Chapter 49
Shen Hanyang answered Yan Qing's phone.
Amidst the cacophony of wind and rain, his short, emotionless voice came through the microphone.
"Hello."
Feng Xin, on the other end of the phone, was taken aback at first, then loudly questioned, "Who are you?"
Shen Hanyang: "You called me and then asked who I am?"
Feng Xin muttered something, his voice trailing off, probably confirming the phone number. Once he confirmed it was correct, his arrogance intensified: "I didn't dial the wrong number, this is my niece's number! Where is she? Is she avoiding me? Who the hell are you?"
Shen Hanyang: "Feng Xin—"
Feng Xin was usually unruly and a scoundrel, but when he heard his name called out by a strange man on the phone, for some reason, his scalp suddenly tightened and his tongue trembled: "What, you...you are her...who are you?"
Shen Hanyang: "What do you think?"
Feng Xin mumbled something in his throat, then asked, guessing, "Are you her man?"
Of course, he wasn't going to get an answer. After a moment of silence on the phone, Feng Xin suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "It's best if you're her man! She owes me two... no, fifty thousand! How do we explain this?"
Shen Hanyang: "Want money? Simple. Don't even mention 50,000, 500,000 is just a matter of a word from me."
Hearing Shen Hanyang casually mention such a generous amount, Feng Xin felt like he'd been ripped off and was excitedly eager to try it out. But then he became skeptical: "How do I know you're just bragging or playing me for a fool?"
"Believe it or not, I have no patience to waste my time with you." Shen Hanyang's tone was icy, as if he had no intention of continuing.
Feng Xin hurriedly called out, "Wait, don't hang up!" He thought for a moment, "Fifty thousand, you must transfer it to my bank card tomorrow, otherwise I won't let this go!"
“I’ll give you another number. Contact me yourself if you want the money.” Before hanging up, Shen Hanyang warned him, “If I see you harassing Yan Qing again, I won’t be so patient.”
Shen Hanyang returned to the car, half of his body soaked by the rain. He nonchalantly tossed his wet umbrella onto the back seat and said, "Bring your documents tomorrow, I'll pick you up from school, and we'll come over to sign the contract."
Yan Qing lowered her eyes slightly, a clear, cool light emanating from the corners of her eyes: "No need to trouble yourself. I will not accept anything that does not belong to me."
Shen Hanyang looked at her from the side. After a long silence, he said, "Being with me, this is what belongs to you."
"No need." Yan Qing replied almost without thinking.
"What do you not need? A house? Or me?"
Yan Qing's eyelashes fluttered almost imperceptibly, but her voice remained perfectly calm: "None of that is necessary."
"Qiao Yi told me personally that you were helping him find a place to stay."
This time, Yan Qing couldn't suppress the trembling in her breathing. But she quickly swallowed the breath and whispered, "I can handle this myself."
Shen Hanyang glanced at the old cell phone in his hand. It had been less than three minutes since he hung up Feng Xin's extortion call, and the back of the phone was still warm.
He couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't you know that girls sometimes don't have to be so strong?"
"I was born this way," Yan Qing said briefly, looking straight ahead without glancing to the side.
Shen Hanyang scrutinized her for a while, somewhat helplessly saying, "I really don't understand you enough. Why are you so stubborn? Can pride feed you?"
"Integrity is not food, it is air, it is the support for survival."
Shen Hanyang let out a low snort, which sounded cold and sarcastic in the quiet carriage.
"Only you would use something invisible and intangible as a support. Be realistic, the food, clothing, shelter, transportation, birth, aging, illness, and death in life are all battles that leave no room for compromise and are real and fierce. What can keep you going is not some bullshit backbone, that thing is no different from the northwest wind. What can truly bring a sense of security is only money, power, status, and fame."
Money, power, status, fame… Yan Qing wanted to say that none of these worldly things that people dream of are as stable as Mount Tai or unbreakable; they can all crumble and vanish overnight. No matter how magnificent or alluring they are, they are still not enough to heal or mend her wounded heart.
