Chapter 27, Section 27: An Easy Financial Aid Meeting the Parents Again, Dad...
After dinner, Xu Aida and Liang Siyu's family saw their uncle's family off at the door.
My cousin Bella couldn't help but turn around and say, "Ada, you really should try pearl earrings, they suit you so well."
Hsu Ai-ta could only smile and shrug: "Sweetie, I'm a little scared of getting my ears pierced, let's forget about it."
She knew Bella meant no harm. This junior in college, a typical IT girl, always enthusiastically suggested she try more sophisticated or trendy decor.
Aunt Jennifer smiled and took her daughter's hand—a gentle interruption.
Roger said goodbye to Liang Siyu's parents and shook hands with her and Ned, welcoming them to visit him, as they lived not far away.
After all the guests had left, Claudia gently patted her hand: "Ada, go back to your room and rest."
Xu Aida nodded, went to the sofa, bent down, kissed Liang Siyu's grandmother Granny Vivi on the cheek to say goodbye, nodded to him again, and then quietly went upstairs.
She took off the brooch Granny Vivi had given her, rubbed it a couple of times, and when she opened the closet to change into her pajamas, she saw the light green silk shirt dress she had changed out of that afternoon—which Claudia had specially sent last night.
In her past life, she certainly didn't bring such a light-colored cocktail dress. At that time, she thought that outdoor parties didn't require special attire, not expecting that all the other ladies were wearing cocktail dresses.
Claudia didn't say anything at the time. On the second holiday, she casually gave her a dress, saying that she "met her while shopping and thought it would suit her very well."
Actually, Ned also gave her a few items, saying he "picked them up on a whim." The mother and son were surprisingly in agreement on this matter.
In this lifetime, Claudia has become even more thoughtful, preparing a dress for her on her first vacation.
She couldn't quite understand it. She wasn't sure about Richard, but Claudia definitely knew about Ned's proposal plans from last year and knew he hadn't succeeded, so why was she treating her even better?
"Never mind, I don't want to think about this anymore," she said, sinking into the bathtub and letting out a comfortable sigh.
At least this intense social gathering is finally over. Tonight was relatively simple; only Bella from my generation came back, so there weren't too many people.
Although she had met these relatives in her previous life, to be honest, she still felt some pressure getting along with this big family.
It wasn't because they were unfriendly. Quite the opposite, the elders were all gentle and polite, but she was indeed quite different from them.
She was used to the laid-back lifestyle of California, while his family valued elegance and sophistication. Her pragmatism always seemed a bit odd here.
However, seeing the small essential oil box by the bathtub, she thought for a moment, took out lavender essential oil, and dripped about ten drops onto her face. The aroma was soothing, and she cupped her hands and gently patted her cheeks with the water.
It's nice to pamper yourself occasionally while taking a bath.
She soaked until her whole body felt relaxed before getting up to shower, dry her hair, and change into a nightgown. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw him push the door open and come in.
He stared at her as if he had discovered something new. She instinctively took a step back, feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze.
This pale yellow cotton dress was chosen by Granny Vivi at the home decor store yesterday when she took her to do flower arranging.
She winked mischievously, not at all like an 85-year-old, and insisted that she pick some "bright summer colors".
In addition to two organic cotton lounge dresses, I also gave her two linen maxi dresses for walking.
Liang Siyu closed the door behind him, a smile on his face, and carried her to the bed. His fingertips slowly slid through her hair and touched her smooth shoulder.
She was like a delicate tulip, nestled in his arms, gracefully unfurling in the night, and his breathing grew increasingly rapid.
However, when his nose touched her temple and he smelled the faint scent of herbs in her hair, he lingered for a few seconds, kissed the top of her head, and slowly released his arms.
"Go to sleep." He pressed her down on the pillow and struggled to get up to wash.
They arrived home the day before yesterday afternoon, spent yesterday with their grandmother, and today is a family gathering, from afternoon tea to dinner.
She must have been tired, so she used some lavender essential oil to relax.
The next morning, they went downstairs and met Richard for the first time at the breakfast table. He had gone out early to play golf the previous two days.
Liang Siyu took bread and coffee and sat down opposite her father, while Xu Aida poured a bowl of cereal, added some fruit and yogurt.
