Cen Huaian’s review wasn’t difficult. Even if he participated in the competition, it wouldn’t affect his grades.

However, he didn’t immediately agree to Teacher Zhang’s request.

Instead, he went home to ask for Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian’s opinions first.

Chu Xia gently touched his short hair.

She still cut Cen Huaian’s hair herself, always keeping it in a short buzz cut.

“Since you’ve come home to ask your dad and me, let me share my thoughts,” Chu Xia said.

Cen Huaian looked at Chu Xia with a serious expression.

“If the entrance exam and the competition conflict, and participating in the competition affects my ability to prepare for the exam, I would refuse to enter the competition. My goal is to get into a good high school. However, if they don’t conflict, and the math teacher, who has helped me before, asks for my assistance, I would help him by participating in the competition. An an, you need to think about what your goals are.”

Cen Zhengnian added directly, “I would balance both daily studies and the competition, then join the competition. Your mother is right; think about what you truly want and your own principles.”

Chu Xia knew that Cen Huaian was already leaning toward entering the competition. If not, given his character, he would have declined outright.

But he was still young and not fully confident in himself.

Seeing him lost in thought, Chu Xia gently patted his head again, saying, “If you want to go, go. If you don’t want to, then don’t. Your dad and I won’t put pressure on you for the entrance exam, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself either. If you don’t get in, you can always try again next year.”

“Mom, I’m not going to fail to get into high school,” Cen Huaian said confidently as he looked at Chu Xia.

He knew he could get into high school, but whether he could get into one of the prestigious schools in the capital depended on his performance.

Chu Xia smiled, “I believe you will get in. You’re the best in my heart!”

Cen Huaian, feeling flattered by Chu Xia’s praise, returned to his room a bit dazed.

Cen Zhengnian sat beside Chu Xia, silently watching her.

Chu Xia waved her hand in front of him, “Why are you staring at me?”

“Is An an the best in your heart? What about me?” Cen Zhengnian’s tone held a trace of grievance, which made Chu Xia laugh.

She playfully patted his head, “You’re just as great as An an!”

Though he knew Chu Xia was teasing him, Cen Zhengnian couldn’t help but feel happy inside.

In the end, Cen Huaian decided to participate in the competition.

To do so, he needed to set aside time for competition preparation, which meant he wouldn’t be as relaxed at school and would need to practice at home too.

But, as Cen Zhengnian had said, since Cen Huaian had the ability to balance both studies and the competition, everything proceeded according to his plan.

Around this time, Chu Xia also started seeing patients at the hospital.

Most of them were those who didn’t want to wait in line for Dr. Yan, as he had a long list of patients, so they tried seeing Chu Xia instead.

To their surprise, they found that Chu Xia was just as good, with a warm and patient demeanor that patients appreciated, leading them to return to her for treatment.

In December, Cen Huaian participated in the city’s middle school math competition.

At the competition site, Fourth High School, he met Zhang Lu and Tang Song, friends he had met at summer camp who weren’t from the capital.

Liu Hongyu, upon seeing Cen Huaian, immediately felt a sense of caution.

Zhang Lu pulled Liu over to chat, but Liu Hongyu subtly edged away, trying to distance himself from the two.

Zhang Lu had been preparing for the competition by practicing math problems, with Tang Song helping her when she got stuck.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lu helped Tang Song with his Chinese, as Tang Song was a typical student who excelled in science but struggled in liberal arts.

His performance in language arts was barely average in the class; otherwise, he would have been the top student.

Before Cen Huaian arrived, Zhang Lu and Tang Song were discussing a test paper from the previous day.

When Cen Huaian joined them, Zhang Lu pulled him into the conversation, and the three of them debated the best solution until they entered the exam room.

The competition format was similar to last year’s city competition, but the exam venue was different.

Since signing up for the competition, Cen Huaian had been preparing diligently, so even though the questions were more challenging this year, and many new types of problems were introduced, they were mostly variations of problems he had practiced before.

