“Yueyue’s back?”
“…Uncle.”
Han Shen was holding a cup, about to fill it with water. “Why’s your face so red?”
“…Is it? Maybe it’s just too hot.”
“Have the kitchen make a pot of mung bean soup tomorrow, you can take it to the lab.”
“Okay. I’ll head upstairs then.”
“Go on, get some rest early.”
Back in her room, Jiang Fuyue went straight to the bathroom and splashed cold water onto her face.
Looking up, her reflection in the mirror showed cheeks like peach blossoms, lips flushed red, and eyes bright with a shimmer of light.
Unbidden, flashes of that moment in the car surfaced in her mind: the narrow space, the man’s burning breath…
Jiang Fuyue clicked her tongue softly. “Men’s beauty is a dangerous thing.”
At the same time, Xie Dingyuan was driving, one hand on the steering wheel, gaze fixed straight ahead.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
Even after he stepped into his house, the smile was still there.
The old man and old lady were watching TV in the living room when a faint sound caught their attention—
“Did someone just open the door?”
The old man cocked his head, listening. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Just now! I’ll go take a look…” The old lady stood and walked toward the entryway.
The next second—surprise and joy burst out in her voice. “Ah Yuan?! You’re home?! Old man, what are you standing there for? Our son’s home!”
Xie Zhendong came to his senses, hurried forward, and sure enough—it was their youngest!
“Coming home and not even sending word first, you nearly scared your mother to death!”
Cough. Him too, honestly.
Xie Dingyuan said, “It was a last-minute decision.”
“Have you eaten?”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to make you something anyway?”
“Mom, no need. I’m not hungry.”
The old lady’s eyes glistened with tears as she looked at him tenderly. “You’ve lost weight again.”
Xie Dingyuan: “…” As far as his mother was concerned, he’d never not been too thin.
“You must be tired. Go upstairs and rest.” She patted some invisible dust off his shoulder.
Then suddenly, her movement froze. She sniffed lightly.
Xie Dingyuan didn’t notice a thing.
When he was gone, the old man asked, “What was that just now?”
The old lady calmly raised her right hand, pinched between her fingers was a single strand of hair.
A long strand.
Black.
The old man’s eyes widened. “You found that on Little Nine?”
“Of course. It was stuck on his shoulder—I saw it right away.”
“Well… that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.” The old man quickly regained composure and analyzed rationally, “Maybe he brushed past someone, or a gust of wind blew it onto him.”
But the old lady was firm. “Impossible! You know how particular our son is—how could he ever let someone else’s hair stick to him?”
“…True,” the old man admitted. “He’s got that neat-freak streak. But maybe he just didn’t notice.”
“Alright, then let’s say the hair was an accident. What about the smell?”
“The smell?”
“You didn’t smell it? He had the scent of roses on him. He’s never used cologne in his life. If someone nearby does, he avoids them like the plague. And roses, smell, really smell to that scent.”
“So you’re saying, before coming home, Ah Yuan was with a girl?”
“And even gave her roses,” she said, full of certainty.
“Couldn’t it be rose-scented perfume?”
“I’ve been blending fragrances for decades. You think I can’t tell the difference between perfume and fresh flowers?”
The old man was left speechless.
After a long pause, he muttered, “…Little Nine’s in love?”
“I heard from Yunzao before that he was seen having dinner with a girl. Could it be the same one?”
The old man rubbed his chin. “Highly possible. Little Nine’s not the type to fool around, he wouldn’t switch so quickly.”
The old lady nodded approvingly. “Should I go upstairs and… subtly probe a bit?”
“Oh, come on. You know how tight-lipped he is, asking’s useless.”
But she was so curious! Her son had been single since birth for over twenty years, and now there were signs of life, roses and everything! It looked like things were really happening!
“You’re not even curious who she is?”
“Of course I am. But what good would it do?”
The old lady: “…” Fair point.
That night, the old couple went to bed smiling.
They didn’t yet know who their future daughter-in-law was, but their long-single son finally knew how to love and that alone was enough to fill their hearts with joy.
….
The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Fuyue headed to the lab.
There were still two weeks until Ming University started classes, and in that time, she needed to finish her remaining experiments, organize and analyze the data, and write a complete paper.
