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Xiang Lan was furious. How could these people presume to know what others were thinking?
"Where's the evidence? Does Lin Li have any evidence?" Xiang Lan was extremely worried. Fang Zidu's appointment was already a highly controversial matter, and there had been constant whispers and discussions about it. Liu Nanyang, a teacher at the university with his own network of connections, occasionally mentioned it, but his outlook wasn't optimistic. The general consensus was that once his research results were available, he would prove his innocence, but this incident—
“She didn’t think that much about it and didn’t stay.” Fang Zidu shook his head. “The other person was her ex-boyfriend, who also does research in this field. He has always been very outstanding, but he hasn’t gotten over it since breaking up with Lin Li. The two of them were entangled for a year or two, but Lin Li’s attitude of rejection was very firm, so they went back to being friends.”
"Is it possible to go back to being friends?"
“We’re colleagues, so it’s impossible to never see each other again. Maintaining a semblance of peace is necessary.” Fang Zidu shook his head. “She’s been working on a very forward-looking research project for the past two years, and she finally published a paper, proving its success and commercial value through experiments. She was very happy about it, and it was probably mentioned during a conversation that she inadvertently revealed it—”
"Phone? Cell phone? Internet? Isn't there any other way?"
“The two people exchanged emails and also communicated by phone. The emails are relatively easy to handle, but the phone calls weren't specifically recorded, making it difficult to obtain evidence. Moreover, that person is currently in the United States, so if we want to file a lawsuit, we'll have to travel to the US to litigate.” Fang Zidu rubbed his temples.
"So how should we handle this?" Xiang Lan carefully observed his expression. She knew how much effort he had put into his work. He not only had no rest time, but also no personal hobbies. It could be said that outside of family life, he was a machine born for scientific research.
"Lin Li's work is suspended; he needs to undergo investigation and questioning. I also need to suspend some administrative work to cooperate with them—"
Fang Zi spoke of it all in a very casual manner, but Xiang Lan sensed a sharp edge in his tone. "So, the most important thing right now is to prove yourself?"
“Of course.” He nodded. “We also got some time off. There’s always a way.”
"So you need to focus on this now? I'll try not to bother you with things at home—"
Fang Zi felt a pang of pain in his heart seeing her so cautious. He knew that prenatal events would have a huge impact on her, but he hadn't expected the aftereffects to be so severe. Not only was she not pregnant, but she was also considering divorce. Her first reaction after the accident was to avoid bothering him, as if she were afraid—afraid of being dealt with for bothering him. His eyes were filled with sorrow as he gently took her hand and said, "Work is work, life is life. Things will continue as usual at home."
Xiang Lan replied perfunctorily, "I understand."
"If—" He thought for a long time before saying, "If divorce is truly the only way to make up for my mistakes, I'm willing..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiang Lan interrupted him forcefully, saying, "With your arrogant personality that disdains lying, I believe you wouldn't do something like plagiarism. Let's resolve this matter first, and we'll talk about other things later."
Fangzi looked at her. Her face was still small, probably because of breastfeeding and taking care of the baby. She was still without makeup, but her eyes were no longer as soft and cute as they were a few months ago. The change in her status and the tempering of her character had made her more determined and opinionated, but all of this was the pain he had brought her. He reached out and hugged her tightly, biting her neck as if he wanted to merge her completely into his own body.
The Xiang family's connections are mostly in business and politics, and they have absolutely no involvement in education; the Fang family is in an even worse situation, with Haicheng being their main base; as for Liu Nanyang, he can at most get some scraps of information, which is better than nothing. Taking all factors into account, this matter can only be resolved through their own efforts.
Fang Zidu went to the lab early to pack her things. Xiang Lan contacted Hu Li; she was recovering well and wanted to bring Xiao Rou Rou to visit her. Fang Jun knew she had difficulty traveling, so he drove to pick her up.
"Little Rou Rou has grown up so much! Those dark eyes are so bright." Fang Jun helped with the stroller and kissed her face repeatedly.
"Brother Jun, you've really gone to so much trouble."
"You're actually being polite with me? You deserve a beating." He ruffled her hair as usual. "Where's Zidu?"
"He went to school. Things are complicated now, and he's probably thinking of a solution."
Fang Jun drove at breakneck speed, saying, "Don't worry too much."
“Public opinion is very unfavorable to him—” Xiang Lan said with a headache. “I’ll go talk to my brother and sister-in-law to see if there’s any way to help.”
"You'd better not do anything and don't cause any trouble."
"We can't just sit here and wait like idiots."
The two bickered all the way to the Xiang family's building. Xiang Lan, being small, couldn't handle the baby and stroller by herself, so Fang Jun helped her. He carried the stroller in one hand and said, "If you ask me, Zidu is still young, so he should take this opportunity to rest."