"Didn't you say you were coming back in June to collect patient data? How are the arrangements going?" Richard asked while sipping his coffee.
Liang Siyu paused for a moment: "The IRB (ethics approval) hasn't been approved yet, so we'll probably have to wait a while longer."
He had originally planned to talk to his father about this alone tonight.
Richard looked up in surprise: "Are surface electromyography (SEMG) tests this strict now?"
He glanced at his son's expression and frowned slightly. "Conflict of identity? Didn't I already say we could find a third-party mediator? That would be better for you, to avoid misunderstandings."
Xu Aida's heart stirred slightly. So it turned out that Richard was the one who originally made this suggestion?
Liang Siyu shook his head. "Professor Will, the chairman of the committee, has some doubts about our experimental design, believing that it will reduce patient compliance." After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh.
“Nitpicking.” Richard chuckled, taking a bite of his croissant. “What did David say? Is he the nail on the head now, with everyone watching him?”
Liang Siyu gave a helpless smile: "Professor Brooke said to wait a little longer, there might be some changes after July."
Xu Aida glanced at him sideways with displeasure; he hadn't said those words to her yet.
Liang Siyu whispered to her, "We chatted about it casually when I asked for leave a couple of days ago, so we're not sure how it'll turn out yet."
Richard glanced at them and quickly made a decision: "Are you going to keep waiting, or go directly to the commercial IRB?"
He looked at his son and said, "If we don't go through the NIH fund, we'll collect data in New York. We'll have 20 samples, mainly considering patient subsidies and benefits. It should cost around $30,000 to $40,000, right?"
Seeing Liang Siyu nod, Richard continued, "That's very simple. Your Uncle Preston is about to donate to the medical school. I'll talk to him about a grant for young scientists, and you just need to submit an application."
He turned to Xu Aida and explained with a smile, "Preston knows us very well. He watched Ned grow up and has always supported young scholars' medical research. There's no need to be a stranger."
Liang Siyu looked at her and nodded: "Thank you, Dad. Let's discuss it."
Hsu Ai-ta could only smile and thank him, but the questions in his heart grew deeper and deeper.
In her past life, did she completely underestimate the personal relationship between her family and Professor Brooke?
Richard spoke of him so naturally, calling him "David" and even jokingly referring to him as "the protruding nail."
Looking back now, Ned was fully aware of the undercurrents within the medical school during his first defense before the ethics committee.
He wasn't the type to easily believe gossip from the break room; if he was willing to analyze things in detail with her, then he was at least 80-90% sure. Who else could his information come from? Most likely, it was Professor Brooke himself, right?
After Richard finished breakfast and left, she couldn't help but ask, "Are Richard and Professor Brooke very close?"
Liang Siyu straightened his collar, his eyes flickering slightly: "They are Columbia alumni, but about ten years apart. We only gradually became acquainted after I went to JHU."
Xu Aida almost wanted to hit herself with a hammer—she had completely overlooked something so obvious in her past life.
After transferring from Ned to JHU, it was only natural for Richard to donate to the medical school every year and attend two college donation parties.
He and Professor Brooke were both alumni of Columbia University School of Medicine. Over time, they became acquainted, maintaining a low-key understanding and friendship while expanding their social circles—this was all too common.
She suddenly remembered a sponsorship fund she had received during her doctoral studies in her previous life. It was when she was a fourth-year student, after Liang Siyu changed majors.
Professor Brooke emailed her to remind her to apply, saying that it was very close to her research area.
Could it be that Richard was behind it all? Her heart began to race. But they had never mentioned this to her.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Liang Siyu quickly explained, "Ada, Professor Brooke's words that day were very vague, which is why I didn't tell you right away. I guess it might be because the Ethics Committee is going to be re-elected in mid-July, and he has some plans."
He looked down at her. "But you never know. And the new committee probably won't officially start working until September. I want to talk to Dad and hear his opinion."
Xu Aida pulled her mind back to reality. Professor Brooke was planning a reshuffle of the ethics committee? She tried to recall; in her past life, Professor Will seemed to have been re-elected.
However, given the subtle differences between her past and present lives, might Brooke's plan be useful? Should she accept Richard's help?
Richard's advice is very practical if you want to improve efficiency and solve problems quickly.
But if she accepts this kind of financial aid, what kind of image will she have in their social circles? A gold-digging girl who gets resources through her boyfriend?
