Fang Zi laughed. The Xiang family is actually quite interesting. They seem very fierce on the surface, but they don't really trust them at all, and they can't let go of Xiang Lan either.
For example, his phone rang again right now; it was Xiang Yuan calling, and he immediately put it on speakerphone.
"Big brother—"
"Aren't we here yet?" Xiang Yuan's voice was very impatient. "I don't have time every day."
"There's a bit of traffic on the way, but we'll be there soon."
"What's the rush?" Xiang Lan asked, puzzled. "Zi Du took me shopping. He's going back to America in a couple of days. We need to make the most of our time for dates. We can always learn to cook."
"Hurry up—" Xiang Yuan hung up the phone without saying anything to Xiang Lan.
"Ugh—" she exclaimed angrily, "What does he mean?"
"My brother asked me to come over. He's going to teach me how to cook today, mainly for you," Fang Zidu said. "He's very busy with work, it's not easy for him."
“We’re busy too.” Xiang Lan couldn’t let go of his resentment.
Can you cook?
"Of course not."
"So, your older brother understands you very well," Fang Zidu comforted her. "He's very good at this."
Xiang Lan looked at Fang Zidu and suddenly asked, "Fang Zidu, why are you never angry?"
"Get angry?" He smiled. "It's a waste of time and energy, and it doesn't solve the problem. I have a lot to do every day, and everything has to be done efficiently."
After arriving at Xiang Yuan's house, the two men went into the kitchen to exchange cooking tips, while Xiang Lan pulled Hu Li aside to rummage through her wardrobe and dressing table.
"Sister-in-law, I need to pack all my clothes and bags here. Could you have Auntie deliver them to my house later?" Xiang Lan dragged out several large suitcases, stuffing various personal belongings inside. After filling two suitcases, she asked, "Do you have anything prepared for the child?"
"what?"
"Can you share some with me?"
Hu Li laughed, "It's too early to start preparing now."
Xiang Lan glanced outside furtively and said, "Sister-in-law, let me tell you this first: when you buy those things in the future, buy more and share half with me. Zidu has spent a lot of money recently, and I secretly checked his bills; he doesn't have much money left. I don't have much savings of my own either, so I'll have to rely on you for support. My brother is so annoying; please don't give me money directly, give me things instead—that's the most discreet way."
"good--"
Once Hu Li agreed, Xiang Lan felt relieved. "He's made a long list of things for adults and children to prepare, and I'll send you the list tomorrow. It's very detailed. Oh, and he said he'll bring some things back from America. Is there anything you want? We can help you buy it for you. You just need to give him a small tip."
Hu Li couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Lanlan, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"It's good to be prepared. The other day, my brother had his secretary send me my old bills. I was dizzy just looking at them. Do I really spend tens of thousands of yuan a month?" Xiang Lan didn't believe that she had spent that money.
"almost."
“So, I don’t think Zidu’s money can support me.” Xiang Lan said with a worried look. “I don’t want to ask my brother for money directly. Dad is a traitor, Mom is too indecisive, and my uncle is even poorer than me. Do I really have to sell handbags?”
How much money do you have left?
"I only have a little over 30,000 yuan left in all my cards, and after buying gifts for you guys, renting a place, and buying furniture in Zidu, it seems like I only have a few tens of thousands of US dollars left," Xiang Lan said with a sorrowful expression. "He still has to pay for the round-trip airfare to the US and baggage fees, so when you calculate it like this, there definitely won't be anything left. By the way, I got the materials for my graduation project from my uncle's studio, but I still have to pay for all the later expenses myself, which might cost quite a bit—"
"Didn't you discuss this issue directly with him?"
Xiang Lan whispered, "He said before that he could support a family, but I secretly did the math and it might not be possible. I'm worried it will damage his confidence."
"I don't think he's someone who can be easily defeated. You two should be more open and honest." Being able to speak so frankly in front of Xiang Yuan and so composed in front of Xiang's family, Hu Li didn't believe he had a fragile heart.
"No, this feels so embarrassing. No wonder Yifan always says I'm a money-burning machine." Xiang Lan sat heavily on the mattress. "I've decided to start practicing strict frugality from now on."