"Of course not," Xiang Lan said. "Don't let his calm demeanor fool you; he's incredibly stubborn and has a strong sense of pride. He's never experienced setbacks before. He hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, tossing and turning all night—"
"Feeling sorry for him?" Fang Jun frowned. "Weren't you having a fight just a while ago?"
"Who told you that? Nobody did!" Xiang Lan denied.
"Heh, still lying to me? So stubborn—"
When the two arrived, Hu Li and Xiang Yuan were arguing because the child refused to breastfeed and only wanted to drink from a bottle.
"He was crying from hunger, why won't you give him milk?"
"It's because drinking from a bottle is too easy that he doesn't want to breastfeed, and you're still putting up with it? If he goes hungry for a couple of meals, he'll know how to work hard. If you keep doing this, my breast milk will dry up and be gone—" Hu Li was clearly very agitated. "You stinky man, you don't understand anything, don't come and hold me back, get out of here and go to work."
"Brother, sister-in-law," Xiang Lan said with a grin, "What's all the commotion about?"
Fang Jun came in carrying gifts. "I've come to see my godson."
Xiang Yuan said awkwardly, "He has no milk to drink—"
"Is there no milk? There is, but you made it all disappear!" Hu Li roared. "If you keep blaming me for your problems, I'm really not breastfeeding anymore. I've never seen such an uncooperative father. Look at how other fathers handle things, go and learn from them!"
Xiang Lan cleared her throat. It seemed that she hadn't really worried about these things. Fang Zi and Fang's mother took care of Xiao Rou Rou, basically following the textbook example strictly, like a standard robot.
"Don't make a sound, Junjun is crying."
Hu Li propped herself up, picked up the baby and soothed him, then handed Xiang Yuan to Fang Jun and pulled Xiang Lan into the room.
The two women busied themselves for a while, feeding and putting the two children to sleep.
"What are you going to discuss with me?" Hu Li knew that Xiang Lan would only consult her when she was feeling hopeless.
She peeked out and saw Fang Jun smoking on the balcony outside the living room with Xiang Yuan, not paying any attention to them. Then she said, "Sister-in-law, I'm feeling very confused right now."
"About Zidu's thesis?"
"Half and half." She looked at the little chubby baby's sweet sleeping face, feeling a little reluctant. She patted him and said, "I've been talking to Zidu about divorce."
Hu Li understood. "You're still worried about Little Meatball?"
"Of course," Xiang Lan said angrily. "How could he just say he didn't want Xiao Rou Rou? He hadn't even made a final effort. It felt like he was just throwing a burden away."
"I didn't just say it casually; I could tell he was quite upset."
"Sister-in-law, you are not allowed to speak up for him."
"Okay." Hu Li smiled. "With your temper, you should have started making a fuss during your postpartum period. Why did you wait until now?"
Xiang Lan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I mentioned it to him before the New Year, but because everyone was busy and it was almost New Year's, we postponed it until after the New Year. After the New Year, his attitude softened, so I thought I'd wait until his birthday, until after his birthday in February, to break up amicably. That's how it dragged on until now, and then this happened, catching me completely off guard."
"Indeed, this is not a good time for divorce."
Xiang Lan looked distressed. "He tried to talk to me yesterday, suggesting we get a divorce. I was so angry! Does he think I'm the same kind of person who'd run away at the slightest trouble? I, Xiang Lan, may crave comfort, but I'm not incapable of enduring hardship. It's infuriating!"
"So what are you really thinking? Is it just to vent your anger, or are you really going to break up?" Hu Li looked at her conflicted face and knew that this was not an easy question to answer, but Xiang Lan had brought it up, which proved that she had begun to think about her future and was going to put it into action.
"I can't bear to break up, but I can't swallow my anger if I don't make a scene." Xiang Lan said dejectedly, "I just—"
"So you just want to make a scene, to get things settled. Either he can't take it anymore, or you can't take it anymore, right?"
Xiang Lan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Judging from the current situation, it's obvious that you're the one who can't take it anymore."
"Who knew he would be so patient? No matter how much I ignored him, he never got angry, and he even became thick-skinned."
Alright, Hu Li understands. This guy's fuss is just a way to get attention; actually, his resentment is starting to fade. She thought for a moment and said, "This time, you still want to help him, right?"
Xiang Lan finally nodded in agreement; she knew Hu Li was a wise man who could see right through her.
"Don't overthink it. You two can't get a divorce right now. You haven't made up your mind yet, so he's definitely trying to find ways to work things out. Even if he brings up divorce this time, it's just to avoid involving you, but he still cares about you. So, your resentment and dissatisfaction with him are really just a fear of being abandoned. You're still looking up to him. Right?"
