346: Joy

"Yes, I'm Jin Chen."

Su Hanyan suddenly looked up at the sound of his voice and saw Jin Chen standing at the door.

He was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt, jeans, white sneakers, his handsome face exuding a compelling charm. Suddenly, a phrase floated into Su Hanyan's mind: unmatched in the world.

"Please come in!" Zhu Lin stepped aside courteously.

"Thank you."

Jin Chen came up to Su Hanyan, reached out, and directly took the book from her hands. "Reading while eating can cause indigestion."

Su Hanyan pursed her lips and smiled. "How did you get in?"

"I registered." Jin Chen placed his net bag on the table and took out several bottles of carbonated drinks. "And I bribed my way in with these."

"It seems the receptionist isn't doing his job properly," Su Hanyan said with a smile.

"This isn't a military zone. I think it's fine for me to come in to handle some business," Jin Chen said as he casually tapped the bottle cap against the table, popping it open. "Here, it's hot. This will cool you down."

"Thanks." Su Hanyan took the drink, gulped down a few mouthfuls, then set it aside and asked him, "Why did you come today?"

"I wanted to see you and have lunch together."

"Ah? You're here at this hour; the cafeteria probably stopped serving food a long time ago." Su Hanyan pushed her half-eaten lunchbox towards him. "If you don't mind, you can have this."

"No need, I brought food."

Su Hanyan watched as he took out a few lunchboxes from his bag and opened them. Two boxes of steaming hot dishes appeared—one with sweet and sour pork, the other with spicy shredded potatoes, accompanied by two servings of rice.

"Don't eat that, have this." Jin Chen pointed.

"You're fully prepared!" Su Hanyan immediately pushed her own lunchbox aside, picked up a piece of pork, and stuffed it into her mouth, revealing a satisfied expression. "Mmm, delicious!"

Seeing her cheeks puff up like a greedy little squirrel, Jin Chen couldn't help but smile.

Su Hanyan picked up another piece and held it to his mouth. "Ah, open up!"

[my husband, come home, i will feed u by hand]

Jin Chen smiled slightly.

"Come on!" She urged him, and when he finally opened his mouth, she fed him the meat. "Is it tasty?"

"Delicious," he lightly smiled, "anything you feed me tastes delicious."

Su Hanyan handed him the chopsticks. "Here, you eat too."

The two of them ate their meal quietly, occasionally sharing a smile.

This feeling was truly wonderful. Even in such simple and ordinary moments with him, Su Hanyan felt joy and moved.

Seeing that she loved meat, Jin Chen focused on the vegetables. Soon, he put down his chopsticks. "I'm full."

"So soon?" Su Hanyan pointed to the soda he brought. "There's no water in my office. You can have a soda to quench your thirst."

Jin Chen picked up the soda he had already drunk from and raised it to his lips.

"Oh..." Su Hanyan hurriedly said, "That's the one I drank from."

"What? Can't I drink it?" He paused.

"You can, you can. It's just that doctors are supposed to be clean freaks, right?"

"Clean freak?" Jin Chen chuckled, "When have you ever seen me act like a clean freak in front of you? We've even kissed before. I don't know how much of your saliva I've ingested. Now you're talking about clean freaks?"

"Oh!" Su Hanyan blushed, "Why did you have to describe kissing in such a gross way..."

"Gross? Do you think I'm gross? Or is kissing gross?"

"It's not what I meant... Oh, I can't explain it." Su Hanyan laughed with a blush, "Just drink it, drink to your heart's content."

347: This Man is Hers

When Zhu Lin and the others returned, Jin Chen and Su Hanyan had just finished lunch. Su Hanyan, rubbing her full stomach, leaned back in her chair, comfortably narrowing her eyes like a lazy cat.

"Who is this?" Lin Qingyu noticed a tall, young, and handsome man in the office. His appearance was outstanding and likable. "Is he a new recruit? I haven't heard anything about it."

"He's Hanyan's boyfriend!" Zhu Lin said proudly. "He's a surgeon, the kind that uses scalpels!"

"Oh, you're all back!" Su Hanyan stood up and began to tidy up the lunch boxes. "I'll give you some space."

