What should have been a half-hour walk took Wen Ruan more than an hour. By the time she got home, she was freezing and covered in frost.
When they arrived home, Song Yan had already returned early and was busy in the kitchen.
As soon as Wen Ruan opened the door, a wave of warmth rushed out of the room. Looking at Song Yan busy in the kitchen, she felt a surge of happiness.
She hadn't even taken off her clothes, but leaned against the doorway between the kitchen and living room, watching Song Yan's busy figure, lost in thought...
Song Yan glanced down at his watch, then looked out the kitchen window, as if waiting for something.
After all the dishes were prepared, Song Yan was carrying them to the living room when he was suddenly startled by Wen Ruan standing at the door: "Ruan Ruan, when did you get back?"
Wen Ruan only then came to her senses: "Huh? Oh! I just got back..."
Song Yan gave Wen Ruan a strange look, sensing that she seemed a bit off after going to school.
"Is everything going smoothly?" The two walked together into the living room. Wen Ruan took off her coat, and Song Yan brought the dishes to the dining table.
"Yes, everything went smoothly." Wen Ruan nodded, washed her hands, and wanted to help Song Yan.
Seeing him come out with chopsticks, I reached out and took them from him.
"Why are your hands so cold? Did you walk back?" Song Yan asked with concern in his eyes, putting down his chopsticks and taking Wen Ruan's hand in his.
Wen Ruan looked down at their clasped hands; Song Yan's large hand tightly enveloped her, which felt very warm.
After dinner, the two went to the study together, as usual, and quietly did their work. The study was originally small, but as the number of books inside increased and the two used it frequently, they later doubled the size of the study and merged it with the surrounding small rooms.
Wen Ruan recalled that in the bag she had brought back, there was a stack of information about the school and major that her teacher, Lin Qingyou, had given her.
Lin Qingyou knew that Wen Ruan was already married and might need to go home and discuss it with her family before making a decision. Therefore, he did not ask Wen Ruan for her answer on the spot. He simply told her to go home and think it over carefully and to come to the school to give him an answer next week. However, when Wen Ruan was about to leave, he specifically stopped her and reminded her, "Wen Ruan, this opportunity is very rare."
Wen Ruan thought that perhaps Teacher Lin also wanted her to make the most of this opportunity, and she was very hesitant.
Holding a book she'd casually picked up, she couldn't concentrate on a single word. She looked up at Song Yan sitting diagonally opposite her...
Song Yan was completely absorbed, his eyes glued to the words on the page. The only sound in the study was the turning of the pages. He would occasionally glance at the contents, jotting down important points. Wen Ruan watched him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back...
After a long while, Song Yan closed his book, smiled at Wen Ruan, and said, "It's almost time, get some rest."
“Okay, I’ll rest now,” Wen Ruan replied.
After washing up, the two lay in bed chatting. Song Yan brought up the matter of going back to the compound for the weekend. Song Yan knew that some of the family members in the compound were very gossipy. The two had been married for almost three years, but Wen Ruan's belly was still not showing any signs of pregnancy. There were many people gossiping behind her back, both in the compound and in the steel factory's family compound.
Many things are known only to the parties involved. Wen Ruan and Song Yan had already discussed it and decided that they would have a child, but not now. They planned to wait until Wen Ruan graduated from university and had a relatively stable job before having the child. Both sets of parents agreed. At that time, Wen Ruan and Song Yan would not be too old, and Wen Ruan's mother would be close to applying for retirement. It would be perfect for her and Song's mother to take care of the child together. All the families were very much in agreement.
However, plans often go awry. Wen Ruan skipped grades in university, completing what should have been a three-year course in just one year. Now, she faces a crucial decision...
One reason why Wen Ruan didn't know how to bring it up was that, although her parents and in-laws hadn't said anything about them having a child and were extremely supportive of their decision, Wen Ruan knew that they were actually very anxious.
Sometimes you can see them watching other people's children take their first unsteady steps, and the tenderness and affection in their eyes are impossible to hide; their faces are full of love...
The next morning, Song Yan went to work, while Wen Ruan stayed home alone.
There was a serious overtime situation at my workplace recently, and we didn't even have time to take all of last year's annual leave. The company leaders proposed a rotation system so that everyone could take all of last year's annual leave.
Wen Ruan can rest at home for five consecutive weekends.
Remembering the information Lin Qingyou had given her yesterday, she walked to the living room and gently touched the backpack containing the information, hesitant to open it.
It contained tempting items, but Wen Ruan feared that once she opened it, not only would her current life be shattered, but things might also spiral into something even more terrible...
But it was there, as if there were voices in her heart, calling softly, urging Wen Ruan to open it.
Wen Ruan closed her eyes briefly, then finally opened her bag and took out the stack of documents that Lin Qingyou had given her.
Wen Ruan carried the things into the study and read them carefully.
After a while, Wen Ruan realized that it was an exchange activity held to promote academic exchanges between the two countries and help students broaden their horizons and increase their experience.
Participants are required to study in the UK for one year during their undergraduate studies.
Lin Ching-yu specifically emphasized to her that if Wen Ruan went, she could experience multiculturalism and make friends with people from other countries, which would be very important for her future work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and would broaden her international perspective.
Lin Qingyou also shared with Wen Ruan his various stories about going to France to study alone, and in short, he fully supported her going.
After carefully reading the document, Wen Ruan stuffed it into the drawer, somewhat at a loss.
Time is running out, and a decision needs to be made in the next few days. However, Wen Ruan decided to first research the school in various libraries and then discuss it with her family.
Wen Ruan visited Tsinghua University Library and Beijing Municipal Library extensively, but found very little information about the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK. All she knew was that it was a prestigious institution with a long history and was a world-class university specializing in international relations, sociology, diplomacy, and economics.
Looking at the limited information about the school and the curriculum and talent development plan for the international relations major in her hand, Wen Ruan couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.
After much deliberation, Wen Ruan decided to tell Song Yan about her desire to study abroad tonight, hoping for his support. If not...
Wen Ruan didn't know what to do in the end, but this was truly a golden opportunity.
After packing her things, Wen Ruan prepared to go to the market to buy some ingredients and cook a nice meal at home. She planned to discuss the matter with Song Yan that evening.
Just as she returned home after shopping, she saw Song Yan sitting on the sofa in the living room with a serious expression. On the coffee table were some materials that Wen Ruan had previously researched about exchange schools.
Wen Ruan's heart skipped a beat...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
