Shine on Me

Lunch went as planned at my house. At the table, Mom brought up the matter of Guangyu shares with me.

"Did your father mention anything to you later about the Guangyu shares?"

"No." I shook my head.

"That’s indeed President Nie’s way of doing things." Mom let out a light scoff. "In a few days, go talk to your dad. I’ll pay to help you buy out the Guangyu shares."

"Huh?" I was surprised.

Lin Yusen’s gaze flickered slightly.

"What’s with the 'huh'?" Mom picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, speaking as if it were nothing. "Since I’ve stepped back into the business world, I’ll make something of it. I don’t want people saying in the future that I took advantage of him."

In that instant, I felt Mom’s aura shift entirely, as if she had returned to the decisive and formidable version of herself before the divorce. When I was little, I was so used to it that it didn’t strike me as anything special—sometimes, it even felt a bit distant. But now, seeing her like this again after so many years, I felt a surge of excitement.

Suddenly, I realized with absolute clarity that I was about to work alongside my mother—and that thought thrilled me far more than the idea of working with Lin Yusen.

"So, how much will it cost?" I asked for her instructions.

Mom was probably in a good mood, her expression even turning a little playful. "Well, that depends on how much he has the nerve to ask for."

I immediately understood and suppressed a laugh. "Got it, President Jiang."

Lin Yusen chuckled beside me and placed a piece of spare rib in my bowl.

Mom noticed the rib in my bowl and glanced at Lin Yusen. After eating for a while longer, she casually asked, "Xiao Lin, Xiguang mentioned you’ll be pursuing medicine in the future—so that’s in Shanghai? Long-distance relationships aren’t easy."

"It is in Shanghai, but it won’t be long-distance," Lin Yusen replied politely. "The neurosurgery research center where I’ll be working is in Songjiang, which is only about an hour from Suzhou. I can easily live in Suzhou."

Mom stirred the soup in front of her lightly. "Commuting between Suzhou and Shanghai every day—don’t you think that’s exhausting? Don’t you feel like you’re sacrificing too much?"

Lin Yusen didn’t take the opportunity to play up any hardship, answering matter-of-factly, "If you hit rush hour going from Songjiang to Lujiazui, it might take even longer than getting to Suzhou. Sacrifice is hardly the word for it."

A look of appreciation and satisfaction crossed Mom’s face, and she didn’t press the topic further. However, after the meal, as everyone got up to leave, she suddenly said, "Don’t rush back to Suzhou after dinner at Grandma and Grandpa’s tonight. Stay here for the night—it’s too tiring to make the round trip in one day. The guest room is ready anyway."

That last part was clearly directed at Lin Yusen.

Before I could react, Lin Yusen had already seized the moment to thank her warmly. "Thank you, Auntie."

So, Lin Yusen had won my mom’s favor this quickly?

No wonder my grandparents—such simple, kind-hearted folks—were all smiles within half an hour of meeting him.

At Grandma and Grandpa’s place, after chatting with them for over an hour, I quickly dragged Lin Yusen out to explore the streets. If they kept going, Grandpa would’ve spilled every embarrassing story from my childhood.

Grandma and Grandpa lived in Jingqiao Village, which was fairly large, with its own street, an elementary school, and a farmers’ market. When I was little, on certain days of the month, people from surrounding villages would come for the market.

Once we hit the street, the first thing I did was take Lin Yusen to buy the sesame cakes I’d bragged about.We were in luck—just as we arrived, a fresh batch of hot sesame cakes came out of the oven. The owner recognized me and was overjoyed to see me back, insisting on giving us two for free. So Lin Yusen and I each took one without spending a single cent.

After waving goodbye to the owner, I couldn’t resist taking a big bite just a few steps away, urging Lin Yusen to do the same. “No need to worry about appearances here. Just dig in.”

Lin Yusen took a more refined bite, and I eagerly asked, “How is it?”

“Can we take some to go?” he replied. “Should we order some to bring back to Suzhou?”

I burst out laughing. “No way. They won’t taste as good once they’re reheated.”

We strolled around the village while eating our sesame cakes. The streets were quiet, with few people around—most of the younger generation had left for the cities. But here and there, elderly villagers sat in small groups chatting by their doorways, lending a gentle, peaceful atmosphere to the afternoon.

As we passed the elementary school, Lin Yusen asked, “You went to school in Wuxi, right?”

“Yeah, not here. My mom brought me back to Wuxi for elementary school, but Grandma was worried and came along to take care of me for several years.”

That’s why Mom has always been grateful to my grandparents. Even after divorcing Dad, she’s kept in touch with them. This time, when Lin Yusen and I came to visit, she prepared a lot of health supplements for me to bring.

The short street was soon explored, and Lin Yusen remarked thoughtfully, “So this is the tiny place where our Xiguang grew up.”

“I was tiny back then too, so it felt huge to me.” I finished the last of my sesame cake, dusted off my hands, and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to see Qiaoqiao Village’s famous bridge.”

Tiny as it was, Qiaoqiao Village had its own claim to fame—a well-preserved, still-functional three-arched stone bridge from the Ming Dynasty.

The bridge, called Jing Bridge, was on the other side of the village. Unlike the modern buildings along the main street, the area around the bridge retained its original charm. Holding Lin Yusen’s hand, I walked along the ancient bluestone path, counting the steps as I ran all the way to the highest point of the bridge.

Catching my breath, I pointed to the hazy green mountains in the distance and the willows and white walls lining the riverbanks. “See? Isn’t the view beautiful?”

Lin Yusen followed my gaze and was immediately captivated. “This is the Jiangnan of Wu Guanzhong’s paintings.”

I nodded. “Who knows? The master might have even visited here.”

For a while, we fell silent, both immersed in the serene scenery. I leaned against the stone railing while Lin Yusen stood beside me. A soft breeze carried the calls of waterbirds, and I began humming a cheerful, nameless tune. After listening for a moment, Lin Yusen turned to look at me.

“You’re in such high spirits being back here?”

“I was happy on the way here too.”

“Why so happy?”

“I don’t know!” I answered playfully. “You seem pretty happy too.”

“Me?” His handsome brow arched slightly. “I’m not happy—I’m proud.”

“Proud?” I was curious. “Proud of what?”"Proud to have found the right person, arranged my life properly, and soon to regain everything I desire. So life is full of pride and high spirits," he answered me swiftly.

I gazed at him, feeling a surge of emotion welling up inside me, but then suddenly burst into laughter. "When others are proud of their lives, they drink wine, but our President Lin is munching on a pancake."

Lin Yushen looked even prouder. "Then I'm much more nutritious."

Found the right person, huh...

I remembered how Grandma had praised Lin Yushen in her broken Mandarin earlier—"I knew my granddaughter would bring a boyfriend home, but I never expected such a handsome and clever one."

Not just handsome and clever...

So I’ve also found the right person. What’s so great about that?

My heart brimmed with happiness, and driven by some inexplicable emotion, I asked the question that had been lingering in my mind: "Lin Yushen, why have you never asked me about my university days? Don’t you want to know?"

"Of course I want to know," he said, his voice as calm as the breeze blowing over the bridge at that moment. "But I think the best time would be when you suddenly ask me if I want to know."

I stared at him without blinking, thinking how incredibly handsome and wise he was. "Then let me think about where to start."

And so, on that afternoon, in the place where I grew up, I slowly began to tell him about the things that happened during my university years.