How could he not think about her? He was thinking about her to the point of madness!
Zhou Cheng was a young man experiencing his first love, suffering both psychological and physical torment. Psychologically, he yearned to see Xiao Lan, to talk with her, to hear her voice. Physically, he wanted to hold and embrace her. His wife was soft and fragrant, and while certain things had to wait until marriage, surely a hug wouldn’t hurt?
This wasn’t Zhou Cheng being lecherous – it was a young man’s normal physiological desire. For someone Zhou Cheng’s age in a relationship, if he had no desire for his girlfriend, it would mean either his girlfriend was horrifically ugly and he didn’t like her at all, or she was just a beard and he had different orientations! Neither was the case, so one can imagine how much Zhou Cheng longed for Xia Xiao Lan.
“Xiao Lan, I’m just so happy, I never expected this at all!”
Zhou Cheng only came back to his senses when Xia Xiao Lan spoke. He was overjoyed and didn’t care that the instructor was still there. Someone with any sense would have given them privacy, but the instructor insisted on watching their meeting. If the instructor wasn’t embarrassed, why should Zhou Cheng be?
He strode forward and held Xia Xiao Lan, not wanting to let go.
The instructor’s eyes hurt from watching. “Alright, you have one hour. Just walk along the beach ahead, and don’t go too far!”
The instructor waved them away impatiently like shooing flies. Zhou Cheng was as lively as a fish in water, wanting to wiggle and bubble with joy.
“Yes! We won’t go far!”
He held Xia Xiao Lan’s hand and walked toward the beach. Earlier, he had complained about camping by the sea, how sand always got stuck in his pant legs and liked to sneak into his shoes. Now, holding Xiao Lan’s hand, Zhou Cheng felt the sand beneath his feet was soft, and his steps felt light.
Zhou Cheng didn’t know when this mission would end. He suspected his two years of academy life would be spent fighting smuggling crimes – how would he see his wife then? While he was still wracking his brains for solutions, Xia Xiao Lan suddenly appeared before him, an incredible and joyful surprise for Zhou Cheng.
Hand in hand, once they were far enough from the camp, Zhou Cheng didn’t hesitate to lean down and kiss her. Those alluring red lips he had dreamed of day and night – he yearned to taste Xiao Lan’s flavor. Only when their lips and tongues intertwined did Zhou Cheng feel it was real? No, this wasn’t a dream – dreams had no taste.
Breathing heavily, Zhou Cheng held Xia Xiao Lan in his arms. “I’ve been going crazy missing you!”
He pressed Xia Xiao Lan’s head against his chest, where she could hear Zhou Cheng’s heartbeat – vigorous and strong, beating like a drum.
“I missed you too.”
Xia Xiao Lan truly missed Zhou Cheng. They hadn’t seen each other for over two months, with no contact between them. Though Xia Xiao Lan was typically indifferent to emotional needs, she felt this kind of relationship wasn’t something ordinary people could endure.
Fortunately, she had her studies and career, keeping her daily life fully occupied. If she had spent all 24 hours of each day thinking about Zhou Cheng with nothing else to do, Xia Xiao Lan estimated she couldn’t have endured such a torturous long-distance relationship.
Even more difficult was that it was like an “international relationship” – Xia Xiao Lan didn’t know how to broach the subject.
No matter how much Zhou Cheng and Xia Xiao Lan cuddled, it wasn’t enough. Since the instructor only gave them an hour, Zhou Cheng wanted to discuss some important matters.
“What happened with the Ji family in the end? Was everything resolved?”
When Xia Xiao Lan briefly mentioned the Ji family’s messy situation, Zhou Cheng’s fists clenched. Weren’t they bullying his wife?
He had thought family intervention would surely resolve things, but the Ji family took advantage of Xiao Lan’s strong sense of pride, forcing her to rely on her efforts to make them bow their heads. What shameless people, bullying his wife, a young girl!
“Don’t be angry. There are many people like that. Getting angry only gives them a face. When we present the facts to them later, they’ll behave.”
Zhou Cheng’s experiences had to remain confidential, so Xia Xiao Lan didn’t ask. Instead, she talked about her situation. When she mentioned Du Zhao Hui coming to find her, Zhou Cheng smiled eerily: “Seems the Du family’s smuggling ships haven’t been hurt enough!”
The last intercepted ship in Fujian Province belonged to the Du family, and they lost over ten million that time.
If the Du family still dared to smuggle large shipments inland, the government wouldn’t go easy on them.
“The Du family’s smuggling operations probably aren’t under Du Zhao Hui’s management anymore.”
Xia Xiao Lan knew Tang Hong En’s character. Liu Tian Quan had never been in Tang Hong En’s good graces because he wouldn’t do business properly. If Tang Hong En agreed to Du Zhao Hui’s plan, the latter would have promised him certain conditions.
Zhou Cheng nodded. There were some things he couldn’t tell Xia Xiao Lan as they were involved in the mission. As far as Zhou Cheng knew, the Du family’s smuggling operations were now managed by Liu Tian Quan. Zhou Cheng’s team had already had several small encounters with Du family smuggling vessels, though these were minor incidents.
The sea breeze was strong. Zhou Cheng tucked Xia Xiao Lan’s wind-blown hair behind her ear. “Let’s not talk about these unpleasant things. How long will you stay in Shenzhen?”
It was now February 10th, with the Lunar New Year falling on February 20th this year. Xia Xiao Lan planned to return to Shangdu around February 17th, so calculating the time: “At least another week.”
Zhou Cheng pondered internally – could he find another chance to see her? Even if they could meet for just an hour each day, that would be good, though the higher-ups definitely wouldn’t agree. Maybe they could meet every other day?
Xia Xiao Lan was also excited, “Really possible?”
Zhou Cheng didn’t make any firm promises, “I’ll try my best to arrange it.”
Two months apart and only one hour together – they both felt the time was too short. Xia Xiao Lan took the opportunity to mention her cooperation with Chen Xi Liang since it involved Zhou Cheng’s investment capital, and she was just helping manage it:
“Chen Xi Liang has completed all the paperwork, and the Beijing store’s renovation is almost finished. Now we’re just waiting for him to present the products to see how to promote them.”
Xia Xiao Lan always became especially energetic when discussing these matters, as they were her forte.
Zhou Cheng didn’t dismiss her concerns, asking several detailed questions before nodding: “I trust you. Handle these things as you see fit… My wife is so capable, but you’re working too hard. Try to delegate more to Chen Xi Liang – since he has more shares, he should take on more responsibility. We’re just investors, we only need to oversee the general direction!”
He had given his bankbook to Xia Xiao Lan hoping to give her more security, like how others hand over their salary cards. It wasn’t that they needed money or required Xia Xiao Lan to worry about investments – tiring her out would be counterproductive.
Xia Xiao Lan couldn’t possibly monitor every step anyway – she didn’t have that time or energy. Seeing their meeting time was almost up, Xia Xiao Lan hugged Zhou Cheng’s waist, reluctant to let go:
“I have something to tell you. Remember that English competition I participated in? Well, there are two pieces of news about it. First, Wang Guang Ping was involved and has been transferred to the Party History Office. Second, I won the Special Prize… The Ministry of Education will send the prize winners abroad as exchange students, a minimum of six months, possibly one or two years – it’s not certain yet.”