Chapter 44
As the entertainment program on stage began, Du Chi, dressed in a black suit, arrived at the alumni gathering.
The well-cut suit highlighted his figure, making him look more upright. Compared to his usual appearance of leisurely strolling around in flip-flops, he seemed like a completely different person.
Xiang Mei waved at Du Chi with a smile. “Over here!”
Apart from Du Chi, Xiang Mo and Du Bin were already seated around a round table. According to the closeness of their relationships, Xiang Mei sat in the middle, Xiang Mo and Du Bin on either side. The table, quite large, wasn’t completely filled, and there were vacant seats next to Xiang Mo and Du Bin.
Du Chi walked directly to sit next to Xiang Mo.
“What? Aunt and my dad are alumni?” Xiang Mo asked.
Separated by Xiang Mei and her son, Du Bin grumbled, “You know that I’m your dad?”
In this setting, it was a bit like parents meeting each other. Since Xiang Mo was sitting next to his own senior, Du Chi should logically sit next to his father.
However, Du Chi didn’t seem to mind. He spread the tablecloth for Xiang Mo and said, “We’re all family, no need for formalities.”
Staring at his “unfilial son,” Du Bin was left speechless by the awkwardness of the situation.
Xiang Mo couldn’t help but find it amusing. He knew Du Chi was displeased by his father’s attitude yesterday, but Xiang Mo hadn’t really taken it to heart. And now that he saw Du Chi’s father, he realized that the situation was quite manageable.
“It’s really unexpected that things turned out like this,” Xiang Mei seemed to be in the best mood among the group. “I always thought Xiao Du was quite charming. Turns out he’s your son.”
“Well, of course, without me, could he be so outstanding?” Xiang Mo pursed his lips, suppressing a smile. He nudged Du Chi’s arm with his elbow and whispered, “Did you hear that? Don’t you want to thank your dad?”
Du Chi also lowered his voice and replied, “He just loves to boast about himself.”
“By the way,” Xiang Mo continued, “Your dad is different from what I imagined.”
“How different?” Du Chi asked.
“He’s not as aloof as he was during dinner yesterday.”
“I told you before, he’s quite a contradictory person.”
While the two elders chatted, the two juniors exchanged quiet whispers, giving the atmosphere a distinctly familial touch.
“Did you know, Xiao Xiang?” Du Bin suddenly called out to Xiang Mo. “Your mother was a campus beauty back then. People who wanted to pursue her could line up all the way to the school gate.”
“Come on, it wasn’t that exaggerated,” Xiang Mei chuckled.
In fact, Xiang Mo knew all about this. There were plenty of handsome and wealthy suitors chasing after his mom, but in the end, she chose a talented but financially struggling young man—Xiang Mo’s father.
The two of them didn’t go very far because Xiang Mei pursued romance and didn’t want to be tied down by family matters. Xiang Mo’s father couldn’t give her the life she wanted, so they gradually reached an end.
“The reason I could become good friends with your mother,” Du Bin tapped the edge of the table with his index finger, bringing Xiang Mo’s thoughts back, “is because I never had any ulterior motives.”
“Do tell,” Xiang Mei teased, “Who was blushing when he talked to me?”
“I need to explain the term ‘ulterior motives’ a bit more,” Du Bin spoke seriously. “Liking someone and wanting to pursue them is having ulterior motives. There are two components: liking and wanting to pursue. If there are no ulterior motives, it can be understood as not liking or not wanting to pursue. Of course, it can also mean liking someone but knowing you can’t catch them, so you don’t want to pursue.”
He really lived up to his background in Chinese literature, mastering the art of rhetoric.
“Are you the second type?” Du Chi chimed in.
“Exactly, who wouldn’t like Senior?” Du Bin admitted generously. “Independent and beautiful.”
“Don’t say that. Luckily, you didn’t pursue me, otherwise we couldn’t have become friends,” Xiang Mei said with a smile.
Listening to the casual conversation between Du Bin and Xiang Mei, Xiang Mo initially paid only a passing interest. However, he suddenly realized that it wasn’t just casual chatter.
Being a graduate of the Chinese literature program like Du Bin, Xiang Mei was highly attuned to words and language. While it seemed she was discussing events from the past, she was actually addressing the present: “Don’t come after me.”
Knowing Xiang Mei as he did, Xiang Mo was sure that she would never be with Du Bin. If she ever wanted to date, there were at least a few men waiting in line, and Du Bin, who rarely contacted her, wouldn’t have a chance.
However, Du Bin didn’t seem to have this intention. He said, “The reason a goddess is a goddess is because she can’t be obtained. If she could be, what would she be a goddess of?”
“But your son managed to win over my son,” Xiang Mei raised her wine glass, smoothly changing the topic.
“That’s also a kind of fate,” Du Bin sighed with emotion, clinking glasses with Xiang Mei. The two of them happily discussed the affairs of their younger counterparts.
Before long, a small game started on the stage. Xiang Mei dragged Du Bin up onto the stage, while Xiang Mo and Du Chi sat below, cheering them on.
A group of middle-aged people in their forties and fifties played the game of passing a drum around, and the atmosphere was lively.
