming Can had been holding in her chest suddenly released, and her eyelid twitched slightly.

The boy’s name was Chen Yixiao, the president of B University’s student council, Ming Can’s superior, and a third-year law student.

His name… sounded remarkably similar to what Miaomiao had said last night.

Ming Can stopped in her tracks, watching as Chen Yixiao casually walked up to her. Her gaze instinctively took on a scrutinizing edge as she carefully examined him from head to toe and then back again.

Chen Yixiao was fair-skinned, tall, and slender, with a pair of narrow gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Behind the lenses, his features exuded an elegant and gentle demeanor—a classic herbivore-type campus heartthrob.

Facing Ming Can’s not-so-friendly gaze, he asked in a warm voice, “Is something wrong?”

Ming Can replied, “Nothing. Senior, are you heading to lunch?”

“Yeah. Want to join me?” Chen Yixiao said, “I’m familiar with the South Campus cafeteria. I’ll treat you.”

Ming Can shook her head. “The South Campus is too crowded. We’re planning to eat at the Agricultural Garden cafeteria. No need to trouble you, Senior.”

Her refusal was straightforward, and Chen Yixiao nodded without pressing further.

The South Campus cafeteria was just ahead, and Chen Yixiao was about to step away when Ming Can suddenly called out to him, seemingly out of nowhere, “Senior, how did you do in advanced mathematics back then?”

Chen Yixiao paused, momentarily stunned, as if hearing a particularly amusing question. “Law students don’t take math. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

Ming Can was thoroughly embarrassed, cursing herself for speaking without thinking. “I… just wanted to ask about the difficulty of math exams in other departments.”

“Then you’ve asked the wrong person,” Chen Yixiao said. “Honestly, math was my weak subject in high school. Studying law was like my escape to freedom.”

With that, they parted ways.

On the way to the Agricultural Garden cafeteria, Ming Can’s daydreaming became even more intense. Xu Jiayun spoke to her several times, but she didn’t hear a word.

Could it be Chen Yixiao?

It had to be said—Chen Yixiao was the most outstanding guy Ming Can had encountered during her time at university. Capable, refined, well-mannered, and not bad-looking, his presence in the student council attracted a legion of admirers. Yet his personal life was clean, and while he had the charm of a handsome guy, he lacked the arrogance that often came with it. He was warm and polite to everyone, always striking the perfect balance.

Having worked with him for over a year, Ming Can had always admired him.

And just now, he admitted that he wasn’t good at math…

“Cancan… Cancan!” Xu Jiayun raised her voice. “What are you thinking about? Ever since you saw Senior Chen, you’ve been completely out of it!”

Ming Can snapped back to reality. “Huh? Was I?”

“As if you weren’t,” Xu Jiayun said, giving her a sidelong glance before asking meaningfully, “Do you remember who you voted for during our dorm’s late-night chat about the campus heartthrob last semester?”

“Chen Yixiao,” Ming Can replied nonchalantly. “The other candidates were simply ridiculous.”

“Not bad, I guess. But Senior Chen really is the most well-rounded,” Xu Jiayun teased, her smile turning sly. “You two are such a good match.”

Ming Can did admire Chen Yixiao, but when she heard the words “a good match,” it felt like her scalp was being pulled, and an inexplicable irritation rose in her heart. “I don’t have any feelings for him.”

Thinking that Ming Can might actually like him and that her teasing had gone too far, Xu Jiayun immediately stood at attention and apologized, “I take it back! I’m sorry!”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Ming Can brushed it off casually, but her mind was in utter turmoil.

She had no issue with Chen Yixiao as a person, but she couldn’t imagine a future where she built a family with him and had children together.

She had heard from friends in the student council that Chen Yixiao’s father was a legal executive at a major corporation, with family assets likely in the tens of millions—a modest entry into the upper-middle class. However, it was still far from enough to qualify for a marriage alliance with a wealthy family like the Ming family.

If it wasn’t for a marriage alliance, then it must mean that she and Chen Yixiao overcame familial barriers and came together purely for love…

Impossible!

Ming Can was utterly speechless at the conclusion her own speculation had led to.

Chen Yixiao’s name only happened to sound a bit like what Miaomiao had said, but he didn’t resemble Miaomiao at all. The likelihood of him being Miaomiao’s biological father was very slim.

With this in mind, Ming Can finally calmed down, bundling up all the messy thoughts in her head and tossing them far away.

She was now starting to regret her momentary lapse of judgment the previous night, asking Miaomiao about his father’s name.

Even though she still didn’t want to have anything to do with this man, she couldn’t deny her basic curiosity. After all, half of Miaomiao’s genes came from his father—it was impossible not to wonder, even just a little, what kind of person he was.

This curiosity, combined with knowing Miaomiao’s father’s vague name but not being sure who he was, inevitably led her to all sorts of wild and baseless speculations.

Still too young.

Ming Can sighed and decided not to think about this matter anymore.

After lunch, Ming Can and Xu Jiayun went to the library, found a sofa, and dozed off for a while.

Ming Can slept quite soundly and woke up feeling much more refreshed.

With a class at one o’clock, they left the library under the midday sun.

Not far away, the teaching building seemed to be enveloped in dazzling light, so bright it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.

On the first floor of the teaching building was a coffee shop. Xu Jiayun stopped to buy coffee while Ming Can went upstairs to secure seats.

This teaching building was newly constructed in the past two years, with a design that emphasized transparency. The entire south side was a glass curtain wall, making it nearly as sunny inside as it was outside.

