Chapter 37 For the stars I am very clear...
Song Xingran clenched his phone tightly.
He originally just wanted the manager to pay attention to Wen Mu's true thoughts on the wedding dress, for fear that she would give in, that she would force herself, or that she would compromise herself to save face for both families.
But he didn't expect to receive such news.
"Male or female?" He lowered his voice very low, and his knuckles turned white from the force.
The manager on the other end of the line replied cautiously, "It's a young female designer, working with us for the first time."
"Send the information here."
"Okay, Mr. Song."
The phone call ended, and less than half a minute later, an email popped up.
Song Xingran clicked on it, his eyes sweeping across the screen like a knife: Mingying, 22 years old, Chinese-British, graduated from Central Saint Martins in London...
His gaze suddenly stopped at the "Family Members" column.
Ming Yang, 25, is a student of astrophysics at the University of Zurich.
Relationship: Brother.
The man's eyes darkened.
Without needing any further evidence, his intuition was already telling him that this was the person Wen Mu was talking about.
Besides, something must have happened between them.
A strange emotion suddenly surged in his chest, as if someone had poured a bucket of boiling magma on his heart, and the burning sensation spread through his blood vessels to every part of his body.
Curiosity, anger, jealousy.
He desperately wanted to know who Ming Yang was, what had happened between them, and what kind of picture came to his wife's mind when she stared at Ming Ying.
"Aran, are you listening?"
Song Mingshen's voice brought him back to reality. Song Xingran looked up and found that everyone in the conference room was looking at him.
He restrained his expression and said in a steady voice, "Sorry, I'm listening."
Song Mingshen nodded and continued to say to the shareholders, "Aran is a rookie and doesn't know anything. He will need your guidance in the future."
The shareholders responded with a smile, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Song Xingran sat in his original position, looking normal, but his eyes involuntarily turned to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Ningchuan's skyline unfolded in the twilight, his stern profile reflected against the glass curtain wall. Those eyes, always filled with a flamboyant smile, were now as dark as night.
*
As dusk fell, the roses in the front yard swayed gently in the cold wind.
Wen Mu sat in a rattan chair in the garden, a cup of long-cold tea resting on a round low table. She stared at the condensation on the rim of the cup, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the wall. Her eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses were misty, as if covered with a layer of frost.
A gust of cold wind blew past, and she shivered. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a slender black shadow out of the corner of her eye.
Song Xingran stood not far away, his shoulders sharp in a black coat, his black hair slightly ruffled by the wind. He stood there for an unknown amount of time, gazing at her with a deep, unwavering gloom between his brows.
Wen Mu was stunned.
He's back, why doesn't he go home?
Has he been looking at her?
The man noticed her gaze, strode over, and without a word, lifted her up and carried her sideways. Wen Mu subconsciously clung to his shoulders, her nose touching his slightly cool collar, and she could smell a faint scent of cedar mixed with a lingering chill.
His expression was not very good, his jawline was tense and his eyes were darker than the night.
Wen Mu noticed his low mood, so he didn't say anything and let him carry him into the house.
"Why are you running out when you're not at home?" Song Xingran put her on the sofa and lowered his voice. "What if you get sick from the cold?"
"Just for a while." Wen Mu answered subconsciously, then realized that if he looked at her for a long time, he would know she was lying.
Song Xingran didn't expose her, but simply put his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder: "How was your wedding dress selection today?"
"It's settled."
"What kind?"
Wen Mu briefly described the design: starry sky elements, dark blue skirt, and silver thread embroidery.
Song Xingran listened quietly, his breath brushing against her ears, warm and moist.
"Is the designer easy to get along with?" he asked suddenly.
The person in his arms froze for a moment, then quickly relaxed: "She's easy to get along with, a little sister."
"You seem to like her very much."
Wen Mu nodded, then shook his head: "It's okay. My sister is very cute. Let me..."
