Xiang Lan's tone softened as he answered, but he didn't notice, still immersed in anger and sorrow. He said, "Then take me with you!"
She laughed and patted his shoulder, "Zidu, we're both adults now!"
Fang Zidu clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, seemingly unable to bear it any longer. He took a step back and punched the wall, leaving a few drops of red blood on the white surface. Xiang Lan flinched, panicking, "Fang Zidu, what are you doing?"
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at her, tears welling up in them.
"you--"
He opened his arms and hugged her tightly. "Xiang Lan, don't leave me, I can't take it!"
His head was buried in her neck, and his tears burned her skin.
"Zidu, I was just—" Xiang Lan was a little scared and shaken, "I was just collecting out-of-season clothes."
Fang Zidu then realized he had misunderstood, but he wouldn't let her go. "I don't care, you can never leave me."
Xiang Lan pushed him away forcefully, looking up at his face. He turned away shyly, his red eyes betraying him. She reached out to touch his face; it was wet and hot. He pulled away, so she pried it open with both hands. He lowered his eyes and said, "Don't do this. I was too out of control just now. It wasn't right, I shouldn't have—"
“I like it.” Xiang Lan stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the face. “Maybe I’m a little weird, but I’m happy when I see you cry for me or get angry for me.”
Fang Zi wrapped his arms around her waist, ignoring the injury on the back of his hand, holding her and letting his emotions flow freely.
“You used to be so good, so good that you didn’t seem like a real person. I’m afraid you’ll really become a machine, doing everything with precise calculations to get the best results. I’m not good enough, and Rou Rou isn’t good enough either. We are your closest people, yet we can’t meet your demands.” Xiang Lan blamed herself. “This may also be my selfishness. I want you to have flaws, I want you to be imperfect, I want you to be like a normal person, to get angry, to make mistakes, and to cry.”
He turned his head and bit her ear.
"When you said there was a problem with your thesis, I was secretly a little happy. I know it's wrong, but I can't control it. I was laughing at you in my heart, you know? Ah, wasn't you supposed to be a genius? How could you make such a basic mistake? See, see, no one in this world is perfect. You make mistakes too, and you can be a burden to others, but not everyone will abandon you."
"I think you've learned a lesson from this."
"I've already been taught a lesson," Fang Zidu said in a hoarse voice. "You ignoring me and wanting to abandon me like this is already punishment."
"Don't you think I'm selfish?" Xiang Lan broke free from his embrace, grabbed his hand, and as their flesh and blood clashed head-on with the concrete, even a genius couldn't protect himself from injury. His knuckles were a bloody mess, his skin torn open, revealing the red and white tendons and bones beneath, with blood slowly flowing out.
"No," Fang Zi sniffed. "I'm more selfish than you."
“Don’t be so hard on yourself when you’re angry. What are we going to do about your hand like this?” Xiang Lan pulled his wrist and led him outside. “We need to go to the hospital to get it bandaged.”
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt."
"How could it not hurt?" Xiang Lan was furious. She poked his wound with her finger, and when he flinched, she said, "It still hurts, doesn't it?"
"I'm not going," Fang Zidu immediately said, feigning innocence.
"You really are—"
"Help me bandage this." He clung to her like a koala.
Fang Zidu behaved exceptionally well, following her lead, going wherever she was told to go and stopping whenever she was told to stop. She even went to get the first-aid kit, obediently letting her wrap it up, and wouldn't let go of her. After a while, Xiao Rou Rou started looking for her mother when she didn't see her. Fang Zidu took her from the nanny and held her in her arms, but Fang Zidu struggled to hold both of them in her arms.
Normally, he was very restrained in his feelings, especially during the day when his aunt and other people were around. He would rarely have any physical contact with her, only secretly kissing and touching her when they were alone. But now, he didn't care at all about his aunt's gaze.
"If you keep going like this, I won't be able to take care of Rou Rou or work," Xiang Lan said. "You haven't solved your thesis problem yet, hurry up and think of a solution!"
Fang Zidu said, "Xiang Lan, we've agreed that we won't mention divorce again—"
She wasn't falling for his tricks. "No."
"Why?" He stared wide-eyed, as if he didn't understand.
“People are always changing. It’s unfair for you to make me make this promise.” Looking at him, she said, “I will not give up my rights.”
Fang Zi looked utterly dejected. "I'm willing to give up all my rights for you."
