Chapter 28 For the stars I miss you...
After sending the message, Wen Mu put his phone next to his pillow and turned over.
There was indeed Song Xingran's scent on the sheets, a mixture of cedar and light mint, giving a bold and refreshing feeling.
The phone screen dimmed and brightened, brightened and dimmed again.
Five minutes passed, and the dialog box was still stuck on her last message.
"Asleep?" Wen Mu murmured to himself. "It's still night in Brussels."
Is it because the training is too tiring?
She recalled the faint blue tinge under Song Xingran's eyes when he left. One day, she heard the doctor call him, saying he was recovering well. But could broken ribs really withstand the terrifying G-forces of an F1 car?
Just as she was hesitating whether to send another message, her phone suddenly vibrated.
Lgnis: [Why go to the bar?]
Wen Mu blinked.
This response was not what she expected.
Jupiter: [I didn't drink alcohol, I drank milk.]
Lgnis: [You didn't lie to me?]
Wen Mu could almost imagine Song Xingran's expression at this moment.
His brows were slightly furrowed, the corners of his mouth were tense, and his eyes must have been so sharp that they seemed to be able to see through the screen.
Jupiter: [No, if you don't believe me, ask Mom.]
Lgnis: [Who did you go with?]
Jupiter: [Momo.]
Lgnis: What time did you get home?
Jupiter: [11:40.]
Lgnis: [Is the gasoline obedient? ]
Wen Mu couldn't help laughing.
He's checking up on me in a roundabout way. Although he's young, he's quite concerned.
Jupiter: [Very good, now sleeping at my feet.]
There was another long pause of "the other party is typing".
Lgnis: [Did you miss me?]
Sure enough, this is the question he wants to ask most.
Wen Mu buried his face in the pillow and took a deep breath.
The pillow smelled of him.
Jupiter: [A little bit.]
Lgnis: [I also do a little bit]
Tsk, who asked him to think about it.
Jupiter: [Asleep.]
She ended the topic deliberately.
Lgnis: Good night
Wen Mu stared at these two words for a long time, and suddenly received a new message.
Lgnis: [Remember to cover yourself with the quilt, don’t kick it off the bed again]
Wen Mu's face suddenly became hot.
How come he even remembered this? The last time she caught a cold, it was because she kicked the quilt to the floor in the middle of the night.
Jupiter: [Got it.]
Jupiter: [You too.]
Wen Mu put down his phone and turned off the desk lamp. In the darkness, gasoline purred softly at the foot of the bed. Moonlight from outside the window filtered through the gauze curtains onto the floor.
Seven thousand kilometers away, the night scene in Brussels should be the same, right?
She closed her eyes, and in a trance she seemed to hear the man whisper in her ear: "Good night, Teacher Wen."
*
On the tenth day after Song Xingran left, Wen Mu's life gradually formed a new rhythm.
She arrived at the school and entered the lab promptly at 8 a.m., went back to her parents' house for lunch, and returned to the Song family villa in the evening to walk the dog. Gasoline seemed to have adapted to the new environment, curling up at her feet every night to sleep, like a furry, warm water bottle.
Song Xingran's messages on his phone had decreased significantly, and the occasional ones he sent were always around 2 or 3 in the morning in Brussels. The content was always the same: "Have you eaten?", "Is the gasoline behaving well?", "Don't stay up late."
Wen Mu guessed that he was very busy with training, so he didn't ask much, but he would take a closer look at the observation data of Jupiter before going to bed every night.
On the day of the class reunion, Yu Mo's Porsche broke down before departure.
"I told you I should get it serviced sooner!" She slammed the steering wheel. "Now I'm going to miss the party."
Wen Mu glanced at his watch. There were only twenty minutes left until the agreed time of seven o'clock. "Call a taxi?"
"At this hour? By the time the car arrives, the flowers will be cold." Yu Mo's eyes rolled as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, doesn't Xu Yuesheng have a Passat? Let me requisition it."
Wen Mu thought of the old, beat-up car and couldn't help but frown: "Are you sure you want to borrow his car?"
Xu Yuesheng isn't short of money; he's just too lazy to upgrade. It's said this Passat was a secondhand purchase his father made when he started his own business, but he doesn't mind it and has been driving it for several years.
This is the car, driving it to today's class reunion might make it a little "special".
There were many wealthy kids in the astronomy department of their class, so naturally they formed a circle.
Where there are people, there will be comparisons, and Wen Mu is really annoyed by these verbal disputes.
"It's better than being late." Yu Mo has already dialed the number.
