Chapter 2 He's looking for a suitable marriage partner...

Tomorrow is the weekend, and my aunt asked Jin Huan to stay at home tonight.

Her aunt knew about her experiments. Girls in the family tend to be stubborn when they encounter problems, but she couldn't help with her school matters. Worrying wouldn't help.

They are busy entertaining guests during the day, and only in the evening can the family sit down together for dinner.

Jin Huan brought a gift for her uncle, a set of porcelain she had found at the beginning of the year. Her uncle's study was missing a decorative piece, and Jin Huan had already thought of one for him: it would be fine to place it there.

Chen Zhisong laughed at her, saying that she was the only one who knew how to make her own decisions when it came to styling outfits.

He nodded and smiled with obvious delight.

It's because she likes to tinker with these little things.

Because of her aunt, Jin Huan and her uncle had a fairly harmonious relationship. Her uncle was two years younger than her aunt. Jin Huan still remembered that when they were dating, he called her "little one." At that time, Jin Huan thought he was childish and not good enough for her aunt.

But their relationship remained unchanged for ten years, and Jin Huan saw it all. Her uncle treated her well because of her aunt; this is probably what they call loving the house because of the dog.

Dinner was a home-cooked meal, prepared by my aunt. This apple-roasted pork ribs was Jinhuan's favorite; it was fresh, fragrant, and slightly sweet, just to her liking.

Jin Huan was eating attentively when she heard her aunt mention Zhong Yan's name. Jin Huan swallowed a small bite of meat and looked up.

Fang Shuyun smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Jin Huan shook her head and asked curiously, "Is Mr. Zhong working with my uncle today?"

Chen Zhisong replied, "No."

They've only had some interaction recently, so there's no question of cooperation. After all, they don't yet have enough capital to cooperate with Mr. Zhong. The fact that he agreed to attend his birthday banquet is already a great honor.

Zhong Yan is a very respectable person. He is decisive and shrewd in his actions, but gentle in his dealings with others and never shows any harshness. It is precisely because of this that people cannot easily see through him. Chen Zhisong thought that it would be beneficial to establish a relationship with him in the future.

That's how business people think: in business, you have to cultivate good relationships.

Hearing this, Jin Huan became even more curious. She had never inquired about these things before, but this time she couldn't help but ask, "Who is this Mr. Zhong?"

"The Zhong family is a century-old family in Nancheng. Their family businesses cover a wide area and have great influence. Mr. Zhong is the only descendant in one branch of their family, but there are many other relatives."

Speaking of this, something must be mentioned. Fang Shuyun didn't want to talk about it at first, but seeing her niece staring at her so intently that she forgot to eat, she continued.

"Mr. Zhong is still unmarried at this age and has never had a girlfriend. His relatives are eyeing him covetously. Old Master Zhong's health has been poor these past two years, and he is preparing to hand over power, but the prerequisite is that he gets married first. Otherwise, he won't be able to shut up those relatives."

Therefore, Zhong Yan is looking for a suitable marriage partner.

He's in his thirties now, which is the age when most people would have children in elementary school. Yet he seems uninterested in matters of love and sex, which is why his family has the opportunity to spread rumors that he either has a problem with his orientation or something in that area.

None of those were kind words.

If there are flaws, then the Zhong family line will end if it falls into his hands.

These words can be seen as an attack on him by those collateral branches. Although Zhong Yan doesn't care about these things, Old Master Zhong does. He only has one grandson, and if he doesn't get married, the old man is afraid that he won't be able to close his eyes in peace when he passes away.

It was really inappropriate and offensive to talk about Mr. Zhong in front of the younger generation. Fang Shuyun realized this as soon as she finished speaking and stopped there.

She immediately told Jinhuan not to spread these things, and that it was best to let her family listen.

Jin Huan hadn't finished listening when her words abruptly stopped, and she obediently nodded: "I won't talk nonsense."

After returning to her room after dinner, Jin Huan searched for Zhong Yan's name online.

