Chapter 58: Accompanying Him at Work
“Why are you hiding your phone?”
Zhu Zhixi stuffed a quail egg into his mouth. As he chewed, he leaned over and bumped Fu Rangyi with his shoulder a few times, mumbling indistinctly, “I want to see.”
“See what?” Fu Rangyi guarded his position to the death. He absolutely could not let Zhu Zhixi discover that he was posting such an unserious thread on an anonymous campus forum.
Zhu Zhixi looked suspicious. “You were clacking away on your phone just now and wouldn’t let me see… Who are you chatting with?”
A lot of people. The entire faculty and student body.
“Just replying to work messages.” Fu Rangyi changed the subject somewhat stiffly. “I’m leaving soon. A lot of things need to be handed over in the group chat in advance.”
Zhu Zhixi’s eyes rolled as he thought it over for a moment. “Fine.”
He got through it that easily? Fu Rangyi found it a little unbelievable.
Yet in the next second, Zhu Zhixi let out a long sigh and put on a wounded little expression. “My husband has grown up. He has his own little secrets now.”
Fu Rangyi: “…”
Sure enough, still the same drama king.
“We’ve only been married…” Zhu Zhixi paused, began counting on his fingers, then continued, “Two months. Not even a hundred days if you count it properly. Beautiful things really are…”
“All right, stop being cringe.” Fu Rangyi took a wet wipe from his pocket, tore it open, and pulled his hand over, carefully wiping it for him. “Wipe your hands clean before eating.”
“Can’t you let me finish my lines?” Zhu Zhixi frowned, but obediently switched hands. “Do you know how much improvisation depends on the cooperation of your scene partner? You really couldn’t be an actor. What a waste of that handsome face.”
Fu Rangyi gave a low laugh. After wiping his hands, he looked up. “Then continue.”
Zhu Zhixi picked up his chopsticks. “Forget it. I forgot my lines.”
“Beautiful things really are…” Fu Rangyi reminded him.
“You’re so serious.” Zhu Zhixi stuffed a big mouthful of meat into his mouth. “This is so good!”
He immediately lowered his head and began performing a fat-removal surgery on the braised pork with his chopsticks, separating out a clean piece of lean meat and placing it on a spoon. Then he added a quail egg on top and brought it to Fu Rangyi’s lips. “Ah—”
Fu Rangyi was not quite used to it. No one had ever fed him before. But seeing the expectant look in Zhu Zhixi’s eyes, he still opened his mouth and ate it.
“Your cooking is way too good.” Zhu Zhixi mixed rice with the sauce, eating with great enjoyment. “You’ve spoiled my palate.”
“You used to be too undiscerning.” Fu Rangyi said, “When you were hungry, you’d dip bell peppers in yogurt and gnaw on raw carrots.”
“When I was out traveling, having anything to eat was already good enough. There was no way to be that picky.” As he spoke, he took a big gulp of chicken soup and let out a long, satisfied breath.
Fu Rangyi liked watching him eat. Zhu Zhixi had good table manners. He chewed with his mouth closed, his cheeks puffed out, eating quickly, cleanly, and with such relish. Many times, Fu Rangyi had been deceived by the way he ate and mistakenly thought whatever he was eating must be delicious. He would secretly follow suit and try it, only to be fooled again and again, in different ways every time.
He really was suited to filming food commercials.
Fu Rangyi said, “When I’m not here, you still need to eat properly.”
Zhu Zhixi nodded while eating. “Got it.”
“Wear more. The weather’s been changing a lot lately. Don’t just care about looking good and ignore everything else.”
Zhu Zhixi nodded again. “Okay.”
“Be more guarded around other people, especially Alphas.”
At that, Zhu Zhixi finally could not hold back his laughter.
Fu Rangyi’s dissatisfaction was obvious. “What are you laughing at?”
Zhu Zhixi suppressed his smile and shook his head, lowering his head to pick at the rice grains in his bowl. “Reporting to Teacher Fu, I just naturally love laughing.”
“You think I’m wrong? Or do you think I’m petty?” Fu Rangyi raised an eyebrow. “Zhu Zhixi, you broke the rule twice just now. I broke it once. Even wiping the slate clean like this is already generous enough.”
“Is that the same thing?” Zhu Zhixi finished speaking, then frowned. “What twice? When did I do it twice?”
Fu Rangyi recited them as if counting family treasures. “Just now, you said you were ‘starving to death.’ And before I came over to greet you, you told that sandalwood-scented golden retriever that you ‘wouldn’t even if you died.’ Don’t remember?”
“It really was…” Zhu Zhixi craned his neck. “Then punish me. No need for you to be so generous. Give me an order.”
Fu Rangyi was quiet for a moment, then said magnanimously, “No need.”
“Really?” Zhu Zhixi was somewhat surprised and muttered softly, “Is this still the same Teacher Fu who likes giving people fifty-nine points…”
Fu Rangyi said, “That agreement is only between you and me. You don’t need to follow it when speaking to outsiders.” That was the formal reason.
As for content, Zhu Zhixi had said he would never divorce even if he died, so there was ample reason for pardon.