Twenty minutes later, they drove Xu Yuesheng's gray Passat to the party venue.
Wen Mu sat in the passenger seat, stroking the wedding ring on his left ring finger.
Ever since she had an argument with Song Xingran about the wedding ring, she has kept it in the villa in Xinghewan.
I don’t know why, but before going to school today, I went to Xinghewan specifically and took it out of the jewelry box and put it on.
It looks good anyway, so just wear it.
"Nervous?" Yu Mo glanced at her.
Wen Mu shook his head and rolled down half of the window to let the night breeze blow away the stuffy air in the car: "I'm just not used to this kind of occasion."
"Don't worry, I'm here." Yu Mo blinked, "Besides, you're Mrs. Song now, who dares to mess with you?"
Wen Mu didn't respond.
She never thought that the title "Mrs. Song" was anything special, just as she didn't think that the valuable wedding ring was more precious than her astronomical telescope.
The VIP room at the Jinyue Hotel was busier than expected. When the door opened, the light from the crystal chandelier poured down, and more than two dozen students were already seated around a long table.
The appearance of Wen Mu and Yu Mo made the noisy box quiet for a moment.
Even wearing only a simple white shirt and black suit pants, Wen Mu's cool temperament is still the same as that of the astronomy goddess back then, while Yu Mo's red dress is like a ball of fire, lighting up the entire room.
"Hey, our Shuanghua is finally here!" Class monitor Li Hongyan stood up to greet them. He had gained weight since college, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled. "I thought you guys weren't coming."
Yu Mo smiled and explained the car breakdown, then pulled Wen Mu to sit in the seat near the door.
Wen Mu noticed that several eyes were fixed on her left hand, or more precisely, on the ring.
"Wen Mu, I heard that you got married?" Chen Min opposite suddenly asked. She was also a top student in the department back then and now works in a research institute.
Wen Mu nodded, picked up the teacup and took a sip: "Well, it's almost two months."
"Who is the other party? Why don't you bring it here for everyone to see?" Chen Min's tone was full of deliberate concern, but his eyes kept glancing at her ring.
Just as Yu Mo was about to speak, a deep male voice interrupted from the other end of the long table: "The third young master of the Song family, Song Xingran."
Everyone's attention turned to the source of the voice - Zhang Sheng, the senior who had pursued Wen Mu for three years without success and is now the VP of an investment bank.
He shook his red wine glass and glanced at Wen Mu with disdain: "I just went out. Did you drive a Passat here today?"
"That car is too shabby. Young Master Song lets his wife drive a car like this?"
The air in the box froze instantly. Several female classmates exchanged glances, and someone whispered, "Why are you here again?"
Zhang Sheng's character is notoriously bad. It's really bad luck to be entangled with him.
Yu Mo put down her chopsticks with a snap, but Wen Mu gently held her hand.
"A car is just a means of transportation." Wen Mu's voice was as calm as water, and his fingertips gently brushed the edge of the teacup. "Just like knowledge is just a tool, Senior Zhang works in investment banking, so he should understand this principle very well."
Zhang Sheng's face froze. He obviously didn't expect Wen Mu to be so direct. "I'm just curious, how did the dignified Young Madam of the Song family end up like this?"
"Is that so? Young Master Song doesn't like you?"
"I'm more curious," Wen Mu put down his teacup and looked directly at the other person, "Why is Senior Zhang so interested in my private life? Could it be..."
She paused deliberately, "Are you still brooding over what happened back then?"
Several classmates couldn't help laughing.
Lin Jinye also spoke up to defend him: "Zhang Sheng, after all these years, you still haven't changed your bad habits."
Zhang Sheng's face flushed crimson, and he took a gulp of his wine. "Wen Mu, don't be too proud. Everyone knows that Song Xingran is a playboy who spends all his time playing with cars and picking up girls. I bet you'll be kicked out of the Song family in less than six months."
Wen Mu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and she slowly took off her glasses and wiped them.
Everyone fell silent—those who knew her knew that this was a sign of Wen Mu's anger.
"Zhang Sheng, I suggest you do some research before you speak." Her voice was soft, yet sharp as an ice skate. "My husband is a full-time driver for the Silver Arrow team, an FIA-certified professional racer, not some playboy. When he won the Belgian Grand Prix last year, the 'car guy' you're talking about was experiencing 5Gs of centrifugal force."
There was silence in the box.
Li Yan coughed twice awkwardly to smooth things over, but was interrupted by Zhang Sheng.