Ming Can turned out from the stairwell, only to be met with a sharp glare of reflected light from the building opposite, piercing straight at her.

She squinted her eyes and took a few steps forward, only to be caught off guard by someone calling her from nearby: “Class rep.”

The voice came from a self-study area. Ming Can raised her hand to shield her eyes and looked in that direction.

A tall boy in a gray hoodie stood up and walked over, his backpack slung casually over one shoulder, exuding a sense of laziness.

He stepped out from the shadows and approached Ming Can. The sudden bright light also stung his eyes, making him turn his head to the side. His profile came into view, illuminated by the light—his high, prominent nose and sharply defined features made for an exceptionally striking face.

For a moment, Ming Can felt as if she were seeing someone else through him, her eyes widening in disbelief.

It was uncanny.

His profile… it was so similar to Miaomiao’s.

Especially the bridge of the nose.

“You…” Ming Can’s lips moved slightly as she uttered his name, “Chi Yao?”

Damn.

Even the name sounded almost identical!

Ming Can instinctively took a step back, leaning against the wall behind her. Her fingernails scraped at the tile grout as she stared unblinkingly at the person in front of her.

Chi Yao, now gradually adjusting to the brightness, looked at her in confusion and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

His full face was also quite striking, with thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and sharp, defined features—a straightforward kind of handsome. However, looking at him head-on, the resemblance to Miaomiao wasn’t as strong. Miaomiao’s features were more delicate in comparison.

Ming Can didn’t respond, instead circling to his side and scrutinizing him again for a while.

It was just this profile.

There really was some resemblance.

“What are you doing?” Chi Yao rubbed his ear. “No matter how handsome I am, you don’t need to examine me from every angle. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Ming Can: …

She really couldn’t see where he was feeling embarrassed.

She closed her eyes, looking as if her vision had been gravely injured, and took several seconds before reopening them. Then, in a cold tone, she said, “You called me for something?”

“Yeah,” Chi Yao replied, the corners of his lips lifting into a smile. “I wanted to ask if you’re free this weekend. I—”

“I’m not.”

“…” Before he could finish speaking, he was ruthlessly rejected. Chi Yao felt a bit hurt, but fortunately, his thick skin came to the rescue. “Class rep, we’re classmates, after all. As a class officer, you should take care of me. I’m not feeling much camaraderie from you right now…”

“What score did you get on yesterday’s probability theory exam?” Ming Can, unwilling to entertain his nonsense, interrupted him and asked directly.

Chi Yao replied, “Oh, that? I overslept on the day of the exam and didn’t go.”

Ming Can frowned, finding this utterly ridiculous.

Chi Yao, however, remained completely unbothered. “The midterm only counts toward regular class participation, so it’s no big deal. Besides, even if I had taken it, I wouldn’t have passed anyway. It’s a lot of effort for no reward—might as well skip it and relax.”

His tone was quite self-satisfied, a perfect picture of an idle, unmotivated rich kid.

Ming Can’s gaze swept over the luxury brand jacket he was wearing, easily worth no less than five figures. As the class rep, she knew Chi Yao’s background quite well.

He was a bona fide heir of a wealthy family, having attended high school overseas. He had been admitted to B University as an international student, a process far less challenging than the College Entrance Exam.

Since enrolling, Ming Can had never seen Chi Yao take a single class seriously. He either spent his days sleeping or playing around, with grades so poor they were unbearable to look at. In a campus teeming with top students, his unique style stood out as a rare underachiever.

The stark contrast made Ming Can suddenly find Senior Chen Yixiao much more agreeable.

“How shameless of you,” Ming Can mocked mercilessly. “You went through all that trouble to get into B University just to diversify the campus species? To showcase genetic variety in an otherwise academically homogeneous environment?”

Ming Can’s sharp tongue was well-known, and she was particularly skilled at delivering biting sarcasm.

Chi Yao had been pursuing her since freshman year and had endured her sharp tongue countless times. His skin had grown thicker and thicker, so her remarks no longer fazed him much.

But today, her insult caught him off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned—almost unable to follow her train of thought.

How had the topic suddenly shifted to genetics?

A depth of sarcasm that pierced through the surface, straight to the chromosomes?

At that moment, Chi Yao’s roommate and close friend, Han Yihong, suddenly appeared. Clearly, he had overheard their conversation and couldn’t resist stepping in to help his buddy out.

“Class rep, Brother Yao’s brain isn’t as bad as you think,” Han Yihong said, affectionately patting Chi Yao’s head. He struggled to come up with a compliment, and resorted to grasping at straws. “Just look at the shape of the back of his head. It takes excellent genes to produce such an outstanding skull.”

Chi Yao muttered as he was patted, “Why do I feel like you’re petting a dog?”

Ming Can gave them a cold look. “I don’t see where his so-called excellent genes are.”

“They’re legit, I swear,” Han Yihong insisted. “Class rep, you don’t know this, but Brother Yao’s family has genius genes. He has a cousin at A University next door who’s—”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Chi Yao interrupted Han Yihong, as if he didn’t want to continue the topic. He gripped Han Yihong’s shoulder, and he steered him away. “Stop trying to prove a point. Just let me take a look at the script for the group presentation later.”

And just like that, the conversation came to an abrupt and awkward end.

The two boys walked off with their arms around each other, leaving Ming Can standing there alone.

She stared at Chi Yao’s supposedly “excellent genes” at the back of his head, feeling an overwhelming urge to crack it open and see what was inside.

---

Author’s Note:

Miaomiao: Wow, so many dads >.<