Chapter 12: Heart as Still as Water
On Friday afternoon, Fu Rangyi was in his office guiding two students through revisions to their thesis proposal reports, while also discussing progress with the master’s student under his supervision.
It was almost time to get off work, but the students still had not left. A teacher from the next office came by to chat, and as they talked, the topic eventually landed on Fu Rangyi.
“Teacher Xiao Fu, the wedding candy you gave us last time was really delicious, and the packaging was beautiful too. My child especially liked it. I searched online but couldn’t find the same one. What brand was it?”
The moment they heard “wedding candy,” several students immediately exchanged glances and pricked up their little ears in unison.
Fu Rangyi’s smile was very faint, and he said gently, “Sorry, I’m not too sure either. My spouse prepared it.”
Fake.
Zhu Zhixi had no idea about the wedding candy at all. Fu Rangyi had asked Li Qiao to find someone and casually customize it.
But as soon as he said this, the other two teachers immediately started joking.
“Oh my, marriage really does make a difference. How happy.”
“Well, they’re newlyweds, after all. But Teacher Fu hid it way too well. There wasn’t even a bit of news before, and then suddenly he was married.”
“Exactly. This marriage was too sudden. That day, when I saw Teacher Xiao Fu’s Moments post, I thought it was an April Fool’s joke! You don’t even bring your wife out for a walk. We should all have a meal together and get to know each other.”
Fu Rangyi remained mild. “He’s rather introverted and doesn’t handle crowded occasions well, so we haven’t even held the wedding yet.”
Introverted. Fu Rangyi himself wanted to laugh after saying it.
“Really? That shy? Or is Teacher Fu trying to hide a beauty away in a golden house?”
“No matter what, next time we have a gathering, Teacher Fu must bring his family member. Otherwise, we won’t agree.”
Fu Rangyi smiled gently but did not actually agree. Only after the two teachers left together did he turn his chair and look at his student, only to find that she was holding her phone and typing away at lightning speed.
“Have you finished revising all the parts I mentioned?” Fu Rangyi asked.
Hearing her teacher’s voice out of nowhere, the student was so frightened she trembled. Her hand loosened, and the phone fell.
But Fu Rangyi reached out and caught it.
He placed the phone back on the desk, pressing it on top of the student’s proposal report.
“Thank you, teacher.”
“It’s fine. Be careful.”
Hold onto your crime tool properly.
Everyone understood Fu Rangyi’s personality. They knew he was gentle, friendly, and could even joke around occasionally. So even after being caught red-handed, she was not afraid. Instead, she grinned mischievously.
“Teacher Fu, what wedding candy did Teacher’s Wife buy? It’s so delicious. Can you give us a few pieces too?”
“Yes, yes.”
Even the graduate student beside them chimed in, “Teacher, I want wedding candy too. I also want to meet Teacher’s Wife. Can we see him at the next lab dinner?”
The students chattered noisily, each of them calling him Teacher’s Wife, making Fu Rangyi’s head ache.
Fu Rangyi was quiet for a moment, then raised his head to look at the girl who had asked first.
He asked gently, “When you’re chatting, you’re so witty and eloquent, full of inspiration, as if even typing with two hands isn’t enough. So why is it that once you get to your proposal report, every step becomes so difficult?”
Hearing this, the student’s eyes widened, and she exchanged glances with another classmate standing behind the teacher.
What happened to Teacher Fu today? Isn’t he the gentlest, Bodhisattva-type supervisor in the whole department?
No idea. Who provoked him?
The office instantly quieted down. Everyone went back to doing their own work, and no one dared to ask anything more. The topic of wedding candy ended there.
Fu Rangyi moved the mouse, opened the 3D model his graduate student had sent him, and discussed the details with him.
“Regarding the lead element source tracing of this bronze statue, last year Teacher Zhu Min’s team published a paper that used isotope analysis to study it. I’ll send it to you. You can take a look.”
As he spoke, he opened his email, only to suddenly discover that he had ten unread emails.
For someone like him, who had a compulsion about red notification dots, this was extremely rare and extremely unbearable.
So Fu Rangyi opened “All Unread.” But the moment he saw the neatly lined-up identical senders, his temple throbbed sharply, and he immediately closed the email.
The graduate student beside him said nothing, only watching his expression.
“I’ll find it for you later.” Fu Rangyi lowered his head to glance at his watch, opened a drawer, took out a box of allergy medicine, and stood up to leave. “I have something to do today, so I’ll go first. You all should go eat earlier too.”
When it came to work, Fu Rangyi was extremely diligent.
Even when he had no classes, he spent most of his time working overtime on research and almost never left his post early. Unlike those supervisors who were always hard to track down, being his student was quite fortunate. There was no need to chase him according to his class schedule.
If they wanted him to revise a paper, they did not even need to send a WeChat message. Knocking on his office door was enough.
He was also very willing to spend time guiding students and would never leave the moment working hours ended.
This was the first time he had left early. Several students were very surprised and could not help sharing gossip in their small group chat again, guessing whether their supervisor was going on a date.
However, when Fu Rangyi struggled free from the evening rush-hour traffic and arrived at the museum entrance ten minutes early, he began regretting this decision.
He saw Zhu Zhixi standing at the entrance with an Alpha, chatting and laughing.
Zhu Zhixi was dressed thinly. Over a mustard-green sweater, he wore a short dark brown leather jacket, and that was all he had on top. Loving beauty over warmth had always been his dressing habit. The Fendi monogram scarf around his neck already counted as his respect for the late-December temperature.
The sky was already dark, yet his sunglasses had been pushed up onto his head. He was a little shorter than that person, so when he spoke, he would slightly lift his face. His round eyes were rather focused, staring without blinking, brighter than even the diamond hoop hanging by his ear.
The wind was truly strong, blowing his scarf open, but it still did not scatter the enthusiasm between the two people chatting outdoors.
Zhu Zhixi: naturally familiar with people, extremely fond of physical contact, completely unguarded toward others.
No principles. No sense of boundaries. No self-control.
The contract had been signed quickly, and promises had been made easily, but outside, he still had no awareness at all that he was already someone’s husband.
The bombardment of emails, the harassing text messages, the traffic jam that had turned the whole route red—these had all driven Fu Rangyi’s mood down to freezing point. And the scene before him gave him an outlet for his emotions.
So he temporarily stopped the car across the street, crossed the road, and walked straight over.
Before he even reached the steps, he was hit by pheromones hard enough to make him frown.
How much had this person released?
Unfortunately, standing opposite him was a Beta. It was truly like throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man.
A strange eucalyptus-leaf scent. Truly unpleasant.
Perhaps because he was in a terrible mood and could not bear to see anyone else doing well, or perhaps because of some wicked amusement, Fu Rangyi deliberately acted like an affectionate partner, shattering this suitor’s heart.
“You’re already married?”
Hearing Fu Rangyi’s words, Zhou Ming could not hide the shock on his face. He had not sensed much pheromone scent from Zhu Zhixi, only a faint bit of vetiver and agarwood, probably something accidentally picked up.
Added to the fact that Zhu Zhixi had never mentioned it, he had naturally assumed Zhu Zhixi was single.
Yet now, Zhu Zhixi nodded very calmly. “That’s right.”
He even smiled and linked his arm through Fu Rangyi’s, smiling at Zhou Ming. “We only got married recently. You couldn’t tell, right?”
The unexpected intimate contact made Fu Rangyi freeze for a second. He lowered his head and glanced at Zhu Zhixi’s hand.
His finger joints were red from the cold.
Who knew why he insisted on chatting in the cold wind.
Dressed like this for a date, freezing to death would serve him right.
