The Sweetest Marriage Ch.382

Chapter 382 – Returning to the Capital

After packing up his belongings, Housekeeper Zhang went to bid farewell to Wei Chen.

“Young Master Chen, I’m about to leave,” Housekeeper Zhang bowed deeply to Wei Chen.

Though he didn’t want to leave much, there were too many memories here for Housekeeper Zhang. In the future, when alone, he could reminisce rather than rely on just a photograph inside his suitcase.

However, his only link to the Wei family was Old Master Wei. Now that Old Master Wei had departed, his ties to the family were severed, and it was time for him to leave.

“Uncle Zhang, please stay,” Wei Chen didn’t insist on Housekeeper Zhang leaving, although he wasn’t surprised by the farewell.

Housekeeper Zhang insisted on leaving, saying, “I’m getting older. I’ve spent my whole life at the Wei family’s service, saved some money over the years. While I can still travel, I want to go out and see the world.”

Since Housekeeper Zhang had made up his mind, Wei Chen didn’t force him to stay. But Wei Chen added, “Uncle Zhang, when you’re tired of traveling, come back here. Li Li and I are returning to the capital next month. I hope you can help look after this mansion.”

Surprised, Housekeeper Zhang said, “Young Master Chen, if you don’t stay, why would you expect me to stay?”

After a long silence, Housekeeper Zhang finally nodded and said, “I’ll take care of the mansion for Young Master Chen.”

Being able to stay and watch over the meetings he used to have with the old master was an immense gift for Housekeeper Zhang.

He was incredibly moved, but having been by Old Master Wei’s side year-round, Housekeeper Zhang had learned how to conceal his emotions, whether joy or sorrow, all were hidden.

So, at that moment, Housekeeper Zhang appeared outwardly content.

“It’ll be your responsibility then, Uncle Zhang,” Wei Chen said.

Housekeeper Zhang smiled faintly and replied, “Not a problem. I’ve lived here my whole life. If I truly left, I might find it hard to let go.”

The matter was settled. Housekeeper Zhang didn’t leave. His desire to travel was just an excuse to decline Wei Chen’s offer at the time, but now that he had stayed, he didn’t want to leave.

Guarding the memories of the past meetings, it was as if Old Master Wei had never left.

In the following month, Wei Chen was extremely busy. Wei Yan, along with Wei Chen, was busy too. He never expected Wei Chen to hand over the entire Wei Corporation to him.

Initially resistant, Wei Yan never had the intention of taking over the Wei family’s affairs. However, he couldn’t resist Wei Chen’s determination to go to the capital, so he agreed to temporarily manage the Wei Corporation for him.

So, Wei Yan didn’t sign the equity transfer document handed over by Wei Chen, but he did inform Wei Chen about it.

In the past month, Wei Chen and Wei Yan were occupied with the transition of the Wei Corporation’s affairs. By the end of this handover, a whole month had passed.

The next day, after bidding farewell to their friends in Shanghai, Wei Chen and Chen Li set off to return to Beijing.

On Wei Chen’s first day back in the capital, Sheng Jiaqi asked Wei Chen to return to Changfeng Group.

Wei Chen didn’t refuse but mentioned he’d return to work at Changfeng in a month or two.

In the past year, during the first half, Wei Chen was busy with Wei Corporation matters. In the latter half, due to Grandfather Wei’s illness, he had no time to spend with Chen Li and Qiuqiu, which filled him with guilt.

Now that the Wei Corporation matters had settled, Wei Chen had no reason to continue working. He wanted to take two months off to be with Chen Li and Qiuqiu at home.

Naturally, it was also for some personal relaxation.

Upon hearing Wei Chen’s reasons, Sheng Jiaqi expressed understanding but scolded Wei Chen before graciously granting him two months to spend quality time with his family.

After a year apart, returning to their little nest in the capital, Chen Li felt like they had stepped into a different world.

Time flew by, and Qiuqiu was already over two years old.

Qiuqiu was a mischievous child at this age, loving to run around everywhere and disliking being held by both dads. Once on the ground, he’d dart off without a trace.

But one good thing remained: whenever either dad called, regardless of where he was, Qiuqiu would come running, then throw himself onto their legs, sweetly calling out “Daddy.”

Of course, one thing that hadn’t changed in the past year was Qiuqiu’s appetite. With Chen Li being a foodie dad, and Wei Chen being busy again, it was truly uncontrollable.

Before they knew it, Chen Li found himself unable to lift Qiuqiu anymore—a painful realization.

Chen Li decided it was time to help Qiuqiu lose some weight!

So, while Wei Chen was engrossed in work over the past year, Chen Li was occupied with trying to help Qiuqiu shed some pounds. But it was all in vain.

As long as Chen Li couldn’t control his own eating habits, he couldn’t control Qiuqiu’s either. Sometimes, Chen Li even found himself competing with Qiuqiu for food.

Once, when Lan Xiping visited Shanghai and saw Chen Li eating, Chen Li ended up having a cold war with Qiuqiu because of food.

At that moment, Lan Xiping jokingly decided to give Chen Li a nickname, as the name Chen Li sounded like “stupid donkey” in a playful way.

Lan Xiping wouldn’t use this nickname in front of the child. It was just an occasional teasing when Chen Li was being playful.

But back to the story at hand.

