Chapter 53 Fei Wen, who loves to show off during the rainy season.

"There's no need."

This is his attitude.

Life went on as usual, and no one mentioned it again. Even when Liang Yanyi called, it was about the company's shares, without mentioning Grandma at all.

Lin Fei threw himself back into his busy work, leaving early and returning late, and launched two new cultural and creative products, shuttling between the factory and the small shop.

The day after the deal was finalized, the museum called, setting up a special area for their shop and hoping she could provide more products.

Taking this opportunity, Lin Fei brought up the idea of ​​pet clothes. The museum was very interested in it and invited her to come to their office another day to discuss it in detail.

On Monday morning, Lin Fei was doing the accounting at Ying Shuiying's coffee shop.

Ying Shuiying personally ground a cup of coffee and placed it next to Lin Fei, then sat down and chatted with her, a rare occurrence for her.

Lin Fei took a sip, his expression bitter, and added three spoonfuls of sugar.

Ying Shuiying pressed down on the sugar jar: "How about I make you a cup of milk tea instead?"

"Then give me milk tea." Lin Fei wasn't a fan of coffee. Since quitting her job, she hadn't touched coffee much. Every time she drank coffee, it gave her the unfortunate feeling of still being at work. Occasionally, she would sneak a couple of sips from Liang Yanzhe to satisfy her craving.

Ying Shuiying made another cup of jasmine milk tea and served it to Lin Fei.

"The shop has been open for half a year now, is it profitable?" Ying Shuiying asked curiously, as she had the impression that it was difficult for intangible cultural heritage shops to make money.

Lin Fei flipped through his notes: "If it's just my little cultural and creative shop, that's about right. The shop's main profits still depend on Grandma."

Cultural and creative products mainly rely on volume; a bolt of cloth from Grandma's place isn't cheap.

“You don’t seem to be opening a shop for yourself, you seem to be opening one for your grandma.” Ying Shuiying changed to a certain tone. “It is for grandma.” Lin Fei snapped his fingers: “You guessed right. I didn’t have any big ambitions. I’m already very happy to open my own little shop in Chunxi, a place with beautiful scenery and a slow pace of life, without the worries of rent and utilities.”

“Happiness is on hold.” Ying Shuiying came to talk to Lin Fei about serious business. “What are your thoughts on Guo Guyun’s case? The court has already accepted the case.”

"If it's just plagiarism, I feel the charge is a bit too lenient." Lin Fei has been thinking about the lawsuit these past few days and has even contacted some of his classmates who are studying law at university for advice.

Ying Shuiying: "Still lenient? They've already been nailed to the pillar of shame."

“My evidence is sufficient to prove that she has a tendency towards malicious business competition. It’s just plagiarism, and we can’t gauge the judge’s stance. If you can submit my evidence along with hers, your chances of winning will be much greater,” Lin Fei asked. “What do you think?”

Ying Shuiying nodded: "I like this plan. I'll talk to the lawyer tonight."

Lin Fei had some internal strife due to Guo Guyun's targeting some time ago, but now it doesn't matter anymore. There's no point in dwelling on it anymore. He will leave everything to the law and receive the justice he deserves.

No difficulty is greater than living your work and life well.

"Ah Fei, I'm completely convinced of your abilities now." Ying Shuiying rested her chin on her hand, staring at Lin Fei who was quietly working in front of her.

Lin Fei glanced over briefly: "Wasn't it before? All my good intentions have been wasted?"

"Cough cough cough..." Ying Shuiying accidentally blurted out her inner thoughts, "You can't blame me for being prejudiced. You were too unconventional during your adolescence. I only dared to observe from afar and didn't dare to have a deep relationship with you."

“Xiao Shuiying, your words are a bit hurtful. In high school, to help you pursue Jiang Hua, I tactfully gave you some space. Even on the night of your confession, I was the one who ran around helping you.” Lin Fei smiled. “If you can’t remember all the good things I did for you, you’ll have to tell Jiang Hua everything.”

Ying Shuiying smiled insincerely, knowing that no matter how old this person was, she was still a witch's daughter.

Song Mingxu interrupted them as he entered.

"Everyone's here?" He pulled out a stool next to him and sat down.

