Chapter 13.2

The restaurant was a well known Chinese place. When the couple arrived, Zhuang Yue was already there. Qiao En showed up late.

They had all met at the wedding, so no introductions were needed. Zhuang Yue took the initiative to order, attentively considering everyone’s preferences. For each dish, he could explain its origins and chat eloquently about it.

Wen Yi thought to herself: Indeed, he was good with words. Qin Nanshan could not compare.

Today, Wen Yi was not the main character, but she talked a lot. If this pairing worked out, she and Qin Nanshan would be the matchmakers. She had to vet him thoroughly.

She asked about his family background, his work, and finally his romantic history. Zhuang Yue answered meticulously, without a single flaw—portraying himself as someone from an excellent family with a steadily rising career, a complete success story.

Wen Yi glanced at Qiao En. The woman was smiling warmly, her grin stretching to her ears, signaling she was about to fall.

Still, Wen Yi felt something off that she could not quite put her finger on, but it was not polite to show it outright.

It was not until she and Qiao En left alone to go shopping that it hit her: a sense of calculation.

Zhuang Yue gave her the impression that he treated romance like a career to manage—every step calculated, weighing gains and losses. There was little of the admiration or affection that should sparkle in the eyes of two people just starting to like each other.

Wen Yi shared her observations with Qiao En, advising her to think carefully. Qiao En listened. “I know. That is why I dragged you here. I am not planning to rush into anything with him. Not everyone is like you two.”

“Hey, Qiao En, mocking me now?”

Qiao En was still curious. “Is it not true? You two basically took a rocket ship to marriage.”

Wen Yi refused to back down. “We at least knew each other for over ten years. Not complete strangers. There was some foundation.”

“I have figured it out. You say you like humorous and fun guys, but Zhuang Yue fits that perfectly, right? You picked out a bunch of flaws in him. I think you just like Qin Nanshan’s type—repressed and intense.”

Wen Yi froze for two seconds before retorting, “It is not like I fall for every humorous guy. Feelings are about chemistry, you know? And Qin Nanshan is not intense—just repressed.”

“Fine, fine, I do not understand.” Qiao En laughed uncontrollably, mimicking her earlier tone. “Brainy is the new sexy~~”

“Get lost!”

“Alright, I am off to buy clothes for my goddaughter.”

……

Qin Nanshan and Zhuang Yue found a random coffee shop to wait for the two women who were shopping. Qin Nanshan did not drink coffee, so Zhuang Yue ordered him a lemon water.

Zhuang Yue smiled. “Nanshan, I really never expected you to get married before me.”

Qin Nanshan sat upright. Hearing this, he curved his lips in a smile. He had not expected it either—not in his entire life.

“Your taste in wives is quite surprising too. I thought you liked the gentle, refined type. Never imagined this kind.”

At the wedding, he had not talked much with Wen Yi, but from the way she had interrogated him like a suspect earlier, Zhuang Yue intuitively sensed this woman was no pushover. Her eyes sparkled with sharpness, and she handled conversations with ease. If they were in the same department, he was not confident he could outmaneuver her for promotions.

Overall, not someone Qin Nanshan could easily handle.

Qin Nanshan did not respond. Zhuang Yue continued asking, “Your wife works at Nu’an?”

“Yes.”

“The pay must be pretty high, right?”

Qin Nanshan did not dodge. “She says it is two or three times mine.”

Zhuang Yue inwardly exclaimed in surprise. Qin Nanshan earned a professor’s salary—even if he became office director, he might not match it. Two or three times that, plus foreign company performance bonuses and year end awards… Zhuang Yue’s gaze turned envious. “Nanshan, you have latched onto a rich woman.”

Qin Nanshan was not interested in such talk. Salary was just compensation for work. He knew a bit about her job—it was not easy. Comparatively, her output far exceeded his. Whatever she earned was well deserved.

“What about Qiao En? She said she is a marketing manager at a foreign company. I did not ask details. Do you know?”

“Not really.”

“Are you two not high school classmates?”

Qin Nanshan frowned slightly. “Zhuang Yue, I think you can ask her directly. Strengthen your communication and get to know each other.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Zhuang Yue took a sip of coffee and changed the subject. “I heard Professor Chen handed you the lead on that national natural science project?”

Qin Nanshan nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s great. You know, out of all of us in our class who studied math, you’re the only one still sticking with it. The guys from our dorm—I have no idea what they’re doing now. And me? A science major ended up in administrative paperwork. Life really is unpredictable.”

