Tomorrow as Bright as Day – Chapter 50
Chapter 50
That person—you know her.
—
No further explanation was needed. Professor Liang already knew exactly who that person was.
…What a karmic sin!
If luck were considered part of a person’s strengths, then one could never truly know where their real strength would ultimately reveal itself.
Who could have imagined that over the course of his life, Professor Liang would be brought low by two of his own students?
No. It wasn’t him who was brought low.
It was his ex-wife and his son who had both fallen.
One by one!
Professor Liang let out two long, heavy breaths, expelling the pent-up frustration in his chest. Was it that his judgment had always been too sharp—or that the students he’d taught truly were exceptional?
The first student, Yang Minwen, graduated from Yicheng Normal University. Professor Liang had only taught him for half a semester, and their mentor–student bond had been relatively shallow. Later, Yang Minwen joined Shuangyang Electronic. If Gu Shuangyang hadn’t mentioned him in passing, Professor Liang might have forgotten that student entirely.
But Ming Xi was different. She had graduated from the adult education college of Yicheng Normal University, and at the most tedious, most dispiriting stage of Professor Liang’s life, he had watched this girl display remarkable intelligence amid a crowd of fools.
Objectively speaking, standing out among adult-education students wasn’t particularly impressive.
Yet in a real comparison, Ming Xi learned better—and more clearly—than the average undergraduate student.
That was when he realized: gold shines wherever it is, and .
Ming Xi impressed him even more.
She didn’t just possess talent for learning—she had courage and boldness in the way she conducted herself.
The first time she visited his home, even when he spoke harshly, she remained composed, countering him calmly in the English he had taught her, standing her ground as she declared that heroes are not defined by their origins.
Indeed—dust-covered pearls do not lose their luster.
If even an old man like him could see her exceptional qualities and felt compelled to help; his son, in his prime and with a high opinion of himself—unless he were blind, how could he not take a second look?
It seemed Liang Jiancheng hadn’t just taken a second look.
He’d taken many looks.
And then looked straight into falling for her.
Professor Liang ground his teeth in fury. Disdain showed on his face, while rage burned fiercely in his chest. He pointed at his son, Liang Jiancheng, each harsh sentence firing like a string of bullets: “How would I know who you’re talking about! I know countless people—see more people in a day than I can count! How could I possibly know who you’ve taken a fancy to? You’ve the guts to cheat, but not the guts to say her name!”
Liang Jiancheng vehemently disliked the term “cheating” and refused to entangle himself in arguing over it. He could be reprimanded, but Ming Xi could not. She should not be dragged into this in the slightest.
“It’s Ming Xi, but I didn’t cheat. She knows nothing,” Liang Jiancheng said. This was precisely why he had come back upstairs—to make everything clear. Rather than allow speculation and misunderstanding later, it was better to confess openly now.
If he took responsibility, made his stance clear, he could keep Ming Xi out of the mess.
Even without Liang Jiancheng saying anything, Liang Yuzhi could guess that Ming Xi was unaware. That child always acted with propriety, knowing what could and could not be done. She would never approach a man knowing he already had a partner.
So in Professor Liang’s mind, the conclusion was firm: it was his son who refused to take his eyes off of her.
And that—if not cheating—then what was it?
There were so many girls on the street, why didn’t he look at them, but instead fix his gaze on his student!
How presumptuous! How shameful! What a sin!
Professor Liang’s lips twitched slightly, as if he were looking at an utterly absurd person saying utterly absurd things. The contempt in his eyes cut like sharp shards of ice, intent on piercing and crushing every trace of Liang Jiancheng’s pride.
“So,” Professor Liang said lightly, dripping with sarcasm, “you’re playing at secret crush?”
Liang Jiancheng: …
He truly never imagined that something like “secretly liking someone” would happen to him in this lifetime.
Helplessly licking his dry lips, Liang Jiancheng replied, “If feelings that haven’t been confessed count as secret admiration—then yes, I do have a secret crush on Ming Xi.”
