Chapter 18 "Sit next to me."...
Jin Huan snuggled gently against Zhong Yan's chest.
That's how she is when she gets to know people; she likes to get close to them unconsciously, like a lazy cat that's too lazy to move but still likes a warm nest. Zhong Yan's arms are just such a warm nest.
She placed her hands neatly on his waist.
With her height, her feet just touched his calves. Jin Huan slightly bent her knees, curled up in his arms, and rested her feet on his legs.
With her head bowed, all that could be seen was the top of her fluffy head; even her chin was obscured. She closed her eyes and earnestly began to drift off to sleep.
Once you start sleeping, you become very quiet, so quiet that you can't help but want to pat your head.
Zhong Yan looked down at her, a faint smile playing at the corners of his eyes.
His hand stopped above her head, his palm already touching some of her hair. He paused for a moment, then gently lowered his hand back.
.
The day before Lunar New Year's Eve, Jin Huan went home with Zhong Yan to attend a family dinner.
On the way, Zhong Yan was instructing her on what to pay attention to at the family banquet. These were all minor details. He didn't say too much, afraid that going too far would make Jin Huan nervous.
Jin Huan was indeed quite nervous.
The significance of Zhong Yan's marriage is self-evident, and Jin Huan kept the pros and cons in mind, carefully noting down every word Zhong Yan said with the same seriousness she used to write a thesis.
She was practically writing it all down in a little notebook.
As Zhong Yan spoke, he turned to look at Jin Huan sitting next to him. She turned to him, resting her chin on her hand, and nodded at each of his sentences, even more attentively than when he saw her at school.
Zhong Yan stopped speaking.
He softened his tone, trying to comfort Jin Huan, who was extremely nervous: "Don't be too nervous, I'm here for you no matter what."
He wasn't worried that Jin Huan would make a mistake and cause trouble. Zhong Yan knew perfectly well that Jin Huan was a reliable and good girl. This matter was important to him, but he also didn't want to put too much pressure on her because of it.
Always remember this: anything he can cover up is a minor issue.
Zhong Yan reached out and patted the back of her head, whispering, "Cheer up."
After all, it's Lunar New Year's Eve, a day that should be joyful.
Jin Huan had only been to Zhong Yan's ancestral home once, before her wedding, when she had a meal with his grandfather. It happened to be snowing that day, and she still remembers the scene of Zhong Yan standing in front of the door, quietly looking at her.
A scene that made her desperately want to marry him.
Jin Huan nodded: "Mm."
The ancestral home was different today than last time; it was noticeably more lively.
Zhong Yan's family structure is very complicated. His uncles from the collateral branches are all eyeing his position. Compared to his status, Zhong Yan is able to hold on to his current position more because of his personal ability. If it were anyone else, they would have been devoured by these people sooner or later.
In the eyes of the family members, Zhong Yan was certainly not a kind person. When he was just over twenty years old, he quietly took back most of the family's shares. For the next ten years, he kept all the shares, including the family's power, firmly in his own hands. He seemed to have a gentle personality and treat people kindly, but that was just a disguise that he had developed over the years as he got older.
Back then, he was decisive and ruthless; no one in the family could rival him.
Over the years, the only reason that could be used to attack him is that he has no descendants.
They questioned his sexual orientation and his decision not to get married.
Now even that reason is gone.
So Jin Huan needs to be extra careful today, because there's a high chance someone will be watching her and trying to cause her trouble.
Zhong Yan couldn't be by her side all the time. Such an important family occasion only happened once a year, and Zhong Yan had many social obligations to attend to.
"Call me anytime if anything happens," Zhong Yan specifically told Jin Huan before leaving.
Jin Huan simply stayed quietly, neither speaking nor wandering around. Just then, the wives of Zhong Yan's uncles and aunts were playing chess, and Jin Huan went over to take a look.
Talking about playing chess is really just a casual chat. The old man doesn't have many entertainment options, and we have to maintain a respectable image in front of him, so we can only get together to play chess.
Everyone knows that Zhong Yan is married and that the old man's power is about to be delegated. However, everyone thought that Zhong Yan had married a lady from a prestigious family, but they didn't expect her to be such a young and innocent-looking girl.
"She must be only in her early twenties, right?" an aunt asked her.
Age is nothing to be ashamed of, and Jin Huan answered frankly, "I'm twenty-four after the New Year."
That's still quite young.
They look very innocent.
Naïve girls are the easiest to manipulate, and it's unclear whether they'll bring any benefits to the Zhong family's future development.
The old man must have some expectations for Zhong Yan's marriage, right?
"When is the wedding?" Their scrutinizing gazes weren't very friendly. They had doubts about Zhong Yan's marriage. Given his abilities, it wasn't impossible for him to find someone to arrange a marriage of convenience with some money.
Jin Huan replied, "We'll have to wait until after the New Year."
