Jiang Yubai sent Lin Zeqiu a WeChat friend request.
After the request was accepted, Jiang Yubai sat on the sofa, slightly shielding the screen with his left hand while tapping the keyboard with his right to set Lin Zeqiu's contact name as "Big Brother-in-Law."
Lin Zhixia leaned over to sneak a look.
Jiang Yubai's gaze inevitably fell on Lin Zhixia's face. He watched her thick eyelashes flutter, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint pink. She whispered, "Don’t let my brother find out." Then she asked, "What’s my contact name in your phone?"
Jiang Yubai’s voice was even softer than hers: "Xia Xia."
Lin Zhixia blushed slightly. "I thought you’d call me 'Xia Xia, my wife.'"
Jiang Yubai chuckled. "I’ll change it right away."
Lin Zhixia reached for his phone. "No, that’s not what I meant."
But Jiang Yubai insisted, "It’s what I meant."
While Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia were whispering, Lin Zeqiu stood nearby observing them. For some reason, Ke Zhuangzhi’s resentful parting words—"green tea"—suddenly flashed through Lin Zeqiu’s mind.
If "brother-in-law" were a grading system out of 100, Lin Zeqiu would temporarily give Jiang Yubai a score of 60—just enough to pass, not a point more.
However, Lin Zeqiu’s Mom and Dad seemed to be growing increasingly fond of Jiang Yubai.
At the lunch table, Dad served Jiang Yubai food twice, while Mom asked him many questions. Jiang Yubai remained exceptionally patient throughout. His tone was gentle, his conversation witty, and even when faced with risky topics like "What do you think of Lin Zhixia’s Uncle and Aunt?" he skillfully navigated the awkwardness, preserving the dignity of the uncle’s family while still siding with Lin Zhixia.
That afternoon, the snow stopped, and the sky cleared. The sunlight was dazzling. Lin Zhixia’s Dad was on the balcony sun-drying radish strips, and Lin Zeqiu swiftly helped out. Eager to prove himself, Jiang Yubai volunteered to wash dishes in the kitchen.
Jiang Yubai almost never did household chores. He accidentally dropped a bowl, and shards of porcelain scattered across the floor.
Lin Zhixia was the first to hear the commotion in the kitchen. She rushed over to help, but he immediately stopped her: "Don’t come in. I’ll clean it up."
After picking up the larger fragments, Jiang Yubai swept the floor with a broom and dustpan.
Lin Zhixia kept her eyes fixed on him. He laughed at himself, saying, "I’m all thumbs. Don’t look down on me."
Lin Zhixia stepped into the kitchen. "You’re not clumsy at all. You’re wonderful—kind and smart."
Jiang Yubai leaned closer to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave a quick "mwah" on his cheek.
Reinvigorated, Jiang Yubai continued washing the dishes. Standing at the sink, he scrubbed the pots meticulously while scanning the kitchen. He noticed the cracked tiles, the duct-taped pipes, the rust-stained stove, the peeling window frames... He also recalled Lin Zhixia’s diary entry about her Mom’s rheumatoid arthritis—how every year during the rainy season, their floors and walls would grow damp, and her Mom would feel unwell. That was why both Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu were so eager to move.
Jiang Yubai planned to buy a large flat near the university district. It didn’t need to be too big—just over 700 square meters would suffice. Renovating a rough unit would take about a year. By the time Lin Zhixia completed her postdoctoral studies and returned to the provincial capital for her teaching position, she could move right in.The university town was located in the city's main urban area, boasting an extremely advantageous geographical position. Here, there stood a high-end residential district where property prices were exorbitantly high, and residents were either wealthy or distinguished. Even a single parking space came with a hefty price tag.
Jiang Yubai had his eye on a custom-built penthouse that came with a "Sky Garden." His assistants had prepared several design proposals for him, printed on glossy paper and bound into four volumes.
After the Spring Festival holiday ended, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia once again traveled to the UK.
After just a day of rest, Lin Zhixia eagerly threw most of her energy back into her scientific research. Just as she had anticipated, her supervisor had broken precedent by allowing her to complete her Ph.D. in October of that year.
Upon hearing the news, her labmates all congratulated her.
Lin Zhixia grew increasingly excited about the life that awaited her after turning twenty. She occasionally browsed housing listings in the provincial capital, calculating the savings in her little nest egg, and searched online for prices of household items like sofas, tables, and lamps.
On several occasions when Jiang Yubai visited Lin Zhixia, he happened to find her browsing sofa options.
One night, Jiang Yubai knocked on Lin Zhixia's bedroom door, carrying four volumes of interior design proposals.
Lin Zhixia had just finished showering. Her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks flushed, and she looked at him with curiosity. Almost as if possessed, he blurted out directly, "I want to buy you an apartment."
"Buy me an apartment?" Lin Zhixia responded, "I plan to buy one myself."
Jiang Yubai probed indirectly: "You haven't officially started working yet..."
Lin Zhixia laughed heartily: "I have plenty of prize money. Just a few days ago, I received an email saying the department is giving me another award."
Jiang Yubai fell silent. He placed the four heavy volumes on her desk.
Lin Zhixia opened one of them and saw a spacious living room, high ceilings, and panoramic city views through floor-to-ceiling windows. She exclaimed in admiration, "So beautiful."
Jiang Yubai cautiously asked, "Do you like it?"