Time was tight, she couldn’t afford to waste even a day.
Luckily, while her new lab was being built and Q University no longer allowed her to use the A3 lab zone, all the early and mid-stage data was already completed.
So during this time, she hadn’t been idle, working from home on data analysis for ten hours a day, no different from being in the lab.
Without professional data analysis equipment, she faced plenty of challenges but solved every one.
No equipment? She wrote her own programs.
No data templates? She made new ones.
Faced with obstacles, she’d find a way around or through. For Jiang Fuyue, difficulty wasn’t a problem, it was a game.
When she arrived at the lab, the lights were already on.
Xie Dingyuan turned around, smiling slightly. “You’re here?”
Jiang Fuyue raised a brow. “What are you doing here?”
“You gave me the key yesterday, remember?”
She sighed. “I meant, you didn’t need to come so early. You worked hard yesterday, you should’ve slept in.”
He sighed dramatically. “Sleep in? There’s no one to sleep with.”
Jiang Fuyue twitched her lips. “…Been here long?”
“Half an hour earlier than you.”
“Had breakfast?” she asked, putting on her lab coat.
“Yeah. Got an extra lab coat?”
“Why? You planning to work on the bench too?”
“That depends, are you willing to use me as free labor?”
Her eyes lit up. “Since you’re offering for free, I’d be a fool not to.”
He spread his hands. “My honor.”
She blew him a kiss.
He pointed to his cheek. “It’d land better here.”
“…Shameless.”
From then on, Xie Dingyuan came to the lab every day.
After the first day, he insisted on driving her, always parking early outside her villa like a dutiful knight.
Of course, he had to avoid being seen by Han Qishan and her three uncles.
“What, am I not fit to be seen?” Professor Xie started to sulk.
“Just afraid you’ll get beaten up the moment they meet you,” Jiang Fuyue said frankly.
“…”
After a pause, he muttered, “My skin’s thick.”
Now it was her turn to be speechless.
After that, he parked fifty meters away from the villa entrance.
And somehow, he bragged about it—
“See? I have to pick you up and keep it secret. It’s exhausting.”
“So?”
“I deserve a reward.”
“What kind of—mmph!”
When they finally pulled apart, Xie Dingyuan smacked his lips contentedly. “Sweet.”
Jiang Fuyue: “?” Did this man have his meridians opened or something?!
…
Most of their time together was in the lab.
When Xie Dingyuan said he’d help, he meant it.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t treat him like an outsider either, whatever tasks she had, she assigned freely.
So the lab often had this scene: Jiang Fuyue at the console adjusting parameters and instruments; Xie Dingyuan beside her, recording data and doing preliminary analysis.
Both in white lab coats, almost like matching outfits.
With his help, their progress doubled.
No matter her pace, he kept up effortlessly.
He always seemed to know what she’d need next before she said a word.
With him there, it wasn’t just “like a tiger with wings”, it was “a tiger gaining another tiger.”
The results were, of course, far greater than the sum of their parts.
When he handed her the organized preliminary report, she suddenly looked up, eyes fixed on him.
“What?” he asked. “Do I have something on my face?”
“You do.”
“…What?”
“On the left—‘Heaven’; on the right—‘Talent.’”
Genius!
Xie Dingyuan laughed but in truth, he thought she was the real genius, sitting there across from him, eyes full of light that reflected only him.
“So, Miss Jiang,” he said softly, “how does it feel being a genius’s girlfriend?”
She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “What if my boyfriend’s too smart, how do I keep him in check?”
He thought for a moment. “…However smart he is, he can’t escape the palm of your hand.”
“That’s true.” She lifted her chin slightly, full of pride.
He shook his head, smiling helplessly. “You…”
Two short words, overflowing with affection and indulgence.
Sometimes Jiang Fuyue would worry aloud, “You’re too good at this. What if I get used to it?”
Anyone else after him would seem lacking.
Hearing that, Xie Dingyuan laughed softly, not sure whether it was pride at being indispensable or joy at being relied on.
“Isn’t that what they call—‘After seeing the vast ocean, no water compares; after gazing at Mount Wu, no other clouds suffice’?”
