bullyxtreme Chapter 678 Dawn (84)
Chapter 678 Dawn (84)
"..." Yan Zhen's eyes widened slightly. Her actions were faster than her thoughts. She took a bite of the fried chicken, chewed it, and swallowed it.
Jing Chen watched her eat and said gently, "Is it good?"
"Delicious!" Yan Zhen sat up, took the fried chicken and started to devour it. He also took a piece from the fried chicken box and offered it to Jing Chen.
Jingchen didn't really like these things; he ate a small piece and then put it down.
After Yan Zhen finished eating a piece, he glanced at the fried chicken box, his eyes carrying a strong implication.
Jing Chen said with amusement, "Eat."
Yan Zhen seemed to have received a pardon. He took a piece of fried chicken, munched on it, and said indistinctly, "They wouldn't even let me have an iced drink a few days ago. Why are they being so generous today?"
Your happiness is the most important thing.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen happily leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
After finishing the fried chicken, Jingchen busied himself getting wet wipes to wipe Yanzhen's hands and rinsing her mouth with mouthwash.
After doing all that, Jingchen tucked her in: "Go to sleep, goodnight."
-
After a month in the hospital, Yan Zhen and Jing Chen were discharged.
Jingchen has had the cast removed from her right hand and is now able to return to work.
Yan Zhen is still recovering with difficulty. She has taken a long leave from school and spends most of her time at home every day.
For the past twenty years, Yan Zhen has always been a restless person. After staying at home for only a few days, she felt restless and couldn't control her urge to go out.
Seeing that she was feeling cooped up at home, Jingchen simply bought her a smart wheelchair so that she could go out anytime with special care.
With the help of this convenient wheelchair, Yan Zhen can go back to school for classes from time to time, go to the horse farm to feed the horses, and even go out for morning tea with Zhou Panpan on weekends.
It was Saturday, and Zhou Panpan invited Yan Zhen out to a newly opened, established hot pot restaurant.
The hot pot restaurant was located in a commercial area not far from Jin Dun. After eating half of the hot pot, Jing Chen sent a video request, which Yan Zhen accepted.
Jing Chen asked, "Where?"
"On the fifth floor of XX shopping mall, I'm having hot pot with Panpan."
"Eat less spicy food."
"OK."
"It's still early, where should we go after we finish our hot pot?"
"Hmm, let's go down to the basement and browse around, maybe buy a few blind boxes."
"I remember the accessible ramp on the basement level of that mall wasn't very convenient. Did you bring a caregiver?"
"No, I'll be careful. If it really comes to it, I can ask the mall staff for help."
"Okay, be careful. If you can't figure it out, message me."
"Uh-huh."
After hanging up the video call, Jingchen sent a transfer with the message: "Blind box reimbursement."
Yan Zhen accepted the transfer and replied with a sweet emoji: Thank you, boss.GIF.
After putting down her phone, Yan Zhen noticed that Zhou Panpan, who was sitting opposite her, was looking at her with a subtle and indescribable expression.
"What's wrong?" Yan Zhen asked, casually scooping a piece of fatty beef from the pot and placing it on Zhou Panpan's plate.
Zhou Panpan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Speak directly if you have anything to say."
Zhou Panpan bit her lip and carefully lowered her voice, saying, "Isn't your brother a little too clingy?"
"Ok?"
“He only called you when I went to pick you up at 10 o’clock, and now he’s sent you a video call in less than two hours. You’re an adult, and he’s still so controlling…”
Yan Zhen asked in confusion, "Is there a problem?"
"..." Zhou Panpan was silent for a few seconds, then waved her hand: "Let's eat hot pot."
After finishing their hot pot meal, the two went to the basement of the mall to buy blind boxes.
After browsing through the blind boxes, Yan Zhen packed a cup of coffee before leaving, intending to give it to Jing Chen when he passed by Jin Dun.
Upon arriving at Golden Shield, Jing Chen learned that Yan Zhen had arrived and came downstairs to get coffee.
On the first floor of the Golden Shield Building, Zhou Panpan was visiting for the first time. She stared curiously at the artificial water feature on the right side of the lobby. The koi swimming under the glass floor were round and plump, almost twice the size of ordinary koi.
Zhou Panpan didn't turn around until she heard the elevator doors open. She saw Jing Chen quickly walk out of the elevator. When he saw Yan Zhen sitting in a wheelchair chatting with the receptionist, his expressionless face suddenly broke into a faint smile, like a spring breeze melting snow.
