1979: My fiancée is a goddess

At 10:30, the sun overhead was already incredibly powerful.

Standing in the sunlight felt like being next to a furnace; it wasn't just hot, it was scalding, and my hair stung my scalp.

There were very few pedestrians on the street.

Cheng Kaiyan and Fang Yuan pushed the cart under the sun for a while, and soon they were sweating profusely. They found a shady spot to sit and rest.

They had just come from Mr. Chen Bochui's house, and the result was naturally pleasing.

With Cheng Kaiyan as editor-in-chief and leading a children's literature journal, and with an old friend joining, Mr. Chen readily agreed after only hearing a few words from him.

Actually, among the three elderly people, my own father is the oldest and in relatively poor health.

At the time, both Mr. Chen and Ms. Bing Xin were in their prime and were very active in the literary and political circles.

All that's needed now is to visit Bing Xin's hometown; I imagine they'll agree.

And at this point, the journal's creation is almost complete; the process was actually quite fast.

The next step is simply to wait for scholars from all over the country to submit academic papers to "Ark".

This is another big problem. After all, you are a new journal with no reputation and no academic influence. You can only write letters to invite people one by one. And who would submit to you except for college students who have not yet graduated?
Cheng Kaiyan naturally preferred to first establish a reputation and solidify the academic standing of "Ark," at which point papers would naturally flood in.

Cheng Kaiyan sat on the bicycle, breathing evenly, as thoughts flashed through her mind, gradually forming ideas and plans.

My somewhat agitated mood eased a little.

"Huh...it's so hot."

Cheng Kaiyan breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and turned to look at Fang Yuan, whose face was already flushed from the heat: "Comrade Fang Yuan, go and buy two bottles of iced soda, it's on me."

"Ok!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan immediately smiled with delight and readily agreed.

If Cheng Kaiyan hadn't been willing to treat her, she wouldn't have bought iced soda even if she was drenched in sweat from the heat.

The reason is simple: it's expensive.

She works as a secretary at the academy, and her monthly salary is only thirty-five.

A bottle of drink costs at least 18 cents, but if it's chilled, it costs at least 2 or 3 cents more, which is 20 cents. Who can afford that?

Cheng Kaiyan handed her a fifty-cent coin. "Here you go."

"okay."

Fang Yuan took it and happily ran away.

A short while later, it returned in a strange posture.

She held a glass bottle of soda, its surface covered in icy mist, close to her chest, while rolling another bottle across her rosy cheeks, enjoying the cool, refreshing sensation and occasionally letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Here's yours, editor-in-chief."

Fang Yuan felt embarrassed when he noticed Cheng Kaiyan looking at him with amusement. He quickly moved the glass bottle aside and subconsciously handed it over.

"you sure?"

Cheng Kaiyan countered with a question.

"Oh...this is it, this is yours."

Fang Yuan realized that what she was handing over was the face mask she had used. She handed over the money and soda, her face flushed from the headache, but thankfully it wasn't noticeable because of the hot weather.

Cheng Kaiyan smiled but didn't say anything more.

Holding the cold bottle, I pointed the bottle opening at Fang Yuan's bicycle. The plastic peeled off, revealing the handlebars covered in red rust. I quickly tapped it with my hand.

"boom--"

With a soft click, the bottle cap flew off and fell to the ground.

As I tilted my head back and drank, large and small bubbles surged in the translucent green glass bottle, quickly rushing into my mouth, bringing coolness and the stimulation of the bubbles, dispelling all the heat and stuffiness.

"what--"

Cheng Kaiyan breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, feeling completely refreshed.

Fang Yuan waited for him to drink before prying open the metal cap of the bottle against his teeth, spitting it out with a "pui" sound, and then taking small sips of the drink.

After about five or six minutes, the two finished drinking, returned the bottle, and headed towards Ms. Bing Xin's house.

It's not far, it only takes about ten minutes to get there.

……

"not at home?"

"Are you Comrade Cheng Kaiyan? The old lady has been in a lot of meetings lately. What do you need to see her about?"

"That's it..."

Cheng Kaiyan explained his purpose.

"I will pass on the message for you."

The young man in front of me took a piece of paper and wrote it down. He looked up and advised, "The old lady has been very busy lately. She might not agree to your appointment as an editor of an academic journal."

"Could you tell me what Bing Xin was always busy with?"

Cheng Kaiyan asked.

"It seems to be for children or something, called a foundation."

The young man scratched his head and explained.

"A children's foundation, right?"

Cheng Kaiyan understood.

"Yeah."

The young man nodded quickly.

"Alright, please pass on the message, then I won't bother you any longer."