Ying Shuiying went to make him a drink, making room for conversation.

"What do you want?" Lin Fei closed the ledger, satisfied with the current business situation, and had the time to deal with Song Mingxu.

“The university is having its anniversary celebration this weekend, shall we go together?” Song Mingxu said. “Members of my old clubs will also be there. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, let’s have a drink together.”

Lin Fei is also going. Tu Xia and Liang Yanru mentioned it in the group last week. They are core members of the student council from previous years and were the first to receive the news.

“I’ll go when they have a get-together; someone’s already invited me.” Of course, she’ll go with her two friends, even though they’re not in the same college or major.

Song Mingxu: "No problem, as long as you're willing to participate."

Grandma called Lin Fei in the courtyard.

"You're here." Lin Fei patted Song Mingxu on the shoulder and carried the laptop back to the shop across the street.

Today is not a holiday, so there aren't many customers. It's rare to see everyone sitting inside the small shop.

"What... what's going on?" Lin Fei sensed that the atmosphere was strange.

The two grandmothers remained silent. Aunt Ruo opened the bag on the table, took out three pieces of clothing, and laid them out one by one.

"Grandma... have you taken on any jobs recently?" Lin Fei didn't force Grandma to only take on certain jobs; she would also take on some small jobs herself.

Grandma sighed, "Last time, the mother and daughter came to order cheongsams. We often make these kinds of clothes and are familiar with them, so the finished product was good. Several other people came after that, but they ordered clothes that were more suitable for everyday wear. We can make those, but the pattern design wasn't good, so this batch was returned."

"Your grandma and I have been thinking about this for days, but we really have no other choice. We can only ask you for help with ideas." Grandma Su's face was full of self-reproach. "Afei, we know you're busy and can't handle the orders you've taken on well. We have to trouble you to help us sort things out."

Lin Fei picked up the clothes, spread them out, stood in front of the mirror, and compared them to himself.

It has no design and is very selective in terms of body shape.

"Let's take this batch of fabric apart and make brooches for Aunt Ruo. They're well-woven and shouldn't be wasted." Lin Fei has matured now and doesn't just panic or vent her emotions when faced with problems. The important thing right now is to solve the problem. "Grandma, I've thought about your problem. If we weave fabric and make clothes at the same time, it will increase the time and labor costs, and the fees we charge our customers will also increase accordingly. Zhuang brocade is a niche hobby, and adding too many barriers is not good for us either."

Aunt Ruo glanced at the exquisite fabric and asked regretfully, "Does that mean you're no longer accepting orders for this type of fabric?"

“Take it.” Turning down money is not Lin Fei’s style. “My suggestion is for professionals to do professional things. We’ll be the fabric supplier and find a clothing design studio to cooperate with.”

"We...can make money?" Aunt Ruo was unclear about the business model.

Lin Fei: "Ideally, it would be a studio that is interested in making intangible cultural heritage clothing. These are not easy to find. I haven't been in this circle yet. Give me some time to inquire."

After starting my own business, I realized the importance of connections. You don't necessarily have to do business with acquaintances, but you must avoid information cocoons.

The two grandmothers are diligently weaving Zhuang brocade for Mr. Zhao's guesthouse, and it will be delivered next month.

Aunt Ruo received a batch of new materials and sat at the cashier to make new brooches.

Lin Fei went upstairs to take an afternoon nap. During dinner time, she made a video call to her two friends to ask them for news.

The two remained the same as always, one revising the script, the other writing medical records, once again demonstrating how carefree Lin Fei was in running his business.

“I can help you inquire, but it might be a bit difficult. You know how niche intangible cultural heritage is, so don’t have too high expectations of me.” Tu Xia works in the studio of a well-known director and has long-term contact with the film and television industry and the fashion industry.

Liang Yanru: "I don't have many connections, but I can ask Ji Peiqian to help me inquire."

"Oh." Tu Xia suddenly let out a sarcastic exclamation, "Now that you're pregnant, is your eternally icy relationship going to melt away?"

"Don't say anything that's bad for the child's development," Liang Yanru said rationally. "I can't avoid it either. We have to go to parenting classes together, have prenatal checkups together, and our parents are watching over us."

"When is the due date?" Tu Xia was quite looking forward to the little one's birth.