That's true. The wedding process is complicated. Without a set date, everything is unknown. The Zhong family still depends on the old man's wishes. Once the old man really hands over the inheritance rights, then no one else will have a chance.
Even though there aren't many opportunities, they still keep it in mind. After all, the Zhong family's business is highly coveted; who wouldn't want it?
The rest were mostly gossip.
However, when asked how she and Mr. Zhong met, or who pursued whom, Jin Huan had already thought about how to answer those questions before coming. Zhong Yan told her that some things didn't need to be explained in detail; it was just a formality. What she needed to remember was that in this house, she would be the mistress of the house from now on.
The hostess should act like a hostess.
These are the sources of confidence that Zhong Yan gave her.
Her answer was so smooth that no one else could find any loopholes in it.
An aunt pulled her aside and quietly asked her a couple of questions. Jin Huan nodded matter-of-factly, "Of course we are a real couple."
Her eyes don't lie. Jin Huan is very certain that she and Mr. Zhong are a real couple.
She was speaking to everyone so politely just now, looking innocent and naive, but now she's turned cold, saying that as an elder, she shouldn't have asked such questions or made impolite speculations. She should know better than her, a junior, what can and cannot be said.
It's one thing if only she hears these things, but what if they reach Zhong Yan's ears?
Zhong Yan is probably not someone who is easy to persuade in the Zhong family.
She spoke with such confidence that she silenced all other questions.
Unexpectedly, this seemingly easy-going girl actually possessed a certain air of authority, like someone he had trained.
When it was time to sit down for dinner, normally, in such a large family gathering, the men would sit at one table and the women at another. There was no specific rule, but it was the default. So Jin Huan was about to be pulled away by several aunts. Zhong Yan sat next to his grandfather, looked at Jin Huan, and called out to her in a deep voice, "Jin Huan."
After enjoying himself to the fullest, he turned back.
Zhong Yan deliberately left the seat next to him empty. He didn't have any unspoken rules; since she was his wife, she should be treated the same as him.
He said, "Come sit next to me."
Jin Huan responded and sat down next to him almost without hesitation.
Zhong Yan shielded her and pulled her close to him, then introduced his wife to his uncles and elders.
He didn't smile; his aura was very imposing.
The two looked even more well-matched sitting together. Zhong Yan was the most authoritative person in the family besides the old man. Even though he was only in his thirties, his authority was undeniable, and his uncles dared not say much in front of him.
However, it's also clear that Zhong Yan is serious about getting married.
He was also very protective of his young wife.
After enjoying the meal, we went back to our rooms to rest.
The place where she was resting was Zhong Yan's former room, which was some distance from the main hall. The noise from there couldn't reach her at all; it was excessively quiet.
Jin Huan slept lightly for half an hour, but when she got up she still didn't see Zhong Yan, so she couldn't help but look around the room.
The room was elegantly decorated in the same style as the ancestral home. The room was divided into two sections, with a small door separating the bathroom and washroom. Jin Huan looked over and saw a photo of Zhong Yan on the table.
To be precise, it's a photo of Chung Yen when she was younger.
I don't know if he was twenty years old at this time. His hair was a little longer than it is now, and he was dressed very neatly in a white shirt. There was an uncontrollable cold arrogance in his eyes. He just stared at the camera, and his sharp eyes were enough to make people feel suffocated.
Mr. Zhong used to be like this...
Jin Huan was eager to understand him and wanted to know what Mr. Zhong was like in the years that were so different from her. Today, she heard people talking about him, and they said that Mr. Zhong must have been even more arrogant in the past.
Jin Huan stared intently at the photo, unconsciously imagining Mr. Zhong back then.
When Mr. Zhong was her age, he would probably have been more mature and composed than she is now.
They stared for who knows how long, not even noticing when the door behind them opened and someone came in.
She was staring at the photo, and Zhong Yan was quietly watching her from behind.
She didn't react, and Zhong Yan didn't bother her.
So much time has passed.
Zhong Yan drank some wine at the banquet today, and he smelled a little bit of alcohol on him. He usually doesn't drink much when socializing, but he will have a few drinks when he can't refuse. Today was a family banquet, and he couldn't refuse, so he drank a little.
Zhong Yan's breathing was heavy. After a long while, seeing that she was staring at him without moving, he said helplessly, "Is she really that beautiful?"
Jin Huan was startled.
She turned around abruptly and saw Zhong Yan. He looked at her with his eyes downcast. Jin Huan belatedly realized what she had been looking at and felt a little embarrassed. She smiled and simply pointed to the photo, asking him, "How old were you when this was?"
Zhong Yan thought for a moment: "Undergraduate degree...22, I guess."
It was around the same age she is now.
"I'm just a little curious," Jin Huan explained softly, "You used to look quite different from how you look now."