He completed them smoothly.

However, for the final bonus question, he initially missed a condition, and when he checked his answer, it was incorrect.

He had to rework the problem, which cost him extra time.

Cen Huai’an used to submit his exam papers early, but after realizing that it put too much psychological pressure on others, he started to delay submitting his papers a bit, allowing himself to check them a few more times before handing them in.

This way, the remaining time would be less stressful for other students.

He didn’t fully accommodate others who did not submit their papers early; a proper mindset requires practice.

Cen Huai’an’s competition results hadn’t come out yet, but he received news that Cen Zhengnian would be going on a business trip.

When Cen Zhengnian returned home to tell Chuxia and Cen Huai’an about the trip, his eyes were full of guilt.

“We’re at the final stage of development, and only I and a few colleagues involved in this project understand it fully. So, we need to oversee its success.”

Yan Hemin, due to his age, couldn’t travel long distances.

Cen Huai’an was the most important researcher besides Yan Hemin and had been involved in all aspects of the research design, so he couldn’t skip this trip.

“Where are you going?”

Cen Zhengnian had been on business trips before but returned soon after, so Chuxia was somewhat used to it.

However, this task was clearly different.

Cen Zhengnian shook his head and didn’t answer her question, saying, “That’s confidential.”

This mission was highly secretive, so Chuxia didn’t press for more details.

She asked, “When will you leave, and how long will you be gone?”

“I’ll leave tomorrow. This time it might take a bit longer. If all goes well, I should be back by the New Year.”

Chuxia hugged him, showing her reluctance for the first time. “I wish you all the best.”

She was used to celebrating the New Year with Cen Zhengnian and seeing him every day.

Chuxia let go of Cen Zhengnian, who then hugged Cen Huai’an. “Behave at home and keep your mother company. I’ll be back soon.”

“Mm.” Cen Huai’an pressed his lips together, hesitated, and then said, “Dad, I hope everything goes well.”

Early the next morning, before dawn, Cen Zhengnian had to get up and depart with his colleagues.

Chuxia had packed many items for Cen Zhengnian.

Although she didn’t know the exact location, she asked whether the destination was hot or cold and found the thickest clothes for him.

In addition to clothes, she packed various foods, snacks, a water bottle, and even a rose branch from the backyard, removing the thorns.

“Take this with you. Whenever you see it, you’ll think of me and An An,” Chuxia said as she placed the small branch in Cen Zhengnian’s pocket.

Cen Zhengnian gently touched the branch, which was not as long as his hand, and nodded with a look of deep reluctance.

“Once you’re there, don’t focus only on work. I’ve worked hard to keep your stomach from hurting; if I see you coming back with health issues, I’ll be upset.”

“I know.” Cen Zhengnian gently brushed a strand of hair from Chuxia’s temple and tucked it behind her ear, whispering, “I’ll remember your advice.”

Chuxia felt a lump in her throat, and tears almost fell.

She and Cen Huai’an watched as Cen Zhengnian boarded the departing vehicle, and only then did her tears start to fall.

Cen Huai’an tugged at Chuxia’s sleeve and clumsily wiped her tears with his hand. “Mom, don’t cry. I’m here.”

Chuxia knew she shouldn’t cry anymore. She tried to control herself, but the more Cen Huai’an comforted her, the less she could control her emotions, and soon the tears flowed more freely.

Cen Huai’an was at a loss, feeling unable to express his own sadness about his father leaving and only focused on comforting his mother.

“An An, you… you don’t need to worry about me. Let me be alone for a bit.”

Cen Huai’an wouldn’t leave her alone and stayed by Chuxia’s side until her emotions gradually calmed down.

Chuxia wiped her tears, feeling a bit embarrassed.

She hadn’t intended to cry.

Cen Zhengnian was on a train heading to the Northwest.

This was a special train for transporting research materials, and besides the train conductor and research institute personnel, there were no other passengers.