Liang Yanru: "It should be very close to Mu Mu's birthday."

"Understood, I'll give my goddaughter a big red envelope." Lin Fei smiled ingratiatingly. "May I ask the child's biological father, are there any potential projects at work that we could collaborate on recently?"

Tu Xia asked incredulously, "Mu Mu, I've never said you're obsessed with money, so why are you suddenly so passionate about your job?"

“I am the boss after all, and everyone depends on me to support them.” Lin Fei lay down again. “But I can sleep when I want to sleep and be busy when I want to be busy. I have more freedom than you guys.”

The two hung up the video call at the same time, and then sent Lin Fei a few disdainful emojis in the group chat.

Lin Fei was generous and understanding of the hardships they faced at work, so she didn't hold it against them.

-

The school anniversary celebration is scheduled for the end of June, which is the height of summer.

Lin Fei met a regional manager of a company at a coffee shop in the university town and didn't arrive at the gate of Jiangdu University until after 2 p.m.

Tu Xia and Liang Yanru, who had been waiting patiently in the sun, rolled their eyes at her when they saw her.

"You don't care if I live or die, but there's a pregnant woman here," Tu Xia said exaggeratedly. "If something unexpected happens, can you handle it?"

"I was wrong, I brought you milk tea." Lin Fei didn't dare to come empty-handed, as her two friends could really give her a piece of her mind.

Tu Xia was surprised: "This shop is usually hard to get a table at in the university town. You ordered milk tea as soon as you opened your eyes this morning?"

"Their manager brought this for me." Lin Fei handed the fruit juice to Liang Yanru. "Healthy and additive-free, don't worry."

Liang Yanru took a sip: "Haven't seen you for half a month, you've become rich? Did their manager bring you milk tea?"

Before Lin Fei could speak, Tu Xia said, "It's great to be successful. My best friend will support me. I really don't want to go to work anymore. My senior said my script is worse than rotten vegetable leaves on the ground in the market. I've been staying up all night revising it these past two days. I feel like I'm about to ascend to heaven."

"Don't daydream," Lin Fei said. "The postcards sold at the provincial museum became bestsellers in just six months and even generated revenue for the museum. Their milk tea company is very interested in these five designs and wants to do a collaboration. We're in talks with them recently, but it's still very early on, so I don't dare to open the champagne prematurely."

"Wow! Isn't this considered successful?!" Tu Xia hugged Lin Fei's waist tightly. "Mu Mu, my dear Mu Mu, take care of me."

Liang Yanru took a few steps to the side: "I don't know you."

Tu Xia went even further, almost clinging to Lin Fei, but luckily He Jingshi arrived, and she switched to clinging to him instead.

Ji Peiqian rushed over after finishing his meeting, bringing food with him.

"Mumu, aren't you envious? Both of my husbands are from this school," Tu Xia asked.

Lin Fei took a couple of sips of her milk tea unhurriedly: "What's there to envy? My husband is a professor at this university."

The four were speechless; they were truly impressed by her display of skill.

Lin Fei and the others attended the alumni meeting, but he almost fell asleep while listening.

If Liang Yanru hadn't been asked to speak on stage as a representative, Lin Fei and Tu Xia would never have attended that boring meeting.

Ji Peiqian left midway through the event, exiting through a side door. Two minutes later, he ran backstage carrying a bouquet of lilies.

“Young Master Ji has gotten the hang of it,” Tu Xia said with a smile. “I remember when A Ru gave a speech as an outstanding graduate representative, Young Master Ji bought a bouquet of flowers and waited backstage. The flowers were so tacky; you could tell he was just cramming at the last minute.”

Lin Fei also thought about the year he graduated.

Unlike her two friends, Tu Xia found true love and had a fulfilling four years of university life, while Liang Yanru achieved accomplishments that her peers envied. As for her, she seemed to have nothing special about her.

In the six months leading up to graduation, she submitted countless resumes for fall recruitment, and dared not neglect internships and papers. She was pushed to graduation season just like that. The results of her internal referral interview came out a week before she moved out of the school dormitory. Finally, she got an offer and was no longer a graduate with nowhere to go.

Lin Fei: "Liang Yanzhe's meeting is over, and I'll leave after Aru's speech. Let's get together again this weekend."