Looking at her watch, it was a little past eleven. Cheng Kaiyan naturally remembered that Xiaoli was coming to deliver lunch at eleven-thirty.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he led Fang Yuan back.

"Editor-in-chief, why are you in such a hurry?"

Comrade Fang Yuan felt that Cheng Kaiyan seemed anxious to go back, so he asked her curiously.

"It's lunchtime! Let's go back and eat!"

Cheng Kaiyan got on her bike and said something without turning her head.

"Have a meal?"

Fang Yuan thought about it and felt that this was a good opportunity to get closer to Cheng Kaiyan.

After spending the last few days with her, she found that Cheng Kaiyan was a very nice person and took good care of her at work, showing a clear intention to groom her as a trusted confidante.

Moreover, they graduated from the same university.

Of course we need to maintain good relationships!

Now that the two of them are out on business and it happens to be lunchtime, she should treat her boss to a meal at a restaurant. Otherwise, wouldn't her boss think she's inconsiderate?
"How about... I treat you to a meal at a restaurant?"

Although Comrade Fang Yuan felt sorry for his empty wallet, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

As for whether Cheng Kaiyan would refuse, she never even considered it.

After all, Comrade Fang Yuan is a very outstanding and popular female comrade at school and even at work. Few male comrades could bear to refuse her invitation!

However, the leader's answer the next second completely surprised her.

"Don't go!"

Cheng Kaiyan glanced at the woman beside her with a strange expression and resolutely refused.

"Why?! Isn't it good that someone's treating you to dinner?"

Fang Yuan raised his voice a few decibels; this was a decision he had made with great difficulty!

They just rejected me like that?

"Comrade Xiao Fang, your ideological awareness needs improvement. Bribing leaders is unacceptable."

Cheng Kaiyan shook her head, stepped on the pedal, and left.

"...What kind of bribe is it to have a meal together?"

Fang Yuan muttered something and quickly followed.

I rushed back to my office on the third floor of the Ministry of Culture, just in time.

"Kaiyan, you're back. I've made a preliminary deal with the printing factory, and they'll send over a sample copy in a couple of days." She greeted President Chen Zijun, who was heading down to the cafeteria for lunch, as they bumped into each other in the corridor.

"That's good. My editorial board has also invited several highly respected seniors, such as Mr. Ye Shengtao and Mr. Chen Bochui. We haven't heard from Ms. Bing Xin yet; we'll probably have to wait a few days."

During the meeting, Cheng Kaiyan also informed him of the progress on his side.

"Comrade Kaiyan, you really have a wide network of connections! With the support of these three seniors, our 'Ark' is sure to succeed! Come on, let's go to the cafeteria and chat while we eat..."

Hearing these familiar names about to join in, Chen Zijun was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Oh right! I almost forgot, your husband Xiao Liu brought you lunch and is waiting for you in the office."

"I understand, see you later."

Cheng Kaiyan waved her hand and strode towards her office.

Fang Yuan, who had been following behind him, stared in astonishment: "The editor-in-chief is only in his early twenties, and he's already married?!"

"What's so strange about that? In rural areas, it's not uncommon for girls to get married at fifteen or sixteen."

Chen Zijun looked at the woman who seemed a little dazed and chuckled.

"No wonder he wouldn't agree to have dinner with me earlier."

Fang Yuan pouted and muttered.

She didn't feel any disappointment upon hearing that Cheng Kaiyan was engaged.

She was very self-aware; a man as outstanding as Cheng Kaiyan, so rare that there were only a handful in the entire country, was simply not worthy of her.

But then again, what kind of woman could be worthy of such a talented man?

A strong sense of curiosity suddenly arose in Fang Yuan's heart. After saying goodbye to the president, he hurriedly walked towards the office. "I'm going back to the office to get my lunchbox. Goodbye, president."

Offices are usually open and well-ventilated at midday in the summer.

Therefore, after Fang Yuan walked to the office door, he leaned against the door frame and peeked inside.

On the large desk at the front of the office, there was a three-tiered lunchbox and a water bottle covered in condensation.

Cheng Kaiyan and a young woman sat facing each other eating, passing food to each other, chatting and laughing quietly in a gentle atmosphere.

Fang Yuan's gaze was more focused on the young girl sitting with her back to the door.

Her back was straight and upright, and her sitting posture was dignified and beautiful.

Even under the table where no one was paying attention, two feet wearing black strappy sandals stood quietly together, not crossed like most people would.

She gives off a poised, elegant, and serene vibe, clearly indicating that she has received an excellent family education.

"Is this the editor-in-chief's wife? She looks very beautiful even from behind."

Although he hadn't seen the woman's face, Fang Yuan was still quite amazed by her beauty.

It's unclear what joke Cheng Kaiyan told, but the woman raised her hand to cover her mouth and laughed, a pleasant laugh ringing out.