"Zhenzhen." Jing Chen walked quickly towards Yan Zhen's direction, and because he was in such a hurry, he even jogged a few steps.
When they reached Yan Zhen, Jing Chen knelt down in front of her so that they could speak at eye level.
The two said something, and from Zhou Panpan's perspective, Jing Chen's smile widened. He looked intently at Yan Zhen, his eyes and brows full of joy.
As Zhou Panpan watched this scene, the strange feeling in her heart suddenly intensified.
Jing Chen seemed very busy. He took the coffee and left quickly, but as he got up to leave, he grabbed Yan Zhen's arm and shook it gently.
This gesture was full of intimacy, which made Zhou Panpan's eyelids twitch.
Something's not right. Something's not right about the mirror.
Every sibling she knew had been fighting since childhood, and when they met as adults, they would either bicker or insult each other.
How could Jing Chen treat his sister like that? The way he looks at Yan Zhen is exactly like that of a psychologically twisted, perverted older brother in a Japanese anime...
Thinking of this, Zhou Panpan couldn't help but grin.
If Jing Chen is really that kind of person, then Yan Zhen is in danger.
No, she couldn't just stand by and watch Yan Zhen be in danger; she had to warn Yan Zhen to be wary of Jing Chen.
Watching Jing Chen happily carry the coffee into the elevator, Zhou Panpan immediately ran over and pushed Yan Zhen's wheelchair away.
Stepping out of the Golden Shield building, Zhou Panpan furtively glanced around. Seeing that no one was watching, she whispered to Yan Zhen, "Zhenzhen, there's something wrong with your brother!"
Yan Zhen: "?"
Meeting Yan Zhen's puzzled gaze, Zhou Panpan felt a little embarrassed: "This matter... oh dear, how should I explain it to you... didn't you notice the way your brother looks at you? It's kind of... you know."
Yan Zhen looked at Zhou Panpan's uneasy expression and understood what she meant.
It's clear that the atmosphere between her and Jing Chen is "off," so it seems Zhou Panpan has finally figured things out.
Yan Zhen was pleased that her friend's IQ had improved and that she would be less easily fooled in the future, but at the same time, she had the urge to tease her on purpose.
She feigned ignorance: "Huh? What is that?"
"That's right, that's right... the way he looks at you isn't like a brother looking at his sister, it's like a man looking at a woman! You know what I mean?" Zhou Panpan said, while winking at Yan Zhen, "Your brother has ulterior motives towards you!"
Yan Zhen was amused by her expression: "Is he making it that obvious?"
"Of course, even someone as clueless as me could see that. You mean he... wait, isn't he?" Zhou Panpan realized what was happening and stared wide-eyed at Yan Zhen. "You know?"
“Yes, I know,” Yan Zhen said. “I also have ulterior motives towards him.”
“……………………” Zhou Panpan was petrified.
“I remember telling you that I’m not related to Jingchen by blood,” Yan Zhen said. “I’m his adopted sister, whom he went through the connections to get adopted.”
Zhou Panpan looked like she'd been struck by lightning: "But you're on the same household registration book..."
"You've reminded me," Yan Zhen said thoughtfully. "Then I'd better get the procedures to sever our sibling relationship as soon as possible, otherwise it won't be good if we get misunderstood."
Yan Zhen is very efficient and brought up the matter with Jing Chen that very night.
Jing Chen didn't object. He spent two days preparing the relevant documents and went to the Civil Affairs Bureau with Yan Zhen to terminate the adoption relationship.
As Yan Zhen left the Civil Affairs Bureau, he had a new household registration booklet in his hand.
She flipped through the brand-new household registration booklet; she was the head of household and the only family member listed.
Yan Zhen used his household registration booklet as a fan, glanced back at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, then looked at Jing Chen: "There's no time like the present, let's come..."
“No.” Jing Chen interrupted Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen: "..."
She hadn't finished speaking yet.
“I know what you want to say.” Jing Chen’s expression was somewhat helpless. “I don’t plan to marry you here.”
"why?"
“Let’s give it a try,” Jingchen said. “Let’s try being boyfriend and girlfriend. If we don’t get along, you have the right to end the relationship at any time.”
Yan Zhen was stunned for a moment, recalling the rules and regulations she had set when Jing Chen proposed to her. She demanded that Jing Chen be absolutely obedient, forbade him to reveal that they were dating, and even asked him not to pester her if she got tired of him or wanted to break up.
Although Jingchen felt wronged at the time, he still agreed.
Unexpectedly, as time passed and fortunes changed, the conditions she had set became the shackles that bound her.
