Chapter 68: Missing You

It had been less than two years since the college entrance exam, and both Ming Zheng and Ming Can still had clear memories of that day.

Under the scorching summer sun, the parents waiting outside the school gate endured the heat. Fortunately, volunteers had set up sunshade tents among the crowd, distributing bottled water, fans, and cooling patches. The parents took refuge under the tents, praising the hardworking volunteers.

Among the volunteers was a particularly tall and handsome young man. Many parents tried to strike up conversations with him, but most of the time, he only nodded in response, rarely speaking. His personality seemed very reserved.

Ming Zheng, busy with company matters, had arrived late. The parents of Class 3 had already gathered together. As Ming Zheng joined them, a volunteer approached him—a fair-skinned, handsome young man with beads of sweat on his face. He silently handed Ming Zheng a pile of heat-relief items.

Ming Zheng casually asked if he was a graduate and which school he attended now.

The young man replied that he was at A University.

Hearing this, Ming Zheng took a closer look at him and smiled, saying, “My daughter has excellent grades. She might end up at A University too.”

“At the time, he gave me a lot of things at once. I remember one fan in particular because while parents from other classes got simple plastic fans, we in Class 3 received folding fans with the words ‘Top of the Golden List’ written on them,” Ming Zheng recalled as he spoke. “After you came out, I even took a photo with you holding that fan.”

Ming Can: “Is that fan still around?”

Ming Zheng: “It’s long gone.”

“Then… I’d like to see the photo,” Ming Can said. “Dad, you must have it on your phone, right?”

“I do,” Ming Zheng said, looking at her curiously. “Let me find it.”

Ming Zheng hadn’t changed his phone in the past two years, so he quickly found the photos taken at the school gate in June two years ago.

In the photo, Ming Can was wearing her high school summer uniform, her cheeks flushed from the sun. She held a bouquet of blooming flowers in her arms and gazed calmly at the camera, like an MVP player who already knew she had won. From head to toe, she exuded an air of pride.

Looking at it now, it seemed quite cringeworthy.

Ming Zheng stood beside her, one hand resting on his daughter’s shoulder, the other holding up a folding fan with the words “Top of the Golden List” written in bold characters, facing the camera.

It was a very delicate fan.

From the photo alone, it was impossible to tell whether it was mass-produced or handmade.

There were over a dozen photos taken in quick succession. Ming Can swiped through them one by one, her finger slowly sliding across the screen.

The young girl, fresh out of the exam hall, was surrounded by flowers and loved ones. In the slightly blurred background behind her, Ming Can’s gaze froze as she spotted a very familiar figure.

A sudden wave of bittersweet emotion welled up in her heart, and she almost wanted to call out to him across the barrier of time, to make him turn around.

The young man was partially facing the camera, his red volunteer vest draped over his arm. His neck was slightly bent, his eyes downcast, his expression unclear.

In the next photo, and the one after that, the continuous images were like frames from a movie. The young man gradually turned his back, revealing his soaked white T-shirt, and silently walked away.

Just like an ordinary passerby in her life.

He had appeared by chance in the blurred corner of a photo, only to be swallowed up by the crowd.

–

After leaving Jingyu Garden, the car drove for over an hour before arriving home.

Chi Yanpeng had been staring out the window the entire time, not saying a word. The prolonged silence made the atmosphere tense. Duan Hanyan gradually noticed that something was off with his mood. No matter how deep his thoughts were or how skilled he was at hiding his emotions, he couldn’t wear a mask forever in front of his family.

Having been married for many years, Duan Hanyan had always been clear about her role. Although her family background was good, it paled in comparison to the Chi family. Without strong backing or exceptional talent, she was like a young, beautiful dodder plant—she had to treat her husband as her boss, constantly observing his moods and pleasing him to secure her place in the Chi family and pave the way for her children.

What Chi Yanpeng needed was precisely a wife like her—gentle, submissive, and obedient.

During dinner, Chi Yanpeng’s irritability became more apparent. When Ah Heng and Ah Yue bickered at the table, he slammed his hand on the table and scolded them for being unruly, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Duan Hanyan remembered that his mood had been quite good after lunch at the Ming family’s house.

It was only after they got into the car and left that he suddenly turned gloomy.

Could it be…

That the young man they saw at the Ming family’s house was actually Chi Xiao?

Had he lied to his father about going to the United States, when in reality, he had been staying at the Ming family’s house for the New Year?

Chi Yanpeng must have recognized him but, for the sake of face, insisted it wasn’t him.

Thinking this, Duan Hanyan almost wanted to laugh.

That child, Ah Xiao, really knew how to dance on his father’s nerves. Ordinary parents would already be upset if their child spent the New Year at someone else’s house, let alone someone as strict and controlling as Chi Yanpeng.

During their post-dinner walk, Duan Hanyan brought up Ming Can.

“I had someone look into that child’s school records,” Duan Hanyan said. “The Ming family says she’s obedient and well-behaved, but at school, she’s a very formidable girl. She’s been class monitor since she was young, excelling in academics, school activities, and competitions. She’s very ambitious.”

As she spoke, she noticed her husband’s brow furrow slightly.

No doubt he was reminded of his strong-willed ex-wife.

He had suffered a lot at the hands of his ex-wife, which was why he later married someone like her—a woman with a completely opposite personality.

The girl he had originally chosen for Ah Xiao, Chu Zhiyu, was also exceptionally gentle and compliant.

