"Just for this?"
Fang Zi blushed. For him, this was no small matter, because without news of her, he couldn't live a proper life, let alone work properly.
"yes."
Xiang Lan sighed deeply, looking at Fang Zidu with a mixture of sweetness and bitterness in her heart.
The two stood by the lakeside road of Mirror Lake. Since it was during class time, there were not many pedestrians on the road, and many of the wooden chairs by the lake were empty. The green willows drooped low, and the warm sun shone brightly. It was the perfect weather to enjoy the spring scenery.
Xiang Lan pulled Fang Zi to a secluded spot to sit down, facing a mirror-like expanse of clear water.
Fang Zi rarely saw Xiang Lan with such a calm expression. He turned his head to look at her, the wind blowing her hair into a mess, making her look bewildered and dejected.
"Xiang Lan, what happened?"
She sighed again. Although she really didn't want to face the fact that Fang Zi knew the truth about this matter, she thought it was better to die sooner rather than later.
"I have a few questions I'd like to confirm with you," she said, forcing herself to remain calm. "I hope you can answer them honestly."
“Of course.” Fang Zidu raised an eyebrow and emphasized to her a second time, “I never lie.”
"Is Lin Li your girlfriend in America?" Xiang Lan's voice trembled, almost breaking into tears.
"Of course not," Fang Zidu replied quickly.
"Think about it again, think about it carefully."
"I'm very sure," Fang Zidu said earnestly, then seemed a little shy, "Besides you, I've never been with any girl—"
“Then she likes you,” Xiang Lan said decisively.
Fangzi tilted his head, thought calmly for a moment, and said, "No."
Now, Xiang Lan was puzzled, and she looked at him.
"Sister Lin Li and I went to the United States in the same year, had the same advisor, the same lab, and lived in the same dormitory building. Moreover, she is seven years older than me." Fang Zidu's eyes were clear. "She has always had her own life. Maybe she would take care of me in some ways, but she knows very well that I don't meet her requirements?"
Xiang Lan was puzzled, and Fang Zidu explained, "She doesn't like people younger than herself."
Xiang Lan was not at peace with it; love has nothing to do with age.
"Besides, she's always thought my personality is annoying." Fang Zidu shrugged. "She prefers muscular guys who can make her happy. Are you still holding a grudge because it was the first time she answered my phone?"
Xiang Lan shook her head. "It's not just that. A few days ago when we were video chatting, you went out to get something you wanted to show me, and she came in. I greeted her and introduced myself as your girlfriend, and she said that was impossible. Maybe I was just imagining things, but the video call immediately dropped, and you texted me saying there was a power outage in the dorm, and the next day you said there was a problem with the internet."
Fang Zi nodded, confirming that it was true, then looking at her expression, he asked, "You suspect she did it?"
Xiang Lan nodded, "What a coincidence!"
Fang Zi seemed to be deep in thought.
"Later you said you were very busy and hadn't finished the experiment, so you wanted to reduce the time we could contact each other, which made me very unhappy."
"Of course." He thought for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't handle this well and didn't consider your feelings."
“I still think she likes you. Because when she heard me say that she was your girlfriend, her expression didn’t lie,” Xiang Lan said earnestly.
“But that has nothing to do with us, does it? And that doesn’t justify your refusal to contact me. You can even get angry at me; that’s better than not answering the phone.” Fang Zidu scratched his head in frustration. “I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, and I don’t know what to do. I suddenly realized I can’t live without you. So, I came back—”
Xiang Lan found him to be a very easy person to communicate with, which made her feel a little lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. But another, heavier burden couldn't be resolved with just a few words.
She looked at Fang Zidu and said, "There are indeed other reasons why I haven't contacted you."
What is it?
“I hope you can calm down, and as you said, consider my feelings and give me a performance that won’t disappoint me.” She was certain that if he showed disgust when he learned the shocking news, she would break down.
They were even more curious about the recipe.
She took off her backpack, opened it, and pulled out the hospital's examination report to give to him.
Fang Zi looked at her with suspicion, then took the report and read the last line, "early pregnancy," which left him speechless for a long time.
Xiang Lan looked at him, and his eyes showed confusion and bewilderment, but thankfully, there was no avoidance or dislike.
"Early pregnancy?" He couldn't believe it.
Xiang Lan nodded silently, letting the wind brush her face.
"You're not contacting me because of this?" Fang Zidu raised his voice.
Tears welled up in her eyes and slowly dripped onto the back of her hand. "I'm so scared, I don't know what to do. I'm worried you won't believe me if I tell you, and we can't really talk properly on the phone. I'm planning to go to America to find you." She then pulled a file folder from her bag. "My passport, ID card, and plane ticket are all ready. My flight is tomorrow, if you don't come back—"
"I don't understand, how could I get pregnant when it clearly didn't work out?" She looked at him with bright, teary eyes. "How unlucky, I've encountered something with only a one in ten thousand chance in the world."
Fang Zi reached out and touched her delicate chin, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—"
"What should I do?" Xiang Lan placed her hand on her lower abdomen, becoming more and more heartbroken as she spoke. "I wasn't prepared at all. My original plan was to study abroad for a year or two after graduation, and then come back to work. But after meeting you, I changed my plans to go to America to find you. Now, do I have to change them again?"
"Don't cry." Fang Zi stammered, "There must be a way. In this world, as long as a person can ask a question, there can always be an answer."
"What can I do? Go defend my thesis while heavily pregnant? I'm still a virgin, I haven't even had a proper sexual experience, and now I'm going to be a mother. I'm so unwilling—"
Fang Zidu's mind raced, and he gradually regained his composure. "Xiang Lan, you need to let me think about it."
