Chapter 56 You said when you're old you'll... reach...

Zhong Yan had only been back from his business trip for two days and hadn't had much rest before dragging Jin Huan out hiking again.

She spends most of her time in the lab. She used to exercise regularly at the gym, but later she got busy and didn't care about exercising anymore. She would spend the whole day in the research room or study.

The weather has been nice these past few days; the winter sunshine is rare, and even the mosses want to come out and bask in the sun.

Jin Huan followed beside him, slowly walking up the mountain path.

To avoid another negative result from my medical examination.

She really couldn't go on; she had only walked a third of the way when she said she couldn't walk anymore and needed to stop and rest.

Zhong Yan didn't speak, he just held her hand.

Jin Huan struggled to keep up with him, her face contorted in pain, and asked him anxiously, "Shouldn't you carry me on your back right now?"

Her breathing was noticeably rapid, and her back was covered in a light sweat. Zhong Yan looked at her calmly for a while, clearly disagreeing with what she had just said.

Of course, he had no intention of carrying her on his back.

Jin Huan continued, "You rarely carry me on your back."

If you don't carry it now, someone else will have to carry it later.

She tugged at his hand, feeling wronged.

"You're all grown up now, do you think you can get away with being a scoundrel to me?" Zhong Yan said calmly. "I rarely carry you on my back... Who's the one who likes to ask me for a hug all the time? Isn't a hug and a carry the same?"

Jin Huan couldn't argue with him, so she opened her mouth, but in the end, all she could say was, "You're stingy."

Zhong Yan said, "Don't get angry."

Jin Huan was speechless. She snorted coldly and deliberately stabbed him in the heart: "You are being disrespectful to your elders."

He looks like he's only in his early thirties, but he's actually close to forty now. He doesn't really fit the word "old." Zhong Yan's eyes darkened, but he nodded and said, "That's right."

There was absolutely no way to enjoy himself to the fullest.

Even her attacks were ineffective against him, so of course she didn't know what else to do, since Zhong Yan basically had no weaknesses.

Zhong Yan gripped her hand tightly, the warmth of his palm flowing over her. She tried to pull away, but because his grip was so tight, she couldn't. She could only let him pull her forward.

We walked slowly and kept stopping, so what should have been a journey of a little over an hour took us almost three hours. There was a temple at the top of the mountain, which looked very popular. Since we were already there, Jin Huan wanted to go in and offer his prayers.

I'd also like to ask for a peace charm.

Every time Zhong Yan went on a business trip, she silently wished him a safe journey. She knew the probability of such things was very small, but she couldn't help but worry. As his wife, she wanted to ask for a talisman to bring him peace.

He quickly obtained the item, examined it carefully, and then slipped it into Zhong Yan's pocket, gently telling him, "This is for you."

The scenery on the mountain is beautiful. From the top, you can see the entire city. This expansive view can easily lift your spirits. You can take a long, deep breath and feel that all the effort of climbing up was worth it.

The moment I saw this scenery, all my fatigue vanished.

Jin Huan leaned against Zhong Yan, moved her aching calves, and thought to herself that she was definitely going to be in trouble when she woke up tomorrow morning. This was more damaging than running 800 meters.

Looking at Zhong Yan again, he was completely unharmed.

"Do you really have no weaknesses?" Jin Huan looked at his tall and upright figure, and remembered that he had carried her all the way up without panting or blushing, as if walking on flat ground. This made Jin Huan unable to help but ask him this question.

"Who says I don't have weaknesses?" Zhong Yan took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said slowly, "Aren't you my weakness?"

Zhong Yan still remembers what happened last year.

During the peak flu season, he was working overtime at the company and called her repeatedly but she didn't answer. He asked the housekeeper, who said she hadn't left her room since noon, and she hadn't come out even when he finished cooking dinner and left in the evening.

Zhong Yan dropped what she was doing and rushed home.

When she got home, she was lying quietly on the bed, her face flushed red. When she touched her forehead, she found that her whole body was burning hot.

They couldn't wake him up either.

Zhong Yan quickly carried her to the hospital.

After taking medication at the hospital, she slowly woke up, and Zhong Yan stayed by her side all night without closing his eyes.

His eyes were very red, with heavy blood vessels, and he even looked like he had been crying.

I've almost never seen Zhong Yan like this.

When Jin Huan woke up, his fever had subsided, but his head still ached terribly. She touched his eyes with heartache, her voice still weak, and asked him what was wrong.

A bolt from the blue struck their otherwise ordinary days when she suddenly fell ill. He dropped everything and stayed by her side for a week, taking care of her personally in every way, even feeding her until she fully recovered, her complexion returned to its rosy glow, and she was able to be lively and energetic again. Only then did Zhong Yan feel at ease.