Zhu Zhixi said softly, “Fine, my vinegar-braised husband.”
“What?”
“Ah, I said, I want to eat vinegar-braised shredded potatoes.” Zhu Zhixi smiled ingratiatingly. “Make it for me tonight.”
Fu Rangyi neither agreed nor refused. He used a small fork to spear a strawberry and handed it to him.
After eating, the two tidied everything up together and prepared to leave the break room. Before they went out, Fu Rangyi pulled over Zhu Zhixi’s hand and lowered his head to take off his ruby wedding ring.
“Mm?” Zhu Zhixi watched as the ring was removed, his tone a little panicked. “What are you doing?”
Fu Rangyi said nothing. He slipped the ring onto his own pinky, then took hand cream from his pocket, squeezed some into his palm, spread it out slightly, and wrapped Zhu Zhixi’s hand in his own to apply it for him.
“You wiped with alcohol just now. Your hands will get very dry later.”
Zhu Zhixi stared at his hand, his pinky, and the brilliant ruby on it. The combination was novel, and somehow unexpectedly suitable.
“All done.” Fu Rangyi took the ring off his pinky and slid it back onto Zhu Zhixi’s ring finger.
Zhu Zhixi truly loved this gesture. No matter how many times he watched it, it felt the same.
He could not help hooking his fingertip around Fu Rangyi’s hand. But he himself did not know what he wanted to do. After freezing for a few seconds, he pulled the hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
“So fragrant.” Zhu Zhixi smiled. “It smells a little like your pheromones.”
Fu Rangyi said nothing and let him walk out with his arm linked through his. His ears had reddened slightly, but the museum’s dim lighting concealed it well.
After eating, Fu Rangyi did not leave either. He stayed to accompany Zhu Zhixi at work. After all, he would be leaving for City C tomorrow.
“These past few days have been insanely busy. We’ve been transporting and checking the artifacts for several days straight, and there can’t be a single mistake. Yesterday I even had an argument with the transport team.” Zhu Zhixi complained, “But thankfully, nothing went wrong with the borrowed exhibits. Otherwise we’d be done for.”
“Borrowed?” Fu Rangyi was somewhat surprised. “Wasn’t the approval denied?” He remembered Zhu Zhixi had said before that this museum was facing closure, and this exhibition might very well be its last. At first, he had wanted to enrich the exhibits and borrow more from other collections, but had been refused.
At this, Zhu Zhixi looked rather pleased, his eyes bright. “Because the promotional videos I made from the relics’ perspective went viral on short-video platforms. They got a lot of attention. I took those hit videos to negotiate cooperation with them, and I got it done.”
Fu Rangyi smiled. “Impressive.”
Zhu Zhixi continued, “Once the main plan for artifact mounting is finalized, we’ll start installing everything into the display cases one by one. That’s another huge project that takes forever and eats up a ton of energy.”
As they spoke, they passed an empty glass display case. Zhu Zhixi stopped, checked the serial number at the lower right corner, and called over a lighting assistant nearby. “Xiao Yang, is this case still being adjusted?”
The assistant stopped as well and came over to them. His first reaction was to frown, but he quickly managed his expression.
He checked and said, “It’s already adjusted.”
“That’s not right.” Zhu Zhixi pointed at the serial label that had only numbers on it. “This is for that white jade ring with the dragon pattern. The extremely rare white one, remember? Among all the Han-dynasty jade pieces, this one is the whitest. So I specifically wrote that it needs a 5000K spotlight so it won’t look yellow. This is obviously 3500K, too warm. Did it get swapped with that… gold plate with the mandarin duck pattern? Their serial numbers are consecutive.”
The lighting assistant checked on his tablet on the spot. “It really is.”
He looked a little apologetic. “Sorry about that. There are too many items, and I mixed them up.”
“It’s fine.” Zhu Zhixi patted his shoulder. “Once it’s done, we’ll go through everything again.”
“Okay, I’ll get back to work.”
Zhu Zhixi nodded. After the man left, he muttered softly to himself, “We should’ve printed the names too.”
“You can remember them just by looking at the numerical serial numbers?” Fu Rangyi was a little surprised. After all, this was the same person who had even gotten the table number wrong during their blind date.
“I’ve looked at them countless times. I’m numb to them now. If I still couldn’t remember, that’d make me intellectually disabled.” Zhu Zhixi said, “And the jade ring and gold plate are both super beautiful, so they left a deep impression.”
Fu Rangyi liked watching him work. He was completely different from his usual childish self—highly professional, capable, and meticulous.
A curator was like the chief director of an exhibition. From deciding the theme and planning the broader direction, down to the display method, lighting choices, and written descriptions of every single exhibit, every step passed through their hands. The hardest part was not coming up with inspiration or ideas, but dealing with countless people and coordinating all sides. That was something Fu Rangyi could not do.
But Zhu Zhixi was different. He was socially adept, able to quickly get along with anyone, and even when conflicts arose, he could skillfully turn hostility into harmony. He also had excellent aesthetics and professional artistic judgment. He truly seemed born for this line of work.