As for where her elusive expectations and desires resided, even she herself couldn't say for sure.
And he would never understand.
In short, no matter how she refused, saying it aloud would sound like an ethereal, pretentious refusal. She could only say tactfully, "Those material things you mentioned are not what I pursue."
Shen Hanyang chuckled lightly: "External possessions... In this life, how many things aren't external possessions? Qiao Yi writes novels every day, isn't that also a kind of pursuit of fame and fortune? If you're willing, I have a hundred ways to make him a hot online novelist, hire professionals to revise his novels, hire people to promote him..."
"Thank you for your kindness, but he writes out of passion, not for fame or fortune."
Shen Hanyang narrowed his eyes slightly, naturally revealing a disdainful contempt.
"If it's a true hobby, it should be enjoyed behind closed doors. Why post it out and make yourself miserable? Without readers and feedback, will he be content? If he is truly as you say, unfazed by praise or criticism, and doesn't care about success or failure, then why bother you and your friends to write commercially flattering reviews for him every time, rain or shine?"
Yan Qing frowned slightly. Shen Hanyang didn't stop, he continued, "I've read his novels. Forgive my bluntness, but if he doesn't know how to use resources and rules, I really don't see any possibility of breaking the status quo with his unremarkable talent."
Shen Hanyang's words were sharp and cold, mercilessly striking Yan Qing's ears. She pursed her lips into a thin line and turned her face away. When she looked away, her cheeks were like early spring flowers, carrying the chill of frost.
"That's right. Whether it's me or Qiao Yi, we are both ordinary, even mediocre. So what? Do mediocre people not have the right to love life? Do mediocre people not deserve dignity and ideals? Qiao Yi is not as successful as you, President Shen, but he is more pure than you. He sticks to what he loves and is single-minded. Unlike some people, who are full of business acumen and obsessed with money."
"Don't rush to label me." Shen Hanyang's tone also became more serious. "I brought you here today purely out of kindness. Aren't you looking for a house? Let alone one, I could give you ten without a problem. It would all be voluntary on my part. I don't need you to abandon your dignity or compromise yourself, much less sacrifice your freedom or offer yourself to me. I'm not that shameless or despicable. I just want you to soften your stance and say something nice to me. Is that so hard?"
The carriage fell silent again, and the sound of wind and rain poured in through the windows, feeling as if they were actually hitting us.
Yan Qing looked out the window, lost in thought. When she finally spoke, her voice was tired but calm: "The place Qiao Yi mentioned as his final resting place is the grave where his ashes will be placed. He wants to be buried in Anchuan Ci'en Garden, alongside his parents. A plot there costs 130,000 yuan. I'm saving up to buy him a plot, that's all."
Shen Hanyang was stunned. He suddenly recalled that day in the hospital room when Qiao Yi talked about this matter, just as calmly as Yan Qing was now, speaking in an ordinary tone, without a trace of worry or sadness. So much so that he naturally assumed that they just wanted to move to a more comfortable place to live. After all, in his understanding, the old and dilapidated state of the Anchuan Waterworks residential compound was far beyond what he could tolerate.
He simply couldn't connect "a place to stay" with "a place to die." In an instant, a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back, not from the shock or fear of mentioning death, but from an indescribable sense of discouragement—he had reached out to her, hadn't done anything wrong, yet he had missed his chance to enter her world, or rather, he had been excluded from her world.
He moved his lips, and subconsciously said, "Whatever you need, I'll help you..."
But she placed her hand on the car door again: "Let me out of the car."
Shen Hanyang's throat tightened, his voice low and muffled: "You hate me that much?"
"I don't know. At least... it's not liking." She shook her head, as if to confirm, "Yes, it's not liking."
Shen Hanyang leaned towards her, but Ren Ruiyun's text message came in at that exact moment. Shen Hanyang only read the first two words before angrily swiping it away. Looking up, Yan Qing's hand was still resting on the car door, her body still facing outwards.
