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At the end of May, after Luo Mingjing watched the rehearsal for the Clear Sky Crane exhibition, he received a notification from the university.
“Student Luo, which day are you free between June 20th and 30th? Your graduation certificate and degree certificate will be ready soon. We will arrange a conferring ceremony and need to discuss the time with you.”
After checking his calendar, Luo Mingjing set the date for June 28th.
On his way back to the art studio, Luo Mingjing turned into the alley towards “My Family’s Mirror Flower Shop,” bought a bouquet of fresh flowers for Shi Min, and then went to the ceramic shop next door run by the old man, buying a softly colored porcelain vase. He walked back to the art studio carrying the flowers and vase, just as he coincidentally saw Shi Min returning from the alley entrance. They met face to face.
“For you,” Luo Mingjing handed the flowers to Shi Min.
“Flowers for me...” Shi Min squinted slightly and said, “Let me think what gift to give you in return.”
Luo Mingjing smiled: “Simple, a kiss.”
Shi Min: “Today, I’ll give you something special.”
“Hm?” Seeing her rummage through her bag, Luo Mingjing was curious, “Like what?”
“For example, your daughter’s first clear photo,” Shi Min took out a color photo. “4D ultrasound, don’t be scared, it’s your daughter.”
“A girl?! Really?!” Luo Mingjing’s tongue nearly floated away with joy, his eyes shining brightly. He almost dropped the vase in his hand, then paused to put it on the ground. With trembling hands, he took the seemingly indescribable, clear baby photo.
He widened his eyes and carefully examined the photo. 4D ultrasound images of babies aren’t particularly appealing. Without the loving filter of expectant parents, such photos might be considered ‘eerie’ by most people. The baby in the womb had closed eyes, and its facial features were still blurry. The photo usually showed a large face filling the entire frame.
Luo Mingjing chuckled, “She’s beautiful.”
“The filter’s too thick,” Shi Min said with a faint smile.
“Really!” Luo Mingjing pointed to the image and showed her, “Look, a high nose bridge, big eyes, she should look more like me. Are you sure it’s a girl? I’m having trouble stopping my hands from making dresses for her.”
“She’s a daughter who resembles you,” Shi Min nodded. “How do you feel now?”
Luo Mingjing was as happy as a child, his big eyes squinted shut from smiling: “Happy!”
“I knew you’d like a girl.”
“As soon as you said ‘daughter’ just now...” Luo Mingjing gestured, “My mind went ‘boom!’, like a gift box bursting open, and so many ideas for beautiful clothes popped out!”
“She’s very lively,” Shi Min added. “Very active.”
“Hahahahaha...” Luo Mingjing could only laugh now. He pulled Shi Min back into the art studio, settled her on the sofa, quickly went to the kitchen to boil water, and then eagerly pulled out the good cotton and fabrics he had chosen earlier, saying, “First, I’ll make a small blanket for my daughter.”
Shi Min, trimming flower branches, idly raised her eyelids and said, “You’re a designer, not a tailor. She’s still too early; you should focus on your own work.”
Only then did Luo Mingjing remember the confirmed graduation ceremony date. He shook his head: “I’m not busy anymore. The rehearsal is done. The day after tomorrow night, come with me to see the official exhibition. My degree awarding ceremony is on the 28th of next month, Shi Min, you know what day that is, right?”
He smiled and winked.
“Mm,” Shi Min arranged the flowers. “The day you officially receive authorization and are approved by the government to marry me.”
“Hahahahaha, you are something.”
Shi Min teased him to the end: “What, did I express myself incorrectly?”
Luo Mingjing nodded while drawing baby clothes: “Yes, you know where the mistake is. I’ll give you a chance to correct it.”
“Okay, I’ll say it again.” Shi Min sat up, staring at him, enunciating each word: “Luo Mingjing, June 28th, is the day you officially receive authorization, are approved by the government, and marry down to me. Satisfied?”
