Professor Fang’s gaze shifted from Wen Ying to Xie Qian.
This boy was too good-looking!
Having taught at an arts college for years, with a husband in a leadership role at the provincial TV station, Professor Fang had seen countless handsome men and beautiful women. Yet, neither at school nor the station had she encountered anyone who outshone Xie Qian.
People often described a good-looking boy as “handsome,” but that single word couldn’t fully capture what Xie Qian evoked in her.
A striking face or features might be similar across individuals, but temperament varied. Many male celebrities enthralled audiences with roles crafted by brilliant scripts, directors, cinematographers, lighting crews, and stylists. Strip away that polish, and they weren’t always dazzling.
Xie Qian was different.
His aura was innate, unpolished by artifice.
Everyone loves beauty—even the stern Professor Fang couldn’t help softening, indulging him a little more.
“Of course I have kids. My son’s older than you two, already working,” she replied, glancing at Wen Ying. “When he was your age, he didn’t do anything so confrontational.”
Xie Qian said calmly, “That’s because your husband never betrayed your family. Without the same experience, you shouldn’t urge others to be magnanimous. If you faced it, your son might go further than us—though I’m not saying your husband will cheat. On this matter, I hope you never understand how we feel.”
What’s upbringing?
It’s not how someone acts when happy, but when angry.
Xie Qian didn’t curse her. He just chatted about family, even wishing her and her husband a happy marriage. His words were kind, his tone free of sarcasm, yet somehow Professor Fang felt her face flush!
As a university professor, she often lectured students.
She never imagined a teenage boy would publicly school her.
How dare he? How could he?
She opened her mouth but couldn’t muster a retort.
What could she say—that even if her husband cheated, her son wouldn’t stand up for her like this?
Professor Fang was mortified.
Xie Qian and Wen Ying nodded to her, leaving the bulletin board for the school gate.
Watching their backs, she heard the round-faced girl ask the striking boy how he was so impressive. His reply was too faint to catch.
In the July campus, cicadas chirped, sunlight bathing the pair. They lacked her status and connections, but they had what she didn’t—youth and boundless potential.
Compromise?
That word shouldn’t exist in a teenager’s vocabulary; it’s an adult’s burden.
Like she’d been bewitched, Professor Fang couldn’t shake Xie Qian’s words: If her husband cheated, would her son fight for her?
He would, right?
—No, he definitely would!
—
Wen Ying confirmed the school wasn’t bluffing and had no reason to keep stirring trouble.
After her expulsion, Pan Li vanished from campus.
Of course, she didn’t flee to raise a child alone as she’d claimed. Instead, she had more time to pester Deng Shangwei.
Rather than targeting Chen Li, Pan Li showed up at Deng Shangwei’s company two days straight. Even Sister Fang quietly asked Wen Ying what was up.
Sweating it out at the night market, Wen Ying replied between tasks, “Auntie knows already. If Uncle can’t handle it, they’ll divorce!”
“…”
Sister Fang took minutes to respond.
“Wen Ying, won’t you talk them out of it?”
After adjusting to 2004’s clunky phone, Wen Ying typed, “I can’t. It’s not like I told Uncle to knock up another woman!”
“…”
Sister Fang was at a loss.
Wen Ying’s words were like firecrackers—impossible to argue with.
But could you blame her?
No!
Blame Deng Shangwei.
Hearing he’d gotten a mistress pregnant, that he and Chen Li were divorcing, and that he’d moved to a motel, Sister Fang fretted. Old staff like her felt bad seeing him unshaven and defeated.
This wasn’t the Deng they knew.
He was supposed to be vibrant!
A spirited Deng kept employees grounded and motivated.
Now, juggling family chaos and a clingy mistress, where was his focus for the company?
In just days, he’d botched two big orders. Word was, Boss Qin, his long-time partner, was furious.
Sister Fang knew the staff felt the ripple effects. If Deng kept this up, the company’s profits would tank. Her turning to Wen Ying was pure desperation.
Finishing a rush, Wen Ying saw no new messages from Sister Fang and silently apologized.
The act had to be airtight to fool Yu Wenhao—no explaining to the company staff.
Outsiders would misunderstand Deng Shangwei for a while.
His image might never recover. No matter how he explained later, some would just see Chen Li forgiving a cheater. Deng Shangwei called it his punishment—true friends would believe him, and he wouldn’t force the rest.
Plus, after this, he’d transfer the company to Chen Li’s name. To outsiders, he’d be a guy trading property rights for forgiveness, working for his wife’s scraps—a “worker bee.” Gold-diggers, sharp as they were, wouldn’t bother with him then.
Wen Ying giggled at the thought, phone in hand.
Wang Shuang and Li Mengjiao whispered together, pulling Qin Jiao over.
“Qin Jiao, heard about it?”
“Wen Ying’s uncle—”
Good news stays quiet; bad news flies.
Boss Qin’s frustration with Deng Shangwei had spread in their circle. Boss Wang knew, so Wang Shuang did too. Li Mengjiao’s mom had warned her. After puzzling over Wen Ying’s calm demeanor, they cornered Qin Jiao during a guest lull.
Qin Jiao knew everything!
But she couldn’t spill to Wang Shuang and Li Mengjiao. She pivoted, “If Wen Ying’s uncle stops doing business with my dad, would you still be her friends?”
