Chapter 49: Majesty, Lesson, Tenderness...
The meeting lasted for more than two hours, and Jin Huan listened attentively, completely absorbed in the conversation.
This meeting was different from her usual group meetings. It not only covered knowledge but also many areas she had never been exposed to before. Jin Huan was very ambitious and wanted to figure these things out, so she sent a message to Du Qingxu to ask about them in the middle of the meeting.
Du Qingxu was sitting two seats away from her. She sent him a message, and he replied quickly.
He explained it to Jin Huan and she immediately understood.
She replied, "Thank you!"
After that, it was lunchtime.
Jin Huan bought a cup of coffee downstairs and went to her office to study the contents of today's meeting. She had seen Zhong Yan write down the items in a notebook to organize them when he held meetings, and Jin Huan followed his habit and wrote down the key points in her notebook as well.
However, unlike Zhong Yan, she was not as organized; her writing was somewhat disorganized.
Given their lack of experience, I personally believe these reasons are understandable.
He was so engrossed in writing that he didn't even notice someone coming in behind him.
Until I saw a shadow in front of me.
Jin Huan looked up and saw Zhong Yan's face. Her expression was serious. She asked him, "Are you done with your work?"
Zhong Yan rarely saw her so serious, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy. He nodded with a smile, "It's time to eat."
Zhong Yan followed the movement of her hand and saw what she was writing. There were a few sentences here and there, which looked like symbols she had created herself. It was hard to tell what she had written without looking closely.
The habit of taking notes is quite good.
Jin Huan was still tidying up. When she was focused, she lost her appetite and shook her head, saying, "I'll eat later."
Zhong Yan watched her from behind, feeling gratified. After all, her attitude was very good, and with such an attitude, nothing would go wrong. But one can't get fat in one bite, and an extra half hour for a meal won't make a big difference.
Zhong Yan sat down at the table and tapped the table with his hand: "Listen to me, eat first."
Jin Huan looked up.
She paused, put down her pen, and moved closer to him.
Zhong Yan had her assistant specially pack lunch from a nearby restaurant. The pumpkin and cod soup there was quite good, just the kind of flavor Jin Huan would like.
Sure enough, as soon as the lid was opened, Jin Huan's eyes were immediately drawn to it.
The pumpkin is very fragrant with its own sweetness, and the cod is tender and delicate. The two taste especially good when mixed together.
Jin Huan ate in small bites at first, but the more she ate, the hungrier she became, so she ate faster until she finished a whole bowl of cod soup and felt that her stomach was full.
Zhong Yan handed her a glass of water.
Jin Huan took a sip, her eyes brightened, and she looked at Zhong Yan.
"This was made by Auntie. She added apples, oranges, and a little kumquat." Zhong Yan told Auntie yesterday that she specially made this for Jin Huan. She doesn't like to drink plain water because she thinks it has no taste. She likes to drink it if something is added to it to make it flavorful.
Like coaxing a child, you think about what to eat and drink, and try all sorts of ways to get her to eat and drink.
I don't have any particular thoughts, but like raising a child, I suddenly have the idea that I hope she will have a balanced diet and grow up healthy.
They've clearly long passed the developmental stage that humans go through.
Realizing this thought existed, Zhong Yan sighed helplessly. Others his age already had children who were in junior high school.
He had never experienced raising children like others, but now he could say he understood that feeling.
There's probably not much difference.
Jin Huan really liked drinking this. The water was sweet and sour, and slightly cool under the air conditioning. She was satisfied with both the temperature and the taste. After drinking a glass of water, she felt refreshed.
While she was eating, Zhong Yan also ate a little. After the meal, he asked her what she thought about the meeting.
It's time for Jin Huan to sigh.
"What ideas do I have?" It's already a miracle that she can understand me. Jin Huan frowned. "Do I look like some kind of elite person?"
Zhong Yan looked at her gently. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket, leaned closer, and wiped away a bit of food from the corner of her mouth. He said slowly, "No rush, take your time."
When it comes to things that cause Jin Huan anxiety, Zhong Yan is always very gentle. He is like a vast ocean, able to embrace everything about her.
Therefore, Jin Huan was able to feel much more at ease.
She nodded seriously: "Yes, I'm not in a hurry."
