I Am Your Little Sunshine

Anyone from Asia who studied at Harvard University will have heard of a name in Chinese that rings a bell - Chu Xi. The youngest professor of physics at Harvard is a true "teenage genius", who is said to have been enrolled at the age of 9 in the experimental class of the Jiangcheng University of Science and Technology with intellectually extraordinary students. At the age of 13, he was enrolled in the junior class of the University of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, where he was the youngest student. At the age of 23, Harvard University broke the rule of not allowing post-doctoral researchers to stay at the University and allowed Dr Chu to continue his research work. At the age of 28, he was awarded the prestigious American Sloan Research Award —-an illustrious time scale that made him seem like a glowing figure who would shine wherever he went. However, Professor Chu is a low-profile man, those who know him well know that he is a man of almost 30 years of age who looks like a fine jade but is actually a strict and rigid man. He is a man of few words, who occasionally makes a "vicious" remark or two. In fact, Chu Xi is not a very interesting person. His aura make people around him retreat. 

The good thing is that although he doesn't smile, he has the right amount of oriental charm and a tall, straight body to give him more mystery and sensuality. Coupled with the fact that he is a clean man makes him a treasure in the Chinese community. Females of all ages, including schoolgirls, teachers and mothers over 50, are all attracted to him, and he can't resist using one trick to get rid of all the people - hide! They will chase him with all kinds of difficult tricks until he is cornered, and then use their bodies to build layers of temptation. They firmly believe that no man can control his lower body, especially in the face of such a large breasts and fat buttoks of a woman. In the long history of those heroes and heroines there were few who could escape from the beauty. The modern man, Chu Xi, is no exception.

What they didn't expect was that Professor Chu Xi, when confronted with the onslaught of women, would not take on the challenge but quickly plunge into the sea of Buddhism. He teaches each woman who tried to "tear him apart" that lust is the cause of suffering and that suffering is the result of lust. The fact that you are indulging in your lust is the result of your inner suffering, so why don't you come with me and study Buddhism? The women were all stunned. How can these foreign girls know about Buddhism? When they saw him taking out sandalwood beads from his pocket, and looking at his ascetic expression, they ran away as if they had seen Satan. He then waved his sleeve indifferently, like a heartless man.

After his heart cleared, Professor Chu Xi put down his Buddhist beads and unscrewed his thermos to take a sip of hot water filled with wolfberries. In the School of Physics, where hair loss is widespread, his dark, black, clear and shiny hair is a rare commodity in the School of Physics.

A beautiful Korean-Chinese lecturer once admired his thick black hair, and even wanted to publish an anti-hair loss manual for the School of Physics, and the natural ability of Koreans to work on their faces and heads was not to be underestimated. In less than half a day, she was able to produce a "Mediterranean" for the few hairy people in the School of Physics, so it became more and more obvious that Professor Chu Xi was a "standout". He has become the spokesperson for the School of Physics, and whenever a group from China comes to visit, Professor Chu Xi is the "top card". His reputation has spread across the seas to all the universities in China as group after group of Chinese students come and go, and he has inadvertently captured another group of young and middle-aged women.

The news that Chu had decided to return to his home country made quite a splash in the School of Physics, as the Chinese professor had not been back to his homeland for ten years since he entered the United States of America at the age of 18. There were some people asking about his family background, wondering what kind of family had produced such a cold-hearted and highly intelligent man. But Professor Chu Xi was always tight-lipped about such inquiries, and his silence made people even more curious. Eventually someone from China came back with the news that his father was a business tycoon and his mother was a university professor. With such a partnership between business and education, it was not surprising that a rich and educated man could have such a son.

For Chu Xi, however, he was so silent about his family that he did not say a word about it, but he did so deliberately. He could not find the right words to say about his complicated feelings for his father and mother. So, he avoided them.

But there are some things that cannot be avoided.

Professor Cho's mother in China, Zhao Lishu, is seriously ill and needs immediate surgery. As her only legal guardian, Chu Xi, her biological son, must be present.

When he found out the news, Chu Xi had locked himself in his office for the whole day. The dappled sunlight from the blinds kept moving, slicing the inky black floor with rays of light, like his torn heart. He pulled a cigarette from a drawer that he hadn't touched in a long time, the rings of smoke cascading down and filling the book-filled room. His jawline was so stiff that no tenderness was visible. By the time twilight fell, the dark spot of red suddenly went out, the silence was broken by an ear-splitting shuffle. The sound of footsteps kicked in, and a low voice rang out: "Lola, book me a ticket back to Jiangcheng, China for tomorrow."