Qin Nanshan had no particular opinion on that. The path of mathematics was lonely. If a better opportunity came along, it was natural to choose something else.

But Zhuang Yue’s goal was not mere nostalgia. “The deadline for applications is late March. Have you finalized your topic? Decided on the team members?”

Qin Nanshan turned to look at him, his expression calm. Zhuang Yue continued, “A project like this is a major undertaking. Just you and the professors from your department won’t be enough. And for a national natural science fund project this big, there are so many connections to navigate and errands to run. Why not leave it to professionals? Nanshan, think about it. I can help you all.”

Qin Nanshan narrowed his eyes slightly, his right hand resting on the wedding ring on his left. He said nothing.

Zhuang Yue knew this classmate of four years well enough—partly afraid he might not understand, partly needing to press further. He laid it out plainly. “Nanshan, you know Director Li is retiring in the next couple of years. Right now, I’m the only candidate. My work record is strong. All I need is a standout project to seal it. And luckily, our fields align perfectly.”

“No need to be the lead?”

“That’s fine. I have ways around it. Being a team member would work.”

Qin Nanshan had vaguely understood from the moment the topic came up, but this was not a decision he could make alone. “I understand. I’ll discuss it with Professor Chen when I get back.”

“Of course it needs discussion. With our friendship, I don’t want to put you in a tough spot. If Professor Chen disagrees, we’ll find another way.”

“Mm.”

……

They sat for a while longer until Wen Yi and Qiao En returned. Zhuang Yue offered to drive Qiao En home, and the couple headed back together.

Once home, Qin Nanshan carried up all the big and small bags she had bought from the trunk. Wen Yi changed clothes and came out to enjoy the pleasure of unpacking her shopping haul.

Qin Nanshan was preparing dog food for Summer on the side. Wen Yi opened the first item—a pink princess dress. She held it up for him to see. “Good looking?”

Qin Nanshan glanced at it. “Good looking.”

“Be serious.”

“……Good looking. The baby should like it. You have great taste.”

Not bad—he passed. Wen Yi pulled out another, a blue floral little dress. “This one?”

“Also good looking. Very fresh and clean.”

Fresh and clean… Wen Yi organized another bag and took out a pair of lace baby shoes. “What about the shoes?”

Qin Nanshan placed the dog food in the bowl. Summer started eating with relish. He asked amusedly, “What if it’s a boy?”

“Who says boys can’t wear them? Everything I bought is for under three years old. Kids that young don’t know the difference anyway.”

Qin Nanshan explained, “Children generally develop gender awareness around three. If it’s too feminine, and people around tease him or joke that he’s ‘like a girl,’ it could affect his gender identity.”

“……” Wen Yi’s enthusiasm was dampened, but he was right. She pouted. “Fine, I won’t dress him in them.”

Qin Nanshan sat on the single sofa and picked up the tiny shoes—so small they were hard to imagine, shorter than a finger. The lace butterfly at the toe was light and lively, as if ready to take flight. A soft feeling brushed across his heart. “Buy whatever you like. It’s fine. There’s a fifty percent chance it’s a girl.”

“Then I’ll buy some boy things another day.”

“Mm.”

“There’s still so much more to buy—formula, bottles, diapers, stroller.” Wen Yi looked around. “This place probably won’t have room.”

“In another two months, we can move to the city center.”

He had shown her the city center apartment before the wedding. The neighborhood was excellent, a large four bedroom, probably around two hundred square meters.

It was very close to her workplace but far from A University. But there was no helping it—something had to give. And usually, by seven or eight in the morning when she opened her eyes, he was already gone. He was disciplined and early rising; she did not need to worry about his commute.

Wen Yi stroked her belly under the sweater and sighed. “Baby, you are so spoiled. From the moment you’re born, you’ll have the best food, drink, clothes, and home. Right now you’re still living in my belly rent free. When you grow up, you’ll have to pay me rent.”

She started calculating seriously. “Three hundred a night. For over nine months of pregnancy, that would be…”

Before she finished, the man beside her spoke up. “Eighty four thousand.” He added, “Based on a 280 day pregnancy.”

In less than two seconds. Wen Yi marveled that he had a calculator in his brain.

She smacked her lips and continued rubbing her belly. “Hear that? Eighty four thousand. Cash upfront only—no installments or loans.”