"Racing driver?" Zhang Sheng scoffed, the alcohol making him even more reckless. "Isn't he just a speedster? What's so great about that, huh?"
He suddenly cried out in pain. Yu Mo had walked up behind him and accidentally stabbed his shoulder with the fork in her hand.
"Sorry, sorry," Yu Mo apologized without any sincerity, "My hand slipped."
The cell phone rang, breaking the atmosphere of confrontation.
Wen Mu went to look and saw two big words "Husband" floating on the screen.
When did he change the note?
She clearly remembered that when she saved his number, she left the note "Mr. Driver".
Wen Mu frowned.
It should be noon in Brussels now. Doesn’t Song Xingran take a rest after training?
She hung up the phone, but the other party called again immediately.
"You're not going to answer?" Zhang Sheng said sarcastically, rubbing his painful shoulder. "Is he checking up on me? It's not easy being a rich man's wife."
Lin Jinye shouted, "Zhang Sheng, that's enough!"
Zhang Sheng grinned, "Oh, it seems you're quite popular. You're already old and ugly, yet you're still wasting time on young people in their twenties. Wen Mu, aren't you ashamed?"
Wen Mu raised his hand to signal Lin Jinye to calm down and pressed the answer button.
"Hello." The voice softened unconsciously.
"Wife, where are you?"
Song Xingran's voice came through the microphone, with obvious fatigue and a hint of coquettishness. The background noise was noisy, as if he had just finished training.
Wen Mu's ears felt slightly hot, and she could feel that everyone at the table was listening with their ears perked up.
"Class reunion."
"Oh." There was a rustling sound from the other end of the phone, as if someone was turning over.
"Which hotel?"
"Jin Yue."
“The place is so small!”
Everyone looked at Zhang Sheng silently upon hearing this. He considered himself a rare talent, always vying to arrange venues for class reunions. Upon hearing this, his face paled.
Wen Mu explained softly: "Fortunately, there are not many people."
"oh."
"Are you happy?"
Wen Mu glanced at Zhang Sheng, who was full of sarcasm: "Normally."
"so."
"Did someone make you unhappy?"
The man's voice became deeper and the background noise became quiet, as if he had walked to a secluded place.
Wen Mu gently turned the ring on his ring finger: "No one."
She paused: "That thing is not a person."
The box was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Zhang Sheng's face looked extremely ugly, and many classmates covered their mouths and laughed secretly.
A man's low laugh came from the other end of the phone, with a dangerous hint: "I have prepared a gift for you."
"Gift?" Wen Mu was puzzled, thinking he was playing a prank.
"Don't make trouble, have a good rest."
"I'm not making a fuss. I've prepared everything. Someone will deliver it to you later. You are not allowed to refuse." Song Xingran sounded like a willful child, but his voice was incredibly gentle.
Wen Mu: "I don't understand what you are doing."
The man chuckled: "Turn on the hands-free mode and you'll know what I'm going to do."
Wen Mu had no choice but to turn on the speakerphone and put the phone back on the table. Then she realized that everyone was staring at her, with different expressions - some were curious, some were envious, and of course there was Zhang Sheng's sullen face.
"Why," she asked calmly, putting her glasses back on, "is the party still going on?"
Zhang Sheng was about to say something when there was a polite knock on the door. The hotel manager walked in, leading two men in suits. The leader, about forty years old, exuded an elite demeanor. He walked straight to Wen Mu and bowed slightly.
Wen Mu asked politely, "Who are you?"
"I'm Zhou Mingyuan, Customer Director for Bugatti Asia," the man handed over a business card. "Mr. Song ordered a Chiron Super Sport from us a week ago and specifically asked for it to be delivered to you today."
He took a black leather document bag from his assistant and said, "Here are the vehicle registration documents and keys. The car is already parked in the hotel basement."
The entire box was silent.
Zhang Sheng's wine glass fell to the ground with a "bang", and the red wine spilled all over the floor.
Wen Mu didn't take the file bag immediately. He just asked the person on the other end of the phone, "When did you arrange this?"
This guy hid it so well, she didn't know anything about it.
"We did the selection via video link last Wednesday." Song Xingran's tone sounded nonchalant.
"Is the hands-free on?"
"Um."
The man cleared his throat and said in a stern tone, "It's none of your business to tell my wife what to drive. Even if she drives a tank down the street, I'll clear the way for her. Who gives you the guts to criticize my wife?"
"This is my first warning and it will be my last."