Tonight, everyone's clubs and departments have dinner parties, and gatherings with close friends can only be arranged on weekends.

"Slow down." Tu Xia watched Lin Fei leave and said to He Jingshi beside her, "Brother Shi, in a few years you should also get me a wife who is a vice-high-ranking official."

He Jingshi smiled and said, "I'll make something of myself and live for another two years."

"Okay, I'll be waiting." Tu Xia was just joking and didn't really care about these titles.

Jiangdu University has a large area, and Lin Fei used to accompany Tu Xia to the medical school, taking a shortcut here.

The medical school has five teaching buildings. Lin Fei didn't know where the meeting room was, so he asked an alumnus who was also there to attend the school's anniversary celebration.

Yin Guangxi took Lin Fei along since they were going the same way.

"Are you Lin Fei?" After hesitating for a while, he asked.

Lin Fei was surprised: "We...know each other?"

“We both worked in the student union secretariat during our freshman year, and you’re also a good friend of Senior He’s wife,” Yin Guangxi said with a smile. “I know you, but you probably don’t know me.”

"I remember now." Lin Fei had been in the student council for a year during her freshman year, but later decided to make money by selling clothes, so she did not stay on. She also only kept the interest club run by Song Mingxu, mainly because it was less work and she could earn credits.

It's no wonder Lin Fei doesn't remember Yin Guangxi. He wasn't very talkative in the school council, and she and he weren't in the same work group, so they naturally had little contact.

"Are you here to see Senior He? Where's Tu Xia?" Yin Guangxi was much more enthusiastic and cheerful than before. "We're having a clinical dinner tonight. Why don't you come with them? It'll be more fun with more people."

Before Lin Fei could answer, Yin Guangxi said, "We're not WeChat friends yet, are we? Should we add each other?"

Lin Fei was taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm and politely declined, saying, "I didn't come with them; I have plans for tonight."

Yin Guangxi clicked to scan the QR code to add him as a friend, but Lin Fei couldn't think of a reason to avoid making things awkward for both of them, so she thought it would be better to just refuse.

"Non-literature".

Liang Yanzhe appeared at the stairwell. Today was not a formal occasion, so he was not wearing a suit. He wore loose casual pants with a black stand-up collar shirt and frameless glasses, giving him an air of high intelligence.

His appearance gave her the best reason to refuse.

"My husband is waiting for me. Let's talk again when we have a chance." Lin Fei smiled and said goodbye to Yin Guangxi, then ran towards Liang Yanzhe.

Yoon Kwang-hee's expression was subtle; feeling embarrassed to linger any longer, he left in another direction.

Liang Yanzhe did not miss the change in their expressions.

"Aren't you late?" Lin Fei asked.

Liang Yanzhe put his arm around Lin Fei's shoulder and pondered for a moment: "You two know each other?"

"I was planning to get to know him better; we used to be in the same club." Lin Fei stared at Liang Yanzhe. "Your tone is so strange."

Liang Yanzhe smiled faintly and didn't press the matter further.

Liang Yanzhe, along with Lin Fei, prepared to have lunch at a nearby hotel with several senior professors from the Department of Cardiac Surgery.

Meeting point.

As Professor He approached, he jokingly asked, "You must be Dr. Liang's wife."

"I haven't even met the professors yet, how do you know me?" Perhaps because Liang Yanzhe was there, Lin Fei boldly joked with the professors who were older than her.

Professor He said with a smile, "We at the First Affiliated Hospital have heard a lot about Dr. Liang's affairs."

Lin Fei: "Professor, if you put it that way, I'll have to ask what it is."

This made Professor He feel embarrassed, and he coughed.

“Professor He was among the first batch of students my grandfather took in after returning to China, and he’s also my senior.” Liang Yanzhe leaned down slightly and whispered to Lin Fei.

Lin Fei roughly understood: "Professor He, please don't believe the rumors outside. I pursued Dr. Liang for a long time before I finally got her."

The expressions of the professors following behind instantly became quite interesting.

A woman pursuing a man—that's quite novel.

The professors laughed, but since they didn't want to discuss things too deeply in front of the parties involved, they changed the subject.