Her voice trailed off. "It reminds me of when I was younger."
When I was young.
Was she thinking of her younger self, or her younger self and someone?
The nameless fire in his chest started burning again, he pulled her over and kissed her lips fiercely.
Wen Mu was caught off guard by his kiss, his glasses tilted to one side, and he protested incoherently: "My glasses are blocking..."
The man stopped and adjusted her glasses with his fingertips: "Why don't you get surgery for myopia? Isn't it only 300 degrees?"
Wen Mu lowered his eyes and said calmly, "I'm used to it."
He stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly changed the subject: "The wedding date has been set. It will be February 22nd next year."
"Yeah." She responded, then remembered something, "Won't it delay your game?"
Song Xingran shook his head: "No, I have arranged everything."
Wen Mu smiled slightly: "Young Master Song can also arrange things?"
"I'm not small."
He held her hand, his eyes burning.
"Wen Mu, I know exactly what I want."
His gaze was so aggressive that Wen Mu was slightly stunned. Song Xingran was acting strangely today, as if he was holding back a lot of energy and had nowhere to vent it.
She guessed that he might have been criticized at work. Although she had always heard that he was disciplined since he was a child, she had never seen it with her own eyes.
She actually wanted to see him being scolded.
"What are you laughing at?" Song Xingran narrowed his eyes.
"Did I laugh?"
"You smiled."
"That might be..." she whispered, "I thought of something happy."
The man didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly.
a long time.
"Next month, my grandparents will be back."
Wen Mu was a little surprised: "Are we going to see them?"
"To be precise, they came to see you." Song Xingran pinched her fingers. "Before we got the marriage certificate, they didn't come back from Australia. We must meet for the wedding this time."
"Actually, there's no need to trouble Grandpa and Grandma." Wen Mu chose his words carefully. "The wedding will just go through the motions."
"Wenmu."
He called her in a deep voice.
"Do you think this wedding is unnecessary?"
His tone was a little sharp, and Wen Mu didn't know how to respond for a moment.
It's not that she doesn't care, she's just afraid of causing trouble to others out of habit, but Song Xingran obviously misunderstood her meaning.
The following conversation was like a silent tug of war.
He pressed her step by step, trying to get some proof from her that she valued the wedding; but she didn't understand and could only repeatedly emphasize "don't make it too much trouble."
Finally, Song Xingran picked her up, went upstairs, put her on the bed, and went into the bathroom.
The sound of water was rushing, and the man stood under the shower, letting the hot water wash over his body.
There is only one reason why a woman doesn't care about the wedding or the recognition of her family - she doesn't care about the man she is marrying.
The thought entangled his heart like a poisonous snake.
He remembered the way Wen Mu stared at Mingying in a trance, the dazed look in her eyes when she said "when we were young", and the aloofness with which she would rather freeze than go back to the house.
The hot water made his skin red, but he didn't feel any pain.
Song Xingran walked out of the bathroom. Wen Mu was still awake, leaning against the headboard reading a book. He threw back the quilt and lay down, pulling her into his arms without saying anything.
"The gasoline hasn't been picked up yet." Wen Mu said suddenly.
Song Xingran felt a stab in the heart.
He thought that after taking such a long bath, he would hear her ask "what's wrong" and "are you unhappy" when he came out. Just like before, she would occasionally coax him, tease him, and look at him with a smile in her cold eyes.
But she didn't.
It's not that she doesn't understand people's words and expressions, she just doesn't care about him that much.
He couldn't help but laugh at himself, wondering if in her heart, dogs were more important than him?
Song Xingran looked down at her. Wen Mu's eyes were beautiful. They should have been cold, but the corners of them were slightly raised, giving them an unconscious allure.
He didn't understand why she always covered her eyes with glasses - just like she always covered her heart with a calm shell.
"Why aren't you talking?" Wen Mu asked.
"I'll pick it up tomorrow." He said in a muffled voice, "Go to sleep."