"After all, we're all in the same circle. Just ask around and you'll find out about my idiotic deeds. If I find out who's upset my wife, I promise—"
"Within a day, his entire family will disappear from Ningchuan."
Zhang Sheng's face turned pale instantly.
"I'm sorry, I'm not well educated and my speech is rough, but I hope everyone understands."
Yu Mo curled her lips at the side: No matter what, this Mr. Song is a student admitted to Ning University, he is really pretending.
But, it’s well-pretended!
"Wife." Song Xingran's voice softened again. "I'm done. You can turn off the hands-free mode now."
Wen Mu took the key and said, "Are you done?"
"not yet."
"Honey, I spent a long time choosing the color of this car. It matches your eyes perfectly."
"Anything else?"
"besides."
"Well, what?"
"I miss you."
A low exclamation was heard in the box.
Zhang Sheng's face turned from blue to white, as if he had seen a ghost.
Wen Mu suppressed the corner of his mouth: "I know."
Song Xingran chuckled: "Then I'll die. I still have to train."
"Well, be safe."
"Goodbye, wife."
The phone call was hung up, leaving the onlookers looking at each other in bewilderment.
Wen Mu took the file bag from Zhou Mingyuan and said, "Thank you for the trip."
"You're welcome." Zhou Mingyuan nodded slightly. "If you need anything later, feel free to contact me."
The two left, and Wen Mu didn't want to stay any longer, so he stood up and winked at Mo: "Momo, let's go."
"Okay, okay, I can't wait to see the car!" Yu Mo jumped up immediately.
Zhang Sheng suddenly stopped them: "Wait!"
His voice trembled. "This, this is impossible! How could Song Xingran…"
How could I possibly like an old woman?
Wen Mu looked at him calmly: "Zhang Sheng, in the universe, some stars appear close together, but are actually light years apart."
She shook the briefcase gently.
"Just like the gap between you and us."
Almost the moment they left the room, the box exploded with activity.
Lin Jinye looked at the closed door with a serious expression.
As soon as she walked out of the hotel door, Yu Mo couldn't help but scream: "Damn! Your young master is so good!"
Wen Mu raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Let me guess, who tipped him off?"
Yu Mo played dumb: "Ah? I don't know."
"But how does he have your WeChat?" Wen Mu wondered.
Yu Mo froze.
No! She absolutely couldn't let Wen Mu find out that she and Song Xingran were doing "clothing business."
She suddenly pointed at the elevator, "Quick! Let's go to the basement!"
On the B2 level of the basement, a dark blue Bugatti Chiron sat quietly. Its lines resembled the most perfect curves in the universe, shimmering like stars under the lights.
This is not a car, it's a work of art.
Wen Mu stood there, his heartbeat suddenly accelerating.
She had never had much desire for material things, but at this moment, this machine that seemed to come from the future made her feel an indescribable joy.
"So cool!" Yu Mo murmured, carefully touching the car door, "How much does this cost?"
Wen Mu opened the file bag and glanced at the purchase contract. The zero after the number made her raise an eyebrow.
"It's nothing to him."
"Oh, you're getting complacent?" Yu Mo teased. "Who said 'a car is just a means of transportation'?"
Wen Mu didn't answer, but just sat in the driver's seat, put his left hand on the steering wheel and took a photo.
Sent successfully.
Jupiter: [I like it very much. Thank you.]
Almost immediately, the phone vibrated:
Lgnis: [I like it, but honey, you’re thanking the wrong person.]
Lgnis: [The thank you gift I want...]
Lgnis: [Wait for me to come home and pick it up in person?]
Lgnis: [Remember to wear that black T-shirt, mine]
Lgnis: [Also, no underwear allowed]
Wen Mu immediately turned off the screen.
This guy was even talking about how to feed her.
He is obviously the greedy boy!
"What did he say?" Yu Mo came over curiously.
Wen Mu hid his phone behind his back: "Nothing, fasten your seat belt."
The engine roared, and the Bugatti sped into the night like a blue meteor.
*
Song Xingran pressed the send button, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. He could imagine Wen Mu's slightly red cheeks and his pretended calmness when he saw the message.
In the photo on the screen, the woman's slender fingers were resting on the steering wheel, and the ring he had personally chosen was sparkling with tiny light under the light.
She wore their wedding rings to the class reunion.
This fact made Song Xingran inexplicably happy.
"You're smiling so charmingly, it seems you've been coaxed?" Alex's voice came from behind.
Song Xingran quickly locked the screen and turned around, his usual nonchalant expression restored: "It's not a good habit to peek at other people's phones."