Jin Chen followed her out. As he passed by Zhu Lin, he said, "I brought some soda for you all. It's on the table, to cool down a bit!"

"Thank you, Dr. Jin!" Zhu Lin replied cheerfully.

"Soda to drink, indeed being a doctor pays well!"

"Not stingy at all."

...

Su Hanyan went to the cafeteria to wash the lunch boxes, and Jin Chen followed her all the way.

The handsome couple walking together became a beautiful scenery, attracting numerous admiring glances.

After washing the lunch boxes, Su Hanyan packed them up and looked at the time. There was still an hour before work started. She looked up at Jin Chen and asked, "What are you going to do next?"

"Accompany you," he said.

"Having time off really is nice and carefree. Let's take a walk around the factory." After leaving the cafeteria, Su Hanyan looked around and pointed to a shaded path. "Let's rest over there for a bit."

"Whatever you say."

It was summer, and the midday sun was scorching. Every few steps, Su Hanyan would start to sweat. She noticed Jin Chen was sweating too.

"Do you want some ice cream?" she asked.

"Sure."

The factory's small shop was busy selling ice pops and ice cream in the summer. There was quite a line at the window.

Su Hanyan queued up to buy ice cream while Jin Chen waited not far away.

The female workers in the factory saw Jin Chen standing there and started whispering among themselves. "This guy is so handsome, which workshop is he from?"

"Probably from the office, not the workshop!"

"So good-looking! If I could marry a man like that, I'd be happy every day!"

Hearing their discussion, Su Hanyan smiled subtly.

She couldn't help but feel a bit smug; this man was hers, and no one could take him away!

She turned to look at Jin Chen, who stood like a perfect statue, giving her a tender look. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him.

"Miss, what do you want? Ice pop or ice cream?" the shop assistant asked.

"Two ice creams," Su Hanyan replied.

"That'll be four cents."

Su Hanyan reached into her pocket, realizing she hadn't brought any money.

She turned to look at Jin Chen.

Jin Chen seemed to understand, quickly walked over, took out his wallet from his pocket, and handed over four cents.

The shop assistant handed over two ice creams, which Su Hanyan quickly accepted. She blinked at Jin Chen, "Thank you!"

"No need to thank me," he said with a smile, rubbing her hair. "You don't have to thank me in the future."

"It's a habit," Su Hanyan said, sticking out her tongue.

The two of them inadvertently showed a bit of affection, making the female workers envious as they watched them walk away.

"See, you have an irresistible charm. The female workers in our factory are all smitten by you," Su Hanyan said, biting into her ice cream and looking him up and down. "I need to take a good look at you, how can you be so handsome..."

"Go ahead, look closely," Jin Chen said, letting her observe him.

Su Hanyan's gaze moved over his body and fell on the skin just below the edge of his sleeve. His muscular arm had a few scratches, as if they were made by fingernails.

Seeing her eyes fixed on a spot, Jin Chen asked, "What are you looking at?"

348: A Surge of Jealousy

"This..." Su Hanyan pointed at Jin Chen's arm and asked, "How did your arm get injured? It looks like someone scratched it with their fingernails!"

Jin Chen glanced at his arm, recalling that it was caused by Yan Yi scratching him.

"You have sharp eyes."

"What happened?"

Jin Chen took a deep breath and said, "Yan Yi scratched it."

"Yan Yi?" Su Hanyan's eyebrows arched upon hearing the name, and her words dripped with jealousy, "Isn't she Jin Doctor's childhood sweetheart? She likes you to death, how could she bear to hurt you?"

"You misunderstood."

Just as Jin Chen was about to explain, Su Hanyan cut him off.

"Misunderstood? Maybe." She lifted the corners of her lips and said deliberately, "Perhaps it happened during some playful banter. I was worrying for nothing."

"Jealous?" Jin Chen initially worried she might be upset, but hearing her jealous tone made him both happy and concerned.

"No."

"Really?" Jin Chen smiled, "Take a sniff. Can you smell it?"

"Smell what?"

"Isn't there a sour scent in the air? Whose vinegar jar has been overturned!" he said.

"Hmph." Su Hanyan took a fierce bite of her ice cream, "Yes, I'm jealous. So what?"