Zhong Yan has always taken good care of Jin Huan.

He fulfilled his duties as a husband and treated her as her only daddy, providing her with a completely supportive and secure world.

Jin Huan often thought that she wished she could have met Zhong Yan sooner.

For example, she could become his child from the year she was abandoned at the age of twelve, and then become his wife when she grew up.

They will spend more time together than they do now.

Last night, Zhong Yan held her in his arms and repeatedly told her, "I love her, I love her, I love her so much." Jin Huan couldn't respond when she heard this, and she wondered when Zhong Yan had become a broken record.

She was his only weakness.

That's absolutely right.

Even though Jin Huan was often showered with his love, hearing these words still made her heart burn. She let out a long sigh, pursed her lips, and gently replied, "I know."

Jin Huan grabbed his arm and lifted her chin: "Can you carry me down the mountain?"

She tiptoed closer to his ear and whispered sweetly in a voice only they could hear, "Please?"

Jin Huan finally got her wish and climbed onto Zhong Yan's back.

The path down the mountain was much easier. Jin Huan leaned on Zhong Yan's shoulder, and without having to walk, she felt refreshed and almost sleepy.

Then she actually slept on Zhong Yan's back for a little while, and after replenishing her energy, she was able to get down and walk on her own.

Not making him carry the entire load was Fang Jinhuan's last shred of conscience.

But Zhong Yan said he would come again next weekend, and Jin Huan silently withdrew that bit of conscience.

"I can't do it at all." She sighed and discussed with him, "Let's try a different kind of exercise, one that doesn't require us to go outside."

“Then all that’s left is the gym and climbing stairs,” Zhong Yan said. “You can either increase your training intensity to the same level as mine, get a training plan for you, follow it on time, and have a nutritionist create a diet plan for you. It would be best if you could cut out sugar.”

Jin Huan slowly opened her mouth wide.

"Climbing stairs... it takes at least half an hour each time."

After Zhong Yan finished speaking, he looked at Jin Huan with a smile: "Which one do you want to choose?"

She shook her head vigorously: "I don't want to choose any of them."

Zhong Yan smiled and said gently, "Oh... our little Bao means he wants to try them all, right?"

Jin Huan's face fell, and she couldn't help but mutter, "You're so harsh."

It wasn't like this before.

Even if she ran for only five minutes before she was exhausted, he would still gently encourage her and praise her when she was struggling, saying things like "Great job, you're really amazing."

If she says no now, he'll just smile at her and shake his head.

What's the difference between this and Bodhi Patriarch standing at the door with a ruler, watching Sun Wukong?

Jin Huan muttered, "You're not as nice to me as you used to be."

The voice was very soft, but Zhong Yan heard it.

He stopped, reached out to Jin Huan, took her hand, and asked her in a low voice, "Xiao Bao, are you sure you want to say what you just said?"

The voice was gentle, yet it made Jin Huan's heart tremble slightly.

She looked away and said sullenly, "Then I'll take it back."

Sensing her resentment, Zhong Yan tried to soothe her: "Every time I make you exercise, don't I always accompany you?"

Jin Huan exclaimed in shock: "You had this plan all along, so I'll accompany you!"

The two of them are arguing about who should accompany whom, just like two childish kids having a fight. Zhong Yan probably wouldn't say this much even at a negotiating table.

Zhong Yan asked in a nonchalant tone, "So what if you stay with me?"

He paused, gripped her hand tighter, pulled her closer to him, and spoke in a deep voice.

"After all, I need to stay in good physical condition so that when you say I'm old, I can make you speechless."

Jin Huan opened her mouth wide.

Her eyes met Zhong Yan's; his smile remained hidden in his eyes, showing no sign of evasion.

The respectable Zhong Yan almost never says such things in public. He only says dirty talk when he loses control, which is something he finds unacceptable.

Even though he's so much younger, he just hasn't developed that thick skin yet, there's nothing he can do about it.

The negotiations ended in a resounding defeat.

.

This weekend, Jin Huan skipped an outdoor workout, using the excuse that her graduate school group had invited her to dinner.

It was organized by Teacher Tan.

Every year, Teacher Tan tries her best to get everyone together, because everyone is busy with work and often has to travel for work, so it's not easy to find a weekend when everyone is together.

The location was a barbecue restaurant near the school.

This shop has been open for many years. It was renovated last year and only reopened at the beginning of this year.

But the taste is still just as good as before.

The meat here is of excellent quality and requires almost no seasoning. Jingxin took a big bite, puffed out her cheeks, and exclaimed that the mutton was no different from what she had eaten in Inner Mongolia.