On the way to the airport, he looked out of the window at the receding Sycamore trees and rubbed his fingers unconsciously over the sandalwood beads, unsure of what he was thinking. In addition to his sister Zhou Yali, who was a year older than him, and Wang Shuo, an alumnus of the university who has been a close friend of Chu Xi for ten years in the United States, came to see him off.

Wang Shuo and Zhou Yali looked at the small suitcase at Chu Xi's feet and felt a bit worried.

Wang Shuo said uneasily, "Are you... Is this really all you have?"

Zhou Yali joined in and asked, "Yeah, you haven't bought any American souvenirs back to aunt and uncle, or your nieces and nephews? You haven't gone back for ten years?"

When he heard that, he looked down at his little black 19-inch suitcase, and only after a long time did he look up and answer honestly: "That's all."

Wang Shuo didn't feel that surprised, so he patted him on the shoulder and sighed: "You...never mind, give my regards to my aunt and uncle back in Jiangcheng!"

Zhou Yali hesitated for a moment, but was still uneasy and said, "Chu Xi, go back home and spend time with auntie. Don't be too hard on yourself, you haven't seen each other for ten years. The time you have with your aunt and uncle should be cherished."

Except that Chu Xi was silent for a moment, but had a different idea, he said: "No.  I'm not going to make it hard on myself. I think my mother will. As for my father, I have no intention of telling him I'm going back to the country.  I don't have so much energy to divide between people who have nothing to do with me."

Wang Shuo was dumbfounded, and when he came to his senses, he was so distraught that he almost pounded his chest, "Why do you have to! Why don't you just go back to your family happily and get rid of those knots! Do you really want to be a lonely man? It's been ten years, you have to let go of all that hate!"

The atmosphere was a bit stagnant as Chu Xi gritted his teeth and didn't say a word.

Zhou Yali looked at the side of her friend's face and advised him sadly: "Wang Shuo, don't push him. I believe that he can handle his family affairs on his own, and that blood and family ties are inseparable. You should think about it when you go home."

Chu Xi nodded, looked at Wang Shuo again, and suddenly said, "After I leave, you will not bring a woman back!"

Wang Shuo looked at Zhou Yali as if he had been stepped on, and almost went to cover his(CX) mouth, shouting sharply: "I didn't bring any! Get out of here, you're not even leaving yet and you're giving me a hard time! Go away, go back to the embrace of the socialists!"

After the two of them had sent the Buddha away, Zhou Yali glanced at Wang Shuo and asked, smilingly, "Do you often bring women back?

Wang Shuo caught his breath and choked for a moment before he smiled fawningly and said, "I wouldn't dare. Sister, I'm a good student. I have to work hard to build a well-off life, so I don't have time, do I?"

On the other side of the world, Chu Xi has arrived in Jiangcheng City. It was dusk of the summer solstice, and the red haze spread across the sky. At first glance, it looked like a hazy red veil, light and airy.

After a two-hour traffic jam, Chu Xi finally arrived at the oncology department of the Jiangcheng University of Science and Technology Hospital, where Zhao Lishu was staying. His tall, handsome figure and sharp, knife-sharp features caused a murmur of delight gasps when he appeared in the hospital lobby. The grumble of the suitcase wheels overwhelmed the cacophony of shouts, screams and chatter. There was the smell of disinfectant on his nostrils, and nurses and doctors in white lab coats looked on in awe as they passed by him.

He looked at the familiar and unfamiliar Chinese script on the wall and searched slowly for the ward where Zhao Lishu was.

"Professor Chu Xi?" A small voice fell softly into his ears.

He turned his head to look, but there was no one in front of him. It was only when a hand greeted him that he moved his eyes down to a young woman with a round doll's face smiling brightly in front of him, and she raised her voice to confirm again, "Are you Professor Chu Xi?"

Chu Xi fixed his eyes and nodded seriously, "Yes, I'm Chu Xi."

The young woman's smile widened and her voice was cheerful, "Hello! I'm Ms Zhao's student. I am Xia Xingchen, I'm here to pick you up."

Translator's Note:

My first language isn't English, and there may be some grammatical errors. But I try not to deviate from the author's narrative. If there are any errors or nonsensical sentences, feel free to comment.