The Sweetest Marriage Ch.203

Chapter 203 – Admission Notice

“Did I wake you up?” The intense hatred in Wei Chen’s eyes hadn’t had a chance to dissipate, but when he looked at Chen Li, his tone was already filled with gentleness.

Chen Li shook his head, walked to Wei Chen’s side, covered Wei Chen’s eyes with his hands, and whispered, “Achen, I don’t like your eyes now.” These crimson eyes were full of hatred. Chen Li didn’t know what kind of emotion this was, but he knew that when Wei Chen’s eyes looked like this, Wei Chen must be uncomfortable.

Wei Chen closed his eyes and pulled Chen Li into his arms. He could understand that Chen Li didn’t like what was behind him, not because he was afraid of him, but because he was worried about him.

“Li Li.”

“Li Li.”

“Li Li.”

Wei Chen buried his head in Chen Li’s neck, calling Chen Li’s name over and over again. His voice was very soft, but every word was trembling. He held Chen Li’s hand, tightening it as if he wanted to embed Chen Li into his body.

This was his Li Li, his Li Li. He was still in his embrace now, not a lost soul under the kidnapper’s knife in his childhood, nor dead tragically in the previous life at Chen Qing’s hands.

Li Li was alive, just like him, alive.

Chen Li didn’t know why Wei Chen was like this today, but he didn’t ask. He just reached out and hugged Wei Chen, letting Wei Chen feel his presence.

The night grew deeper. The light rain outside continued to patter, making the night even more hazy.

In the end, Chen Li fell asleep in Wei Chen’s arms. At this moment, all of Wei Chen’s emotions had been carefully hidden, buried deep within his heart.

He lifted Chen Li, who was sleeping soundly in his arms, and went into the bedroom. After placing Chen Li on the bed, when Wei Chen tried to pull his hand back, Chen Li held onto it.

“Achen, I’m here,” Chen Li murmured in his sleep, and every word fell into Wei Chen’s ears clearly.

Because of this sentence, the expression on Wei Chen’s face softened. He lay down, embraced Chen Li tightly, and kissed Chen Li’s forehead tenderly.

The light rain outside the window finally stopped, and the night gradually faded away.

As the darkness receded, daylight arrived as scheduled.

When Chen Li woke up, Wei Chen was already preparing breakfast in the kitchen. After washing up and coming out of the room, the living room was already tidy. The paper scraps scattered all over the floor last night had disappeared, leaving the house clean and neat.

Wei Chen then brought breakfast to the table and called Chen Li over to eat. It was scallion oil noodles, Chen Li’s favorite, accompanied by a bowl of clear soup.

The two sat at the dining table, and the sound of slurping noodles filled the quiet room. Although they didn’t speak, the atmosphere at the dining table was harmonious and warm.

It was as if what had happened in the early morning last night hadn’t occurred at all. Wei Chen didn’t mention it, and Chen Li didn’t ask.

Today was Monday, and both of them had to go to work and school.

After watching Chen Li’s silhouette on the bike disappear in the distance, Wei Chen started his car and headed to the company.

Due to the rain last night, the roads now carried the earthy scent of rain, and dewdrops still clung to the tips of leaves, reflecting a colorful light under the warm morning sun.

The wheels of the car rolled over the still damp road, leaving two intertwined tracks when they reached the dry part of the road.

Chen Li rode his bike toward the Q University’s School of Fine Arts, and on the way, people greeted him, classmates from Chen Li’s class.

There were no classes in the first two sessions of the morning, so Chen Li went to Zhuge Yu’s studio.

Zhuge Yu was waiting for Chen Li at the studio. When he saw Chen Li come in, he greeted him with a smile. It seemed he had encountered something exciting, as his eyes narrowed with joy.

Zhuge Yu shared some good news with Chen Li, “Xiao Li, let me tell you some good news. Last night, the dean of our college informed me that they want to enroll you as a student at Q University.”

Yes, Chen Li had been enrolled and was now officially a student at the School of Fine Arts at Q University. However, it wasn’t Zhuge Yu who arranged this; it was the university’s leadership.

Excellence shines wherever you go, and Chen Li’s excellence was evident to all. After several days of meetings and careful consideration, the school’s leadership was convinced that Chen Li would undoubtedly bring more brilliance to the school in the future. Chen Li’s success was just a matter of time!

So, to provide a source for this brilliance and to enhance the prestige of the Q University School of Fine Arts, the school leadership decided to grant Chen Li a student status, making him an official student of Q University.

When Chen Li heard Zhuge Yu telling him this news, he couldn’t even describe the feeling in his heart. He looked at the admission notice handed to him by Zhuge Yu, and when he saw the characters “Chen Li” like dragon flying and phoenix dancing on it, Chen Li suddenly felt his eyes welling up with warmth, as if something wanted to come out.

“Is this… the admission notice?” This notice was obviously thin, and holding it in his hand, it didn’t feel heavy at all. Yet, Chen Li felt it weighed a thousand kilograms, heavy and full of gravity. He didn’t know what this heaviness represented, but inexplicably, he liked this feeling.

“Yes, that’s right. This is the admission notice.” Zhuge Yu saw Chen Li’s expression. Chen Li’s usually somewhat dull features suddenly came alive, showing delight, moved emotions, and even a sense of responsibility.

He’s truly a good kid. Zhuge Yu said to himself, feeling proud and deeply moved for Chen Li.

He was moved by the school’s willingness to give Chen Li this opportunity and even more moved by Chen Li’s transformation and progress.

Maybe he didn’t yet fully comprehend what responsibility meant, but he already had a sense of it in his heart. When responsibility took root and sprouted in Chen Li’s heart, his character further improved.

He believed that his disciple would become better and better one day, eventually shining the brightest like a dazzling star.

After being shocked by the admission notice, Chen Li’s heart was brimming with joy. Now, the first person he wanted to share this with was Wei Chen.

He took a photo of the admission notice with his phone and sent it to Wei Chen, adding a row of triumphant emojis with sunglasses and a cigarette.

Wei Chen had set a special notification tone for Chen Li’s messages. As soon as Chen Li’s message arrived, the special tone rang. Wei Chen was sorting through some documents, and upon hearing the sound, he picked up his phone.

Seeing the message from Chen Li on his phone, Wei Chen was pleasantly surprised. He wasn’t aware of this yet. He had even planned to use his connections to ensure Chen Li’s enrollment at Q University in a while.

Unexpectedly, before he could act on his plan, Chen Li had already received the admission notice from Q University, becoming an official student at the School of Fine Arts.

Wei Chen quickly replied with a string of thumbs up and added a sentence: “[Achen: My Li Li is the most amazing!]”. He sent the response to Chen Li’s message, and it took just a few seconds, not even a minute, Chen Li’s phone hadn’t been put down yet.

Seeing Wei Chen’s reply, Chen Li’s eyebrows curved up, revealing a faint smile. In his big eyes, there seemed to be a glow. However, Chen Li didn’t reply further. He knew Wei Chen had to go to work, and he didn’t want to disturb him.

Chen Li put away his phone and when he looked at Zhuge Yu, he bowed to him, “Teacher, thank you.”

Zhuge Yu quickly helped Chen Li up, smiling and saying, “Don’t thank me. This is something you achieved with your own abilities. I didn’t contribute anything to it.”

The claim of not contributing anything was naturally Zhuge Yu being modest. He had submitted the application, and when the school leadership had a meeting to decide whether to especially admit Chen Li, Zhuge Yu had been actively seeking information and using connections for Chen Li.

Although the final decision to admit Chen Li especially was based on his own outstanding merits, without Zhuge Yu’s behind-the-scenes efforts, it wouldn’t have happened this early.

Furthermore, Chen Li’s current achievements were also brought about by Zhuge Yu. He had made great efforts to take Chen Li as his disciple, not only showing the dedication of Liu Bei’s three visits to the thatched cottage but also disregarding his own dignity to accompany Chen Li.