Duan Hanyan had initially not wanted Chi Xiao to be with Chu Zhiyu because she didn’t want Chi Xiao to gain the support of the Chu family. But now, after investigating Ming Can, she realized that this girl was not only exceptionally talented but also very strong-willed—a potential super-ambitious figure. Such a daughter-in-law would be difficult to control, and with Ah Xiao so fond of her, wouldn’t the entire Chi family end up following her lead?

So, taking advantage of her husband’s anger over Ah Xiao’s actions today, Duan Hanyan added a little more fuel to the fire, hoping to make him see the true nature of this youngest daughter of the Ming family.

Your genius son is completely led by the nose by a woman.

Today, he can abandon his parents and hide at the Ming family’s house; tomorrow, he might hand over everything he has to someone else.

Chi Yanpeng merely frowned and didn’t respond.

Even after many years of marriage, Duan Hanyan still couldn’t claim to understand this man.

His thoughts were too deep, and only he knew what was truly on his mind.

—

The Second Day of the Lunar New Year, Evening

Not long after Chi Xiao had put Miaomiao to sleep, he received a call from his father.

The tone was normal, just asking what time he would arrive at the airport tomorrow so that a car could be sent to pick him up.

Chi Xiao explained that he would only arrive the day after tomorrow after his flight and that he would take a taxi home himself, so there was no need to send anyone.

After exchanging a few more words, Chi Xiao’s expression gradually darkened. His father’s tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal.

After hanging up, Chi Xiao went to Miaomiao’s room and sat for a while, tucking in the corners of the blanket. Then he stepped out and made another call, this time to Ming Can.

Ming Can was in the middle of practicing the violin when she saw Chi Xiao’s call. She quickly answered, her voice cheerful: “Senior, good evening!”

It was rare to hear her speak to him in such a bright tone. Chi Xiao was momentarily stunned before replying, “Good evening.”

Ming Can sat cross-legged on the floating table by the window. As she listened to him speak, the corners of her lips gradually drooped, and she said with some dissatisfaction, “Are you saying you’re unavailable during the day on the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth? Weren’t you free before?”

“Something came up last minute,” Chi Xiao said, unsure why his father was so insistent on him accompanying him. “Sorry.”

Ming Can shrugged: “Forget it, you do what you need to do. You’ve been taking care of Miaomiao all this time, so you must be tired.”

Chi Xiao: “It’s not tiring. It’s my responsibility.”

After he finished speaking, the line fell silent, with only the faint sound of static filling the air, making the atmosphere even more tense.

Ming Can didn’t know what else to say.

But she didn’t want to hang up.

“You…”

“What are you doing?”

His question came abruptly, his voice low and pleasant to the ear.

Ming Can was momentarily stunned. She glanced at the violin beside her and pursed her lips: “Practicing the violin.”

Chi Xiao chuckled: “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to play the violin anymore?”

“Can’t I suddenly feel like playing tonight?” Ming Can jumped down from the table, plucking the violin strings with her fingers. “If I don’t play it after buying it, wouldn’t that be a waste of eight million?”

“Bought it,” Chi Xiao was quick to catch the key point, speaking in a meaningful tone. “Such an expensive violin—the seller must have made a fortune.”

“Exactly.” Ming Can, despite not having paid for it, was already acting like the gullible buyer. “Spending eight million just for a violin? What a rip-off. They should at least throw in something extra.”

Chi Xiao nodded thoughtfully: “What else do you want?”

Ming Can: “What do you have?”

After a pause, as if anticipating what he might say, Ming Can quickly added, “Don’t say you have a son. Your son is also my son.”

A soft laugh came through the phone.

It was like a feather brushing against her ear, causing a tingling sensation.

Chi Xiao held the phone, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony. His tall, lean figure was reflected in the glass, his posture relaxed as he gazed at the distant nightscape. He said softly, “I kind of miss you.”

…

It really was.

Too strange.

Chi Xiao lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, somewhat regretting taking Luo Sheng’s advice to heart.

Though it felt awkward, he didn’t retract his words, letting the low trailing tone dissipate into the electric current, fermenting into a subtle emotion.

Ming Can pinched her burning earlobe, instinctively wanting to retort.

But as her lips parted, the words to counter him didn’t come out. Instead, she said, somewhat unsatisfied, “It’s not enough.”

Chi Xiao was taken aback: “What?”

“I said, just this one extra thing isn’t enough.”

“Then what else do you want?”

Ming Can suppressed her racing heartbeat and said seriously, “Are you free on Lantern Festival?”

“Lantern Festival? That’s when school starts, right?” Chi Xiao flipped through the calendar and realized that not only was it the start of the semester, but it was also midweek.

He said nonchalantly, “I can skip class.”

“No need to skip class,” Ming Can said. “Just come to my place in the evening. We can… um… spend it together.”

So annoying.

Why did her mouth have to stutter uncontrollably!

This was the first time Ming Can had ever taken the initiative to ask a guy out. Although she used to assign tasks to Chi Xiao every day, ordering him around without ever feeling embarrassed, today was different.

This time.

Her intentions weren’t pure.

“That’s it,” Ming Can said, trying hard to regulate her emotions, striving to appear calm and carefree. “Do you have any objections?”

Chi Xiao: “I have a question.”

Ming Can: “Go ahead.”

Chi Xiao: “Are you inviting me to your house for dinner?”

Ming Can: “Yes.”

“Oh, so my question is,” Chi Xiao said slowly, “Who’s cooking that day?”