1979: My fiancée is a goddess

September 4th, 7:00 AM.

"Buzz~"

The electric fan hummed in the quiet bedroom all night, blowing out a soft, cool breeze that ruffled the disheveled white nightgown and dark hair on the bed.

"Kaiyan...you're up. Today is your first day of class."

Liu Xiaoli woke up from her sleep, propped herself up on her long, slender arms, rubbed her eyes, and habitually nudged the person next to her, calling him to get up in a lazy, soft, and sweet voice.

Yesterday afternoon, when Cheng Kaiyan came to pick her up from school, she mentioned that she had been scolded by her aunt for being late yesterday, and that if she was late again, she would have to stand at the back.

So Liu Xiaoli laughed at her boyfriend while silently making a mental note of the incident, intending to urge Cheng Kaiyan to get up early every day.

Actually, this guy used to be very diligent, getting up at five or six o'clock every day and then going out to exercise.

However, for most of this year, this guy has been lazy and idle.

If we don't keep a close eye on him, he's bound to become a troublemaker at Beijing Normal University!

My aunt might even get involved.

Thinking of this, Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but smile. Then she turned her head and saw that Cheng Kaiyan was still asleep, her eyes not even open. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"You're such a troublemaker, aren't you?"

Comrade Xiaoli opened her arms and pounced on Cheng Kaiyan, pressing her entire upper body against him, and scolded, "Get up, you lazybones! The sun's already high in the sky! Don't be late again and get punished by your aunt!"

"Ouch! What are you doing? It's so heavy!"

Despite Xiaoli's seemingly light and delicate appearance, Cheng Kaiyan still groaned as she was suddenly pressed down.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw his fiancée, bright and lovely, with her rosy complexion and oval face right in front of him.

"Cheng, Kai, Yan... who do you think is the heaviest?!"

Upon hearing this, Comrade Xiaoli's eyebrows shot up, her almond-shaped eyes glaring at Cheng Kaiyan. She reached out her two delicate, pink hands, grabbed his face, and pulled his cheeks apart, threatening him with an unfriendly expression.

It looked quite scary, but Cheng Kaiyan didn't feel any pain at all.

Comrade Xiaoli was reluctant to part with it; she was saving her strength.

However, this girl neglected exercise during the summer vacation and ate well, so she became chubby and fair-skinned.

When Cheng Kaiyan held her, he could feel her fleshy texture, especially her full and firm buttocks, which had indeed gained some weight and become more plump.

I've cried to him countless times lately, complaining that school is about to start and I've gained weight again, what should I do!
Actually, she only weighs about 100 pounds. Xiaoli is still on the thinner side.

"I mean……"

Cheng Kaiyan's face was grabbed by the girl, and her voice became a little strange: "What I mean is... Sister Xiaoli, your chest is so heavy, it's making it hard for me to breathe."

"Really?"

Liu Xiaoli propped herself up on Cheng Kaiyan's stomach, and subconsciously glanced down at her thin nightgown with a hint of disbelief. Under the loose and cool neckline, her breasts were only covered and supported by a small vest.

"Absolutely true!"

Cheng Kaiyan nodded, pulled her hand out from under the girl's fair and smooth thigh, and reached out as if to prove it, lifting up the girl's soft and firm breasts and weighing them in her hand.

The movements were so quick that Liu Xiaoli couldn't react, yet so gentle that they wouldn't hurt her.

Upon feeling a strange, tingling sensation in her chest, Comrade Xiaoli immediately tensed up and froze on the spot.

Cheng Kaiyan withdrew her hand, still savoring the lingering warmth and milky scent in her palm, and affirmed, "I've tried it, Sister Xiaoli, it's real!"

"rogue!!"

Liu Xiaoli snapped out of her daze and saw Cheng Kaiyan still sniffing something with a slightly astringent look. Her face immediately turned red, and she cried out in uncontrollable embarrassment.

Then, a flurry of soft fists came flying at her.