Zhong Yan folded the handkerchief carefully, treating it like a precious treasure, and put it back in his pocket. Then, he looked at Jin Huan with a deep gaze and said, "You can ask me anytime if you have any questions next time."
He paused, then said in a very calm tone, "Even if I'm in a meeting, I can still reply to your messages."
A seemingly random sentence struck Jin Huan as she realized with confusion that she had sent a message to Du Qingxu during a meeting.
To be honest, it's a habit. Du Qingxu and she are both interns, and they are also classmates. Sending messages in that kind of situation is a habit, almost an unconscious behavior.
Jin Huan could already smell a faint hint of jealousy in the air.
She leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth, her hands resting on the chair.
“You’re quite authoritative when you’re in meetings,” Jin Huan said softly. “You know, you can seem really fierce when you’re serious, which can be a little scary.”
She didn't dare send him those childish questions at a time like this, feeling like she was about to be lectured at any moment.
However, Jin Huan was also good at coaxing people. She knew so much about Zhong Yan. She moved closer to him, her lips almost brushing against his as she spoke. The scent of oranges was faint in her breath. She said, "We can talk anytime when we get home."
That's how it is.
Even while he was working on it, he would seriously answer her technical questions, using technical jargon as he went, and slowly, gently, he would ask her if she understood.
Whether she understands or not, with such a dedicated teacher guiding her, she can succeed at anything.
Mr. Zhong is such an extreme person. When I saw him in the conference room, I thought to myself, how amazing it is that he can combine extreme gentleness with cold ruthlessness.
Jin Huan immediately shared these feelings with Zhong Yan, noting that his usually cold and indifferent demeanor was softened by age.
I've been listening to conversations with some of the company's long-time employees these past few days. They say that Mr. Zhong has become much more peaceful in the last two years. When he first came to the company, whenever he appeared, the surroundings would be completely silent. The intense, suffocating pressure made the employees afraid to say a word.
Jin Huan could imagine it, because that was how she felt when she first met Zhong Yan.
One look from him and your blood stops flowing.
Difficulty breathing.
Zhong Yan's expression softened slightly. He was used to being evaluated like this. He asked her softly, "Then which aspect of me do you like better?"
Jin Huan leaned closer to his ear. Although it was just the two of them in the large office, it was still a public place, and she didn't dare to go too far.
“I like them all,” Jin Huan said. “I like everything you said.”
Zhong Yan looked into her gentle eyes and smiled, "You're so good at sweet-talking people."
Feeling embarrassed by the compliment, Jin Huan buried her forehead in his chest and smelled the scent of his suit, which also smelled very formal. Her breath caught in her throat for half a second.
Jin Huan still had to continue organizing the notes she hadn't finished earlier.
For her, it's about gaining experience and having a more accurate understanding of various aspects. This is the same as when Teacher Tan took them on study tours; both are aimed at helping them learn more and gain more knowledge.
Knowledge only truly becomes your own once you learn it, and Jin Huan was taught this from a young age.
However, it's easy to feel sleepy after lunch. The words in front of her started to jump around, and Jin Huan started to yawn. Zhong Yan told her to go and rest first.
Jin Huan didn't force herself to stay upright, so she climbed onto the sofa.
Zhong Yan walked over and bent down to hug her.
Jin Huan instinctively put her arm around his neck and whispered, "Where are we going?"
Behind the door was a completely different world, with a layout very similar to the bedroom at home. It had a bed, sofa, wardrobe, and even some details like the style of the bedside lamps. It was a completely different bedroom.
Zhong Yan put her on the bed.
“When I’m busy, I just sleep here.” For Zhong Yan, ensuring work efficiency is very important. In the first two years after he joined the company, he drastically reduced his personal rest time in order to quickly take control. To improve efficiency, he simply knocked down the walls of this room and turned it into a bedroom.
It's connected to his office, so it offers a high degree of privacy.
Jin Huan looked at him, annoyed, and said, "Do you know? People who live too comfortably will ruin themselves."
For example, if she sleeps on the sofa, she will wake up promptly, but if she sleeps here, she might never wake up.
Zhong Yan retorted, "What kind of logic is that?"
Jin Huan said, "Fang Jin Huan's reasoning is sound."
