Chapter: 2609

Seeing the excitement on He Yuanjiang’s face, Charlie Wade quickly clarified, “I’m sorry, Professor He, but I’m not a Stanford graduate.”

He Yuanjiang looked puzzled and asked, “Then how do you know that the red cedar tree I painted is the one in the Stanford University badge? If you really understand Stanford, you probably wouldn’t remember the details of the badge so clearly.”

Charlie Wade replied honestly, “My mother graduated from Stanford. When I was a child, I had the chance to visit the campus with her.”

Understanding dawned on He Yuanjiang. “Ah, that makes sense! You must be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight this year. Your mother should be about my age, right?”

Charlie nodded. “Yes, she was twenty-six when I was born, so she would be fifty-four this year.”

He Yuanjiang thought for a moment and said, “Fifty-four, huh? That’s just one year younger than me. She might have been in the same class as I was. Can I ask her name? Maybe we know each other.”

Charlie hesitated, then said sadly, “My mother passed away many years ago, so I prefer not to mention her name.”

As soon as he spoke, He Yuanjiang was taken aback. He stared at Charlie, his voice shaking with shock. “Charlie Wade… your last name is Ye… then your mother’s last name is An?!”

Charlie was surprised. “Professor He, do you know my mother?!”

He Yuanjiang was suddenly filled with excitement. “Are you really An Chengqi’s child?!”

Hearing the name “Chengqi” brought tears to Charlie’s eyes. An Chengqi was his mother.

Charlie’s heart stirred when he heard his mother’s name for the first time in many years. Her surname, An, meant safe and happy. The name Chengqi was inspired by a quote from Sima Qian’s “Historical Records,” which speaks of peach and plum trees that, despite not speaking, attract people with their beauty and sweet fruits. This metaphor represents someone who is sincere and disciplined, someone whose good character draws others in and earns their admiration.

Charlie’s mother was the eldest daughter of his grandfather, who adored her and had high hopes for her. This is why he chose the meaningful name An Chengqi.

When He Yuanjiang noticed tears in Charlie’s eyes, he felt sure of his guess. He stepped forward, took Charlie’s hand, and said with emotion, “Charlie, we met more than twenty years ago. You were very young then, and your mother brought you to Stanford and Silicon Valley. My wife and I were with you, but there were many people around, so you might not remember me.”

Suddenly, He remembered something and exclaimed, “My wife even held you back then! Do you remember that?”

Charlie shook his head and replied, “I’m sorry, Professor He. It was so long ago, I really don’t remember.”

Curious, he asked, “Professor He, were you classmates with my mother?”