He Jinxuan held her in his arms, finally feeling at ease: "You little troublemaker, you promised you’d come back earlier."
Xinyan pressed her face against his chest: "Sorry for making you worry."
He Jinxuan rubbed his chin on the top of her head: "Have you been practicing the military boxing I taught you before?"
Xinyan nodded and lightly said "hmm": "I practice whenever I have time every day. If you don’t believe me, we can have a match later."
She wasn’t lying; every day Xinyan would find time to practice in her space, and with her newfound strength, she could probably take on ten people at once. She also discovered that after practicing military boxing, her body had become extremely nimble.
He Jinxuan really did want to test her improvement: "Alright, after dinner, I’ll spar with you."
He raised his hand to touch Xinyan’s hair: "You must be hungry, let’s eat first."
Actually, he didn’t want to let go, but he also didn’t want the little girl to be hungry.
Once Xinyan agreed, he finally released her and opened the lunch box: "Today, I specially asked Chef Song to cook these dishes."
Seeing the stir-fried pork inside, Xinyan smiled and asked: "By the way, has your cooking improved? I’m really looking forward to it."
He Jinxuan’s lips curled into a smile: "Of course, there’s been some improvement. I’ll cook for you tomorrow. If you could stay a few more days, I’d surely improve even more."
Xinyan smiled brightly: "Alright then, tomorrow I expect to eat the dishes you personally cooked."
He Jinxuan nodded. He wasn’t lying; lately, whenever he had free time, he would run to the small cafeteria, often bringing Chef Song good stuff.
The people in the small kitchen almost thought he wanted to take over Chef Song’s position, often teasing him about it.
Chef Song really did give him a lot of pointers. Perhaps it’s true that when you like someone, you can do anything, or maybe he broke through the cooking barrier. His progress was remarkable. If he finished work earlier today, he would have loved to cook for the little girl himself.
He Jinxuan readily agreed: "You just wait and see."
He placed a piece of food into her lunch box and tried to ask: "Yanyan, before school starts, could you come with me to visit my parents?"
He was really annoyed by his Second Brother at home. He already said he was in a relationship, but his brother kept thinking he was just making excuses to avoid being set up with someone, really driving him crazy.
No matter how his relationship with his parents was, since he and Yanyan were confirmed, it was time to introduce her to the family. It was a matter of respect for both Yanyan and his parents.
It would also ease his parents’ minds and make his Second Brother give up. Did he think he was a fool? He knew exactly what kind of person his Second Brother was—he never got up early without a reason.
Xinyan thought for a moment and understood, guessing the He Family was pressing for marriage: "Visiting is fine, but make sure you explain in advance what I mentioned before. I hate trouble."
He Jinxuan placed another piece of food into her lunch box: "Mm, don’t worry, I remember."
After they finished eating, He Jinxuan washed the lunch box and placed a cup of water in front of Xinyan before sitting down.
He stared at Xinyan’s profile for a long time and finally couldn’t resist pulling her into his embrace: "Yanyan, let me hold you for a while."
Yu Xinyan was about to speak when she heard from above: "Being away for so long, did you miss me?"
Xinyan’s lips curved into a smile as she heard the question: "Tell me, where did you learn to say that?"
He Jinxuan rubbed his face against Xinyan’s head: "I didn’t learn it from anyone. It’s straight from my heart. I’ve missed you so much it was driving me crazy."
Saying this, he hugged her even tighter.
He originally thought of getting engaged before Xinyan left, but he was afraid it might scare her. Besides, he didn’t want to use it to bind her; he’d work hard to match her pace and wouldn’t give anyone else a chance.
Xinyan looked up at him: "I missed you too."
Hearing this made He Jinxuan’s heart race uncontrollably, hugging her even tighter with elation at being reciprocated. There were some things he no longer wanted to hide from her: "Yanyan, wait for me over there."
Understanding his meaning, Xinyan’s eyes lit up with surprise: "Are you thinking of getting a job transfer?"