Lin Zhixia sat at her desk, and Jiang Yubai took a seat beside her. They planned their future home like an engaged couple. Lin Zhixia curiously read through each page, finding no end to the content, and couldn't help asking, "How big is this apartment?"
"Not bad, not particularly large," Jiang Yubai commented. "The living area is 794 square meters, nearly 800."
Lin Zhixia was momentarily stunned, thinking: 800 square meters isn't considered a large home?
But then she remembered that Jiang Yubai had grown up in a manor estate. By comparison, an 800-square-meter luxury apartment really wasn't that big.
The apartment also came with its own "Sky Garden." Lin Zhixia murmured to herself, "I've heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They say the King of Babylon built them to please his queen, constructing the gardens exactly according to her wishes."
Jiang Yubai opened another volume: "It's not just this garden. All the supporting facilities can be designed according to your preferences."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Zhixia rested her chin in her hands: "Hmm... never mind. This is your apartment. You decide the decor. I'll come stay with you for a few days when I have time."
Jiang Yubai's finger, which had been resting on the page, paused: "You said that once you started working, we would live together.""Yes," Lin Zhixia admitted without reservation.
Jiang Yubai's tone deepened: "During the Spring Festival, I didn't sleep well at night without holding you."
But Lin Zhixia was pondering another matter: "I'm about to go to the United States for my postdoc, and you'll be returning to China for work. What will you do at night?"
Jiang Yubai patted his thigh, and Lin Zhixia smoothly settled onto his lap. With one arm around her waist, he kissed her and said, "I'll wait for you at home." The kiss lasted a long time, and the room seemed to grow warmer. The stifling air made Lin Zhixia's mind feel hazy, and when Jiang Yubai asked again if she would live with him, she agreed in a daze—though her underlying resolve remained unchanged: she was still determined to buy her own home.
In the blink of an eye, February passed, and March arrived with the onset of spring. Unknown wildflowers bloomed on the grass, and the school's tranquil life continued as usual.
Work in the Laboratory proceeded smoothly. While Lin Zhixia was happy, she also grew concerned about Wen Qi's situation.
During a morning meeting in March, Wen Qi was subtly criticized by his advisor—the advisor felt that since last September, Wen Qi had not only produced no experimental results but also hadn't seriously read any new papers or completed the reading tasks assigned to him.
Lin Zhixia was somewhat worried that if this continued, Wen Qi might not pass the doctoral candidate's interim defense.
Lin Zhixia gathered a few classmates from the group, and after discussing it, they decided to visit Wen Qi. Even the Indian senior student Aishwarya joined them, which took Lin Zhixia by surprise—she had thought Aishwarya had a poor impression of Wen Qi.
On a Saturday morning in early February, Lin Zhixia and her classmates knocked on Wen Qi's door. They waited for over ten seconds before Wen Qi slowly appeared—he had just woken up, unshaven and in pajamas, but he looked relatively neat and clean.
"Good morning!" Lin Zhixia said cheerfully.
Wen Qi replied in a weary tone: "Good morning..."
Lin Zhixia lifted a plastic bag in her hand: "We all brought some gifts. Last week, when I went back to China for the Spring Festival, Mom prepared lots of delicious food for me. I have some bags of tea tree mushrooms, small silverfish, walnuts, and raisins... all for you."
Wen Qi was taken aback.
Wu PinYan peeked out from behind Lin Zhixia: "Senior!"
Wu PinYan was an undergraduate Lin Zhixia had taught. She excelled academically, was quick-witted, and her research direction was highly innovative. In January of this year, she received her Ph.D. admission letter and was set to become a female doctoral student in the same group as Wen Qi starting in October.
Wu PinYan was from Taipei. This Spring Festival, she had also returned home for the holidays. She gave Wen Qi several boxes of local specialties: phoenix crisps, golden moon cakes, and peanut egg rolls. She said: "Senior! Try these! They're super delicious!"
Wen Qi took a step back.
The enthusiasm of his compatriots was overwhelming.
The guests gradually entered his room, standing in the center and examining his belongings. He brought chairs for Lin Zhixia and Wu PinYan, inviting them to sit.
Wu PinYan then asked: "Can you talk with people?"
Wen Qi said: "Yes."
Lin Zhixia got straight to the point: "Has your doctor talked to you about how you've been lately?"Wen Qi glanced toward the back. Among the guests present today, apart from Lin Zhixia and Wu PinYan, none of the others could speak Chinese. Yet Lin Zhixia was chatting with him in Chinese—clearly they had discussed this beforehand. He didn’t consider himself particularly close to these classmates—except for Lin Zhixia. He had indeed spoken quite a bit with Lin Zhixia, though it was mostly him listening while Lin Zhixia talked incessantly.
The kindness shown by his classmates made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He said, "I'm getting better."
Lin Zhixia asked again, "So what’s the specific situation now?"
Wu PinYan chimed in, "Yeah, what’s going on?"
Wen Qi knew that Lin Zhixia was subtly asking why he hadn’t made any progress in his research. He and Lin Zhixia had enrolled at the same time, yet in just a year and a half, Lin Zhixia was about to graduate, while he had fallen into a prolonged period of uncertainty.
Lin Zhixia waited for a long time—so long that the other classmates began playing on their phones, Wu PinYan stared blankly out the window, pigeons cooed on the windowsill, and a cup of hot tea on the table gradually cooled—before Wen Qi finally spoke: "I want to drop out."
His tone was calm: "It has nothing to do with anyone else. It’s my decision."
OpenNovel