Qin Nanshan was amused by her muttering to herself. He got up to pour her a glass of water.

After Wen Yi finished drinking, she continued unpacking and chatted with him. “Do you know how Zhuang Yue’s previous girlfriends broke up with him?”

“No.” Qin Nanshan paused thoughtfully. “Tell Qiao En to think it over carefully. Don’t rush.”

Wen Yi stopped what she was doing and looked up. “Why do you say that?”

Qin Nanshan did not go into detail. “I see Qiao En as quite straightforward. I’m worried she might get taken advantage of.”

“Yeah, she definitely couldn’t outplay your sly fox of a friend. Today’s outing was good though. Otherwise, based on your description before, I might have thought he was some great guy. If my best friend really gets deceived, you’re taking the primary blame.”

Qin Nanshan smiled silently and threw the tags she had cut off into the trash.

As Wen Yi folded a little bellyband, she suddenly remembered something and stared at him. “He hasn’t tricked you before, has he?”

Qin Nanshan’s movements stiffened slightly. Wen Yi caught it immediately. “I’m telling you—if he asks to borrow money, no lending. All your money now belongs to my daughter. While the daughter has no say, it’s managed by her landlord.”

Thinking back to her earlier words about not playing house, Qin Nanshan paused briefly before telling her, “No trickery. Just this afternoon, he mentioned wanting to join my research team.”

“Isn’t he in administration? Why would he want to join your research team?”

“People in administration still need to do projects for title promotions.”

“So he’s just trying to hitch a ride on your coattails.” Wen Yi grew serious. Though she did not know much about academia, this concerned her daughter’s direct interests—she had to treat it as her own affair. “Is this project important to you?”

Qin Nanshan nodded. “Securing this project this year is preparation for the Four Youth Talents program later.”

“Then you absolutely cannot let him ruin it. Even if he just gets his name attached, no way. I may not understand research, but hospitals are cracking down hard on integrity issues now. One small handle can destroy a promising doctor’s future.”

“The matter of him pulling strings to get in could be big or small. If someone reports it later, who do you think gets in trouble? You, the lead investigator?”

“Do not be unclear headed. This is not the time for bro code loyalty.”

Qin Nanshan had been hesitant earlier because of Zhuang Yue’s academic level—he would contribute nothing and might even slow them down. Now Wen Yi offered another perspective, and he fell silent, thinking carefully.

Seeing him standing there lost in thought, Wen Yi did not rush him. She took the neatly folded clothes to the bathroom basket. Baby clothes could not go in the washing machine; hand washing was best.

She soaked them in detergent and came back out. “Thought it through yet?”

“I will discuss it with Professor Chen again after the New Year holidays.”

“Anyway, think it over carefully.”

Wen Yi gathered the scattered bags. After a while, she sensed a gaze following her. She turned around. “What are you doing?”

Qin Nanshan chuckled lightly. “You were not like this before.”

In his memory, Wen Yi was always impulsive and scatterbrained, doing whatever popped into her head—nothing like meticulous.

In their second year of high school, for one semester he sat behind her. The things he heard most were “Oh no, I forgot my homework” or “I’m done for—I forgot to write my name on the exam.” In short, his ears had no peace that half semester.

Yet she was confident and radiant. Even with all the little mishaps in life, they never affected her mood. Sometimes when he was tired from solving problems, he would stare at her in a daze, pondering the diversity of human beings.

He could not find the right metaphor for her—like a spinning top that never stopped, like a dandelion carried by the wind that took root wherever it landed, tenacious in life, like a vibrant rose or a sunflower. She was simply the most complex form of human life.

He thought that if their child really turned out to be a daughter like her, it would be a wonderful thing.

Wen Yi huffed lightly. “It is not me. You are too naive and do not know how to say no to people. Do you know what you would get if you helped him today?”

“What?”

Wen Yi: “A good person card.”

Qin Nanshan laughed.

Before bed that night, Wen Yi glanced at her phone. The lock screen showed a message from Qin Nanshan.

She turned to look at the man beside her. “Are you okay? Why send WeChat when we are this close?”

Qin Nanshan did not respond.

Wen Yi opened it and jumped in shock: [Qin Nanshan transferred 84,000.00 to you]

“You…”

“I am paying my daughter’s rent on her behalf.”

Her question turned into an exclamation. She absolutely loved this way of communicating!!