“I don’t need that!” Xiang Lan said. “You can try dividing yourself up: reserve rationality for your work, and emotionality for people—”
"Don't hurt yourself, otherwise, there's still room for discussion about divorce."
Fang Zi, seemingly lost in thought, watched as Xiang Lan, her injured hand raised, played with the little girl, introducing her to toys of various shapes. The little girl was still learning about the world, relying on her hands and mouth. She would put anything that interested her in her mouth and chew on it, thus learning what was edible, what was only for playing, what hard meant, and what soft meant. After playing for a while, she got tired and fell asleep in Xiang Lan's arms. Xiang Lan didn't indulge her, putting her on the bed and going to work.
He watched her bustling about like a little ant, thought for a moment, and then went to his study. He turned on his computer, packaged up the carefully saved data and evidence, and sent it to Lin Li online.
Lin Li was always online, so he quickly clicked "receive" and only sent a message after he finished reading: "Did you win over your wife?"
"My wife has won me over."
He received a disdainful emoji from the other end. He sat in his chair, leaning back for a long while, before sending a long message: "I've already negotiated with the editor-in-chief. As long as we issue an announcement and clarification letter, showing the evidence and explanation, he will issue a corresponding announcement. He will also apologize to you and eliminate the negative impact on you. Don't mess this up this time."
"You can trust me on this point; I'm better at roasting people."
After finishing this matter, he left the study and saw Xiang Lan making some noises in the studio opposite the study. He leaned against the door and watched as she fiddled with a piece of jade the size of a fist on the table.
Xiang Lan looked exceptionally pure without makeup, especially when she was focused; her little mouth would unconsciously pout slightly, like a child's. She carefully picked up the carving knife and meticulously carved in the very narrow space. After a while, she held it up to the sunlight to examine it.
It was a beautiful jade carving, shaped like a clump of wild grass swaying in a strong wind. The stems crawled stubbornly and tenaciously on the ground, while the leaves stretched out towards the wind. The stems and leaves tried to appear thinner, longer, and more fragile, but the overall effect was that of being smaller, more resilient, and more unshakeable. It was a work that combined the beauty of fragility with the unshakeable nature of a rock.
The next morning, Xiang Lan woke up and opened her eyes to find Fang Zi staring intently at her. She asked, "What's wrong?"
"The thesis issue is resolved. Lin Li has found the evidence, so I'm all set," he said.
"Really?" she exclaimed excitedly, standing up. "So soon? That's wonderful! Let's go out and celebrate today!"
"It might not work."
"Why?" she asked, puzzled.
"The old gentleman has notified the school's publicity department and some reporters that there will be a brief press conference this afternoon to clarify the situation and announce some other things." Fang Zidu stood up. "Find me a suit; it must be formal attire."
Fang Zi quietly tidied himself up and went out. Xiang Lan felt that his behavior was a bit strange today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She had been busy in the studio all morning, and while she was taking her little one for a nap at noon, she received a text message from Lin Li: "We're having a meeting in the auditorium. Come on over and see your husband's dashing figure."
Xiang Lan raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and realized it was Fang Zidu's birthday. She had planned to give him the jade carving she named "Meng" as a gift, and also have dinner together, so she decided to go. She got up and tidied herself up. Because she was breastfeeding, she was still quite plump, so she had to wear a large coat to cover up her weight, and set off with her small bag.
Upon reaching the outside of the lecture hall, she saw a crowd gathered, with cameras, microphones, and other equipment blocking the small entrance. Puzzled, she wanted to go in, but being petite and weak, she had no choice but to go through the back door and call Lin Li.
A moment later, Lin Li opened the door and secretly pulled her inside.
As she walked through a dimly lit corridor, Fang Zidu's clear voice echoed. She peeked out and saw that the hall was full of people, while he stood tall and elegant in the hall, talking eloquently with his back to the projection screen.
"What is he doing?" Xiang Lan could hear every word he said, but she couldn't understand what it meant.
“He’s been busy with this lately,” Lin Li said, his eyes gleaming. “While communicating with the journal, he sent over the paper for the project he was leading. After it was approved, it was published today. The old professor immediately organized this meeting to refute that scoundrel’s rumors about plagiarism, to report the results to the school leaders, and to demand that the school sue that scoundrel to protect the reputation of the school and its staff.”
