Before becoming the famous, unsmiling “Professor Ming” of the nuclear physics world, probably no one knew that Ming Yu, in his younger days, was actually a “gentle as water” noble young man.
Specifically shown in the following ways.
He loved to cry.
He was considerate and attentive.
And he was also dexterous.
After Lou Mingyue took over the Lou Corporation and became the youngest head of the Lou family in its history, Ming Yu was still the carefree, naive, and somewhat silly eldest young master of the Ming family.
Apart from reading, the thing he loved most was circling around Lou Mingyue.
So meticulous that it covered clothing, food, housing, and transportation, so considerate that it extended to eating, drinking, and daily needs.
At that time, some people teased him, “Ming Yu, why don’t you just marry Lou Mingyue and be her little wife?”
Ming Yu did not get angry. On the contrary, he seriously thought about it and evaluated the feasibility of this suggestion. The conclusion he finally reached was—
“It actually sounds pretty good.”
As a result, the next day the news that “the Ming family’s eldest young master wants to be the Lou family’s eldest miss’s wife” spread throughout the entire imperial capital’s elite circles.
Ming Yu’s parents and a group of elders nearly fainted from anger after hearing it.
Ming Yu himself also felt a bit guilty.
But he was not afraid of gossip, nor did he fear the elders’ anger. What he worried about was how Mingyue would react once she knew.
Fortunately, Lou Mingyue was too busy, busy to the point where she had no time at all to pay attention to the rumors about her and him within the circle.
The “little wife” joke quickly passed, but Lou Mingyue and Ming Yu, this pair of childhood sweethearts, left everyone with the impression of “a strong woman and a weak man.”
At first, people might just have been joking and teasing, but as time went on and it was mentioned more often, it inevitably started to be taken seriously.
Whether others minded it or not was unknown, but the Ming family elders definitely cared.
How could their only heir be willing to play second fiddle, and even have thoughts of marrying into another family.
This also planted the seed for the Ming family later going back on their word and refusing the alliance marriage.
But all of this, even now, was something Jiang Fuyue knew nothing about.
She only knew that Ming Yu was still the considerate, thoughtful, gentle, and mild person she remembered.
It seemed that over twenty years, time had only left traces on his face. His temper and personality were still exactly the same as before.
She recalled how he had personally cooked meals and delivered them to the Lou Corporation, smiling as he watched her finish eating, then taking the lunch box back and washing it clean.
She recalled how this pampered young master’s needlework was unexpectedly good, several times threading needles under the lamp to help her sew on buttons.
“What are you smiling about?” Ming Yu took the now empty teacup from her hand and asked, “Do you want more?”
“Sure.”
Ming Yu personally poured her another cup and handed it over. “In exchange, you have to tell me what you’re smiling about.”
The smile in Jiang Fuyue’s eyes deepened. After taking the cup, she blurted out, “You.”
What was she smiling about.
Smiling at you.
The man was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile and also said, “You…”
Only the same two words carried a tone of helplessness and sigh.
With a trace of indulgence that was hard to detect.
…
Half an hour later, the equipment arrived on time.
Ming Yu put down the freshly washed teapot and teacups, gathered them neatly to one side, then called his assistant over and had him push his wheelchair forward.
Even though his legs were inconvenient, he still insisted on personally checking all the delivered equipment. Only after confirming everything was correct did he let the workers move it into the inner laboratory.
Soon the equipment was in place. The workers left one after another. Jiang Fuyue pushed him inside and, after walking around once, asked, “How is it? Are you satisfied?”
“Mmm.” Ming Yu nodded, smiling at the corners of his mouth.
“You just selected a research topic. Does that mean you’ll be staying in the lab for a long time next?”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the arrangement.”
But—
“Why are you asking?”
The man gently shook his head, but there was a rare hint of pleasure on his face. “Nothing.”
…
At this hour, Jiang Fuyue simply invited Ming Yu to have dinner together.
They did not go far, just resolved it at the school cafeteria.
A private dining room, authentic cuisine, plus a good dining environment that was not inferior at all to those star-rated restaurants outside.
“You’re too thin. Eat more.” Jiang Fuyue used the serving chopsticks to pick food for Ming Yu, quickly piling up a small mountain on his plate.
And all of it was food he liked.
Ming Yu said, “Don’t just pick for me. You eat too.”
“Mmm.”
“Tomorrow is New Year’s Day. How are you planning to spend it?”
“Go home.”
“Is it… the Han family?”
Jiang Fuyue nodded.
Before returning to the imperial capital from the Northwest, Ming Yu had checked Jiang Fuyue’s current identity and knew about her relationship with the Han family.
The invitation he had been about to say was silently swallowed back.
Now she had family and friends, far happier than before by who knew how many times.
