Grandfather leaned back against the sofa and said leisurely, “Little Jiang, you and Little Lin are already an engaged couple. What can’t we discuss as a family?”

Jiang Yubai sat down on the sofa on the opposite side. He avoided the question: “Last month, I wanted to bring Lin Zhixia to the family gathering…”

Before Jiang Yubai could finish, his mother interrupted: “At that time, I didn’t agree to you bringing Lin Zhixia over because your father and I hadn’t met her yet and didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of her.”

Jiang Yubai asked: “If I hadn’t gotten engaged, would you have been willing to get to know her?”

Uncle harmonized with Jiang Yubai: “Yes, if Little Jiang hadn’t gotten engaged, Mom and Dad would probably still be vacationing in the Maldives.”

Grandfather turned his head and made eye contact with Uncle.

This time, Uncle didn’t back down at all and even smiled: “Dad, honestly, I’ve been bothered by this for a while. When Little Jiang was dating Little Lin, you all felt their relationship wouldn’t last, that their views were different, and that they would break up sooner or later. You never considered how to accept Little Lin. A friend of the sisters-in-law was always trying to introduce her daughter to Little Jiang, creating opportunities for them to be alone… I’m not saying other people’s daughters aren’t good, just that this kind of behavior is very inappropriate, and I don’t support it.”

After Uncle finished speaking, Aunt glanced at him.

Uncle asked her softly: “Am I right?”

Aunt spoke gently: “Mm, very right.”

Uncle’s smile deepened: “It’s enough that my wife understands me.”

Aunt held his hand tightly.

Father’s expression didn’t change at all—his ability to conceal his emotions was something Jiang Yubai hadn’t fully mastered yet. Since childhood, Father had been Jiang Yubai’s role model, and Jiang Yubai respected him greatly.

However, today, Father said, “Marriage is a major life event. You’re barely in your twenties, and your decision seems somewhat hasty.”

Jiang Yubai calmly responded: “Lin Zhixia and I have known each other for twelve years and been dating for four years. That’s enough time for me to make a decision.”

The hall fell silent.

Uncle continued to align himself with Jiang Yubai: “Big brother, many years ago, you and Sister-in-law had only known each other for four months…”

Father had just taken a sip of water when Uncle’s voice paused.

A moment later, Uncle still completed his sentence: “You and Sister-in-law knew each other for less than four months… before starting a family. Wasn’t that somewhat hasty?”

Father placed his glass on the table, making a light “thud” sound. He began: “The duration of the relationship isn’t the key issue. I’ve told you all before, as a family, everything can be discussed.”

Uncle held his breath: “You also said that if discussions fail, the only option is expulsion from the family.”

As he finished speaking, Uncle slowly linked arms with Aunt.

Aunt smiled and said, “The night before I got engaged to Shaoqi, my mother asked me if I thought it was too fast. I answered that I didn’t think so. I had liked Shaoqi for over ten years. The feelings had a foundation, and everything else just naturally followed.”

Uncle repeatedly agreed: “My wife is right. We all heard in the private room that Little Jiang and Little Lin also have a decade-long emotional foundation.”

“I’m not opposing them,” Mother suddenly spoke up. “But for such a significant matter as engagement, is it appropriate for Jiang Yubai to have done it without a word?”

Uncle was speechless.

Mother continued: “A few days ago, my secretary prepared a background investigation on Lin Zhixia’s family.” She placed a document in front of everyone: “The investigation report is here, covering her parents, brother, uncle’s family, and maternal uncle’s family.”

Jiang Yubai frowned slightly: “Her parents and brother are quite kind-hearted…”

“Even good people face risks,” Mother advised. “When you hire new employees, you check their credit and previous work experience. How can marriage not be approached with caution?”

Grandmother chimed in: “Lin Zhixia’s personality is indeed good, you can tell. She’s a very cheerful and optimistic girl, also very smart. Most precious is that she lacks arrogance. Being with her, you won’t feel tired…”

Uncle displayed a slightly awkward yet polite smile—he knew that Lin Zhixia had once caused Jiang Yubai significant psychological trauma, and it was thanks to Jiang Yubai’s timely adjustment that no serious consequences resulted.

Grandmother opened the investigation report: “Your father just said, within the family, everything can be discussed. You didn’t discuss with us, and at just twenty-two, you rushed to this stage. Even if Lin Zhixia is a good child, her excellence is her matter. Moreover, there are talents in every field. Talents aren’t rare. Her paper citation count hasn’t even exceeded two thousand…”

She didn’t continue her words after that.

She stopped at that point.

Jiang Yubai stood up from his seat, his tall shadow falling on the neat carpet. He walked to the center of the council hall, positioning himself in front of everyone present. Then, he candidly said: “You are all my family and very important to me, as is Lin Zhixia. You’ve investigated Lin Zhixia’s background and probably know she’s currently paying off a mortgage…”

Grandmother was somewhat surprised: “How large is the house she bought?”

Jiang Yubai answered truthfully: “Over two hundred square meters, near University Town, convenient for commuting.”

Grandmother was silent.

After a while, she asked again: “You didn’t help her pay for it?”

Jiang Yubai lowered his head slightly, looking toward his grandparents: “Lin Zhixia doesn’t accept expensive gifts and doesn’t care about material conditions. Research and teaching are the center of her life. People as pure as her are indeed rare, but they do exist. I like her, admire her, and respect her greatly.”