Xiang Lan felt like crying. Her sister-in-law's conclusion was similar to her mother-in-law's, hitting the nail on the head. On the contrary, her mother didn't support her at all.
"Just go ahead and help him. The worse he suffers, the more confident you'll feel in his presence," Hu Li said nonchalantly. "To me, your worries are irrelevant. The key isn't whether he wants Xiaorourou, but whether you want Xiaorourou and him. Xiang Lan, you've always been the most important person. You need to understand that—"
It was as if the door to a new world had been opened.
“You love him, you’re with him, you raise children together, you sleep together, you’re happy or unhappy, you should be in control of your own life.” Hu Li tilted her head. “Don’t worry about those trivial details. Until one day you stop loving him, or you can no longer tolerate this kind of life, you can leave. The world is vast, everywhere is a home for you and Xiao Rou Rou, what can stop you?”
Xiang Lan blinked. Yes, this was probably what Fang's mother was talking about, something that Fang Zi was also afraid of.
Having found the answer, Xiang Lan returned home refreshed, humming a cheerful tune as she drove home with her little one. When Fang Jun parked the car downstairs, watching her push the stroller upstairs, he called out, "Xiang Lan—"
Xiang Lan turned around, smiled at him, and he said, "Do you think I can still undermine you?"
"Jun-ge, you need to find a new crush—"
Chapter 69
Fang Zi went to get off work and came home as usual, playing with his little one for a while before locking himself in his study. Xiang Lan stood at the door listening; he was communicating and negotiating in a foreign language, and with her hearing, she could only vaguely make out that he was looking for someone. It seemed the situation hadn't improved much; in fact, it was getting worse. He wasn't the type to bring his emotions home.
On the weekend, Xiang Lan used the excuse of needing to check on client needs to leave Xiao Rou Rou (her baby) in Fang Zi's care. He happily agreed and even brazenly kissed her. Xiang Lan was outwardly displeased, but inwardly she was thinking, "Let him be arrogant for a few days. I'll settle the score with him after I finish my thesis."
At Qionglin Garden, Mia's small restaurant remained lukewarm, and she showed no signs of the joy expected of a bride. When Xiang Lan arrived, she was counting money at the cashier.
"Sister Mia, didn't you rest this weekend?" she greeted casually. "I'm having lunch with Lin Li, can you cook some good dishes for me?"
"No, I didn't rest." Mia looked at her, somewhat surprised. "Just the two of you eating? Where's your son?"
"Yes." Xiang Lan took off her coat, feeling the warmth of the store. "He's at home taking care of the little succulent." She noticed the counter was very tidy, with several small potted plants on display. Perhaps because of the warmth indoors, they had already sprouted new buds. She reached out and touched one. "What kind of flower is this?"
"It's not a flower, it's a weed. I took Xiaomili out to play and casually dug it up to plant, so that it can absorb a bit of nature's essence."
Xiang Lan felt an itch in her heart, wanting to ask about the gossip between her and the two men. However, since Liu Nanyang was an elder, she couldn't ask unless he told her.
Mia went to the kitchen to arrange the menu. She sat at a small table playing on her phone. A moment later, Lin Li pushed the door open and came in, his breath steaming in the cold air. "It's freezing!"
"Tell Mia what you want to eat," Xiang Lan waved to her. "Want some wine?"
"No." Lin Li took off her coat, revealing a thick sweater underneath. She patted the snowflakes off her hat. "Let's get a pot, with soup and water, it'll be nice and hot."
The two wanted to discuss serious matters, so they went to a small private room inside, where it was indeed much quieter.
Mia brought the dishes up and said, "The weather has been bad lately, with sand and smog, so I'm bringing you a bowl of sweet soup."
Xiang Lan insisted on having Mia accompany her, worried that she might lose her temper and verbally abuse Lin Li.
Mia, seeing the two eating in silence, said, "Why aren't you saying anything? It's so boring."
Lin Li put down his chopsticks. "What's there to say? I'm so bored."
"It's either suffocation or freezing to death, it's all the same, you have to choose one, right?" Mia said nonchalantly. "What's the big deal?"
"My year or two of hard work has gone down the drain." Lin Li picked up the sweet soup, took a sip, and said with disdain, "It's cloyingly sweet—"
"It was given away for free, what else do you want to say?"
Just as Xiang Lan was about to say something, Lin Li waved his hand at her and said, "I know what you want to ask. I only have one sentence. Don't say anything to me now. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back my temper."
"What's wrong?"
"All men in this world are no good—"
"Are you making sweeping generalizations?" Xiang Lan said. "Although the men I know aren't all that great, I still believe there are good men in the world."