Luo Mingjing was silent for a moment. After realizing the difference between the two sentences, he threw down his pen, leaned on the table, and burst out laughing.
Shi Min slowly stretched, then took out a few more 4D ultrasound photos from her bag: “They’re all for you. Take them and go praise them.”
“There are more!” Luo Mingjing quickly moved closer to Shi Min, excitedly taking the photos.
These were fetal photos from different angles. His daughter was curled up in the womb, one hand resting on her chin, fingers clearly visible.
Shi Min, with an artistic flair, named this photo: “The Thinker.”
Luo Mingjing’s eyes were filled with paternal love, and the more he looked, the happier he became. He wished he could make a swaddling cloth for these photos right now, wrap them up, and enshrine them in a cradle.
“CEO, CEO, I found something...” Luo Mingjing brought the photos closer to Shi Min’s eyes, his slender finger pointing to the fetus in the photo, “Our daughter has long legs!”
Shi Min slowly raised one leg and said, “Otherwise? Who else would she inherit from?”
Luo Mingjing was overly excited. He made several foot-shaped photo frames and put the photos in them, hanging them on the living room wall, where they could be seen immediately upon entering the art studio. Shi Min, on the other hand, had no special feelings for those photos. After all, the baby was truly warm inside her belly, so there was no need to treat those bizarre and uncute photos as treasures.
So, for an entire evening, those photos acted like an engine. Luo Mingjing would glance at the hanging photos while drawing, then, as if recharged, he would continue working with a silly smile.
The same went for livestreams. Fans noticed that Luo Mingjing always wore a mysterious smile, looking in a certain direction.
“Could it be that the CEO is naked dancing over there?”
“...Isn’t the CEO pregnant? For safety, let’s not say naked dancing. Maybe if she moves a little, the Fairy would rush over in an instant?”
“..................Is the CEO flirting with him where we can’t see?”
“That smile, it’s so loving, sisters...”
“Could it be that the little Fairy has been born?”
“...No way, it’s only been a few months? I remember the Fairy said the due date was in September?”
Luo Mingjing turned back, his eyes sparkling. A smile lingered on his face, and he couldn’t help but say, while drawing, “Do you know you can take pictures of the baby in the womb now?! You can see so clearly! My daughter has a hand like this!”
He even demonstrated the pose, continuing excitedly, “All five fingers are visible, so cute! Hahaha!”
The comments section exploded.
“Holy cow, that’s a lot of information?!”
“Maybe the CEO had an ultrasound... I saw the picture, hahahaha.”
“Little padded jacket, little padded jacket, little padded jacket!!!”
“I burst into tears, I still wanted to see the little padded pants wearing a skirt. Is that dream shattered?”
“So it’s a girl? Right? Did the Fairy say just now?”
“He said so, it’s a girl... Look at him smile.”
“The Fairy is a doting father of a daughter!”
“It seems all my favorite male idols love daughters. They’re so gentle, definitely the type to dote on their daughters.”
Luo Mingjing said, still smiling, “My daughter will be like me, I wonder what she’ll look like after she’s born. The CEO says she’ll be even prettier than in the photos, hahahaha, I’m so happy...”
He usually paid close attention to his livestreams, keeping a low profile and never showing off. However, today, he simply couldn’t hold back.
“The feeling of being a father is truly...” Luo Mingjing mused to himself, completely oblivious to the comments, “I feel like I’m on cloud nine! It’s truly that feeling of my heart soaring.”
“Oh oh, he’s so beautiful, look at this man.”
“Aiyoo, so happy, I’m also smiling like an idiot.”
“At this very moment, I, a single dog, am also watching the livestream with a smile full of maternal glow.”
“Fairy, remember!!! You absolutely must show us photos after the little princess is born!!”
“Recently, it’s all good news. My goddess is out of danger, my idol is going to be a father, and my work is going smoothly too.”
“Fairy!! My due date is also this year, let’s be in-laws!!”
