Chapter 41

Having been Xi Siyan’s classmate for three years and colleague for another three, Zhong Yuan had seen plenty of little “spirits” who tried to set their sights on Dr. Xi.
But none of them—after learning who the legal wife actually was, and after listening to everyone ship the couple into delirium day after day—still had the nerve to keep pushing forward.
Fang Heng was the first.
And Zhong Yuan figured he’d also be the last.
Blame Xi Siyan.
All of that man’s feelings had been handed to Jing Miao; for everyone else he felt nothing at all. If only the guy were a little more sensitive, Zhong Yuan wouldn’t have to team up with the accidentally-on-point Song Fuxue to help Jing Miao clear out rivals.
Hearing Song Fuxue talk like that, Fang Heng looked even more curious.
“Then I want to see him even more. The one who tamed our Brother Xi—how impressive must he be?”
Zhong Yuan’s inner danmaku floated nonstop:
*Not impressive. Not impressive at all.*
You should be asking how Xi Siyan managed to “tame” Jing Miao. How did that poker face trick such a little white rabbit?
“Oh, he’s impressive,” Zhong Yuan said with a smile. “Pretty, high-IQ, great personality, and super rich. Right, Sister Song?”
Song Fuxue immediately played along.
“Exactly! Pairing him with Xi Siyan is basically a waste! I’m not even bragging—Old Jin says it all the time. Xi Siyan’s ancestors must be smoking incense in their graves to get assigned a little angel like that!”
Zhong Yuan was thoroughly satisfied.
Fang Heng pretended to be shocked.
“Really? I’ll go grab my phone. Teachers, wait downstairs for me a moment.”
The second Fang Heng left, Song Fuxue rolled her eyes.
“God, that wore me out. Good thing you’re kinda dumb, Zhong Yuan, but everything you say happens to ‘accidentally’ match my script.”
Zhong Yuan’s mind went: *WTF?*
“What? I was about to say you’re the jumpy one. Wait… you saw it too?”
Song Fuxue snorted.
“Who wouldn’t? He’s relying on being good-looking and well-qualified. So I can only hype Jing Miao up to heaven.”
Zhong Yuan sagged.
“But I don’t think Jing Miao can scare off this kind of rival. Those two husbands are so oblivious it gives me a headache. Honestly, is it good to just blow smoke with our eyes closed?”
“We still have to hype him,” Song Fuxue said, clutching the flowers. “How can ‘our side’ undercut our own? How about we get a whole line of people to present flowers to Jing Miao, give him some spectacle, and let Little Fang know: a strong dragon doesn’t bully the local snake!”
“No, Sister.” Zhong Yuan stopped her. “If Xi Siyan finds out, we won’t get a single cup of the ridiculously expensive coffee he orders for at least three months.”
On the walk toward the Math department, Song Fuxue was still thinking about it.
Fang Heng asked Zhong Yuan, “Teacher Zhong, how long have Brother Xi and Jing Miao been married?”
Zhong Yuan thought for a second. “Three years. But they were together three years before that.”
Fang Heng murmured, “Six years… that’s almost the seven-year itch. How did they meet?”
How did they meet… They honestly didn’t know either.
They’d asked Xi Siyan, and he told them to ask Jing Miao. They’d asked Jing Miao, and Jing Miao only mumbled vaguely:
“We didn’t ‘meet.’ It’s always been gege.”
Just listen to that. More romantic than any first encounter. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Jing Miao was the second kid Xi Siyan’s mom gave birth to.
“Uh… Xi Siyan really never said.” Song Fuxue shot Zhong Yuan a look. “Do you know, Zhong Yuan?”
Zhong Yuan steeled himself and made something up.
“Uh, you know that famous on-site concert at our university—*Encounter*? Supposedly it re-enacts their first meeting.”
Anyway, that’s how the fan settings always wrote it.
Fang Heng: “…That’s the same as saying nothing.”
“Hey, you can ask his wife yourself later.” Zhong Yuan laughed.
By the time they reached the front of the Science-Math-Chem building, it was already crowded—graduates in gowns, parents attending. They had probably just finished the class photo.
Song Fuxue spotted Jing Miao immediately.
The boy’s face was flushed as people kept pulling him into selfies, like he was a tourist attraction.
They were just about to call out—
when an excited shout came from behind:
“Miaomiao!”
The three turned.
It was Xi Siyan’s parents.
Su Wan had a DSLR that looked very expensive hanging from her neck. Xi Yucheng carried a bouquet of sunflowers.
“Oh my goodness, our Miaomiao is *too* pretty in a graduation gown!” Su Wan ran over and hugged him, happily pinching his cheeks over and over. “Come on, let Mom take more pictures of you.”
Xi Yucheng handed him the flowers. “Congratulations on graduating, Miaomiao.”
Jing Miao smiled. “Thank you, Dad and Mom!”
“Wow, are you Jing Miao’s mom?” A classmate leaned in. “You’re so young!”
Su Wan nearly swayed with joy. “Miaomiao’s classmates are so sweet!”
Hang Wan squeezed in, wanting to see what Xi Siyan’s “mother-in-law” looked like—then froze at the sight of Xi Yucheng behind her.
“Y-you… aren’t you that… from the municipal office… Xi…?”
Xi Yucheng nodded politely. “Hello.”
That face—often shown on city TV news—made Jing Miao’s classmates swarm over in shock. The young students surged forward like they were welcoming an inspection.
“Thank you for visiting Huada! The Science-Math-Chem school is honored!”
“So Jing Miao’s dad is a leader! Like father like son—you’re amazing at having kids!”
“You’re so low-key! Son doesn’t show off his dad, dad doesn’t show off his son!”
Xi Yucheng couldn’t help laughing. “Thank you, thank you. Thank you all for taking care of our Miaomiao.”
“Leader, you’re too polite!”
“Hahaha, leader, if you’d told us earlier you were Jing Miao’s dad, we could’ve taken even better care of him!”
“Hahahahahaha! Are we majoring in math, or in officialdom culture?”
Huada students really were something—capable *and* hilarious.
Xi Yucheng had never come to Huada before.
He hadn’t come for Xi Siyan’s undergrad graduation, nor his PhD graduation.
First, Xi Siyan was too cool. He always just took photos and left, giving his parents zero ceremonial enjoyment.
At this moment, Xi Yucheng fully understood—and agreed with—why Su Wan had grown increasingly disgusted with their biological son.
Raising Xi Siyan was honestly too boring. There was no sense of participation at all.
Second, Xi Yucheng was simply too well-known.
Xi Siyan didn’t like people saying he “rode on his father’s coattails,” and truthfully, Xi Yucheng hadn’t actually helped much along Xi Siyan’s path of growth.