Xiang Lan ran out of the office, wanting to share the good news with Fang Zi, but also wanting to surprise him. So she walked through the art teaching building and headed straight for a row of laboratories behind the life science teaching building.
She spent four years at school and rarely walked in this direction, because it was full of old bungalows left over from decades ago, which had been converted into various laboratories. There were hardly any people around, and the cement blocks on the road were cracked by grass roots, giving it a desolate appearance. The laboratory that the school had assigned to Fang Zidu was located in one of them. She had heard the general location and slowly made her way there.
Several mechanics labs were open, revealing all sorts of large, incomprehensible equipment inside; others were materials labs, their exteriors brand new, even their lobbies more refined than the mechanics labs' clunky and bulky appearance; still others were life science labs, their doors locked, with one next door without a sign, people going in and out. She guessed it must be the one without a sign, and slowly walked over, seeing Fang Zidu carrying a box of something out of there from a distance.
Just as she was about to call out, she saw a long-haired girl run out of the car and chase after him. The two stood by a car door, chatting and laughing.
This is quite interesting; Fangzi actually knows how to chat and laugh with girls?
Xiang Lan slowly moved over, using the cars on both sides of the road to conceal her figure. When she was about one or two meters away from the two people, she bent down and listened to what they were saying.
"These are all books I brought back. They're useful, and I can't bear to throw them away. The house in Qionglin Garden is too small to hold so many, so I can only take a few with me. The rest can be used in the lab by everyone." The woman's voice was cheerful and sounded somewhat familiar.
"You carried it all back by yourself?" Fang Zidu asked. "Didn't you find it troublesome? Did you ask your senior brother for help?"
"No, he's very annoying right now. We broke up a long time ago, so it's not good to waste his time."
Xiang Lan chuckled inwardly; the little woman's radar was set in motion high.
"Thank you so much for helping me the other day, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do."
"You're welcome. You've helped me a lot before."
"Haha, I really miss you from that time. You were so young, so well-behaved and obedient. You would do whatever your older sister asked you to do."
It was unbearable to listen to. No wonder he was so busy the other day, making all sorts of excuses not to go home; it turned out he was helping the pretty older sister move. What frustrated Xiang Lan even more was that the two of them started reminiscing about the past. As a wife, her possessiveness towards her husband was fully expressed in her resentment at not being able to participate in his past.
Xiang Lan straightened up, poked her head out from under the car roof, and looked resentfully at Fang Zidu, who had his back to her, and the woman who was laughing hysterically.
Lin Li, that should be it.
The woman smiled, seemingly noticing Xiang Lan's gaze, and looked over curiously. Fang Zidu turned his head and also noticed her. She pursed her lips, stepped out from the line of cars, and said, "Fang Zidu, your lab is so hard to find—"
Fang Zidu put the box on the ground, stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Xiang Lan, come here, let me introduce it to you."
Xiang Lan stood beside him, her hands involuntarily wrapping around his, her expression full of possessiveness.
Lin Li naturally noticed her little gesture, but just smiled.
"Xiang Lan, this is Lin Li. Lin Li, this is Xiang Lan—"
"Hello." Lin Li smiled and extended his hand. "I didn't expect that our son would be chased away by such a cutie."
What does that mean? Do you think she's too young? Or do you think she pursued you?
Author's Note: My little angels, a bonus chapter will be sent when the collection reaches 2000!
Chapter 46
Lin Li looked at Lan's somewhat sullen expression and said, "Zidu, could you please help me move the remaining boxes to the trunk?"
Fang Zidu said to Xiang Lan, "Wait for me a moment, it will be over soon."
"good."
Fang Zidu walked into the lab. Xiang Lan, her hands clasped in her backpack, looked at Lin Li with her big, bright eyes and smiled. "Sister Lin Li, was that you I saw in the video last time?"
"I don't remember."
"I remember. I was waiting for Zidu, but after a while they said there was a power outage. What a coincidence."
