Chapter 189
"Alright, then I'll wait for you right here, but you need to be quick." Zheng Lanhui ultimately didn't complain too much in front of Mu's mother.
"Okay, I'll be right back." Mu's mother hugged the wooden basin in her arms, turned around, and ran toward the village.
After she walked away, a look of disdain appeared on Zheng Lanhui's face.
It was just a shabby fishing village, yet they acted like it was some kind of secret base, saying outsiders weren't allowed in—how utterly ridiculous.
People raised in a place like this were mostly good-for-nothings who couldn't amount to anything, just like that woman.
Zheng Lanhui waited at the village entrance for a long time, the sun overhead making her feel dizzy and drowsy.
Just as she was thinking about whether to simply walk into the village to find someone, she saw Mu's mother approaching with Mu Shian in tow.
"Shian-ge!" The moment Zheng Lanhui spotted Mu Shian, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face, and she waved at him enthusiastically.
Mu Shian's expression darkened slightly.
"Shian, Lanhui said she has something confidential to tell you. Maybe your teacher asked her to pass along a message—go and ask her first." Mu's mother noticed that Mu Shian seemed reluctant, so she spoke up.
Hearing the mention of his teacher, Mu Shian finally restrained the emotion in his eyes and walked toward Zheng Lanhui at the village entrance.
Mu's mother let out a slight sigh of relief and didn't follow, staying where she was.
She hoped Zheng Lanhui really did have a way to get Mu Shian back to the city.
He had been clever since childhood, and his family had high hopes for him. He'd also lived up to those expectations and earned the deep respect of his teacher.
If it hadn't been for what happened to the family, his future would have been limitless. If he really had to spend the rest of his life as a carpenter in the village, then all the hardships he'd endured before would have been for nothing.
"..."
Mu Shian had already walked up to Zheng Lanhui, but he kept a distance of about half a meter between them.
"Comrade Zheng, did Teacher have a message for me?" Mu Shian's tone was as distant as ever.
"Shian-ge, are you still angry with me?" Zheng Lanhui's face immediately took on a hurt expression at his cold demeanor.
"I was wrong to be upset. I was just too surprised, and when I heard about you marrying into someone's family, I was afraid you'd be mistreated, so I said some harsh things. I'm apologizing to you now."
Zheng Lanhui knew Mu Shian had always been an upright and tolerant person.
Add to that the fact that her father was his most respected teacher, and she figured that if she showed a little weakness, he wouldn't make things too difficult for her out of regard for her father.
But Zheng Lanhui was mistaken this time. Even after her apology, Mu Shian's face showed no real emotion.
"Comrade Zheng, if you only came here to say that, then I've received your apology. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now." Mu Shian turned to leave.
Zheng Lanhui hadn't expected Mu Shian to be so hard-hearted nowadays. She froze for a moment, then quickly called out to him.
"No, that's not it! Besides apologizing, the most important thing is that my father asked me to pass along a message to you."
Hearing this, Mu Shian paused mid-step and turned back to look at her.
"What message?"
"It's a bit confidential. Can we find a quieter place to talk?" Zheng Lanhui asked.
Mu Shian frowned slightly. "Are you sure it's a message from Teacher?"
"I can swear to you, it really is from my father." Zheng Lanhui even raised her hand as if taking an oath.
Only then did Mu Shian's expression relax a little. He led Zheng Lanhui to a large tree nearby.
The rest of the village was out working, so almost no one would come here.
"Alright, no one's around. What message did Teacher have for me?" Mu Shian got straight to the point.
He had left so suddenly, and his project with his teacher was at a critical stage. He wondered if their research had hit a bottleneck, which was why Zheng Lanhui had been sent to find him.
"Shian-ge..." Zheng Lanhui tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and instinctively took a step forward, trying to get closer to Mu Shian. But the moment she moved, he stepped back.
Zheng Lanhui froze in place, staring at him with a wounded expression.
"You can speak from right there. I can hear you fine." Mu Shian said.
Zheng Lanhui bit her lower lip but finally withdrew the foot she'd taken.
"Shian-ge, do you want to go back to the capital?" Zheng Lanhui knew that if she didn't offer something useful, Mu Shian would lose patience and stop talking to her.
"What do you mean by that?" Mu Shian narrowed his dark eyes.
"If you're willing, my father says he has a way to get you back to the capital, and you can even resume working with him on his research." Zheng Lanhui gazed at Mu Shian intently.
She knew he was devoted to his research. Once she dangled this offer, he wouldn't be able to refuse.
"And the price?" Mu Shian's reaction, however, was far calmer than Zheng Lanhui had expected.
Zheng Lanhui was a little taken aback. Even the prospect of returning to the lab didn't stir him anymore?
"Is there no price?" Mu Shian repeated when she remained silent.
"There is... there is..." Zheng Lanhui finally spoke.
"Then say it." Mu Shian said flatly.
"You know your family's been labeled as capitalists. That's something my father can't change. But you're different from your parents. You never had anything to do with the family business—your record is completely clean."
"Besides, you worked with my father on research for so long. As long as he vouches for you, and you cut ties with your family, he can find a way to get you reassigned back to the capital." Zheng Lanhui said.
"All I have to do is sever ties with my family?" Mu Shian stared at her without blinking.
Zheng Lanhui's expression flickered with evasion. After a long pause, she stammered.
"Of course, a verbal declaration of estrangement isn't enough. I'd need... I'd need you to marry me. That way, with my family backing you, you could return to the capital." Zheng Lanhui's cheeks flushed slightly as she said this.
She'd had to beg her father for a long time after their last meeting to get this outcome.
She'd originally planned to take a slower approach by working here first.
But now that Mu Shian was already married, she couldn't afford to wait any longer, so she had to up the stakes.
With such a tempting offer, she refused to believe Mu Shian could turn it down.
"I'm grateful for Teacher's kind intentions. Please tell him I appreciate it, but unfortunately, I'm already married. There's no way I can marry you." Mu Shian rejected her outright.
The smile on Zheng Lanhui's face instantly froze.
"Shian-ge, did you hear what I just said clearly?" Zheng Lanhui's tone grew urgent.