After saying that, he shrank up and buried his head in her arms.
Wen Mu was stunned.
Such a tall man, but now he is curled up into a small ball, seeking comfort like a wounded beast.
She wanted to touch his hair, raised her hand, and then put it down.
It was strange that she could boldly touch his black hair and coax him with teasing words even though they were having sex.
But now, she didn't dare to just sleep.
*
Wen Mu didn't expect that preparing for the wedding would be so troublesome.
The lab work was due to continue until the end of January, and she had no time to spare before the school's winter break. Therefore, all the details of the wedding—confirming the venue, the guest list, arranging the process, and even altering the dress—fell entirely on Song Xingran's shoulders.
He adapted well.
The daily schedule is unshakable: get up at six o'clock for a morning run, take a walk, come back to make breakfast, send her to work, go to the gym, show up at the school gate on time in the afternoon to pick her up, and then go to my parents' house for dinner together.
He returns to the Wen family on odd weeks and to the Song family on even weeks, with a regularity like the rotator in an observatory.
After dinner, they returned to Galaxy Bay. She stayed in the study reading papers while he played games in the living room.
Take a shower and go to bed at 10:30
—Sleep in the literal sense.
Wen Mu stared at the ceiling, feeling that something was not right with Song Xingran recently.
Specifically, it doesn't look like him.
What was Song Xingran like before?
Bold, passionate, like a fire that never goes out.
Song Xingran still laughs and makes noises now, and will sneak up from behind and kiss her earlobe when she is reading documents, but something is always different.
It was as if someone had covered the sun with a layer of frosted glass; the light was still there, but the warmth had dissipated.
The most obvious change is that the frequency with which they do it has plummeted.
At first, Wen Mu was happy.
Her waist was no longer in pain, her sleep quality had improved significantly, and her dark circles had faded a lot. She thought Song Xingran had finally entered the so-called "burnout period." After all, even the most vigorous energy would eventually run out.
But two months later, she found that was not the case.
Every night when I sleep next to her, the strong heat behind her waist cannot be deceived; when I wash up in the early morning, the crumpled tissues in the trash can cannot be deceived either.
He clearly wanted to, but he refused to touch her.
Wen Mu couldn't understand.
Song Xingran used to be the most ferocious wolf, how come he has turned into a grass-eating rabbit now?
At one point she absurdly wondered if she had found true love as she had previously guessed.
Although this speculation made her want to laugh.
Song Xingran has no shortage of money, he has a happy family and a successful career. The only thing he might fail in is probably love?
But if he really only had a passing passion for her, why was he so serious about planning the wedding?
Wen Mu looked at the wedding plan spread out on the desk. The man's handwriting was neat and clean:
Best time to view the aurora: 21:00-23:00, February 22
[Reconfirmation of cheongsam waistline (she has lost weight again)]
[Ceremony Background Music List (with Astronomy Theme Song Recommendations)]
There's even a hand-drawn star-shaped seating chart with constellation symbols next to each guest's name.
She turned to the last page and found a small drawing of Saturn in the corner, with the words: [The ring is hidden in the ice sculpture of the planet's ring. Remind her to wear gloves.]
An inexplicable dull pain welled up in my heart.
There are too many things like this.
He remembered the eating habits of all her researcher friends and specifically asked the hotel to prepare non-alcoholic champagne; he knew that she didn't like being watched, so he compressed the ceremony process to the shortest possible time; he even took the phase of the moon into consideration on the wedding day, choosing the day when the crescent moon appeared, saying that the stars would be brighter that way.
He cared about the wedding a hundred times more than she did.
The bathroom door opened and a man came out drying his hair.
Wen Mu quickly closed the plan and pretended to organize the documents.
"Have you finished reading it?" he asked.
"Um."
"Anything you want to change?"
"No, it's fine."