Hu Li suppressed a laugh, not believing she could actually do it. However, this was precisely Xiang Yuan's intention. Xiang Lan was the youngest daughter of the Xiang family, never lacking food or drink, and able to buy whatever she liked. This was the first time she had worried about money, and it was for a man. She was actually willing to think of others. Was this progress?
"And, and—" Xiang Lan jumped up, "By summer, autumn, and winter, my belly will definitely be bigger, and I won't be able to wear my old clothes anymore. I'll need to buy new ones. Do you have any affordable and good-quality brands you could recommend?"
"You're completely different now than when I first met you." Hu Li couldn't believe that a man could change her so drastically. This spoiled young lady used to throw a tantrum if you gave her anything she didn't like. Now, she's actually willingly lowering her standards—
“I can’t hold him back.” Xiang Lan looked a little worried. “You treat us like this just so we’ll admit our mistakes, bow our heads, and let you control us? Once we get through this hurdle, what can you do to us? Just thinking about the days without my older brother nagging makes me feel so good.”
Hu Li shook her head, went to her room and brought out a bag containing various supplements for pregnant women, including pills, fish oil, and milk powder. "These are what I'm taking. You can take them all back!"
"Sister-in-law, you're so kind."
Call me when you're done eating!
"Of course, I won't stand on ceremony," Xiang Lan said playfully. "Sister-in-law, when are you getting pregnant?"
"What mischief are you up to now?"
Xiang Lan chuckled awkwardly, "Hey, you and my brother, hurry up! The maternal and child health center near my house is pretty good. Let's go together to register, and you can prepay my prenatal checkup fees while you're there, okay?"
Hu Li couldn't help but laugh out loud, pinching her cheek, "Xiang Lan, you're so adorable right now—"
The two women chatted for a while, and soon after, Xiang Yuan's displeased voice came, "Dinner's ready."
The two ran outside and found themselves facing a table full of food.
Wow, you guys made all of this?
"My elder brother taught me." Fangzi distributed chopsticks.
"You're so amazing!" Xiang Lan praised sincerely. "You'll get it in no time?"
"Simple—"
Xiang Yuan's face darkened, and he raised an eyebrow. Simple? Heh, it seems it's time to find those brothers who care about Xiang Lan and teach him a lesson.
Author's Note: It's the weekend, and my other completed novel, "If I Love You," has finally reached 3,000 favorites, so I'll be adding an extra chapter today!
Throw flowers at me!
☆、Chapter 33
Fang Zidu's rented house was located at the back gate of the school, a ten-minute walk away. On his last day there, Xiang Lan moved all her packed luggage and various books and miscellaneous items from her dormitory to the house.
Deng Yifan helped her pack her things in the dormitory, and he was very reluctant to see her leave at this time.
"Can you manage on your own?" Deng Yifan had serious doubts about Xiang Lan's ability to live alone.
Xiang Lan looked at Fang Zi and whispered to her, "Look, there are cameras everywhere in the house. I'm under someone's surveillance 24/7. Does that count as living alone? Before, they just used some small software to manage my time, but now they've upgraded—"
Deng Yifan's gaze followed Fang Zidu. He took off his overcoat, leaving only a hoodie, and carried various data cables and small devices. He installed strange things in various corners of the room and set up a control system on the computer on the desk in the guest room, enabling the two computers to work together remotely in real time.
"If you were to have an affair, it would definitely be very difficult," Deng Yifan objectively stated. "With your abilities, could you perfectly conceal it?"
"It's very difficult." Xiang Lan also felt a chill run down her spine. "I feel like a guinea pig, being observed by him every day and having to write lab reports and stuff like that."
“But why should I hide it? If I change my mind, it would be faster to tell him directly. He’s a reasonable person,” Xiang Lan added. “Now that you mention it, I’m actually quite curious. What kind of person do you think I would cheat on?”
"Who knows? An artist's mind and a scientist's mind are never on the same wavelength." Deng Yifan said with admiration. "Tell me, if I become a director in the future and hire him as my assistant, will I not have to use my brain at all?"
Xiang Lan complained, "Can you afford to hire him?"
"That's true, it's so difficult for me to even invite Li Xingda."