If she didn't know what kind of person Jing Chen was, she would have suspected that he was taking revenge on her in a roundabout way.
"Alright," Yan Zhen said. "I'll do as you say."
-
Yan Zhen lived in this world for more than sixty years and passed away peacefully at the age of seventy.
Her initial plan was to live to sixty, since after sixty her physical functions would decline and her quality of life would be low.
However, after working as an embalmer in the funeral industry for decades, her workplace assigned her an apprentice before her retirement, so that she could teach him well and take over the job.
The apprentice's name is Xiao An. Just like Zhou Panpan when she was young, he is carefree and naive. During his internship, he followed Yan Zhen around all day calling him "Master".
Near the end of her internship, Xiao An came to work crying one day.
Yan Zhen doesn't like to meddle in other people's business, but seeing Xiao An facing the highly decomposed body, vomiting and crying uncontrollably, Yan Zhen recalled that decades ago when he first entered the funeral industry, he was either covered in the stench of corpses or the strong smell of disinfectant.
Every time Zhou Panpan saw her, she would cover her nose, complaining while inviting her to dinner and putting hot tripe on her plate.
So Yan Zhen, unusually, asked what was wrong.
Xiao An cried and poured out her troubles to her—her biased parents, her parasitic younger brother, her best friend who betrayed her, and her cheating boyfriend.
Young women in their early twenties are overwhelmed by these worldly troubles.
Yan Zhen couldn't stand by and watch, so he stepped in to help, easily pulling Xiao An out of her predicament and saving her from several years of detours.
From then on, Xiao An regarded Yan Zhen as her benefactor.
I learned that Yan Zhen and his wife Jing Chen lived in a detached house in the suburbs. The two had no children in their lives, and Jing Chen had lost his job early on. He spent his days drinking tea, reading newspapers, growing melons and vegetables. The couple lived on Yan Zhen's monthly salary of about 10,000 yuan.
Xiao An, for some reason, imagined that the two elderly people were having a hard time, so whenever she had free time, she would go to Yan Zhen's house to buy rice, oil, and fruit, and help with some household chores.
Yan Zhen and Jing Chen couldn't stop them.
Not long after, Yan Zhen retired.
She and Jing Chen made a pact that after her sixtieth birthday, she would use illness to leave this world and return to the Quick Transmigration Company.
Illness needs time to develop, and three months before his birthday, Yan Zhen began to cough frequently.
Seeing that she wasn't feeling well, Xiao An insisted on taking her to the hospital for a checkup.
Yan Zhen couldn't refuse, and also wanting to prepare Xiao An mentally, so he agreed to go to the hospital.
Yan Zhen was diagnosed with a terminal illness at the hospital. Xiao An, after receiving the test results, squatted at the hospital entrance and cried loudly like a child.
Yan Zhen didn't try to persuade her; he let her cry.
After Xiao An finished crying, she wiped away her tears and took out all her savings to treat Yan Zhen's illness.
Despite Yan Zhen's repeated insistence that she didn't need it, Xiao An stubbornly wanted to fight for her life.
At Xiao An's tearful plea, Yan Zhen was forced to undergo surgery and "survive".
After Yan Zhen's surgery, Xiao An visited her home even more frequently.
As Xiao An visited more often, she ended up having her own room in that two-story house.
Because of Xiao An, Yan Zhen stayed in this world for an extra ten years, which was an exception.
She and Jingchen witnessed Xiao An's relationship, marriage, and the birth of her child.
When Yan Zhen was seventy years old, she left her the small house in the suburbs and an inheritance that was enough for Xiao An to live a worry-free life, and together with Jing Chen, she left this world.
Back at the Quick Transmigration Division, the two appeared outside the gate at almost the same time.
There were many mission takers coming and going around him, and Jing Chen quickly reverted to his usual stern and unsmiling self as the main god.
He glanced at Yan Zhen, said nothing, and quickly walked towards the gate, distancing himself from Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen could tell from his little gesture that he was trying to avoid suspicion.
She didn't stop him. It wasn't until Jing Chen reached the gate and a perceptive mission member opened it for him that Yan Zhen called out, "Jing Chen."
Her shout drew the attention of five or six mission takers coming in and out.
Yan Zhen smiled at the gazes of the crowd, strode towards Jing Chen, and took his hand in full view of everyone: "Let's go."
Jing Chen was taken aback for a moment, but then immediately smiled, grabbed her hand, and intertwined their fingers.
"Walk."
(End of text)