Chapter 40: Let's go to the hotel, I'll reward you.

Outside the half-open window came the sounds of bustling traffic and the laughter of children.

Tang Wan woke up, her long eyelashes fluttering as she opened her eyes. Through a hazy, squinting gaze, she saw Xia An propped up on his side, watching her with a smile. Behind him, the midsummer sun slanted against the south wall of the bedroom, bright and golden. Outside the glass, a corner of the building lay quietly against the azure dream of the sky.

The scent of summer and the scent of Xia An blended into an indescribable fragrance that drifted into Tang Wan’s nose.

"Awake?" Xia An asked softly.

Tang Wan wrinkled her nose, hummed in acknowledgment, and said, "The rain has stopped."

Spiders spin webs, and a long rain is always followed by clear skies. It was much like her own damp, dreary life over the past decade. She scooted closer, wrapping her arms around Xia An’s neck and resting her chin against his cheek. Her eyes stared blankly at the lemon-colored patches of light on the wall, where two decorative paintings—a diptych installed by the landlord—hung. They depicted a towering birch forest with a winding creek flowing through it. In this moment, the scene was bathed in a holy, luminous glow.

Tang Wan watched it intently. Her skin felt smooth, and so did Xia An’s. Her heart was quiet, devoid of distracting thoughts. She vaguely remembered having this feeling a long, long time ago. It felt like a trip she had taken with He Zhenzhen during college—moments at the Mogao Caves or the Jokhang Temple had felt just like this. It was so quiet, so peaceful.

His hand stroked her back and her hair gently. The sense of happiness and security rising from the very depths of her heart made Tang Wan want to purr. She finally understood why cats purred when they were petted.

*Past days in Tibet, half a lifetime in Dunhuang.*

In this sacred and pure morning, Tang Wan tapped her chin against Xia An’s cheek, telling him, "Xia An, I like you."

She stayed in that position without moving, only tightening her embrace. Her gaze drifted slightly. When she was in school, she had seen other students as couples, but she had never envied them; she had thought it was nothing special. Back then, she assumed love was just that—nuzzling and hugging. But no one had ever told her that hugging, kissing, and touching could be this blissful.

"I lived alone for ten years. Ten years, you know? I think I grew afraid of being close to anyone. But you, little Xia An, you just burst in, breaking down the door. You told me: you are free. But the stray cats on the street look free, too."

Tang Wan was talking to herself; Xia An couldn’t hear. What she wanted him to hear was: "I’m six years older than you—round that up and it’s ten. I’m twenty-five, round that up and it’s thirty. Lin Jiajia is already thirty, so you should call me..."

"Wait, hold on," Xia An interrupted, stopping her. "Is your math department always this loose with numbers?"

Tang Wan giggled against his ear. Xia An noticed that his face had suddenly become warm and damp. He turned his head; Tang Wan was crying while laughing. She shook her head, sniffled with a grin, and said, "Turns out people cry when they are very, very happy, too. Xia An, I want to save all my future tears for happiness, okay?"

Xia An reached up to wipe away her tears and chuckled, "No, a truly excellent man shouldn't let his lover's water flow from her eyes."

Strange enough, Tang Wan seemed to have grown up overnight; she instantly understood the hidden, suggestive meaning in his words. Xia An hugged the delicate, charming Tang Wan and rubbed her cheeks. "When we are in a relationship, what we should always remember and remind ourselves of is our identity and responsibility, never our age."

Every kind girl deserves to be treated like a princess in love. Tang Wan nodded in his arms.

As the morning sun rose higher, the shadows on the wall shifted to the floor. Tang Wan said she wanted to rent this apartment long-term. Xia An knew why—it was convenient for dating. But he told Tang Wan that living in the dormitory was livelier. He remembered that the doctoral apartments at Binhai University were in the same building as the international student housing, right by the sea, with a spectacular view. Plus, two people to a room meant shared space while still maintaining privacy—it was perfect.

He knew Tang Wan was afraid of the dark. "Won't you be scared living here by yourself?"

Tang Wan rubbed against his chest again, shaking her head. "My parents seem to know I'd be scared, so they haven't appeared in my dreams even once. I haven't dreamed of any other messy things, either."

In the past, she had at least lived next door to her nominal relatives, hearing their chickens and dogs, but that empty, massive villa had only felt eerie at night. If Tang Wan had to choose, she would rather live in a small, simple house where everything was in plain sight.

At nine o'clock, Tang Wan got up. Today was Friday, and she had to go to school to see her advisor again. "I got into the research group through the back door, so there’s a lot of paperwork to handle. Be a good boy and wait for me."

It seemed Xia An’s "immune-boosting therapy" from last night had worked, or perhaps He Zhenzhen’s imported medicine was just that potent. Their fevers had both broken. The sheets were damp with sweat, especially on Tang Wan’s side, as were the pillowcases.

Tang Wan sat up, her porcelain skin shielded only by a few stray locks of hair and her White Tara pendant. She was shy, but she suppressed it, letting Xia An look. She stood up from the bed, walked across the floor, and leaned over to kiss Xia An on the forehead with a smile. "Don't be impatient. What's meant to be yours will be yours sooner or later. As long as you come to find me when school starts, whether it’s true affection or a charade, I’ll give it all to you."

