Chapter 228 - 226: Date

Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Date

As the night deepened, the two held hands and wandered aimlessly along the paths of Tsinghua Garden. Though they called it a date, even Jiang Xia had no idea where they’d ended up.

Their destination might have been a moonlit lotus pond, a lush green lawn, or a small pavilion—it didn’t matter, as long as it was a good spot for a date.

Following the brilliant starry sky, they eventually found a long corridor covered in grapevines. In the moonlight, graceful silhouettes could be seen. Separated by brick pillars, couples were nestled together in twos and threes, whispering to one another.

Farther away, on a more open lawn, several figures gradually merged into one under the cover of darkness.

"Looks like we’ve found quite a place," Jiang Xia chuckled softly.

Lin Yanwan blinked. ’Seeing so many couples at once... this must be the campus version of a lovers’ lane.’

’She was suspicious. ’Does this guy really not know his way around? How else could he just wander randomly and stumble upon the perfect dating spot?’’

"Should we find a place to sit?"

"Mm, okay."

She nodded lightly. The two walked over and sat down under a large, leafy tree, about eight or nine meters away from the nearest couple.

Lin Yanwan gently leaned her head on his shoulder. Their date was like one between an old married couple, not like those of new lovers who had endless things to say to each other.

Just being together was enough to put their hearts at ease.

"Babe, I want to kiss you."

Lin Yanwan didn’t say a word. She simply tilted her head back slightly, closed her eyes, and left the decision to him.

The moon shyly hid behind the clouds. As the night wind blew, Jiang Xia cupped her delicate face and slowly pressed his lips to hers. Lin Yanwan wrapped her arms around his neck, responding with abandon.

Only when the soft moonlight reappeared did the two of them slowly part, panting for breath.

"My dear, you’re so beautiful."

Jiang Xia gently pressed his forehead against hers, inhaling her scent. An urge stirred within him, a desire to do... something.

However, the lawn of this de facto lovers’ lane was far too open. Cuddling was the most intimacy they could afford. If they tried to take things any further, they’d probably end up on the front page of tomorrow’s campus news.

Lin Yanwan knew exactly what he was up to. How could she not know what he was thinking? ’After we were married, eight or nine times out of ten, he’d only say that to me when we were in bed.’

"Don’t even think about anything naughty. I’m sure there are security cameras here."

Lin Yanwan’s face flushed slightly, and she let out a soft sound of contempt.

"So many people are watching. You’d better behave."

Jiang Xia chuckled, shifted to lie down, and gazed up at the clear, starry sky, letting his mind go blank.

"Babe, have we ever had a date like this on the grass before?"

Lin Yanwan thought for a moment. ’Back then, we were at different universities, and he was swamped with his studies. Our dates were almost always on weekends. It wasn’t until we started living together, with no shame and no restraints, that the ache of missing each other was finally soothed.’

"No, we haven’t."

Remembering how he had protected her in the classroom earlier, Lin Yanwan gently lifted Jiang Xia’s head and settled it in her lap. She placed her hands on his temples and began to massage them gently.

Jiang Xia closed his eyes, comfortably enjoying the lap pillow and massage from his wife. ’This kind of treatment is a rare luxury since I’ve been reborn,’ he thought.

"Godmother has already signed the premiere contract for the second season of Cat and Mouse with Yu Du TV Station. It’ll start broadcasting on Yu Du TV Station on August 29th," he said.

"Is it for exclusive broadcasting rights?"

"They wanted them, but I didn’t agree."

Jiang Xia chuckled. "I only gave them first-run rights. In the days that follow, the second season of Cat and Mouse will be released in succession all over the country."

Lin Yanwan nodded slightly. ’If he hadn’t cast such a wide net,’ she thought, ’Cat and Mouse would never have become a nationwide hit so quickly, and the family’s toy factory wouldn’t have turned a profit so fast.’

"What are you planning to do next?" she asked.

"I’m planning to rent an office in the Science Park near campus first. Once Godmother is done with her part, I’ll move the company over. When that time comes, I’ll have to trouble you to handle the paperwork for the relocation with the relevant authorities."

"Okay."

Lin Yanwan agreed. ’Right now, she was the only one who could really help Jiang Xia with this.’

"What about staffing? Are you going to recruit from the open market?"

’Compared to changing the company’s address, recruiting people is the real challenge,’ she thought. ’For an animation company, the artists will always be the most crucial component.’

’Since he’s decided to move the company to the Imperial Capital, he can’t just keep it as a small-time operation. With Li Weiya gone, there’s no way he and Wang Ming can run an entire animation company by themselves.’

"Not for now."

He said with a smile, "I’m planning to see if I can recruit some students from the School of Fine Arts. What do you think of Su Qing?"

"I’m no expert on art, but if someone can get into Qingmei, their skills can’t be that bad. In any case, you should be the one to decide on the right candidates."

"Mm, okay."

Jiang Xia nodded, then suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right. My academic advisor said today that Tsinghua won’t let any of its outstanding students fall behind. If a student’s family is facing financial hardship, the university not only waives tuition but also provides a living stipend. You should tell your roommate to talk to a professor and apply; it shouldn’t be difficult."

"A professor told us about that today, actually. The class monitor is going to collect the names of anyone who needs it and submit the applications for all of us." A smile bloomed on Lin Yanwan’s face. "You should have seen it. When the professor announced it, Qiuting got so emotional she started crying."

"Yeah. It’s not easy for kids from poor rural areas to attend university. A lot of them get accepted but can’t afford the tuition and living expenses. This really helps ease the burden on their families," Jiang Xia said with a sigh.

"It really is."

"Babe, are you free tomorrow?"

"Hmm?"

"Let’s go check out the Science Park tomorrow. We can scout out some locations, see what kind of offices are available to rent. If we don’t like what we see, we can just look somewhere else."

"Okay, just give me a call then."

They talked for a long time before Jiang Xia suddenly rolled over, burying his face and inhaling deeply. Her feminine scent was intoxicating.

Lin Yanwan’s face turned crimson. Flustered and annoyed, she shoved him away and raised her hand to smack him.

"You’re impossible!"

"Heh heh, my wife smells amazing."

Jiang Xia instantly shot to his feet, dodging the slap. Then one of them gave chase as the other fled, making them look just like a couple in the throes of a new romance, playfully teasing each other.

Passing by Shuimu Tsinghua, Jiang Xia suddenly saw a crowd gathered in front of the lotus pond. A boy had arranged candles on the ground in the shape of a heart and was kneeling before a girl, confessing his feelings.

Lin Yanwan smiled knowingly. ’When Jiang Xia confessed to me,’ she recalled, ’the whole spectacle was much grander than this.’