I've heard that a person's body language doesn't lie, but she always turned her back on him.
He suddenly felt like a clown in wishful thinking, and found the clumsy and futile attempt to keep him bored.
He leaned back heavily into the driver's seat, furrowing his brow listlessly.
With a click, the car door unlocked. Yan Qing had just opened it a crack when Shen Hanyang called out to her, "Wait." He glanced at the back seat and said, "It's raining so hard, grab an umbrella."
This time she didn't refuse, reaching for the black folding umbrella. The remaining raindrops on the umbrella dampened her clothes, and a cold wind seeped in from outside the car door, stealthily carrying away her body heat. She hesitated for a moment, then opened the umbrella and disappeared into the dark, stormy rain.
On Monday, when Yan Qing arrived at the lab, Wang Yongxing was huddled next to another classmate, gossiping animatedly: "Two men are vying for one woman, two women are vying for one man, the four-way relationship is so complicated, it's incredibly exciting! Everyone in the bar is a witness."
The student listening to the gossip was from another research group who had come to visit. He was also one of Yan Qing's many hidden admirers, and he had often inquired about Yan Qing, both openly and secretly. At this moment, he still hadn't noticed Yan Qing and, with a foolish air, asked Wang Yongxing, "Say it again, who likes whom?"
"Oh, you're so stupid," Wang Yongxing complained, but his expression betrayed his smugness. He eagerly recounted how he witnessed Zhuge and Hu Ruoting's engagement at the FANTLAND event and Shen Hanyang's sudden appearance.
It turned out that their research group had a dinner party last Friday, and the junior colleague saw that FANTLAND was having a 30% off sale and insisted on going to experience some bourgeois chic. Coincidentally, the research group's table was closest to the stage, and Shen Hanyang and Zhuge's conversation took place just a step away from them, with almost every word clearly reaching their ears.
Yan Qing listened silently to Wang Yongxing's description until her junior sister pushed open the door and called out, "Senior Sister Yan Qing."
Wang Yongxing and the classmates who were visiting noticed Yan Qing. The visiting classmates blushed from head to toe, not daring to look at Yan Qing, and slunk away with their heads down and faces covered. Wang Yongxing, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened and calmly returned to his seat to type on his computer.
The junior sister, holding Yan Qing's arm, said happily, "Senior sister, you're amazing! Huanyu Technology sent you a thank-you letter, which was even sent to the dean. I heard that the dean praised you highly after reading the letter."
"What thank-you letter?" Yan Qing was completely confused.
The junior sister asked in surprise, "You, the person involved, are still kept in the dark? Hey, let me pull it up and read it to you."
He started scrolling through his phone, quickly found the item, adjusted his glasses, and began to read:
"Respected leaders of the School of Mathematical Sciences, L University,"
As per work arrangements, Huanyu Technology has seconded Yan Qing, a postgraduate student majoring in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from your esteemed university, to our company to participate in the development of intelligent transportation data models. Faced with the challenges of tight deadlines, heavy workloads, and high requirements, Yan Qing, drawing upon her professional expertise, demonstrated a rigorous attitude, boundless enthusiasm, and superb technical skills in coordinating and liaising, improving data, and supervising problem-solving, successfully completing all tasks and fully demonstrating the down-to-earth work ethic and outstanding qualities of students from your university…”
Before he could finish reading, Wang Yongxing scoffed and said sarcastically, "Shen Hanyang was so angry for a woman, sending a thank-you letter is nothing to him."
Yan Qing had only just heard about the thank-you letter. She glanced at Wang Yongxing, too lazy to argue, and went straight back to her seat.
The straightforward senior brother looked up from a pile of books and documents: "Wang Yongxing, instead of wasting your time being jealous, why don't you learn from Junior Sister Yan Qing? You both work in technical support at Huanyu, but she gets a thank-you letter, while you were returned after just a few days. Don't you need to reflect on this? Should Teacher Huang laugh or cry at this?"
