Chapter 29

The next morning, Fan Xing woke up before the alarm went off, and he didn’t disturb He Qingmo. He quietly got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast.

He blended the soaked soybeans in the juicer, boiled them, and filtered out the soybean residue. Then he boiled them again and added a solution of glucose acid lactone to make tofu pudding.

Fan Xing had a sweet tooth, so he liked to add sugar directly, but He Qingmo didn’t. So he also made a savory version using the ingredients prepared the previous night, including dumplings and shrimp dumplings. He also prepared some fruits, and breakfast was ready.

Checking the time, he was about to go upstairs to see if He Qingmo had woken up, but his phone rang. It was a call from his mother, Fan Meixi.

Fan Xing answered the phone, “Good morning, Mom.”

“Good morning, have you both woken up? I didn’t want to disturb your rest too early,” Fan Meixi’s voice was as gentle as ever.

“No, I’ve already woken up and gone downstairs, but my brother is still sleeping,” Fan Xing replied.

“That’s good. Fan Xing, what happened yesterday? That guy named Lu Chi, is he crazy? It’s insane to act like that in such a setting. Mr. He handled it well; he didn’t give that lunatic any face. I can tell from the way things unfolded that Lu Chi can’t make it big, so you’re not upset with Mr. He because of this, right? Oh, your mother has been through these things before, and I can see what’s going on. Mr. He was just putting on a show to make that lunatic think he could get away with anything. Look at how Mr. He treated you yesterday, going to the lecture at Clear University together, and then look at how he treated that lunatic. Can they be compared?”

Fan Xing realized what his mother was referring to halfway through the conversation. It seemed that the incident at Clear University’s lecture had become widely known, and Fan Meixi was worried that it might affect his relationship with He Qingmo and subsequently impact the cooperation between He Qingmo and the Gu family.

“I didn’t mind it, Mom. Don’t worry,” Fan Xing replied softly.

“I knew you were the smartest, and you must understand it’s all a misunderstanding. Look at how Mr. He treats you. He even brought you to the Clear University lecture. Compare that to how he treated that lunatic yesterday; can they be the same?”

Fan Xing thought for a moment and finally explained, “Mom, I go to Clear University.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, followed by an awkward laugh. “Right, right, Mom forgot. Fan Xing, with your excellent academic performance, you’re definitely going to university. Clear University is excellent, the best in the country. You’re amazing!”

However, her tone became somewhat hesitant, as if she were considering her words carefully. “Mom thinks… going to school is fine, but… going to school means you’ll need to stay on campus, right? Fan Xing, you know, people like Mr. He are unlikely to be without admirers around them. You two just got married, and I’m worried this might affect your relationship and, consequently, Mr. He’s cooperation with the Gu family. What I mean is, you see, you’re still young, so maybe…”

“Mom, my brother fully supports me going to university, so you don’t need to worry about it,” Fan Xing interrupted her, knowing that Fan Meixi wanted him to drop out, which was simply impossible, so there was nothing more to say.

“Alright, let’s talk about it another time,” Fan Meixi said.

“Okay, whenever you have time, we can discuss it,” Fan Xing replied.

“By the way, Fan Xing, has Mr. He mentioned anything about cooperating with the Gu family recently?” Fan Meixi asked.

“No, he doesn’t discuss work matters with me, and I don’t understand them either,” Fan Xing replied truthfully.

“I see. You’re still young. Well, could you help Mom ask if there have been any obstacles to the cooperation at the board meetings? It’s been a month since the signing, and all our equipment and personnel are ready on our side. But there’s been no news from Gumei Technology. Do you know what’s happening? I’m a bit worried because of the current situation at the Gu family. Can you help me inquire?” Fan Meixi’s tone was somewhat cautious.

“Wouldn’t these things usually follow the contract? If you have any questions, you can directly communicate with the company,” Fan Xing suggested.

Fan Meixi smiled and said, “We’ve tried that, but they keep asking us to wait. We don’t have a clear answer about the specific issues or how long we’ll have to wait. Fan Xing, you know the current situation at the Gu family. Can you help Mom inquire?”

At this point, He Qingmo had already come downstairs. Fan Xing continued, “My brother is up now. I’ll hang up.”