“Yes, our dorm does have this problem. It's an old building with aging wiring. We've reported it for repairs several times, but no one has come. You might not know, but Americans are very inefficient. Labor costs are high, so we have to do a lot of things ourselves.” Lin Li looked at her without makeup and asked, “Xiang Lan, what do you do for a living?”
"It's not certain yet; I don't have any plans for the future."
"You don't have a job?"
"Yeah, I haven't received my graduation certificate yet, and I haven't submitted any resumes," Xiang Lan said with a smile. "I'll take some time to relax and wait until I'm sure of my feelings before making any decisions."
"You haven't graduated yet? Bachelor's or Master's degree?"
"Undergraduate degree."
"oh--"
Xiang Lan found Lin Li's "oh" particularly interesting, carrying a subtle sense of sarcasm, as if to say, "You're nothing special."
"Does your sister also live in Qionglin Garden?"
"Also?" Lin Li smiled. "It seems you've been to Qionglin Garden. I rented that house from an old classmate to make plans for returning to China. Zidu doesn't know anyone here, so I lent it to him for a while."
"Tingzi said that you were the one who strongly invited him to return to China?"
Lin Li nodded, "There are some resources here, and the government provides strong support. Teachers are ambitious and want to achieve something in this field. This is a great opportunity that shouldn't be missed. If you achieve results here and then have further ideas for your career, it will be very helpful, whether you go abroad to work or seek other paths."
"Thank you, otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet him." Xiang Lan's words were sincere.
"So I've become your matchmaker?" Lin Li smiled wryly. "What a pity."
Looking at her expression, Xiang Lan wondered whether it was better to be direct or indirect. In her pursuit of Fang Zidu, she hadn't encountered any setbacks; everything had gone incredibly smoothly. Lin Li, on the other hand, was the only woman who posed a slight threat so far.
"A few years ago, Zidu confessed his feelings to me."
Before she could figure out what to say, Lin Li spoke first, and his words were explosive.
She was a little dizzy, looking at her without knowing what to say, and secretly trying to figure out her intentions.
"It was around the time he was eighteen, just as he was approaching adulthood—"
Xiang Lan mustered her spirits and kept smiling, not wanting to show any weakness, but she felt a nagging pain in her heart. The thought of how hard she had pursued him, only to have him confess his feelings to someone else, was just unfair.
“But he was too young and had some personality issues, so I rejected him.”
"What's the problem?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Lin Li looked at Xiang Lan curiously. "He's very extreme. Once he decides to do something, he acts immediately, and he can control his emotions very well."
"What's the problem?" she asked, though she felt a little guilty. She had been very satisfied with Fang Zidu's reactions to returning to China, getting married, and other matters. But she was still hesitant about having a child. She didn't dare to try; if she had agreed, would the child no longer exist? She was certain she couldn't sever her feelings, but what about Fang Zidu?
"There are no problems at work, but in interpersonal relationships, there's a possibility of getting hurt. Do you know why he confessed his feelings to me?"
Xiang Lan suppressed her anxiety and shook her head.
“Because we were roommates, and he was too young, we took care of him for two or three years. We introduced him to the surroundings, introduced him to friends, went out together, or helped with cooking. It was just something I did casually, but he felt he had no way to repay us.”
"Why are you refusing?" He clearly looked reluctant to part with her.
“I had a boyfriend back then,” Lin Li laughed, shaking her head. “I liked guys who were a bit more muscular, and he was too young then. Later, he grew up a bit and never mentioned it again. I would occasionally hint at it, but he wouldn't take the bait, so I just gave up. When I heard him mention marriage, I felt quite melancholy—”
Xiang Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Do you know why I so strongly urged him to return to China?
"have no idea."