Most of the researchers from Cen Zhengnian’s lab were on this train, heading to the Gansu Launch Center in the Northwest, including Ye Xingxu.

Cen Zhengnian repeatedly touched the rose branch in his pocket, gazing out at the dark landscape.

He emitted an air of deep melancholy.

Ye Xingxu, sitting next to him, had not relaxed his frown.

His usually cheerful demeanor was absent, and he was preoccupied with worry.

“Since my wife is pregnant, I won’t be there to help her with cooking. Will she be okay on her own?”

Ye Xingxu nudged Cen Zhengnian with his elbow, clearly concerned.

Shi Qin’s pregnancy was now showing, and they didn’t know when they would return.

The months of her pregnancy were passing, making Ye Xingxu increasingly anxious.

Cen Zhengnian turned his gaze from the window and said, “While we’re on this trip, there will be people looking after our families.”

“That’s just a precaution for major issues. For daily matters, they still have to handle it themselves.”

Cen Zhengnian glanced at Ye Xingxu. “You could hire a nanny.”

This suggestion seemed to provide Ye Xingxu with a solution.

He clapped his hands and said, “Reliable nannies are hard to find, but my mom is retired now. I can ask her to help.”

Cen Zhengnian didn’t comment further.

He didn’t have much understanding of the relationship between his wife and his mother, especially since Chuxia and his mother got along well.

He continued to look out the window, as if he could see Chuxia and Cen Huai’an who were sending him off.

After Cen Zhengnian left, Chuxia initially found it difficult to adjust.

The bed felt cold without him, and even with a hot water bottle, it wasn’t as warm or comforting as when Cen Zhengnian held her.

Whenever there was heavy work to be done at home, Chuxia instinctively looked for Cen Zhengnian, only to remember he wasn’t there.

However, this discomfort lasted only a few days.

Gradually, Chuxia returned to her normal routine.

Cen Huai’an no longer worried about his mother.

He shared his city competition results with Chuxia, achieving first place and a first-class award just like last time.

Seeing the certificate brought Chuxia joy, which helped to alleviate the sadness from Cen Zhengnian’s departure.

The New Year was approaching.

“An An, since your dad isn’t home, how about we go to the Northwest to visit your grandparents for the New Year? We haven’t seen them in two years.”

Chuxia discussed the New Year’s plans with Cen Huai’an.

Celebrating alone felt too quiet, and after the lively New Year’s Eve dinner at Grandfather Jiang’s house, returning home to just the two of them felt even lonelier.

Of course, this wasn’t the main reason.

It had been a long time since she had seen Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father, and she wanted to take An An to visit them.

Cen Huai’an nodded without hesitation. “Okay.”

He missed his grandparents too.

Thus, the plan to go to the Northwest was set.

Since the Chinese medicine department was not very busy, Chuxia took on extra shifts and rescheduled the ones she couldn’t cover to after the New Year, successfully securing a 20-day vacation for the New Year.

Because they were headed to the Northwest, Chu Xia made a special effort to take An An to visit Grandpa Jiang for the New Year before they left.

They celebrated an early reunion dinner with the Jiang family.

Jiang Zhida raised his teacup, substituting tea for wine, and toasted Chu Xia and Cen Huaian. “By the time you return for the New Year, the entertainment center in Xidan will have opened. You can come and enjoy it then.”

Jiang Zhida’s entertainment center was already completed and renovated, and he planned to open it during the New Year when people had both time and money.

It was the perfect time to launch.

However, Chu Xia and An An would miss the opening, which left them a little regretful.

Zhang Lu, who was nearby, said, “Uncle, can’t you open a few days earlier? That way, An An can be there for the opening.”

Jiang Zhiguan tapped her on the head, “Don’t suggest random ideas. The opening day was carefully selected as an auspicious date. It can’t be changed.”

Zhang Lu pouted, “That’s just superstition.”