Even now, he was still self-righteous.
“So you mean once you confess, Ming Xi will accept you?” Professor Liang sneered, his gaze sharp as needles.
“That’s possible, isn’t it?” Liang Jiancheng replied, his tone calm and restrained.
Okay, he understood!
Professor Liang nodded to himself. This old man wouldn’t stop young people from falling in love, much less break up a couple, provided they were truly a couple! Not like a cormorant eyeing a small fish in a lake, ready to pounce at any moment.
Between Liang Jiancheng and Ming Xi, Professor Liang didn’t judge by status, class, or academic credentials. Looking only at their current circumstances: one was already a long-beaked cormorant; the other was a small carp that had just swum from a pond into a vast lake.
After both rage and careful consideration, Professor Liang dialed Ming Xi’s number right in front of Liang Jiancheng. When Ming Xi answered, he issued a direct invitation—
As her teacher, he had a duty to warn her how dangerous men out there could be! One moment they pretended to respect the institution of marriage; then next, their eyes were already fixed on young, pretty girls, indulging in secret longing.
So immoral, so unethical!
Originally, Liang Jiancheng had planned to leave after explaining everything. But once his father made that call, he could no longer go.
Even if Professor Liang tried to throw him out, he couldn’t leave.
Dead people could be carried out, but the living couldn’t be driven away.
Professor Liang had no choice but to give up, letting Liang Jiancheng shamelessly stay. He wanted to see just how much sincerity and genuine feeling this man truly had!
—
Because the invitation had come so suddenly, after hanging up the phone, Ming Xi also assumed that Professor Liang probably was going to… lecture her.
The professor probably knew she had changed jobs and was using dinner as an excuse to call her over for a lecture. Given how much he had looked out for her, she couldn’t possibly brush him off.
It was already close to five o’clock. This dinner invitation really had come a bit abruptly.
She didn’t even have time to take the laptop home. Fortunately, the export exhibition center was located right between the Longmao dorms and the professor’s apartment. Yes—she was still living in the dorms for now, though only until the end of the month.
One shouldn’t visit empty-handed. Ming Xi took a taxi to the vicinity of Professor Liang’s residential building and went into a high-end fruit shop nearby.
Having just been ripped off of 10,000 yuan by the professor’s son, she was more restrained in buying things for Professor Liang this time.
Anyway, the professor didn’t lack her small token of appreciation anyway.
Ming Xi had a sudden inspiration and carefully selected seven kinds of fruit. She chose a little of each: an apple, two mangosteens, an orange…
Different fruits had different nutritional benefits—perfect for supplementing the various vitamins the professor needed throughout the week.
Gift-giving was about thoughtfulness and creativity. As long as her heart was in it, that was enough.
The fruit shop owner had never seen anyone buy fruit like this before, but he was very kind and even packed it in a small, exquisite box for her. Ming Xi paid readily, carrying her laptop in one hand and the colorful fruit in the other, and knocked on the professor’s door.
Having been there once before, she knew the way well.
When the professor opened the door for her, Ming Xi greeted him with a smile, not noticing that there was someone else inside.
Professor Liang: “You’re here.”
Ming Xi: “Oh…”
She vaguely sensed something was off about the atmosphere in the room.
“Why did you get here so fast? Where did you come from?” the professor asked.
Ming Xi honestly replied, “I went to an exhibition today. It wasn’t far from here, and I saw it was getting late, so I took a taxi directly.”
Professor Liang nodded, his gaze falling on the two items in her hands. He was mainly looking at the computer.
Ming Xi quickly handed him the box of fruit, saying, “Professor, this is for you.”
Professor Liang: “Didn’t I tell you not to buy anything?”
“It’s just a small thing—it didn’t cost much. Besides, I’m earning money now. Quite a bit, actually!” Ming Xi replied with a smile, trying to sound more confident.
Professor Liang’s house was large, and with a landscape screen separating the entryway and living room, Ming Xi still didn’t realize there was someone else in the house besides the professor.