The search results yielded very little information, only a few simple text news articles, though there was more information about the Zhong family, showing that he was very protective of his personal privacy.

Jin Huan stared at the screen, and that night, she even briefly forgot the troubles caused by the experiment's stagnation.

Zhong Yan left shortly after lunch. Jin Huan was on the second floor at the time and watched him get into his car. She subconsciously watched him go until the car's exhaust fumes were no longer visible.

Jin Huan's "allergy" finally started to improve.

She touched her neck, then behind her ear, puzzled by this strange reaction.

Because it was the first time she had done this.

.

Jin Huan overslept this morning and almost missed her class.

She came out of the dormitory, brushed her teeth and washed her face, grabbed a jacket at random. Usually, if she had time, she would buy something to eat at the cafeteria. Jin Huan was not picky about breakfast; sometimes she would just eat a piece of toast.

But coffee is a must.

If there's no time to buy, order online; otherwise, it's hard to stay alert right after waking up. She had a class this morning, and when she arrived at the classroom, Du Qingxu had already saved her a seat.

He waved to her.

Jin Huan breathed a sigh of relief, sat down in the seat next to him, and said "thank you" to him.

Du Qingxu didn't speak, but simply nodded indifferently.

Du Qingxu was her classmate, and they were both mentored by Professor Tan. They were also in the same research group. Du Qingxu was not a talkative person, and when they first met at the university, Jin Huan thought he had a problem with her.

Fang Jinhuan has always been a straightforward person. She is quite sensitive to these interpersonal relationships. After noticing that Du Qingxu's attitude was off, she asked him directly after class one day if he had any misunderstandings about her. If so, she could explain to him.

Du Qingxu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said no.

He awkwardly explained that he was just not used to interacting with people and had no intention of targeting her.

At this point, Du Qingxu blushed with anxiety.

He usually wears either a white shirt or a white T-shirt. Even if the collar is washed until it's faded, he keeps it clean and tidy, and his clothes are almost always wrinkled. This is just like his style in experiments: rigorous and meticulous.

Later, Jin Huan overheard other classmates talking about how Du Qingxu's family situation was not good. His father had passed away when he was a few years old, and his mother had raised him alone. Just when she thought he was going to be successful, he was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago.

To pay for his mother's surgery and chemotherapy, Du Qingxu usually takes on part-time jobs whenever he has free time. His life is filled with these things and he is very busy. Now, as a second-year graduate student, he is at a crucial time. Jin Huan often admires him for having so much energy and being able to divide his time in half.

However, Jin Huan knew there was nothing to envy about this; he had simply been forced into this situation by life and had no other choice.

Jin Huan took out a book and a pen from her bag. She placed the pen on the table, glanced at it, and saw the pen next to Du Qingxu. She exclaimed, "Our pens are the same!"

What a coincidence!

Every time Jin Huan goes shopping, she likes to bring back some pretty pens and notebooks. She has collected a lot of them, but even though she has so many, this one is her favorite. The outer shell is her favorite green color.

It feels very comfortable to write with, and I enjoy using it all the time.

I didn't expect Du Qingxu to have the same one as her; I don't think I've seen it before.

When Jin Huan looked over, Du Qingxu's fingers, which were gripping the pen, stiffened for a moment. He then nodded and softly replied, "Yes."

Jin Huan only thought it was a coincidence and didn't think much of it.

Du Qingxu is always the most attentive, whether in class or doing experiments. Today I saw him yawn a few times, so I guess he didn't sleep much last night. Jin Huan was ordering coffee and asked if he wanted one too.

Du Qingxu shook her head: "No need."

He doesn't seem to drink these things.

After class, Ms. Tan called them and asked them to come to her office.

Jin Huan was troubled by the matter to be reported at the group meeting.

Her progress stalled. She felt she had already presented similar content twice, yet she had made no progress whatsoever. Jin Huan felt utterly ashamed, so ashamed that she couldn't hold her head up in front of her classmates in the same research group.

Seeing her looking worried, Du Qingxu offered her some comfort, telling her to relax.