“Speaking of which, his work is actually quite related to museums.” Zhu Zhixi introduced him enthusiastically. “He teaches at S University’s School of Archaeology and Museology. His research focuses on prehistory, specifically Neolithic archaeology.”
He used the information from the previous questionnaire perfectly and felt quite proud of it. So he lifted his face and smiled at Fu Rangyi, lightly bumping his shoulder and saying in an extremely low voice, “Right, husband?”
An indescribable emotion surged up from the bottom of Fu Rangyi’s heart.
He glanced at the Alpha opposite them, who was clearly somewhat discouraged, and smiled as he nodded.
“Mm.”
“So do the three of us count as half-colleagues now?” Zhu Zhixi was still just as enthusiastic as before. “Let’s have dinner together when we have time!”
Zhou Ming’s smile was obviously a little bitter, and his way of addressing Fu Rangyi became much more polite. “All right. I didn’t expect your husband to be an expert. What a pleasant surprise. If we run into more specialized questions later, we’ll be able to ask you directly.”
The curve of Fu Rangyi’s smile remained very slight, and his tone was gentle.
“You flatter me. I’m not some expert. I just happen to be doing research in this area. But I’d be very happy to discuss it together.”
After saying this, he reached out, pulled up Zhu Zhixi’s scarf, which was almost falling to the ground, and wrapped it around his shoulders for him.
“We really should have a meal together. In the future, I’ll have to trouble Director Zhou to take good care of him at work.” Fu Rangyi was extremely polite. He paused briefly. “But unfortunately, not today. We still have a family dinner and can’t be late.”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”
Zhu Zhixi shrugged with slight regret, waved goodbye to Zhou Ming, smiled and said, “See you next time,” then added, “Let’s talk on WeChat,” before finally leaving.
Fu Rangyi also mercilessly withdrew his arm, maintaining a safe distance that felt very unsafe to Zhu Zhixi.
Back in the car, Fu Rangyi took out his phone to start navigation. But the moment the navigation voice came on, the volume was astonishingly loud, startling both of them at the same time.
“Why is your phone volume so loud?” Zhu Zhixi fastened his seat belt. “People would think you were using an elderly phone.”
And whose fault was it that I turned the volume all the way up? Wasn’t it because of your happiest minute in the world?
Fu Rangyi said nothing, lowered the volume, and started the car.
Zhu Zhixi comfortably leaned back in the seat. Just as he felt he had warmed up a little, the driver inexplicably turned on outside air circulation and lowered the window. Cold wind poured into the car with a whoosh.
“Why are you opening the window?” Zhu Zhixi raised the one on his side. “It’s so cold. Are you taking revenge on me? I only complained once.”
“I thought you weren’t afraid of the cold.” Fu Rangyi’s tone was very flat, skipping over his first question.
“How could that be? I was almost freezing to death. Good thing you came quickly.”
As soon as Zhu Zhixi finished speaking, the car windows rose together again, as if voice-controlled.
The heater in the car was also turned up. Before long, the temperature rose.
In the warm, dry space, he smelled the car fragrance, faint threads of scent. It was the sandalwood fragrance Fu Rangyi liked, the same as the one in their home.
Thinking of what Fu Rangyi had said earlier, Zhu Zhixi inexplicably felt a little pleased, even though he knew those were merely polite words Fu Rangyi had said to an outsider.
But if there was an advantage to take, why not take it?
“Just now, you said I could ask you for advice about work.” Zhu Zhixi leaned a little closer toward the driver’s seat. “Was that true?”
The moment he came closer, Fu Rangyi could not help frowning.
Seeing that he did not speak, Zhu Zhixi simply grew bolder and stretched out a finger, poking his shoulder while creating “necessary” physical contact.
“Can I hire you as my professional consultant? This is my first time doing an exhibition on ancient cultural relics. I really need an expert like you to guide me.”
“No.”
“What is wrong with you?” Zhu Zhixi stopped sweetening his voice. “You’re very good at pretending to be a nice person outside.”