Jin Chen laughed again, his mood visibly brightened: "Yanyan, to be honest, I'm very happy."

"Of course you're happy. Balancing between two women, with one completely devoted to you, how could you not be happy?" Su Hanyan was upset.

What started as a joke had ended up annoying her.

"Silly girl. Are you angry?" Jin Chen chuckled, worried she might be genuinely upset, and quickly explained, "I'm happy because you're jealous for me. It makes me feel significant to you."

"Really? Many girls are jealous for Dr. Jin. Does that make you happy too?"

"No." Jin Chen affirmed, "I'm only happy when you get jealous for me! I can explain what happened. It wasn't a playful scratch. My heart and eyes are only for you. I avoid her as much as possible; there's no way we'd be playing around. She got a cut from a kitchen knife, and when I was treating her, she scratched me."

"She went to your house?" Su Hanyan tilted her head, looking at him.

"Yes. She went to take care of my grandma. Of course, she might have had other motives too. So, seeing her there, I quickly came out to find you! You see, it was lunchtime, and I hadn't eaten yet. I was worried you might not eat well, so I bought some dishes from a restaurant for you on the way..."

Hearing this, Su Hanyan's anger turned to a smile. She lifted his sleeve and examined his arm: "It's not too deep. Jin Chen, you have a girlfriend now. Stay away from her in the future! I don't allow you to get close to her! I'm very selfish, and I have emotional cleanliness. Your heart should have only me!"

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Jin Chen pointed to her ice cream, "Finish it before it melts."

"Alright."

As Su Hanyan ate, her mind was still pondering. It seemed Yan Yi wasn't giving up easily, frequently visiting Jin Chen's house to assert her presence. She really needed to watch out for her.

"Yanyan."

She was lost in thought when she heard Jin Chen's voice next to her ear: "Hmm? What is it?"

"Ice cream..." He pointed to the corner of her lips.

"Oh." Su Hanyan blushed, "Sorry, I was distracted."

Just as she was about to raise her hand to wipe it, he grabbed her hand. She looked up at him in surprise, only to see him leaning in closer...

349: Wanting More

Warmth and moisture spread across her lips.

Su Hanyan's heart fluttered slightly. She dropped the ice cream in her hand, wrapped her arms around his neck, and passionately returned his kiss.

The factory was very quiet in the afternoon.

Sunlight filtered through the dense branches, casting dappled light on them. The unique warm breeze of summer blew past, filling the air with a strong sweetness...

Jin Chen released Su Hanyan and looked down, his gaze lingering on her enraptured face.

Her lips were slightly parted, glistening and pretty. Her eyes had a hint of dreamy intoxication, and her chest rose and fell evenly. The sweet scent of the ice cream surrounded his nose with each of her breaths.

"Why did you stop so soon?" His kissing skills were so good that she was left wanting more.

Jin Chen smiled and spread his hands helplessly: "I'm afraid I'll want more."

Su Hanyan understood what he meant and looked down, giggling.

The factory bell signaling the end of the break rang.

Jin Chen glanced at the time: "Is it time to go back to work? It's not even two o'clock."

"There's still a little time. No rush, we can chat a bit more."

Jin Chen nodded and casually brought up the topic of the upcoming exams: "The exams are coming up soon. How's your preparation? What major do you plan to choose after the exams?"

"Everything else is fine, but there's so much to memorize. Politics and history are real problems for me." Su Hanyan sighed, resting her chin in her hand, "Time is tight. Besides work, I have to manage the tutoring class for the kids. It's really stressful. As for the major... I've thought about it. I'll choose a foreign language."

After all, foreign languages were her strength. She already had the skills; she just needed the qualification to serve as a stepping stone in the future.

Choosing a new major seemed a bit too late for her.

Compared to abstract subjects like philosophy or politics, English suited her better. After graduation, she could run a school, work as a translator, or even explore broader opportunities.

Since she had made up her mind initially, she didn't plan to change it now.

"Your English is indeed good. It's your strength. But I've always wondered how your English is so good." Jin Chen was curious about this.

"Talent, talent!" Su Hanyan clearly didn't want to delve into this topic and shifted the conversation, "How do you plan to spend the rest of your vacation?"