I must say, the little fist was very fast, but the force was weak and only hurt a little.

Cheng Kaiyan passively enjoyed a massage with her fists.

After the young couple played around and joked, their early morning sleepiness vanished, and their mood became much lighter and more cheerful.

Cheng Kaiyan and Liu Xiaoli got up, changed their clothes, and brushed their teeth and washed their faces in perfect unison in front of the mirror.

"Crack!"

Then the two of them gathered their belongings and went out.

Since it's the white-clad season... when they go to school, they don't make breakfast at home anymore; they don't have the time.

The two ordered two bowls of wontons on a nearby street.

"Kaiyan, I can't finish this, you can eat the rest."

I don’t know if it was because Cheng Kaiyan said she had gained weight this morning, but Liu Xiaoli put down her spoon and didn’t want to eat anymore after eating less than half of it.

"You can't finish it? Really?"

Cheng Kaiyan asked in return with a smile.

He was completely incredulous. He had already witnessed Xiaoli's appetite the first time they ate together last year.

Don't let Xiaoli's slender and tall appearance fool you; she's a dancer, and her daily exercise routine is even more intense than Cheng Kaiyan's.

His appetite is nowhere near as large as that of a delicate little girl with a small, bird-like stomach.

"Of course! You don't believe me!"

Sensing the doubt in her colleague Cheng's tone, Liu Xiaoli snorted without batting an eye.

"Okay, you can lose weight, but you can't let yourself starve. You'll be exercising a lot at school and dancing, so you'll lose weight in a while. Don't rush it."

Cheng Kaiyan reluctantly took her bowl and gave her some instructions.

"Got it!"

Liu Xiaoli nodded obediently as she watched him eat, then casually picked up his thermos, took a sip of hot tea, and smiled, "I'll take this. It's better for women to drink hot water, so you can keep the teacup."

"Whatever. I should have bought more."

……

After finishing their meal, Cheng Kaiyan immediately took Liu Xiaoli to the Beijing Dance Academy, then turned around and went back to Beijing Normal University for class.

I have classes during the first two periods today, and they're my aunt's English classes.

He sped to the classroom and found that the preparatory bell hadn't rung yet, and the room was already full of students, all quietly reading and preparing for their lessons.

Wearing a black dress and with her long hair down, Jiang Jiangting, who rarely does this, was already sitting on the podium waiting for class to begin.

Seeing Cheng Kaiyan come in right on time, Jiang Ting immediately looked over.

"Haha."

Cheng Kaiyan smiled and waved.

I originally planned to sit in the back row and relax, but considering that this was my aunt's English class, I decided to stay.

He had no choice but to find an empty seat in the third row. The students around him subconsciously looked over and smiled with surprise.

"Good morning, Teacher Cheng! You're here to teach too?"

His deskmate, who sat next to him, was a petite and innocent-looking girl. Whether she was nervous or something else, she spoke haltingly.

"Yes, yes, what kind of work are you here for, classmate?"

Cheng Kaiyan subconsciously asked a question in return, which left her deskmate completely bewildered.

He smiled, then took out his English book and began to seriously preview the vocabulary.

They haven't chosen their specialization yet; they'll have to wait until their second year of graduate school.

The first year consists of required general education courses and foundational professional courses.

Courses like English, political theory, classical Chinese, and modern Chinese.

Before long, the bell rang, and class officially began.

"Let's begin the lesson now. Considering everyone's English level, I will try to simplify my spoken English."

The tall, slender, and icy-cold professor, dressed in a long black dress, tapped the podium with a bright green bamboo stick, drawing the students' attention.

Then, with a calm gaze, he swept over the students in the classroom and said in a cold voice:

"However, I hope everyone will communicate only in English in class. This is very important, do you understand?"

"I understand!"

"good..."

Jiang Ting nodded slightly, picked up her book, and officially began the lesson.

"Were these freshly picked from the bamboo grove next to the office this morning?"