Ming Yu smiled and nodded. “That’s good.”
Halfway through the meal, Jiang Fuyue went to the restroom.
The door was left ajar. When she came back, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice coming from inside—
“Brother, Uncle and Aunt already know you’ve returned to the imperial capital. Come home tomorrow for New Year’s Day. You can also meet my two little troublemakers.”
“I won’t go back. The gifts for the two little ones are still on the way. They’ll probably arrive in a few days.” Ming Yu’s voice carried a touch of detached coolness, completely different from when he spoke to Jiang Fuyue.
“Brother! You haven’t returned to the Ming family for twenty years! Are you planning to never go back for the rest of your life?”
Outside the door, Jiang Fuyue’s breathing paused.
Twenty years without returning to the Ming family.
“When you were in the Northwest before, you said you were busy and couldn’t get away. But now you’ve returned to the imperial capital. From Ming University to home, it’s only a twenty or thirty minute drive. You can’t even spare that little bit of time?”
Ming Yu lowered his eyes. Under the light, his side profile was indifferent and unmoved.
Ming Zheng suddenly felt very powerless. “All these years, the Ming family has been supported with great effort by Uncle alone. He’s already seventy years old. His hair turned completely white years ago. Aunt has also visibly grown haggard and old. Brother, how can you bear it?”
“Ming Zheng, thank you for your good intentions. Go back. Don’t come again.”
“There are no parents in this world who are completely in the wrong. No matter what they did back then, twenty years of coldness and distance is enough. Brother, this is using their love for you, turning yourself into a tool to punish and retaliate!”
“Are you done speaking?” Ming Yu raised his eyes. His blue-gray pupils were covered with a layer of cold light. The once gentle and soft-hearted person had long since been tempered into steel, cold-hearted and emotionless.
“If you’re done, you can leave.”
“Brother, you—”
“Get out!”
This shout not only stunned Ming Zheng, it also startled Jiang Fuyue outside the door.
So Ming Yu could also lose his temper like this.
So it was not that he had not changed. Twenty years could change too many things.
Hadn’t she herself changed too?
Inside the private room, Ming Zheng clenched his teeth. “Anyway, I’ve delivered the message. Uncle and Aunt will be waiting for you at home tomorrow.”
After saying that, they turned and left.
The moment he pulled the door open, he ran straight into Jiang Fuyue. He was startled, his eyes flickering uncertainly.
Jiang Fuyue, however, smiled generously at him, without the slightest guilt of being caught eavesdropping.
“Ming Yu, I’m back.”
The man, who had been icy just moments before, instantly softened in expression and looked toward the source of the voice.
Although he was wearing special glasses that allowed his vision to recover somewhat, it was still not completely clear.
At least at this moment, what he saw at the doorway was just a blur, so he did not notice that Ming Zheng and Jiang Fuyue had run into each other.
Jiang Fuyue walked past Ming Zheng without looking sideways, sat back down beside Ming Yu at an unhurried pace, and picked up her chopsticks again.
Ming Yu picked food for her.
“Thank you.”
“You still say I’m thin. You’re even thinner…”
Outside the door, Ming Zheng stared at the two of them as if he had seen a ghost.
By the time Jiang Fuyue looked up again, the door gap had already closed, and the person was gone without knowing when.
After dinner, Jiang Fuyue drove Ming Yu back to his residence.
The school had already arranged for his assistant to live in the neighboring unit so he could take care of Ming Yu at any time. So as soon as the assistant received the call, he rushed downstairs to wait.
He took the wheelchair and helped Ming Yu.
The movements were quite practiced. It was clear that this was how he usually took care of him.
But this time, Ming Yu did not seem very willing to accept his help. When getting onto the wheelchair, he relied entirely on the strength of his own arms to move himself over. The assistant watched anxiously from the side, wanting to reach out but not daring to.
Fortunately, Ming Yu sat steadily. He even looked up to say goodbye to Jiang Fuyue, his smile calm and gentle, if one ignored the sweat covering his forehead.
Jiang Fuyue suppressed the rising thoughts in her eyes and smiled. “Then I’m leaving.”
“Alright.”
“Oh right, I almost forgot something.” She took two steps, then suddenly turned back. “Happy New Year.”
Ming Yu was startled. “…Happy New Year.”
He watched Jiang Fuyue’s car leave, until it disappeared from his field of vision, before withdrawing his gaze. For the first time, he felt troubled by his poor eyesight.
Because when the car had only driven two meters away, in his eyes it was already a blur.
“Let’s go back.”
The assistant nodded.
“In the future, you don’t need to help me. I can get onto the wheelchair by myself.”
The assistant moved his lips, wanting to say something, but in the end swallowed it back and only replied, “Okay.”
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