She did seem to be thinking about that. Zhong Yan gave a faint "hmm" and said nonchalantly, "After all, it's been more than ten years."
People prefer younger people. Compared to before, he's probably become much more reserved. The wrinkles around his eyes have turned into fine lines, and he doesn't look as good as he did in his twenties.
“But I prefer you as you are now,” Jin Huan blurted out, emphasizing this more than once and attempting to explain this time.
"You look even better now."
It was exactly how she liked him, regardless of the disadvantages that came with age. She thought that age gave him a charm that no one else could match, and she would only like Zhong Yan more and more each year.
I like it now, and I'll like it even more in the future.
Her eyes were so sincere that one couldn't bear to doubt the truth of her words. Zhong Yan, his eyes slightly tinged with drunkenness, chuckled softly, "After all, she's going to be your daddy."
After that night, Zhong Yan stopped joking about it with her.
Jin Huan recalled that night when she cried and hugged his neck, calling him "daddy," her voice breaking and escaping, completely unaware of shame, only knowing how comfortable she felt, so comfortable that this was the only way she could call him that.
I brought it especially for her.
The table was full of elders. They noticed that she hadn't touched her chopsticks much, only taking a small bite of fish and eating it seven or eight times. When the bowl in front of her was only slightly dirty, she put down her chopsticks and said she was done eating.
This is definitely not a suitable occasion for her to eat her fill, and it's understandable that she's not used to it. But the good child who stays obediently by her side despite not being used to it is simply heartbreaking.
Zhong Yan remembered that she hadn't eaten much, so he specially asked someone to make her some pastries. They were fresh out of the oven and still hot, so he immediately brought them to her.
Jin Huan smelled the aroma. Her stomach was completely empty at this moment, and these pastries were a lifesaver. She excitedly said "thank you" and picked them up to put in her mouth.
It has a slightly grainy texture, a strong rice aroma, and the filling is taro paste and yam. It's not very sweet, but the taste is excellent.
Jin Huan ate three in a row.
"What did you talk about with them today?" Zhong Yan asked as he watched her eat.
His second uncle was telling him that his wife had some of his style, but was more like the daughter he had raised... Zhong Yan didn't laugh at this joke. He didn't want to pay attention to the probe. All the Zhong family needed to remember was that his wife was Fang Jinhuan.
That's fine.
Jin Huan thought for a moment, then talked about some everyday things they had discussed while playing chess, and then mentioned that the person should be his second aunt, asking her if he had any issues with his sexual orientation.
Fearing that Zhong Yan would be angry, Jin Huan swallowed a mouthful and looked up at him.
Zhong Yan remained calm and asked, "Then what do you say?"
Jin Huan repeated his original words.
Her tone was even colder then, but she couldn't bring herself to say it like that in front of Zhong Yan now; she could only give a rough outline.
Zhong Yan nodded, his gaze darkening, probably not expecting Jin Huan to say that.
Her first reaction was... to protect him.
Apart from his grandfather, almost no one in the family would stand by him or speak up for him. Everyone was envious of the power he held, and they all only thought about how to take it away from him or share some of it with him.
Seeing that he remained silent, Jin Huan asked nervously, "Sir, did I say something wrong?"
"No." Zhong Yan's voice was muffled, slightly husky with the smell of alcohol. "This is the first time someone in the family has spoken up for me like this."
Ah...I see...
That's how it should be, Jin Huan replied matter-of-factly: "I'm your wife, of course I should speak up for you."
Zhong Yan rubbed his temples. He sat on the sofa and looked at her. When he looked into her eyes, he seemed to remember something, fueled by the alcohol. In any case, the look in his eyes was very deep. He just stared at her like that, his gaze so direct that he didn't seem to care at all whether she could handle it.
Zhong Yan's mind was slightly clouded by the alcohol, and he slowly began to think that his second uncle had said those things because of this matter.
He was still looking at her, still thinking, when Jin Huan wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Like a gust of wind, with the scent of pastries still lingering on her lips, Zhong Yan instinctively reached out to hold her down as she bit his lip, asking in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Zhong Yan said helplessly, "I've already had some alcohol... so it's better not to."
The smell of alcohol wasn't pleasant, and I was worried that if I passed that smell on to her, it would make her uncomfortable.
This is especially important to consider for children who don't drink alcohol.
Jin Huan stopped just as her lips touched his, looked at him with her eyes already brimming with tears, and whispered, "Then why were you looking at me like that the whole time?"
Zhong Yan: "Let's see what you do?"
She blushed and explained softly, "I can't stand it..."
She looked pitiful, and remembering the words that had defended him, he indulged her, saying, "Then for a while."
Jin Huan hurriedly replied "Okay," and another sweet kiss came over her. She continued to wrap her arms around his neck and awkwardly bit his lips, very lightly and gently.
With the effects of the alcohol, it was Zhong Yan's turn to feel a little dizzy.
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