As Cheng Kaiyan listened, she kept glancing at the pointer in the pointer in her hand and muttering to herself.

However, he was soon attracted by Professor Jiang, who had a serious and solemn demeanor and the temperament of a teacher.

I have to say, after not having attended her class for more than half a year, suddenly attending one now is truly a unique and touching experience.

Teacher, teacher...

The two morning classes were spent listening to Jiang Ting's beautiful voice, as clear as the clinking of cold jade, and a series of rapid-fire London accents.

Cheng Kaiyan listened with some difficulty and only understood a little.

Many young people in the classroom, recent graduates from prestigious universities, listened with pale faces and bewildered expressions. After all, English was a common weakness for students in the 1980s, and graduate students were no exception. They might be good at written exams, but their spoken English was 99% terrible.

As soon as get out of class ended, everyone started complaining.

"It's like listening to gibberish to me, I don't understand it at all."

"But Professor Jiang's spoken English is so fluent, it's amazing! No wonder he's a top student who studied abroad!"

"A very authentic London accent!"

……

Cheng Kaiyan and Jiang Ting naturally heard these words.

The two returned to the office to rest. Jiang Ting sat on the sofa, frowning, seemingly lost in thought.

Cheng Kaiyan sipped her tea while stealing glances at her.

Finally, the beautiful woman grew impatient and looked up at him, giving him a cold glare.

"what happened?"

Cheng Kaiyan laughed and joked, "Professor Jiang is still too young! He doesn't have much experience!"

"……Um!"

The beautiful woman stared at Cheng Kaiyan expressionlessly for a while, and finally silently hummed in agreement.

Cheng Kaiyan was somewhat moved. It was rare to see this aloof woman lower her head. Was it because the first class she taught with graduate students didn't go well?
That really suits my aunt's personality.

"Alright, alright, you've overestimated the English proficiency of domestic graduate students. You'll adjust gradually from here on out."

Cheng Kaiyan got up and walked behind the beautiful woman, massaging her sore shoulders and neck while gently comforting her.

"What do you think about using half English and half Chinese? We can use English for the simpler parts and Chinese for the more difficult ones..."

"Sure, if they still can't understand, that's their problem! Anyway, I could understand most of what you said today, Auntie, it's just that you spoke too fast, and I had some difficulty understanding."

"It seems that the study plan I made for you last year was effective."

Jiang Ting quickly realized that this was probably due to her own efforts.

"of course!"

With Cheng Kaiyan's comforting words, the beautiful woman's mood gradually brightened.

The two sat and drank tea for a while before returning to their seats to work and study.

Cheng Kaiyan was pondering which publisher to submit "Atonement" to: People's Literature or Harvest?
He's only considering these two national publications right now.

Why consider the potential gains?

This is naturally because the headquarters of Harvest is in Shanghai, and Shanghai is also the setting for most of the stories in Atonement.

"Atonement" involves the Republic of China era, the War of Resistance against Japan, and the Kuomintang army.

In particular, it touches upon, or even contradicts, a consensus in the current environment.

The consensus was that the Kuomintang army was all bad and reactionary.

Even in the field of modern history today, this is the mainstream view.

In short, Cheng Kaiyan developed PTSD after being labeled because of "Youth".

"Auntie, do you think I should submit my essay 'Atonement' to 'People's Literature' or 'Harvest'?"

When faced with a problem, Cheng Kaiyan simply asks her aunt.

"Harvest Magazine, with Ba Jin as its editor-in-chief, has always been known for its open and free literary atmosphere. This is very important."

Jiang Ting knew the contents of Cheng Kaiyan's completed work, "Atonement," and said without hesitation.

"Okay! I'll do as you say!"

Without hesitation, Cheng Kaiyan wrote down the contact address for the successful submission on the manuscript paper, then feigned pitifulness and said, "If it doesn't pass, all my hard work will be wasted. I won't get any royalties, and without royalties, I can't live. In that case, you'll have to support me."