Zhong Yan helped her adjust her temperature and covered her with a blanket. He ignored her nonsensical reasoning and just affectionately rubbed her head: "Go to sleep quickly."
Actually, her eyelids were drooping and she was so sleepy that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Perhaps because the place she was sleeping in was so comfortable, she had the illusion that she was resting at home. As Jin Huan fell into a deep sleep, she started to dream that she had made a mistake at work and that Zhong Yan was hitting her palm with a ruler.
Jin Huan was then startled awake.
When she woke up, Zhong Yan was sitting by the bed. She threw herself into his arms, looking visibly terrified, as if trying to hide inside him. Then, as if sensing something, she loosened her grip and tried to back away.
Zhong Yan's gaze was gentle. He guessed that she had a nightmare, patted her back, and coaxed her softly, "What did you dream about?"
Oh right, this is a dream.
Jin Huan breathed a sigh of relief as she thought about it: "I dreamt that you were scolding me."
He didn't know what kind of image he had left in her heart, and now she was having nightmares like this. Zhong Yan looked down at the person in his arms, helpless at her having such thoughts. He followed up on her words and asked, "How did you discipline her?"
Jin Huan stretched out her hands for him to see, looking inexplicably aggrieved: "Hit here."
What appeared before me was a perfectly intact palm.
It was an utterly undeserved disaster. Zhong Yan bent down and kissed her palm, feeling the slight dampness.
"I'm so sorry... Does it still hurt?"
He even apologized to her for something like this. Jin Huan was completely softened. She blushed and gently explained, "I was just joking with you. Why are you still..."
You actually took it seriously?
Zhong Yan chuckled softly.
Of course, he knew it was a joke, something to playfully tease between husband and wife, and he was happy to appease her.
Jin Huan grasped his hand. She was so happy to have just woken up and was coaxed by his kiss. Her emotions slowly filled her up, and she couldn't help but say, "You seem to be in a very good mood lately."
After Jin Huan finished speaking, she opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes filled with obvious confusion. Zhong Yan's breathing deepened, and he asked her instead, "Why do you think that is?"
I'm in a good mood.
Jin Huan could only think that he might have recently closed a big deal or that there was good news from his family, but considering Zhong Yan's personality, she felt that these things alone were not enough.
He's long past the age where he gets excited about these things.
Jin Huan's expression indicated that she didn't know.
"Because you're here." Zhong Yan wanted to bury his head in her neck and shoulders. He loved this tenderness every night before bed, accompanied by his soft breathing, which gave him a strong sense of comfort and satisfaction.
The feeling of being able to see her at any time allows longing to materialize from nothingness.
How could I be in a bad mood?
Zhong Yan resisted the urge to bend down and hug her, and instead gently rubbed her face, saying, "I'm thinking that I want to spend as much time with you as possible in the future."
The shift from prioritizing work to prioritizing pleasure happened in such a short time. Many things happened in a wonderful and irresistible way, but the love in his eyes and the preciousness in his hands could not be faked.
Hearing this, Jin Huan couldn't help but blush and laugh. Knowing that some things were said inappropriately, she still couldn't help but say, "Do you know? You look like an empty-nest old person right now."
The kind of person who constantly longs for their child to come home.
I see you
"Go ahead and hit me."
Whether or not they fight is all just for fun. Not only is she not afraid, but she's actually looking forward to it. What can Zhong Yan say? He can't really fight right now, especially since they're not at home.
No slaps will fall.
He simply said, "It's three o'clock. If you don't get up soon, you'll have to work overtime today."
Jin Huan's expression changed drastically.
She immediately jumped out of bed, remembering the work assigned to her that morning. If she didn't finish it soon, she would have to work overtime, and the consequence of working overtime was that she didn't know when she would be able to sleep that night. Thinking of this, she felt like her feet were on fire. She hurriedly put on her shoes and ran outside.
Zhong Yan watched as she ran out.
Her hair tie was on the pillow, along with a few strands of hair that had rolled off. Zhong Yan cleaned up the hair, twisted it into a small ball, and gently threw it into the trash can. Then he put the hair tie in his suit pocket.
It was placed together with the handkerchief she had used to wipe her mouth.
The position was just right, and Zhong Yan felt satisfied and at ease.
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