Seeing her serious expression and the fact that she hadn't even eaten breakfast, Liang Siyu couldn't help but say a few more words.
“Ada, I feel like Dad means that changing the ethics committee might not be a safe bet. Since we have our own methods, maybe we can keep it simple and change the funding source to a commercial IRB. What do you think?”
"Of course, we also need to communicate with the two mentors so that they don't think we're acting on our own."
"Hmm, Ada?"
Xu Aida sighed: "Ned, to be honest, if I weren't your girlfriend, but just an ordinary classmate, would Richard have helped you like this?"
Liang Siyu frowned, not liking the assumption: "Ada, why do you always think about these things? The fact is, you're my girlfriend, and we're working on this project together. It's no big deal that Dad is willing to help out."
Xu Aida smiled helplessly. For her, after graduating with her doctorate, thirty or forty thousand US dollars was indeed "no big deal".
By then, she had already earned the reputation she deserved with her papers, and her grant applications went very smoothly. She believed that her abilities left no room for doubt.
But now, she doesn't want to be labeled a "gold digger" again.
In their past life, not long after they got married, around the beginning of April this year, he casually gave her a headband. It was a simple metal band with two baroque pearls and no logo.
She thought it was just a small trinket, costing no more than a hundred dollars. A research assistant in the lab really liked it and wanted to buy the same product, so she foolishly took it off and let the assistant take pictures.
Later, things took a turn for the worse than she expected. The other party went back to Google Image Search and, after repeated searches, confirmed that it was a designer's handmade piece, priced at nearly three thousand dollars on Etsy.
She didn't hear about this until two weeks later. The rumored source said, "I thought Ada was quite sincere, but it turns out she's vain and hypocritical; she's disgusting."
Even the usually low-key Ned became the subject of discussion for a while. He explained his family situation to her for the first time, saying that he didn't intentionally hide it, but simply hadn't had many opportunities to bring it up.
He saw the headband by chance on social media, thought its minimalist style suited her well, and was also practical. He figured the price was reasonable for a designer handmade piece, and never expected it to cause so much trouble.
What could she say? Could she accuse him of being from a privileged background and therefore not giving her a gift?
Moreover, he really knows her very well, so he didn't choose any purely decorative items like brooches or bracelets; a headband was practically the most practical piece of jewelry she could find.
She could only say it was nothing, adding that she shouldn't have shared it so carelessly without any precautions.
After he changed careers and left the lab, the gossip turned into gloating glances, with many people thinking that she was about to be abandoned just because she had found a rich husband.
She even heard someone say, "I bet they won't last. If they stay in a long-distance relationship like this, they'll either have a whirlwind marriage or a whirlwind divorce."
She thought she had long forgotten those unworthy things, but now she finds that she actually remembers them—those harsh tones and mocking glances.
When Mingming married him, she didn't know anything about his family background.
She was certainly not an ignorant girl. She could afford medical school, lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment in Mount Vernon, and drove a Lexus IS350, so she must come from a well-off family.
But these weren't considered extravagant. She assumed his parents were professionals in New York, lawyers or doctors, with a family income of around $1 million to $1.5 million a year, slightly higher than her own, but about the same.
But luxury homes on the Upper West Side near Central Park, private hospitals passed down through two generations, even family trusts? These were words she had never even considered.
She bit her lip: "Ned, if we need other funding, I hope I can apply for some myself."
As she spoke, she considered potential sponsoring companies, "Perhaps some companies that need motion control would be interested..."
“Ada, don’t complicate things.” He interrupted her, his voice tighter and faster than usual.
"Am I supposed to go and tell Dad and Uncle Preston, 'Sorry, the $30,000 needs to be split into two sources'?"
He was planning to propose again in July. His parents clearly liked her, and her rejection seemed too distant. It might even make his parents worry that he was just being one-sided. He didn't want to cause any trouble.
She realized her suggestion was flawed, overlooking the complexity of its implementation, but his tone instantly disheartened her.
“Ned, if you can’t fully understand me, at least maintain some gentlemanly manners and speak properly. Don’t be so sarcastic and cynical.”
She glanced at the oatmeal in the bowl, couldn't eat another bite, poured the rest into the trash can, put the bowl in the dishwasher, and turned to go upstairs.
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