The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 204 - 203: All Lies and Deceit
On the second day, it just so happened that the morning class was the third and fourth period, so she indulged herself and slept in a little longer that morning.
Because Ye Manman had eaten and drunk well the night before, she felt completely refreshed and full of energy as soon as she got up today.
He Chen prepared a light and nutritious breakfast for her and packed the things she needed for class before they headed to school hand in hand.
Perhaps because the second class had not yet finished, there were not many students moving around on campus, and even if there were, they were rushing to the library or cafeteria.
Ye Manman had been a freshman representative and was good-looking, which made her somewhat of a prominent figure in the school.
She usually acted alone, and without anyone to talk to, her expression was always cold. But today was different; her already beautiful and striking face was adorned with a radiant smile, like a red rose blooming in the snow, exquisite and dazzling.
Many passing classmates couldn’t help but take a few more glances at her, curious about who the man by her side was.
Since class hadn’t started yet and they needed to chat, Ye Manman led He Chen to the pond on campus.
The pond was large, surrounded by a walkway lined with some trees, with wooden benches for resting every fifty meters or so under the dappled sunlight.
Because of the fresh air, the shade from trees in the summer mornings, and the available benches, it was a popular spot for students to recite words and study books in the morning.
They didn’t sit down but strolled leisurely along the path, walking on the stone-paved road with the shade overhead, and the gentle breeze dispelling the slight heat, making it extremely comfortable.
"Are you tired? Do you want to sit down and rest for a while?"
Ye Manman’s belly was already slightly protruding, showing her pregnancy. He Chen was worried she might feel uncomfortable if she walked for too long.
Coincidentally, there was an empty bench ahead, and Ye Manman didn’t want to walk too long, so she pulled him to sit together.
But just as they sat down, a somewhat familiar recitation voice sounded from across the pond.
Ji Bowen was standing across the pond, passionately practicing the speech he wrote himself. Before the city’s speech competition officially began, he needed to memorize his speech word for word, with emotion and skill.
At first, Ye Manman only thought that the voice sounded familiar. When she looked up and saw Ji Bowen’s face, her expression instantly turned cold.
He Chen noticed her mood turn sour and quickly asked what was wrong.
Ye Manman didn’t really want to tell He Chen about it. She worried that He Chen might do something to Ji Bowen. Ji Bowen obviously looked like a city dweller, always accompanied by a lackey, possibly with some background. He Chen was just starting out in Jing City and couldn’t afford to stir up trouble.
So Ye Manman shook her head, "It’s nothing, just a bit noisy."
He Chen frowned, feeling she was lying for some reason.
But looking around, there wasn’t anything suspicious, only several students across the pond reciting English.
"Their voices are quite loud. How about we sit somewhere else?"
He pointed to the nearby pavilion, "No one’s there. Why not go there?"
The school’s pavilion was beautifully built and could be seen everywhere, but typically in summer, people didn’t sit in the pavilion because there were no trees around for shade, and the stone benches would burn your bottom under the sun.
Ye Manman just took a look and then shook her head, leaning on his shoulder, "Never mind, let’s stay here. There’s shade here, and it’s definitely hot over there with the sun shining in."
"Okay, your call."
He Chen put his arm on the backrest of the bench, and Ye Manman leaned on his shoulder like a little bird, and leaning back would rest her head on his arm without discomfort.
"He Chen, we don’t have family to support us. You work and take care of me; it must be very stressful for you, right?"
Actually, when He Chen talked about cooking for her every day and picking her up yesterday, Ye Manman had thought about this. But the atmosphere was so good then, and she was genuinely happy, so she didn’t ask.
But even without asking, she could see that He Chen was obviously exhausted, with a perpetual look of unresolved worry between his brows, as if something was always troubling him.
Back when he worked in the fields at home and still cooked for her daily, his face didn’t show such obvious signs of fatigue. Clearly, the current work, which required both brainpower and time to build connections, was harder than simple manual labor.
She remembered when they first opened a shop in town, He Chen had planned for a month or two in advance, and even after opening, he was still incredibly busy.
Now, he was starting from scratch, with the market not yet opened, only about a month has passed, and in such a big city, how could he finish everything in one month?
She knew that when he said he wasn’t busy, he was lying to her, not wanting her to worry, and wanting to take care of her. But as a couple, how could Ye Manman believe such obvious lies?
If she pretended not to know and kept allowing things to go on like this, He Chen would eventually wear out his body, no matter how strong and healthy he was. The mental pressure and prolonged lack of rest could easily destroy a person’s body.
Ye Manman raised her head in his arms and reached out to touch his chin, which was still a bit stubbly.
"I’ll be good and eat well from now on. You don’t have to worry about my meals, okay?"
Because she liked cleanliness and often complained about his fast-growing stubble being scratchy, He Chen always kept his face neat and clean, shaving every day very diligently.
But lately, it wasn’t the first time that his stubble wasn’t shaved clean. Over the past month, they hadn’t been intimate, and it was hard for them to meet during the day, so he always shaved at night after returning home, then getting busy the next day.
Today might have been due to a habit where he forgot to shave before leaving, and his chin felt a bit prickly.
He Chen never imagined that while Ye Manman was pregnant and working hard on her studies, she was also paying attention to his condition. For a moment, he felt a mix of complex emotions, with an indescribable sense of bitterness.
He wrapped his arms around her slender shoulder, his eyes filled with profound emotions of heartache and gratitude.
"I’m sorry, baby. I will finish things as soon as possible and come back every day."
"I’ll talk to your teacher later when you go to class to see if I can set up a small kitchen for you in the cafeteria. Pregnancy diets aren’t difficult; the cafeteria chefs should be able to handle it."
"Okay~"
Both of them had kept their worries to themselves last night without telling each other, yet both were thinking about each other.
Ye Manman’s words touched and warmed He Chen’s heart, and He Chen’s words made Ye Manman once again marvel at her man’s thoughtfulness.
Her belly wasn’t large yet, and she could completely take care of herself. She didn’t really need He Chen by her side all the time. With things arranged like this, the crucial problem of their meals was solved, saving both of them a lot of time.
He Chen touched her warm shoulders lightly, lowered his head, his gaze tender.
"Baby, it’s time for class."
In the distance, the bell signaling the end of class had rung, and there were only fifteen minutes before her class started.
Ye Manman noticed that the thick worry in his eyes had dissipated quite a bit and couldn’t help but put her hand on his cheek to touch it.
After class, many students had already streamed out. Some hurried back to their dorms, some rushed to the library, while many were preparing to go to class, and quite a number would pass by this area.
From behind, there was already rising clamor, but warmth flowed in He Chen’s heart. He held the back of his beloved’s head with a large hand and kissed her deeply.