Oh—right. Ming Xi lifted up her laptop to show the professor, grinning, “Professor, look what I bought! Guess where I got it? From Mr. Liang’s place!”
She was trying to liven up the atmosphere.
“Really?” Professor Liang took two steps inside. Catching sight of the person standing up from the sofa, he turned and asked Ming Xi, who was in the middle of changing her shoes, “How much did it cost?”
Ming Xi bent down to set the laptop box on the floor. Hearing the question, she smiled gratefully as she changed her shoes. “The original price was fifteen thousand, but Mr. Liang gave me a thirty-percent discount. It came down to ten thousand.”
Ha!
Professor Liang let out a mocking laugh. Someone was deeply infatuated—and still making plenty of money while at it.
“You’ve been cheated by a black-hearted businessman!” Professor Liang said bluntly, launching straight into his lecture. “What kind of computer costs that much? He might as well go rob a bank! Thirty percent off—if he priced it at a hundred thousand, thirty percent off would still be seventy thousand. Would you buy it then?”
Ming Xi: …
The professor seems to have a lot of opinions about Mr. Liang.
“Actually…” Ming Xi was about to explain.
Just then, a familiar voice, both light and slightly abrupt, came from behind the screen. Liang Jiancheng, dressed casually yet elegantly, emerged and said helplessly to his father, “Dad, you can smear my character in front of Ming Xi if you want, but you can’t smear the products I sell.”
Ming Xi had just finished changing her shoes and straightened up.
Naturally, instinctively, she met Liang Jiancheng’s gaze.
“…Mr. Liang is here too!” Ming Xi raised her hand in greeting.
“I got here earlier…I’ve been here for a while,” Liang Jiancheng replied. His eyes lingered briefly on her face before shifting to the laptop on the floor.
Since Liang Jiancheng himself was present, Ming Xi immediately expressed her thanks. “Thank you, Mr. Liang, for letting me buy such a good computer at the lowest possible price.”
She was also deliberately helping to explain on his behalf. Lin Han had already gone over everything carefully with her—foreign trade professionals preferred imported laptops because they often dealt with overseas clients. Having a professional business laptop enhanced one’s professional image. Clothes made the man, and a saddle made the horse.
“Hmph.” The moment Ming Xi finished speaking, Professor Liang snorted.
Liang Jiancheng knew what his father was snorting about and coughed lightly.
…Ming Xi felt that Liang Jiancheng seemed unusually intimidated by Professor Liang today. Did the professor really think Liang Jiancheng had cheated her out of money?
“Professor Liang, this computer really does cost fifteen thousand for others—absolutely true! I genuinely got a bargain,” Ming Xi said sweetly, stepping inside and explaining repeatedly.
Looking at Ming Xi’s open, forthright demeanor, then at the man standing stiffly beside her, Professor Liang no longer needed to think further. His son was indeed secretly in love—and in a thoroughly self-righteous way at that.
“Ming Xi, even if this Mr. Liang gave you a 30% discount, didn’t he still make money off you?” Professor Liang asked his student directly.
“Professor, Mr. Liang is doing business, making money is only natural… He gave me a 30% discount, so it must have been at cost price.” Ming Xi replied just as honestly.
“Then you’d better check carefully whether there’s anything wrong with the computer he sold you,” Professor Liang said, launching another sarcastic attack.
“There won’t be, I bought a display unit. It’s been run and runs perfectly,” Ming Xi explained.
“What’s a display unit?” Professor Liang pressed.
Ming Xi’s eyes shifted slightly. She sensed trouble and unconsciously lowered her voice. “It’s… one used for display in the showroom. But it’s basically new…”
Liang Jiancheng stood silently behind her, head lowered, already feeling deeply guilty.
“‘Display unit’—sounds nice. Isn’t it just used one?” Professor Liang immediately understood, a smirk playing on his lips, and said incredulously, “Ten thousand yuan, and he still sells you a used computer! Absolutely inhuman!”
Ming Xi: …
Liang Jiancheng: …
“No—” Ming Xi quickly came up with a word, “99% new?”
Heh. Professor Liang changed his sarcasm to praise: “This Boss Liang is really something! He’s got a sharp mind!”
Sweet words spoken, money earned, and an unsellable second-hand laptop passed on to the object of his secret affection—what kind of shameless young capitalist was this?!
Liang Jiancheng tilted his head slightly. His father was deliberately mocking him, and there was truly nothing he could say in his defense. His father knew perfectly well that he had proposed giving Ming Xi the laptop for free, yet still twisted the facts—clearly trying to make Ming Xi see his true nature.
In Old Liang’s eyes, he had become an incorrigible villain; now, he couldn’t even stay here to breathe, let alone explain.
But he couldn’t leave.
Even being mocked, ridiculed, and taunted was still better than leaving Ming Xi alone here, rather than constantly worrying and feeling uneasy after returning home.
“Hehe, of course! Professor, you’re so smart, how could the son you raised be any less capable?” Ming Xi took the professor’s words as a joke and replied with a lighthearted response.
Oh, right!
Unbothered by embarrassment, Ming Xi opened the fruit box she’d brought. Inside lay seven different kinds of fruit, colorful and neatly arranged. She said to the professor: “Professor, look—I bought you seven kinds of fruit. All fresh, recommended by the shop owner. This is a Fuji apple, this is Sunkist mandarins, and these are mangosteens… I didn’t buy much of each. After lunch every day, you can just eat one kind.
“Too much fruit is cooling, after all, right?” Ming Xi added shamelessly with a wide grin, finding a new excuse for her limited budget.
Liang Jiancheng couldn’t help but laugh, his lips curving upwards, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Ming Xi again.
If Professor Liang hadn’t noticed before, he could see it clearly now—his son was indeed staring at Ming Xi. Every time Ming Xi spoke a few words, his gaze would drift over.
So that’s how secret crush looked…
Professor Liang let out a cold laugh.
Liang Jiancheng smiled ingratiatingly, his smile clearly tinged with embarrassment, yet still maintaining his composure.
Alright. She’d given the gift, but what about dinner?
Ming Xi looked at the clean and tidy kitchen and dining table, recalling that the first time she came to the professor’s place, she had dumplings. Was it noodles today? Honestly, she preferred her own cooking. If the professor hadn’t cooked yet, she could make the noodles for them.
Ming Xi felt less restrained now. She wasn’t particularly close to the professor, but she’d already formally visited twice. The first time was awkward, the second time more familiar. She behaved more naturally and warmly, didn’t feel too embarrassed.
It was already five thirty.
“Professor, what are we having for dinner? How about I make you some noodles?” Ming Xi suggested, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Professor Liang calmly and politely replied, “You’re the guest. How could we let you cook?”
Right… then why call her over for dinner… Ming Xi smiled good-naturedly.
“We’ll go eat at a local restaurant downstairs later,” Professor Liang said, then shot a sharp look at Liang Jiancheng. “Let the black-hearted boss treat.”
Ming Xi laughed, amused and fully cooperative, turning to Liang Jiancheng. “Thank you, Black-Hearted Boss.”
Liang Jiancheng looked at her with a smiling gaze, his tone cool and deep: “You’re welcome. I’ve made money off you, isn’t it only right that I treat you to dinner?”
…Disgusting. Professor Liang walked to the sofa and sat down.
It was peak dinner hour downstairs. Professor Liang hated crowds and preferred to go later.
Liang Jiancheng, unsure if Ming Xi was hungry, rummaged through the cupboard and found some local Haigang pastries, placing them in front of her.
Ming Xi: “…Thank you, Mr. Liang.”
She was about to open them.
Then Liang Jiancheng suddenly remembered something and stopped her. “Wait—let me check if they’re expired.”
Ming Xi casually picked up the pastries, then carefully put them back.
Across the room, the professor sat facing them, his gaze as sharp as a midwinter wind.