Song Xingran nodded, threw back the quilt and lay down in bed. As usual, he put his arm around her waist, but restrained himself and stayed at a safe distance. Wen Mu could smell the scent of his shower gel, a mixture of cedar and a hint of mint, refreshing and cool.
She suddenly wanted to turn around and hug him, wanting to ask him what was wrong, but in the end she just whispered, "Good night."
The man rubbed his chin against the top of her head: "Good night."
In the darkness, Wen Mu opened his eyes.
Forget it, let it be.
*
2024.1.25. Ningchuan, sunny.
Ningda has officially started its winter vacation.
In the lab, Xu Yuesheng was carefully packing his star-track photography equipment, Wu Tong was checking the last batch of data on his computer, and Meng Meng was humming a song while cleaning the telescope lens. Yu Mo leaned against the window, chewing sunflower seeds and checking her phone.
"Where are you going on vacation?" Wu Tong looked up and asked, "I'm planning to go to Harbin to see the ice sculptures."
"Let's go home," Xu Yuesheng pushed up his glasses, "My mom said she'll call the police if she doesn't see me again.
Meng Meng's eyes lit up: "I want to go to Yunnan! I heard there's a new observatory there—"
Yu Mo clapped her hands: "Quiet, quiet! Teacher Wen has something to say."
Everyone looked at Wen Mu by the window.
She took out three gold-stamped invitations from her bag. The dark blue cover was embossed with star tracks. When opened, a three-dimensional ring of Jupiter would pop out from the inside page, and the ring pattern glowed with fine silver light under the light.
Song Xingran & Wen Mu
We sincerely invite you to witness our star moment
February 22 Tromsø, Norway
Aurora and star trails as evidence
Xu Yuesheng's glasses slipped to the tip of his nose, Wu Tong opened his mouth, and Meng Meng jumped up.
"Why are you standing there like an idiot?" Yu Mo put her arm around Wen Mu's shoulders. "Teacher Wen covers all the food and lodging, and even reimburses the airfare. He won't even accept any red envelopes from you."
Meng Meng hugged the invitation and said, "Sister Amu, you are really getting married!"
"Don't say that to Young Master Song," Yu Mo poked her forehead, "He'll be mad at you if he hears it."
"No, no!" Meng Meng waved her hands anxiously. "I just feel that only after the wedding will I feel that Sister Amu is getting married."
Wen Mu's mouth corners slightly raised: "I really hope that you can all come."
"Of course, Sister Amu!" Wu Tong pressed the invitation to her chest. "I'll go even if the sky falls!"
Xu Yuesheng said seriously: "We still have to give the red envelope. It's our token of appreciation."
"I'm leaving first." Wen Mu put on his bag.
Yu Mo chased to the door: "Don't you want to eat?"
Wen Mu: "His grandparents are back, so he has to go back for dinner tonight."
Yu Mo's eyes widened: "Are you talking about Mr. Song?!"
Wen Mu: “Yeah.”
"Oh my God! How long has it been since Mr. Song came back? I heard that he and his wife have been traveling around the world and don't care about family matters at all. They actually came back?!"
Yu Mo suddenly grabbed her hand solemnly and said, "Baby, if you become rich, don't forget me."
Wen Mu gently pulled his hand away: "Don't worry, my dear."
As he walked out of the laboratory building, a cold wind blew in his face. Wrapping his coat tightly around him, Wen Mu immediately spotted the man leaning against the Koenigsegg.
He was wearing a dark grey turtleneck sweater with a black leather jacket today. He looked unexpectedly mature and cool, like a model from a fashion magazine.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Wen Mu asked as he approached.
Song Xingran took her bag and opened the car door for her: "Just arrived."
The man tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and comforted her: "Don't be nervous."
Wen Mu: “Not bad.”
"My grandparents are quite strange." Song Xingran chose his words carefully. "Don't get scared when the time comes."
Wen Mu nodded.