With that, she went to the bathroom to shower. Xia An lay back, hands behind his head, smiling in a daze.

When Tang Wan came out of the shower, wearing a pink bunny-ear hair-drying cap, she found a new outfit in the closet: a plain black T-shirt and black wide-leg jeans. Suddenly, she looked just like a female college student. Xia An scratched his rear as he walked over to the vanity, took the hairdryer from her hand, and gently and slowly dried her hair.

Tang Wan felt moved, but upon seeing his disheveled image in the mirror, she couldn't help but spit, "You look hideous!"

The two, who had only known each other for half a month, were getting along with such inexplicable candor—perfectly harmonious and incredibly natural. The warm air from the dryer blew behind her, and Tang Wan lifted her feet to put on white socks. Then, she obediently rested her hands on the chair, looking at herself and Xia An in the mirror, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

...

Tang Wan, wearing no makeup and the oversized, lensless glasses, told Xia An she would be back soon and left. Less than fifteen minutes later, she came clattering back up the stairs, carrying steamed buns and soy milk. She said it was strange—it seemed He Zhenzhen had come back last night. The Bentley was parked back in its spot, the keys left on the front-left tire, but Lin Jiajia’s car was gone.

Hearing this, Xia An, lying on the bed, shook his phone. "They bumped into each other at the hotel yesterday; Lin Jiajia gave her cupping therapy." Lin Jiajia had sent Xia An a text at two in the morning about it.

Tang Wan paused for two seconds, burst into laughter, and told Xia An to eat something before leaving again.

Xia An looked at his QQ Space.

—2006.7.27, 21:42
"The little brat is pretending to be a grown-up."
"Alright, I'm dizzy. Big sister is taking medicine, little brat should take medicine too."
"Mom bought me canned yellow peaches. Do you want some?"

—2006.7.28, 02:36
"Sweated it all out, fully recovered. See, adults are just better than little brats."
"Dreamed of a forest, with earthen houses and terraced fields."
"A very beautiful place."
"When I earn money, I’ll take my family on a trip. Mom, Dad, Uncle Xia, and Aunt Wei."
"Not taking the little brat."
"Do you want to go?"

*Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous:* Don't want to, and I advise someone else not to go either.
*Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous:* I’m also recovered. I know an immune-boosting therapy. Want to learn?

Xia An put down the phone, stretched his arms, and hopped out of bed, stark naked. He hadn't even finished one push-up when a text arrived.

*Le Ning:* Ate the canned peaches, took the medicine, I’m really recovered. How about you?

*Xia An:* Immune-boosting therapy, care to learn about it?

After sending the reply, Xia An fell into deep thought. After a long while, he whispered, "That’s right, it has nothing to do with He Zhenzhen at all!" He then pressed his palms together toward the window and silently intoned: "Oh, great God of Canned Yellow Peaches—"

...

Xia An, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, took the initiative to change the sheets and quilt cover for Tang Wan. That sheet he took off—my god, it wasn't even dry yet. He had to admit, he never expected Tang Wan to be a "natural-born moist body." For the Nth time, he was convinced he had struck gold—a treasure of a girl.

The washing machine hummed as Xia An wiped the floor and went to take a shower. The stubble on his chin was already quite long, but he couldn't find Tang Wan’s razor...

After finishing the buns, Xia An took the trash downstairs. He was far too familiar with Binhai University. He had walked every alleyway nearby and tasted everything in every little shop. Time stumbled along, seasons came and went. From the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year to every spring, summer, autumn, and winter for the next four years, he knew it all by heart.

Returning now, sniffing the familiar salty sea breeze and looking at the familiar street scene, the massive campus in the distance was tucked against the coastline, vibrant with youth. But no matter how hard he tried to walk these few hundred meters, he could no longer replicate the feeling of youth from that time. Clocks return to their starting point, but yesterday is always yesterday.

Twenty years later, passing the South Tower again, the old friends were indeed there, but every second from now on would be a brand-new, different story.

Entering through the East Gate, Xia An found the flower shop with his eyes closed. The proprietress was still young, possessing the same gentle and soft-spoken personality he remembered. Every morning, she would trim flower stems while sitting on a stool at the entrance. Xia An pulled out five yuan and bought two fresh sunflowers. He didn't venture any deeper into the school, turning back to Tang Wan’s apartment.

He had noticed a chubby, mauve vase on the windowsill last night. It was empty. Was Tang Wan dull? Clearly, that was an illusion. It was obviously waiting for him to complete the first floral arrangement. If he hadn't realized that, he would have lived his life in vain.

Humming a tune, he poured water and inserted the flowers. The two sunflowers cast two pairs of shadows against the glass. His phone buzzed in his pocket—a text from Tang Wan:

[Drive to the main building to pick me up, okay?]

Xia An scratched his head. The main building was only a ten-minute walk away. Drive?

[Okay.]

Xia An turned, brushing the large petals of the sunflowers as he left. The sunflowers seemed to sway, but there was no one left in the room to collect the sunlight they exhaled.

