Xu Tingsheng frightened the two in the room as he yelled for Xiang Ning to go back.

The younger and older beauty clung to each other for support, looking nervously and uneasily at him.

“Um, you...you two can take a rest too. It’s fine. I’m an acquaintance of his. We’ll just be chatting in the next room.”

Before he was completely unable to stand it, Xu Tingsheng returned to that empty room at once.

Huang Yaming pacified the two before coming after him, saying resentfully as he entered the room, “So unlucky, so unlucky. I even specifically found someone to book a small family hotel...and I still ran into you. Shouldn’t you have brought your girlfriend to stay at some luxurious hotel? So unlucky, so unlucky.”

“Enough already. Close the door,” Xu Tingsheng said, “If I didn’t run into you, I wouldn’t have known how daring you are.”

Huang Yaming sighed, “What do you mean daring? There’s only a pile of sweat and tears here.”

“Scram,” Xu Tingsheng said, “First, tell me what’s going on...”

“What do you mean what’s going on? Didn’t you see that I booked two rooms?” Huang Yaming argued vehemently.

“Don’t change the topic. Just tell me what’s going on. Those two women don’t really look right to me,” Xu Tingsheng found it too awkward to call them mother and daughter.

Huang Yaming thought about it and said, “Actually, she is a surrogate mother that a friend who lives in a distant area found for me after things with the one from Qingbei fell through.”

“Surrogate mother?” Xu Tingsheng asked, “The older or the younger one? Or...have you not decided yet?”

“Of course it’s that young one!” Huang Yaming exclaimed indignantly, “I’m only twenty-two, okay? That girl’s nineteen.”

“What’s this about then?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

Why had he brought her to Paris, and along with her mother too?

Huang Yaming said, “It’s a long story.”

Xu Tingsheng said, “I have time.”

“Anyway, a friend went to a faraway district to handle the bankruptcy of a factory. In the process, he found me a surrogate mother...it’s that younger girl. My friend took a few photos to show me and I felt that it was still okay. So he brought her over to meet me. Feeling worried, her mother came along as well.”

“What happened then?”

“Then, I met with that girl-right, her name’s Han Xiu. I met with Han Xiu and chatted with her once. Can you guess what I discovered in the end?”

“Get to the point.”

“A blank sheet of paper. Han Xiu’s entirely like a blank sheet of paper, you know?”

“Are you sure you’re talking about a blank sheet of paper and not an idiot?” Xu Tingsheng asked, “In this day and age, can there still be a girl like a sheet of blank paper at twenty years of age? Her looks are pretty good too...”

Xu Tingsheng recalled that Han Xiu was indeed very well-endowed. Pale skin, intricate features, even a pretty good height and figure. From the glow in her eyes, besides having seen less of the world, she should not be stupid.

“You don’t understand...they’re from an especially backward and out-of-the-way county. It’s poor to the point that there aren’t even many farmers. Those living in the county originally more or less all depended on a state-run factory for their livelihoods.”

“Han Xiu’s father worked at the factory. He was probably an honest, timid man. Because his wife was really too outstanding in that small place, he did not dare to let her go out to work and got her to stay at home everyday.”

“After studying till seventh grade in the factory school, that school closed down, and so she stopped studying and went back to accompany her mother at home everyday. The two of them are even able to do embroidery, what they embroider really appearing lifelike, you know?”

“I don’t care about embroidery. What happened next?” Xu Tingsheng pressed impatiently.

Huang Yaming sorted out his thoughts and said, “You know about the wave of unemployment in the nineties, right? A large group of people at the state-run factory was unemployed. In the end, that place completely devolved into chaos. Prostitution, gambling, drugs...illegal activity begun.”

“Han Xiu’s father retained his position, just that he dared not let his wife and daughter go out even more. Just like that, his whole family could still live on his wages. Sadly, he met with an accident less than two years later.”

“He was rushed to the hospital. The factory said that they had no money for the time being but would definitely compensate them after. They asked them to go borrow it themselves. Since there was the compensation promise from the factory and everyone knew the family to be honest, they really managed to borrow the sum.”

“All in all, they borrowed close to a hundred thousand worth of medical fees...in the end, they were still unable to save the man. All that remained were this mother and daughter who dared not even talk loudly when outside the house.”