The young couple walked at the back of the line so they could whisper to each other.

"Feiwen, there's going to be a new version of the gossip tomorrow." Liang Yanzhe chuckled helplessly; she really didn't care about the rumors circulating outside.

Lin Fei said nonchalantly, "Whatever, it won't really affect us."

"Rumors don't matter, but you can't lie," Liang Yanzhe corrected. "Are you... sure you're pursuing me?"

"Didn't I?" Lin Fei feigned ignorance.

Liang Yanzhe: "Your pursuit refers to my rejection of your marriage proposal, which you were slightly dissatisfied with, and you confronted me about it regardless of the consequences?"

He still remembers every detail of that day at the coffee shop, and his heart, as chaotic as the sound of rain outside, after she left.

"That happened so long ago, I don't remember," Lin Fei said. "You should remember the good things about me, not these things."

Liang Yanzhe's doting behavior is probably a good thing.

Whatever she says goes.

The school booked a large dining table for more than 20 people, the kind where it would take almost a minute to get a dish to your table.

While waiting for the food, Lin Fei observed everyone at the table.

The lowest rank here is associate professor, and most of them are elderly professors with gray hair. Liang Yanzhe can be considered the youngest among them.

No, there's a Professor Xu from the First Affiliated Hospital across the street who's quite young, and his wife is beautiful too. Lin Fei glanced at the pretty woman and the eye-catching couple a few more times, purely for appreciation, with no malice.

Mrs. Xu seemed to sense Lin Fei's direct gaze. She looked over hesitantly, then looked away shyly, buried her head in her juice, and whispered to Professor Xu. He looked over and smiled at her in a friendly manner.

After discussing work, personal topics followed.

Professor Xu and his wife have a stable relationship and a child, so the topic of conversation naturally falls on Liang Yanzhe and Lin Fei.

"Dr. Liang is...nine years older than Xiao Fei?" Professor He hesitated for a moment.

Upon hearing the number nine, many people's eyes lit up, thinking there was some big gossip to come.

“Professor He, you can’t calculate age like that.” Lin Fei wasn’t afraid of people asking him directly about their age difference. “I’m twenty-five, so nine years older would make me thirty-four. Just saying nine years makes it seem like a big difference to anyone, but after hearing our actual ages, it won’t seem like there’s that much difference.”

Professor He thought for a moment and said, "Your angle is good, indeed."

The dinner lasted only half an hour, with no drinking culture; it was a simple meal, and afterward, some doctors had to return to their posts.

Liang Yanzhe and Lin Fei took a walk back to school, and Liang accompanied her to meet her club friends.

"I'll wait for you in the car later," he said.

Lin Fei asked in confusion, "Why? Didn't you say you'd sit with me for half an hour and then we'd go home together to watch a movie at a shopping mall near our house?"

Liang Yanzhe: "It's a gathering of close friends, isn't it inappropriate to bring family members?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. If Senior Song says it's okay, then it's okay." Lin Fei felt that Liang Yanzhe's dinner party was a bit dull in the second half.

As Lin Fei approached the school gate, he stopped.

"Liang Yanzhe, are you... bothered by the topics discussed at today's dinner?" Lin Fei asked directly. "Do you mind me saying it's about a woman pursuing a man, or people saying we're nine years apart?"

“I don’t mind.” Liang Yanzhe wasn’t lying. “I just feel that you don’t need to put yourself in a lower position just to take care of me.”

“I never felt inferior.” Lin Fei let go of Liang Yanzhe’s hand, jumped a few steps away, and spoke her mind: “Nobody knows how much we love each other, and they have no right to judge us.”

“You must remember this,” Lin Fei turned to face him, “If you weren’t older than me, we would never have crossed paths.”

Liang Yanzhe chuckled.

Yes, no one knows the wonderful bond between them, and worldly perceptions are irrelevant.

"Xiao Yi just sent a message." Liang Yanzhe walked up to Lin Fei. "Grandma has passed away. I may have to go back to Hong Kong."

The unexpected news left Lin Fei stunned.

-----------------------

Author's note: [shy] I'm obsessed with doing it again at the place where they used to live together in Gangdu. Don't mind me, I'm just going to write it!

Still 66, love you all! [Sprinkling flowers]