Her gaze swept across the crowd. At the front row stood a line of serious-looking old men, nodding as they listened to his speech. Occasionally, someone would interrupt to ask a question, which he would immediately answer. The atmosphere inside the hall seemed very lively and relaxed, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of the day before.
This was the first time Xiang Lan had witnessed his work ethic and professionalism. He was assertive and confident, uttering few words to refute questions, his face always bearing a smile, yet devoid of any emotional fluctuation. She suddenly remembered that he was a project leader with a team under his command, carrying immense pressure, yet he was only a young man who had just turned twenty-three. His efficiency, precision, and mechanical approach made him an absolute leader, an unquestionable authority.
Finally, seemingly concluding his argument, he politely stated, "Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my wife and family for their support and assistance with my work. Next, Lin Li from my lab will clarify the plagiarism issue—"
Lin Li winked at her, "How about it? Aren't you incredibly handsome?"
Xiang Lan pursed her lips and said, "Actually, I didn't understand any of it."
"That's like casting a seductive glance at a blind man."
After Fang Zidu stepped down from the stage, a group of people surrounded him, calling his name, wanting to have an in-depth conversation.
Lin Li straightened her clothes and said, "It's my turn to go up. Today is his birthday, and he's really looking forward to hearing about your plans, though he hasn't said anything. He hasn't been doing well lately—"
"hehe!"
Lin Li was speechless. "No way, that's really annoying. If he's not doing well, our whole lab is not doing well, understand? I called you here for the sake of our lives, so you'd better go and cheer him up."
Xiang Lan didn't speak, but she smiled. After watching Lin Li walk onto the stage, Fang Zi pushed through the crowd and sat down next to an old man in the front row, speaking to him. The old man seemed satisfied, patting him on the shoulder. He sat up straight, smiling.
She was a little excited, so she took out her phone and sent him a text message. She said, "Look at the small door on the side of the stage."
Fang Zi seemed to feel the phone vibrate, took it out and glanced at it, then immediately stopped and looked up at him. She leaned out and waved to him with a smile, and he immediately stood up.
At that moment, Lin Li was presenting PowerPoint evidence on the screen, outlining the timeline before and after the paper's publication, and everyone's attention was focused on the stage. Fang Zidu's abrupt standing up immediately drew attention, and everyone turned to look at him.
After making such a big blunder, Xiang Lan blushed, stuck out her tongue, pulled it back, covered her pounding heart, and slowly walked towards the back door.
Urgent footsteps sounded behind him. Turning around, he saw Fang Zidu rushing from the hall into the passageway, standing backlit, his long shadow stretching across the ground.
“Xiang Lan—” he said.
Xiang Lan froze, "Hey, beauty!"
Fang Zidu's body seemed to tremble slightly. It had been a long time since he had heard her tease him like that. He slowly approached, his features particularly distinct in the lamplight.
"You looked incredibly cool on stage."
He blinked. "You saw it?"
“Yes,” Xiang Lan said. “Congratulations, it seems all the problems have been solved.”
He nodded.
Hearing the voices behind her, she reached out and pulled him, pushing open the back door of the lecture hall. "Shall we just leave like this?"
No.
"That's good."
She led him out of the school and into a taxi.
Why don't you ask me where I'm taking you?
"Wherever you go, I'll go." Fang Zidu held her hand tightly.
Xiang Lan turned to look out the window, feeling delighted, until his hand carefully slid down to her lower back. She opened her bag and took out the jade carving.
"Is it pretty?"
"Beautiful," Fang Zidu exclaimed, mesmerized. Her hands were smooth and white, contrasting beautifully with the clear color of the jade.
"It's yours now." She smiled.
Fangzi looked at her, and she said, "Your birthday present."
He blinked, feeling a tearing sensation in his heart followed by an instant fullness.
"Let's put the divorce aside for now. Let's set a principle. From now on, within the confines of this home, whatever you do, you'll listen to me and follow my lead, even if I'm foolish, against my conscience, or unreasonable." Xiang Lan, displaying her true colors as a female rogue, argued forcefully, "A wife's decisions are always right. If there's a mistake, see the first half of that sentence. Any objections?"
"No." The defeat was swift and complete.
"Outside of our home life, regarding my work-related matters, you have the right to know but not the right to make decisions, is that alright?"
"No."
"I have the right to know and offer advice on matters related to your work, but the final decision rests with you."
"certainly."
"If your job conflicts with mine—"
"No, it won't happen," Fang Zidu immediately interjected.