Everyone experiences this, and if we communicate more during group meetings, we'll eventually come up with a solution.

Du Qingxu was very serious when comforting people, very much like a teacher. Since he didn't talk much, saying a few more words would only make people laugh.

However, that would be impolite, so Jin Huan held back.

Teacher Tan was waiting for them in the office.

The big shot I mentioned to them last time has already returned to China. I contacted him a couple of days ago and arranged to meet him today since he has time, so he can come and listen to their group meeting report.

Teacher Tan mainly spoke with Jin Huan.

As her mentor, Professor Tan was also worried for her, but as her mentor, she did everything she could to help her grasp the general direction and raise questions. But ultimately, the research was her own responsibility, and she still had to rely on herself.

Teacher Tan told Jinhuan to do a good job in this presentation, since this was the only opportunity she would get.

Jin Huan listened attentively and nodded in agreement.

Then Teacher Tan told Du Qingxu to help Jin Huan when he had time.

Jin Huan was about to say no, no need to trouble Du, but Du Qingxu had already replied "okay".

Jin Huan returned to her dormitory at noon, changed her clothes, and spent ten minutes putting on light makeup. She spent the remaining hours revising her presentation PPT.

Jin Huan was always very cautious when it came to matters related to her future. Even though the content of her previous two reports was similar, she did not let her guard down. She re-recorded the difficulties and problems she encountered and compiled them together.

Jin Huan arrived at the classroom half an hour early in the afternoon.

She first tested her PPT and found that it played normally, with audio and animation displaying correctly. Then she sat back down and reviewed the notes she had hastily organized at noon.

Jin Huan's hair was tied in a low ponytail at the back of her head. Her hair was freshly cut and not too long, with the ends just touching her shoulders. She was wearing a white sweater today, holding a pen in her hand, and looking down. The sunlight shone on her profile, and her skin, as white as the sweater, resembled a pool of gentle, clean, slowly flowing clear water.

Professor Tan had mentioned her friend to her a few times before. From her description, Jin Huan guessed that he was a very authoritative academic bigwig, like Professor Wang from the next department, someone admirable and respectable. Jin Huan had always been intimidated by such bigwigs; she was afraid of being criticized, which would seriously damage her self-confidence.

That will take her a very long time to recover.

As Jin Huan looked down, she saw a figure at the classroom door. She paused, and instinctively called out, "Du Qingxu?"

Every time she arrived early, Du Qingxu would always be the second one right behind her. The empty classroom was often just the two of them. Du Qingxu didn't like to talk, so he wouldn't bother her when he was there, minimizing each other's presence.

Her gaze drifted upwards, the words barely left her lips, when she saw a man's broad, steady shoulders, a dark blue cashmere coat, and above that, a face she recognized, one she could never forget.

"Hello." He spoke, and that single greeting made Jin Huan gasp for breath. She blinked rapidly, the words stuck in her throat.

She didn't even have the brainpower to think about why Mr. Zhong would be here at this time.

His expression was gentle, and from his eyes, Jin Huan guessed that he probably didn't remember her. After all, they had only met once at the birthday party, and she wasn't an important person, so it was normal for him not to remember her.

But it's okay. After catching her breath, Jin Huan stood up and took the initiative to speak: "Mr. Zhong, hello."

She immediately offered an explanation: "It was my uncle's birthday last week, and we met there."

Zhong Yan's expression was indifferent, which made his face appear particularly elegant and three-dimensional. He showed no reaction to Jin Huan's introduction and did not make any move to think. Only after listening to her finish did he speak in a low voice: "Miss Fang".

Oh, so he remembered.

The word "Miss Fang" made Jin Huan's throat tighten. She gripped the pen tighter and felt her lips were a little dry, so she tried to purse them.

"Are you Tan Xi's student?" Zhong Yan asked before he rushed in.

Teacher Tan?

Jin Huan nodded: "Yes."

Then, as if possessed, she took the initiative to introduce herself to him: "My name is Jin Huan, Fang Jin Huan."

A note from the author: