Jiang Tian drove Huang Ling’er home.
Throughout the entire ride, Ling’er seemed to have something on her mind, constantly sneaking glances at Jiang Tian’s profile.
“You know my dad, don’t you…”
As they neared the school, Ling’er finally couldn’t hold back any longer. Frowning, she asked, “It seems like you’ve taught at the University of Pharmaceutical Sciences before…”
“Yes… I’m Jiang Tian, the head of the Yao Wang Group’s laboratory. I worked with your father for a while. Just call me Teacher Jiang!”
“I knew it was you!”
“But… I feel like I’ve met you even earlier than that, as if we were very familiar with each other…”
Ling’er lowered her head, frowning in deep thought, looking troubled. “But I can’t seem to remember! What’s wrong with my brain… Every time I try to think hard about it, I get a splitting headache.”
Jiang Tian felt a sharp pang in his heart, but he forced a lighthearted tone. “Maybe I just have one of those ordinary faces…”
“No, that’s not it…”
Ling’er shook her head vigorously, then dropped her gaze, covering her face with both hands. Her voice trembled with tears as she said, “That’s not it at all. Something must have happened between us, but I truly can’t remember…”
“Don’t overthink it…” Jiang Tian let out a helpless sigh.
It seemed her memories ran too deep—even his divine sense hadn’t fully erased them. He’d have to keep his distance from her from now on, or she might just piece it all back together.
But today had been an emergency—he’d had no choice but to show up.
“Maybe I’m just remembering wrong…”
Ling’er sighed in frustration, gazing at the blurry streetlights outside the window as she gradually calmed down.
Jiang Tian parked the car at the school gate, circled past the library, and headed toward the faculty housing complex on the side of the campus.
It was already 11 p.m., and the campus was eerily quiet.
Dead leaves drifted down from time to time along the tree-lined path, and the streetlights cast a warm yellow glow over the two of them as they walked in silence.
“Put this on.” Noticing she seemed a bit cold, Jiang Tian took off his short trench coat and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you, Professor Jiang.” Ling’er gave him a radiant smile.
“Don’t mention it.”
“Teacher Jiang, you don’t have to walk me any further. Thank you for today…”
At the entrance to the faculty quarters, Ling’er turned around, faced Jiang Tian, and gave him a deep bow.
“It’s nothing… I’m your dad’s friend, after all!” Jiang Tian said with a stiff smile.
“I… I…”
Ling’er returned the coat to him, hesitating, then looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and said softly, “Professor Jiang, may I give you a hug?”
The moment she said it, she startled even herself.
She knew it was impolite—downright strange, even—but she simply couldn’t control the overwhelming surge of emotion inside her.
She looked at him with a pleading, aggrieved expression, tears streaming down her face.
“Go on home…”
Jiang Tian patted her head and gave her a gentle smile. “It’s late—your parents will be worried.”
Just then, a delighted voice called out: “Brother-in-law! So this is where you are…”
Jiang Tian turned and saw Zhao Xueqing and her sister walking over quickly. He was equally surprised and smiled. “What are you two doing here?”
“Sister said she wanted to surprise you!” Zhao Qianru hopped over and grabbed Jiang Tian’s arm.
Damn, this is more of a shock than a surprise… Jiang Tian thought, secretly breaking out in a cold sweat.
There was no denying it—women’s intuition was terrifyingly sharp.
In fact, the moment Xueqing walked over, she spotted Ling’er. After a brief pause, she gave a knowing smile and asked, “Jiang Tian, who’s this…?”
She had already recognized her as the girl from the photo with Jiang Tian—only she looked more mature now, taller and more slender, with an added touch of elegance.
She thought to herself, Jiang Tian certainly has a good eye for women. This girl has a lovely face, a scholarly air, and a quiet, understated beauty that grows on you the more you look.
Still, she trusted Jiang Tian to know his boundaries. Even if he and this girl had once shared a history, he wouldn’t act recklessly. She was more inclined to believe that the girl was simply an admirer—after all, Jiang Tian’s charm these days was quite formidable.
Besides, she’d clearly seen from behind that the two had kept a respectful distance throughout their walk.
But then again—why were the girl’s eyes brimming with tears, and why were there tear tracks on her face?
“Oh, this is Professor Huang Zhihui’s daughter. I happened to run into her and was walking her back. Ling’er, this is my wife, Zhao Xueqing, and this is my sister-in-law…”
Jiang Tian smiled and introduced everyone.
“Hello, Mrs. Jiang!” Ling’er quickly bowed, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She was secretly amazed—how could Teacher Jiang’s wife be so beautiful? Her figure and looks were top-notch, and her ethereal, otherworldly aura made her seem like a fairy—far more striking than any actress on TV.
Only a woman like this could truly be worthy of Jiang Tian, she thought.
She felt a pang of shame and embarrassment. She’d just asked Jiang Tian for a hug—thank goodness he hadn’t gone through with it. If his wife had seen that, it would’ve been impossible to explain.
“Alright, you should head in now…” Jiang Tian gave a faint smile and waved for Ling’er to go first.
“Mm, goodbye Teacher Jiang! Goodbye Mrs. Jiang!” Ling’er bowed again, then turned and walked away.
The Zhao sisters and Jiang Tian headed back toward the school gate. They hadn’t driven, so they’d be taking Jiang Tian’s car home.
“She’s quite a pretty little thing, isn’t she? Jiang Tian, any thoughts?” Xueqing raised an eyebrow, her clear eyes studying him with amusement.
“What are you talking about? She’s just a regular friend…”
Startled, Jiang Tian quickly changed the subject. “So, why did you suddenly show up?”