...

Tang Wan stood under the large rain canopy of the main building, clutching a folder and swaying her head, looking incredibly cute and eye-catching. She wasn't humming aloud, just tapping her feet to the rhythm in her heart. Yet, the boys standing nearby could clearly hear a cheerful melody. They were talking to their white-haired advisor, but their eyes couldn't help but glance toward her silhouette.

The folder in Tang Wan’s hand contained the various forms she had just filled out in duplicate. The academic office had already taken one copy; this one was for her Ph.D. advisor to keep. There were four other doctoral students in her research group, the four boys currently surrounding the professor. They were on the direct Ph.D. track and would need five more years of foundational study.

The doctoral student community had a small online circle, and over thirty people had set their sights on Professor Wang of the Binhai University Math Department. These ambitious individuals from all over had already gotten to know each other online. There was inside information that Professor Wang planned to take five students this year. So, those who could pull strings did, and those who needed to study, studied. In the end, the five boys all knew they had a high probability of being accepted.

And then, just a week ago, one guy got "rejected." Rumor had it a female student was parachuting in. A female student? Female Ph.D.s weren't rare, but a female Ph.D. in math? Well, she must be a "dinosaur" (ugly)!

On Monday, the five gathered, reported, and met. The four top-tier logical minds' first reaction was: *Delayed reaction.* The second: *God is unfair.* The third: *God exists.* The fourth: *Backdoor hiring?*

Yet, that wasn't entirely true. Professor Wang introduced the five new students to each other. Tang Wan’s name surfaced alongside her graduate thesis from years ago. Tang Wan! The Tang Wan from Zhejiang University! The Tang Wan who was a master of probability analysis and mental math! The Tang Wan who never lost at cards?!

If you compare basic primary and secondary education to making a balloon, undergraduate teaching is blowing it up. A master’s degree could be understood as poking a protrusion on the surface with a stick. A doctorate meant swapping the stick for a needle and poking again. The higher the education, the more specialized the field. The fewer the people in the circle.

The 2004 plagiarism scandal in the Zhejiang University Math Department had been a massive stir in the entire community. The math princess, who could have made it on looks alone, had eventually quit the circle and faded into obscurity. "Where did Tang Wan go?" "Did Tang Wan get married?" Such gossip had been rampant on the forums for quite a while.

That day, Tang Wan appeared out of thin air, her face unchanged. "Are we four the chosen ones blessed by God?" The four male students exchanged glances, sharing the same thought. "Yes, we must protect her!!!"

Today, their second meeting, only solidified that thought. However, the far-from-dull Tang Wan saw through them. After weighing things, she sent a text to Xia An, deciding it was better to state her position early.

After submitting their materials, the four boys bantered with each other, suggesting a group dinner under the guise of treating Professor Wang. Tang Wan shook her head, saying she couldn't today; she had a guest coming home. Two of the boys, who had cars, offered to give her a ride home. Tang Wan shook her head again, saying there was no need; where she lived wasn't far.

The boys didn't have any lecherous intentions. Seeing her direct refusal, they didn't push further, stopping their advances and waiting to the side for the professor's further instructions.

Tang Wan walked up to give Professor Wang the folder. He looked at her kindly and led her to a bench beneath the steps. He asked first, "Is Mr. Tang doing well?"

Tang Wan replied with a polite smile, "He is well."

Professor Wang opened the folder, checked it carefully, tied it back up, and said to Tang Wan, "Have you put aside your advanced operations research over the last two years?"

Tang Wan answered honestly, "I've almost forgotten it."

Professor Wang smiled. "Good, then let's go back in that direction. It’s clear you aren't interested in the research topics of those boys."

Tang Wan smiled gratefully. She understood that her advisor didn't want her to be pestered by the boys; he was protecting her.

"Before the semester starts, prepare a research proposal for me," Professor Wang said. Tang Wan nodded earnestly.

Just then, the roar of a 12-cylinder engine interrupted the cicadas and birds, approaching from afar. The dark green Bentley Continental rolled along the path, its wide tires kicking up dead leaves as it stopped by the bench in the dappled sunlight beneath the trees.

Tang Wan, her long legs stretched out and crossed, smiled and waved at the car. Xia An, wearing the same black T-shirt and sporting stubble, opened the door and stepped out.

"Xiao Wan, ready to go home?" he asked with a faint smile.

Tang Wan looked at Professor Wang first and said, "My boyfriend is here to pick me up."

"Go on, there’s nothing else," Professor Wang said, nodding toward them with a smile. "When school starts, I’ll organize a dinner for you all. Don't refuse then; you can bring your family."

Tang Wan smiled and agreed, then stood up and waved to the four boys on the steps who were standing there, dumbstruck. She skipped happily over to Xia An’s side, stood on her tiptoes, and pecked him on the cheek.

"Let’s go, we’re going to the hotel, I’ll reward you." This was said loudly.

"Rewarding your intelligence and efficiency. We’re going to find Zhenzhen to play poker and win a fortune off her." This was said very quietly.

As she said it, she pretended to be fierce, wrinkling her nose and clenching her small fists. After she finished, she giggled to herself.