Xiang Mo and Du Chi clapped along with the beat, but as they did, Du Chi suddenly withdrew his gaze from the stage and said to Xiang Mo, “I just remembered something my mom told me.”
“Hmm?” Xiang Mo also stopped clapping.
“She said she knew she wasn’t my dad’s favorite person.”
Xiang Mo raised an eyebrow. “You’re not trying to say they got divorced because of my mom, are you?”
“No, of course not,” Du Chi replied. “What I mean is, my dad chose my mom not because she was his favorite, but because she was the most suitable for marriage.”
“I see.” Xiang Mo understood immediately. Marriage always involved considering many factors. Regardless of gender, the person who could lead a stable life was the best choice.
Looking at it this way, even if Du Bin wanted a partner now, Xiang Mei certainly wouldn’t be under consideration.
It seemed to confirm what Aunt Zhou had said: in a long-lasting relationship, companionship was far more important than love.
“By the way, what does your mom look like?” Xiang Mo suddenly became curious.
“She’s quite pretty too,” Du Chi took out his phone. “Let me show you pictures of her and her husband.”
Du Chi flipped through his mom’s WeChat moments, selected a few photos, and sent them to Xiang Mo to view together.
The phone on the table vibrated a few times, and a WeChat notification popped up in the center of the screen: “Husband” had sent several pictures.
Du Chi’s eyes immediately lit up. He snatched the phone, asking, “When did you change this?”
“Give it back,” Xiang Mo tried to take back his phone, but Du Chi stopped him.
“You changed the nickname,” Du Chi said, ignoring the fact that there were so many elders present. He freed up one hand to pull Xiang Mo into his embrace. “Quick, call me by it.”
Now? That was a word reserved for the bedroom.
“Don’t be silly,” Xiang Mo finally retrieved his phone. He opened WeChat and indeed, as Du Chi had said, his mother was also very beautiful.
“Who’s this young girl?” Xiang Mo pointed to a picture of a girl about the same age as Zhao Xiaoqiao.
“My sister,” Du Chi said. “My mom’s husband’s daughter.”
“You actually have a sister?” Xiang Mo couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. After all, he liked interacting with Zhao Xiaoqiao precisely because he wished he had a sister.
“Not blood-related, but we have a good relationship,” Du Chi said. “She’s much more troublesome than Zhao Xiaoqiao.”
Xiang Mo’s mood suddenly became nuanced, as if there were many things worth exploring in his future. He created a group chat with the three of them and told Du Chi, “Add your dad to it too.”
If they were going to move forward for the long term, building as many connections as possible was necessary.
Du Chi understood Xiang Mo’s intent and added Du Bin to the group chat. He changed the group name to “Family.”
Another weekend came, and they were at the Fanghe Art Museum.
The usually quiet museum was abnormally bustling today. Even in the restroom, you could run into media reporters carrying cameras.
The restroom was adorned with small items that matched the theme of the day—strange characters resembling oracle bone script, and tiny figures peeking out from behind mirrors.
As Xiang Mo finished washing his hands and prepared to leave, someone next to him suddenly called out, “Hey, you’re Xiang Mo, right? Could I have a brief interview?”
Before he could decline, the person continued, “Why is your joint art exhibition being held together with the Typography Studio’s event? What’s the connection between your Brush & Ink Art Studio and Pen & Ink Typography Studio?”
Xiang Mo displayed a polite smile and declined, “Let’s talk after the event is over.”
Leaving the restroom, he saw that the artworks hanging on the walls were all his own creations.
In the end, the art exhibition was held in the Fanghe Art Museum, and Xiang Mo’s prized artworks were borrowed by the curators for display.
However, unlike the previous exhibition, this time the main piece was replaced by “Desire of an Angel.” From a distance, Xiang Mo could see many people gathered around the central hall, some taking photos, others engaged in discussion.
At this moment, a voice came through the loudspeaker downstairs. Xiang Mo descended from the second floor to the first, and he saw the crowded hall filled with people. Dressed casually, Du Chi stood on the stage, ready to deliver his speech for the press conference.
The decision to host the art exhibition and press conference together had been Du Chi’s idea.
For the past few weekends, the Fanghe Art Museum had been hosting events. If the art exhibition were held on weekdays, there would likely be very few visitors.
Xiang Mo didn’t mind much himself; he hadn’t intended for things to be so grand. But Du Chi disagreed. He had taken the time to understand Xiang Mo and believed that Xiang Mo’s “rebirth” and Du Chi’s “new life” were coincidentally sharing the same theme. So, he decided that they should hold their events simultaneously.
It was indeed quite in line with Du Chi’s style.
Du Chi had once mentioned that after he won the award, his dad had acted the same way—setting up a studio for him with a lot of enthusiasm.
Now Xiang Mo was experiencing the same treatment. Once Du Chi regarded him as family, he would take personal care of his matters too.
“Well then,” Du Chi tapped the microphone and ensured the sound was working properly before addressing the audience below, “Welcome everyone to my partner’s art exhibition and my studio’s press conference.”
There was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of murmurs, “What did he say? Who’s his partner?”