When Fu Rangyi came last time, they had not yet begun setting up the lighting. This time, he noticed that many of the designs in the exhibition were unlike conventional artifact exhibitions. They resembled an art exhibition more, making extensive use of light-and-shadow aesthetics rarely seen in ancient artifact displays, with striking color combinations as well.
He looked up and noticed that thin, soft gauze had been fixed above the exhibition hall. He asked, “What’s this for?”
Zhu Zhixi smiled. “Congratulations, you found a little easter egg!” As he spoke, he ran to the side, turned on a switch, adjusted it for a while, and said, “Look!”
A projection appeared on the soft gauze. Brilliant golden murals swayed with the gauze like flowing gold. A moment later, the projected colors shifted into luminous white, light and translucent.
“Because most of the exhibits on this floor are gold and jade pieces. The installation itself is simple, but it helps visitors feel more immersed.”
Fu Rangyi tilted his head up and watched quietly, thinking it was beautiful.
“You’ll continue putting on exhibitions in the future, won’t you?” he asked.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?” After a moment, Zhu Zhixi caught on and asked with a mischievous smile, “Do you regret not seeing my previous exhibitions?”
He had only meant it as a joke, but unexpectedly, Fu Rangyi really nodded.
“Mm. I regret it. I missed them.”
This time, Zhu Zhixi was the one who froze.
Before he could think of how to respond, Sun Qi appeared and ruined their private moment. But Zhu Zhixi had no choice. This was work.
“We just discussed the mounting plans for several more important artifacts. Teacher Little Xi, why don’t you come take a look?”
“Don’t call me that.” Zhu Zhixi felt a headache coming on. He could sense the handsome husband behind him gradually turning into a resentful shadow spirit.
“Okay, then Little Xi?”
“…Kid, just call me Little Zhu.”
“Fine, Little Zhu.”
Zhu Zhixi followed him to the third floor, with the shadow spirit trailing behind full of resentment. The artifact mounting team was still there discussing things. Several groups of exhibits had already been placed in their cases and fixed in place.
“Take a look. Are these okay?” Sun Qi asked.
Zhu Zhixi circled the glass case and carefully checked everything. “It’s quite detailed. No wonder Director Wang recommended your team.”
“Right? If there’s anything unsuitable, we can still discuss it. There are quite a few fixing methods, so we’ll do our best to choose the best plan.”
The team members began talking all at once as Zhu Zhixi listened and inspected. Suddenly, Fu Rangyi’s calm voice came from the other side.
“This bronze multi-branched lamp cannot be displayed like this.”
Everyone looked toward the sound. Fu Rangyi stood before the display case, both hands in the pockets of his overcoat, and said in a low voice, “The base of this piece has not been fully restored. There is a missing section, and if I remember correctly, the bottom is uneven as well. A multi-branched lamp is like a tree. The main stem is thin, while the bronze is heavy. You were likely worried it might tilt over, so you added shock-proofing to the base, but that isn’t enough. Every hollow branch needs to be suspended with transparent fishing line. That way it’ll be both secure and aesthetically clean.”
Though his tone was casual, what he said was extremely professional. In just a few sentences, the previously lively discussion in the exhibition hall disappeared completely, leaving several seconds of silence.
“Then let’s use this plan.” Zhu Zhixi stepped forward and introduced him to everyone. “This is our specially invited professional consultant for this exhibition, Professor Fu Rangyi from S University, an expert in archaeology.”
Everyone nodded in understanding. Yet Fu Rangyi added, “I am the curator’s husband.”
The atmosphere instantly changed.
“Ah, no wonder.”
“Little Zhu has an expert legally giving him private lessons!”
“Then we’ll listen to the curator’s husband!”
Sun Qi visibly wilted. He walked to the side alone, picked up his tools, and took out the artifact corresponding to the serial number: a turquoise-inlaid gilt bronze mirror. Squatting down, he began selecting fixing materials and securing it on site.
Fu Rangyi watched for a while, then walked toward him. Zhu Zhixi sensed something was off and hurriedly followed.
Smelling the S-level Alpha’s pheromones, Sun Qi frowned and turned his head.
Fu Rangyi stared at the bronze mirror inside the display case and asked, “Was this borrowed from the provincial museum?”
Zhu Zhixi nodded. “Yes.”
Seeing him stare at it the whole time, Sun Qi became uncertain and asked, “Is the mounting for this one not good either?”
When Fu Rangyi neither smiled nor spoke, he carried a cold pressure with him. His gaze habitually held a cautious scrutiny, and it did indeed put people under pressure. But after a few seconds, he said, “No. This invisible hook is well done.”
After being praised, Sun Qi froze and actually looked a little embarrassed. He scratched his hair through his hat.
Zhu Zhixi wanted to take a look at the hook that had been praised, but Fu Rangyi quietly tugged at his sleeve.
He turned back. Fu Rangyi happened to lean close to his ear and told him in an extremely soft voice, “This bronze mirror was excavated by our team.”
After saying that, he even raised the tail of his eyebrow slightly, like a child asking to be praised.