That must be an old man with a weird personality who is difficult to get along with.
But she was not worried. From childhood to adulthood, what she was best at was dealing with all kinds of elders: being polite, talking less, and smiling more.
"Okay, I see." She said calmly.
It was completely dark when the car drove into the courtyard of the Song family's old house.
The European-style villa is still dazzling in the night, and the living room is brightly lit.
As soon as Wen Mu stepped into the door, he saw two old people sitting on the sofa.
Song Yanzhi was wearing a neatly tailored Zhongshan suit, his silver hair was combed meticulously, his face was serious, and he sat upright like a sculpture; Wen Qingwu was wearing a dark green cheongsam, and the pearl necklace made her look elegant, and her eyes were as sharp as an eagle.
The two of them looked like a prominent family that had walked out of an old photo from the Republic of China, exuding an aura of authority without even being angry.
Wen Mu's back straightened unconsciously.
Shen Sui greeted her warmly: "Amu, come, come and meet grandpa and grandma."
Song Xingran walked over holding Wen Mu's hand.
Wen Mu bowed respectfully: "Hello, Grandpa, hello, Grandma."
The two old men did not respond immediately, but looked her up and down with scrutinizing eyes.
Wen Mu felt a surge of nervousness, her fingers curling unconsciously. She felt the man beside her gently squeeze her hand, as if silently comforting her.
"Oh my god! This is our granddaughter-in-law!" Wen Qingwu slapped his thigh, the seriousness on his face instantly dissipated, and he smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into slits, "She's so beautiful!"
Song Yanzhi also changed his previous dignified demeanor, stood up cheerfully, and took out a small box from his pocket: "Come here, Grandpa brought you a gift!"
Wen Mu was stunned and couldn't react for a moment.
She looked up at Song Xingran, who pouted at her with an expression that said, "I told you so."
Wen Qingwu enthusiastically pulled Wen Mu to sit down: "I heard from Ah Ran that you study the stars? Grandma also liked to look at the stars when she was young!"
"Really?" Wen Mu was a little surprised.
"That's right!" Wen Qingwu said excitedly, "I used to work at an observatory! Back then, I used to look at Saturn's rings through a telescope. Wow, they were so beautiful!"
Song Yanzhi interrupted, "Your grandma dragged me to the top of a mountain in the middle of winter to freeze all night just to watch the meteor shower!"
"You were enjoying it too, weren't you? You even said you'd pick stars for me!"
The two old men talked back and forth, completely overturning Wen Mu's first impression.
Only then did she understand what Song Xingran meant by "strange" - not old-fashioned and serious, but lively and lively like someone of that age.
At dinner, everyone at the table was happy.
Wen Qingwu showed great interest in Wen Mu's astronomical research and kept asking questions; Song Yanzhi shared his experiences of exploring various parts of the world when he was young.
Wen Mu was surprised to find that the two old men had a wealth of knowledge, especially in astronomy and geography, which was not inferior to professionals at all.
"Xiao Mu," Wen Qingwu picked up a piece of fish for her, "choosing Norway to watch the Northern Lights for your wedding is a great idea!"
"He arranged it." Wen Mu said softly.
"This kid finally did something reliable!" Song Yanzhi laughed and patted his grandson's shoulder.
Wen Mu now finally understood why among Song Mingshen's three sons, only Song Xingran was so unique.
Song Yingzhuo and Song Mingli's steadiness comes from their parents; while Song Xingran's flamboyance and recklessness are purely inherited from the previous generation.
After dinner, Wen Qingwu took Wen Mu to the terrace. The starry sky on a winter night was exceptionally clear, and the outlines of the distant mountains were faintly visible.
The old lady brewed a pot of osmanthus tea herself, and the fragrance filled the cold air.
"Look," Wen Qingwu pointed to the sky, "that's Orion. It's so bright."
Wen Mu nodded: "Betelgeuse and Rigel are both very obvious."