Once you’ve seen the best, everything else pales in comparison.
“So,” Xie Dingyuan said, eyes brimming with delight, “I’m the optimal solution.”
“……” Getting more shameless by the day.
“Filter out that new set of data.”
“Okay.”
“Hand me the remote for Device 325.”
The man picked it up and passed it to her.
“Has the test report for Device XT come out yet?”
“Two more minutes.”
One spoke, the other acted—perfect cooperation, flawless tacit understanding.
One could only imagine what others would think if they saw this—Professor Xie, a top expert in the nation’s biochemical field, working as a lowly assistant in his girlfriend’s lab, being bossed around and loving every second of it.
Tsk.
…
Although they were a couple and worked in the same lab, they only chatted occasionally.
Most of the time, both were buried in their work.
Jiang Fuyue moved among various experimental devices, busy adjusting parameters, controlling variables, and directing the entire process.
Meanwhile, Xie Dingyuan sat before the computer, sorting data, packaging and integrating, running analyses, and finally submitting reports for Jiang Fuyue to review.
After she verified them through the instruments, the results would be added to the analysis database as valid data.
The entire process was tedious and long, requiring constant focus and alertness, with the mind running non-stop—and the awareness that one mistake could mean starting over.
It was a test of both mentality and endurance.
Hence, a saying in the research community went: Doing science is like practicing ascetic meditation.
Jiang Fuyue disagreed.
When one is truly immersed in and passionate about something—fully invested in it—every hardship becomes a propelling force, a tailwind, a surging wave.
Watching the girl’s focused eyes and serious profile, the man’s gaze turned momentarily dazed.
He simply stared at her at the lab bench, as though seeing the brightest, most dazzling star in the night sky.
…
With Xie Dingyuan’s help, work that had been scheduled for two weeks was completed in just one.
The timeline was cut in half.
On the day of completion, Jiang Fuyue clicked “Send,” and the paper was submitted to academic journals around the world via email.
From here on, it was a matter of waiting.
“Mission accomplished.” She smiled at him, light glimmering in her eyes.
“Congratulations.” The man stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.
Who would have thought… he didn’t let go.
“Hey, where are your hands going?”
He didn’t move them. Instead, he tightened his hold, his low, husky voice brushing her ear with warm breath. “Don’t I get a reward?”
The girl curved her lips, eyes gleaming. “But I never said the reward would be flesh kind, did I?”
Xie Dingyuan: “…Ahem.”
Though, he had been thinking it.
…
The experiment wrapped up, the paper was done, and with a week left before the semester started, Jiang Fuyue was completely free.
Much to Xie Dingyuan’s delight.
She even suspected the man had worked so hard just for this day.
“Do you have any plans?” he asked.
Jiang Fuyue shook her head.
He smiled. “I do.”
“What plans?”
“We can’t skip anything couples are supposed to do.”
“?”
Too lazy to argue, Jiang Fuyue simply let him take charge.
Then, on the very first day, he brought her to a hotel and booked a room.
Jiang Fuyue: “?” subway old man staring at phone.jpg
The hotel sat halfway up the mountain, built in a traditional Chinese style. Each suite was a standalone villa with its own courtyard and garden, surrounded by scenic views of mountains and water, a peaceful retreat.
It wasn’t far from downtown either, about a half-hour drive, quiet yet accessible.
At first sight, Jiang Fuyue liked it, the air even smelled fresh.
And then… she immediately entered deep-sleep mode.
The first night, she slept from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next morning. After breakfast, she took a stroll with Xie Dingyuan.
Back at their courtyard, she lounged in a deck chair, a pot of tea steaming gently beside her, white mist curling upward. Holding A Brief History of Time in her hands, she read a few pages before dozing off again.
Xie Dingyuan quietly fetched a blanket and draped it over her, then lay down on the other chair and closed his eyes as well.
The antique-style courtyard dappled with sunlight and shade, birds chirping, flowers fragrant—one man and one woman napping peacefully.
Time seemed to pause, preserving the scene like a painting.
The years were tranquil; time was tender.
…
When Jiang Fuyue woke, the sun was setting.
The orange-red ball hung low on the horizon, sinking lower and lower.