Wang Yongxing squinted, his back teeth almost grinding together, and he squeezed out a sour remark: "I'm not as likable as Yan Qing."
The senior PhD student said, "You do have some self-awareness."
In the tense atmosphere, only the junior sister smiled innocently: "Senior Sister Yan Qing is truly a goddess-like figure, invincible, and successful at everything she does. She's definitely going to be the outstanding graduate of the spring semester!"
The senior PhD student deliberately raised his voice: "No one but my junior sister."
No one noticed that Wang Yongxing's face was a horribly green.
At lunchtime, the research group members got their meals from the cafeteria and brought them back to the lab. Gu Feimeng brought her takeout to find Yan Qing, and she, Yan Qing, and the junior colleague sat at a table. Gu Feimeng loved to chat, and the junior colleague was equally talkative. During the meal, the junior colleague enthusiastically recounted her experiences at Fantland from beginning to end. It must be said that the junior colleague had a real talent for public speaking; she told a not-so-complex story with great passion, and the entire lab echoed with Gu Feimeng's repeated exclamations of "OMG," which Yan Qing couldn't suppress.
Yan Qing was eating with her head down when she suddenly paused, as a pair of chopsticks jammed her spoon. She looked up in surprise and saw a look of utter astonishment on Gu Feimeng's face.
"Is that guy serious?"
Yan Qingge removed her chopsticks, ignoring her.
In front of Gu Feimeng was her favorite curry beef brisket rice. She took a couple of bites, but suddenly felt that even the curry in her mouth didn't taste good enough.
"No, no," Gu Feimeng put down her chopsticks. "Let me think about it. That Shen Hanyang... um... he's very handsome."
The junior sister chimed in, "So cool!"
Gu Feimeng: "The halo of an Ivy League school."
Junior Sister: "The aura exploded!"
Gu Feimeng: "Young and promising."
Junior Sister: "Youwei is explosive!"
Gu Feimeng: "Then the conditions seem alright?"
The junior sister covered her mouth and smiled shyly, saying, "I'm quite satisfied."
It's as if she herself is the female protagonist of the story.
"But doesn't he have a son?"
The lab fell silent the moment Gu Feimeng uttered her words. The others, unaware of Shen Hanyang's family situation, were stunned. The junior colleague, who had just been basking in the romantic atmosphere, was now utterly dumbfounded: "He's divorced?"
Gu Feimeng nodded: "My son is already eight years old."
The junior sister clicked her tongue, caught in a dilemma: "This is a bit difficult..."
"So what if someone gets married twice? Does getting married twice break any laws?" The eldest brother suddenly spoke up again. "You people are so shallow. What's the most precious thing about a person? It's having the courage to love someone even after experiencing a failed relationship. I actually admire Shen Hanyang quite a bit."
Junior Sister and Gu Feimeng exchanged a glance: "So abstract?"
“Abstract your head,” the senior brother continued in an educational tone, “There aren’t that many standards for measuring feelings. It’s not numerical analysis, not probability statistics, not an equation, not a function.”
Junior Sister: "What is that...?"
After considering it for a moment, the eldest brother solemnly chose a word: "It is a kind of 'magnetic field'."
The junior student asked in confusion, "Physics?"
The eldest brother sighed and looked at the junior sister: "Your romantic cells are more scarce than your brain cells."
The junior sister snorted twice in protest.
Senior Brother: "Magnetic field is something you can't see, but you can definitely feel its powerful force. It either attracts you or pushes you away. There are two extremes, no middle ground, and no third option."
Junior Sister and Gu Feimeng were stunned by his words. Yan Qing had no intention of listening to Senior Brother's insightful opinions, but the more she tried to stay out of it, the more she was drawn into confusion.
Did she ever feel that magnetic field at some point? The moment she got close, it felt like her entire body's rhythm was thrown off balance, thunder and fire raging through her limbs… After the earth-shattering chaos, the world fell silent, save for a mesmerizing, subtle fragrance of cedar that permeated her soul…
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