He didn’t refuse or agree, as he was feeling conflicted. He didn’t want to get involved in these matters, but he did understand the Gu family’s situation to some extent. They had likely invested heavily to secure the contract with Gumei Technology, and if He Qingmo continued to delay them, it could be costly for them.

In the end, the Gu family’s situation wasn’t his concern, but Fan Meixi was his mother.

Well, he decided to help this one time.

After breakfast, he asked He Qingmo about it.

The man looked at him somewhat surprised, making Fan Xing feel a bit embarrassed, as if he had overstepped. He couldn’t help adding softly, “If it’s not convenient to talk about it, you can pretend I didn’t ask.”

In fact, He Qingmo was only surprised that Fan Xing had asked about these matters. Since they got married, Fan Xing had never mentioned such things to him.

However, he understood the situation and replied, “It’s not inconvenient. There are some internal disputes, and it might take some time. Is there a problem? Is the Gu family in a hurry?”

Fan Xing nodded and shook his head, saying, “I’m not sure, but they might be concerned about unforeseen circumstances.”

He Qingmo understood the situation but didn’t delve further. “Alright, I’ll make an appointment with them and clarify things. Don’t worry.”

Fan Xing looked at him and felt relieved. He wasn’t particularly fond of dealing with these matters, but fortunately, He Qingmo didn’t mind.

He smiled gently, his eyes soft and affectionate as he thanked the man, “Thank you, Brother.”

He Qingmo gently pinched his cheek and said, “You’re welcome.” Then he got up and left.

After He Qingmo left, Fan Xing suddenly remembered a call he received from Ji Jin a few days ago. “Oh, Brother, Mom called me a few days ago and said there’s a family gathering tonight. She wants us to go back to the mansion. Will you go?”

He Qingmo thought for a moment and nodded, “Sure, I’ll come pick you up tonight.”

Fan Xing was surprised by his swift agreement. He recalled that He Qingmo had never attended such family gatherings before, especially considering that Ji Jin had called him specifically. Had he changed his attitude?

However, Fan Xing didn’t mind. Initially, he had been apprehensive about interacting with He Qingmo’s family, but after meeting them, he found that they were easy to get along with. For instance, Ji Jin, who had initially avoided him, now occasionally called him when he had something to discuss with He Qingmo. It was easier for him to talk to Fan Xing than to He Qingmo directly.

Thinking about other family members, they were all quite pleasant. Besides, there was the adorable little Xinxin, whom he hadn’t seen in a while. He couldn’t help but look forward to it.

Recalling the last time Xinxin had visited their home, she had loved the snacks he made. So, he planned to prepare some snacks to bring along today.

However, it was still early in the day, so he decided to do it later. He put his computer away, processed the cooking video from last night, and posted it online. He also checked the comments from his fans and replied to a few. By the time he finished, it was already noon.

He prepared a simple lunch in the kitchen to tide them over. Suddenly, he remembered yesterday’s incident.

Fan Meixi had called multiple times, and he assumed that He Qingmo’s confrontation with Lu Chi had caused quite a stir online.

He opened Weibo and saw that Lu Chi’s name was trending, but not in connection with He Qingmo. Instead, it was related to Clear University.

Clicking on the trending topic, he found a flood of negative comments berating Lu Chi, as if everyone had witnessed his disgraceful actions and were condemning him.

People felt that he had not only brought shame to Clear University but also acted shamelessly by trying to get close to He Qingmo, a prominent figure.

This sentiment was not only on Weibo but also on Clear University’s online forum.

Fan Xing closed the webpage and shut down his computer. He sat on the couch without moving, feeling concerned for Lu Chi.

Though he didn’t agree with Lu Chi’s actions yesterday, he couldn’t help but feel that the current situation was too harsh, especially for a student.

He wondered if Lu Chi could handle the pressure and whether he might be driven to despair.

Unable to simply ignore it, Fan Xing dialed Lu Chi’s number, which rang for a long time before he finally answered.

“Hello,” came Lu Chi’s voice, weak and hoarse, as if he were suffering from a hangover.

“Senior, where are you right now?” Fan Xing asked cautiously.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a soft, somewhat bitter laugh. “You actually care about me. I’m fine. Actually, I should apologize to you. I lied to you. I… never mind, let’s talk when you return to school. I’m really okay, hang up.” He then hung up the phone.

Fan Xing stared at his phone for a long time but couldn’t do anything about it. He put his phone down and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

 

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