________________________________________
After Yang He’s condition stabilized, she was transferred back to a hospital in the capital. After she regained consciousness, Shi Chu breathed a sigh of relief and came to the art studio to rest at noon.
He looked like a zombie, with dark circles under his eyes and a bluish stubble on his face. He dragged his weary steps through the door and was half-scared to death by the baby photo of his niece on the wall.
At first glance, seeing that tasteless baby photo, resembling one of the Eighteen Arhats, Shi Chu’s soul almost flew out. Fortunately, before he could shriek, Luo Mingjing’s words pulled him back: “Shi Chu, look! This is my daughter!”
Shi Chu closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and, considering it was Luo Mingjing’s first time being a father, swallowed the “what the hell is that” retort that was already on the tip of his tongue.
“Get closer and look! You can see clearly!” Luo Mingjing said excitedly, “She’s beautiful! Big eyes, long legs, and smart too. Look at the one in the middle, she’s contemplating!”
Shi Chu: “...A girl?”
“Yes, a daughter. Did Shi Min tell you? The name’s already chosen.”
“She did. She also said she’d take my family name. You don’t mind?”
Luo Mingjing had no objections at all. He chuckled, “I lost at rock-paper-scissors. Both Shi and Luo sound good.”
Shi Chu slightly opened his eyes, boldly glanced at it, then turned his head, smiling with pursed lips.
“Can Sister He talk now?”
“Yes,” Shi Chu sank into the sofa, let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes, saying, “Brother-in-law, have pity on your big brother. Can you make me some hot food?”
“What do you want to eat?”
“...Anything,” Shi Chu rolled over, his eyes heavy with sleep. He heard Luo Mingjing ask, “How is Sister He eating now? Can I make millet porridge?”
In the second before he fell asleep, Shi Chu thought to himself, “Everyone in this family is good, even my brother-in-law is good...”
________________________________________
On the last day of May, T University’s special exhibition of outstanding fashion design work, “Clear Sky Crane,” officially opened. Luo Mingjing brought Shi Min to sit in the VIP section.
Accompanied by the spacious and soothing sound of the guqin and a few crane calls, the lights slowly brightened. The stage was lush with bamboo as a backdrop. Models wearing “Clear Sky Crane” garments stood or reclined, playing the guqin and drinking wine, their robes gently flowing, exuding an ethereal elegance.
Amidst the audience’s applause, Shi Min softly said, “It’s beautiful.”
Luo Mingjing didn’t respond. She turned her head and realized his gaze had drifted, his eyes filled with tears.
“Life is hard. The sky above, though covered in dark clouds, will eventually reveal a clear sky. Whether in or out of the world, a crane is a crane, and I am still I. My longing for the clear sky remains unchanged, the path beneath my feet remains unchanged, and what I pursue also remains unchanged.”
After the “Clear Sky Crane” exhibition ended, T University presented Luo Mingjing with the Outstanding Design Award. The Dean of the School of Fine Arts apologized: “A few days ago, when I presented awards to several other outstanding graduates, I didn’t feel this way. Some of you here may know, some may not. This excellent designer should have received his honor five years ago, but due to the negligence of some faculty members and T University, this belated honor is only now in his hands. Student Luo Mingjing, on behalf of the T University School of Fine Arts, I apologize to you.”
The white-haired dean bowed slightly. Luo Mingjing held the trophy, momentarily stunned.
“Welcome Luo Mingjing, the designer of the outstanding graduation work ‘Clear Sky Crane’ from the Fashion Design Department, to give his acceptance speech.”
Flashlights flickered like stars, and thunderous applause erupted below the stage. Luo Mingjing stood before the microphone, silent.
The applause gradually subsided. From the stage, which resembled the night, he found Shi Min.
It was like finding the only person with color in a vast, gray sea of people—she was his destiny.
Luo Mingjing smiled.
He said, “That day, from the day I met you, the drifting boat found its direction, and regained the courage to brave the storms. Shi Min, all the honors I have received belong to you, and all my honors combined are not as important as you. I love you, my love.”
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