Looking at Xiang Lan's helpless and panicked face and her thin chin, he knew that she had probably been under tremendous psychological pressure in the past few days. He then looked at the folder on her lap, and his heart was filled with a strange and passionate emotion. This girl, when something happened, the first thing she thought of was relying on him and trusting him.
Being loved and trusted gave him the courage to continue.
He looked up, facing the direction of the sunlight, and said, "Why not?"
Xiang Lan stared blankly at him, tears sliding down her face. He used his thumb to wipe them away. "This is a perfectly feasible solution! It's only April, you're only a month pregnant, and your graduation defense is in mid-June. Nobody will be able to tell then. It won't be embarrassing—"
She stammered, "But I haven't finished my graduation project yet."
Unmarried pregnancy, inability to graduate on time, a lover far away, and an inability to let anyone know—this was almost driving her to a complete breakdown. But how come everything sounded so easy coming from Fang Zidu's mouth?
"I'll help you!" Fang Zi felt relieved after figuring it out and smiled. "I can carve things. My grandfather was an art teacher and loved carving seals and characters. He taught me. If it weren't for the fact that I was also good at studying, he would have let me study art."
The biggest problem seemed to have been solved, but Xiang Lan still felt uneasy.
"What will we do then?"
"Give birth to him, and I'll take good care of you." After saying this, Fang Zi felt a surge of strength throughout his body.
Like sunlight breaking through the haze, Xiang Lan's whole being lit up.
She thought about it countless times at night, considering this possibility, but every time the thought arose, she forcibly suppressed it.
"But—" Xiang Lan lowered her head, her face flushed, and said, "I don't know what to do."
Fang Zi lifted her chin and said slowly, "I will handle it."
“I have my ID card and passport with me at all times. When I went abroad, I put my household registration in my hometown of Haicheng. I’ll call my dad right away and ask him to send the household registration booklet by express mail. I’ll receive it tomorrow. And you have all your documents and certificates here, right?” Fang Zidu was beaming, his eyes shining. “Let’s take advantage of our working hours and go to the police station right now to get a household registration certificate.”
"What are you doing?" Xiang Lan stammered, afraid to think in that direction. "What do you mean?"
"Let's get married!"
She was completely dumbfounded, her mind struggling to keep up.
"Are you willing?"
She couldn't say a word, but her head had already involuntarily nodded down.
Author's Note: Three chapters released for the VIP chapter, done! *mua*
Chapter Twenty-Two
Xiang Lan was dazed and confused, not knowing how things had happened. She only knew that Fang Zi had taken out her ID and searched online, then took her by taxi to a small alley, found the police station where her household registration was located, and obtained the household registration certificate she needed. Afterwards, he took her back to Qionglin Garden.
“I came in a hurry this time and didn’t bring much luggage. I’ll stay for about ten days to settle your affairs and then I have to go back to hand over the lab. With Lin Li here, the handover should be quick and smooth, so I’ll definitely be able to come back in a month.” Fang Zidu opened his suitcase and hung his clothes in the closet one by one. Obviously, he went to see Xiang Lan as soon as he arrived at the school today. “So I can be with you throughout your pregnancy.”
"Oh." Xiang Lan sat on the bed, staring blankly at him.
“I’ll talk to Professor Li on the phone tonight, and maybe I’ll visit him again to try and get him to let me come back to work. He was Lin Li’s undergraduate professor and has a lot of prestige and reputation in academia. It was through Lin Li that he strongly invited me back, so I should be able to get some good conditions.” Fang Zidu smiled at her. “There’s nothing to worry about financially.”
Xiang Lan was still dizzy, so she didn't hear a word he said. All she knew was that he seemed to have chosen to come back to work.
The excitement and sweetness were too overwhelming, too intense, and she couldn't handle it. Only one thought swirled in her mind—he was hers.
He picked out two suits. "Xiang Lan, which one looks better?"
She blinked and looked over. One was a black formal dress, clearly too formal; the other was also black, but with a fitted cut and a more casual style. Without hesitation, she pointed to the latter, "This one looks better."
“That’s it.” Fang Zidu smiled brightly.
"do what?"
"What should I wear to get our marriage certificate tomorrow?"
Xiang Lan panicked immediately; she hadn't realized it required such a grand ceremony.
"I haven't made my choice yet!"
"It's okay, we'll go buy a new one after dinner."
“There’s some in the dorm,” Xiang Lan said, raising her hand. “I’ll go get it later.”
"All right."
After choosing the clothes, Fang Zi sat on the side of the bed, looking at Xiang Lan's tightly bound hands, and asked, "Xiang Lan, are you scared?"
"A little."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I don't know." Xiang Lan gasped for breath. She didn't understand why he could adjust his emotions so quickly.
Fang Zidu reached out and touched her face, then leaned down and kissed her lips. "Are you feeling better now?"
Xiang Lan shook her head, gazing longingly at his red lips, "I want to kiss him for a while longer."
He lowered his head and kissed her lips, and when she parted her lips slightly, his tongue explored inside.
The two kissed and then hugged each other. Fang Zidu was so strong that Xiang Lan couldn't breathe and pushed him away forcefully.
"I'm sorry, I—" Fang Zidu saw her face flushed and apologized, "I was too excited."
After tidying up their small apartment, the two went downstairs to eat, choosing the same restaurant near the entrance of Qionglin Garden.
When the shop owner, Mia, came over with the menu, she saw the two of them and teased, "Oh, you've made up?"
Xiang Lan blushed and didn't dare to speak, while Fang Zi just smiled, took the menu, and ordered.