The laughter was crisp and clear, with a gentle rhythm.

"Your voice is so beautiful."

Fang Yuan blurted out the words without thinking, and the sudden third voice sounded somewhat abrupt in the office.

She instinctively covered her mouth, then saw Cheng Kaiyan and the woman looking at her: "Ah! I came back to get my lunchbox..."

"What a nice view!"

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze was drawn to the oval face in front of her, with its well-proportioned features, gentle and beautiful temperament, and fair and jade-like skin. She even forgot to breathe and revealed an adorable expression.

"You must be the Comrade Fang Yuan that Kaiyan mentioned, right?"

Liu Xiaoli looked at the girl in front of her with amusement, completely mesmerized. She was so cute.

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'm Fang Yuan. Hello, hello. You must be the editor-in-chief's partner?"

Fang Yuan nodded hurriedly and raised his hand to greet him somewhat awkwardly.

"Have you eaten yet? Want to eat something together?"

Liu Xiaoli smiled and waved as she asked.

"Oh, no need, I'll just eat at the cafeteria, you guys eat..."

Fang Yuan really wanted to agree to get to know the editor-in-chief's wife better and take the "wife diplomacy" route.

But in the blink of an eye, he saw Cheng Kaiyan winking at him, and he dared not do it again.

They quickly went back to their seats to grab their lunchboxes, then ran off, closing the door behind them as if worried someone might try to come in and disturb them.

"Wow! So beautiful and outstanding! No wonder she's engaged to the editor-in-chief."

Fang Yuan sighed inexplicably, realizing that many of her colleagues in the office were unaware of the news, especially her friend Li Xiaoqing, who seemed to have designs on the editor-in-chief! The girl's gossip-loving mind was immediately piqued, and she quickly ran towards the cafeteria.

……

"You have quite a few young and beautiful women in your office. I glanced at them just now and saw several."

Liu Xiaoli watched the door close, then turned to look at her husband with a half-smile.

"How can you even be jealous of this kind of vinegar?"

Cheng Kaiyan smiled helplessly and flattered, "Didn't you see? Fang Yuan was almost stunned by you. There are very few people in this world who can compare to our Xiaoli."

"Virtue~"

Liu Xiaoli was very pleased; a year ago, she might not have had this confidence.

But she has changed a lot now, especially in the last few months. For some reason, she seems to have been reborn.

However, the matter was too mysterious, and she only mentioned it to her closest family members.

It probably started from that night, when she vaguely sensed that this might be related to her husband, Xiao Cheng.

Thinking of this, the girl felt a little hot, and lowered her head to eat to hide it, humming, "Not many, you mean you still have a few in your heart? Zhao Ruixue? Ning Wanjia?"

"...I was talking about my aunt!"

Cheng Kaiyan was speechless. This girl has become addicted to being jealous!

"Oh, so it's your aunt."

Liu Xiaoli muttered something to herself and then stopped making things difficult for the guy.

To be honest, my aunt and Kaiyan do have a very good relationship.

Sometimes she really felt that her aunt treated Kaiyan better than she treated Ning Wanjia, which made her a little jealous.

I didn't think much of it and continued eating.

After dinner, Liu Xiaoli didn't go back immediately, but stayed to keep Cheng Kaiyan company. She was quite curious about what it was like for her little Cheng to be the editor-in-chief.

Wouldn't that be impressive?

One by one, the staff members returned from lunch, greeting Liu Xiaoli with curiosity and restraint: "Good afternoon, Editor-in-Chief."

"Is this your spouse, editor-in-chief? Hello, hello..."

After a round of greetings, Liu Xiaoli felt satisfied.

……

On the other side, Xie’s house.

A car stopped, and an elderly woman with gray hair got out and went inside with the help of her secretary.

"This morning, a comrade named Cheng Kaiyan came to see you..."

The grandson told Bing Xin everything.

"The Ark? The editorial board? I see."

Bing Xin nodded thoughtfully, showing some interest.

However, the foundation's affairs have been too busy and complicated lately, with disputes over funding causing headaches for this elderly woman.

Furthermore, at the end of the month, the foundation plans to hold a public meeting to announce its establishment and raise funds from the public.

The matter of a children's academic journal will have to be put on hold for now.

"Hey! Maybe we can let this kid take the lead and set a good example for the younger generation!"

Bing Xin shook her head helplessly, then suddenly slapped her thigh in realization.

She could agree, but she would need to exchange it for your influence and leadership among young people, Cheng Kaiyan!
"Xiao Wu, go and deliver an invitation from the foundation to Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, inviting him to attend."

After Bing Xin understood, she turned to her secretary and gave instructions.

"Yes!" (End of this chapter)