Right after the family of three returned home, as soon as Qiuqiu wriggled out of Wei Chen’s arms, he disappeared in a flash.

Chen Li was about to say something when he noticed Wei Chen rubbing his arms and immediately joined in, somewhat indignant, “Exactly! Qiuqiu is as heavy as a pig now. Holding him for long is unbearable. We absolutely must help Qiuqiu lose weight.”

Even though Qiuqiu wasn’t visible, he still heard Chen Li’s words and immediately wailed, “No, Qiuqiu doesn’t want to lose weight!”

Losing weight meant not being able to eat a lot of delicious things, and he definitely didn’t want that.

“Qiuqiu, come out!” Chen Li shouted towards where Qiuqiu’s voice came from.

Qiuqiu replied, “No!”

There was no room for negotiation.

“Achen, look.” Unable to get Qiuqiu out, Chen Li sought Wei Chen’s help, saying, “See if Qiuqiu wants to lose weight. If he doesn’t, I won’t hug him anymore.”

This was intentionally said for Qiuqiu’s benefit, with a hint of a small threat.

Qiuqiu emerged from some corner, sprinting over and hugging Wei Chen’s legs, sweetly saying, “Big Dad, don’t want Daddy to hug me.”

This was in response to Chen Li’s earlier threat, implying, “If you won’t hug me, Big Dad will, and anyway, you can’t carry me anymore.”

This action of Qiuqiu left Chen Li quite upset. Eventually, he just hugged Wei Chen directly, pouted, and said, “Big Dad is mine, Big Dad only hugs me, hmp” adding a childish hum at the end.

Following Chen Li’s lead, Qiuqiu also hmped, gripping Wei Chen’s long legs and, with a pitiful look, choked out, “Big Dad, hug.”

In his mind, Chen Li joked that Qiuqiu was a complete drama king. But then, he lifted himself up on tiptoes, planted a kiss on Wei Chen’s cheek, and provocatively looked at Qiuqiu, saying, “I can kiss Big Dad, and you can’t.”

In this round, leveraging his height advantage, Chen Li narrowly won over Qiuqiu.

Wei Chen had been quietly observing the “battle” between Chen Li and Qiuqiu. When it finally paused, he scooped Qiuqiu up from the ground while holding Chen Li with the other hand. He gently shook Qiuqiu, seriously remarking, “Indeed, Qiuqiu should lose some weight.”

While chubby kids might look adorable, it could burden their health. Even if weight loss was challenging, letting Qiuqiu get any heavier wasn’t an option.

With Wei Chen’s statement, Chen Li triumphantly looked at Qiuqiu, pinched his chubby cheeks, and teased, “See? I told you that you need to lose weight! You’re always competing with me for food! Hmph!”

In this round, Qiuqiu lost under the weight of his own body.

Qiuqiu had a pouting face, on the verge of crying. When Wei Chen glanced at him, Qiuqiu immediately held back his tears.

But he still remembered when Dad teased him for being short, unable to reach Big Dad’s height. Qiuqiu promptly planted a firm kiss on Big Dad’s face, a heavy smack leaving a saliva mark on Wei Chen’s face.

After planting that kiss, Qiuqiu struggled to get out of Wei Chen’s embrace. With a swing of his chubby legs, he disappeared into a nearby corner.

Chen Li stuck out his tongue towards where Qiuqiu hid, but then promptly accused the innocent party, saying, “Achen, your son bullied me.”

Wei Chen waited for Chen Li to finish speaking, then lowered his head, capturing Chen Li’s lips, sharing a passionate exchange with Chen Li.

Afterward, Wei Chen said, “I’ll handle it.”

Chen Li felt elated, completely letting go of the recent incident. Wei Chen, however, felt a sense of helplessness, though more of sweetness prevailed.

With two months of free time on hand, Wei Chen consulted Chen Li and planned to go on a trip. Two months would be sufficient for a family trip for the three of them.

However, while planning their travel route, a minor incident occurred: the U.S. presidential election. Mr. Moray, who had been closely associated with Wei Chen and occasionally purchased Chen Li’s works through Wei Chen’s connections, was elected as the president of the United States.

Wei Chen learned about this through the news and promptly sent a congratulatory email to Mr. Moray.

Considering it a minor episode, Wei Chen resumed planning their future two-month travel itinerary after sending the email.

A day later, Wei Chen and Chen Li departed from Beijing, opting for a high-speed rail route for their journey.

At this time, Wei Chen received a reply from Mr. Moray. Apart from expressing gratitude, he warmly invited Wei Chen and Chen Li to visit the United States.

However, Wei Chen politely declined, stating they didn’t plan to travel abroad in the near future.

Of course, Mr. Moray was just making a gesture. Having recently been elected as the U.S. president, he had many responsibilities and wouldn’t have time to entertain them even if they visited.

This matter was brushed aside, and Wei Chen and Chen Li commenced their high-speed rail trip.

They traveled along this rail line, staying in each destination for a few days, exploring before boarding the next train to the subsequent stop.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, the trio had spent a full two months traveling along this high-speed rail line. On their last day, they took a long return journey, spending over a dozen hours on the train and finally arriving back in Beijing.

And it was then that they discovered Jiang Ye had left only four words: ‘Wait for my return,’ completely vanishing from Lan Xiping’s world.

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