“I think his lone wolf-like personality might have developed from his environment in America. If we place him in China's socially connected society while he's still young, it might have a positive impact on him. As long as he changes his personality a little, I don't mind the age gap. So, I'm looking for an environment that's more suitable for both of us to continue our relationship.” Lin Li looked at Xiang Lan earnestly and said, “You know what? You've outmaneuvered me—”
She was a little embarrassed, but also a little smug. "Sister Lin Li, you can't negotiate these things. I get dizzy just looking at him, and I can't think of anything else."
Lin Li shook his head. "I don't want to hear your love story. Besides, I'm telling you this because I'll be working with him in the future. I don't want you watching me every day, like you were hiding behind the car just now, you know?"
"Who told you to say those things to me on our first meeting?"
“There’s a reason for that,” Lin Li said. “Fang Zidu’s way of thinking cannot be measured by ordinary human standards. Many times, he doesn’t even see himself as a human being. He’s not the kind of person who’s suited for married life.”
"You're swearing?" Xiang Lan said, displeased.
"I'm having a serious conversation with you."
"He rarely experiences emotional fluctuations, which may be an emotional protection mechanism that started in childhood. He instinctively tries to minimize the impact of emotions on himself. In other words, he detaches his conscious self and, when faced with sadness or other events, transcends human consciousness to evaluate and handle them from an outsider's perspective. His exceptional self-control and execution ability, even at the cost of self-harm, ensure his extremely high success rate. Therefore, he doesn't believe he has any problems."
"If one day, you or someone else causes him some trouble, he will treat it as a problem. He will deal with it, setting aside all emotions, and get rid of it. Do you understand what I mean?"
Xiang Lan nodded, seemingly understanding. She touched her belly; perhaps, when she had described her pain to him earlier, he had already come to see this little baby as a problem and a nuisance.
Lin Li naturally saw her actions and smiled, "I'm the problem he's already dealt with, so he doesn't have any emotional reaction towards me now, which is quite frustrating."
"You two got married so quickly, given his style, is it to deal with some trouble?" Lin Li laughed. "Are you pregnant?"
Xiang Lan didn't answer, but looked at her and said, "You have ill intentions."
"You just realized?" Lin Li laughed. "You two have made me suffer so much, I can't let it go if I don't fight back."
This older sister looks really strange.
"Jokes aside, as a girl, I want to give you a serious reminder: don't be fooled by his appearance. Think carefully: are you getting married because of love, or to solve problems?"
Xiang Lan stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, "Sister Lin Li, was there really a power outage back then?"
"you guess?"
I'm completely baffled. What's there to guess?
"If you go to work with him in the future, will you seduce him?"
Lin Li thought for a moment, "We'll see—"
"However—" the topic shifted, "do you think you could stop him if he were to fall for someone else?"
"His thoughts and actions are equally swift, and he's perfect at everything he does. If he decides to cheat, I won't have to do anything; you'll be kicked out. What am I going to do? Just thinking about it makes me feel so happy—"
"What are you talking about?" Fang Zidu carried out several boxes stacked together, covered in sweat and with bright red lips.
Xiang Lan and Lin Li exchanged a glance, and Xiang Lan spoke first, "Let's talk about your affair."
"What?" He placed the cardboard box in the open trunk and turned his head. "Cheating? Who?"
“You, and Lin Li.” She looked at Lin Li defiantly.
Fang Zi straightened up and pulled down the trunk lid. "Don't spread rumors."
"You did have feelings for me." Since Xiang Lan wasn't afraid, Lin Li decided to jump in and stir things up.
"I don't like it." His expression remained unchanged as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Xiang Lan, what brings you here?"
"I came to see what you've been so busy with, not coming home every day, so that when you submit your leave request, I can consider the right way to handle it." Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Xiang Lan was somewhat certain of Lin Li's assessment of him, and pondered how to deal with his personality.
Fang Zi laughed, "Are you in a hurry?"
“Yeah,” Xiang Lan turned her head. “Lin Li, how about we exchange phone numbers?”
"Isn't it a bit too early to start cleaning up the battlefield now?"
“When he falls for someone else, let me know first.” Xiang Lan emphasized the words “fall for someone else.”