He continued: “A suitable match isn’t about wealth, not about material things, but about personality and values. Two people raised in similar environments are more likely to be compatible. Lin Zhixia and I grew up together…”

Aunt was deeply moved by this. She interjected: “Mom, Dad, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, they’re already engaged. It’s a happy occasion. With happiness at our doorstep, let’s not be so serious.”

“That’s right,” Uncle regained his spirit, “Besides, what’s wrong with Little Lin? An associate professor at twenty-two, almost matching my status as a first violin at twenty-three. When Little Jiang wasn’t engaged, you didn’t value Lin Zhixia, and now that he’s engaged, you…”

Grandfather approached Uncle. Not only did Uncle not quiet down, but he blurted out: “Dad, sixty years ago, you didn’t have much money, right?”

Grandfather’s expression was mild: “Shaoqi, come with me.”

Uncle remained frozen on the sofa like a statue.

Jiang Yubai stepped between Uncle and Grandfather. At 1.88 meters tall, Jiang Yubai was considerably taller than his grandfather, whose spine was slightly curved. Grandfather reached up to pat Jiang Yubai’s shoulder, sighing: “Our Little Jiang has truly grown up.”

Jiang Yubai responded: “After growing up, making my own decisions is better than being indecisive.”

Grandfather clasped his hands behind his back.

Jiang Yubai followed him toward the exit. Grandfather’s footsteps paused slightly, and Jiang Yubai also stopped at the door of the council hall. Standing there, he talked with Grandfather for nearly ten minutes, and Grandfather’s expression became increasingly mild. Finally, Grandfather asked him: “How do you hope we will regard Lin Zhixia?”

Jiang Yubai answered that he hoped the elders would try to accept her as family.

Grandfather sighed: “I’ll go tell your second and third grand-uncles about your engagement. Next Spring Festival, bring Little Lin home to celebrate with us.”

Jiang Yubai finally felt relieved.

*

Lin Zhixia did not know about Jiang Yubai’s encounter that afternoon.

Lin Zhixia herself had also run into a problem.

The research direction of Fang Yiwen, Lin Zhixia’s only doctoral student, was quantum chemistry. Fang Yiwen wanted to borrow the chemical laboratory of another professor named Qu Zongyi at the college. However, the equipment in that laboratory was in high demand, and Qu Zongyi had to prioritize his students. He politely declined Fang Yiwen’s request.

Qu Zongyi said that after next year’s Spring Festival, Fang Yiwen could come to him again, and he would see if he could arrange something for her.

Fang Yiwen was quite happy after hearing this.

She returned to her laboratory and relayed Qu Zongyi’s exact words.

Xu Lingbo suddenly slapped his forehead in frustration: “Senior, how can you not understand? Qu Zongyi means that during the Spring Festival, this equipment will be in use, and after the Spring Festival, it will certainly be even less available to you.”

Fang Yiwen pushed up the glasses on her nose: “Really?”

Xu Lingbo sighed deeply.

Fang Yiwen then called Lin Zhixia, asking what she should do.

Lin Zhixia’s first reaction was: “No problem, I still have quite a bit of research funding. What’s the market price of the experimental equipment you want?”

Fang Yiwen honestly replied: “Nearly one hundred million.”

Lin Zhixia fell silent.

Fang Yiwen also fell silent.

A few seconds later, Fang Yiwen explained: “Qu Zongyi’s laboratory was built by my former advisor himself. My advisor designed more than ten blueprints and commissioned a batch of equipment from the best manufacturers in the country. Some components are limited edition imports that can’t be bought even with money. My advisor moved to another university, and the laboratory was assigned to Qu Zongyi by the college.”

Given this situation, Lin Zhixia could only personally approach Qu Zongyi to discuss the matter.

“Professor Lin,” Fang Yiwen told her, “please tell Professor Qu on my behalf that I can be on call 24 hours, and can conduct experiments from midnight to 6 AM.”

“That’s so hard?” Lin Zhixia hesitated.

Fang Yiwen scratched her fluffy hair, still appearing casual: “Worst case, I’ll catch up on sleep during the day. It’s not a big deal.”

Lin Zhixia was full of confidence: “Alright, wait for my good news.”

*

Just half an hour later, Lin Zhixia returned.

Fang Yiwen guessed the result but didn’t say anything.

Zhan Rui was even quieter than Fang Yiwen, while Xu Lingbo kept rubbing his face—his former advisor had extensive connections, many methods, and a firm hand. There was no situation where they couldn’t borrow a laboratory.

Lin Zhixia had just hit a wall.

After pondering for a moment, she could only say: “Fang Yiwen, give me your experimental data and paper framework first. I’ll think carefully about whether there are other options.”

Fang Yiwen immediately handed over a stack of materials.

That evening, Lin Zhixia took this stack of materials to Jiang Yubai’s home. She very much enjoyed sharing a study with Jiang Yubai. While working, she would occasionally turn her head to look at Jiang Yubai’s profile, which would make her feel very good.

Even though post-graduation life wasn’t as smooth as Lin Zhixia had imagined, she still believed that all problems could be solved. She and Jiang Yubai were steadily moving forward step by step. She still remembered the evaluations from Shen Zhaohua, Gu Likai, and even Tan Qianche. Before turning twenty-five, she should be able to achieve something and realize the life value she had been pursuing for many years.