The Mysterious Night of Beijing

He couldn't believe it. "Could it be my uncle?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Jiang Xian'an shook his head. "His hand can't reach that far."

The two brothers looked at each other, both seeing confusion and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Lin Chuxiu seems to have become a mystery.

……

A week later, Lin Chuxiu received an interview invitation from Yenching University.

It wasn't an email; it was a physical letter bearing the school's official seal.

She held the thin piece of paper in her hand, feeling as if it weighed a ton.

This holds her only hope.

She can finally leave this place.

She stood by the window, looking at the four characters "Yanjing University" on the envelope, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Just then, her phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

Lin Chuxiu hesitated for a moment, but still pressed the answer button.

Hello.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, and then a cold yet familiar voice, etched into her very being, came through.

"Lin Chuxiu".

It's Jiang Xian'an.

"Let's talk."

Lin Chuxiu held the phone as if she had been burned, and almost threw it away.

What bad luck!

She thought that by changing her residence and cutting off contact, she could completely sever ties with this person, but she didn't expect that he would still haunt her.

"I have nothing to talk to you about."

Lin Chuxiu's voice was cold. She walked to the window, looked at the quiet courtyard outside, and tried to calm her heartbeat.

"I'm at the coffee shop across from your school. I'll give you half an hour." Jiang Xian'an's tone wasn't one of negotiation, but rather an announcement.

He was certain she would come.

In his eyes, the fact that he took the initiative to find her was already a great favor. She had been making a scene for so long, it was time for her to stop.

Lin Chuxiu suddenly laughed, her laughter was very soft.

"Jiang Xian'an, do you think everyone should listen to you?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"I'm busy."

After saying that, Lin Chuxiu hung up the phone and immediately blacklisted the number.

After doing all this, she felt a little better, as if the tightness in her chest had eased.

She would no longer be easily swayed by his words like before.

In the coffee shop, Jiang Xian'an stared at the phone that had been hung up on, a look of surprise appearing on his handsome face for the first time.

Would she dare hang up on him?

He frowned and dialed again, only to hear a message saying, "The user you dialed is busy."

He was blocked.

Jiang Xian'an's face darkened, and a nameless anger rose from the bottom of his heart.

Playing hard to get?

He leaned back on the sofa, picked up his coffee, took a sip, and a hint of coldness appeared on the corner of his mouth.

interesting.

He wanted to see how long she could keep up her stubbornness.

He decided to wait. He didn't believe she would dare not come.

……

In the manor.

Lin Chuxiu threw her phone on the bed, trying to shake the unpleasantness brought on by Jiang Xian'an out of her mind.

Her most important task right now is preparing for the Yenching University interview.

She took a deep breath, picked up the interview notice on the table, and looked at it again. Those few words seemed to have some kind of power, calming her chaotic mind.

She went downstairs to the study to find some more professional materials.

In the living room, Meng Huizhou was sitting on the carpet with Hao Hao.

A huge city map was laid out on the ground, with various Lego pieces scattered around. Meng Huizhou took off his suit jacket, wearing only a neatly pressed white shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.

He was looking down, focused on helping Hao Hao assemble a complex building, and the profile of his face appeared softer under the crystal chandelier.

"Teacher, come quick!" Hao Hao's eyes lit up when he saw her, holding up a toy car he had just assembled. "Look, this is my new sports car design, isn't it cool?"

"It's so cool." Lin Chuxiu walked over, squatted down next to him, looked at the uniquely shaped little car, and showed the first genuine smile in days.

When she smiles, her eyes curve like crescent moons, softening her entire demeanor and dispelling her usual aloofness.

Meng Huizhou looked up and saw this scene.

He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on her smiling face, not looking away.

"Teacher, you look so beautiful when you smile." Hao Hao looked up at me and said very seriously, "If you were my mom, I would make you laugh every day."

Lin Chu-xiu's smile froze on her face, and her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

"Haohao, don't talk nonsense."

"I'm not making this up!"

Hao Hao looked serious. He put down his Lego, ran to Meng Huizhou, and took his hand. "Dad, don't you think so? The teacher is smart and beautiful. She'd be perfect as your wife. The three of us would be great."

Lin Chuxiu wished she could disappear from this place immediately.

She looked nervously at Meng Huizhou, afraid that he would think she had instigated it.

Meng Huizhou's face was expressionless; he simply looked at his son and spoke in a calm voice.

"Have you finished your homework?"

"Oh dear, Dad, why are you bringing this up again!"

Hao Hao stomped his foot in dissatisfaction, "I'm talking about serious matters!"

His eyes lit up, and he suddenly had an idea. He ran over, turned on the TV, and tuned it to a science and education channel.

"Dad, teacher, come quick! This documentary is about supramolecular chemistry, you're sure you all know it!"

Without saying a word, he pulled Lin Chuxiu and Meng Huizhou, one on each side, onto the sofa.

"You all sit together and watch, you're not allowed to leave!"

The little guy stood in front of them with his arms crossed, like a little supervisor.

Lin Chuxiu sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa, a person's distance away from Meng Huizhou.

She could smell the faint scent of cedar emanating from him, clean and crisp, making it impossible for her to ignore his presence.

It was as if all her senses were amplified; she could clearly feel the slight vibration of the sofa as he sat down, and hear his steady breathing.

She reminded herself that this was just a transaction and she shouldn't overthink it.

Meng Huizhou seemed oblivious to her discomfort. He leaned back on the sofa naturally, his gaze fixed on the television screen.

In the documentary, an elderly professor with white hair is explaining a complex molecular model.

"Choose a 'hydrocarbon'," Meng Huizhou suddenly spoke, his voice low, as if talking to himself, or as if asking her, "a mechanical interlocking structure connected by non-covalent bonds, a very interesting design."

Lin Chuxiu paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Yes, it has broad application prospects in the fields of molecular machines and drug delivery."

"But its synthetic yield has always been a challenge." Meng Huizhou turned to look at her. "Especially with template methods, choosing the right template molecule is crucial."

His gaze was very focused, as if he were discussing a problem with an academic partner.

This purely intellectual exchange allowed Lin Chuxiu to relax her tense nerves somewhat.

She forgot her nervousness and began to seriously discuss things with him.

"Yes, the size, shape, and functional groups of the template molecule must be precisely matched with the reactants, which requires a lot of calculations and experimental screening."

"If we can introduce artificial intelligence for high-throughput virtual screening, it might improve efficiency."

"That's a good idea," Meng Huizhou nodded.

The two of them chatted away, leaving Hao Hao, who was standing next to them, completely dumbfounded.