Afterward, he laid out one road after another for Chen Li, ensuring that Chen Li suffered no harm.

Moreover, Chen Li’s condition would improve, and Zhuge Yu had a role in this too. Zhuge Yu let Chen Li know his own worth, freeing him from the notions of being worthless and a fool.

So, Zhuge Yu deserved the bow and the thank you from Chen Li, or rather, Chen Li felt that his gratitude and bow could not fully express his feelings toward Zhuge Yu.

Or perhaps, in Chen Li’s heart, Zhuge Yu was more than just a teacher. Chen Li’s feelings for Zhuge Yu had surpassed the teacher-student relationship and were slowly transforming into a bond akin to family.

Chen Li felt fortunate to have met Zhuge Yu, a teacher who wholeheartedly protected and guided him.

…

Chen Li spent two class periods in the studio. When it was almost time for the next class, he quickly put away his brushes, tidied up his things, and headed toward the classroom.

Entering the classroom, he no longer kept his head down, looking at his own feet. If his gaze met his classmates’, Chen Li would nod at them. Although Chen Li still wasn’t used to interacting with these classmates, he no longer resisted their approach.

The classmates who received a nod from Chen Li felt a burst of joy, but they didn’t show it. They suppressed their excitement, sat back in their seats, and couldn’t help but take out their phones to boast in the class group.

[Ahhhhh!!! Just now Chen Li greeted me with a nod!!!]
[Yes, yes, he also greeted me with a nod!!! So happy!!!]
[OMG, how lucky you guys are. I want Chen Li to greet me too. Cries!!!]

The class chat group was lively, and the class president was chatting enthusiastically with the classmates when suddenly, he received a request to join the group.

He opened it and was momentarily stunned. His phone almost slipped from his hand.

In the remarks section of the request, it said: “[I am Chen Li.]” The class president quickly took a screenshot and sent it to the class group.

[Image]
[Everyone, look at what I’ve seen. Chen Li has actually requested to join the group!!!]

After the class president’s message, a series of exclamation marks were sent below, as if they were in formation, to express their shock. How could Chen Li want to join the group? It must be a fake, right? Fake!

The classmates in the classroom couldn’t help but turn to look at Chen Li, their eyes gathering on him. Chen Li couldn’t have not noticed this. He looked up and met these gazes, his eyes filled with confusion.

“Chen Li, did you send the group request just now?” the class president couldn’t help but ask.

Chen Li nodded, still looking puzzled. Was there something wrong with him joining the group? With verification from Chen Li, the classroom erupted.

“Class president, approve quickly, approve quickly!!!”

“Administrator, where’s the administrator? Let Chen Li join the group quickly!!!”

Their commotion only stopped when their phone screens showed, [Li has joined this group. Say hello to him.] Everyone in the class took out their phones.

They would definitely be the first one to speak to Chen Li in the group.

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**TN

Flying Dragon Dancing Phoenix – Chinese idiom meaning that things are done in a beautiful and artful way, very powerful and invigorating.

Liu Bei’s three visits – First Visit: Seeking Zhuge Liang’s Aid, Second Visit: Persuasion and Persistence, Third Visit: Successful Recruitment

Liu Bei, a prominent warlord and central figure during the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period of China, is famously associated with the “Peach Garden Oath” and the “Thatched Cottage of the Three Heroes” (sometimes referred to as the “Peach Garden”).

The Thatched Cottage is a historical and symbolic location in present-day Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Liu Bei, along with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, is said to have taken an oath of brotherhood in a peach orchard and built a thatched cottage to live together in harmony and work towards the goal of serving the country.

The visits of Liu Bei to the Thatched Cottage are tied to the circumstances of the three visits he made to Zhuge Liang, a brilliant strategist, and advisor, who would later become a key figure in Liu Bei’s quest for power and the establishment of the Shu Han state. Zhuge Liang lived near the Thatched Cottage.