Ming Xi couldn’t help finding it funny. Just how had Mr. Liang offended the professor?
Oh—suddenly, she thought of her laptop…
Smiling, she made another request. “Professor, do you have internet at home? I want to install some software.”
“Yes.”
The home network had been installed by Liang Jiancheng. Professor Liang rarely went online, but there were two computers in the study—one for himself, one that Liang Jiancheng occasionally used when he came over. Liang Jiancheng was quite frugal when he was younger, but after going to Gu Shuangyang’s place, he developed many spoiled brat habits, such as never sharing a computer with anyone.
Ming Xi made the request mainly because there was no food yet. Sitting between the father and son was honestly awkward. And today, the two were clearly at odds. Installing software would at least help pass the time.
Lin Han had originally offered to help her, but the exhibition center had no internet. She’d also been unwilling to let her brand-new laptop out of her sight, so she’d lugged it all the way here.
“Ming Xi, come with me,” Liang Jiancheng said very politely, getting up.
Professor Liang sensed something was wrong. He looked up and saw Ming Xi hugging the laptop as she followed Liang Jiancheng toward the study.
Professor Liang: …
See? He’d said it all along—Liang Jiancheng was that long-beaked cormorant, coaxing this little carp into swimming right into the place where he’d find it easiest to strike.
And now, the two of them were going to the study together.
In the study,
Liang Jiancheng took Ming Xi’s new laptop and plugged in the network cable. Since it was a computer brand he personally distributed, Liang Jiancheng operated it with ease.
He had Ming Xi sit in the large executive chair in front of the desk, while he stood behind her, personally explaining and demonstrating the machine’s basic functions.
“This is touch control; try sliding your finger,” Liang Jiancheng said to Ming Xi. His voice was deep and mellow; if he lowered it by two decibels, it carried a languid, faintly careless tone.
Ming Xi inexplicably felt a tickle in her ear and had the urge to scratch it.
She followed his instructions and tried it out. She had to admit that this ten-thousand-yuan premium machine really was good—typing on the keyboard produced crisp, pleasant sounds.
Noticing the small red nub in the middle of the keyboard, she asked, “What’s this?”
“That’s also a way to control the cursor,” Liang Jiancheng replied.
As he spoke, he reached out again with his right hand.
The man’s fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles, and the veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible. As he operated the computer, his movements were natural and fluid, carrying just the right amount of masculine strength.
Ming Xi realized she had been somewhat distracted and quickly said, “Mr. Liang, I’d like to install OICQ chat software.”
“…Oh.” Liang Jiancheng responded, opening a software download page for her.
“There won’t be any viruses here, and it has a full range of software.” Liang Jiancheng installed a dedicated software download tool for her.
Ming Xi secretly thought that she couldn’t buy the same product as the boss for 10,000 yuan, but she had unexpectedly enjoyed the boss’ service.
Indeed, it wasn’t the product that was expensive, but the service.
After OICQ was installed, Ming Xi immediately logged into her account and, in front of Liang Jiancheng, showed him her OICQ username and avatar—
“A Smile Worth a Thousand Gold” and a Mickey Mouse avatar.
“Mr. Liang…do you have an OICQ account?” Ming Xi blurted out casually.
Such a simple question—but behind her, Liang Jiancheng seemed to freeze, as if the computer had suddenly lagged. For a moment, there was no response.
Sitting in the executive chair, Ming Xi turned her head in confusion and met Liang Jiancheng’s slightly troubled expression. Without batting an eye, she straightforwardly made her request: “May I add Mr. Liang’s account?”
Adding a friend shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Liang Jiancheng’s gaze sharpened slightly. After a couple of seconds of thought, he told her, “I do have one, but I rarely log in. For business, I mainly use ICQ (I Seek You software developed by Mirabilis) and MSN Messenger.”
Liang Jiancheng rarely lied, but he was quite adept at it, especially when he said he rarely used the currently popular OICQ chat software—it sounded so natural and reasonable.
