Chapter 96 Two-Person Space
Chapter 96
Which restaurant? Have I eaten there before?
"Cruise ships are too far, and I need to prepare my lesson plans for tomorrow."
"Wow, this is the first time I've seen President Jiang so enthusiastic. Is it to celebrate for his son or for me?"
It snowed yesterday, and some of the paved areas on the school grounds have accumulated, making a crunching sound when you step on them.
Jiang Xuli glanced sideways at Jin Ran walking ahead, and couldn't help but purse her lips when she heard her words.
Real work!
Looking at the other students passing by, they all greeted her respectfully. Some were even afraid of disturbing Jin Ran's work and kept their distance in advance. Jiang Xuli wanted to purse her lips even more.
They would never have imagined that the new head of student affairs, whom the students feared, was arguing and being jealous of her husband over a trivial matter.
The two got into the car.
Jin Ran was in charge of driving, and Jiang Xuli naturally occupied the passenger seat—just like he always reserved a seat for her on his electric scooter, he unilaterally designated the passenger seat of this car as his own exclusive seat.
If his father were here, the passenger seat would naturally be his father's, but Jiang Mingxu isn't here today, so this seat must be his.
Jiang Xuli's logic was simple: the passenger seat was reserved for his closest family members, and he needed to be wary of those clueless young men. Jin Ran, upon learning of his thoughts, rolled her eyes, thinking he was worrying unnecessarily. But Jiang Xuli didn't see it that way. Since Jin Ran was promoted to dean of students, he had seen countless young male teachers frequently visiting her office.
Jiang Xuli was indignant about this, saying, "Don't they know you're married?!"
Jin Ran was speechless and amused: "...Teacher Qiu was just asking about rescheduling classes. I can't just tell everyone I'm married, can I?"
She's not stupid, and she doesn't want to be treated like one.
The two bickered all the way, and by the time they arrived at the restaurant, they still hadn't decided who was right. As soon as Jin Ran saw Jiang Mingxu, she ran over, grabbed his arm, and loudly complained, "Your son is so annoying! And he's always slandering me!"
Jiang Xuli was so angry she jumped up and down: "When did I slander you? I was just taking precautions!"
"I don't care, you have to make the decision for me. When the food is served, put all the vegetarian dishes in front of him!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingxu did not remind her that the restaurant tables were rotating tables, but simply followed her meaning and said gently, "Being picky about food will prevent you from growing taller, so it's good that you eat more vegetables."
Jiang Xuli: "..."
What a vicious scheme!
Shouldn't people who want to grow taller eat more meat protein? She held it in for a while, but couldn't help it, and muttered to Jiang Mingxu, "You tyrant!"
He thought he was speaking very quietly, but everyone present heard him. Jin Ran immediately burst into laughter, while Jiang Mingxu shook his head helplessly. By the time the father and son met eyes, Jiang Xuli had already darted to the farthest end of the table, a distance of a world between them.
As the year draws to a close, everyone is busy.
Jiang Mingxu was on another business trip. Mingji Group's overseas business expansion was in full swing, and as the company's president, he had to be on-site to oversee and direct operations.
Thus, only Jin Ran and Jiang Xuli remained at home, but both were extremely busy. Jin Ran's newly appointed position as the Dean of Students was not just an empty title, but a real responsibility. In addition to her daily teaching duties, she also had to coordinate the school's teaching arrangements, manage the teaching team, and handle various administrative affairs.
When I get home every day, I'm often so tired that I don't even have time to eat, and I can fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Then Jiang Xuli forcibly woke her up.
It was also because of his supervision that Jin Ran's health did not collapse.
In comparison, Jiang Xuli's busy schedule seemed much easier.
After winning the medal in the math Olympiad, the boy had a vague idea of the path he wanted to take.
Before, not even six months ago, he had never thought about his future. The Jiang family had a complicated background, and the absence of his parents from a young age made him much more mature than his peers, like a small grass growing up in a crack in the rock, stumbling and falling as he grew up.
So he was rebellious, arrogant, and always opposed his father, but now that I think about it, wasn't it just a different way of seeking attention?
Later, his father married a new wife. Jiang Xuli still remembers their first meeting. He was so shocked by her age that he couldn't recover for a long time—Jin Ran looked like a college student at the time.
But soon he stopped paying attention to the details, because his new stepmother began to interfere in every aspect of his life, which annoyed him, so he started to avoid her.
When did the situation begin to change?
Perhaps it was because Jin Ran became his math teacher, or perhaps it was because he gradually felt that sincere care through spending time together day and night.
Seeing her classmates studying hard for the college entrance examination, Jin Ran never gave up on even those with average or below-average grades. She would tutor them whenever she had free time, all to help them get into a good university.
In such an environment, even someone as lazy as Jiang Xuli couldn't help but think about her future.
What will he do in the future? Or rather, what can he do?
Thinking about it this way, Jiang Xuli was actually at a loss.
Although his grades did improve after tutoring last semester, the higher he climbed, the greater the resistance became. Recently, he has clearly felt that he has hit a bottleneck that is difficult to break through.
On the contrary, math, physics, and chemistry were easy to learn.
During a "family meeting" at breakfast, Jiang Xuli prepared herself mentally and shared her thoughts.
"I want to focus on studying mathematics in the time ahead."
He had prepared for all possibilities when he said this, such as opposition or questioning, and he had also prepared a long explanation to persuade his family. The only thing he hadn't expected was that Jin Ran would not object at all.
He even guessed what he was thinking: "You want to make it to the national training team and take the guaranteed admission route, right?"
Before you could answer, she nodded approvingly: "This plan is very wise. With your current overall grades, it shouldn't be a problem for you to get into a 211 university in the college entrance exam. But if you can get into the national training team, Tsinghua and Peking University will be yours for the taking."
Is the college entrance exam difficult? It is very difficult, especially for Jiang Xuli, who has a serious imbalance in her academic subjects.
Given that he doesn't want to go abroad for the time being, the competition route is the optimal solution at present.
After receiving support, Jiang Xuli's study habits changed significantly, and Jin Ran also revised his study plan accordingly.
Human energy is limited; when focusing on one thing, other things will inevitably be neglected.
In the first mock exam before the Lunar New Year, Jiang Xuli's academic performance declined significantly. Her homeroom teacher had a special talk with Jin Ran, and her Chinese teacher also expressed her dissatisfaction.
Jin Ran withstood the pressure and insisted that Jiang Xuli continue studying advanced mathematics.
Fortunately, hard work pays off. A week later, when the official website announced the training camp roster, Jiang Xuli's name was among them.
In mid-January, the temperature dropped further, and heavy snow covered the northern city, as if it were wrapped in a layer of soft cotton.
Jin Ran and Jiang Mingxu, who had just returned from a business trip, saw Jiang Xuli off at the airport.
The training camp is located in Beijing and will be a three-week closed training camp. Because it is not a holiday, he can only go alone this time.
Jin Ran couldn't help but give a detailed reminder: "Remember to wear long johns."
"Drink hot water in winter, not cold water."
"Don't try to save money for the family. Eat and spend as you please. Your dad has plenty of money!"
The latter, who was mentioned, looked helpless and said, "Your teacher, Mr. Jin, is right."
Jiang Xuli looked impatient, but the corners of her mouth were turned up: "I know, I'm not a child."
Jin Ran disagreed: "No matter how old you are, we are all older than you, so in front of us, you will always be a child."
Children will always have their own privileges.
Jiang Xuli was surprised by her words and almost cried with emotion. She quickly blinked and held back her tears, saying, "I know, I'll listen to you."
"Then it's a deal, or I'll be a puppy."
It's a heartwarming scene for anyone who sees it.
However, as soon as the others boarded the plane, Jin Ran, who had just been worried about her son traveling a thousand miles away, immediately put away her reluctant expression and excitedly turned around to take Jiang Mingxu's arm: "Quick, quick, Mrs. Lin gave us two hot spring tickets. If we wait any longer, we won't be able to make a reservation."
On weekdays, Jiang Xuli is at home, and the couple, deeply in love, have to be careful about their distance. Now that they have a rare opportunity to be alone, they must make the most of their time together.
Mrs. Lin recommended a Japanese-style private hot spring.
The bamboo curtain was half-rolled up, and the steaming heat swirled in the natural light, enveloping the entire space in a hazy mist. Snow fell from the wooden eaves outside, forming strings of icicles, creating a scene reminiscent of the foot of Mount Fuji.
After the couple changed their clothes, Jinran, who was afraid of the cold, hurriedly went into the water as soon as she came out of the room. She sat on the stone steps at the edge of the room, and there was a faint smell of sulfur in the air. The warm spring water slowly rose, covering her ankles, then her knees, and finally stopping at her chest.
As her body, stiff from the cold wind, gradually regained its warmth, Jin Ran let out a long sigh of relief.
This is life.
God knows how busy she's been lately. During the day, she handles school affairs, tutors students after school, and also has to make arrangements for the upcoming winter break exams. As her colleagues say, she's like a cow or a horse, always on the go.
She managed to squeeze out some time this weekend to go to the hot springs.
Jin Ran heard the sound of fabric rubbing behind her. She casually looked up and saw Jiang Mingxu taking off his shirt.
In the rising steam, the man's arms were smooth and powerful, and water droplets slid slowly down the grooves of his abdominal muscles, finally slipping into the gaps in the bath towel.
Jin Ran stared at the drop of water, her eyes unblinking.
Perhaps that gaze was too intense to ignore, so Jiang Mingxu turned around helplessly. Their eyes met in the air. Instead of feeling embarrassed at being caught, Jin Ran curled her lips and looked him up and down, deliberately dragging out her words: "You've been practicing well lately."
Jiang Mingxu remained silent.
Seeing this, Jin Ran's playful side was aroused. She patted the water next to her and put on a noblewoman's air: "I made an appointment with your store's top masseuse. Why are you so late? Hurry up and come give me a massage!"
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