"hehe!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ting sneered without even looking up: "Go find Xiaoli, she's your wife, let her support you, she's rich."

Hmph! So now you know to come to me?

What did you do earlier?

"..."

Cheng Kaiyan clicked her tongue. Just kidding, why are you jealous?
Changing the subject, she said, "Auntie, I've been with you for so many years, and I still didn't know it was your birthday!"

"Less than two years."

Jiang Ting finally couldn't help but look up and glare at him, then solemnly corrected him.

"It's just an approximation. What about your birthday? What about your birthday?"

Cheng Kaiyan waved her hand and pressed for an answer.

September 10th.

Jiang Ting gave a calm reply.

"September 10th!?"

Cheng Kaiyan's voice suddenly rose a little.

On September 9th last year, he woke up at 2 PM in the intensive care unit of the Southern Xinjiang Provincial Hospital. Moreover, Sister Xiaoli was supposed to perform a dance at the People's Hall that day.

On September 10th, the second day, because of his awakening, his aunt, Xiaoli, and Wan all accompanied him for a day of detailed examinations.

My aunt's birthday was naturally not mentioned by anyone, nor did anyone care or inquire about it.

Thinking of this, Cheng Kaiyan looked at the calm woman in front of her and said with some guilt, "I'm sorry, I didn't know before... Auntie."

"I don't celebrate my birthday."

Jiang Ting gently shook her head, gazing into his amber eyes and the emotions surging within them, knowing that he must be recalling what happened last year.

He rushed through the night to save himself, and was seriously injured in the process. How could his physical condition be compared to that of a birthday celebration?

Besides, she hasn't celebrated her birthday since her mother left, and it's been decades.

These things meant nothing to Jiang Ting.

"It doesn't matter if I didn't celebrate before... but from now on, I will never miss your birthday. I want to celebrate it with you."

Cheng Kaiyan's eyes were gentle as water, but her words were firm.

"..."

As Jiang Ting listened to his voice, it swirled in her heart like a gentle breeze.

Her heart was a cold, empty icy valley, yet now a strange, burning emotion resonated within it.

It made her feel a heaviness in her chest, making it hard to breathe, as if something was breaking out of its shell.

Jiang Ting bit her lip, calming herself, and finally said calmly:

"It's up to you."

"Well, I'll prepare a gift that you won't expect."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded with a satisfied smile.

For those who lacked too much in their childhood—emotions, companionship—even if they make up for it, they can't return to the complete state they once were.

But leaving it empty is the most damaging thing you can do.

He was willing to fill her heart, forever.

……

After having lunch with her aunt, Cheng Kaiyan went out with her briefcase.

First, I mailed out "Atonement," and then I went out to find an old-fashioned carpenter's shop.

A precious wooden comb made of sandalwood core with scriptures painted on its teeth cannot be repaired by an ordinary craftsman.

Ideally, they should be carpenters from the former Qing Dynasty palace.

But there are big differences between carpenters.

Making furniture and making jewelry are, of course, different.

Cheng Kaiyan searched all afternoon but couldn't find it, so she finally went back to the place where she had previously ordered custom furniture to ask.

Master Liu couldn't fix it, but his 90-year-old grandfather could. Considering the big business deal they made last time and the fact that the broken comb was indeed very valuable, he was willing to ask the old man to repair it.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. It would be best if it could be fixed before September 9th, as I need it urgently."

"This is pretty quick to fix, it's just that the scriptures are a bit complicated."

Leave the carpenter's shop.

Cheng Kaiyan went to Xiaowei Hutong again to visit her sister Lin Qingshui, who lived not far from Wutong Courtyard.

In the afternoon, I accompanied her to the Children's Foundation to handle her onboarding and familiarize her with her work. We also met with Professor Bing Xin before returning home.

With him leading the way, and with Teacher Bing Xin watching over them, my sister won't be bullied. (End of Chapter)