“I’ve just about absorbed all the spiritual energy from the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array. I figured I’d make a surprise visit and see if you’ve been hiding a mistress somewhere!”
Xueqing teased him with a light smile.
“Absolutely not! I’ve been staying completely faithful to you, I swear!” Jiang Tian looked like he was ready to take an oath.
Oh man… Qing’er isn’t so easy to fool, is she? I can’t even deflect the conversation.
“What happened to your hands?”
Suddenly, he noticed she was wearing gloves—and it wasn’t even cold out. Suspicious, he asked.
“Oh, nothing… I burned them while cooking a while back.” Xueqing evaded the question.
“What do you mean? She wouldn’t listen to me and insisted on playing that white-ape antique zither…” Zhao Qianru ratted her out.
“Let me see…” Jiang Tian grabbed her wrist and pulled off the glove.
He saw that the tips of all five fingers were cracked and bleeding, covered in wounds—even her nails were broken, exposing raw pink flesh…
“It’s nothing, just a little injury…”
Seeing Jiang Tian’s eyes redden, Xueqing gently reassured him. “It’ll be better in a couple of days…”
“Sigh… Don’t play that zither anymore. I’ll find you the Emperor’s Daughter Flower as soon as I can.” Jiang Tian sighed, then said firmly.
“Qing’er! You’re here!”
Back at the villa, Ye Ziwei was overjoyed to see Xueqing. She grabbed her hands and chattered away with endless questions.
“Sister Ziwei, I’ll be done absorbing the energy from Jiang Tian’s array in about ten more days,” Xueqing said with a smile. “After that, I can stay in Jinling and be with Mom, Dad, and you every day!”
“Hehe, that’s wonderful. Mom and Dad are dying to hold a grandchild, you know…” Ye Ziwei teased.
“You girls chat—I’m going to take a shower.” Jiang Tian, with a face full of exasperation, quickly ducked into the bedroom.
“Why don’t you take a shower with Jiang Tian?” Ye Ziwei called out playfully.
“No way—you go ahead!” Xueqing shot back with a grin.
“Ha! I’m not interested in him!” Ye Ziwei laughed. “When I first came to the Jiang family, he was only six or seven. I’ve seen his bare bottom more times than I can count!”
The three women burst into silvery laughter. Xueqing laughed so hard she could barely speak. “Alright then, how about I shower with you tonight, Sister Ziwei? And I’ll sleep in your bed too!”
“Wouldn’t Jiang Tian hate me for that? You two are in your honeymoon phase after being apart!” Ye Ziwei teased.
But deep down, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Jiang Tian had taken Ling’er home, and now Xueqing had come back with him—she’d probably run into Ling’er and would want to ask a few questions.
Soon, the three women finished washing up. The Zhao sisters curled up with Ye Ziwei on the big bed, chatting idly.
In the end, it was the ever-helpful Zhao Qianru who couldn’t contain her curiosity and piped up first: “Sister Ziwei, do you know a girl named Huang Ling’er? I feel like she’s a little too attached to my brother-in-law…”
“Qianru, why are you bringing that up?” Xueqing frowned and shot her a look.
“She’s my brother-in-law’s ex-girlfriend, isn’t she?” Zhao Qianru said with a cheeky grin.
Ye Ziwei sat up, took a pack of ladies’ cigarettes from the nightstand, lit one, and exhaled a thin stream of smoke. She let out a wistful sigh. “Qing’er, this is a rather sad story… If you want to hear it, I’ll tell you…”
” Sis, I trust Jiang Tian’s character, and I’ve never doubted him…”
Xueqing gave an awkward smile. “But I do want to know more about his past—I want to understand him…”
“Ling’er really was Jiang Tian’s girlfriend. And she had a miscarriage because of him…”
After Ye Ziwei finished telling the story, both Zhao sisters were stunned into a long, heavy silence, their hearts churning with mixed emotions.
“Sis, that Huang Ling’er really went through a lot, didn’t she?”
Zhao Qianru said with a teary voice. “And my brother-in-law was pretty harsh—too cruel, even. Erasing her memories like that!”
“Sigh…”
Xueqing let out a long sigh and stayed quiet for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling with dazed, hollow eyes.
Zhao Qianru quickly added, “Sis, I didn’t mean it that way! I’m not saying I want my brother-in-law to take another wife. If she tries to compete with you, I’m definitely on your side—I’ll beat her up myself!”
“She doesn’t even remember Jiang Tian anymore. What’s there to compete over?” Ye Ziwei exhaled another puff of smoke and shook her head with a wry smile.
“Jiang Tian has been so good to me… He must be suffering inside too…”
Xueqing’s eyes reddened as she wiped away tears. “Ling’er gave up a lot for him too, didn’t she? He’s a man who values loyalty and love—how guilty and tormented must he feel?”
“The problem is, she could ask for anything else, but what she wants is love. And with you in the picture, how can Jiang Tian give her that?” Ye Ziwei said.
“Sis, these days, any man with a bit of ability gets involved with all sorts of women—taking multiple wives or mistresses…”
Xueqing smiled gently. “Jiang Tian is so outstanding, and I’m honestly just a nobody who doesn’t deserve him. If another woman falls for him and can keep him company and support him—and if he’s willing—I won’t stand in his way…”
“Hold on, hold on!”
Ye Ziwei quickly waved her hands. “Qing’er, don’t go down that road. You’ve finally got things in a good place—how can you just hand Jiang Tian over to someone else…”
“Mm, I’m not handing him over. It’s just—feelings are complicated. Who can really explain them? Let’s just let things take their natural course…”
Xueqing thought of Ling’er’s tear-streaked face, and her heart ached with sorrow.
