Chapter 5

Chapter 5

No one ended up eating that meal.

My advisor announced on the spot that he was withdrawing from the project, and that they were not to put his name in the advisor column. If they did, he would sue them for defamation.

Then, without taking a single bite of food, he led me straight out.

By the time I got home, Xie Qingyue had already been waiting in the living room for a long time.

This little apartment looked as if nothing had changed.

It was still the life I had once yearned for: one home, two people, three meals, four seasons.

And yet it felt as if everything had changed.

I said nothing and walked into the bedroom on my own.

“Whether you believe it or not, Fu Yao joining our institute followed completely normal procedures. Don’t act like I have some kind of power to interfere-”

“Do you know why I insisted on doing a PhD?”

I cut him off directly. “Because you were the one who told me that all these years, even though your job postings said a master’s degree was enough, the people who actually got hired all had PhDs.

“So why is a one-year master’s good enough now?”

Xie Qingyue froze slightly, clearly not expecting me to know Fu Yao’s educational background so well.

An American bachelor’s and master’s. Nine years in total.

Marriage, childbirth, and divorce in between.

He was silent for a few seconds before patiently explaining, “Since our hiring requirements state that a master’s degree is acceptable, then there has always been a possibility of admission.

“Both of you are genuinely capable. It’s just that this year, the institute wanted to bring in some fresh blood, create some different kinds of sparks. It’s already hard to innovate when everyone comes from the same academic system.”

“Whose idea was that?”

“What do you mean, whose idea? Obviously it was the result of collective discussion!”

Maybe he realized his tone had been too harsh, because he tried to take my hand.

“Very few people know about our relationship. If anything, that made this recruitment even more objective and fair.”

“Xiao Xi, there is always someone better out there. You have to learn to accept that.”

The corner of my mouth twitched. I looked at him with something that was almost a smile. “Then the fact that you and Fu Yao were high school classmates is common knowledge. I wonder if that had any influence on the hiring results?”

“Lin Xi!”

Xie Qingyue’s face darkened abruptly, and he said in displeasure, “You come from a single-parent family too. Why can’t you show a little understanding for Fu Yao?

“It’s not as if you don’t know how much malice this society has toward women. She’s raising a child all by herself. What do you expect her to do?”

I looked at him in confusion. For a moment, I genuinely had no idea how to express how speechless I was.

“So there is malice toward divorced women with children, but no malice toward unmarried, childless women like me?”

He opened his mouth, looking as if he were helplessly compromising.

“The two of you are different. I will marry you. We’re getting married soon. Even if you don’t earn any money, I’ll support you.

“Fu Yao is raising a child alone. It hasn’t been easy for her…

“Do you know? That day when I ran into her, she was at the airport by herself, dragging a suitcase and holding her child, completely lost… It made me think of what you told me about your childhood. I really couldn’t bear it…”

The corner of my mouth twitched. I looked at him expressionlessly. “Can I believe you?”

Xie Qingyue held my hand with extraordinary firmness and said each word with emphasis. “I have never lied to you. Not once.”

Unfortunately, that sentence itself was a lie.