Ming Xi made a couple of “Oh, oh” sounds, and gracefully gave herself an out: “Then I won’t add Mr. Liang’s account.”
At that moment, another person appeared outside the door.
The study door had been left wide open, but the presence of another person was still quite noticeable.
Liang Jiancheng turned around.
Professor Liang abruptly asked, “Is it done? If you’re finished, we can go downstairs to eat.”
His gaze towards his son held a father’s warning, as well as the condescending scrutiny of an experienced man looking down on a young man.
“Almost done,” Liang Jiancheng replied naturally.
Ming Xi tilted her head and asked the professor, “Professor, do you have OICQ?”
Professor Liang: “No.”
“Then how about I register one for you? You can use it to contact students online, and even create group chats for teaching. It’s really useful,” Ming Xi enthusiastically recommended to Professor Liang.
“We’ll deal with it after we get back. Let’s eat first—the restaurant owner called and said there’s a table.”
Several software programs were still downloading and updating.
Ming Xi looked at Liang Jiancheng.
Liang Jiancheng: “Come back up later.”
Ming Xi reluctantly agreed.
Coming back after dinner—wouldn’t that be a bit late?
Ming Xi followed Professor Liang and Liang Jiancheng downstairs. The professor was the sort of person who sometimes felt overbearing, and other times oddly amusing. On the way down, he remembered his after-meal fruit and asked her to bring the imported orange with her.
Holding the orange, Ming Xi smiled cheerfully. She felt she had discovered the secret to getting along harmoniously with the professor: stand on his side and “deal with” Boss Liang.
Especially today.
Her courage grew. Walking between the two of them, she tilted her head toward Professor Liang, her smile bright and open, warm to the heart. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, filled with sincerity.
Not pretending to be clueless, she asked with an air of friendly closeness, “Professor, did Mr. Liang upset you today?”
Upon hearing this, Liang Jiancheng’s lips unconsciously curled upwards. Ming Xi’s presence between him and his father stirred a gentle, delicate feeling in his heart, as if someone had perfectly bridged the hard chasm between him and his father.
Like the streetlamp casting pale light at night, or the lovely moon hanging in the sky—something that made one want to keep looking.
Liang Jiancheng lowered his head slightly.
However—
What he considered a chasm between father and son had instantly transformed into the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.
Professor Liang, walking ahead, spoke coldly to Ming Xi: “He didn’t just offend me, he caused trouble.”
“Huh?” Ming Xi raised an eyebrow in surprise. Hearing the professor deliberately hint at something only made her curiosity spike—though she tried hard to restrain it.
Professor Liang, however, stared intently at her and asked, “Do you know what he did?”
Ming Xi genuinely didn’t know, and shook her head slightly. How could she possibly know?
The next second, Professor Liang, disregarding her presence as an outsider, pursed his lips and, in an extremely disdainful tone, spoke each word like a dagger, revealing what Liang Jiancheng had done: “He. Cheated.”
What?!
Ming Xi was utterly incredulous: …
Liang Jiancheng was too: …
The orange in Ming Xi’s hand was also: …
The shock was so intense that the orange slipped right out of Ming Xi’s palm.
Plop—
Ming Xi subconsciously bent over, and her left foot, which had already stepped forward, slipped half a step on the stairs.
At this moment, Liang Jiancheng, burdened with his “original sin,” had no time to explain; he was only worried about Ming Xi’s safety. He reached out swiftly and precisely, grabbing her hand to keep her from falling.
Professor Liang, walking ahead with his hands clasped behind his back and his shoulders slightly hunched, turned at the noise. His eyes widened—and what he saw was his son, Liang Jiancheng, gripping Ming Xi’s hand tightly. His already droopy eyelids almost unable to conceal the roll of his eyes.
In an instant, complex emotions quickly filled the hearts of the three of them.
And among them, Ming Xi’s were the most complicated of all…
She wanted nothing more than to fling Liang Jiancheng’s hand away immediately—
Wuwu, Professor, you upright judge of heaven, I really am not the cheating partner!