"Helping you," he said.

"Helping me?"

"Uh-huh!" He mimicked her pose, crossing his legs and resting his chin in his hand, "I'm not that talented, but I'm good at history, geography, and politics. Maybe I can help you."

"Really?" Su Hanyan was skeptical, "But you're a 'returnee'!"

"But I also took the domestic college entrance exam! Don't doubt me. Starting tomorrow, I'll help you with your studies. Get ready; you don't have much time to waste."

Seeing how confident he was, Su Hanyan agreed, "Alright then, I'll trust you this time. Let's start the tutoring tomorrow!"

"You might need to suspend your tutoring class," Jin Chen suggested, "It takes up a lot of your time. You should focus on the entrance exam first."

"That's difficult," Su Hanyan said worriedly, "I've already collected the fees, and the students with weak English are counting on my tutoring to pass. What should I do? I can only stay up late to study."

"I'll help you," Jin Chen said.

Su Hanyan thought Jin Chen meant he would help her review her lessons, but she clearly underestimated his offer.

350: You're Truly a Treasure

The next day, Su Hanyan left work on time and took a bus home. When she arrived, Jin Chen was already waiting for her at the entrance of her house. He leaned against the wall, one hand in his pocket, while the other held a book that he was reading intently. At his feet was a woven basket with some fresh green vegetables sticking out, gently swaying in the evening breeze.

People were coming and going in the alley, many glancing in his direction, but he didn't notice them at all, focused as he was on his book.

"Jin Chen," she called out.

He lifted his head at the sound of her voice, seeing her standing not far away with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"You're back?" He smiled softly, closing his book. "I've been waiting for you for a while. Open the door."

"You even bought groceries?" Su Hanyan opened the door and stepped aside to let him in, peeking into the basket as she did. "Looks like you're planning to solve dinner here? But I can't cook!"

"I can. I'll cook for you," Jin Chen said.

"Alright!" She laughed. "Then tonight, I'll have to trouble you!"

In the evening, it was time for Su Hanyan's tutoring class. The students arrived quickly, and by seven o'clock, they were all present, waiting for her lesson.

Su Hanyan had prepared her lessons during the day at the office. In the evening, she focused on explaining grammar and leading the students through reading and translation exercises.

Jin Chen was busy in the kitchen, displaying impressive knife skills as he effortlessly chopped vegetables and meat. His years of living abroad had made him self-reliant, and cooking was no problem for him.

Despite the heat of the summer night, he worked methodically, making mung bean soup, stir-fried bok choy, cucumber and vermicelli salad, and a small stir-fry dish with meat.

Once everything was ready, he covered the dishes with plates and went to the courtyard to cool off.

He could hear the students reading aloud intermittently, but most of the time, it was Su Hanyan explaining things. Her voice was slow and confident, her grammar explanations spot on—she clearly knew her stuff.

Jin Chen watched the beautiful woman through the window, increasingly fascinated by her. The more he got to know her, the more enchanting she became.

At nine o'clock, the tutoring class ended.

After seeing off the students, Su Hanyan's stomach was growling with hunger.

"You're hungry, right? Go wash your hands and eat!" Jin Chen instructed, already setting the table in the courtyard and uncovering the dishes, placing the main course and soup on the table.

"Wow, I have my own magical helper here!" Su Hanyan exclaimed, thrilled to see the meal ready. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I won't be polite then!"

"Eat a lot. You still have to study after dinner," Jin Chen said, handing her the chopsticks.

"Mhm, mhm." Su Hanyan picked up the chopsticks and devoured the food, eating until she was full. She leaned back in her chair, eyes closed in contentment.

Jin Chen had seen this expression on her face more than once—a lazy, enchanting look, like a cute cat.

"Not bad at all, Mr. Jin. You really are a treasure!" Su Hanyan complimented him happily. "I've found myself a gem!"

Jin Chen smiled slightly and stood up to clear the dishes.

"I'll do it!" Su Hanyan said, but she didn't move, knowing that after a full day of work and tutoring, she was exhausted.

Jin Chen patted her head. "You don't need to worry about it. Go study, open your books, and wait for me."