She remembered the day she was reborn had also been such a midsummer evening, half the sky dyed orange by blazing clouds.
She had walked home alone from school then, facing an unfamiliar world and a new identity. Though she’d forced herself to stay calm, confusion had been inevitable.
Now, she had adapted to her new life and found her new purpose.
She turned her head toward the man sleeping quietly beside her—
—and found someone to walk this path with.
Heaven had once given her death, only to grant her new life.
“You’re staring at me,” he said suddenly, eyes opening. There was no trace of drowsiness, only a faint smile.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t look away; in fact, she looked even more boldly.
“Yeah. Am I not allowed to look?”
“You are. Unconditionally.”
They shared a smile.
Dinner was served in their room; they didn’t go to the restaurant.
On the phone, the attendant asked politely, “Would you like any wine, sir?”
Xie Dingyuan was about to decline when Jiang Fuyue spoke first—
“Red.”
The attendant paused, then agreed.
“You want wine?” he asked.
“Just a little to lift the mood.”
Clink—
Two glasses met softly, red liquid rippling with graceful arcs.
They sat across from each other at a long wooden table covered with a floral tablecloth.
In the vase sat blooming peonies: white outer petals, threadlike inner layers, and pale yellow hearts. Their faint fragrance mingled with the mellow scent of red wine, creating a perfectly warm atmosphere.
Jiang Fuyue teased, “A toast to my most capable assistant, both in work and in life.”
Xie Dingyuan corrected, “Boyfriend.”
“Fine, boyfriend.”
Satisfied, he raised his glass. As he tilted it back, his Adam’s apple bobbed with a subtle motion.
Jiang Fuyue’s lips parted slightly; her mouth felt dry. She took another sip.
“Slow down.”
“…Okay.”
“When did you learn to drink?”
The girl blinked, her cheeks tinged pink. “I already could… in my last life.”
He took it as drunken nonsense.
“And you?” she countered. “When did you learn?”
“Ahem.”
Truth was, he never really had.
After committing to a research career, Xie Dingyuan had paid special attention to health, rarely touching alcohol or cigarettes.
Only on rare occasions would he make an exception, and even then, in strict moderation.
“You shouldn’t drink much either,” he said, taking away the decanter and putting the remaining half bottle back on the shelf. “Just that little half glass.”
Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered as she blinked and said sweetly, “Okay.”
His heart melted.
She hadn’t planned on drinking more anyway.
Alcohol affected brain function and slowed thinking; a small sip was fine now and then, but never habitually.
They were perfectly aligned on that point, no conflict there.
Except…
“Why is your face so red?” she asked, noticing the flush spreading from his cheeks to his ears.
He blinked, unwilling to admit it. “…Is it?”
“Don’t believe me? Look.” She pointed at the cabinet mirror behind him.
But the man refused to turn, his eyes fixed elsewhere—
If I don’t look, it’s not real.
Realizing this, Jiang Fuyue burst out laughing. “Hahaha, Xie Dingyuan, you turn red when you drink!”
His mouth twitched.
What’s wrong with that?!
Not strange at all but for a grown man…
“It makes people think you look less manly, you know?”
“That ‘someone’ includes you?” His tone was cool.
She was about to answer when, all of a sudden, he stood up, leaned forward, and reached across the table. His hand caught the back of her neck and pulled her toward him.
Jiang Fuyue’s upper body tilted forward, their eyes locked, noses almost touching, breaths mingling with the faint scent of wine.
“You…” She swallowed. “What are you doing?”
“Since words don’t work,” he murmured, “I’ll show you instead.”
“?”
“I’ll let you see for yourself whether I’m manly or not.”
“??”
The next second, his lips crashed against hers.
Jiang Fuyue: “!”
That dinner lasted almost two hours.
The man wore a satisfied smile; the woman’s lips were flushed red.
Afterward, when the hotel staff came to clear the table, they went out for a walk.
The hotel grounds were vast, and its design retained much of the natural landscape—the trees in the gardens were mostly native to the mountain.
Night brought a cool breeze; the temperature difference was big, and soon Jiang Fuyue felt a chill.
At that moment, a still-warm coat settled gently over her shoulders…