Xu Tingsheng was silent for a while before he asked, “It’s been several years, right? How have they managed over this time?”

“The factory would give them some living expenses every month. They barely scraped by using this and money they earned by selling embroidery as they waited for the compensation to repay their debt with...” Huang Yaming said, “In the end, they never got their compensation. The factory went bankrupt.”

“...” Xu Tingsheng was lost for words.

“Upon learning that the factory had gone bankrupt, their debtors immediately surrounded this mother and daughter. They didn’t even let them look for work, for fear that they would run off,” Huang Yaming said, “In my friend’s words, if there weren’t so many debtors, the two of them would have been split long ago.”

“How about I start a crowdfunding for them? Or directly pay that sum of money and be done with it,” Xu Tingsheng asked.

“It’s just a hundred thousand. I’ve repaid it for them with interest. They’d never have been let out of there otherwise,” Huang Yaming said, “It was like this. When my friend went over to handle some matters regarding the factory’s bankruptcy, mother and daughter happened to be standing at the factory’s entrance, crying...seeing that Han Xiu’s looks were pretty good, learning of the difficult situation they were in...he told them about me looking for a surrogate. He also showed Han Xiu my picture and introduced to them what school I am in and whatnot.”

“She agreed?”

“Yeah. The two of them spent a night considering it and agreed...only that Han Xiu’s mother asked if it was alright if she was the one who gave birth.”

Thinking that it would be bad to laugh at a point like this, Xu Tingsheng worked hard to suppress his laughter.

“My friend said that probably because my looks are not bad and they don’t know about my bad reputation, only knowing that I’m a university student who’s soon to graduate...it probably felt more like matchmaking to Han Xiu, that being the reason she agreed,” Huang Yaming said.

Hearing this, Xu Tingsheng believed that Han Xiu might really have thought of this as matchmaking. If so, Huang Yaming’s looks and educational background should be quite attractive to her. Moreover, he would even be able to save she and her mother from bitter hardship.

“The problem is that for this sort of thing, you’re supposed to say bye bye to the person after she has given birth. She may not have thought of it now, but when the day really comes when she has to separate from her own flesh and blood...would she be able to take it?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

“That’s not the only problem. If they went out to find jobs, she and her mother would also have no way of surviving,” Huang Yaming said.

“Well, anyway...why have you brought them to Paris?”

Glancing at Xu Tingsheng, Huang Yaming lowered his head and chuckled for a bit, not knowing whether he should find it interesting or awkward.

He got up and poured two glasses of wine, giving one to Xu Tingsheng as he asked, “Care to venture a guess?”

“How would I be able to?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

Huang Yaming smiled and clinked glasses with Xu Tingsheng, saying, “That day, after chatting with Han Xiu and sending her back to the hotel, saying goodbye and parting just like after a matchmaking session. I went home, and I didn’t sleep that night. To be honest, regarding sleeping with women, I have never been so conflicted before. I thought about it all the way till nearly daylight. Only then did I hit upon the perfect idea...I can marry her.”

“Marry her...what, marry her?”

“Not now, but in the future...I intend to custom-make myself a wife,” Huang Yaming said.

“Custom-make?”

“Right! Isn’t Han Xiu a blank piece of paper? Her age is enough too. So, I felt that this really is none other than a heaven-sent gift! Why would I still need a surrogate mother? I can completely mould her, molding a perfect wife!”

Huang Yaming downed the wine and continued excitedly, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Her foundation is good. There’s no need to worry too much about that. I just need to get someone to teach her to maintain herself, put on makeup and dress up. The main thing is that she’s studied a little less and knows even less...still, it’s not like she’s illiterate! She studied till seventh grade. Also, she’s still young. There’s completely enough time.”

“First, I made a library card for her at the city library, getting people to make a progressive book list for her to read. At first, the plan was for me to teach her what she doesn’t know on my own. It’s even better now. Since you know about it, we can just find a reason and let her listen in at your training institutes.”

“Then, I let her watch movies, watch dramas, learn to eat Western food, learn formalities and rites, learn the piano, learn dance, broaden her horizons...”

“You brought her to Paris to broaden her horizons?” Xu Tingsheng interrupted him.