While eating, Jing Xin's gaze would occasionally linger on Du Qingxu.

He received an offer before graduating and worked like crazy after officially joining the company. He was promoted very quickly in just a few years. You can see that his whole demeanor is different now. He has more confidence now, confidence in his abilities and confidence in the future.

Even though he still dressed simply and cleanly, he had undergone a complete transformation.

Jingxin felt a mix of emotions, but she quickly turned her gaze to Jinhuan and asked her how her work at the research institute was going. She also inquired about the shampoo Jinhuan used and whether it was for preventing hair loss.

Jin Huan's ring was very eye-catching. She was the only married person among them. She was also troubled by her hair loss, saying that she was losing a lot of hair, but it hadn't yet turned from a quantitative change to a qualitative one.

Hair loss has been a topic of discussion since ancient times. The group lamented that this is what happens when you work in this line of work. You use your brain a lot and are exposed to things in the lab, so every hair left on your head is very precious.

Jing Xin laughed: "I think Mr. Zhong still has a lot of hair."

Upon hearing Zhong Yan's name mentioned, Jin Huan swallowed hard and replied earnestly, "He exercises every day and has a nutritionist."

With his perseverance, he'd lose a couple of hairs.

When talking about Zhong Yan, Jin Huan blushed. She remembered the day she graduated with her master's degree, when Zhong Yan accompanied her and everyone teased her until she blushed for the whole day.

It was only a little past seven o'clock when they finished eating, and it was already completely dark outside. Jingxin and a few other classmates left first. The temperature had been dropping these past few days, and it was so cold that people were shivering.

Tan Xi smiled and said that someone was coming to pick her up.

They never officially confirmed their relationship, and they remained in this ambiguous state. Tan Xi felt it was fine. More than ten years later, getting back into a relationship with her first love was probably an absurd thing, but Tan Xi didn't think so. She still had a youthful mindset. She had lived her own life without being swayed by others, and she always lived in her own heart.

Tan Xi is the most self-centered person Jin Huan has ever met.

Jin Huan met him when she was pursuing her doctorate. His surname is Wen, and Jin Huan calls him Teacher Wen. Just like Teacher Tan said, his personality is truly like that of a refined gentleman, very gentle and upright.

The reason they got back together was because of Jin Huan, who shamelessly connected her with another person, which also connected them with another person.

The car stopped across the street. The person inside saw Jin Huan, smiled and greeted her, then got out of the car to open the door for Tan Xi and handed her a cup of hot coffee.

Tan Xi accepted it with a smile.

So only Jin Huan and Du Qingxu were left.

Zhong Yan had something to do today, so Jin Huan didn't let him pick her up. Anyway, since it's near the school, she could take a taxi or walk home herself, which would make up for the exercise she missed today.

"How's work? Is the research institute busy?" Du Qingxu brought up the topic. Du Qingxu lived nearby, just a short walk away.

"I'm a bit busy," Jin Huan said with a bitter smile. "Not much busier than you."

Du Qingxu works at Zhong Yan's company. Jin Huan occasionally sees him when she goes to the company, but the two of them hardly talk to each other at the company, and Du Qingxu will intentionally avoid Jin Huan.

The feelings he once had for her may have faded, but Du Qingxu didn't have time to think about them. However, he knew that Jin Huan was doing well. Her smile was just like when she first entered school, and it hadn't changed at all over the years.

Mr. Zhong has always been someone he could only admire from afar.

When the topic turned to the lab, the two had a lot to talk about. Their recent research on drugs had overlapped, but Jin Huan's work was more specialized, since she worked in a research institute, unlike his more commercially oriented work.

As they were talking, it seemed like it was starting to rain.

Jin Huan carried an umbrella in her bag. She took it out, opened it, and tried to shield Du Qingxu from it, but he smiled and declined.

"I'll be at the next intersection soon, be careful." After giving him a few words of advice, Du Qingxu quickened his pace, and before the rain even started, his figure disappeared into the rain.

Jin Huan stared at his back for two seconds, then looked away and saw the car parked on the side of the road.

When did Zhong Yan arrive?

Jin Huan ran over, leaned out of the car window laughing, and then got in.

Before he could speak, Zhong Yan's calm voice rang out.

"Having a good chat?" He stared at her. "You couldn't even hear me when I called you."

Even the magnanimous Mr. Zhong would feel displeased if his wife were talking alone with a former "ambiguous lover," even though that person is now his subordinate and has to follow his orders completely.

This shows that jealousy is never a reasonable thing to do.

Jin laughed and said, "Auntie said we're having dumplings tonight. I think I could eat a whole plate of them right away!"