Surrounded by the Billionaire's Deep Doting

Professor Qi Jun’s office was on the third floor of the Foreign Language College faculty building.

The door was open, and Qi Jun looked slightly older than when they first met; there were more wrinkles on his face, and they were deeper.

He was dressed plainly; it seemed scholars preferred linen clothing. The tunic-style fabric gave him an inherently learned appearance.

Qi Jun sat at his desk, wearing glasses, a pen in hand. Stacked on the desk were books and dictionaries.

He looked as though he was working on coursework...

His brows tightly knit, perhaps he had encountered a problem.

He moved slightly, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Su Xiaomeng at the door, quickly remarking,

"Come, Xiao Meng, you’re here just at the right time; sit down quickly."

Su Xiaomeng wore an elegant dress, its hem reaching her calves. She tucked her short hair behind her ears, a dignified yet playful smile floating on her face,

"Professor Qi, am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all, please come and help me look. How should this line of poetry be translated?"

Su Xiaomeng pulled up a nearby chair and sat opposite Qi Jun, who promptly handed her a book of Mr. Dongpo’s poetry,

"This ’Ode to the Red Cliff’, it’s been troubling me for over half a month. Just this line — ’Recalling Gongjin’s past, when Xiao Qiao was newly married’, look, I have eight translations here, can you help me choose which one would be best?"

Speaking, Qi Jun handed over his translation draft to Su Xiaomeng.

Su Xiaomeng looked at the densely packed translation drafts, marveling that even in the increasingly chaotic academic world, there were still professors willing to repeatedly ponder a single line of translation for over half a month, drafting countless versions.

"Professor, why did you think to translate Su Shi’s poetry?"

"Dongpo’s poetry is extremely bold and free; the words he penned are full of his magnanimous spirit and colorful talent. The more you savor them, the more flavorful they become. Our country is one of the four ancient civilizations, this civilization can’t be compared to those Western countries which have undergone continuous migration, warfare, and blending."

"These foreigners, they always look down on China’s culture, thinking of us as feudal, isolated, and rigid. But actually, China’s thousands of years of culture are hidden in these ancient poems."

"..."

"I just want to translate China’s best and most culturally-rich treasures, so foreigners can feel the talent of ancient figures in our country, the culture contained within the words."

Qi Jun spoke eloquently, and Su Xiaomeng, listening, felt even more respect for the professor.

"You just asked me why I’m translating Mr. Dongpo’s lyrics... Haha... there is a bit of personal interest in it..."

"What personal interest?"

"The age Mr. Dongpo wrote this ’Ode to the Red Cliff’ is about the same as I am now... People often say as one grows old, one cannot deny aging. But..."

Qi Jun rubbed his thinning hair,

"Traveling to old kingdoms, the sentimental should laugh at my early greying. Life’s like a dream, a goblet dedicated to the river moon... Mr. Dongpo was a genius waiting for recognition, frustrated with unmet ambitions, yet he wrote with bold vigor, writing history and using allusions."

"Such boldness is what I admire."

Su Xiaomeng saw on Qi Jun’s face an undying radiance timeless couldn’t obscure.

"Only... I don’t want to end up like Mr. Dongpo, greying with untapped talent, unfulfilled ambitions."

"The professor is already brilliant. In the domestic translation field, I fear there’s no one more professional or skilled than you."

Su Xiaomeng had just finished speaking when Qi Jun quickly raised his hand,

"You can’t say that, academics don’t compare themselves to others."

"Sorry."

Su Xiaomeng’s ears tinged red.

"If you must make a comparison, you could use your husband as an example."

"..."

Su Xiaomeng was taken aback, not expecting Professor Qi to mention her husband.

Qi Jun stood up,

"Come, sit here, I’ll make you tea."

Su Xiaomeng stood up, following Qi Jun to a wooden tea table, where a tea tray was laid.

The professor boiled water, pouring some tea leaves from a small box,

"Last autumn’s Pu’er. I crave tea, but I can’t bear to buy something better or more expensive to drink myself. Such good stuff seems wasted when you drink it alone, so I can only make do to entertain you. If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn’t serve such ordinary tea to you, haha!"

The professor was joking, though he actually made Su Xiaomeng feel quite embarrassed.

"Professor, I’m really not too fussy... nor do I know how to be fussy..."

Qi Jun glanced at her, laughing,

"I was just saying casually; I know Xiao Meng, your nature is pure."

"Earlier you mentioned using my husband for comparison; what did you mean?"

Su Xiaomeng’s curiosity lingered, despite feeling resentful, wanting nothing to do with Yin Shixiu.

Qi Jun was briefly surprised, interlacing his fingers, warmly gazing at Su Xiaomeng,

"Your husband is indeed a typical man of ambition, striving for perfection?"

"..."

"Nowadays, the number of merchants is growing, because in this era, personal desires are amplified and encouraged, so everyone wants to become wealthy. And entrepreneurship is indeed a faster way to accumulate wealth. But not all entrepreneurship means having ideals. In our country now, truly ideal-driven merchants are scarce."

Ideal-driven merchants are scarce...

Su Xiaomeng actually didn’t understand this; isn’t doing business itself an ideal? Earning more money, having a larger platform...

"But your husband, Yin Shixiu, is absolutely a man of great ambition and doesn’t sweat the small stuff, a true businessman."

"..."

Listening to her respected professor praising her husband, Su Xiaomeng couldn’t quite express the mix of feelings she had.

Pride, yet... frustration.

What is a true businessman?

Passing by one’s home without stopping...

What is a true businessman?

Difficult to see even once a month, hardly a few times in a year...

Not sweating the small stuff... He truly doesn’t sweat the small stuff, but has family become a small detail too?

Su Xiaomeng drank her tea gloomily, feeling it was the bitterest she’d ever had, yet she had to smile and tell the professor,

"It’s very flavorful."

Qi Jun didn’t notice Su Xiaomeng’s odd mood, just continued sharing his views on Yin Shixiu, mostly derived from news reports about the Yin Family.

Su Xiaomeng listened, becoming increasingly distracted, even when Qi Jun finished speaking, she was still lost in thought...

Her mind echoed with the words ’true businessman’.

Disdain, dissatisfaction, even a touch of disdain...

Perhaps, it’s because of change...

It always seemed long ago, this ’true businessman’, whatever he did, always prioritized her and the kids. But later... things changed.

When he truly let go to do ’what he wanted to do’, truly achieve the so-called ’true businessman’...

She couldn’t accept such changes, such disparities.

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