“Mm, you’re right. So if there’s anything you don’t understand, ask the deputy director more.”
Fu Rangyi turned the steering wheel, looking as if he had completely detached himself, his heart as still as water. “But I advise you to be a little more guarded around Alphas. Don’t be like an idiot who knows nothing.”
He thought Zhu Zhixi would immediately fire back without hesitation.
However, Zhu Zhixi was quiet for two seconds. He leaned back against the passenger seat, tilted his head against the car window, but his eyes were looking at him.
“I know.” His voice was very soft. Perhaps because he had been exposed to the wind, his words were a little sticky, carrying a slight nasal tone.
“What do you know?” Fu Rangyi raised an eyebrow.
“Zhou Ming has feelings for me.” Zhu Zhixi’s tone was light and calm, as if he were stating something unrelated to himself.
This surprised Fu Rangyi somewhat.
“You sensed him releasing pheromones toward you?”
“Not really. You forgot, I’m a Beta.”
Zhou Ming was not a top-tier Alpha either. The suppressive force of his pheromones was very limited. Releasing those pheromones outdoors in an open space was not enough to make a Beta feel physiological submission.
“What does his pheromone smell like?” Zhu Zhixi looked at Fu Rangyi and blinked.
Fu Rangyi coldly glanced at him and said nothing, looking as if he had absolutely no desire to answer his question.
Zhu Zhixi noticed this and also understood that Fu Rangyi was someone with principles. To him, discussing someone else’s pheromones was a kind of offense.
But Zhu Zhixi somewhat enjoyed stepping on the line of Fu Rangyi’s principles. His wicked amusement made him happy.
So he tugged at Fu Rangyi’s arm again, signaling for him to answer.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Fu Rangyi freed one hand and loosened the button at his shirt collar, not looking at Zhu Zhixi’s face.
“Don’t you ask every new friend you meet? What, you don’t consider Director Zhou a friend?”
Zhu Zhixi was suddenly a little speechless.
That was true.
“I forgot. I only thought of it after getting in the car.” Zhu Zhixi pouted. “I just suddenly got a little curious.”
Fu Rangyi was silent for a few seconds. When waiting at a red light, he turned his face and said to Zhu Zhixi, “Eucalyptus leaves.”
Zhu Zhixi processed it for a moment, then said in sudden realization, “Ah, so I smell like eucalyptus leaves right now.”
It probably did not smell very good.
Still…
A sentence popped into Zhu Zhixi’s mind, but he felt something was not quite right and immediately stopped himself.
It’s still not as nice as Xiao En’s pheromones.
Fu Rangyi gave no response and quietly drove through the intersection.
This reaction made Zhu Zhixi feel bored, so after a brief silence, he returned to the previous topic on his own.
“Actually, when it comes to someone having feelings for you, a lot of the time you can tell without pheromones.”
Fu Rangyi actually did not ignore him. “For example?”
“For example… their eyes? When people meet someone they like, their eyes become like a puppy’s. Their tone is different too. Some people are very obvious. As they talk, their face turns red. I see it and think to myself, wow, how magical. So people blushing from shyness really is visible to the naked eye.”
As he spoke, Zhu Zhixi kept looking out the window.
White mist condensed on the glass. He raised his hand, drew a tiny heart, then wiped it away.
Fu Rangyi did not speak.
The more he understood him, the more he discovered that Zhu Zhixi’s true self was completely different from what he had imagined.
He looked innocent, but his perception of emotions was not dull. Quite the opposite, he saw very clearly. He only used his identity as a Beta to pretend he noticed nothing, using this dignified method to cover up his lack of feeling, so the other person would not be hurt.
He seemed like the type who was very unwilling to hurt others.
“Do people often show interest in you?” he asked again.
Zhu Zhixi was quite honest. “Kind of. Alphas, Betas, Omegas, all of them. To be honest, there are more Alphas. But to me, they’re all the same, because I can’t sense the existence of pheromones at all. It’s like someone who’s color-blind seeing everything as the same color. There’s no need to distinguish.”
At this moment, he showed a rare kind of coldness. It was a side the usually bright and warm Zhu Zhixi never revealed.
And for some inexplicable reason, this made Fu Rangyi feel a magnetic field of resonance. A kind of weariness toward being liked and pursued.
The two of them fell silent at the same time, then spoke almost at the same time as well, with a strangely eerie tacit understanding.
“So instead, I think getting along with you is very relaxing.” / “I actually envy you quite a bit.”
After speaking in unison, Zhu Zhixi turned his head to look at Fu Rangyi. “You envy me? You envy a gender like mine that doesn’t have to take responsibility?”
Fu Rangyi did not answer. Instead, he was thinking about the words he had blurted out.
After driving through the dark, tree-lined road, he stopped the car at the entrance of the Fu family villa. After honking, he waited for the housekeeper to open the gate. Under the deep blue night sky, the headlights shone straight onto the gunmetal-black gate panels, dust spinning and dancing between the beams of light. The surroundings were silent.
Before long, the gate slowly opened to both sides. The headlights stretched farther, and Fu Rangyi drove into the garage.
After turning off the engine, he asked in a low voice, “Do you feel that it’s relaxing between us because you think it’s impossible for us to fall in love with each other?”
Author’s Note:
—Mini Theater: Student Group Chat—
[Holy crap!! I got gossip in Teacher Fu’s office!]
[What, what? Cut the melon quickly!]
[Just now, Teacher Wang came by to chat and said the wedding candy Teacher Fu gave out was delicious. Teacher Fu said his “spouse” bought it. Oh my god…]
[Help, oxygen tank.JPG]
[Teacher Wang even told Teacher Fu to bring his wife to the next group dinner. Teacher Fu smiled so gently.]
[Teacher, teacher, we like you. Can we meet your wife?]
[When class ended, I saw Teacher walking while sending WeChat messages. Is this still our Teacher Fu?]
[You left something out. I also saw Teacher watching a cat video! It must have been sent by Teacher’s Wife. He wasn’t wearing earphones and played it out loud by his ear. He stood still in the hallway and didn’t move. His expression was super cute, especially serious!]
[I’m really too curious. What kind of person managed to subdue a celibate ascetic like Teacher Fu? And they even got married. It must be especially sweet.]
[Teacher Fu said his wife is especially introverted. So surprising.]
[Huh? Then when they were dating, did they talk? It wouldn’t be like a silent film, right?]
[Anyway, they definitely wouldn’t fight~]
[Eh? Where’s my gossip informant? Why did they suddenly disappear?]
[Help, I just got caught by Teacher Fu… My phone almost fell, but luckily Teacher caught it for me.]
[It’s fine. Teacher Fu wouldn’t get angry.]
[The strange thing is, he did get angry… He even made sarcastic remarks. I thought I was dreaming.]
[How is that possible? It’s Teacher Fu!]
[Really! I suspect it’s because we kept saying “Teacher’s Wife,” and Teacher wasn’t happy about it.]
[You’re done for. Teacher must have had a huge burst of possessiveness! Now I believe he’s a top-tier Alpha. This possessiveness is carved into his genes. Teacher’s Wife is blessed…]
[Even the most pure-hearted person can’t sit still when they meet their wife.]
[I have a feeling Teacher will become a completely different person during his susceptible period. Teacher’s Wife, take care… The more restrained an Alpha is, the scarier his susceptible period is.]
[Teacher Fu left early, friends! First time ever!]
[Did he leave before evening rush hour to go on a date!?? Teacher, your heart is no longer in work!]
[Old house on fire, everyone please be understanding. Teacher, I spoke up for you, please don’t screenshot me.]
[Teacher, don’t leave. Show us your wife…]