"Do you need to peek?" Alex leaned against the garage door, turning a racing car part in his hand. "The expression on your face just now was like a young boy who had just fallen in love."
Song Xingran stuffed his phone into the pocket of his racing suit and walked towards his car: "Training is about to begin."
The Silver Arrow team's simulated training ground, located on the outskirts of Brussels, covers nearly 20,000 square meters. Its complex bends and straights form a challenging test track. Today, they're testing the performance of the newly upgraded ERS system under extreme conditions.
Song Xingran put on the helmet, feeling the tightness of the carbon fiber against his head. The moment he sat in the cockpit, the world fell silent.
The feel of the buttons on the steering wheel, the angle of the pedals, even the lumbar support of the seat - he checked every detail more than three times.
This is his habit, and it is also the reason why he can survive to this day and become an undefeated general.
"System check completed." The engineer's voice came from the machine.
"Song, are you ready?"
The man took a deep breath: "Any time."
The roar of the engine, like the roar of a waking beast, instantly filled the cockpit. He tapped the accelerator lightly, and the car shot off the starting line like an arrow. The first corner was a 90-degree right-angle bend. He braked at the last second before entering, turning the steering wheel precisely to the desired angle, and the car cut through the center of the bend on a perfect trajectory.
"ERS data normal," the engineer reported. "Prepare to enter the S-bend combination."
Song Xingran didn't answer, his entire attention focused on the track before him. The S-bend combination was the most challenging part of this track, with three consecutive high-speed turns requiring the driver to shift their center of gravity in a very short time.
His hands were like precision instruments, each fine adjustment perfect. Sweat trickled down his forehead, but he kept even his blinks to a minimum.
"Beautiful!" the engineers cheered through their headphones. "The new system has improved efficiency by 12% during high-speed cornering!"
Song Xingran raised his lip, but that wasn't enough. He pushed the energy recovery button on the steering wheel and pushed the car to its maximum speed on the next straight.
At 350 km/h, the surrounding scenery had already blurred into blocks of color, but his mind was remarkably clear. Every bend angle, every curb height, even the slightest change in wind speed was all within his calculations.
After two hours of training, Song Xingran took off his helmet, his black hair soaked with sweat. Mechanics gathered around to check the car, but he immediately pulled out his phone.
No new news.
Wen Mu is probably still taking a walk with Yu Mo.
He knew she had always been a very good person to her friends.
Just like she would buy breakfast for Mr. "Yue" in that lab.
A pang of jealousy welled up in my chest.
"Haven't you seen enough?"
Alex's voice rang out again.
Song Xingran looked up and saw that the other party was still at the garage door, his posture had not changed.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"Curious." Alex came over and handed him a bottle of sports drink.
Song Xingran unscrewed the bottle cap and took a big gulp: "What are you curious about?"
"I'm curious about you and your wife." Alex said bluntly, "The last time I saw you this serious was when you decided to join the team."
Song Xingran wiped the water droplets from his chin: "You think too much."
"Just to support her."
"Really?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "That Bugatti Chiron is limited to 30 units worldwide. You flew to the French factory just for it to check out the specs. And now you're giving it away like that?"
"She's my wife." Song Xingran emphasized, "What's wrong with giving her a car?"
Alex gave a meaningful smile: "I just didn't expect that Master Song, who preferred freedom to love, would have such a day."
"Shut up."
Song Xingran threw the empty bottle into the trash can, "She and I..."
"no the same."
"Why is it different?"
Song Xingran was silent for a moment. Outside the garage, the setting sun dyed the track orange.
He remembered Wen Mu's profile as she was concentrating on observation at the observatory, her helpless yet indulgent look when she was amused by him, and her tipsy smile when she leaned in his arms and said, "Song Xingran, your heart is beating so fast" after getting drunk.
"She's different."
Finally he just repeated it, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Alex didn't ask any further questions, but instead said, "But I'm surprised that your wife is so good, but she's 28 and has never been in a relationship?"
Song Xingran frowned: "She is focused on studying. Her mind is filled with those pages of literature and those stars."
"Even I am not in her eyes."
Young Master Song, who has been admired since childhood, said he was not convinced.
"Is that really all?" Alex's tone became subtle. "Are you sure she's never been in a relationship?"
"Of course." Song Xingran said firmly, "She told me so herself."
Alex nodded thoughtfully: "Then she..."
"Have you ever liked anyone else?"
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Master Song: I miss my wife, I miss my wife, I want my wife to support my wife, I miss my wife, I want my wife, I want my wife
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