When discussing Li Xingda, the two also talked about Song Haibo. After obtaining all the evidence, Fang Zidu's lawyer immediately reported the case to the police. The police notified Song Haibo to cooperate with the investigation and also informed the school. The school advocated for a settlement, and Song Haibo himself was very willing to apologize and repeatedly tried to find Xiang Lan in person. Fang Zidu believed that she was not in a suitable condition to meet with Song Haibo directly, as there was no guarantee that he wouldn't harm her in an emotionally charged state. Therefore, she firmly rejected the school's request.
When Fang Zi refused the other party's request, he coldly said, "There is no room for negotiation except through legal channels."
To avoid trouble, Xiang Lan simply moved this time, and from then on, she would only travel between her new home and Liu Nanyang's studio.
Unable to find her, Xu Na was very uneasy. She wrote an apology letter by hand and entrusted Deng Yifan to give it to her. After reading it, she put it away and said, "Alright, I accept her apology. There's no need to meet again in the future."
Fang Zi, holding his laptop, looked at the two of them and said, "I'll debug the system. You two wander around and I'll check if there are any problems with the live feed."
The two were playing along out of boredom, and Deng Yifan joked, "Handsome Fang, you didn't even install a bathroom door, did you?"
“Of course,” he said, bowing his head. “The bathroom is the place where you are most likely to slip and fall and have an accident.”
She rubbed her forehead. "Don't you guys have any privacy? Or are you two up to something?"
"Fun?" Fang Zidu glanced at her. "It's mainly for Xiang Lan's safety, and I don't want the situation of not being able to contact her to happen again."
The recipe doesn't allow itself to make the same mistake twice.
Xiang Lan said, "No, please?"
Even though the two people are already very close, is it necessary to make their actions, such as showering and using the toilet, public in front of each other?
“Of course you need to,” Fang Zidu said calmly. “You can move freely now, but you won’t be able to later.”
Deng Yifan looked down at the two of them suspiciously, then shrugged at Xiang Lan and said, "Honey, I'm pregnant."
"Fuck!"
"She's married too."
Deng Yifan was speechless. No wonder she had been crying and making a scene in the dorm for no reason. It turned out that even though this girl lived under her nose every day, she could still do extraordinary things.
"We'll send you an invitation in June for the wedding." Xiang Lan didn't care. She had no expectations for the wedding she wasn't going to attend and was just doing her family a favor. "But it's best not to tell anyone now. I haven't graduated yet, it wouldn't look good."
Are you serious?
Fang Zi looked up and asked seriously, "Play?"
Xiang Lan cleared her throat, not wanting to continue the topic. While she felt quite pleased with herself for seducing a beautiful woman and turning her into her husband, it didn't sound cool at all. She said, "Why don't you talk about the bathroom? I can't really accept that." As a beautiful young woman, she simply couldn't accept such overly revealing things.
“In about five months, your belly will start to affect your mobility. Taking a bath and going to the toilet will become difficult, and I won’t be able to watch you at home 24 hours a day, so I’ll have to rely on these—” Fang Zidu looked around at the cameras, “They will help me keep track of everything about you.”
"You don't have time?" Xiang Lan was a little annoyed. "How could that be?"
"Once I get back, I have to get right back to work. I can only stay at home for a maximum of ten hours a day; the remaining fourteen hours will be spent in the lab—"
Xiang Lan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. "I've already slept for □□ hours. At this rate, you simply can't keep me company."
“I can’t sleep that long, five or six hours is enough. I can spend one or two hours doing housework and other chores, and the rest of the time I can spend with you.”
"That means I can only be with you for one or two hours at most when I'm awake each day. Otherwise, I have to speak into the camera for you to hear me?"
"Isn't it good?" Fang Zidu looked puzzled. "This is the best solution I can think of, allowing me to balance work and life."
Xiang Lan turned her face away, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
"Xiang Lan, can you tell me what you're angry about?" Fang Zi finished fixing the system, put down the computer, and looked at her obviously unhappy eyes and face. "I don't know what to do when you're like this."
Deng Yifan laughed and said, "Handsome Fang, your thinking is certainly very clever, but it's a bit unreasonable."
Xiang Lan looked at Deng Yifan and thought, "He's a good friend after all; he really knows what's on my mind."
“Xiang Lan is different from you. She has never lived alone. She has me at school and her parents and brother and sister-in-law at home. She is used to a lively life. This is an emotional need, right?”