Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Cousin-Chapter 524 Taking her son to pick her up_1

The next day at noon, Ji Yunhuan left home after having lunch with Qi Cheng. She had an appointment to meet Bai Liyan at his former research institute. Qi Cheng didn’t stop her, only asked her to return early. Ji Yunhuan had the driver take her to the entrance of the research institute and called Bai Liyan. He had already arrived. Ji Yunhuan followed his instructions and found his car in the parking lot.

The car door was unlocked. Ji Yunhuan opened the door and got in, finding Bai Liyan sitting alone in the driver’s seat. He looked somewhat serious, likely due to being away from this place for so long.

Ji Yunhuan sat down and looked at him with concern. "Why didn’t you go inside, and why are you still sitting here?"

Bai Liyan glanced at Ji Yunhuan. He had promised her to be here, but now that he was, his heart was filled with unease.

Ji Yunhuan guessed, "Are you nervous?"

Bai Liyan was wearing a black casual suit today, with one elbow resting on the car window. He stared straight ahead. "It’s been too long since I was last here. I don’t really want to go inside."

As she thought, he was still afraid. Ji Yunhuan knew he needed courage. "Let’s go in. I’ll accompany you."

She had come here today to be with him.

Sometimes, people could feel helpless, but having a companion nearby changed that.

Bai Liyan looked at her and saw in her eyes the courage he needed. He had already promised her, so he brushed aside his worries. "Let’s go."

The two of them left the parking lot and entered the research institute. The people inside were surprised to see Bai Liyan return. "Dr. Bai, you’re back!"

For years, everyone had hoped, wished every night, and made countless calls to no avail. Eventually, they stopped trying. None expected Bai Liyan to suddenly return.

Bai Liyan nodded.

Soon, the two leaders of the institute approached. They were seniors to Bai Liyan and had high hopes for him. Their expressions were filled with joy. "Liyan, you finally decided to come back."

"I’m just here to take a look, nothing else." Bai Liyan didn’t mention any plans to return because he was unsure if he would.

His visit today was solely because of Ji Yunhuan’s encouragement.

Bai Liyan didn’t let them follow him. After a few casual words, he headed to his personal lab. His former assistant was thrilled to see him return, but Bai Liyan asked everyone to stay outside, leaving only Ji Yunhuan to accompany him.

His lab had a modest suite. Ji Yunhuan sat on the sofa while Bai Liyan took off his coat and put on a white lab coat.

Seeing him in his white coat, Ji Yunhuan felt this was the Bai Liyan she knew so well.

This version of Bai Liyan appeared more reliable than usual.

Bai Liyan glanced at Ji Yunhuan before heading to the work area. He stopped at the door, taking a deep breath. It felt to him like walking to an execution ground.

Ji Yunhuan followed him. "Go inside."

He obeyed her, pushing the door open and entering. This was where he had spent up to eighteen hours a day researching interesting cases.

Before Chenchen’s surgery, he had run numerous simulations here, confident and assured. But now...

As he stood in the room, he felt suffocated.

Bai Liyan barely managed to reach the operating table, standing motionless.

If observed closely, one could see his body trembling slightly. He looked at the various surgical tools nearby. Once, these were his weapons; he could save severely ill patients, giving them more time in this world. But now, as he held the scalpel again, it felt cold. His hand shook, and in front of the simulated body, he couldn’t even start imagining a real surgery...

He no longer believed he could succeed.

He constantly felt that failure awaited him.

Everything around him seemed to vanish. He felt he could never return to the confident person he once was. He could now only hide behind others, a not-so-successful businessman.

At that moment, a pair of warm hands clasped his.

He opened his eyes to see Ji Yunhuan standing beside him, holding his hand. "Liyan, I believe you can do it, right?"

At that instant, meeting her gaze, he sensed the trust and hope she extended. His previously restless heart gradually calmed; his mind cleared. He realized his reaction was out of cowardice; he was too afraid to face even one failure.

Listening to Ji Yunhuan’s words, he slowly calmed down. The air around him seemed to normalize...

When they left the research institute, it was already afternoon. In the lounge outside, they found unexpected guests—Qi Cheng and Yangyang.

Ji Yunhuan was surprised. "Why are you here?"

Qi Cheng looked up at Bai Liyan, sarcastically saying, "I didn’t want someone to run off with my wife while I wasn’t around."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Ji Yunhuan felt that although Bai Liyan had expressed his feelings for her, their relationship was entirely proper. Even alone with him, she never felt awkward.

Because he never looked at her offensively.

Although they were just alone for quite a while, Bai Liyan’s focus was entirely on his work; he never got distracted by her.

His love for the job was so profound that he’d been single all these years. Work was his sole obsession.

Leaving the institute, Ji Yunhuan glanced at Bai Liyan, knowing he had made significant progress today. She knew he was slowly regaining his form.

"Let’s head back now," Ji Yunhuan said to Bai Liyan.

Bai Liyan nodded.

After parting ways, Ji Yunhuan, Qi Cheng, and their child got into the car. She warmly remarked at Yangyang, who had come with Qi Cheng, "Yangyang, you coming to pick me up makes me so happy!"

Yangyang’s expression was stiff and displeased. He turned away. "It wasn’t me."

"What do you mean?"

"He brought me here." His little finger pointed to Qi Cheng.

Ji Yunhuan turned to Qi Cheng. "Why did you decide to pick Yangyang today?"

He favored Ruirui more and was often cold to Yangyang. Recently, aside from times with Ji Yunhuan, he rarely picked up Yangyang. Why the sudden change today?