“That’s right. Didn’t you say a while ago that you were coming to Paris? I thought about it. Since I have nothing to do over this period, I thought I’d start to broaden her horizons by bringing her here...” Huang Yaming said, “Her mother insisted on coming too. She’s probably afraid of me selling Han Xiu.”

“Will this work?” Unable to wrap his head around this idea, Xu Tingsheng asked in puzzlement.

“Who can know if I don’t try? This will surely be beneficial to her future anyway, right?” Huang Yaming was not all that certain too.

“What do you think is the benefit of having a wife that you personally moulded?”

“I believe that people do not become bad so quickly. At least, I believe that Han Xiu’s simple, pure and authentic nature can be preserved for a very long time. In terms of relationships, this might be a bit selfish, but she only has me in her heart. I’m the only one in her world while she is grateful to me, looks up to me, likes me...”

“Like this, as I dote on her and treat her well, I at least don’t have to be afraid of her harbouring other motives! She can help me as well. At least, she can be my harbour mentally. Since I am strong enough, there just needs to be a single place where I can be at peace.”

“This...”

“Very pitiful, right?” Huang Yaming laughed, “So, that’s why I said that I only have sweat and tears! I even have to make my own wife.”

It was actually very difficult for Xu Tingsheng to make a judgment and appraisal regarding this.

If Huang Yaming had wanted to treat mother and daughter as playthings, Xu Tingsheng would have stopped him.

Still, now, if one were to say that Huang Yaming had robbed her of her freedom to grow, wouldn’t that be unfair? She was in a better state than she would ever have been. Was it definitely detrimental for her future? If one were to say that this was not love, who could say, with absolute certainty, that this would not be love in the future? How many natural encounters ended up as love in the end? Also, how hard to come by was this sort of complete trust and reliance? Moreover, who could dare to say for sure that Han Xiu would not thus be happy?

As for Huang Yaming, one should not forget that he had once dearly loved such a Tan Qingling.

Unable to reason it out, Xu Tingsheng gave up on it as he asked, “What do you specifically have in mind after this?”

“Just like this, working hard to mould that blank sheet of paper while looking after her mother as well. Asking her to help cook at home or whatnot is also pretty good...relax, I won’t be a beast. Being a beast would mean personally tainting and destroying my very own wife-raising plan.”

Huang Yaming next said something that was especially devastating, “This year...I’ll treat it like I’m raising a daughter.”

Xu Tingsheng felt like spitting out blood.

“Although everyone laughs at you, if it’s possible, I’d actually like to learn from you, devotedly and foolishly waiting for a single person...it’s actually very fulfilling that way, right?” Huang Yaming asked emotionally, “Say, your situation is actually pretty similar to mine, isn’t it?”

“It’s not the same,” Xu Tingsheng said firmly, emphasising on each word.

He actually very much wished to say that although he had indeed given Xiang Ning a bit more protection these past three years, he had not deliberately moulded or changed her in any way. Before she turned seventeen, he had also not intervened in her growth in an all-encompassing manner. So, Xiang Ning had still grown at her own pace into what she had been like in his previous life upon the foundation of those fourteen years in her life without Xu Tingsheng.

The problem was that there was no way of explaining this to Huang Yaming because it was impossible for him to know what Xiang Ning should be like, had been like.

“What about you then?” In order to keep Huang Yaming from asking, Xu Tingsheng seized the preemptive.

“Me? How would I still have the leisure to go out to drink and make merry daily?” Huang Yaming asked, “I’m busy raising my daughter! Actually, the main thing is that my heart isn’t so empty anymore. What a great feeling.”

“What about the matchmaking on television that you promised?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

“At the time, can’t I just get Han Xiu to participate, going on stage to claim me?’ Huang Yaming replied.

The two chatted for a long time till Xiang Ning sent a message and hastened Xu Tingsheng to come back. Throughout the entire process, Xu Tingsheng did not comment on whether Huang Yaming’s wife-raising plan was correct or wrong, much less mentioned that name: Chen Jingqi.

There was no need to do so. Simply because it was true love, there was no necessity for one’s hands to be stained in fresh blood as they picked up the broken shards of glass on the floor, seeking to piece it all back together...there was also no broken mirror which, pieced back together, did not have cracks.