"When Ran was little, I often took him to watch the stars." Wen Qingwu's eyes softened. "That child has always been restless, but he can only calm down when watching the stars."
Wen Mu imagined the little Song Xingran looking up at the stars, and his heart softened inexplicably.
Wen Qingwu looked at his granddaughter-in-law who was silent and humble in front of him, and couldn't help feeling pity for her. He silently took off a jade bracelet from his wrist and handed it to Wen Mu.
"Xiao Mu, this is for you."
Wen Mu looked at the jade bracelet in front of him in surprise. It was emerald green all over, crystal clear, and shone with a warm luster in the moonlight. The inside was engraved with delicate twined flower patterns. It was obvious that it was a priceless antique.
"This is too expensive. I can't accept it." She quickly declined.
Wen Qingwu's expression turned serious: "Xiao Mu, listen to what grandma has to say."
The old lady held her hand, her voice soft but firm: "I never thought that among all my grandchildren, the first one to get married would be Ah Ran. I also never thought that that naughty boy who grew up as a child would be so subdued by you."
Is the cure complete?
It was clearly him who treated her in bed.
Wen Mu'ergen felt hot and quickly shook off these inappropriate thoughts.
"When I first learned it was an arranged marriage, I was worried about whether it would hurt the relationship between the two people and the two families." Wen Qingwu continued, "But now it seems that I was worrying too much."
"This is fate."
Wen Mu was stunned.
She didn't expect the old man to say such a thing, and she didn't expect to be recognized so directly.
A complex mix of emotions spread throughout my chest: surprise, emotion, and a hint of inexplicable guilt.
"Grandma." She spoke softly, but didn't know what to say.
"I can see that Ah Ran likes you very much." Wen Qingwu looked at her lovingly, "Our whole family likes you very much. This bracelet is a gift from grandma, I hope you can accept it."
Wen Mu hesitated for a moment, and finally told himself that he couldn't spoil the old man's fun.
She took a deep breath and nodded: "Thank you, grandma."
Wen Qingwu happily slipped the jade bracelet onto Wen Mu's wrist. The emerald green jade set off her snow-white skin, looking incredibly beautiful.
"It fits perfectly." She nodded with satisfaction.
Wen Mu looked down at the jade bracelet on her wrist, feeling a little strange. She was happy for the recognition, but also felt a little guilty.
Wen Qingwu seemed to have misunderstood something. She and Song Xingran were not a loving couple, at least not in the way she imagined.
Footsteps were heard, and Song Xingran appeared at the door of the terrace: "Grandma, can my wife go home?"
"Hahaha, good, good!" Wen Qingwu laughed, "You kid, you can't leave your wife for even a minute!"
After saying goodbye to the two old men, Wen Mu followed Song Xingran to the garage.
The night breeze was cool, and she subconsciously touched the jade bracelet on her wrist and suddenly stopped.
"This," she began hesitantly, "I don't want it."
After saying that, he went to withdraw.
The man held her hand, his eyes dark and unclear: "Why not?"
When he got no response, he repeated stubbornly: "Aren't you my wife? Why don't you want it?"
Wen Mu was surprised by his sudden reaction: "It's too expensive."
"It's not expensive." Song Xingran's voice was low and firm. "Everything I give you should be the best."
Under the moonlight, his expression was serious to the point of being stubborn, his black hair was a little messy due to the wind, and his eyes flashed with emotions that Wen Mu could not understand.
"On your wedding day, when you toast, wear this." He suddenly looked away, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
"I think it will go well with the cheongsam."
Is he, shy?
Wen Mu's eyebrows curved, and he subconsciously took a step forward, stood on tiptoe, and leaned close to Song Xingran's ear.
"Then help me."
"What?"
"Help me put on the bracelet."
Her lips brushed his earlobe.
"Help me put on the cheongsam too."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Master Song began to doubt
The wedding is coming [star eyes]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
